Millie (2000-2021): Another Over the Rainbow Bridge

 From my sister in Kentucky:

Millie came into our lives on Oldham County Day in 2000 where a family at one of the booths had a litter of kittens available to good homes. 

In her younger days she was notorious for scaring small children with her angry sounds, but she never hurt a soul. While she was not thrilled with the addition of baby Bootsies in 2006, they eventually reached detente. And Millie formed a special bond with [our grandson], always accepting his pets and hugs. 

Her health had deteriorated to the point where we made the decision last night to take that final trip to the vet this morning. She was having none of that, and died on her own terms, peacefully lying down on a mat in the laundry room to take her last breath sometime in the night. 

RIP, sweet tabby.

Give Blood

Oscar is at the vet, a 90-day follow up his thyroid zap In August. (We can also toss his radioactive litter this week.)

Vet tech: "Oscar, we need a blood sample."

Oscar: "Nope. Nope. Nope. You want blood, take your own, human."

I left him there while they plan their next move.

Penwiper, the Fluffy Cuddler

For the record, Penwiper is our only cat ever who trusted humans enough to be cradled on his back like a human baby and be petted there.

PW even can have his white tummy rubbed a bit, unlike say the Detweiler's now long departed Radar, who invited you to rub his tummy in order to set up his Venus Flytrap-like feline pounce. (He was FAST, too!)

Closing the Books

 I was paying other bills online, so I browsed over to the King County Pet Licensing site, and I closed out the records for Billy & Whitey.

Farewell, old friends.

The Departed, in Pictures

We've put up raw albums of all our departed overlords:

• Her Emilyness
• Kage, The Grey Mouser
• Billy, The Mighty Hunter
• Whitey, The Spider-Cat

We also have our very alive & well Penwiper and Oscar up in albums:

• Oscar, The Catzilla in Training
  (also known as The World's Cutest Kitten)
• Penwiper, the Fluffy Ninja
  (also known as The Doofus of Darkness)

Catzilla Coda (all nine lives are precious)

The departure of the Catzilla Brothers left us with a number of things we have no use for in the foreseeable future.  My favorite rescue organization, MEOW Cat Rescue, is closed because of COVID-19, but I asked the right people, and they took a shipment from us.

Today I dropped off:

•  Two jumbo litter boxes
•  A box of 1 ml syringes
•  Food
•  KD prescription canned food (most of a case)
•  Non-prescription canned food (most of a case)
•  Bag of TikiCat Sticks (liquid gravy treats)
•  For subcutaneous fluids
•  3 bags Ringer's lactate solution
•  10 burettes
•  ~ a dozen needles

All of these items were never used.  (Billy was actually put down before the burettes ordered for him arrived.)

The gift of Billy & Whitey, our first rescue cats, to those still waiting.

Requiem for the Spider-Cat

Whitey Asleep in My Office a few Days Ago

A few days ago, I wrote I didn't know how Whitey was taking the passing of Billy, his littermate and life long housemate. We wonder if he was saddened by his brother's passing, for Whitey's own time comforting us was cut short today.

I rose at 7 AM this morning, a few minutes early, raked the litter box, and was feeding the younger cats by 7:35. They both finished their meals in one sitting; Oscar did not get the whim as he often does these days to finish upstairs in private. Katherine came down to feed Whitey, and we agreed to take showers and go get bagels before the heat of the day (with a projected high of 96º). I headed up to take my shower while Katherine finished in the kitchen, including unpacking wet food ordered for the Catzillas.

We never made it to bagels. Katherine came in the bathroom as I was drying off, and said, "We need to take Whitey to the vet. He had a seizure." 

She thought he was still breathing. I told her to get dressed, and I did the same.

When we got downstairs, he was still unconscious on the living floor. Katherine called an emergency vet, who referred her to two more. I looked up the number for Emerald City Emergency Clinic (where we had taken Billy in June) and called them. We decided to go there, and Katherine poured Whitey into a carrier. We agreed on the way in that he might not make it. 

With Conv-19 restrictions, they came out to the car to take him in his carrier into the building. As soon they started to check him, they called us, and gave us the news.

With great sadness we announce that Whitey, age 16 and a half, was pronounced deceased today at ~ 9:00 AM at Emerald City Emergency Clinic in Seattle. He was predeceased by his brother Billy by four days, and is survived by his foster nephews Oscar and Penwiper.