Some Sad News…

On July 2, 2011, Apollo passed away. His death was very sudden and very unexpected. His morning routine was normal. He had his breakfast, did his Apollo thing, was hassled by Wonder. I said goodbye to all five cats and left for work. When I came home a little after midnight, I saw that Apollo had passed away. He looked very peaceful. He was laying in the doorway of bedroom, one of his usual nap time spots. He was laying on his side, his paws stretched out before him as if he laid down for a nap and simply never woke up.

I don’t know what happened to my  sweet Apollo, but I suspect that it was FIP. It’s possible that his blindness, mental disabilities, and wobbly walk were caused by the disease, but there’s no way to know.

Apollo was buried along the woodline at my parents’ house. Our neighbors pets are buried nearby, so he has company. The area is shaded and peaceful, which I know Apollo would have appreciated. His resting place would have been well suited to his serene demeanor.

The other cats fared surprisingly well after Apollo’s passing. Wonder cried in the mornings for a few days. He had incorporated a playful brotherly beatdown into his mornings. He did move on quickly after he realized Apollo wasn’t coming around. It took me a little longer to get used to his absence.

Even though Apollo’s passing has been devastating, I’m glad he got to know love in his short life. He knew love, knew the fun of Christmas garland, knew the fun of wrestling with another cat, and knew how it felt to just be himself. He’s in Heaven now, getting head rubs from Jesus, as a friend said. The idea of Jesus giving Apollo the best head rubs he’s ever known gives me so much comfort. I know that  my Fuzzy Butt is still experiencing love. And that’s exactly what he deserves.

Apollo’s Journey

Lola makes the crazy eyes while Apollo plays with shiny garland

Apollo and Wonder

Apollo has landed… at my house! Apollo was featured on Facebook by the Blind Cat Rescue as a blind cat at a kill shelter in Baltimore. After I saw this, I reached out to the folks at BARCS, the aforementioned shelter. I was able to drive to Baltimore, about 2 hours from where I live, to pick him up and give him the best home (and the last home) he’ll ever know. When I first saw Apollo, I fell in love with him! He was such a sweet boy and so happy to have someone love on him and fuss over him. He sat in my lap for a little bit, content to have me pet his head. Once all of the paperwork was done, Apollo was on his way to meet his new cat family. He was an AMAZING passenger. He meowed a little, but slept most of the way. Anyone who has ever travelled long distances with a cat knows what a blessing a sleeping cat is.

When Apollo was first let out of the carrier in my house, he hopped right out and set about inspecting everything. Watching him move, I thought, “This cat is definitely not blind.” As he checked out my house, and my other cats checked him out, I began to realise that while he may not be blind, he is certainly visually impaired. I think he can see lights and shadows, but that might be about it. He appears to take little notice of the other cats passing near him. In fact, he doesn’t really interact with them at all. He does get frustrated when Wonder sniffs his butt, as Wonder is wont to do, so I take that as a good sign.

The concern I have now is that Apollo is deaf. He doesn’t respond to any calls, and he ducks as I get near him. I’m not sure what he’s expecting, because I only ever pet him and give him love. I know he’s new and it’ll take some time for him to adjust. I have nothing but patience with the little guy. I often sit next to him and just pet him. It’s probably the first time in his life that he’s known love and calm and peace. I am really excited to see what he’s like as he becomes more comfortable with me and the other cats. He goes to the vet next week for a check-up, so hopefully I’ll know more about his status then.

Cat Pile

Pile o' cats

 

Just wanted to share a rare moment of feline harmony Left to right, there’s Pixie, Wonder, and Lola. MIA is Ada, who was probably sleeping on the kitchen counter.

King Wonder

Wonder has taken up a new challenge. He’s putting his fame and ever-increasing sense of entitlement to use by running for King of the Animal Fair. The St. Mary’s County Animal Welfare League (www.smawl.org) hosts an Animal Fair every year. There are owner/dog pie-eating contests, a pageant, a parade, and other merrymaking. Each year, animals run for the title of king and queen by raising money for SMAWL. Whoever brings in the most donations wins the crown. Last year’s winner was a deaf cat. This year’s winner should be a BLIND cat! Aside from Wonder getting a crown and a little fame in our small town, money is raised for a great cause. SMAWL is a no-kill animal shelter that functions more like a network of foster homes. I adopted Lola from SMAWL 2 years ago. Money raised from Wonder’s rise to royalty will benefit the cats and dogs of SMAWL. Help Wonder help others! All donations are tax deductible. You can donate/view his page by clicking the link below. Spread the word! Thanks from me and Wonder for your help!  

Update on Wonder

Wonder loves to lay on his back!

Lola and Ada share a window

Hi All!

I guess I need to be a little bit better about updating this now.

Wonder became a big brother last August! A little red kitten that my mom found made her way to my home. Her name is Ada Grace, and she’ll be a year old next month. She’s the sweetest little girl. Wonder loves her to pieces! Wonder and Ada are always rough-housing, causing trouble, and playing together. They’re particularly in love with bathroom and kitchen cabinets. Makes for good cat places.

Last year, I got to see just how amazing Wonder’s presence is to my other cats. I moved into a bigger apartment with Pixie, Lola, and Wonder last April. Lola, who is sighted, got carsick and hid behind the washing machine for two hours. Poor Pixie, my other blindy, was TERRIFIED and wouldn’t come out of her carrier for nearly four hours. Wonder, of course, thought he was in a theme park! He was the first one out of the carrier and he quickly set out to inspect everything. I brought a few things from our old house so the cats could feel comfortable, blankets and pillows that had our old-house smell on it. But Wonder couldn’t be bothered with that. He hopped on boxes, hopped IN boxes, checked out all the rooms. He had a BLAST! Since Pixie always seeks comfort from me, I knew that my bed had to be set up before anything else. I left all of the bedding the same so that it would smell like our old house, so it would provide the strongest and quickest comfort to Pixie. Once that was done, I brought her carrier into my bedroom and tried to coax her out. She refused. But when Wonder came sniffing his way into my room, I started talking to him. Pixie could tell from the tone of my voice that Wonder was getting closer. Knowing that her brother was close by helped her to overcome her fear, and she slowly came out of her carrier. I was surprised, as moving day continued, that Pixie was making such great progress. Spurred on by Wonder’s excitement, Pixie gained the confidence to wander around our new home. Quite a change from the cat who hid under my bed for two weeks after we moved into our old house!

A year later, and all is status quo. Wonder is best friends with both Lola and Ada. Pixie is still the alpha and she doesn’t hesitate to let the girls know it! Unfortunately for her, Wonder won’t think twice about defending his girls!  Pixie percieves it as a beatdown, Wonder thinks he’s playing. They definitely keep me entertained!

Wonder: From Cruelty to Royalty

If I ever write a book about Wonder, that’s what I’ll call it.

I’m constantly amazed by this cat and all that he’s been through. Honestly, I try not to think about it, because it will crush my soul. Better to focus on the present than the past. But sometimes I can’t help but wonder about his past.

When kittens come into the world, they, like human babies, are greeted with happiness and love from their mothers. If these kittens are lucky, and they should be, they are also greeted with happiness and love from the humans that have been caring for the mothers. So what was Wonder greeted with? Certainly his mother cleaned him and nursed him and loved him. But for how long? Was he born under a shed in someone’s yard? A cozy towel-filled box in a linen closet? Were there humans there to make sure the birthing process went safely? Or did those humans just steal him away for a life of torment?

Sadly, these questions remain unanswered. I can’t even speculate as to his entrance into this world. Wonder is easily the happiest cat I’ve ever met, and yet he went through unfathomable pain. He holds no grudges against humans and will happily greet anyone who wants to greet him. More accurately, he’s happy to see you whether you want to see him or not. He’s full of love and joy, and he wants to share it with you.

As Wonder plays with a toy mouse right now, he is unaware of how special he is, how famous he is in our small-town area. Since he came on in November, more money has been spent on him than on my other two cats combined. He’s been to the vet so often that I’m known as “the blind cat lady.” He was treated for worms, toxoplasmosis (twice), constipation, a bladder infection, diarrhea, and itchy skin. It was as if he knew he was home and it was okay to let his inner kitten out…except that his inner kitten was sick! He is on a food trial now, an expensive venture in which he, Pixie, and Lola will eat only a prescription food for the next 6-8 weeks. Why? Because Wonder has a food allergy. After two weeks on this diet, he’s doing AMAZING. He’s remarkably less itchy and his digestion has improved tenfold. I am more than happy to shell out $40 for a six-pound bag of food and $100 for 48 cans of the wet version if it means health for my little guy. Why wouldn’t I? He’s so friggin’ cute!!

And this leads me to the message I have for the heartless bastards who ruined Wonder’s entrance into life: Fuck you. Heaven only knows why you thought it was a good idea to gouge outs the eyes of a five-week-old kitten. The thought came to you, you sought out a kitten, and you acted. And for what? To impress someone? Because your mother didn’t hug you or your dad said you’d never amount to anything? You will probably never again think of the kitten whose life you hoped to destroy, and he certainly doesn’t think of you. And yet here he is: healthy, happy, loved. He has brought more joy to my life and the lives of those around me. You took his sight, but you did not take his spirit. Wonder may have started out at a deficit, but now he sits on top of the world. He sleeps on my bed, eats pricey food, plays with whatever he wants, sits on and claws my furniture, hassles his sisters, and receives nothing but love and affection from all who meet him. Wonder’s life is great and will continue to become greater. You, however, are still the same miserable bastard you were when you thought, “Hey, you know what would be fun? Gouging out the eyes of a kitten!” Enjoy the rest of your hate-filled life. Maybe someday you will realize how evil you were. In the meantime, Wonder has bathroom counter that needs inspecting.

Musings…

“Aw, poor thing!” That’s the one phrase I hear most often when I tell people about Wonder. “That poor little guy!”

In all of the three months that I’ve had Wonder, never once I have I felt sorry for him. That may sound disgustingly cruel, but before you tar and feather me, let me explain.

I do, of course, feel terrible about what Wonder went through as an infant. Some soul-less, evil, pieces of garbage felt the need to remove the eyes of a sweet 5-week-old kitten. The very thought that my little boy had to go through that makes me sick. And angry. I would love to find the person or persons responsible and ask them what in God’s name they were thinking. What was the thought process on that? “Hey, Billy, you know what would be swell? If we gouged the eyes out of a kitten!” “Dude, that’s awesome! Let’s go!”

But the good Lord was looking out for little Wonder. Wonder was found, named, cared for, loved. When I saw his face on Petfinder.com, I instantly fell in love with him. I knew that he was the kitten for me! It’s hard to explain the feeling, the feeling you get when you know, know, that something is supposed to happen, that someone is supposed to be in your life. Two weeks later, I made the 13-hour trek to Nashville, and the subsequent 13-hour trip back home, to pick up the Wonder Cat.

As my friend and I walked up the front porch of Wonder’s foster home, I had a very brief bout of panic. I had never seen an eyeless cat before. What if it creeped me out? What if an eyeless cat bothered me so much that I was unable to take him home? But when we went inside and he came into the room, I melted all over the floor! He was so friggin’ cute! (And he still is.) He wasn’t too keen on being held; he had lots of playing to do and I was interrupting. He was mildly affectionate, again because I had disrupted his playtime. But I loved him even more!

On the long ride back home to Maryland, Wonder was great! He was quiet and slept most of the ride. But somewhere around the tenth hour, he’d had enough. With my best friend at the helm, I took him out of the crate and held him. He must have thought he was in heaven. He snuggled, nuzzled, and kneaded my neck, which he still does. He stretched out and slept on my lap for the remainder of the trip, purring his little behind off the entire time. He was then and is now the biggest love!

And because I see this sweet, affectionate little lovebug every day, it’s very hard for me to feel sorry him. He rages around my apartment like a fool, wrestles with Lola every day, and leaps across the room because he can. If it wasn’t so obvious that he’s blind, a casual observer wouldn’t know that he even was blind! Why feel sorry for this little guy? He has an endless supply of toys, three towers to sleep and play on, and a steady supply of Pounce treats. Life is good!

I guess it’s all in what you’re used to. To me, he’s a regular guy! Nothing gets in his way. Truly, nothing does. If he wants to sleep with me on my bed, he’ll push Pixie, my other blind cat, out of the way. “That’s MY mommy and I want to snuggle. Excuse me, please!” He has no fear, and he has no reason to. Sight is a sense that he’s never experienced. As far as he knows, life is everything it should be. He’s the happiest little dude all the time. And with the good Lord so clearly looking after this guy, Wonder is sure to be happy for much, much longer.

Another day, another doctor…

Despite Wonder’s constantly cheerful attitude, he’s been sick with various and sundry things since he’s been home. (My theory is that he feels comfortable enough to let his inner kitten out. But his inner kitten is apparently chronically ill.) Since he’s been home, he’s been treated for worms, a bladder infection, constipation, dehydration, and toxoplasmosis. How does this happen? Pixie and Lola visit the vet once a year for their annual check-ups, yet Wonder has racked up over $1000 in bills since November?

Wonder’s regular vet, Dr. M., is great. She’s so kind to him and never gawked at his eyeless face. But sometimes a second set of veterinary eyes is a good thing. Upon Wonder’s second round of treatment for toxo, I decided that he needed to visit a new vet. He’s been really itchy since I brought him home, something I chalked up to the stress of adjusting to a new home and new sisters. Dr. M. suggested a food allergy, which Dr. V., the new vet, backed up. But rather than switch to a prescription diet, a very restrictive and VERY expensive diet, Dr. V. suggested an all-chicken diet.

For the past week, Wonder, along with Pixie and Lola, are gradually switching over to the goodness of an all-chicken diet. I was surprised when Dr. V. said that baby food would be alright to feed them. All three cats think this is best-testing stuff since a new flavor of Friskies. It’s hard to tell whether the reduction in itchiness is due to the chicken or to the allergy medicine. It doesn’t really matter as long as everyone is healthy.

Mr. Wonder is feeling pretty good right now. He’s snuggled up next to me, just purr-snoring away! For an eyeless, itchy cat, he has a sweet deal!

How awesome is this picture?!

The best $100 ever spent!

In my never-ending quest to make my cats happy, I have purchased the greatest cat tower ever! For the low, low price of $100, the fine folks at www.allpetfurniture.com sent the Armarkat A6202. This fine piece of craftsmanship boasts three levels, a mini-condo, SIX scratching posts, things on string, and a hammock. A hammock!! Sold! Lola and Wonder thought the new tower was the coolest thing since Monday night’s grocery bags. Pixie wasn’t impressed, but she’s a tough crowd.

Armarkat A6202. AKA the coolest cat toy ever!

Lola love-a the new tower

From the comfort of his small tree, Wonder enjoys the things on strings

Hey-la Lola!

Pixie likes the box… better than nothing!