Feeling a Bit Better

I am happy to report that Mabel is feeling quite a bit better. She still sleeps most of the day (like every other cat in the world), but she has also been more active than she has been for quite some time. Rumor has it that she has occasionally shown signs of outright playfulness and has even had a couple of bouts of the nighttime crazies.

Not much else to report - next Thursday we head to Yosemite for our backpacking trip. Yikes. I still have a couple of loose ends to tie up there like actually putting together the first aid kit (I have a list--I just have to actually find everything and put it together) and figuring out some potential campfire games that won't be heavy.

I also need to come up with some camping knitting--I'm thinking the Froot Loop socks...they'll be light and mostly easy to work on...

Any other ideas for good backpacking knitting?

Learning to Share

Even though only about a third of him fits at a time, Monkey has adopted Mabel's cat basket as his own. He LOVES it so much that I'm going to have to make one for him too.

I'm not even sure that I have enough cascade left in the stash to make him the double-sized basket that his enormous girth requires. I guess we'll see!

Hmmm...I guess I'll be taking cascade remnant donations :-)

This just in - Mabel LOVES her felted cat basket

Post shower this morning, I was amazed to find that Ms. Mabel had located her felted cat basket (which I had placed on the coffee table) all on her own and was comfortably nestled inside.



Apparently the sides provide excellent chin support.

Pattern is Chaton Minet Felted Cat Basket by Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer and is available for free via Ravelry.

Kitty Chemo

Mabel started kitty chemo on Thursday. It sounds so crazy, but it really just involves me giving her a pill every three days. Of course, it's a rather toxic pill which means I have to wear gloves and have to make sure not to let it come into contact with my skin or anything around the house, but once I slip it into a cat treat she just chomps it down.

Normally, kitties go to the vet for their chemo, but Mabel is a special needs kitty and cannot be subjected to constant vet visits.

I'm happy to report that so far she is tolerating it quite well. She has a decent energy level and I even spotted her washing this morning.

I'm working away on her cat basket and will hopefully be ready to felt it this weekend.

Once I'm done with that I think I'd like to work with the purple/pink Superwash DK I dyed (and used for her kitty legwarmers). But, I'm just not sure which pattern to use. Any ideas/suggestions? I've got 485ish yards. Hmmm...something for an adult would be nice...

Kitty Cancer

Well, it's official. Mabel has been diagnosed with lymphoma. We're still waiting for her biopsies to provide more info about the stage she's in so we can treat it effectively. For now, we're doing lots of snuggling and giving her privacy (from Monkey) so that she can rest as best she can.

On Sunday is was chilly in our 'hood in the city, and she was having to sleep super-awkwardly because her shaved paws were getting cold. So I made her kitty legwarmers. Because that's just the kind of crazy I am. She seemed to like them and was able to sleep in positions more natural to her.



And yes, I used my hand-dyed superwash merino DK because she's totally worth it!

XOXO Mabel XOXO

The past week has been a real stresser. Literally. Mabel hadn't been feeling well, and on Tuesday looked to be in bad shape. (I knew she wasn't feeling well when she didn't get up to eat.)

We promptly rushed her to the emergency vet hospital where they did a bunch of bloodwork (she had to be sedated for this - she hates the vet more than anything and generally turns into this growling paws of fury monster when there), and then ended up keeping her a few more hours to do a kitty ultrasound.

The good news was that her kidneys look good. The bad news was that her spleen was enlarged, and her liver bile duct didn't look so good and she had some internal bleeding.

They gave her some fluids, sent some spleen samples off to the lab and sent her home with us. On Wednesday we really thought she could be on her last legs. She was breathing hard, not eating or drinking much, and was barely moving. I basically sat with her the entire day petting her gently and talking to her.

By Thursday afternoon she felt a smidge better and looked more like herself. She ate a little bit and started drinking water. Whew (we didn't want to have to give her subcutaneous fluids ourselves). She also managed to nap in the sun (photo evidence above).

She's back at the vet's office today for a kitty endoscopy. Let's hope that they can find out what is causing her bleeding, and that there is something we/they can do about it.

I have to say that I'm just not prepared to lose her. She's been my furry, faithful companion for 11+ years and I'm not ready to let her go. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it isn't anything too terrible (and that they figure it out today because I swear it shortens her life just taking her to the vet's office - it stresses her out just that much).

Love you, Mabel. Feel better now! XOXO