These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty

As I work trying to keep Roy's weight up and to get him hydrated so the random peeing outside the box stops, I finally decided to give in and put boxes where he usually does this instead of just putting down mats and reusable pee pads. Rather weary of cleaning up puddles. Because I have a cat poo munching pooch, I also decided to spring for cat boxes that are hidden in furniture. I know they won't keep him out as he's the size OF a cat, but placement... I thought placement would have prevented snackage. The box in the living room is in a corner, slid in next to a bigger freestanding electric fireplace. I left what I thought was a narrow enough gap between the pieces and crossed my fingers.

Last night, as I was busy putting together the second furniture piece I wandered back into the living room to find Walter shimmying out from inside the box, licking his chops. ARRRRRRRRGH. I did suspect, as there was a teeny trace of poo the night before and none of my cats do anything but go all in with pooping. LOL. I scolded him but good and bopped him on the nose (which I regret), and then brushed his teeth vigorously (which I do not regret).

I moved it and now there's a 4 inch gap. Little turkey will probably still make a go at it.

Also, same said turkey just coughed in my face and a chunk of popcorn flew out of his gaping maw and splattered onto my nose. DOGS ARE SO GROSS WHYYYYYYYY.

https://youtube.com/shorts/y1CoZ2U3SMo?si=yuNXVeDzhFiaaYVx

I signed a contract for my window replacement project late May with a promise of an update in about six weeks. No update came. In fact, no contact came at all and I finally attempted to reach out about three weeks ago. FIVE emails and one more pointed text later, I got a "gosh, I'm sorry - something's going on with personal issues and I just can barely function. Sorry for the unintended disrespect, we'll touch base with you next week for scheduling."

Next week was ... this last week, and no communication yet again. I had such high hopes these folks wouldn't turn out to be typical County Where I Live contractors. I should really have known. I put a deposit down. I was told end of summer for completion of project. I'm about five seconds away from either demanding that back or the windows themselves and then finding someone else to install.

Grumble.

In more personal issues type news, my boss officially announced her retirement for the end of October. One of my colleagues applied for the position and I need anyone out there to please put forth vibes for him to NOT get it. Nice enough guy. Total diva and a nightmare waiting to happen should he ever get into management. I don't want to work under him. Oy vey. I AM interviewing for a different position, but don't anticipate getting it. It's not 100% what I want anyway. We'll see.

Pickle does not have a UTI, right, so if she's peeing she's just being a brat. Roy, though, his bloodwork finally came back and he has mildly elevated kidney numbers. He is entering early stages of kidney disease. He and Johnny both have been very thirsty lately, sucking all the water out of their food first, etc, so I assume she's in the same or similar condition. I am not surprised, but I am sad to think about it. I've ordered a bunch of low phosphorus food for them to eat, and hope they like it. Why the H is that stuff so much more costly than most food - I don't feed super high end, but definitely have focused on quality for years. Also, if many cats get kidney problems as they age, why are we not just always feeding them low phosphorus food? That should be the norm, no? Anyway, here's hoping that they like some of the non-prescription options. The prescription food all, frankly, looks like junk to me.

May as well switch the other two cats to this diet too. They're 9 and 8, so not young either.

Earlier this week, police were dispatched to a grisly scene at an apartment complex about half a mile or so from my house. Walter loves to go sniff around in the courtyard areas - it's not a great place to live, and the people are ... unsophisticated. There's lots of junk and stuff for him to smell, so he loves it. Turns out that a man shot his wife and then himself. Horrible. It's actually the second scenario of that type to happen in my town this year, though the first was more of a suicide pact than a murder/suicide. And of course Walter wanted to linger there a long time this AM. Now it's just even creepier to me, so we'll be putting the kibosh on that from now on.


^A rare moment of closeness, but those ugly ol' windows. Ugh.

At the shelter right now, the cats are getting hit with upper respiratory infections and intestinal parasites. They're pretty much all quarantined. A call came out last night for a short term foster for three kittens, two of which have the URI. I raised my hand. They are super cute, but 1) not super socialized and 2) not feeling well. The one who isn't ill is the spiciest little nugget, too, so I am not getting much snuggling in yet. Names are Hoover(f), Roomba(f) and Dyson(m).

As expected, my own cats are displeased. I knew they would be. It's okay, these little kitties couldn't go back to the shelter, and there have been so many kittens and fosters this year no one else was immediately available.

My goal is to win these little suckers over.


^Hoover, adorable and distrustful.


^Roomba, sweet and sick


^Dyson, handsome and scrappy

Foster kitty Ingrid went into labor today. She has had three kittens, and I think she's done but can't get to her as she chose to have them under a futon in the room she's in. Two of the kittens were not fully developed. She was just lying there with these two little dead bodies, and she's so confused. One live kitten was born, but I can't see well enough to see if she's nursing him - assuming gender as he's a little straw-colored cutie.

I suspected something wasn't quite right. Yesterday I knew she was getting close, but I couldn't see any movement. Still, it sucked finding these half formed kittens and her just shellshocked. Rough night. I hope for her sake she is done, and that her baby survives. So hard to tell what's happening under there. :*(

I don't know what possessed me. I seem to have found myself foster mom to a pregnant teenager.

On Wednesday, an urgent and desperate plea went out for a foster situation that was unanticipated. We've been overrun with kittens this year anyway, but little dilute tortie Ingrid went in for her spay and was found to be heavily pregnant. Too pregnant for them to take the babies, so...Someone needed to step up. Confession: there were also kittens to be fostered and that's really what I had hoped for. Though I know my home is not ideal both in physical set up but also in that I have four cats already, and two of them react to stress by pissing in places other than their boxes, I felt like I should give it a try.

Ingrid Purrgman arrived yesterday and I've already had to clean up two messes from the Urinators. This was expected, and my back door is already set up with pee pads. I am getting an actual rubber mat, so it'll be pee pads underneath the mat to hopefully prevent the worst damage from repeating. That area will need a total tear out after Pickle and Roy depart from this world anyway. The damage has been done, but that doesn't mean I have to keep on letting it. Oy vey.

Ingrid herself spent the first day and night under the cheap futon that's set up in her room. Which was Walter's room, so he's a little perturbed, btw. She's now emerged and is typically out when I go in to check on her. ♥ I'm torn at the moment with trying to figure out how often to go sit with her. I don't want it to be too little, but I don't want my crew feeling vindictive. Heh. Came home today and found someone had pushed their way into the room - apparently it doesn't actually catch and latch. Whomever did it polished off a very big bowl of kitten kibble that they did not need but preggo kitty sure does. She's TINY. And very sweet. Immediately purrs and kneads, does this cute little thing and gently touches my hand to get more chin scritches. She's a great little cat.



Hopefully my motley crew doesn't damage her too much while she's here! (I don't plan on letting them interact. She and her bebes can have that room. Once I figure out how to secure the door. It's just that I swear all of my animals are emotional wrecks just like me.)

It's been a virtual vomitfest at my house lately, and I think I have discovered why. I noticed in the food I feed the cats some white bits. I can't tell if they are plastic or bone, but either way I can't keep on with this food if they are going to allow foreign bits in it. :(

Pickle and Roy have both been hitting their pee spot at the back door very hard of late. I have a disposable pee pad, a washable pee pad AND a rubber rug there and it still manages to hit the floor and sit there till I notice it. Le sigh. I took them both to the vet this afternoon for antibiotics in case of UTI. Discovered flea dirt on Pickle. Double le sigh. Guess I'll be washing and flea bombing all weekend. Fun!

While at the vet my right eye started burning and watering like crazy. It hasn't stopped, four hours later. I don't know what I got in it or got near enough to spark such a reaction, but I'd like for it to be done now. It's not quite as bad as when I discovered I'm allergic to make up with purple in it, but it's not comfortable.

Am sitting here with a fan on. It's October, this is nonsense. I want to wear autumn clothes.

I need a side hustle that will enable me to save up $570K by December so I can retire. Any suggestions? The reason? Last week I was email spammed by a former client who is now fully off her meds and far more mentally ill than I realized. This week a different current client warned me she was exposing me to the local newspaper for all of the ways I have failed to serve her. She chronically accuses anyone and everyone of wrongdoing, racism, ageism, ableism, etc - I tried to offer her help on something and somehow it turned out that I was conspiring to rob her of an iPad another agency had given her to aid in communicating as a visually impaired person...and then she wonders why she can't get anyone to help her. Literally burns every bridge. I am over it. I am tired. I have been working in some form since I was a pre-teen. Wah, poor me.

I took today off!
I had coffee!
It's raining!
I got to turn on my fireplace!
The cats are piled on and the dog is tucked next to!
Wifi works at work again, so I can stream and block out annoyances!

KEXP is doing a fund drive, but that's when they play the best music so I can bear the begging for money!

It's a good day!


^Is the leaf enormous or the dog tiny? Both may be true. The size of leaves is something that struck me with awe when I first visited Vancouver BC many, many years ago. I'm still awestruck, to be honest. ♥


^Took P to the vet this AM. Took a MONTH to get in. She's been sans prozac for nearly two months and destroying floors and rugs 'communicating' her stress. Some guy came in at the same time and as we waited he said, "It's always best to come early..." HE WAlKED IN. I was a bit resentful at that.

Pickle hates Hank. She's the only one who will play with him, though, despite the hate. The playing is limited duration, then suddenly turns into hissing and yowling and claws out. It's a weird, dysfunctional relationship they have. But I have not once ever seen her groom him as she did today. ♥♥♥

I made a batch of potato soup for this week's meals, or at least a few nights. I plan to roast some asparagus to mix in, but didn't want to cook it into the soup. It smells heavenly, I can't wait to try it. I used za'atar seasoning, along with pepper and nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes and garlic. The blustery weather just calls for a hearty soup.

What a dreamboat.

In other news, I chopped six inches off my hair. I get to a certain point with the length and then suddenly, one day, I just get bugged by it. I do the same with my fingernails. One day fine, next day - intolerable, they must go.

Sigh. All this time I have been placing the blame solely on Pickle, though I suppose deep down I had to know it wasn't just her. The rug by the back door was hit by pee again, probably some time ago because I cannot see when it happens and it takes some time to smell it. So, I pulled the rug out and it's outside, headed for trash. I don't think I can salvage it. I've been scrubbing the area with vinegar and also some stuff I got online.

Well, cue Roy going and sniffing around, then looking right at me as his tail set to that telltale quiver of a cat spraying... Ughhhhhhhh. I love my critters so very much, but I wanted to wring his neck.

In less disgusting news, I caved and bought an external DVD player because I will never figure out how to make my old DVD player work with the telly. It's pretty handy, though I wish it had a longer cord. Anyway, since I haven't watched DVDs for, oh, eight years... I didn't remember what I had! I am now happily watching Space: Above and Beyond, which is one of my all time top sci fi shows. Tragically short lived (one season) and the effects are clearly early times - but such a dang good show. I highly recommend if you can ever get your hands on it.