All about Monsters! Slimey!

Wuahahahahahha!!! That is a most unflattering picture of me and mommy had to put it up for all to see. But in this pic, you can see clearly my plush belly fur, which has all grown back in and I no longer have to feel half naked at all times! The spay episode is now all behind me and I am as fit as ever. Judging from my size now, you can be sure that I am feeling superb and running my household the way it should.

A few days ago, we had a hairball attack. It's all due to mommy running empty on my delish hairball treats. Now, that got me and mommy thinking if that hairball treat is a miracle or a curse. Or was it merely coincident that the week I miss my treat, the hairball monster came out and wreck havoc. Anyway, I don't really want to talk about that embarrassing hacking episode but mommy felt that it's one of those things that you just can't hide from.

So, mommy heard me hacking and coughing and she was in a worse predicament than me. I just wanted to get the hairball outta me but she was clucthing her chest as if her heart will just pop out had she not hold on to it dearly. After a few split seconds, the slimy monster made its exit. Phew! What a relief for me but for mommy, it's one of those yuckiest things she has ever seen.

Being a cat is not a bed or roses really. Hairball is one of those things that makes being a cat a real pain in the bum. Now that mommy finally went out and stock up on a dozen packages of my hairball treat, I sure hope the monster will exit via the backdoor from now on.

And talking about a monster, I've got a really awesome video to share. Check it out!

Ta-da!! Now you see me!

Hiya!! It's been long overdue ... my updates I meant. It's all mommy's fault.. I have no idea what she's thinking really, she is always so busy with her work and she wouldn't have helped me update if not for my super paw swipe attack.

The last time I was at the vet, it was because mommy thought something is very wrong with my breathing. Luckily, the doc gave me a clean bill of health. She is always so careful with me. Can't blame her really. We have both been through a lot.

It's hot, and I have been taking a lot of catnaps. Mommy didn't want me turn in that notorious 44lb cat from Jersey so she has been trying to get me to play. I mean, I would love to, but playing alone is not much fun. Mommy is always doing her own stuffs and sometimes, I had to just literally shove my butt onto her face before she would even acknowledge that I need my play time. I know she didn't do that on purpose, ignoring me that is, but lately, I really feel like being left alone.

Oh yeah, to everyone else who has been emailing me asking about how I am, don't you worry ok. I am doing well now and I know where to go when nature calls. Mommy said I've been peeing a lot and her litter expenses are increasing. I mean, that's what we are both hoping for right? Just yesterday, Petco delivered litter to mommy and it came in two huge boxes! Whoa...BOXES! :)

Times of Trial

Since my last post, Lucy Belle's condition has not improved and has gotten even more alarming. The most important thing is we changed vet as the old vet is simply too incompetent, bordering on malpractice. She is now being taken care by a team of Feline Exclusive Veterinarians and I am glad that they are dedicated professionals who are pursuing aggressively to diagnose her condition.

The initial diagnosis was FLUTD and she was given the antibiotic Clamavox - 2 weeks course. The first culture result came back negative. She did well during the course of her medication and the week and a half after. All of a sudden, her condition worsen yesterday morning. She had blood oozing out from her vulva. I only notice the blood stains on my bedsheet and had no idea initially where she was bleeding.

I rushed her to the vet again and this time, when a cysto was performed, all I could see was blood. Even when the vet tried to feel her bladder, she expelled blood from her urethra. I got the scare of my life. The vet mentioned the possibility of stumped pyometra.

Stump pyometra is a serious health condition that may occur in bitches that underwent Ovariohysterectomy (spaying). In this condition, the remaining stump of the resected Uterus becomes infected and filled with a purulent fluid. The symptoms are similar to those of true pyometra. The risk of this condition is significantly reduced if no uterine or ovarian tissue remains from the original ovariohysterectomy. Diagnosis of a stump pyometra may be challenging as pyometra is often discounted as a possibility if the bitch has been previously spayed. source: wikepedia

This is an extremely rare condition but she is not willing to rule out any possibilities. I've had terrible feeling that her spay surgery didn't go too well. She was a happy and healthy kitten before this procedure and afterwards, everything started heading downhill.

Another round of tests and I am waiting for the results. She is resting at home and I only pray that she is not in terrible pain. The vet prescribe Orbax as precautionary measures as we still have not gotten to the root of the problem.

Leeny at TDK wrote this beautiful prayer which really comforted me:-

Dear God of love, who created Lucy Belle and brought her to tuttibella, you see and know all things. You see this precious kitten who means the world to her mother and means so much to all of us here. Heal your blessed creation. Cure the illness in her little body. Guide the doctor who is helping her. Send strength and wholeness coursing through her. Let that which must be done to help her be successful, and grant her a long, happy life.

Give the comfort that only you can provide to tuttibella. Her heart is breaking. Have mercy on her; give her rest and assurance that her little one will be well. Help her as she does for her baby that which needs to be done. Provide all that she needs to see Lucy Belle through this crisis.

Give your help also to all who love Lucy Belle at a distance. Help us to cope when we don't know what's happening, and remind us that you are right there with Lucy Belle and tuttibella. Take control of this situation, and bring wholeness to us all.

Feeling Under The Weather

Lucy Belle is recuperating so as her mommy, I will take over her blog for now.

She underwent her spay surgery on April 17 and initially everything went on well. I brought her home the same day and within 2 days, she has started licking her sutures. Her incision site were a little swollen and infected. Had to get her back to the vet.

She is now wearing a collar and is not happy with it at all. Just yesterday, she gave me another scare. She urinated in the bathtub and she has never done such.

I was mortified to find traces of blood in her urine and hurried her to the vet yet again. Since coming back from her spay surgery, she has been back to the vet twice. *Sigh!* A procedure called a cystocentesis was performed, in which a needle was placed in her abdomen into her urinary bladder to obtain a sterile urine sample.

A urinalysis and culture sensitivity test will be performed and we would have to wait a few days to obtain the result. She is currently not on any kind of medicine as the vet has suggested that we wait for the test result to better determine the course of treatment.

I have never been so traumatized by her experience. I can imagine how unhappy she is with everything that's been going on lately. I have to praise her for being such a strong girl. At her vet visits, she was calm and composed and very cooperative. Even the vet and her staffs said that she has a really outstanding personality.

She still have difficulties urinating but the good news is, she is not avoiding her litter box. I sincerely believe that her action in the bathtub was her way of telling me she needed help. Had she not urinated in the white tub, I'd never have found out this early. I have been monitoring her and she still couldn't pass urine normally. I only hope that she is not in pain, discomfort maybe, since she has not been growling or crying.

Her stitches will be removed tomorrow and we are also expecting her urinalysis result. The culture sensitivity test result is due on Saturday.

It's very difficult for me to see her this way. She loves to climb and jump, pounce and stalk, basically, everything that a healthy kitten would engage it. Since last week, she is more subdue and weak. She still attempted to climb her cat tree and jump on sofas, but due to her condition, she could not. I sincerely hope that this would pass as soon as possible so I can have my bouncy baby girl back.

I Miss Everyone!

Hello! It's been more than a month since I last updated. I am sorry for not keeping up with everyone. You see, I have been taking good care of mommy, who has been a little bit sick. She needs me to be there for her and I sure did.

Rest assured, I have been a very good girl. Mommy have some good news for everyone at The Daily Kitten. She is NOT allergic to ME! She is so relieved when the test result came out NEG, and I am also extremely, extremely happy for her.

Nevertheless, mommy still have some difficulty breathing and she's taking some meds to help her feel better. Poor mommy, I wish there is more that I could do for her.

The good people at TDK are simply awesome! They were really worried about me when mommy didn't update my tummy troubles. I am doing really good now, eating and playing like before. I just got some bad allergic reaction to certain brand of food and mommy swear never to let me eat them again! Bad FOOD ... Then, mommy got some serious scare because she developed some bad allergies and breathing difficulties. She had to use an inhaler when her attack becomes too overbearing. The doc told her that she might be allergic to my kind. Boo! She was so upset with the news and couldn't sleep for nights. Poor mommy.

Now that the test came back negative, I sure hope mommy can feel better. She was so scared that she had to give me up because her doc did tell her that one way to reduce those attacks is to send me away. Bad bad doctor! Shouldn't have said that to mommy before getting the test results. Scared me and mommy to our tails!

Oh well, I think I am a little bit more chatty nowadays. I wasn't very vocal before but these days, I felt compelled to share in conversations, just letting everyone know what I have to say about certain things. Mommy loves it when I respond to her when she talks to me. She thinks I am a better listener than you know who. She loves telling me stories and also things that she couldn't tell anyone else. I have the privilege of being her secret keeper.

And oh, yeah, I am allowed in the long hallway now. What a blast! I am normally forbidden to enter the zone. And I always hesitated a little to set my paws down the hall. Anyway, mommy told me that it's ok to explore a little further from my home turf. I was really cautious of the new area but the more I bring myself to investigate the long hallway, to use my incredible sense of smell to explore the *unpawed* area, the more I realize it's not that scary at all. I get plenty of exercise running up and down the hallway, chasing after furry mice and noisy balls. Thanks mommy for letting me play there. Of course, mommy always kept a watchful eye on me, lest I wander too far or hurt myself in some way.

I'll try to write more often like before, now that mommy is up and running again. So, see you all soon. Lots of kisses from me to you.

Do I really grow in my sleep?

A few weeks ago, I weighed 6lbs and this morning, I have gained another pound. That makes me 7lbs of thunder and I am only 5 months old. I am unable to tell you how big my furmommy is but according to some, she is one hefty lady. So, if genetics play a role in my growth, I foresee me being a really big kitty.

Many have said that babies grow in their sleep. So, do kitties grow in their sleep too? I believe so. Mommy believe it even more! Every time I wake up after a nap, mommy realized that I have grown a bit.

Not only have I grown physically, but mentally, I think I am getting smarter. Haha .. I know, I am singing my own praises but it's true. Let me give you an example.

Let's say your favorite ball has been tossed into a hammock. A least likely scenario unless your human has strange playing manners like my mommy. Anyway, what would you do?

A. Fish out the ball with your front paws while standing on your hind legs
B. Jump into the hammock and attempt to get yourself AND the ball out
C. Swing the hammock side to side until the ball falls out
D. Ignore the hammock and walk away

Smart kitties, my choice would be D. What? Give up so easily?
Of course not! Smart kitties knows exactly what they are doing. When you try desperately to get the ball out of the hammock, it only implies that you wanted the ball back badly. Your human will think it's fun to watch and we make a fool out of ourself. So what if you manage to retrieve the ball, your human will most likely toss it back into the hammock and watch us *play*.

On the contrary, don't act like a dog, who always seems to have ants up their pants. Be cool and composed. Look at the hammock, then at *stare*your human. Hold your tail up high, and turn around (with poise of course!). And you know what will happen? Your human will be so confused and they will go take the ball out of the hammock and present it to you. TA_DA! You get the ball, you don't make a scenario and smart kitties, you'd better hang on to he ball like it's your life. Take it and HIDE it. But make sure you give your human plenty of purrs afterwards. Human take things too seriously sometimes.

That's my new dish set. A little bit cliché don't you think?
But like I said, I love my new dish set. Stainless steel, smooth surface, elevated so I don't have to crouch anymore. Mommy is really considerate isn't she? I felt bad talking down about her kind just now.

And oh yeah, I have a funny story to tell as well! Ok, mommy went shopping and bought something. She took the thing out of the packaging and left the empty box on the couch. Here it is:-

Daddy came home and saw this lying on the couch. He took one look and smirked! Went looking for mommy, holding the package and said :-

*Honey, I can't wait to see it in action!*

Can you guess what was in the package? Don't think like daddy though.....

Lucy Belle Loves To Play - Can't you tell? >..<