Not So Lonely Are the Brave

I am quite pleased at how Hector has progressed during his time at the Cosy Apartment. When he first arrived, he was very shy of people. Though he quickly grew accustomed to me – since he and I were together every day; I played with him, fed him and petted him – he was reticent around other humans.

That has changed considerably. I noticed recently that he had few qualms over coming out to greet others in the rescue-group who came to drop items off or pick them up. But today, a stranger came by to collect some things, and my dark knight walked out of the bedroom and right up to her, rubbing against her and receiving pets. He retreated somewhat with sudden movements or noises, but he didn’t run and hide.

This is, of course, significant in terms of his potential adoption. Most people understand that cats in a new setting or with new people, or both, require time to adjust, but if Hector consents to associate with unknown humans right away, this will aid in his transition immensely, and it’s simply good for his morale.

Hec hasn’t had much interest yet, but when his time comes, I think it will find him ready.

At Home on a Blustery Day

I hope everyone had a pleasant and contented Easter. Mine was good; I have another week off before I must return to work. I am feeling quite well, and should be able to put in a full day’s work next Monday. It will be but five weeks until my real holidays at that point; I am grateful for this fortnight during which to recover from my surgery, and I will be grateful for my holidays when they come.

The cats continue to be my main concern. Neville has been throwing up in the most inconvenient spots. I think that he is eating too much Recovery food. He likes it, but it may be too rich for him. I have taken him off that and put him on Fancy Feast; he likes it, though not as much as Recovery. I won’t mind if he doesn’t eat a great deal of it. He needs to lose weight. Besides, he has hard-food to keep him going, too.

Renn is doing all right. He isn’t eating as much as I would prefer, but he never has. He is sneezing much less now, and is getting over his cold.

Hector seems always untroubled in his health, knock on wood, though he too is dissatisfied with his menu: there’s simply not enough on it! That boy would eat constantly, if it were up to him.

Finally, Minuet: she is doing well, I am pleased to report. Though she has gone off her seniors’ soft-food entirely, she is eating rather more of the Recovery than had been the case. She isn’t consuming enough to make her sick, but it’s a good amount, and provides more nutrients per serving than other foods. It seems a coincidence that her renewed interest in that brand came when I bought a new case of it. Pet-food is probably not as consistent in its ingredients or production as it should be and, like Dr Jekyll’s transformation into Mr Hyde, a cat’s preference for a brand may depend on the accidental ingredients of one particular batch.

But Min is also eating a new kind of hard-food – expensive and available only from a veterinary, of course. I am loathe to laud too soon an interest in any new fare, as it may be due solely to its novelty. She is, however, eating it now, and that’s something.

Today is a very blustery day. The air should be warm, but is being chilled by the wind, and it will grow cooler at night. Madame, as you can see, is snug in her corner of the library, on her heated cat-towel, with a little heater warming her space. At dusk, she will don her pyjamas, which will add to her cosiness through the night.

Healing at Easter

The Easter weekend is almost upon us. I will likely not be writing here again until next week. To be honest, I hope there is little to report until then. But I wanted to update those who may be interested in my medical status.

I spoke with my surgeon today. I left a message with his office about the continued pain that I was feeling. It is certainly nothing that I can’t live with, and realise that it naturally accompanies such healing as I am undergoing. But I wanted to talk to the doctor to see if he could recommend another treatment for discomfort, as those provided so far have fallen short of good results.

When he called back, he at first had trouble recalling the exact details of the surgery – he has probably performed a dozen already since mine – but when I reminded him that in his note written after the operation, he called it a “challenge”, he laughed and said that now he remembered. He told me why it was a difficult procedure, and I can understand why he would recollect it when prompted. I won’t describe it except to write that it had unusual complications. The surgeon is not surprised I am feeling great discomfort and that the swelling has yet to subside to a great extent.

However, the swelling is receding, and the doctor provided another suggestion for pain management. I am also wearing much looser garments, which have added to a better day today. Tomorrow, I implement the second part of the plan, that including a new combination of pain-killers. I have still a full week off from work, and expect good things by its conclusion. The surgeon stated that I should take a third week off if the pain has not retreated sufficiently by then, so that is another option.

Things are looking up, and, despite some discomfort and despite the snow we have received here for the last few days, I am optimistic that Easter will bring renewal and healing in the spring that is already here.

This Just In

This happened a few minutes ago. I was lying on my bed when Minuet came into the bedroom and jumped up onto the bed. There was no warning, no preamble to her action. She of course yelled at Renn and Neville but I managed to get both of them to stay. She continued to shout at them, but also spent time cleaning herself, before getting down.

I had noticed that she had wanted to come up onto the bed priorly, and I had been urging her to use the stairs, but she was reluctant.

Instead, this evening, she jumped up. Does that not hurt her old joints? Maybe, maybe not – but she just did it again. I had led her down the stairs when I perceived that she wanted down, but between first starting this entry and now, she has returned, jumping up once again. There is some issue over Nev’s presence, but the Nevsky isn’t leaving. The more the other cats stay, the more Min will become accustomed to them. That’s the theory, anyway.

This is a big step forward for Madame’s integration, not just with the other cats, but with the other rooms in the apartment. But if she does this at night, how will I guarantee not to knock her off in my sleep or, possibly as bad, have her leap the distance to the floor?

Our Health

A few readers have asked how things have progressed with us in the Cosy Apartment over the last few days.

Renn is feeling better but cannot shake his cold. His nose is crusty from snot, which I try to clean up with varying degrees of success, and he sneezes a great deal. This he contrives always to do in my face. But otherwise, he is faring well, behaving normally and eating a good amount again.

Minuet is eating a combination of her seniors’ food and Recovery, which seems to appeal to her sufficiently for now. She threw up last night – this time I found the evidence – and I suspect that it was due to giving her too much Recovery which, as I wrote previously, might be too rich for her. I am therefore reducing the ratio of that food to her other, but mixing it well, so the taste of Recovery is prevalent.

Neville and Hector are the same as always – for the time being – and providing me with no health-related worries.

For myself, I am having rather more discomfort these days, because, I think, of the shifting of swelling in the regions affected by my surgery. The pills I was given by the doctor to contain pain are not working well, but I can relax by lying down. Standing increases the pain and, since there are things that must be done, surgery or not, this presents a problem some times. However, I have a number of friends who are helping me here cope with the situation, for which I am grateful.

Once the swelling reduces, which I expect will occur in the next few days, things will improve. Until then, I am no worse off than most people following an operation, and better off than many. And, with a return to winter outside (hopefully a temporary state), the Cosy Apartment is indeed cosy, and a happy resort for all of its residents.