Loki Update Again

Me watching Loki eat his food--I got in trouble for this

Loki has been doing well lately, or at least as well as any 17-year-old cat with urinary tract issues can be.  Jen recently bought him special food that is supposed to help.  She said she can't afford to keep feeding him only canned food, so he needs to eat some dry.  Really, he usually eats some of DiNozzo's dry food during the night anyway.

I managed to sneak some of this new food.  It's different.  Jen said it's for urinary tract health and that I could eat some if I wanted, but that I shouldn't because it's Loki's food.  She also mentioned something about switching my food.  She said I need to lose weight, and since the humans have cut back on my food and I still am really big, they are looking at special food options for me.

I know a lot of people are touchy about cat food and have their personal preferences.  I will really eat anything, but my humans try to find a balance between nutrition and costs.  I've heard Jen say that she will not let us eat better than her, which seems fair.  Of course, I've seen some of the things my humans eat: potatoes, vegetables, more potatoes, and a lot of ground beef and chicken.  Maybe we do eat better than them, as far as a balanced diet goes.

Jen has been gaining weight since she left her job.  Actually, she's been gaining weight since the time we both had surgery.  She says menopause makes it worse.  Maybe that's what happened to me too--I used to be thin!  Jen has tried to get me to exercise, mainly by putting on my harness and taking me outside.  I don't like to walk!  And definitely not in my harness!  There are kids and dogs out there, and I'm supposed to just walk around?  I don't think so!

I heard Jen say she wishes she could buy a treadmill for both of us to use.  I don't know what that means, but I don't like the sound of it!

Baby Bunnies!

Baby rabbits in our planter

Jen was acting weird and overly protective of the one corner of the patio.  Usually, she lets Misha, our dog, go wherever she wants, but for some reason, the corner was suddenly off-limits.

I was watching out the window when I saw movement in one of Jen's big pots.  She has green onions and a bell pepper plant growing in that pot.  Normally that is boring, but the green onions were moving!  I watched the pot and saw a little rabbit peek his head out!  Jen noticed the babies too and said it looked like there were five of them.  She knew about this long before I did!

After a couple weeks, the rabbits started looking out more.  Jen eventually had to help a few get out of the pot, but some of them jumped down and seemed to be okay.  We don't know if they were old enough to leave the nest or if they just wanted to explore.  Unfortunately, it was not possible for them to get back to their nest once they left--the pot is maybe 18inches high.  A really safe spot for a nest, aside from the babies not being able to get back to it.

We have seen the mother rabbit occasionally, so we think the babies are hiding in the garden.  There are plenty of places for them to hide out there and a lot of things for bunnies to eat, like clover.  We have a hawk that lives nearby, so we are all hoping that he doesn't spot the little ones.  And if he does, well...that's the thing about nature: sometimes it's cruel.

Now that the bunnies are gone, I'm back to watching birds.  It isn't as exciting.  With the heat lately, I've mostly just been laying around on the floor.  Jen says I'm being dramatic, acting like it's hot even though the air conditioner is on.  What can I say?  I do have a lot of fur!

The Auto Feeder is Mine!

Jen saw on the camera that DiNozzo was eating all of Loki's food in his automatic feeder, so she decided to go back to using Loki's locked feeder at night. Since Loki isn't using the Auto feeder anymore, Jen said it is now mine!

At first I didn't understand. The humans always put my food in a bowl on top of the cat house. Jen told me before that I needed to start eating on the floor with the other pets because I was getting too arrogant. I don't think that chasing DiNozzo is being mean, but the humans say otherwise.

With the auto feeder, I have to eat one the floor like the other cats. I was confused because that was always Loki's food, but Jen helped me understand that now it is for me and no one else. The opening is a little small for my big head, so sometimes I pull the pieces out with my paw and eat them.

The best part is if the humans oversleep, I still get breakfast on time!

Loki Update

Loki outside

Loki went to the vet again. This time I could tell it was our regular vet. He seems to be feeling better but is definitely not as healthy as he used to be.

He has been in and out of the litter boxes repeatedly for days. He's peeing a lot and was trying to poop. He now gets something called Miralax in his food. He gets 1/8th of a teaspoon every morning with breakfast. That has definitely helped him to poop.

Jen has been doing much better. She says that Loki's will to live is strong and that he's always been a fighter. He seems to be doing better too, but I know that one day he will no longer be with us. At least for now we can still enjoy his company. We all thought we were going to lose him.

Loki's Health

Loki was suddenly not doing well on Friday and the humans took him somewhere in the carrier. They were gone for hours! They said something about an emergency vet--I just know that he wasn't feeling well, and then went somewhere.

They came back late at night and Loki smelled like the vet's office. DiNozzo hissed at him and ran, but I was concerned that he was okay. The people are still worried about him. Jen keeps crying. He is getting pretty old. I will miss him when he dies.