May the 4th

Happy Star Wars day!

I’m not much of a Star Wars cat, being named after a character in an old west video game and, well, being a cat in general.  I do sometimes watch TV, but my favorite movie so far is “A Bug’s Life.”  It’s so colorful!

Star Wars day is important to me for a different reason: it’s the day I officially joined my family!  It was on this day in 2019 that I was cleared and allowed to join the rest of the household, leaving the basement that I considered my home for a few days.  I still like to go back down there to explore—there’s a lot of stuff down there.  A LOT.

I’m much bigger today than I was back then.  I was such a cute, fluffy little kitty!  But with the regular food, I started to grow to my full size…and then some.  I’ve been unable to lose the extra weight, but I am on a strict diet so I don’t overeat.  Sometimes I weigh myself on our new Wi-Fi scale when I’m listening for the birds in the wall—I haven’t heard any since they put up the new siding, which I’m glad none were trapped in the wall.  The scale sits near the window, so my humans noticed that I was randomly weighing myself and created a profile for me.  I’m pretty consistent at around 17.5 pounds.  Yep, I’m a big cat.

Jen is taking online classes for her Bachelor’s degree, whatever that means, so she has been busier than usual.  At least it gives her something to focus on instead of her depression and anxiety.  I worry about her sometimes—there are days that she just doesn’t want to get out of bed.  Sometimes I cuddle up with her and try to cheer her up.  I don’t like to see my human so depressed—she gave me a home and keeps me fed, so the least I can do is give her some affection now and then.

There isn’t much going on in my life right now, aside from Jen’s ongoing search for a job that she can physically (and mentally) do and her return to college.  DiNozzo and I have been tolerating each other more, though I got in trouble again for trying to ambush him.  I just wish he would play with me.  I saw him playing with a few toys the other night.  It looked like fun, but I know that he will run away if I try to join.  He sure has a lot of energy!

DiNozzo and I have been taking turns at the bedroom window since our large scratching post was moved there.  It’s a great spot to watch for birds and to watch the people in the neighborhood.  We used to watch a bird outside Jordan’s window—well, DiNozzo more than me—but that bird hasn’t been around since they covered the hole with siding.  Jen is sure there was a nest in the wall, maybe even some eggs.  We didn’t hear any animal sounds, so we think the bird left when they started pounding.  It’s not as tragic if there were only eggs.  Hopefully the bird wasn’t even that far along in nest-building.

This is a shorter post, but Jen has two papers to write for her classes.  We are all hoping that she’ll be able to get a decent job when she’s finished, though she said she wants to continue through to get her MBA.  I don’t really know what any of that means, but it sounds like it’s important.

May the 4^th be with you!

DiNozzo's Affection

This morning I jumped in bed with Jen as I often do when she sleeps late.  It used to be about getting her up to feed me, but now I just like the extra attention.  Plus I like to sleep on the bed after she’s made it.  She was just about to get up when I came in the room, so she told me it was okay to jump up and hung out with me for a little bit.  Not that I always wait for her permission to jump onto the bed, but if she’s up, it’s better to wait than accidentally scratch her because she moved (or accidentally get smacked in the face).

Lately, DiNozzo is often with Jen.  He’s been really clingy since Loki passed away, and he has decided to cling to Jen most of the time.  Usually she will pet both of us, and if he gets aggressive, she shields me and tells him to go away.  This morning, she was ignoring him and only paying attention to me.  DiNozzo then shocked us both: he gave me a headbutt and licked my forehead!  This is the stuff he used to do with Loki, never with me.  He then was sniffing my ears and gave me another headbutt.

Maybe we will be friends after all.  I don’t see us ever being as close as he and Loki were, but it is a move in the right direction.  Jen says I need to stop ambushing him because he doesn’t like it.  What can I say?  That’s how I express affection!  Jen should know that—I’m always smacking her legs or trying to push her down the stairs.  Not really, but she needs to move faster when it’s food time.

I Miss the Birds

Installing siding makes a lot of noise!

I haven't been sitting at my favorite window much since they cut down my tree. The humans had to move everything off the patio for the siding installation, so the only thing out there is a table that is too big to fit inside. It's just so empty...

Most of the patio stuff went to the basement, but there are parts of Jen’s greenhouse in the dining room. I went into the basement again and it was so full! More than usual! Patio chairs, the top of Jen’s greenhouse, a couple plant stands, and a bunch of stuff that was outside.

It was easier for me to stay out of Jen’s reach because there were more places for me to hide, so I ended up locked in the basement for about two hours. Then, when Jen came down to move the laundry to the dryer, I decided I was ready to leave. I was extra nice to her after that since I knew I wasn’t supposed to be down there.

My favorite window is now just a place to get some sun. Before, there were always birds and squirrels outside, hunting for food or just chilling in my lilac tree. Yes, I considered that to be MY tree. It was where I liked to rest when I was homeless, giving me a good hiding spot and plenty of shade. Now it's gone, and so are the birds, so I see no point in looking out the window. I’ll nap on the bench, but there is nothing to watch outside.

Jordan’s window isn’t as entertaining either. You can see more from there, but they cut the tree branches—well, “butchered” is the term Jen uses, and I can see her point. The branches were just hacked off randomly, leaving dead branches while killing healthy ones. There are still squirrels and birds, they are just farther away than they used to be. I hate this.

They started pounding on the walls to install the siding. I was concerned and was watching them to make sure they weren’t trying to destroy my house! Jen is worried that the birds in the wall will get stuck, but we think that as long as they get to that spot before the birds are nesting, the pounding will drive them out long enough for the guy to cover the hole.

We hope that’s what will happen. Neither of us want birds to die from being trapped in the wall. That would just be terrible!

My Lilac is Gone!

I was bad again yesterday and ran outside.  Jen was doing something in the garden and I saw a chance, so I took it.  She didn’t even try to stop me.

When I got out there, I noticed that my favorite tree is gone!  I could see from the window that it wasn’t there, but it just didn’t actually hit me until I went outside.  The lilac that I sat under when I was homeless was just a stump!

I knew Jen was really upset the other day about something, but I wasn’t sure what.  Now I understand: it was because they cut down her lilac and Rose of Sharon.  They are putting up siding in the complex and we are the last row to get it.  They said they can’t install it with the tall plants, so they cut them down.

Jen said they will grow back, but it will take years.  This is why she really wanted to buy a house in 2019.  Stupid cancer ruined everything.  Without the lilac, it felt way too exposed outside and I didn’t feel safe.  As soon as Jen opened the door to come back outside, I ran past her and up the steps.  I know I’m not supposed to go out anyway, and now it just doesn’t feel safe.

No wonder there have been fewer birds lately.  Where are they supposed to sit???

My Food Obsession

Pondering about my life

I was using Loki’s old smart feeder for a few days to prevent Misha from eating all of my food. I’m back to eating normally again (and pooping normally). The hairball gel really helped get my digestive system working smoothly, and now I get it every few days to prevent this from happening again.

It took me awhile to feel comfortable eating out of the smart feeder. It still feels weird that Loki isn’t around, even though it’s been almost five months. Once I learned how it worked and understood that I was allowed to eat from it, I enjoyed being able to graze as I wanted. Unfortunately, the humans measure my food and I guess I was eating all of it before lunch time.

I have always loved food. I can be picky sometimes when it comes to different meats—I don’t like beef and I’m not much of a fan of fish. When Loki was getting wet food, DiNozzo and I would occasionally get a little bit too. If it was beef, I would walk away. Loki always liked it, but I do not.

I know some humans think it’s weird that I am so picky, and yet so overweight. You would be too if you were starving and then suddenly had food available all the time. That’s why Jen got the smart feeders for Loki and DiNozzo: they only opened for them, keeping me from eating their food.

Jen gave me a couple of days to adjust to the smart feeder, but then said I obviously couldn’t handle it. She said she’s the same with some junk food, which is why she doesn’t buy things like Coca-Cola and Middleswarth potato chips. With me, she decided to go back to my automated feeder, which helps me to spread my food across five meals throughout the day. I get enough food, just not all at once because I will eat all of it in the morning.

I guess I’m a little like a hobbit: I get breakfast, then second breakfast, then lunch, then dinner, and then a late supper. Sometimes I leave a little bit to eat later, but usually Misha eats it. She gets in trouble for doing this and I get a little bit more food. If I act like I’m starving, Jen and Jordan will check the camera to see if Misha stole my food, then give me a little more of she did. I like Misha, but I do wish she would stop eating my food and go eat her own.

At least everything is back to normal, including my meals and playtime with DiNozzo. He has gone back to hating me as usual, though he was sniffing me the other day when we were both laying with Jen. At least I know she will shield me if he tries to attack. She’s done it before.

I really do have the best humans.

Feeling Better

I am finally feeling better and am mostly back to normal.  Jen was giving me special food that Loki used to get and a gel that she said helps with hairballs.  I’ve had this gel before, but it’s a little expensive for us right now.  I was getting special treats for a while to help with my hairballs, but, again, they are expensive.

Jordan said I should be using Loki’s old feeder so Misha can’t get to my food when I walk away.  I had a special meal of real chicken one evening, and when I left, and when the humans were not looking, Misha finished it.  When Misha went to bed the one night, Jen gave me some dry food, some ground turkey baby food, and more chicken.  Misha snuck back downstairs after the humans went to bed and ate ALL OF IT!!

Sometimes I can hear the humans on this white thing that they call a “Ring camera.”  It sits near the TV and faces my feeder.  If Misha tries to sneak my food and Jen or Jordan suspects that she is doing exactly that, they will speak through the camera to make her stop.  It worked at first, but I guess Misha figured out that they are not there to stop her, so she continues to eat my food.

Jen cleaned up Loki’s smart feeder and set it down for me to use.  I remember that I was never allowed to eat from it, so it just doesn’t feel right.  She eventually gave me food in my automatic feeder like normal once I was back to eating again.  I definitely feel better, though I’m still not eating all of my meals.  I was even getting into trouble when Jen’s mom was doing laundry.  I’m not supposed to go into the basement, so I waited for her to open the door and ran past her.  She has been nicer to me than usual since I haven’t been feeling well, but I’m still not supposed to be in the basement.

At least I know that Jen can tell when I am not feeling well and will take care of me.  And I swear that DiNozzo actually was a little concerned about me!  Maybe we will be friends someday.

A New Vet

It’s been a rough few months in my family. We had our first Christmas without Loki. Though DiNozzo and I got new toys and were allowed to open our presents ourselves, it just isn’t the same without Loki.

Jordan has been home from work because he was injured at his job. He wasn’t even allowed to lift me for almost three months! I like having him around more, but he was in pain for a long time. I heard Jen say he probably cracked a rib. She was pretty mad when it happened—at Jordan’s employer, not at him. Jen always says “safety first,” and they said there was broken machinery at the job, which is why Jordan got hurt.

This past Monday, Jen’s mom left for her Florida vacation, but was back Tuesday because of car problems. She was hoping it could be fixed quickly, but no one can figure out what is wrong with it yet, so she had to cancel her trip. Jen is trying to start working freelance for a customer service company—something she really doesn’t like doing—and she was waiting for peace and quiet to complete her account setup. It seems the car has screwed up everyone’s plans right now.

On Tuesday, I started to not feel too good and wasn’t really hungry. Jen noticed I was just laying around, and she definitely noticed that I wasn’t really eating. She started to get pretty upset, concerned that I was going to have health issues like Loki. It is very similar, but I am much younger than he was when his health started to go downhill, so I should bounce back.

Jen and Jordan took me to a new vet to help. I hate the vet and kept giving her angry looks. At least this time Jen didn’t get angry with the vet like at the other place—she said we will never see those veterinarians again.

They took my temperature and gave me a shot. I started to feel a little better, but still not well. Jen gave me some chicken baby food, which she already had because of Loki. It was okay—I’m not a huge fan, but at least it was easy to eat. Jen told me I need to eat and drink more water. She’s very worried about me, which means that she really cares about me. I knew I picked the right family.

Hopefully I start to feel better soon. Aside from making Jen upset, I hate feeling sick.

Life Moves On

Loki

I was never really that close with Loki. I admired him and liked to ambush him, but I’m just not a cuddly cat, especially when it comes to other cats. DiNozzo and Loki were close, and lately DiNozzo has been extra clingy with Jen. He and I still don’t get along, but we are tolerating each other more.

DiNozzo usually spends time upstairs while I claim the downstairs. He likes to sleep on Jen and Jordan’s bed during the day, and on the futon in Jordan’s game room at night. Sometimes I will also sleep upstairs, more so when it gets colder—our furnace is terrible and the first floor is probably at least ten degrees colder than the second.

Sometimes DiNozzo will hiss at me, sometimes not. Jen has been working with both of us to stop the fighting. I get in trouble for chasing DiNozzo and he gets in trouble for hitting me when I’m sleeping. I really want to play with him, but he just doesn’t like me. It’s okay though because our humans make sure we feel like we’re part of the family and that we each have space away from each other.

Jen did talk about maybe getting another cat now that Loki is gone. She said she would kind of like to get a kitten because she hasn’t had one since Loki was a baby and Jordan has never had a kitten. But Jen also said she doesn’t really want to get another cat. Our apartment has restrictions, which might have changed, so we don’t even known if we could. Plus Jen said that she’s concerned DiNozzo might not like a new cat since he hated me, and with a kitten, they are afraid I might hurt it—accidentally of course. Sometimes I just don’t know my own strength.

It's going to take a long time for our family to get over the loss of Loki. He truly was a special boy and the house feels kind of empty without him. The humans hung a nice portrait of him above the TV in the living room, giving the feeling that he is watching over all of us.

I proudly carry on what I have learned from Loki, keeping my family safe and guarding our home. I miss ambushing him from the basement steps and stealing little bits of his food. I know the humans miss him very much, as does DiNozzo. They say that Loki lived a very long and fulfilling life, I just came toward the end of it and missed his younger days. Supposedly he was quite a handful when he was younger, and Jen says I have a lot of Loki’s traits.

DiNozzo and I will never be as close as he was with Loki, and that’s okay, but we are a little closer than we before. My family is still healing from this loss, and I will always be there for them to make them laugh and smile.

Loki

We lost Loki today.  He had been in poor health for a while and the past few days have been really rough.

Our entire family is saddened by this event.  It will take some time for us to recover.  All we can do is be there for each other.  He was a very special cat and will be missed dearly.

April 10, 2005 to October 5, 2022