Christmas with the Excellent Cats

[TheShellBeach]

......... Silent Night.........

Well, maybe not so silent when there's a cat about who wants to be fed.

Join us in the run up to Christmas 2023!

Friend lent us a different hidden treat toy today - Finlay is impressed

Really pleased for you and DH, Yes.
I may have to take Matt back to the vets. He was on and off the litter tray again Sunday and yesterday without doing much, and today appears to have some blood in his urine.
I've upped his fluid intake by mixing water into his wet food and have some liquid painkiller left so might just see how it goes for a day or two as he seems well in himself. I wonder if he's stressed because the dog has gone (or just relieved?).
I will of course take him if I have to but I dread going into the consulting room where the dog died.
I popped back into the vets again yesterday to settle the bill and of course burst into tears when they told me she was still there and hadn't been collected for cremation yet. Another pet parent gave me a hug which was lovely of her. People have been so kind. My neighbour and I hugged and cried, colleagues have hugged me, and the poor taxi driver who drove me home with me trying to offer comfort with me sobbing all the way was lovely too. And you guys of course have been amazing.

Fantastic news @YesItsMeIDontCare

Sorry to hear that Matt is unwell again @Papergirl1968

Wonderful news, @YesItsMeIDontCare !

@Papergirl1968 so sorry to hear that - all the vibes for Matt getting better.

Oh Papergirl, it's just one thing after another for you at the moment.

I hope Matt gets better.

@Papergirl1968 i assume you’ve already considered this but if you need to take Matt in is there another room that’s less triggering or even another surgery you could moonlight with? If going in is causing you to break down (totally understandable) that will be bad for both you and Matt if he needs to go in - you’ll get horribly upset which is again, understandable and not your fault, and he’ll pick up on it and be even more stressed, and the last thing we want is your furry darlings to be extra stressed when they’re shut in a box in an environment without their control. This absolutely isn’t a criticism or warning, it’s a totally understandable reaction to be traumatised by the death of a beloved pet when another is ill. As I’ve written before, grief from pet bereavement is as difficult to cope with in many cases as family or friend bereavement. But can you imagine having to accompany your sick great aunt to the exact hospital bed your grandad died in shortly before? You shouldn’t have to go through that. You are going to be justifiably in bits. Do your vets offer phone consultations so you can talk through this issue?
I am really sorry he isn’t well and Velvet is wishing him well too. He’s got a good mummy (I’m assuming you are a mummy from username). I’m so sorry him and Venus are struggling physically (or have) so close together.
Speaking of Velvet, I managed to distract her with her teatime sachet of wet food and then she had to nap against my legs and not in the middle of the bed because I was already in the middle of the bed. I’m annoyed that she had three sachets today as she’s TINY and is getting very overfed by my mother, my dad and I were weaning her on to two with a small handful of biscuits each lunchtime. But in this case she was given her food and I got to win the race for my bed!
Picture: her wrapped up in a blanket probably contemplating whether Dreamies are nice and settling on “yes” after two hours.

That's wonderful news, Yes!

All the best, Paper. Hopefully, Matt is OK and just picking up that you are upset.

I've got another huge bag of Anglo Bubblies.

Yay me!

Matt has had a normal wee this morning with no difficulty and no visible blood in it, so fingers crossed.
I never used to be so emotional but neurosurgery last Feb opened the floodgates. Been such a tough year with DM in the last stages of dementia, problems with both DDs, and sick pets.
Onwards and upwards. Hopefully less than two weeks till I can drive again, after two years and four months.
And if one good thing came out of Venus dying, it has brought DD2 closer as we look at her photos, reminisce and have a bit of a cry together.
Keep your lovely cat photos coming.

Meanwhile, in other news:

The council are trying to remove our warden (sheltered housing) in a typical cost-cutting exercise.

There are only 12 houses in this complex and we all live independently.

Our warden comes for 2 hours, Mon to Fri.

Mr SB and I have no need of her, but some of the older residents value her daily visits.

The woman next door and I have started a campaign to keep the warden. The older people are not capable of this, but we who are younger recognise that we shall be older ourselves, one day.

Watch this space, as they say.

Oh poor darling Papergirl.

I'm so sorry you've got so much on your plate.

Looking at that one @TheShellBeach I think Linney and Velvet would love each other. They could just hang out together attacking furniture and other inanimate objects (like Velvet conquering a leaf yesterday) and doing ridiculous stuff like whatever he’s doing there and crawling sideways along stairs. I don’t have a photo of that as I tend to video it but I’ll just post a photo of velvet which I’ve probably posted before but never mind, they’re all pretty similar as I can only catch her when she’s asleep.

I love the way cats look so innocent when they're asleep.

And here is the new thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_litter_tray/4987117-tales-and-tails-and-nmcs-the-excellent-cats-march-on

Here’s Phoebe keeping my midriff warm before breakfast (7am here)

@Catsmere She's lovely, and I'm jealous. (Too cold for NMC enticing here in NE England.)

We have departed to the new thread - see link above.