Buster Update
Several people have asked me how Buster is doing so I thought I would give you an update. Buster’s biopsy did show that the tumor was cancerous. The good thing is that Dr. Schallerwas able to remove all the cancer and besides not being able to have vaccines (other than the rabies vaccine) and having to have regular x-rays, Buster is the same as he was before surgery, just with one less leg. He chases the dogs. He jumps up on the table while we are eating and tries to steal food. He can catch and throw bugs with his one front paw.
If he knew my mom threw out her bread starter he would be very depressed. He LOVES homemade bread. He has been known to eat through plastic wrap to get to the bread.
Bugs loved to come in our 88 year old fireplace in our bedroom but we have no fear…Buster is on patrol. He stands guard in front of the fireplace at night and waits very patiently for a bug to make an appearance. Poor bugs don’t even know what hit them. He throws them in the air and bats them all across the room.
His most annoying habit is eating paper and cardboard. He loves to shred cardboard boxes. I was printing fliers the other night and I heard a terrible noise. I went into the office to find that Buster was treating the printer like his own personal paper vending machine. In trying to eat the paper as it came out, he ended up jamming the printer. I was quite annoyed that I then had to stand watch over the printer to make sure he did not feast on any more paper.
We love that crazy fur ball and are thrilled that he is doing so well!
My Vote for Best Vet
I have always loved All Animals because they are so sweet to our dogs. I love that they can board at Rae-Zor and have vet services from All Animals while they are there. I still love All Animals but Dr. Schaller and Willow Creek Animal Hospital get my vote for BEST VET! How many vets do you know that would call you at 9:00 at night just to let you know how great your cat was doing? Not only have they not made me feel like a pain when I call to check up on him, but Dr. Schaller actually reminded me tonight to call tomorrow to check on how he was doing.
I had just told Ed less than two minutes before she called that I really missed him and couldn’t wait to see him. It was so wonderful to have her call and tell me that he was so sweet and playful with everyone. She said he puts his paw out of his cage when people come near or walk by. He clanked his food dish up against the side of his cage at lunch today and they said he was ringing the dinner bell. He went from having to be hand fed yesterday to being a pig today and licking the bottom of the bowl and then hitting the bowl against the cage to indicate his desire for more food.
The best thing she told me is that she let him play in the office some today and he was throwing a toy mouse up in the air and batting at it. I obviously have no regrets at having his leg amputated, but I was sad that he would not be able to throw his toys up in the air and catch then with his paws as this is something he loves to do. I know in the grand scheme of things, it is a very small thing, but I am so happy that he is still throwing toys in the air with his front paw.
He also loved to grab Daisy’s face with both paws. I’m sure he’ll find a new way to play with and torture her.
I chose to take Buster to Dr. Schaller for several reasons. My friends Jenn and Kelly both raved about her and said they would be taking their dogs to her new office. However, the main reason I chose her is because my sister is friends with her and spoke highly of her and told me she has a tripod kitty that she rescued and operated on. I knew she would treat Buster as if he was her own. After talking to her tonight, I know without a doubt that she did just that and will continue to do so until we are able to take him home.
Don’t Give Up On Me!!
I promise I am not one of those bloggers that starts off strong and gets bored with writing a blog. I LOVE writing but just have not had the time. In fact, except to eat dinner, this is really the first break I have taken tonight and I only have a minute before I have to get back to work.
A quick overview on our life:
- I have started a new blog at http://steppingstoneschildrenscenter.wordpress.com/ to keep the community updated on our current fundraiser. More on that soon!
- “Stepping Up” (our preschool graduation) is Friday. I have been working very hard on the slide show. It is truly a labor of love for me. The only problem with taking so many pictures is that I have a very hard time choosing which ones to use.
- Michele at Quickshot Photography took beautiful pictures of our girls during a portrait party this past weekend. We are looking forward to a full session with her later this month. I want a large portrait of our girls together before Hailey loses her first tooth.
- We have three different programs to attend for Hailey’s kindergarten class over the next 3 school days.
- Ed is in the process of constructing a playset for the girls. I will post before and after pictures once it is complete.
- Ed signed up on facebook.com to help promote Page Law Office and he prompted me to start my own profile. I have had a lot of fun connecting with people I have not talked to in years!
- Buster (the cat) is now taking two antibiotics and two pain meds…6 syringes of liquids a day. Not a happy kitty. He is not putting pressure on one of his front paws. He either has a very, very bad bone infection or a tumor. I pray that if it is a tumor that it has not spread past his leg and he can have his leg amputated and live for many more years. We take him back to the vet on Monday for more x-rays.
- We finally ate at Myra’s Kitchen because we had to taste for ourselves what Kim and Amy kept talking about. I wish we could eat there every night. We have gone twice and both times Hailey ate every single bite (which NEVER happens). Leah did the same the first time but when we went last night, she was more interested in playing. She still did a really good job, though. yum, yum, yum!
Please check out the Stepping Stones blog!!
Ramblings
I have neglected my blog and I have really missed it. However, when the choice is write or sleep, I am going to choose sleep every time. My random notes and thoughts of the day:
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I was very tired when I got home and in and effort to wake myself up a little, I took the girls for a walk. We rambled all through the neighborhood and had a great time looking at the flowers and watching for squirrels. We ran into Jennifer, Miles, and Honey which thrilled the girls. Hailey loves a chance to “perform” and Leah just loves dogs. I love this neighborhood and am thankful that we will be able to walk in the afternoons now that it will stay light longer.
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Buster the cat has taken to staring into the fireplace in our bedroom. It is creeping me out a little.
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Hailey and Leah were playing a nice game together just now until Leah did something “wrong” and Hailey told Leah she was not her friend anymore…Leah responded with “you’re not my sister anymore!” You gotta love sisters!
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I have an ear infection that refuses to go away. I had to go to urgent care on Wicker over the weekend…scary place. They will be building a new facility next to the new Kerr, but in the meantime, they should really do something to make the place look a little cleaner. They literally have wallpaper hanging off the walls – even in the examining room.
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My budget for the next fiscal year is due Friday and I will be in meetings Thursday and Friday. Anyone have a crystal ball I can borrow?
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I spent about 2 hours total on the phone with our IT office today because my laptop hates me. It takes 5-10 minutes just to get a Word or Excel document to open…if I can get it to open at all. I would get so much more done in a day if my computer would just keep up with me.
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I have watched “Mr. Magorium’s Magic Emporium” 3 times in the past 3 days. I love it (and obviously my kids do too). I hope to write more about it once life calms down a bit.
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We moved furniture into the law office this weekend. There is actually a waiting room now!
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Ed sent out his first round of letters today to people who have received traffic tickets. I hope this generates some business!
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There are 3 more work days before our Spring Break…thank you, God! Being home by myself with both girls for a week should make for some interesting blogs next week!
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and Jennifer…I STILL want chocolate!!!
A Cat Diary
I received this in an email and it made me laugh so hard I had to share. I have made slight modifications to fit Buster. We don’t actually have a bird, but it was funny so I kept it in.
CAT DIARY
Day 93 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again tear at the fancy couch pillows when no one is looking.
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.
However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The small captors with the high-pitched squeals try to torture me by squeezing me and attempting to stuff me into doll furniture. I will not let them break me. The dogs receive special privileges. They are regularly released – and seem to be more than willing to return. They are obviously mentally challenged. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe
For now…
Houdini the Cat
If we knew then what we know now, we surely would have named Buster “Houdini” instead. Buster is still a kitten and does not know yet that he can’t just jump up on or scratch away at anything he wants. For that reason, he is limited to the girls’ bathroom and the playroom while we are out of the house. There is a couch in the playroom that he can lounge on the back of while watching the comings and goings on our street. He has food, water, toys, a scratchy thingy (articulate, I know), and his kitty litter box. But is he satisfied? Oh no! He is not happy unless he has the run of the whole house. We will close all the doors before we leave and test the locks and yet, we still come home and find him out and about. Yesterday while checking the mail, I could see his little head peeking out from between the curtains as he lounged on the back of the “good” couch. Today I came home and found him lying next to the dogs’ kennel. I’m sure they just love it when they are locked in their kennel and he is prancing around outside the kennel.
An aside here for anyone who thinks we are terrible for having our dogs in a kennel while we are gone for the day. When we are home, all they do is drape themselves over the furniture and sleep. They can do that just as easily in a kennel. They have a large kennel to share and they like to snuggle together. We have tried letting them be out in a room or two and they will find SOMETHING to destroy. They only do this if we are not home.
Anyway, Buster is just remarkable at opening latched doors. Granted, our house is 88 years old this year so the mechanisms are not the best, but still…I am a little in awe of him. We close our bedroom doors at night and almost every night we will hear a squeak alerting us to the fact that Buster has opened the door and is off wandering the house. I love to watch him on his back working his paws under the door to get it open. He will also do it when he is trying to get to us. If you try to close the door on the bathroom, it won’t be long before you see his little white paws come under the door.
Buster can also hear you getting the milk jug out of the fridge. If you so much as TOUCH the milk jug, he comes flying into the kitchen in the hopes that you will either give him a taste or leave your glass unattended so that he can sneak a taste.
We’re still learning about living with a cat!
