It would be an understatement to simply say that 2008 was an exciting year. Personally, I reached a milestone that few cats achieve ... my TWENTIETH birthday. It was amazing to be in such good health. The boys and I were firmly entrenched in our routines and we couldn't have a better life. What more could a cat ask for?
Everyone knows about Elvis' charming personality and this photo sums up his philosophy of life ... Stop and Smell the Roses ... or tulips, as the case may be.
We never knew what he would get into next or what he'd come into a room carrying in his big mouth. He bites everything ... just to see what it tastes like!
As I reflect on my life, I believe that my good health and positive attitude are due, at least in part, to my place within this pack. The BrewZoo. I'm grateful for all of the exciting things we do and I'm especially grateful for naps with my good, good friend Elvis.
Lots of things we did this year were quite normal. Spending time on the deck with Denny ... his tail blowing in the wind!
Hanging out in our favorite spot under the furniture.
And the three of us wallowing in the "big chair" while Nan worked.
We had a great "crop" of tree frogs going and Denny was SO excited to see them each time we went to the beach.
He would hunt and I would drink from the fountain, then we would laze around and enjoy the view and the nice weather.
Here are two of our frogs ...
I had never looked better ...
And then in August, I experienced a terrible kidney infection that was challenging to cure. I was gravely ill and required daily antibiotic injections and SubQ fluids. Everyone was worried, but you can't keep a good cat down for long. I was weak, but fighting hard.
Me and Denny grabbing some sun in the living room. The healing rays made all the difference in my health.
At the peak of my illness I didn't feel well enough to eat for a day or two, so when my real appetite returned it made Nan happy to see the three of us eating. She shot this photo to remember how blessed we all were to be together ...
As I regained my strength, I was ready to travel and you can guess the first place I wanted to go. I was on my third round of antibiotics.
On this trip, I found a new sleeping spot that kept me out of the closet and out of the drafty air conditioning. Everyone thought it was strange, sleeping by a toilet, but my soft white rug was just right. AND people came to see me on a pretty regular basis!
When we returned from the beach late on Sunday afternoon, we soon discovered another bat in our house. Nan and Jerry whipped out the broom and umbrellas and managed to chase the creature into the extra bedroom. After what seemed like an eternity of trying to get it out an open window, it finally left us in peace. Luckily, none of us had contact with the bat so we didn't have to go to the vet.
Enter the heated bed! I had been sleeping on the floor of the office as part of my daily "nap rotation" and then I got this great bed. It provided a gentle heat and was firm enough for me to walk on without getting tipsy. We started out with it by the window and soon moved it to my favorite spot on the floor.
What a life!
I have rarely looked anything but perfect, but I'm including this photo because it is badge of courage. After weeks of antibiotic shots, I had an injection site reaction and the vet had to shave my beautiful coat around the irritated area. You can see that it didn't slow down my appetite, although it was unsightly.
I should mention here that it was during my recovery (not long after this photo was taken) that we all started eating off Tupperware containers. Since I had been so weak, it was easier for me to eat with the bowl raised just a little off the floor. It started with just my bowl and then the Maine Coon boys REFUSED to eat unless their bowls were raised too!
What came next was arguably the one of the worst hurricanes to hit Texas. It was HUGE and it was headed right for us. Of course, we didn't really think it would come because we'd been saved at the last minute so many times before. It had been 25 years since our last notable storm and there was an interesting mix of disbelief and hope in the air.
As the storm approached, Nan went to Galveston to prepare as best she could. Each forecast update was worse than the last and it had become clear that the entire Island would be covered with a tremendous storm surge.
For several years, we had shared our food with the ferrel cats that lived in the area and one in particular had befriended us. He mainly lived at the marina, but came to our garage to eat and get fresh water when we were in town. After months and months of feeding and talking to him, he would allow us to touch him - well, not me, but Nan & Jerry - and we all liked to watch him out the front window as he made his rounds through the area. He was pathetic to look at, but we liked him.
So with a massive surge on the way, Nan & Cindy loaded up the beast and brought him to Houston with a plan to return him to Galveston the week after the storm.
They stopped along the seawall to take a photo as the sun was coming up just one day before the tides rolled in.
The "no name" stray was delivered to Memorial 610 Vets for boarding that Thursday morning before the clinic closed for the storm. He had to be checked out, vaccinated and issued an official name. We all thought he should be called Ike.
We gathered our batteries and water and cat food, prepared the house and waited. On Friday, our last web cam image from the beach house was at noon ... the tide was level with the top of our bushes and would have been well into entryway of the house. The last image from the Jamaica Beach Weather Observatory was at 2:15pm that afternoon and the tide had already covered the stop sign at the corner of Bob Smith Road. Power was out on the West End and the storm was still many miles away.
Powerful gusts from the feeder bands started early Friday evening, but the wrath of Hurricane Ike wouldn't be felt until well into the night. We went to sleep in our bedroom, but our car kennels & other supplies were lined up in the living room where we would be safe if any of the windows had broken. When the storm began in earnest, we moved to the living room to escape the screaming sound of the wind blowing through the french doors on the bedroom balcony. It was loud, but I wasn't scared.
After several hours of the unrelenting winds, Elvis was inconsolable and "hunkered down" in the powder room ... in the sink. Denny and I stayed in our car kennels with Jerry & Nan in the living room. We were getting text messages from out of town friends who were watching the whole horrible scene unfold on TV. Reports out of Galveston were not encouraging, and trees were going down all around us, but we were safe in our house.
As the wind and the rain let up and the skies cleared on Saturday, Denny and I went out onto the balcony to survey the flooding. Our little neighborhood had fared very well and our house was not damaged.
Here I am sniffing around ... my fur had almost grown back from my illness in August. You can see the flooding, which wasn't very bad, in the background.
One of the ongoing activities during the storm was sopping up water as it was blowing in through the windows and doors, so the next day we had LOTS of wet beach towels. Nan placed them in the sun on the patio to dry and that crazy Denny thought it was a beach party!
The power was out - and would remain so for two weeks - so Nan went to get Ike from the vet. It seemed cruel to keep him in a cage at the vet where he would be scared and hot, so we brought him home and he set up camp in the garage and on the back patio. Compared to our beautiful coats, Ike's ragged ears and fur made him look like a tramp. We had no idea how long he had been homeless or what terrible things had happened in his past, but acted like a gentleman at our house. He was grateful to have a safe place to rest and he slept and slept.
You know Nan won't let anyone go without a bath, so she scrubbed him down with warm water and he was still grateful for the food and shelter. He didn't know what was going on but he didn't care as long as we didn't kick him out.
We had a wonderful "cool front" in the days following the hurricane and that kept the temperatures down to a bearable number. It was warm and inconvenient, but we were doing OK. By the second week, the temperatures had become very uncomfortable and I wasn't drinking enough water since my electric fountain wouldn't work. I couldn't risk another kidney issue and they were really worried about me.
This was when our friend Rascal invited us to stay at his house until our power was back. Rascal was up in Colorado at his summer house and didn't mind the five of us moving in. Ike stayed home and even though he was alone, he was grateful to be safe and alive.
I'd never spent any time in a high-rise, but that Rascal has an awesome place. I spent most of my time by the big windows and I thought it was pretty neat to be able to look out WHILE laying down.
We all enjoyed the sunshine ... here's El playing with his mouse.
Me sleeping in the sun ...
Napping and enjoying the view.
Denny acting completely, howl-at-the-moon nuts!
In about a week the crews had fixed the power poles in our area and we had electricity. It was fun to stay at the high-rise, but it was great to be home. My little fountain never tasted so good.
We were getting back into our normal routines ... I'm washing El's head in this picture.
And meanwhile Ike was living in the garage. After we came back home, we bought him a bed and he loved it. We think it could be the first bed he's ever owned. He was happy and he wasn't bothering me, so he was welcome to stay.
Here he is, looking like Yoda and grooming himself. He was clean and neat and didn't cause any trouble, although I will admit we tried and tried to find him a permanent home.
It was almost Christmas and we still had not been back to the beach. The damage was tremendous and it would be well into next year before we could spend time there.
And then, just before Christmas, it snowed!
There's something you don't see everyday ... a Christmas wreath in Houston, TX with snow flying!
We all laughed and said that Ike was out in the garage thinking and thinking about what it would take to get moved into the house. Hmmm ... a hurricane moved me from the streets of Galveston into this nice garage and patio ... maybe a snow storm could get me inside the house. And it worked.
WOW, what a year!
~ Little
(January 1988 - March 18, 2010)
(January 1988 - March 18, 2010)
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