Heartfelt Thanks

"... what we have enjoyed, we can never lose ... all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." ~Helen Keller

Dear blog friends,

Thank you for all the sweet, heartfelt comments about my cat.  

I'm sure to all the people out there who aren't pet people, I must seem like a ninny grieving over the sudden loss of my beloved cat, but I can't spend my time worrying about these people.  I have truly taken comfort in the heartfelt condolences and kind words shared with me on this blog, your sympathy has been much appreciated.  Thank you also to my friends who called or texted me this week.  During our pre-marriage classes, I learned that "Words of Affirmation" is definitely my love language, thus, these small expressions of kindness through words are the gestures that mean the most to me.  I even showed my husband the roll of blog comments Jenga's post received, to which he also felt touched.  

We miss her deeply, it's been most hard to drive up to our home and see the empty windowsill where she once sat, ready to leap up upon our arrival. Or crawl into bed, and wait for the click-click of her little clawed feet dashing through the hall, heading toward us to jump onto the foot of the bed. 

I've been spending the last few days pulling some hilarious photos and videos of her off my iphone, which has been comforting, seeing her spry and lively in her glory.  

Here's a few personal favorites to leave you with for the day...

{She always did love to sit up like a human, supporting herself by resting on her large tummy}

{I love this one...she sought out the heating pad the second I left the couch, we called her the "heater whore," a nickname I say with the deepest affection.}

Saying Goodbye

It breaks my heart to tell you that conditions did not improve, and we sent our sweet, beautiful cat and friend Jenga up to heaven today.  This was something we thought might happen, but the idea versus the reality of the situation weighs heavy on my heart.  It was a difficult decision, but after several weeks of steroids, multiple vet check-ups, and a regiment of 5 pills a day with no improvement, loss of appetite, and worsening of her condition, we recognized her suffering and pain was only growing, as well as the significant decline in her quality of life.  Needless to say, it's been an emotional day.

I know many out there are not cat people.  Cats often get the bad rap, labeled reclusive, anti-social, and standoffish, but these characteristics Jenga was not.  She was always frisky, vocal, and affectionate until her final few weeks; evidenced by her meowing conversations with me the minute I'd walk in the front door, her high-volume motorboat purr, and unwavering enthusiasm to leap onto our laps every evening where she'd recline, stretch out lazily, and fall asleep.  We'll miss so many things; her playful tendency to swat at doorstops and fascination with the metallic "boing" that followed, her ability to spear and devour a stray fly in 10 seconds flat, and the pacing-in-the-window-while-crooning routine she'd display for neighborhood orange tabby we affectionately named "boyfriend."  The list goes on...

Jenga was a part of our family, and her absence is devastating, especially since we thought she'd be there to greet us when we bring our baby home from the hospital.  The hardest part to reconcile is understanding why this happened to her, she was such a young, lively cat until a month ago, and only 5 years old at that.

A request to you pet owners and lovers out there, cuddle your pet a little tighter tonight.  You never know how much longer you'll have with them.  I picture her in heaven, lounging contentedly in a window sill somewhere, happily meowing at the passing squirrels and birds.
We love you Jeng, and miss you so much already.

Rest in peace. xoxo.

{one of my favorite pictures of hers, sleeping with both paws curled up underneath her chin}

Sick Kitty

My poor cat Jenga is sick.  

It started out a little over a week ago.  Jenga is usually a spunky, incredibly friendly, vocal cat.  She's active, with a perpetual spring in her step, and typically voracious for food.  The second a tin can is cracked open, she's a-sprinting toward the dish, eager to gorge herself on a delectable morsel of Fancy Feast.  This was true, up until last week.  All of a sudden, she became lethargic, reluctant to move off the couch, her verbal prowess suddenly silenced, and her appetite - gone.  My husband and I literally had to bring her food and hand feed her giblets and water.  :(  Not a good sign, my friends, not good.

Fast forward one and a half weeks, two vet appointments, three biopsies, and a bottle of twice-a-day-perscribed pills later...  Her condition is no longer a mystery (auto-immune), and her demeanor is slightly improved, but still..she's definitely not her old self.  It's so sad to see your normally perky, verbal cat feeling crummy, and even worse, in pain.  

We're hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, though I try not to keep that idea in the forefront of my mind.  She's only been on the pills for about 3 days now, with a follow-up vet appointment scheduled for Tuesday.  Our vet did suggest this condition would not be an overnight recovery, rather a slow, arduous one... but right now our dear, sweet Jenga just seems so listless, uncomfortable, and sad, which breaks my heart.

Please keep my dear sweet friend in your thoughts this week, we're praying for her to hang on and make it through this, any positive sentiments are greatly appreciated.

image/maryruffle

Toothless Wonder

Did I tell you my cat had 11 teeth extracted last week?  Yes, you read that right...11!  ELEVEN!   How many teeth does a cat have, you might be asking yourself.  Thirty to be exact.  I had to google it and then confirm with the vet (just to be sure). 

Yes, my poor Jenga went in for a routine teeth cleaning (or at least, I had assumed it was routine).  I had to sign a sizable load of paperwork to even release her for this routine procedure.  A few hours later, I received a phone call, telling me my poor cat has a genetic condition where her body is basically viewing her teeth as "foreign," trying to rid itself of them, so many of her teeth were basically decaying in her mouth.  OUCH!  Can you believe that?!  My poor, poor kitty, I felt so bad for her.  The vet said she had probably been in a lot of pain up until this point, which made me feel horrible (since she hadn't been acting any different).  Luckily the procedure would alleviate much of her discomfort and lead her on a path to feeling better ASAP...phew!

So a few hours later, I picked up my groggy, drugged up, out-of-it cat, 11-teeth lighter, to take her home to recuperate and sleep off the worst of it.  A week and a few bottles of medicine later, she is doing much, much better.  Turns out, 11 missing teeth isn't as obvious as one would think.  Now, she's got one mean snaggletooth to boast about at the end of the day.  :) 

images/myphotos

Cativersary

Today is the 1-year anniversary from the day I adopted my cat. As a lifelong cat person, it was very exciting for me to finally adopt a pet of my own. After browsing several animal shelters in search of the perfect personality fit, I picked Jenga, and couldn't be happier. She has been such a blessing, she's a lively, snuggly, verbal ball of fluff. I love pulling into the driveway and seeing her little head pop into the window, it's a comfort I truly enjoy. Love you Jenga!

Heater Love

With a Winter chill in the air - my cat is officially obsessed with the heater. Can you tell?

Pets + Holidays

Gotta love the holidays! My sister sent me this pic yesterday and I laughed out loud! While this is NOT my fat cat Jenga, my sweet little fattie could easily be this cat, guiltily caught all tangled in Christmas lights. She has been prowling around the Christmas tree nonstop since it arrived in our living room. It's hard to tell whether she's eager to tear open presents or take a bite out of the tree itself. The joys of pets around the holidays :)

Power Outage

I woke up this morning thinking, "Gosh it's cold today!" And then I went to switch on the light and whoops, no light. Translation = power outage. The winds have been rampant here in Western Washington, evergreen boughs are blowing all over the place, literally!

Luckily I have candles everywhere - which my fiance usually grumbles about but was quite thankful for today. (I made sure to remind him of this, btw). That combined with the iphone flashlight app had me back in business to maneuver around the house as I got ready for work.

Thankfully, our water heater is wonderfully large, and the water was still hot enough to take a shower. However, trying to style bangs without a hair dryer - well, that's another story. Needless to say I used bobby pins in abundance, which was semi-successful, at best. This prompted some interesting comments from my students including "You look SO different, I thought you were a sub!" from several of my style-savvy girls. Dang it!

Well turns out a tree fell on some power lines a few blocks away and thankfully power and heat are back on tonight (phew). And now I'm warm once again, curled up with my cat Jenga wearing cozy socks and basking in the warm glow of my Christmas tree. (insert contented sigh).

image/iamblessed

Snow Day!

The snow fell plentifully last night in Seattle. Despite the snow, we did have school yesterday, and my students were (as you can imagine) quite distracted by the steady stream of flurries floating down all morning and afternoon. Luckily, I beat the traffic home, and cranked up the heat in my cozy house and watched the flakes continue to fall.

Today, I'm curled up on the couch with my cat Jenga, watching Love Actually, sipping pumpkin spice tea, and working on report cards. No cabin fever yet...

Is there snow where you are?

image/maryruffle

Photo Op

A very candid, perfect pose of my little darling Jenga. She is not your average cat, as you might be able to gather from her glamorous sitting position. Thought it was good humor for the weekend!

Dinner Last Night: Rib Eye Steak with Mushrooms & Bleu Cheese

Spring is finally in the air in Seattle, marked by our first dinner where it was warm enough to dine on the deck! We lounged out on the patio, enjoying the gorgeous sunset, entertained by my cat Jenga and my parents' dog Bear have an silent stand-off as to who should rule the deck. It was pretty hilarious!

Dinner last night - Rib Eye Steak with Mushrooms & Bleu Cheese and Smashed Potatoes, topped off with a bottle of crisp white wine. Perfection!

image/southcape

In Case You Were Wondering...

I named her Jenga... I decided it was the most fitting name considering in the first week I had her she chased her tail, attempted to scale my living room wall (no joke), and managed to toss a toy mouse 3 feet in the air by batting her paws. Since Jenga's a game, and considering how much my new girl loves to play, I thought the name was simply meant to be.

Cat Accessories

As a new cat owner, I'm pretty sure I need this cat mug. Adorable! Don't worry, I'm a one-cat kind of girl, I promise I won't become a crazy cat lady.

image/modcloth

Meet My New Friend

I got one! This is my new cat, isn't she cute?? I went to a cat rescue center today and fell in love with her coloring. She's mostly white with gray tabby splashes all over her and a tabby tail.

I've got plenty of family members weighing in on what I should name her. Right now the front runner is Jenga. Others I've considered are Luna, Sprout, Phoebe...among others. Any great names you'd like to share with me?