Happy New Year....2010!!

gocatgo Jan 04, 2010 11:02 AM

Hi ladies! Another year gone and now another new year. My, time does go by so quickly, especially when you get older. I do not know if I've even told you but I am now retired from the USPS after 40 years of service. I retired on Oct 1, 2009 and have been loving not having to crawl out of bed and fight the elements driving to work, especially in this cold weather. Iowa set a record for snow in December...most that we've ever had. Now it's just frigid temperatures. Simba seems so listless, like he lost his best friend since he can't go out and play in the fenced in back yard due to the artic temperatures and 3 feet of snow. If he doesn't snap out of it soon, I might take him to the vet for a checkup since he is 13 years old now, almost 14. He's had his teeth cleaned and a couple of them pulled last summer. As always, the girls are happy and healthy. Samantha shows signs of arthritis. I know the pain of it myself.

I can't believe how much these cats sleep now that they are older. I never noticed so much before when I was working but now it seems like they sleep all day and night. Silly fat cats. I always have at least 2 cats and usually 3, sleeping with me every night. Samantha is the only one who sleeps in her cat bed which is right beside my bed. KatyKatt has to sleep all cuddled up to me everynight. Cuddling and purring. Such a sweetie. They're all so sweet and are my constant companions.

I'm thinking of cooking for the kitties again, now that I have time to do it. They are so picky and will go through eating spells, eating one brand then rejecting it for another. They are all used to eating cooked chicken, usually breasts (cause that's what I eat and they beg for mine), so I'm thinking of cooking some chicken recipes for them. I have some very good holistic books with recipes in them.

Well, have a happy new year! I've been spending a lot of time on the Susan Boyle fan site forum but can never forget my friends on this board!

-----
Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!

How wonderful to do nothing and then rest afterwards. Meow!

ttpurr4cat Jan 04, 2010 05:25 PM

Nice to hear from you. It is great that you are retired and I am sure that the cats enjoy you being home. Cats sleep about 20 hours a day. At least mine do. Even the young ones seem to sleep an awful lot between spurts of running over and through everyone else. I bet if you put Simba out in a snow drift he would get over wanting to go out there. I know I would but then he would probably just expect you to hustle out there and clean it all up for him so he can patrol his world.
-----
Tessa Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo,Salem, Wicca, Marmalade, Amelia, Rocket and Turbo (we iz NOT fosters) and the 5 porch kits, Mocha, Tigger, Cali, Torti and Smudge also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Onyx,Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts & together again//Fly free Penny 12/12/07, always in our hearts...ShyRaven 11/17/09
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

gocatgo Jan 05, 2010 12:34 AM

Hi Tessa, I've heard that cats sleep about 20 hours a day but didn't really believe it until I actually saw it with my own eyes, day after day. No wonder they are so fat! Samantha and KatyKatt sleeps the most though because when the weather is above 30 degrees and not covered in snow, both Simba and Katrina go outside in the backyard. But right now, both he and Katrina have smartened up and won't even venture out that door when I open it to the frigid temperatures and mountains of snow. Simba used to be my biggest cat at 18 lbs when he was age 2 but is only about 15 lbs now and is the smallest. He does get the most exercise and is an avid rabbit hunter. Only problem is, most rabbits can't get in our backyard so it's slim pickens for him. When it's warm out, I can hear the birds in the tree by my deck screaming "Watch out fellas! There's that stupid cat again!"

That reminds me of the owl story that I heard on TV a couple of days ago. I'll find the story and post it on here for you all to read.
-----
Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!

How wonderful to do nothing and then rest afterwards. Meow!

Cyclopsgrl Jan 04, 2010 06:14 PM

Ruby! So good to hear from you and that you are loving retirement!

Sorry Simba is house bound. Hopefully Spring comes soon -- it gets dark so early this time of year. Reference Samantha -- There is medicine for arthritis. Pookey has it a bit in his hind end due to the amputation, but I am waiting until he really needs it. The Vet said as long as they lay still and don't shift and circle and move around alot to get comfortable while they sleep, or in his case, can't jump on the couch easily anymore (he has stopped jumping on the bed), they are OK.

I'll be watching the Orange Bowl tomorrow night! Go Hawks! (My parents sent me some Iowa stuff so I could razz all the Penn State -- and one Ohio State -- folks at work this year).

Thanks for stopping by!
-----
Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

gocatgo Jan 05, 2010 01:48 AM

Hi Tammy! Good to talk to you again. Too bad that I have to learn from you that the Hawkeyes are in the Orange Bowl today. I'm not into sports but my grandson, David, didn't even mention it to me. I'll bet that you'll have lots of fun with your Iowa stuff razzing your coworkers.

As for the arthritis medication for Samantha, I do not really have any faith in it since I've tried everything myself for arthritis and nothing really helps me so I do not know how it could help the cats. It sounds like Pookey has it like Simba does. Simba's is actually worse than Samantha's because he can't even jump on the TV stand anymore. Karen got him some steps so that he can get up on my bed because she saw him last summer, trying to jump on the TV stand and couldn't do it. They all had this route...jump on TV stand (about 20" from floor), walk over the stand and climb on the cat tree, step down from tree and climb on the desk and be sure to knock the phone off the hook (or it doesn't count), then step over on my (or their) bed. Poor Sims couldn't even do that first jump anymore and Samantha can jump on the bed from the floor so Simba's is worse.

They are all my babies and companions and each one is special to me. I don't know how I even existed before I got my kitty cats. I'm so happy that I have them all cause I love them so much. I often daydream about winning the powerball so that I can have a cat sanctuary and help a lot of cats.

Pam's family is still living here with me. It's working out really well. My house has a finished basement..living room, kitchenette, bathroom with shower, and bedroom and Pam and Archie live down there. My house has a walk out basement so they even have their own private entrance. I have the main floor...living room, kitchen, laundry room, half bath, master bedroom with a full bath. And David and Paula have the upstairs which is 2 bedrooms, a full bath and the foyer. David's a senior and Paula is in the 7th grade. Both do great in school. David works part time after school and on weekends, about 25 hours a week, at Super Target.

Well, good talking to you again. I'm off to find the link for the owl story which happened in Davenport, Iowa a couple of days ago. I'll post it when I find it. You've probably already heard it.

Did you ever get your Calphalon pans, Tammy?

-----
Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!

How wonderful to do nothing and then rest afterwards. Meow!

teganslaw Jan 05, 2010 08:40 AM

Ruby,
Good to see you on the boards.It sounds like you're enjoying retirement and that eveyrhting is working out. Cats do sleep alot, you don't notice it until you're home with them.

My cats are 12 years old and are doing well. I haven't noticed any signs of arthritis, they both seem to move without any problems. Quentin had his teeth cleaned two months ago and did OK. The vet told me that Quentin is one tough guy. Star will be needing her teeth cleaned in about a month or so.

We've had about 5-6 inches of snow here in NE Indiana so far. Very cold, though.

My husband hasn't found a job yet. He was laid off last August. We're doing OK since I'm working fulltime. We've been short staffed at the hospital where I work, so I've been putting in overtime hours this past month. As long as they offer the hours, I'm taking them!

Hope that you had a nice Christmas and that we see you on the boards more often.

Ellen

gocatgo Jan 05, 2010 08:42 PM

Hi Ellen...good to hear from you! Yes, retirement is great and I'm loving it. It was a spur of the moment thing because I had planned on staying another year, however some of my coworkers were retiring with a lot less seniority than me so I just decided that I'd do it too. I haven't regretted it at all, especially with this weather that we've been having this past month. Glad I don't have to drive in this.

That's too bad about your husband getting laid off....it's happening all over the country. My next door neighbor got laid off in July and still isn't working and like you, his wife is working. They have 2 little tots. He worked for Meredith publishing company. It hard to believe that they would be laying off. It's good that you are in nursing. The world always needs nurses. These past few years have been terrible for so many people. I've never seen anything like it. I don't think that it's as bad in Iowa as it is in most of the rest of the nation though.

Your cats are about the same age as mine. Simba got his dental work done last summer and the others haven't had any dental work done yet. The vet always checks their teeth at their checkups and is amazed that their teeth are so good, especially since they do not eat hardly any dry food. They eat canned and cooked chicken, steak and fish.

You haven't had as much snow as we've had. Right before Christmas, we had 16" in one day then turned around a couple of days later and had about 16" more. And the temperature has dropped way below zero and caused so many problems with cars starting, etc. We've had the below zero for a couple of weeks now. According to the weather forecast, we're in for another round of it tomorrow. We usually don't get hit so hard and have it last so long as it is this season.

My ancestors were from Indiana...Switzerland County. They settled there in 1804 and since they immigrated from Switzerland, they named their colony "New Switzerland in the Territory of Indiana". I've been there many times.
-----
Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!

How wonderful to do nothing and then rest afterwards. Meow!

cyclopsgrl Jan 05, 2010 05:53 PM

I love the elaborate route your cats take to get to your bed, LOL! I tried pet steps for Pookey, but he avoided them dramatically. He just meows for me to lift him up. He sleeps in the bed pretty much when I do and spends the rest of the day on the couch in his cat bed (he can still jump on the couch).

I miss Stanley so and dread anything happening to Pookey, he's been my little shadow for 18 years now. I hope you do have your cat sanctuary one day!

I am glad it is working out well with Pam's family there. I know you enjoy having time with Paula and David and watching them grow! How perfect you have a fully finished basement!

I have a really durable and perfectly good set of stainless steel pots and pans that WILL NOT DIE. So, I doubt I'll get Calphalon pans anytime soon, LOL. They are very, very expensive (I'll get them if I hit the lottery) and I've seen much less expensive, but good, Hard-Anodized cookware. If my stainless steel pots and pans ever get run over by my car by accident, I will consider upgrading.

OK, watch some of the Hawkeye game tonight if you get a chance. I'll be glued to it. Probably go to bed at midnight since it doesn't start until 8PM here. I'll be cranky at work tomorrow, but it will be worth it.
-----
Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

You type	Result
`[b]Bold text[/b]`	Bold text
`[i]Italic text[/i]`	Italic text
`[u]Underlined[/u]`	Underlined
`[url]https://kingsnake.com[/url]`	https://kingsnake.com
`[url=https://kingsnake.com]Kingsnake[/url]`	Kingsnake
`[img]https://example.com/image.jpg[/img]`	Displays the image at that address.
`[color=green]Green text[/color]`	Green text
`[quote]Quoted text[/quote]`	Formats a quoted block of text.

Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Replies (7)

Site Tools

Support

Manage

Purchase

Are you registered?