Tag: cat

The Fortune Cookie

Right after the new year, we ordered take out Chinese food. As usual, we received two fortune cookies. I anticipated a message that reflected the hope and promise of a new year. My husband opened his first, reading an encouraging, insightful saying as expected. I opened mine.

Seriously? Is this what 2026 will look like? Now it’s true that picking up dog poo is a routine part of my day, or at least every other day. Today is my day to walk the beast and we are in the middle of a blizzard. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find the poo in the snow. This is what our poor bushes look like.

Chester loves the snow and could walk forever. I, on the other hand, usually have to cut him off because I am cold. I will say that I love my YakTrax, chains that go over my boots. Chester plays a game where he tries to pull me into the icy part of the street or into deep snowdrifts. I think he wants me to imitate the Olympic ice skaters on a bad day. I dig in my chains and hang on.

I am making peace with 2026. Our final cat, Zeus, crossed the rainbow bridge the day after New Years Day. He was 16 and a half and had kidney disease. Kidney disease is fairly common in cats, and tough. He got to visit his favorite people (our kids) over Christmas, then took a turn for the worse. There just comes a point where you realize that it’s time. So, for the first time in about 30 years, we are catless. It’s really weird. Chester keeps looking around for something to chase. I have a daily urge to clean a litter box. Not really. But I do feel like I do in the dreams where you enter a class and realize it’s the end of the year and you haven’t been there at all, and it’s exam day. I feel like there has to be a big pile of litter that I forgot about somewhere. I truly hope there isn’t.

Zeus was determined to walk across the keyboard in younger days! He had cattitude!

Chester still has Bunny and now added Bear to the family. He tore Bear’s heart out but carries Bear around. Here’s the quiz for the day…a music quiz. I predict Midwest Mark will get it first, but who knows! The lyric is “you ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out.” What is the song? And Artist? No looking it up!

Well, I will try to write at least a little drivel more often. We are fine and I enjoy reading your blogs, I just haven’t felt the urge to write. But that fortune cookie spurred a WTF feeling again, so maybe that was just what I needed! Take care and stay warm!

Overcoming bad kittie habits

I have been waging war with our tuxedo cat who has two not-so- endearing habits which I have been trying to modify. This is Zeus..

Looks cute, doesn’t he?

Zeus will turn 16 years old in May. When our daughter was in high school, her friend’s cat had kittens. Our older cat had just passed away and our son had written a story/poem about our second cat sitting at the front door watching for his friend. (I know, my heart sank) At about the same time (they may have conspired) our daughter asked to adopt one of Missy’s kittens. Inspired or guilted by the son’s writing, I said yes. They were all grey except for one black and white tuxedo cat with an attitude. She chose him and named him Zeus because the cat they thought was his daddy was this huge feral cat. Mom cat didn’t have access to DNA tests but if she could talk…Anyway, we brought this adorable kitten home, and the second cat loved him. Shoot, everybody loved him.

I had never had a kitten before. We bought short litter boxes and kitten food. One day I ran home from work because I was afraid he would fall into the sump pump. He didn’t. He loved to play with string toys and our son taught him to open the front door. One day our neighbor called because the door was open and nobody was home. . We all knew what happened. He was an escape artist, darting out the door if given half a chance. He used up several lives that way but thank goodness he always came back. He knew where the Greenies were. From day one, he was loud. The vet surmised he may have Siamese genes because he made such a racket in the vet’s office.

Who me?

Zeus now has kidney disease. He is stable, but he has decided that I have to waken at 7:00am give or take 10 minutes, no ifs ands or buts. He sticks his face right in front of mine and begins to yowl. Honestly it’s comparable to a fire alarm.

This is what I see when I open my eyes.

This morning he tried to get me up at 5:30 so I gave him a bunch of Greenies and shut the door. Usually I don’t mind getting up but I was tired and ended up sleeping until 8:30. It was loverly.

my husband celebrated baseball with this photo of our major league cat team a few years ago. Go Guardians!

Zeus’ second habit has been to walk back and forth on my keyboard. I pet him which is probably reinforcing, but it’s OK, I love him and take advantage of pet time while I still can. The thing is, I have been doing some song arranging and when he steps on something it is harder to fix. I bought this shoe rest from Ikea for the handbells, and I had the bright notion to put it over my keyboard.

It worked! It dissuaded him until he gave up and went to sleep on the cat tree. Then I moved it because the only issue is not being able to see the screen with metal squares in front of it. I think we have a winner here. He still can walk behind it, just not on the keyboard.

Zeus is not amused. Well played, mom.

I gave Zeus some extra greenies today since it’s Fat Tuesday. I suppose I shouldn’t use the word fat, but since I am fat I think I’ve earned it. This is how I earned it…

Here in Cleveland we have a strong Paczki community. People line up for miles. Just like they line up for corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas Ale in October, or is it September? Probably August. I don’t even like jelly donuts, but similar to egg nog, peeps, and roasted pumpkin seeds, I will force myself to eat one for the holiday  (I’m just kidding, I love all of these except for peeps, but I still choke down one peep on Easter.)  

Have a good week, spring is on the way! Here are a couple pictures from Chester’s last walk. It was really nice. Too bad it’s supposed to rain today and tomorrow (or snow, who knows?)

Lake Erie
You never know what you’re going to find when the snow melts!