New Addition - Jasper the Cat

While our dear friend Chiral will always be missed and never be replaced, Kate and I decided that it was time we brought a new feline companion into the house. We knew that odds were against us being as lucky as we were with Chiral, but we hoped that we could find a moderately sociable and playful kitten to join the family.




We visited the Larimer County Humane Society on July 11th after church. Our intention was just to have a look at a few cats and see if any of them caught our eyes. But this skinny little gray stick wowed us with his affection and playfulness. We decided to take him home then and there.




(Incidentally, we did look at a couple other kittens. One was an adorable male named Kenny who was friendly enough but very skittish, especially with Tessa. He would have been great for a single person or an older couple without kids, I think. The third was a cute female named Banshee, which I thought was a great name. She was very affectionate but also a little more nervous than we wanted with Tessa. Too bad - I loved her coloration.)

This gray kitten with an overabundance of scrawn was extremely playful when we were in the visiting room. He purred easily when petted or picked up. But best of all, when Tessa gave out one of her cries (I think she was frustrated that I was holding her and not letting her run around), this kitten came running over to greet her, rubbing up against her! He was not the least bit intimidated by the 7-month old and we knew we had a winner.



The Humane Society had dubbed the kitten Baby Gray...but that wasn't going to fly with us. We knocked around names like Tempest and Pewter...but we finally settled on Jasper - after the gemstone.

At this posting, Jasper has been with us for a little over two weeks and he seems to be adapting very well. He comes across as attention starved, always looking for a pet or a snuggle. He loves to play, especially chasing toys, though he is a bit clumsy as yet. He even knows how to fetch (!) and will retrieve thrown toys for us to throw again.

Jasper has quite a range of volume in his meows. Most of the time, all he does is open his mouth to make a mew noise that's barely audible. Other times, especially when he's hungry or trapped in the closet, he'll make an impressive yowl that can probably be heard by the neighbors!

He doesn't seem to know any fear either. He's not scared of the vacuum cleaner nor about the prospect of going outside. He especially not afraid of Tessa. This unfortunately means that he finds himself grabbed by the ears, tails and paws and dragged by the kid. But is he clever enough to get out of her way? No! He just keeps wandering back over to her, plopping down in front of her, and getting grabbed again.






Jasper has the usual bad habits that we're trying to cure him of, namely chewing on things he shouldn't (like electrical cords) and climbing onto the tables and counters. Fortunately, he doesn't like getting sprayed with water so it should only be a matter of time before he realizes what he's allowed and not allowed to do.



Rune is adjusting slowly. She obviously was not happy with the new addition when he arrived, but after a couple weeks, she starting to tolerate him. Jasper tries to play with her by pouncing, but that only results in an angry growl and hiss from Rune. Jasper does seem smart enough to know that maybe he'd better leave the older (and grouchier) cat alone. But still, whereas in the first few days, Rune didn't want to be in the same room as Jasper, nowadays she'll even nap or eat her meals with him nearby.

So we think Jasper's going to work out with us. He's a lot of fun and very affectionate. He's already managed to win the hearts of anyone who's visited with us.




As always, thanks for reading...and I hope you're having a great day!

Oh, and Jasper hopes so too!

In Memorium - Chiral

This is dedicated to Chiral - a beloved member of our family - who has had to leave us far too soon.



After much soul-searching, Kate and I made the decision to let Chiral go rather than see her suffer any longer. She had not been interested in food or water for almost a week. She was lethargic and weak, spending the weekend lying very still and rarely moving more than a couple feet at a time. She was virtually unresponsive when we said her name or even touched her - we got at most a twitch of the tail or a flick of her ears.

When we took her in to our vet yesterday, she told us that Chiral was holding herself very tensely and her breathing was unnaturally heavy. These were indications that Chiral was in far more pain than the vet had expected. And if she was hurting too much to eat or drink or use the litter box, than it was looking like a short, painful few days left to her.

Anyone who knew Chiral would know that she was a fantastically energetic and socializing cat. She was quick to greet people and always talked back when you spoke her name or just talked in her general direction. So to see her like this broke our hearts. We didn't want to let her go, but we couldn't let her suffer like she was.

After it was done, we buried Chiral in a shady spot at a nearby natural area called Prospect Ponds. Though we kept her an exclusively indoor cat, Chiral loved the outdoors. So we thought she might enjoy resting in a beautiful setting like this, under the trees, beneath the overgrowth, and next to a burbling stream. It felt right to us.

This loss has been very, very hard on both me and Kate. Little things trigger memories and I find myself breaking into tears. Even looking through the pictures I'm posting below are enough to make me have to fight against falling apart. Chiral was just a loving, lively animal - it hurts to think that she won't be a part of our lives anymore.

I want very much to hold her once more. I want to hear her whine for her dinner and pounce on the bed in the morning for breakfast. I want her to try chewing on my shirt buttons and thrust her nose into my face. I want her to jump on my shoulders or clonk her knees as she chases Rune up the stairs. I want to see her curled up on her scratching tower or on the rocking chair. I want to see her share her boundless love with our friends and family...and I wanted to see Tessa grow up with Chiral as a companion.

But I know that we made the right decision. With the pain that Chiral was in, she wouldn't have been the same cat even if we had kept her with us. It would have just led to a long, agonizing ordeal as we watched her fade away by degrees. Sometimes I feel like I was selfish, wanting to spare myself the pain of seeing her in that state, but she must be happier now, her spirit free to play wherever she wishes.

And God willing, she'll be standing on the shoulders of St. Peter when we arrive in Heaven.

I'd like to share some memories of our friend Chiral...
























I want to thank all the friends and family who have given us their heartfelt sympathies and prayers during this time of loss. It's your love and support that helps us keep going.

Good bye, sweet girl. Thank you for all the years of joy and affection and companionship that you gave us. We love you so much and we are going to miss you forever. Rest in peace.

Unhappy Diagnosis

Today has been an emotional gut-punch for me and Kate. We've both been breaking down into tears since we got the call from the vet. It's hard for me to actually write this, but I'm hoping that - as SF writer Spider Robinson puts it - "shared pain is diminished."

If you read the previous post, you know that Chiral has not been doing well. This morning, the vet called us to let us know that her initial thought that Chiral was suffering from feline diabetes or pancreatitis was incorrect. She has chronic interstitial nephritis.

What that means in plain English is that Chiral is suffering a gradual deterioration of her kidneys. The vet estimates that roughly thirty percent of Chiral's kidneys are actually functional. There is no cure for this condition. She places Chiral's remaining lifespan at 6 months to a year.

Kate and I took this really hard. I'm still breaking into tears when I let myself really think about it. Chiral has been a wonderful cat, so friendly and personable and loving. She is Kate's first pet that she picked out on her own and has been companion to both of us for more than eight years.

I know that there are stages to grief...and I think we're both hitting them all in random rapid-fire right now. I think it's unfair that this is happening to this precious creature, who is still only middle-aged for a cat and never goes outside and is generally kept safe and comfortable. I feel guilty because with Tessa's arrival, we haven't been giving her the attention she's been used to...and I fear that I've been less than patient with her in the last few months. I don't want to believe that this is happening and part of me keeps hoping that the vet was wrong or that I'm having a bad dream and that Chiral will be back to her perky, bouncy self when I next look at her. I wonder how we're going to handle caring for her and how we're going to shore up our emotions for the inevitable. I even find myself wondering if it would be easier to end it now...and then I hate myself for even considering it.

The vet (and I've checked online to confirm this) tells us that Chiral shouldn't be in any pain until the end. At worst, she'll feel run-down, kind of like she has the flu or similar. It's possible that with occasional IV drips, regular water, and regular food, she might be close to her normal self. Right now all we can do is hope.

What frightens us the most right now is that she has no interest in either food or water. We even tried offering her cat treats and applesauce (which she used to love) without luck. Supposedly this is odd behavior since cats suffering C.I.N. and kidney failure in general will drink excessively and urinate accordingly. This doesn't seem to be the case with Chiral. We're trying what we can...but we're scared that if she doesn't eat or drink anything, she might not make it anywhere close to six months.

This is proving really, really hard for us. I feel guilty that I'm grieving over our cat when friends and family I know are losing loved ones...but Chiral is family in her own way and she does (and always will) mean a great deal to us. So, yes, it hurts to try and accept that we're going to lose her prematurely. I'm going to cry about it...and to blazes with anyone who thinks I'm being stupid.

One of the hardest things to accept (aside from the simple fact that her time with us is severely limited) is that there really isn't anything we can do. We can care for her. We can try to make her comfortable. We can and will give her the love and attention she deserves. But in the end, it's going to happen. At this exact moment, I can imagine how I'm supposed to just get on with my day-to-day life when I know in the back of my mind that our furry friend is slowly dying. I just don't know what to do.

I guess for now all we can do is our best for her. She's still with us right now and for the now, that's all that should matter. Deal with tomorrow when it comes. It's just...hard.

If reading this blog post has harmed your own mood, then I sincerely apologize. But thank you for reading this and letting me pour out my feelings. It helps me to cope...at least a little.

Thank you for reading. God Bless you and yours.

Chiral Overnight at the Vet

For the last couple of days, our cat Chiral has been suffering from some sort of ailment. It started with her throwing up an awful lot (and not just the usual summer hairballs). Then she started looking extremely lethargic, not wanting to move unless we moved her. She was also completely uninterested in food or water.

The lethargy was what really prompted our concern. Normally, Chiral is an energetic and mouthy little troublemaker. She's quick to give backtalk when you scold her and always chirps a meow when she thinks you're talking to her. She also has a purr like an outboard motor, which she'll start up at the slightest hint of attention.

So you can imagine our confusion when the poor thing barely lifted her head when we petted her. When she walked (and she didn't want to do that unless we had picked her up and set her back down), she moved unsteadily - almost like it hurt her back legs - for a few moments before sliding down to lie back down. She wouldn't even purr as we pet her. She didn't seem to hurt when we touched her or lifted her up but her general discomfort was obvious.

So Kate took Chiral in to the vet today and it looks like she'll be staying overnight. The vet needed a urine sample but since Chiral hadn't eaten since Wednesday morning (a full 24 hours) and had only managed to drink a few sips from a wet cloth, she wasn't producing much. The vet wanted to keep her until she did produce a sample she could use and from those tests she can decide if further bloodwork is required.

The vet couldn't give us a prognosis just yet, though Kate says that she mentioned diabetes at one point.

Kate tells me that the house had been frightfully quiet with Chiral at the vet. Naturally, Tessa fills the air with her chatter when she's awake, but when she napping, it's quiet. Rune isn't much of a noisemaker, preferring to doze away the morning and afternoon as much as she can.

(It might be my imagination, but I think even Rune is noticing Chiral's absence.)

Anyway, we're trying not to worry...but it's hard when you don't know what's wrong with your feline companion of more than seven years. So if you're reading this and you've got a prayer to spare, please say one for our fuzzy friend.



Thank you for reading and I hope you're having a great day!

Some Cat Notes

Okay, I just wanted to throw a couple of quick pictures regarding our two cats, Rune and Chiral.

Recently, we decided to pick up a leash and harness for the girls so that they could take short jaunts outside with us without me or Kate having to chase after them or worry about them bolting or whatever. Well, Rune has never been terribly fond of the outside world so she didn't take well to the leash. On the other hand, Chiral decided this was the best thing ever! The only problem is that we don't always let her go explore where she'd like to. :-)

Here's a couple shots of Kate "walking" Chiral...





And here Rune looks on with a degree of concern, convinced that no good will come of letting cats wander outside. ;-)



Secondly, I just wanted to share this small bit. Since it's the summer, the cats are shedding like crazy. To help alleviate this problem, Kate and I are trying to remember to brush the two girls whenever we get the chance. I recently sat Rune down to brush her...and ended up with a ball of fluff the size of her head!



Of course, Rune was not amused by the whole thing. :-)

That's it for now - thanks for reading! Hope you're having a great day!