CATS!!

 This Chica kitten is going to shred my nerves for sure.  Between her and Smudge I’m a nervous wreck. 

Look at her up this pine tree we have out front. She’s just barely visible halfway up.  


Chica cannot help herself but take a run at a tree and shoot up it. This time she climbed down by herself. She went around and around the trunk descending from limb to limb, then jumped.  Thank goodness she is learning. I remember more than once old Matilda being way up a tree and coming down backwards.  I guess she learned the hard way somehow.  She was with her mama for much longer, maybe her mama taught her.

Then there is this orneriness;


From the end of Dec through January I had Smudge to the vet a couple of times because she has developed a tendency toward developing mouth/throat ulcers. The vet says she sees it in certain breeds of cats. The first time we tried antibiotics, which helped for about a week. But then in less than 3 weeks she was starting up again…couldn’t swallow her dry food, would retch and choke.  So she went on extended doses of steroids. It was twice a day for 7 days, then once a day for 7 days, then once a day every other day til the meds were gone.   Her throat issues cleared up after the first day or two, and she went along well until she was to get a dose every other day. Then she got really listless and lost her appetite completely.  I stopped all steroids and she is doing ok for now.  Perky as usual.  I hope she doesn’t get those ulcers again. 

They keep things lively to say the least.  Two mornings ago they were up at 4 AM playing chase through the house.  Smudge is a monster at 16 lbs. She sounds like a Shetland pony charging around. 

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