Forever Foster

The Hots

2012-01-28T02:27:00.002+11:00

Hi peeps! This is what we've been doing a lot of today. Mum has been putting ice water in our fountain, and we love it! It was so sunshiney yesterday that we thought the little white light kitten might burst into flames! Can you see in this picture how Lishy likes to drink out of the base of the fountain? He often gets too close to the fountain and gets water on his head. It makes him run away yelling. It's pretty funny.

The tabbyman has been doing lots of lying around airing out his belly furs. His furs are just about completely grown back now from his surgery last October. You have to look really closely to see where he was shaved.

Fui had his first check up today with our new v-e-t. The v-e-t kept calling him darling and saying he was gorgeous, so Fui was pretty happy with him. He also got a really good report, and we are now starting to wean him off the steroids. Hopefully we can get him right off them in the next month. The weatherman is now saying the temperature will be 42 degrees tomorrow, but after that it will only (mol) be in the high 30s, so we're a bit happy about that.

Have a happy weekend :)

Snuggles

2012-01-26T01:46:00.002+11:00

Hi kitties, We've been very snuggly cuddly since we got to our new house.

Between us, we've even managed to get the kittenboy clean after his adventure on newsprint.

There is a big old heatwave forecast for us for the next week. It's supposed to be above 40degrees (104 Farenheit) every day next week. We'll be sitting under the air conditioner!

Finally Friday Again

2012-01-20T23:52:00.002+11:00

Hi Everycat! You would not BELIVE what I had to put up with today. I had to go in a van. Then I had to go in a plane. Then I had to go in another van. And the whole time, I YELLED! Then I got to my new house. And I kept YELLING! Suey yelled a bit early on, but by the time she got to my new house her voice was hoarse. MOL.

We're a bit confused about what's going on, but we're glad to see my mum and dad. All three of us have been extra lovey. We've all eaten, and 2/3 have used the litter tray (when Fui goes, you might hear me yell BINGO)! We've got lots of new windows to look out of, and two flights of stairs to play on. We also have a cat highway on our garden wall, and have already seen a cat going for a wander along it. Mum says she has seen two others. I said pictures or it didn't happen. I'm like that.

I have to tell you the most outrageous part though. In the bottom of my transport crate, someone put some newspaper. For my white furs to sit on. Kitties, my undercarriage is now grey! My elbows are dark grey! My little pink jellybean toes are black!!!!! It's going to take Fui hours to get me clean again.

I better let him get to it! Thank you for the lovely purrs to help us travel safe :)

Love Lishy.

Finally Friday

2012-01-20T03:30:00.003+11:00

It's the FF Mum here. It's Finally Friday, and we are very excited. In a few hours time, Fui, Suey and Lishy will be picked up by their transporters ready to put them on the plane to Perth. It's been a long couple of weeks without them around, and after a wee delay in getting access to our new house, it's finally time for them to arrive.

If you could spare a purr for them on the flight we'd appreciate it. This will be Fui and Suey's third interstate flight and Lishy's second, so while it's not a totally new experience for them Forever Dad and I are still a bit nervous about it all. We can't wait to see our Kittenheads.

Out Of Office

2012-01-03T20:27:00.006+11:00

Hi kitties!We are now safely settled in our vacation cattery. But then I remembered something, and had to text my mum to remind her to put up my Marty post!Marty Mouse was my very first toy that my mum and dad got for me when I was a teensy babycat.When my mum and dad are moving house I send Marty to keep an eye on them and make sure everything is ok. And as my friends Cory and family commented yesterday, he also gets to visit lots of big things on his travels. On this trip, he will be travelling 3615km (2246 miles). The driving time is approximately 37.5 hours, but the trip will be divided over 8 days so that they can see things. On one day they will be going to Monarto Zoo and on another they will be visiting the pandas in Adelaide. They are also going to see where the Skylab crashed in July 1971.
I have told Marty that he is allowed to use my Twitter page to record some of the things that he sees. When he has finished this leg of the journey, he will have accompanied my mum and dad from Townsville to Perth. That trip is 6920km (4300 miles), and is about 76 hours of driving time all together! I'm glad I get to rest up and then go on a quick flight. I'll be ready to wrassle with Marty again soon!

Our Trip

2012-01-02T23:28:00.002+11:00

Hi everybuddy, We haven't been around much as we are getting ready to move! We are moving to the other side of the country, to a city called Perth. Us three get to fly across, but mum and dad are going to drive! It is going to take them eight days!

We wont be blogging over this time, so we wanted to leave you with some cute pictures of us with the Christmas ornament our awesome uncle Andy made for us. We love it a lot. Thanks uncle Andy! See you in a couple of weeks :)

We are lucky

2011-12-27T22:02:00.001+11:00

We got something special for Christmas.Our G-ma made us this cosy comfy Christmas quilt! Thank you G-ma! We love it!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:06:00.000+11:00

From our family to yours, have a most wonderful day :)

Fab Friday

2011-12-16T23:55:00.002+11:00

I've had a week of good poop. Hopefully we've finally found the right combination of meds and food to get me on the mend. Yay :)

What's This Wednesday

2011-12-14T22:24:00.003+11:00

It's Suey here again. This time, I'm the one doing the watching. Lishy is an excellent fly hunter. Here he is showing off some of his skills.

If you look very closely, you can see he has a fly pinned under his right paw! He's pretty clever, that floofy little nutbar. If only he'd clean up after himself instead of leaving little upside down flies in his wake.

Seriously!

2011-12-12T22:33:00.004+11:00

The other day I was minding my own business playing in my garden with my dad and my brothers.
When I looked over at the window, I saw my mum spying on me! I ran over to tell her off, and to tell her to respect my privacy, and do you know what she did?

She laughed at me! And then the bird on the roof laughed at me too!

I kept trying to tell her that she is supposed to listen to me and take what I say seriously, but she kept on giggling. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I put up with these shenanigans. Seriously!

Wordless Wednesday - Aeroplane Edition

2011-12-07T16:32:00.001+11:00

Spying

2011-12-06T16:46:00.002+11:00

I have a special secret spot up on top of the wardrobe in the spare bedroom. From there I can watch the birds running around on the grass outside, and flitting about between the bushes.

I have a cosy blanket up here too, and my Princess tent for if I want a bit of peace and quiet. It's the perfect spot to while away the hours.

My New Box

2011-12-01T21:53:00.001+11:00

My friend Greta sent me a fabulous new box!I love it very much. Lishy keeps trying to rub his little floofy face all over it and mark it as his, but I wont have it. It's mine!!! Thanks Greta!!

My Update

2011-11-28T21:12:00.002+11:00

Hi everyone. As you might remember, my guts are having issues at the moment. I have had persistant diarrhea on and off since I first became unwell. Nothing we've been trying is fixing it up.
My v-e-t gave mum a very fun task over the last 10 days. She had to keep collecting my poop! The samples all got lots of tests run on them, and that resulted in exactly NO clues as to what is going on. Well, I suppose there was kind of a clue. We know there are no parasites or bad bacteria or anything like that involved. Today we are starting a course of anti-inflammatory tablets, as my v-e-t believes I may be experiencing a kind of immune response that first caused my vomitting and the haemmoraging and inflammation in my tummy and is now causing trouble in my bowel.
If you could spare a purr, I would really appreciate your help in trying to make this treatment work. We are moving in January and I have to go to the cat hotel in 5 weeks. We are really starting to feel the time crunch, and mum doesn't want to leave me when I'm not well.

The good news is that I have continued to not vomit, and after losing weight over the last month I have since gained a little bit back at my last weigh in. I have another check up on Friday, so fingers crossed my reports keep getting better.

My Eyeballs

2011-11-25T22:55:00.002+11:00

Hey everybuddy! Today I wanted to show you my eyeballs. They don't have much colour in them, they kind of look tie-dyed. I have a small amount of colour close in next to the pupil, and it fades as it gets closer to the outside of my eye. The rims of my eyeballs are white, while Fui and Suey's eyeballs stay the same colour from the pupil to the rim.

Sometimes it gives the impression of me being cross eyed, especially if I'm looking down at someone from my cat tree or up at them from the floor.

Have a happy weekend :)

Thanks Dad!

2011-11-22T21:21:00.002+11:00

It was mum and dad's 1st anniversary on the weekend.To celebrate, Dad got us some roses. Thanks Dad!

Friday Freak Out

2011-11-18T22:35:00.002+11:00

There was a great big old thunderstorm this afternoon. It was banging, it was crashing, it was flashing.

None of us were wearing our happy faces. We're hoping there wont be a repeat!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T21:17:00.000+11:00

Kittenman Monday

2011-11-14T13:22:00.002+11:00

Oh hi! How're you today? I am great. Because guess what. We have birds living in our guttering! They chitter and they chatter and they drive me absolutely loopy.

It's kind of the best entertainment ever.

Back!

2011-11-12T17:30:00.003+11:00

Hi everyone! We're back! We were quiet this last week because my G-Ma and G-Dad flew over from PoppyQ-town to visit me.
I got a pretty good report from my post-surgical check up. I had a bit of swelling around my incision, but that is going down and I have healed really well.

We got some more detail about the biopsy results. We initially thought it was completely normal, but they did find inflammation in the samples. The good news is that the v-e-t said it wasn't major inflammation, and there was nothing else nasty in there. My v-e-t has put me onto another type of food to see if that helps with my back end. It's been a bit all over the place back there, sometimes perfect and sometimes not perfect at all. Have a happy weekend :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T23:03:00.001+11:00

Results

2011-11-01T17:00:00.002+11:00

Hi everybuddy,
We got my results back today, and while a bit confusing, they are fantastic. The pathologist said the samples were normal. There were no signs of cancer, and no inflammation. My vet is quite surprised, it is not what she was expecting. You might remember that when I had endoscopic biopsies they showed inflammation and areas of haemmoraging in my tummy. That's not there now. Our next move is to cut out the antibiotics I have been on and see how I progress in the lead up to my 10 day check up.

We're all very happy and very thankful for the results. My normal vet and my specialist vet have both seen cats who presented in exactly the same way with the same symptoms as I had who were diagnosed with lymphoma, which is why they were urging me and my mum to be as thorough as we could be. It was what we have been scared of this whole time. Now we know that is not going to be my diagnosis. It does mean we are not certain why I started vomitting blood, but we know we have gotten it under control, and that is amazing. It looks like the combination of the antibiotics and the antacids did their job. I'm now eating about 2/3rds of what I was prior to the surgery, and have kept it all down except for waking mum up this morning with a vomit.

Thanks for your kindness in recent weeks. I am a lucky mancat :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:02:00.002+11:00

We've had a lot of doorknocking bell ringers yelling "TRICK OR TREAT!!!!!!!". I have been hiding. We did have one little boy come knocking who made mum's heart melt a bit. He was about three years old, with his siblings, and he was dressed as a mummy. He was wrapped head to toe in toilet paper. Scented toilet paper. It was beyond adorable. Well, my mum said so anyway.

There has been a delay on Fui's pathology results. Hopefully we'll know tomorrow.

NOM

2011-10-29T18:47:00.002+11:00

Thanks for all the nom vibes everybuddy. They appear to be doing the trick.I'm not eating a lot, but I am eating enough to keep me out of being re-admitted. Because of the surgery and my vet wanting me to stay on a hypoallergenic diet the most likely option if I didn't eat was a feeding tube. Avoiding that is awesomesauce.I've been a super snugglebug since I got home, and spend most of my time snoozing. I'm glad I didn't have to serve out my time in the post-surgical area. Mum picked up some dvds and enough food to last several days on the way to get me so we've been camping out on the couch together. I have chewed off my dressing, but since getting rid of that I've left the incision alone. Mum thinks I'm being good and brave, but really I just think I would look silly in an Elizabethan collar and want to avoid it. It's all about my street cred, really.

Have a happy snuggly weekend everybuddy :)

Home

2011-10-27T20:39:00.002+11:00

Hey dudes. I have now had my surgery done. I haven't eaten since the surgery, so not for 48 hours now, and the vet let me come home early incase being back in my usual environment got me eating again. If I don't eat by lunchtime tommorow I have to go and be re-admitted, so if you could send some nomming vibes I would really appreciate it.

My brother and sister are very happy to have me home. Mum told me that while I was gone they were both wandering around the house calling out for me. Suey has been giving me huge smooches, and Lishy thinks I'm the most interesting thing he's ever smelled.

I have a big dressing on my tummy over the incision. The good news is that they didn't see anything obviously scary during the surgery. Now we're just waiting on the pathology results which should be in on Monday.

I want to say a very big thank you for all the lovely comments and the purrs left for me and my mum. It was so kind, and so comforting. You are all wonderful.

Love Fui xoxoxo

Hooray!

2011-10-24T11:59:00.002+11:00

Hi everybuddy! We did it! The All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup final! I am a very happy mancat today. It was an exciting, clawr biting game that had me on the edge of my blanket right until the final whistle.It was great to watch captain Richie raise the Webb Ellis Cup after a 24 year drought. After all that New Zealand has been through in the last year, it made my heart warm to think how happy all the people will be. There is a perfectly timed public holiday today, Labour Day, which I think a lot of sore heads will be thankful for! ;)
Photo taken by Paul Estcourt, from the NZ Herald.

After the presentation, some of the players even made confetti angels! This is Corey Jane and Israel Dagg.Photo taken by Richard Robinson, from the NZ Herald.

As for me, I have news about my latest vet visit. My vets and my mum are not happy with my response to the antibiotic trial and believe the time has come to take more action. I am scheduled to go in for surgery on Wednesday and have full thickness biopsies taken from my stomach and intestines. My mum is just about beside herself with worry, so I am doing my best to be a brave strong mancat and tell her that I will be just fine. I have been going to one of the best teaching hospitals in Australia, so at least we know they get a lot of practice and my risk of complication should be lower. I have to stay there for 2-3 days so that the vets can keep a close eye on me. I am being brave and know I will come home safely, but if you have any spare purrs I would really appreciate some. See you when I get home!

Love Fui.

Welcome!

2011-10-23T15:00:00.004+11:00

Welcome everybuddy to my Rugby World Cup party! I'm so happy that you could make it. We've got our super cosy kitty blankets on the couches for your comfort (including my favourite super special Ginger blanket, which you can just see a little bit of in this picture). There are some good vantage points on the cat tree. Just tell Lishy to move over if he is in the way or trying to swish you in the face with his tail. Sparkle had a great game suggestion in tub hockey. If you feel like a game just head into the bathroom. I spent the morning in the kitchen making all the noms I could think of, make sure to fill your tummies as much as you can or I will get very chubby eating leftovers.

If you're not keen on the game, you can head in to the spare bedroom and hang out on the wardrobe with Suey. She isn't interested either.

Now, it's time to cheer! Go the All Blacks!!!!

I'm Having a Party!

2011-10-21T23:42:00.002+11:00

Hi kitties! On Sunday I am having a party to watch my team the All Blacks play the French in the Rugby World Cup Final. See, I might have been born in Australia but my mum says when it comes to the rugby your team is determined by who your mum cheers for. And my furs are the right colours! Everybody is invited! I figure as long as the treats and nipbeer is hypoallergenic I can have as much as I want, right?

My mum will be distracted by the game, so we don't even have to worry about the mess we make. I hope you can make it :)

Anatomy of a Yawn

2011-10-20T22:07:00.002+11:00

... and shake it out.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T22:16:00.003+11:00

Today

2011-10-18T20:46:00.003+11:00

Parker Pie, my brothers and I are sending you many many smooches from across the sea. We love you pretty lady. We're also sending your 'rents and your siblings great big snuggles. We'll be thinking of you and your lovely family in the days and weeks to come.

Much love xoxoxoxo

Found Out on Friday

2011-10-15T00:20:00.002+11:00

Hi kitties! It's Lishy here. Last week mum and dad went to Phillip Island to see the Fairy Penguins. Mum told me they were very adorable racing up the beach. While they were there, they saw eleventy billion gulls nesting on one of the headlands.

Some of the gulls had little babies with them, like this one.

I've never seen a baby gull before, and I never would have guessed they were so crazy adorable! There are no baby gulls for me to look at in my garden, so I just have to pretend. Have a fun weekend :)

Thursday in the Garden with Saussy

2011-10-13T21:42:00.002+11:00

I call this pose Baked Tortellini. My furs get all toasty delicious and I radiate warmth. It's pretty awesome.

Mancat Monday

2011-10-10T18:09:00.003+11:00

This bit of grassy weed stuff has a smell. I don't know if I like it.

We were asked in the comments why we have word verification and comment moderation turned on. We did turn word verification off for a little while but got a lot of spam and decided to turn it back on. We have moderation turned on for posts more than 4 days old as

sometimes people comment on our older posts. The moderation means that they are sent to our email and we don't miss them. We love our visitors and when people take the time to interact with us we want to make sure we see it.

Thoughtful Thursday

2011-10-07T00:23:00.000+11:00

Today I am thinking... I shoulda been a supermodel.

Maybe it's not too late?

Mancat Monday

2011-10-03T23:40:00.002+11:00

Hi everybuddy!
I thought it was about time I gave an update on how my vet visits have been going. My latest biopsy results were not 100% conclusive and left us with a result of more likely Irritable Bowel Syndrome and less likely lymphoma. The only way we have left to get a real 100% conclusive result that will absolutely rule out lymphoma or absolutely diagnose it is to do a full thickness biopsy, which means they have to do a laparotomy. They would then need to take samples of the full thickness of my stomach and intestines, with the focus on the areas that are swollen or show signs of haemmorage. This is a really major surgery and there are lots of potential complications associated with it. It's something we're desperate to avoid if possible, and my vets agree with us.

We've decided to treat on suspicion of IBS for the time being, with antibiotics and antacids. The first antibiotic trial I was on had to be stopped as I stopped eating, but after a weeks break to make sure my appetite came back I started on a second antibiotic which has been more agreeable. My appetite has dropped a bit, but my weight is fairly stable. At the moment we are not treating with steroids as would normally done as it would mask the presence of lymphoma if we do need to do further testing and that is the root of the problem.

I'm still a happy bouncy boy, and my vet thinks I'm the bees knees. I'm halfway through the antibiotic trial and haven't vomitted since it started which is a big plus. If things are looking good in another weeks time, the trial will continue for another two weeks after that.

If it is IBS, we don't know what set it off. That will be something we have to look at in the future. I am still on my hypoallergenic food, but am hoping that wont be a forever thing.

And that is what's been happening with my insides. It's a lot of words for no answers, isn't it :)

Tortie Tuesday

2011-09-27T21:26:00.002+10:00

Hi kitties! My mum has been a very hopeless assisstant to me lately. She's got elevety billion excuses, but I'm not accepting any of them! My dad has been giving me lots of back of the head smooches to try and keep me calm, but I really am a bit annoyed.

So pick up your act, lady! I won't be so forgiving next time.

Regards, Suey Sunshine-Sausage.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T21:52:00.003+10:00

Not all in focus. I move too fast for focus!

Mancat Monday

2011-09-19T22:05:00.003+10:00

In honour of my girlfriend turned brother-from-another-mother Ginger, here is a picture of me in a skirt. Peace out, dudes.

It's My Gotcha Birthday Versary!!!!!!

2011-09-14T17:19:00.008+10:00

Two years ago, this was me. I came to my mum as a foster kitten with my two littermates after we were found abandoned in bushes. Back then, I was known as Ron, my sister was Hermione and my brother was Harry.I'm on the left in this picture, Hermione is in the middle and Harry is on the right. I was the last to be found, about 18 hours after Harry was, and was the smallest kitten.Even as a wee baby, I set myself apart from my littermates and tried to get close to Fui and Suey. I knew already that I wouldn't be leaving ;)I was a bit of a nuisance kitten, too. Harry and Hermione were eager feeders, but I used to fight the bottle and refuse to suckle a lot. This is one of the rare pictures of me cooperating! My paw placement makes my mum's heart melt.When it eventually came time to wean I became more enthusiastic about my food and would dive right into the bowl. No more force feeding for this kitten boy!!I had a few health problems when I was a bubba, and didn't put weight on very well. This is me when I was eight weeks old, on my first ever visit to the garden.It started becoming clear to my mum that I wasn't destined to leave. Fui and Suey accepted me quickly, and let me join them for noms. This is one of the last pictures of me with my littermates, shortly before Hermione went to her new home.I'm on the left, Harry's in the middle and Hermione is on the right.This is my first ever collar. The gorgeous Alison at Preta Pawte on Etsy made me a very special couture collar, because my pencil neck was too teeny for a normal kitten collar. It was around this stage that my name started to evolve. My mum and dad had started calling me Ronny Licious, because my punk rock ear floof made them think I should be a punk rocker!That later evolved into Lishy, and the name stuck. It's even on my nametag now! I don't remember the last time I was called Ron or Ronny. This picture is of me on the top level with my litter brother Harry and my forever brother Fui. When I was 8 weeks old my tummy started to bloat right out and I lost a lot of weight. My vets told my mum that they did not think I would thrive, and they should expect that my life would not be longer than 6 months. They even suggested euthanasia, but mum and dad said no, they would wait for me to tell them.I kept my mouth firmly shut on that matter, and this is me now, 2 years old and passing my health checks with flying colours. My tummy is a normal size, my floof went poof, and I do everything that a healthy kitten boy should. I'm on the smaller side and have to work hard to keep my weight up, but that is the only reminder of the grim prognosis the vets gave. I am a very happy boy these days. I love my sister and brother. I snuggle with them and play all sorts of games with them. Every night I snuggle with mum and dad, tucked in behind mum's knees. And I have a whole blogosphere of fantastic friends who sent me so much love and so many purrs when I needed them. And here I am now, proof that it all worked :)

Now lets party!!!!

Mancat Monday

2011-09-12T21:06:00.002+10:00

Hi dudes. How was your weekend? I spent a lot of time snuggling and cuddling. Getting skritches from my dad (nice uggs, dad).

Getting skritches from my mum. Getting Suey and Lishy to tongue skritch my by sticking my head in their faces. I loved all the skritches I was getting.

My lovely specialist vet Nathalee called my mum this morning to give us the results from my biopsy. They confirmed that I am definately having small haemmorages in my stomach, and have white blood cells in my small intestines. They couldn't really be more conclusive than that, which makes Nat think that the infiltrative process (I think that's what she called it) was in the deeper layers. Nat and the vets she has consulted with believe I most likely have irritable bowel disease, but there is still the possibility that I have early stage lymphoma. The only way to diagnose for sure is a full thickness biopsy, which means a laparotomy and a lot of extra risks.

For now, my vet team has recommended that I begin on an antibiotic trial with a view to treating irritable bowel disease. They believe that if it is indeed the problem, it is not caused by my noms as my stomach was ulcerated and haemmoraging after 2 weeks on the hypoallergenic food trial. Apparently, it is more likely to be my body launching an immune response to my gut flora. But I have to continue on my hypoallergenic food anyway. They've said that if during the two or four week trial period I show more symptoms that make them believe a full thickness biopsy is necessary, the elapsed time between now and then wont have much impact on my prognosis.

While on my antibiotic trial I will continue taking my antacids as well to help my tummy heal. I am initially on it for two weeks. I will have a check up at the end of that two weeks, and if I haven't vomitted will continue for another two weeks. If I vomit again, it's back to the drawing board. Mum is feeling pretty overwhelmed by it all and is very scared that she is making the wrong choices in my treatment. It would be very helpful if us cats could speak human!!

Fatgirl Friday

2011-09-09T21:17:00.002+10:00

Hi! It's Lishy here, reporting live from Fui's carrier to dish the dirt on my sister Suey Sunshine-Sausage. She went to the v-e-t yesterday for a chiropractic appointment. She has these appointments regularly because our vet believes an old injury to her pelvis that we hadn't been aware of was the cause of her chronic cystitis. Since she started having the treatments, her condition has improved 10 000%. But anyway, onto the good stuff.

Mum and dad had talked the other night about how they thought Suey was getting a bit chubby. You'll never guess how chubby though! At her last appointment 12 weeks ago, she weighed 4.5kg, which the vet said was her ideal weight. When she hopped on the scales yesterday, they read 5.2kg. She had put on 700 grams in 12 weeks!! She weighed 115% of what she did last time!!! And now she is on a diet, which she is not happy about. Mum got the dangers of being fat lecture, and felt mortified the whole time.

Meanwhile, I'm still getting extra feeds to bulk up my skinny mini frame. Hahahaha!!!

Finally Home

2011-09-08T21:00:00.005+10:00

Hey everybuddy! I'm back home in my own bed after a very annoying 24 hours. When I went in for my check up the v-e-t was a bit concerned that my symptoms are still ongoing, and decided it would be best to do an endoscopy (a camera that goes in my mouth and down into my tummy). I even had to stay overnight!!!

I pretended to put my paws up and surrender to their demands...but when they weren't looking, I was blowing lots of raspberries. This tabby has cheek, everybuddy! During my endoscopy they found inflammation in the area of my stomach just before it joins the small intestine and in the initial parts of my small intestine. There were also red pinpoint lesions that they think are small areas of haemmorage. The v-e-t-s were able to take several biopsies. We will have the histopathology by early next week. I had a vitamin B injection and have medicine that will stop any further ulceration in my tummy and help it heal.Since being home I've been giving out eleventy billion smooches to anyone looking even a little bit smoochable. I'm happy to be home. Suey did well at her chiropractic appointment this afternoon, which she went to for some preventative care. There was one very funny development though. Lishy is in hysterics over it, and begged me to let him tell you, so make sure you come back tomorrow! :)

Missing Monday

2011-09-05T20:55:00.002+10:00

We had to send TimTam to another foster home on the weekend. About two days before Fui started showing symptoms, her attitude towards him changed. They had never been great friends, but she started growling, hissing, and stalking him. She wasn't a happy girl, and Fui was not a happy boy. The vets have told us that it is important to try and keep Fui's stress levels low, and it just wasn't working. She has gone to a great new foster home where she is starting to come out of her shell and show her new foster mum her gorgeous nature.Lishy is missing his girlfriend, and has spent a lot of time looking for her and yelling.

Fui is back off to the specialist hospital on Wednesday for another review and Suey has a chiropractic appointment on Thursday. Lishy has been teasing them about not having to go to the v-e-t himself. He's a cheeky one, that boy.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T21:19:00.002+10:00

Monday Munchies

2011-08-29T20:41:00.002+10:00

Hi kitties! It's Lishy here. You might remember our feeding tower that we love love loved. Here are some pictures of us chomping on our dental crunchies before Fui had his furs stolen and started his special food trial. We had a great time hunting our foods out of the tower. We whack each other on the heads when we're eating out of three seperate bowls, but are always very co-operative with the tower.

Suey and I like to stand on our tippy toes and stick our heads in the hole. I swish foods out the sides into the bowl, while Suey eats it straight out of the tower. Fui prefers to swish food out the sides on to the floor. The tower is away in the cupboard at the moment, and we are stuck with boring bowls. Suey and I get locked away to eat in the spare room while Fui is locked away with his special food in the study. Hopefully it gets to come out again soon.

Don't Laugh at Me

2011-08-25T21:31:00.002+10:00

So, my mummy told me I would look handsome even if I was completely bald, so I decided to be brave and show you my haircut.

It's a little bit dramatic but is also a bit interesting because the tabby patterns on my skin are visible.

It's hard to see in these pictures, but my mum and dad and me have also had a good look at my man-nipples and the 'waterline' in my ticked furs where they change from black to white. When I clean my bald bits, it sounds very scratchy. I was a bit freaked out having them touched at first, but don't mind now. I got to keep the cool black stripe down my back though, which keeps me a bit toasty. I have some peach fuzz on my neck now where the fur is starting to grow back. Luckily we only have a week of winter left in Melbourne, so I won't get too chilly.

Please don't laugh at me!

-Fui

Wordy Wednesday

2011-08-24T21:10:00.002+10:00

Hey everybuddy,
I'm back from my day at the v-e-t with the worst haircut EVAR. They shaved off all my belly furs, and up my sides too, and also both of my forearms!!! And I already had my neck shaved!!! I look a bit ridiculous, to be honest. I'm still working up the courage to let my mum post a photo of what I look like now. She said it's educational, but I'm not sure.While I was at the vet I had a new blood work-up done, x-rays and an ultrasound. Nothing showed up on the ultrasound or x-rays to tell us why I have been vomiting bloody stuff up. My blood results also looked good, with no sign of anaemia, which is good news. The vet had a few possibilities to talk to my mum and dad about. There is the chance I had an ulcer in my tummy, and when I was put on strong antacid medicine with my antibiotics it had a chance to heal quickly. She also thinks it's possible I have developed a dietary intolerance, so last night I started a two week trial of hypoallergenic food. The last possibility she raised was small cell lymphoma which we are trying not to think about. The trouble with small cell lymphoma is that it is difficult to diagnose, and even if it is the cause of the problem it wont necessarily show up on an endoscopy. Our vet said a two week wait would not affect the prognosis if that is the problem, which is why she recommended we try the food trial first.

Hopefully we'll have some proper answers soon!

Mancat Monday

2011-08-22T20:31:00.002+10:00

Hey everybuddy,
We had a nice sunny weekend here, so we got to spend some time out in our garden. We all love to go out there, and chomp on the grass.

Fui is off to the referral hospital tommorow. Our vet encouraged us to go as we can get a second opinion, and they also have the high tech equipment that allows for advanced diagnostics if the specialist vet believes it is required. The good and bad news is that he hasn't vomitted in a week, and he has been quite bright over the weekend. It's good because he has been brighter and not vomitted. It's bad because he hasn't vomitted so we can't see if the gastric bleeding is continuing. His last blood results were a bit anaemic, which suggests it might be ongoing. He has done some nuclear poops though! Even Suey the Serial Bum Sniffer steered clear of him!

We are actually quite looking forward to the specialist appointment. One way or another we should get some answers which is what we've been wanting. We're just hoping she is going to say that in her opinion it was some kind of irritation in his tummy from something he ate that is now healed up.

Whicky asked whether Fui had any x-rays taken. He did have one done the day after his first bloody vomit. It showed (and we use this word very carefully but it's the word our vet used) a mass that our vet believed was a hairball, and some gas. She couldn't see any foreign objects.

Now, it's time to nom some more grass!

Fui Friday

2011-08-19T22:30:00.002+10:00

Hey dudes,

So, we still don't have a whole lot of answers. We thought it was looking like I had pancreatitis, but the latest tests were leading away from that. We're waiting on one more round of results and then our vet will probably refer us off to the university. I also had a test come back saying I was FIV+. I tested negative as a kitten and had an FIV vaccination, so we're hoping it is the leftover antibodies from the vaccine. When our vet was speaking to the lab they were a bit concerned that I tested positive years after the vaccine, so this weekend they are doing further testing to try and determine whether it was the antibodies or the virus dna that the test picked up. We do think it's very unlikely that I am actually FIV+. I have never been in a fight or received a fight injury, so the only way I could have been infected is from my catmum. For me to be positive now would have to mean that both me and Suey had false negatives on our test, which is unlikely according to what we've read. But we're still feeling the stress a little bit.

Our lovely friend Miss Huffle Mawson is celebrating her 1000th post, and is holding a commentathon. She is donating 25 cents to the RSPCA Vic for each comment, and is hoping to reach 1000 comments. Please go and visit her, and leave a comment. She is one of our very favourite ladycats, and if you haven't met her already we know you will like her a lot.
http://hufflemawson.blogspot.com/

Have a great weekend :)
Fui.

Thoughtful Thursday

2011-08-18T18:32:00.002+10:00

Hi kitties!
Thank you for the happy blogoversary wishes that you left yesterday. Our 'distracted' mum forgot. It's been three years and one day since we started our blog. When we started, it was just me and the tabbyman, and we lived in Townsville with our foster sister Evie. It was in looking for information on other Devons like Evie that we came across Daisy's blog, and thought it could be a fun idea to keep a diary of our fosters.

Since then, we have moved to Sydney and now Melbourne, and found our new brother Lishy Lewis von Kittenpants. Of the 68 foster kitties we have had, 55 came to us while we've been running the blog. We've had 3 mums with litters (Stella, Dahlia and Galaxy), 1 adult on her own for behaviour rehab (Evie) and 10 newborns with their mum (Elijah, Ellie, Angus, Pablo, Daisy, Lily, Gus, Benny, Jonathan and Lewis) and 4 newborns that needed handdraising (Harry, Hermione, Freddie and Georgie). The rest ranged between 4 and 14 weeks on arrival. We have had 8 angel kittens who did not make it to their forever homes, but will always be in our hearts. Then there is Lishy, who while he came here as a foster is not counted in our numbers, as we know he was always meant to be one of us.

We love being part of such a lovely blogosphere, and have made so many wonderful friends. Here is to another three years and one day!
Love Suey.

My Update

2011-08-15T21:33:00.002+10:00

Hi everybuddy.
I spent a very happy weekend hopped up on some special pain killers. I thought I spent some time riding a unicorn, but I'm not sure if that actually happened.

We have also been able to rule some things out. My diabetes test was negative. My toxoplasmosis screen was also negative. I also got my results back from my Upper Respiratory Disease PCR swab, which showed I was negative for Chlamydophila felis, Calicivirus, Herpesvirus, Bordetella bronchisepta, Mycoplasma felis and H1N1 Influenza Virus (yep, they tested me for Swine Flu!).

We have definately ruled out my lungs as the source of the bloody fluid, as I did a bloody spew the other day with lots of grass in it (sorry if that was indelicate).

I am being a super awesome very good boy at taking my antibiotics and anti-acidic tablets. Today I went back to the vet for another check (after hiding under the bed- mum realised afterwards that she wears the same pair of old jeans whenever she goes to the vet, and I figured that out!). She stole some of my bloods to run another blood panel and see what my levels are like. Except she chose the Old Cat profile to run. I am only four and a half! Mum says it just means that they do a wider screening, but I was still unimpressed.

We still have a long list of things we're checking for, but we're getting closer to an answer.

I do want to have a little brag though, I was a super awesome very good boy for the vet when she was taking my bloods. Not a single little hiss of rowl or paw swat. My little brother could learn a thing or 2000 from me, that's for sure!

I think that is the most words I have ever written :)
Love Fui.

Floofy Friday

2011-08-12T22:41:00.002+10:00

Hi kitties! Check out my tail! Isn't it specTOCKular!? Hahaha. I had to get a worming tablet today as I might like to clean kittens a little too thoroughly. But don't worry, I gave mum some good wounds to nurse! She is feeling pretty lucky that the tabbyman is a good boy at taking tablets, because he has a few of them to take this weekend. He is still feeling a bit low and vomiting up some interesting things, and is quite tender in his tummy area. Today he started on a course of antibiotics and tablets that make his tummy less acidic. He also started on some pain killers, which have made him a bit of a space cadet. We're checking in with the vet again on Monday and if he hasn't had a big improvement she will look at referring us off to the big uni vet hospital. Thankfully he is still pretty happy in himself, and loves his cuddles. We're still waiting on two of his test results, but even without them our vet is confident that we can rule out any lung problems, which is AWESOME!!!

Have a happy weekend :)
-Lishy

Tabby Tuesday

2011-08-09T22:08:00.002+10:00

Hi everybuddy! We don't have much news on my tests yet as one of them has to go interstate and one overseas. But we do have one bit of good news. The heartworm test came back negative! We were very happy about that, as it was a very scary prognosis if that was the problem. I'm doing pretty well, I'm a bit quieter than usual and am not eating quite as much, but am otherwise acting pretty normally.

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments. I am such a lucky tabbyman to have so many great friends :)

Thank You

2011-08-06T18:31:00.002+10:00

Thank you so much to all my friends for the lovely messages you left on my mum's post. My mum and I are very thankful for all the positive energy and love that you sent out into the Universe.

I had a bit of a rough day yesterday. I had to stay at the vet all day and be anaesthatised for the tests. Because I'm a bit of a boofa, they had a bit of difficulty getting me under properly. They shaved all my neck furs off to do some blood tests, and I also had a deep throat swab and some x-rays. The x-rays didn't give much away, except for what looked like a hairball and some gas in my tummy.

After needing quite a lot of medicine to get me anaesthatised, I took quite a long time to wake up. I was only allowed home because mum has worked as a vet nurse in the past. It wasn't until the early hours of this morning that I really started to come out of it. Mum, dad and Suey were very happy when that happened. So was I, because it meant I was FINALLY allowed to have something to eat!!!

We will get my results back early this week, and then figure out where to go from there. Hopefully we will have answers soon.

In the meantime my mum has put a picture of my special friend Gingerkins up next to my bed so that I have sweet dreams (but in a very mancatly way).

Again, thank you so much for all your love and kindness. I am giving you all a great big cuddle in my imagination.

Love Fui.

A Favour to Ask

2011-08-04T21:18:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone. It's the mum here. I was hoping you could spare some purrs for Fuifui. He brought up some blood-stained liquid today. We've had him at the vet, and she was pretty convinced it came from his lungs, rather than his tummy. When she ran a dipstick test on the sample at the vet, it didn't have the characteristics expected from vomit- it was alkaline and didn't smell. He is booked in for a series of tests tomorrow. We don't yet know what those exact tests will be as the vet wants to discuss it with the lab first. The vet has told us to be ready for an x-ray and a deep swab of his throat, so anaesthesia is a likelihood. She was also quite keen to send him off for an endoscopy, which she can't do at her clinic. We're all pretty freaked out here, and are very much looking forward to this time next week when we should have some answers.

He's a special boy, my tabbyman. All he wanted to do was give the vet some loving when she was giving him a check over. He wont be happy in the morning when he finds out there is no breakfast for him, but at least we'll be on the way to getting some answers.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T21:07:00.001+10:00

Mates on Monday

2011-08-01T20:48:00.002+10:00

This is how we spent our weekend. And most of today. Lazy, us? Why would you say that? :)

Thursday in the Garden with Fui

2011-07-28T21:16:00.000+10:00

Those birds! They've been poopin' on my concrete!

I'll get you, birdies!!!

Swirly Sauscat

2011-07-25T22:11:00.000+10:00

Because playing is FUN!

TimTam Thursday

2011-07-21T21:31:00.003+10:00

Hi everybody! It's not Suey here, it's TimTam! We are similar looking, but I don't have the milk spill marking on my chin. You might remember that I came to my foster home with the hope of re-learning to use the litter tray. I had a bit of a rough start where I liked to pee in the bath, but guess what! In the last three weeks, I have maintained litterbox perfection! Every single time I have used one of my trays. My foster mum is very happy with me, and I am happy with myself! Long may it continue! :)

Yay Venus!

2011-07-18T21:12:00.002+10:00

Our pretty little poppet has flown the nest. She left for her new home on Saturday, and from emails from her new mum it sounds like she is settling in well.

We love you little miss! Have a fabulous life!

Try Again Tuesday

2011-07-12T22:22:00.001+10:00

When you saw me last time, I was chasing the Cat Catcher. This time, it wont get away from me!

Excuse me while I nom!

Magnificent Monday

2011-07-11T22:00:00.002+10:00

Guess who is moving into her new home on Saturday??!!?!? ME! VENUS! After a lot of months of waiting, it is my turn. My new mum came over to meet me this Saturday gone with her neice. She spent two hours in my foster home getting to know me. She was a nice lady who was happy to sit back and let me get brave and come out from under the couch in my own time. She even brought a toy mouse and a ball with her for me to play with! She is going to spend this week getting our home all ready for my arrival.

Happy days :)

Tho Clothe Thursday

2011-07-07T22:08:00.001+10:00

I'll get you next time, Cat Catcher!

Super Sunday

2011-07-03T21:49:00.002+10:00

Guess who got adopted today?

Pookie!!!! Bing!!!!

TOGETHER!!!!

WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!

Thursday in the Garden with Saussy

2011-06-30T20:56:00.002+10:00

Today I went outside to check on my garden. I didn't think Fui would have done much good last week, as he was too busy trying to entice Ginger over here.I was right. Our garden is a wreck. There is a bit of grass, but that's about it.So instead of flowers or something pretty like that, I'm just going to show you a picture of me being pretty. I think that's a fair deal! :)

Great News!

2011-06-28T21:14:00.002+10:00

Guess which little white and tabby tailed boy went to his new home on Saturday? If you guessed Orion, you guessed right! He now has two lovely parents and two gorgeous human sisters, aged 3 and 5. He is settling in well, and is already demanding cuddles from his parents.

We love you little man! Have a brilliant life!

Thursday in the Garden with Fui

2011-06-23T21:51:00.002+10:00

I've been spending more time in my garden lately. I look very tough in my manly harness, don't you think?There are lots of interesting smells outside, and I like to get my nose right up close and breathe them in real deep. I love to play out in the garden. It is lots of fun.

When my mum says it's time to come inside I blow raspberries at her. It doesn't change her mind, but it makes me feel better!

Miss Monday

2011-06-20T20:51:00.002+10:00

We have had a bit of a foster kitty switcheroo at our house. The gingie boys and Orion formed a bit of a boisterous boy gang, and started getting a bit much for a certain tortie. Meanwhile, there was another little tortie who needed a foster home where she could re-learn to use the litter tray.

So, without further ado, this is TimTam: She is all set up in our bathroom that gets the good sun. She is a very sweet little girl. And so far, she has used the litter box 100% of the time! She is 7 months old and was born in foster care. She started having trouble with the litter tray, and so we agreed to take her on and help her re-train.

Pookie and Bing have gone together to a seperate foster home where they have the run of the house without getting under the nose of a certain tortie. It's not ideal to move them around like that, but it's important to keep the equilibrium in our house. Orion's meet and greet did not work out unfortunately. We've got another one this weekend, so paws crossed again!

The Bother of Brothers

2011-06-16T21:51:00.002+10:00

My brother is no good. He punched me in the nose, and look at the scratch he left me with!It's healing up now, but I looked a bit like a boxer for a few days. I'm sharpening my tongue spikes. Revenge is a dish best served with a tongue in the ear!

Love Venus.

Gotcha!

2011-06-14T20:52:00.002+10:00

This time four years ago I moved into my Forever Home. I have my family totally under my spell. I'm loved from my little tortie toes

to my little tortie nose! Smooches to everyone! :)

Mancat Monday

2011-06-13T22:23:00.001+10:00

Kick... Kick...

Kick... Kick... Kickeroo!!!

Thoughts on Thursday

2011-06-09T21:53:00.002+10:00

Yesterday Saussy and I went to the vet. Saus had a chiropractic adjustment, which is really helping her with her bladder issues. She has been much better since she started her adjustments. I had a full check up, and I have some great news!

You might know that when I was a baby kitten I got quite sick, and the vet believed I would not live very long. They said I would not make it past 6 months, and suggested euthanasia. Me and my mum are pretty stubborn, and said it would be up to me to decide when it was my time.

It looks like that was a good choice, because at my check up yesterday the vet couldn't find a single thing wrong with me. She said my heart sounded healthy as a horse. I even got a bonus- I'm a little on the skinny side, so I am on vet-ordered extra treats for winter!

All those wonderful purrs from my fantastic friends have worked a miracle :)

ORION!

2011-06-07T21:16:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone! It's Orion here! I am going to tell you about my Tuesday Trick. I stand in front of my foster mum and I yell really loudly.

Then I LEAP up and hope she catches me for a cuddle. It's pretty adorable, just like me. My foster mum says she has to bend her knees before catching me though, because I'm a little bit barrel-like. A lady applied to adopt me today, so we are busy arranging a time for her to come and meet me. She is driving all the way across Melbourne to see me! So paws crossed that that works out.

I also want to pass on our thankyou to all our friendizzles who left such sweet comments for my foster dad. He had a fun birthday, even though he didn't let me share his cake.

Love ORION!!!!!!

Hey Forever Dad!

2011-06-01T21:47:00.002+10:00

Happy Birthday! Love Fizzle, Sizzle and Lishizzle.

Mean Mum Monday

2011-05-30T21:17:00.002+10:00

Our mum has been no good at helping us blog lately. She tells us she's busy. We tell her she's lazy. She tells us it's payback for having to clean a strategically flicked ball of poop off the wall. We tell her it's not our fault that Lishy is a weirdo.

She tells her this is a debate that could go on all night. We tell her we're up for it if she is.

Trouble on Tuesday

2011-05-24T23:02:00.002+10:00

Hey Orion, do you know where the gingie boys are? No Lishy, I think they went back to the kitten room.

Hang on, what's that down there?!

Hey gingie boys, we see you!! *Rats!*

Fui would like to say a super huge thankyou for all the lovely Gotcha Day messages :)

Happy Gotcha Day Fui!

2011-05-22T17:43:00.002+10:00

Happy Gotcha Day Tabbyman!

You were the cutest little stripey headed kitten I had ever seenWith the sweetest, goofiest, loveliest nature.You've changed our lives and we love you beyond measure! xoxoxoxoxo

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T17:00:00.001+10:00

Two Word Tuesday

2011-05-17T20:55:00.002+10:00

Pookie-Bear!I bet you never would have guessed that he is Bing's brother :P We have to get some colour coded collars to help us tell them apart while we get to know them! When they're sitting still together, you can see that Pookie has more ginger on his nose. When they're moving, all bets are off. Orion is having a great time with his new brothers. They are always racing about and wrestling each other silly!

Mini Mancat Monday

2011-05-16T22:11:00.002+10:00

This is who was behind the door! Meet Bing! After some time in isolation and then some slow introductions, I got to give him a good sniff over.

Little Venus is proving to be a girl of Suey's own heart, and in between sniffs is giving him some good hisses. He is very sweet. But he's not the only surprise ;)

HEY!

2011-05-12T20:12:00.000+10:00

MUM!WHAT THE HECK HAVE YOU GOT IN HERE?!?! SHOW ME WHAT YOU HAVE IN THIS ROOM!

Tortie Torbie Tuesday

2011-05-10T21:22:00.001+10:00

When you're just a little girl
And your mum's not living with you anymore

Having an Aunty Saus to snuggle and clean with is the best.
Smooches!

Mini Mancat Monday

2011-05-09T21:49:00.002+10:00

Orion is still with us. He is halfway to being a mancat now!
Doesn't he have lovely eyes?
He is a sweetheart, and has the most amazing purr. You might have heard it actually, it's so loud!

Have a happy week :)

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-05T21:46:00.002+10:00

Our second Melbourne adoption was our beautiful mamacat, Miss Galaxy, now known as Gypsy. We think that is such a great name for her, and really suits her. She now lives with a wonderful family, with FIVE children to do her bidding. Her new mum sent us an update a few days after Gypsy arrived in her new home to tell us just how quickly she had settled in. On the afternoon that her then potential family first came to meet her, Gypsy sat watching out the front screen door, as if she was waiting for them. As soon as they arrived she was all over them, purring and smooching. It really was a perfect match, she was so happy and relaxed with them. There were a few tears shed after Gypsy left. She is a very special girl, and we wish her the most amazing life.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T22:05:00.000+10:00

Tiny Tuesday

2011-05-03T20:44:00.002+10:00

Remember Luna, the little black and white kitten in our little kitty family?She became our first Melbourne adoption, and went to a great new home with a lovely young couple. Her name is Lola now, and she has settled in really well.

Have a super happy life, gorgeous girl :)

Mini Monday

2011-05-02T21:14:00.002+10:00

Hi everyone! It's Suey here. I have found my very own mini-Me. Her name is Venus, and I love her just a little bit.We spent the weekend being girly with mum, watching the Royal wedding and gushing over Kate's beautiful dress and all the wonderful pomp and pageantry. We let Fui join in with us, as he is kind of a girl too. Here we are getting some worship from my dad.

Smooches!

My Alternative Therapies

2011-04-29T16:50:00.002+10:00

BOO!Today I'm going to tell you a bit about my alternative treatments for my cystitis problem. First, a little bit of history. You might remember that I had my first case of cystitis in July 2009, shortly after my brother and I moved to Sydney. After a couple of occurences we thought we had it under control, but late last year it reared it's head up again. Since then, I've had it five times, which is no fun. Each time my urinalysis is clear, no infection, no crystals, no nothing. The vets I have seen always called it idiopathic, and said it was probably due to stress. It didn't sit well with mum as I have grown so much braver and more confident in the last two years, and I would often refuse to squat properly in the litter tray, but different vets kept saying the same thing. Two weeks ago I had another episode. I had the same treatment as usual and it looked to be clearing up. This last Tuesday night however I started straining again and the blood came back, so I was booked in for another consult. This time, I saw a vet who consults at our usual clinic one day a week. In addition to her usual vet qualifications, she is also a specialist in companion animal chiropractic and acupuncture treatments.

She did a quick examination of me, and then asked if I had been injured in my pelvic/tail area. Apparently I have a slight malformation where my tail meets my body. The vet was telling mum and dad about how the majority of cats she sees with bladder issues also have a pelvic issue, and that almost all of them benefit from chiropractic adjustments. She had a cat herself who blocked and had to be catheterised every single day for 6 weeks, then after just one adjustment he never blocked again!

We decided that she would do a full chiropractic adjustment on me, and kitties, I enjoyed it! I was very calm and relaxed, and had a very curious look on my face the whole time. Mum and dad were fascinated by both what the vet was doing and my reaction to it. It seemed to have an effect on me immediately. I was swishier and seemed more comfortable. That night, I squatted right down in the litter box! There is no placebo effect in cats as we don't know what a treatment is supposed to do, so it really must have made a difference. I am going to have another adjustment this week, and we will discuss how acupuncture could help. We're also looking at seeing a naturopath to see if colloidal silver could help me.

Mum and dad have been talking a lot about how I may have been injured, and are wondering if something happened either while I was at the boarder or during my flight to Sydney. It was shortly after that when I had my first case, so the timeline would fit. Mum does feel very guilty for not knowing, but is also hopeful now that we will be able to get the cystitis under control once and for all. This was a lot of words, but we found it very interesting and thought you might too :)

We're snuggling up together to watch the Royal wedding tonight. We're looking forward to seeing Kate's dress!

We're Baaaaack!

2011-04-28T21:56:00.002+10:00

Hi everybuddy!! Our computer issues have been sorted and we're re-entering the blogosphere. Lots has been going on since we were last able to post. I've been dealing with my cystitis problem again, and have started some cool alternative treatments. We've had two successful adoptions, and the remaining two kittens are doing brilliant work at getting more confident.

We've got so much to catch up on, and can't wait to see how everyone is going. Thankyou to the kitties who checked in on us while we were away :) It's good to be back!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!

2011-03-23T14:15:00.002+11:00

Happy Birthday to two of the brightest lights in the world, Fuifui Moimoi and Suey Sunshine-Sausage. They are the ones responsible for this whole fostering thing that we do, because they were foster kittens themselves. It started out as helping another kitten get to their Forever home, and four years later has become the purpose of my life.

They bring light and magic into every aspect of our home life. They have been so very kind to a growing number of kitties that have stayed with us, and have been marvellous teachers. They welcomed a little brother to our family who needed some extra loving, and they made sure he got it. Happy Birthday my darlings. You are loved beyond all comprehension.

xoxoxoxo

Saturday Socks

2011-03-19T14:40:00.000+11:00

I have taken a leaf out of my Gingerkins' sister Cory's book and developed a liking for socks.I haven't been heard to sing to them, but by golly do I chew them.The stinkier the better!
Well, not too stinky...

Friends on Friday

2011-03-18T14:25:00.003+11:00

Hey everybuddy. It's Suey here. I told the kittens they could use my living room to play in if they let me be their trackball coach. I like training kittens, and these two, Venus and Orion, needed all the help they could get. Even though I haven't trackball coached since November when Dahlia's babies were staying with us, I wasn't rusty at all. While I was putting them through their paces, their mum Galaxy stayed snuggled up watching from behind the blanket on the couch. I'm sure I should be getting fees from her for training her babies. The 'Saussy you were such a good girl not menacing the kittens' treats I get from my mum just don't cover the extra workload.I'll have to raise this issue at the next Suey's Trackball Training School meeting. A torties work is never done. I'm off to see if I can get these kittens doing some conditioning work. They're old enough for chin ups on the cat tree, right?

Thursday Treasure Hunt

2011-03-17T14:14:00.002+11:00

We've lost our kittenhead.We've looked everywhere! Lishy! Were are you, buddy?
Sssshhhhhh ;)

Wonderful Wednesday

2011-03-16T13:54:00.003+11:00

It's been quite a while since we featured our foster family on the blog. There is a reason for that. We had a couple of rounds of illness, and the kittens were making very little progress in terms of socialisation, so we were all feeling a bit disheartened.
Today, Luna makes her return to the blog with some great news. She has found her Forever Family! After lots of eye ointment, the expulsion of more worms than should be physically possible (of two kinds! You should have heard the shrieks coming from our house that night!) and many many hours of socialisation work, Luna was ready to meet a lovely couple who expressed interest in her. You can see in the photo below that her left eye is smaller than her right eye. That was the eye she had problems with, and we aren't sure if they will even up again.

Regardless, she is outrageously cute, and we are very proud of the progress she has made, over the last fortnight especially. She has gone from a kitten who would hide from mum to one who will give the occassional nose kiss and enjoys short patting sessions. The first time she purred was prettier than the prettiest music, ever.She is also happy to play out in the open while people are in the room. We've been using toys to help bring her out of her shell, and her new parents have committed to working with her in becoming more confident at her own pace.

This week, Luna will have her ladygardenectomy and microchip implanted. When she is healed up, she will move in with her new parents. We are very excited for her :)

One of the struggles we had with the kittens being sick is that there was a strict quarantine in our house to keep the resident cats safe. This drove Lishy bananas, and gave mum a lovely skin reaction from the constant spraying of F10 disinfectant. Now that everyone is healthy, the foster family is allowed out of their room for supervised play with the resident cats. They are getting along famously, and it will be so good for the continued socialisation of the little ones. We are already seeing more confidence. It's an exciting time here for us :)

Paw it Forward!

2011-03-14T17:00:00.001+11:00

Hi everybuddy! We were lucky enough to take part in Paw it Forward with our great friends from Cory Cat Blog.

The smells in the box were AMAZING, but what else would you expect from a home with 9 kitties and a woofie?The package contained so many fun toys. We have barely stopped to rest since it arrived. There were soccer balls, sparkle balls and jingle balls.TWO kinds of mice! A very special cat show wand toy that had us very interested.

Super fun springs, and an awesome wand toy called a Cat Catcher.

This blankie was a very special addition to the box. 100% of the proceeds go to support Purrfect Pals. The fabric is donated, and a volunteer stitches them together. How cool is that?!

The kitties and Grete were sweet enough to include these very cool earrings for our mum. She feels very spoiled. After all that playing, I was happy to crash on the super cosy blanket and have sweet dreams of my Gingerkins. I am calling this blankie the Ginger blankie! Now it is our turn to Paw it Forward. We’re looking for one cat or dog blogger that comment here saying you wanna participate in Paw It Forward. We’ll send you something fun, inspiring or uplifting. In turn, you’ll post about this on your blog, link to us, and then send something to up to three cat or dog bloggers that sign up to play along with you. There’re no cost restraints, BUT don’t go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. Maybe something unique from where you live? And, remember that kindness doesn’t have to involve money; there’re a lot of ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go.

Thankyou so much Ginger, Cory, Ellie, Madison, Cecilia, Jonesie, Figaro, Nigel, Bennette and Grete, and to your mum too :)

Super Sunday

2011-03-13T15:15:00.000+11:00

My friend Cory sent me this box. But this isn't all! Check back tomorrow for Paw It Forward! :)

Winter is Coming

2011-03-11T14:09:00.002+11:00

We are now into winter here in the southern hemisphere, and this pair of tropical North Queensland cats are starting to feel the chill in Melbourne.We've been snuggling up in our beds and enjoying the blankets very much! Lishy on the other hand doesn't seem bothered at all. Our laptop has finally given up on us, so we won't be around to comment much over the next week or so. We have scheduled some posts, including the arrival of our incredibly awesome Paw it Forward package from our great friends at Cory Cat Blog.

Have a happy weekend everybuddy :)