All is well, but we saw sad news about an animal pal.

I haven’t blogged in quite a while, but all is well here. We’re keeping busy “shopping” for a new roof, since ours is allowing it to rain in our kitchen! Hopefully the record-setting windy & rainy winter weather ends soon and we can get the roof replaced.

If you haven’t already seen it, one of our long-time blogging friends recently had a loss. Rumblepurr has passed away after a battle with cancer. I don’t know how many years we’ve know them, but it’s been at least 10 years. That’s how long ago they sent us this cute chirping kiwi bird. Raven helped open the package, and it’s been on my desk ever since, so we think of them often.

We just wanted to share that information with those of you who may not have seen it.

And we’ll try to get back to blogging. We have a lot of catching up to do with all of your blogs.

Fantastic and Not So Fantastic Updates

The photos for today’s post are all taken in the back yard. Every morning we take the kitties outside for some fresh air and adventure. It also gives them a bit of time away from each other.

Now, for the updates:

Wonderful News about Molly’s Knee

Molly in the lawn watching for bugs to catch.

We received the best news possible that Molly does not need surgery on her knee! The surgeon examined her and said the bone healed well but she still needs time for all the ligaments & tendons to heal. She doesn’t have any restrictions on her activity, but we will always try to keep the furniture & perches situated so that she has an easy path up & down. The less stress on that leg, the better.

Terrible News about Tilly’s Teeth

Shortly after receiving the wonderful news about Molly, we got really bad news about Tilly. I noticed a bit of drooly blood a couple weeks ago and it turns out she has stomatitis, which is now called Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis (FCGS). This is an extremely painful condition where any bacteria on the teeth causes severe inflammation in the mouth. We were lucky to get an immediate consult with the veterinary dentist, who said Tilly’s case is severe and she needs ALL her teeth removed. She had her pre-op lab work today, and because her condition is so painful and already quite bad, surgery is scheduled for October 24. Until then, she gets pain medication twice daily and lots of canned food meals. We’re not looking forward to the surgery and recovery but it gives Tilly the best chance of having a healthier mouth and good quality of life.

Tilly in the lawn, surveying her domain.

Wolfie & Pearl

Wolfie being a big boy in the tree

Wolfie & Pearl are both doing well. They have wellness vet visits later this month, and paws crossed they have healthy check-ups. Wolfie is the sweetest big baby boy who still needs a daily cuddle with his blanket (preferably on Mom). He gets along well with everyone and absolutely loves playing with Molly….until she becomes a pest and he tells her to leave him alone.

Pearl alternates between being “Squirrely Pearl” who runs around the house like a crazy cat, and a sweet little girl who wants to be petted. She and Molly are still quite friendly with each other and play & groom each other frequently.

Pearl being adventurous in the yard

Again, I’m sorry to not be updating our blog or visiting yours. As you can see, we’re still dealing with a variety of health issues that are keeping us occupied and a bit stressed.

Tilly & Molly updates

Tilly is doing very well on a lower dose of her anti-anxiety medication. She is much more tolerant of Pearl and is almost “friendly” towards Molly. They can sit next to each other in a window and watch the garden without any growling, hissing or smacking. YAY!

We took Molly to see her regular vet yesterday to get clarification about what happened to her leg when she fell a few weeks ago. Molly’s tibia (shin bone) has a small fracture at the top where makes the knee joint. Unfortunately, Molly’s kneecap is so loose that surgery is needed to stabilize her knee. We had her medical records sent to the surgeon’s office and we’re waiting for them to get back to us.

Here’s Molly getting cuddles from Dad while waiting for the vet. She’s getting lots of cuddles at home as we try to restrict her activity to allow her bone to heal.

We hope you all are well and enjoying some fun summer activities (or winter if you’re on the bottom half of the world). I will try to visit your blogs more often before I’m back to 100% kitty supervision duty when Molly has knee surgery. Take care and stay safe my friends.

We’re still here

Hello friends. It’s been overwhelming here with 4 young cats and I haven’t been updating my blog or visiting yours. I apologize in advance for this long post and the lack of photos but I wanted to give you all an update to let you know we haven’t disappeared.

First challenge: getting 4 young cat to live together.

Tilly wasn’t accepting Molly & Pearl, so we decided to try medication as a last resort before rehoming the younger cats. We’ve had Tilly on two different medications to try to improve her behavior. The first medication didn’t work but the second seems to be helping quite a bit. Medication is only a tool to help while we use a lot of behavior modification techniques, which has been taking nearly 100% of my time.

After about 3 months of limiting interactions and constant supervision we’re at a place where Tilly is tolerant of Molly & Pearl. The growling, hissing and random swatting stopped, but she will give them a little hiss or swat if the younger cats get in her space when she’s not in the mood. We think that’s reasonable behavior as they all continue to grow up and learn to trust and tolerate each other.

New challenge: Molly injured her knee

Just when we were feeling good about making progress with their behavior, Molly injured her knee. I spent last Thursday with her at the emergency veterinary hospital. Thankfully, we got an appointment and since it’s the local veterinary school teaching hospital, all specialty veterinarians are on staff. She has a luxated patella – meaning her kneecap was out of place. This is complicated by a fracture she had as a wee kitten that caused her leg to grow a bit improperly. Both knees have loose kneecaps (probably genetic), but her right knee was injured more severely.

Molly is on restricted activity – walking only – for 8 weeks! No running, jumping, or playing with her housemates. Needless to say, that is a nightmare to manage. Our house is set up for cat enjoyment and she is very disappointed and frustrated that she can’t romp with her toys or with Wolfie or Pearl (she doesn’t romp with Tilly). The other cats are also disrupted by the household changes – some perches and steps up to counters have been removed and we’ve tried to give Molly easier access to one or two pieces of furniture like the bed. And Wolfie & Pearl have lost their fun playmate.

I have to supervise 100% of Molly’s awake time, making sure she only walks. I lift her up and down perches or windows so she has some semblance of a normal life. I do this until she settles in for a nap. Unfortunately, she’s naturally a super active 1 year old cat and she’s very frustrated by these restrictions. I play with her by dangling toys right around her front paws to keep her mood up, but she desperately wants to romp.

I’m hoping to talk with the orthopedic surgeon next week to discuss treatment options. The 8 weeks restricted activity is kind-of a hope that her knee will stabilize without surgery. But because that leg didn’t grow properly, surgery might be needed.

Again, I’m sorry for the long post and the lack of photos but I wanted to post something so you didn’t think I abandoned our blog. I think of you often and miss reading your blogs. I’ll try to visit while Molly is sleeping, but that’s my only time to do errands and household chores, make sure Tilly, Wolfie, & Pearl are happy, or maybe catch up on my sleep with a little cat nap.