A bunch of my coworkers have been sick lately, and I started to feel like I was coming down with something last Thursday and Friday. I was very determined not to let myself fall ill yet again this year, as I had had quite enough illness with that bout of mono that caused me to temporarily lose my job, thankyouverymuch. So I went on an Immunity Quest.
I had Grant buy me FOUR shots of wheatgrass juice from Jamba Juice on Friday afternoon, and then I got myself another four shots on Saturday and another four shots again today. And guess what? No sicky!
So I suppose our kitty is not the only wheatgrass fanatic in our household, after all. Maybe we’ll fight over it.
Last night, Trumpet came to bed along with Grant, a couple hours after I’d turned in. Grant is usually very subtle and conscientious about not waking me up, but last night a weird acrid smell pricked in my nostrils and disturbed my slumber. Want to take bets as to what it was?
Our dear kitty, whom I’ve often maintained is very very cute but not very bright, managed to singe a patch of fur on his left rear haunch. Apparently a candle I’d left burning was in the way of his butt at some point. I’m freaked out now, because I’ve often burned candles and it’s never seemed to be a problem before.
Poor kitty! Not only is he still missing a spot of fur from when we took him to the vet and they shaved a spot for injections, but now he’s all matted and burnt in back. Maybe he’ll start a new trend. (I’d take a picture, but it really doesn’t show at all — I think he may have chewed off the offending hair in a grooming fit or something.)
Trumpet, like most cats, can be a bit of a picky eater. But I have been wanting for ages to try and switch him to a more natural brand.
A couple years later, I’m *actually* getting around to doing something about it. I got him using Wellness brand dry food that’s well-geared for his particular needs (he’s UTI-prone). But I tried giving him wet food from that same company, and it was a no-go — he only likes stuff with a sliced/chunky texture, and not that godawful horrifying pastey mixture that most wet cat foods possess. (And I totally sympathize. We don’t want to have to open cans of that shit for him, either.)
Thankfully, I’d bought those cans at a small, locally owned pet food store in Whitecenter, near my old work. They guarantee all their foods, so they reimbursed me even for the cans that we had opened up and rinsed out — no hard feelings! Given that I figured it would take a few more tries before I found a natural wet food that Trumpet would touch, I was bummed that this refund-friendly place was no longer convenient for me.
I popped into a local Mud Bay Granary just to see if they could be of any help, and they very much were! They lay out all their cat food brands and the reasoning behind them on their site, which is very helpful. And they gave me three free BIG cans of wet food for free, just to see if he liked them. And they said if he didn’t, I could come back in and get three more free cans. And then they gave me free salmon treats to try out on him. And they have a zillion convenient locations all over western Washington.
Last year, we got a sliding glass pet door for our balcony, so we could keep the cold out more efficiently. And not surprisingly, Trumpet hated it. But eventually, after many months of duct-taping the flap open, he finally learned.
However, winter was a while ago. And we took to leaving the balcony door open all summer, since it was so dang hot here… and the kitty forgot how to use the door. Yep, plain forgot. We’ve had to go through the same ritual of holding the flap open while calling him or enticing him with some kind of kitty treat.
He did, however, seem to pick it up quicker this time. And there have been no, uh, accidents relating to said kitty door (which provides access to his litter box) being difficult to navigate while we’re away at work. I think he just likes to whine when we’re home, because he knows we’ll comfort/cajole him through the difficult physical challenge of squeezing his fat ass through an opening made for a chihuahua.
Suck it up, kitty. I have to sit my oversized ass on a tiny bus seat every morning and afternoon on my commute, and I have to stay that way for forty-five mintues. You can handle a three-second discomfort every time you have to pee or stuff your face some more. You smug, tubby bastard.
Love, Mommy
P.S. Mommy is just kidding. She really, really loves you. She just thinks it’s funny that you forgot how to access your two favorite activities, pooping and eating. You’ll get back on that horse in no time, kitty. Don’t worry.
Trumpet finally figured out how to go through the pet door, even with the flap down. This is a great success compared to his initial reaction to this contraption.
That said, I decided (upon Grant’s urging) to create a Flickr account for pics of Trumpet, so I don’t inadvertently become one of those people who blogs exclusively about their cats.
(You know who you are, ninja-cat-bloggers. Your blog has a title about cooking or local politics or something, but on the inside it’s all Fluffy. I’m on to you.)
I’m still figuring out some of the geek stuff, but the sidebar now has a Flickr feed of recent Trumpet pics. You can click on them to view the entire Trumpet set if you wish. And I’ll try to confine my excessive kitty-picturing to that medium from now on. :)
He wouldn’t let me put away laundry without letting him into his favorite new spot. Lately Grant has had to reach over in his slumber and open that drawer so the cat would quit whining about it. It’s hard not to indulge something that cute (or loud).
Does anyone else intentionally unload their Costco groceries into a roadblock so their pets can’t escape during the process?
Just wondering. I’m pretty sure most people’s cats are more nimble or determined than Trumpet. That thing is, like, a foot high AT MOST, but he would NOT cross it.
Grant’s folks are in town right now, which of course means I’m making sure all the wonderful stuff we were gifted at Christmas is on display around the apartment.
90% of it already was, because they have damn nice taste — but we had never yet busted out the motorized cat toy they put in Trumpet’s stocking.
I’d say it’s a hit, wouldn’t you?
(Shitty video quality courtesy of the LG Chocolate, Worst Phone Ever™.)
So poor Trumpet has had to go through a few changes lately. Not only did Grant go back to work full-time, leaving our clingy dog-like kitty confused at the sudden lack of Daddy time, but we also outfitted our place with some new cat-cessories. And he’s having some trouble adjusting.
We FINALLY got a sliding glass pet door. (It’s been so friggin cold leaving the balcony open a crack for him to get to his food and litter, that we took the plunge and spent the $150.) As soon as it came, I installed it right away, and was totally relieved that the temperature AND the traffic noise were much improved.
Trumpet, however, was not a fan. He’s TERRIFIED of the damn thing. First I had to tape the piece of metal that magnetically pulls up to create a seal with the door, because the rattling noise it made scared him.
And then, we actually had to duct tape the actual flap up to even get him to go through it — somehow, the act of having to push it open with his head is simply unacceptable. To be honest, we should’ve known — he never could handle those litter boxes with a lid over the top and a hole for kitty entry. He’s not the smartest cat, OK? But he’s very cute. And easily confused.
Two weeks after purchase, he’s still a little reluctant to use the kitty door. He sort of stops short in front of it, does a little kitty-grimace (I swear he does), and begrudgingly ducks through the opening and pops out as fast as he can to get some distance from it. We were thinking we’d leave the flap taped open for a while and eventually lower it, but something tells me this is our new permanent solution. Classy, huh?
A bunch of my coworkers have been sick lately, and I started to feel like I was coming down with something last Thursday and Friday. I was very determined not to let myself fall ill yet again this year, as I had had quite enough illness with that bout of mono that caused me to temporarily lose my job, thankyouverymuch. So I went on an Immunity Quest.
Trumpet finally figured out how to go through the pet door, even with the flap down. This is a great success compared to his 
Trumpet, however, was not a fan. He’s TERRIFIED of the damn thing. First I had to tape the piece of metal that magnetically pulls up to create a seal with the door, because the rattling noise it made scared him.
