Mancat Monday

I'm hijacking Debra's title for my post today. Every Monday she has Mancat Monday, and usually Mr. Ping is the subject of her post. I have been wanting to show off Sarah's cats for a while and I thought today would be a good day. If you've read here for a while, you know that Sarah had to put her beloved Tucker to sleep some time ago. She gave a very loving tribute to him here.

Before Tucker ever got sick, Sarah decided that she would get another cat to be a companion to him. Thus, along came Samson, a furry friend that she met at Petsm*rt. She had the habit of going in to get her cat food and always stopped by to see the kitties who were up for adoption. Thus, along came Samson. He is a sweet-natured cat. The vet loves him. He's so easy-going and loves to play. He loves to be scratched under his chin, but he isn't too much for getting up in your lap.

When Tucker got sick, Sarah began to think about getting another cat, not to take his place by any means, but to have another one there to be Samson's companion, once Tucker was gone. Well, one day her friend told her about this black and white cat, again at Petsm*rt, who looked like he was begging for a home. So home he came.

"Mom, Monroe's not eating, and he won't come out of the closet," Sarah said one day. I told her to give him a little while, and he would warm up to everything. She finally took him to the vet and found out that he was one sick cat. His gums were infected, his ears were a mess...anyway, to make a long story short, $400 later, he is a healthy, happy cat. She jokingly told the vet that she was keeping him in business.

When we went to take Tucker for that fateful day, we got to talking to the vet about Monroe. She had not seen him, but she said, "Oh, I heard the techs talking about measuring his whiskers because they're so long." Monroe is a cuddler. He doesn't care to be in your lap too much, but when I was over kitty-sitting a couple of weeks ago, I lay down on the sofa, and he got right up beside me, all comfy.

When Sarah went through all she did to get him healthy, she said she was going to write the H*mane Society a letter to let them know how much it had cost her, but she said that when you adopt one, you sign a waiver. My thought about all that is that if they can spay or neuter and put in a micro-chip, they could take the time to check them over otherwise. Maybe he slipped by. At any rate, he is a wonderful cat, as is Samson.

Tucker, Ella, and a Wedding

Friend Vicki blogged about her fat cat McCloud this morning. I commented that I was glad for the fat that padded me when I went sprawling on the ground at David's in April. At least it was the soft ground and not hard concrete. I wrote about Tucker's surgery a while ago. He had a large cancerous mass removed from his side. You can see how much he was opened up by the stitches here. The vet said that if he had been a little heavier, he would have had more skin to pull together for suturing. So fat is good for some things.

After his two weeks with the cone around his head, he was quite relieved to have it removed along with the stitches. He's feeling quite fit and his fur is growing back to cover his scar.

On Sunday I'm flying to Virginia to spend a week with Ella and her parents. It's been about six weeks since I was there, so I'm eager to see her again. I can't believe in another month it will be her first birthday. Sarah and I will be driving up for that joyous occasion. This first year has been adventure. We are so thankful that she has been healthy throughout this first year.

Tomorrow I'm going to a wedding. The daughter of good friends is being married to a young man who is a seminary student. When he's finished, they are interested in perhaps working as missionaries in Italy. This young lady is the granddaughter of one of our former pastors. When her brother got married a few years ago, he married a young woman who had grown up in the church. That wedding was like a big family reunion. Friends who had moved away or who had gone to other churches all came back for that wedding. It was a wonderful gathering, and I'm looking forward to that same type of celebration tomorrow. I know I won't be disappointed.

Tucker on Thursday

Just a note to let you know that Tucker continues to do well. Sarah hasn't received any lab report yet.

I haven't had time to do a thoughtful post, so I thought I'd include this that I received in an e=mail the other day. I know that it doesn't apply to most of my blogging friends, with the exception of a couple of you, and you know who you are. You will either smile knowingly, or you might think, "Oh, my." Whatever...

For those over 60

Q: Where can women over the age of 60 find young, sexy men, who are interested in them?
A: Try a bookstore under fiction.

Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?
A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement.
When you are done you will have a place to live.

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 60+ year old husband?
A: Tell him you're pregnant.

Q: How can you avoid spotting a wrinkle every time you walk by a mirror?
A: The next time you're in front of a mirror, take off your glasses.

Q: Why should 60+ year old people use valet parking?
A: Valets don't forget where they park your car.

Q: Is it common for 60+ year olds to have problems with short term
memory storage?
A: Storing memory is not a problem, retrieving it is a problem.

Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?
A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.

Q: Where do 60+ year olds look for fashionable glasses?
A: Their foreheads.

Q: What is the most common remark made by 60+ year olds when they enter antique stores?
A: "I remember these!"

Have a safe weekend. I was going to travel to south Georgia for a mini-reunion with some high school friends, but then I filled my gas tank and thought better of it.

Tucker

Tucker came into my daughter's life six years ago. She had moved to her college town to live and work for a while. One day one of her coworkers at the bank told her that a pregnant cat had come to her house, she fed her, and, of course, the cat stayed. When the cat delivered her kittens, Sarah was determined to have one of them.

She was renting a house, and pets were not permitted. So she wrote her landlady a letter, pleading with her to please let her have a cat. She would make sure that the house was spic and span and without fleas whenever she decided to make a move.

Some time went by, and Sarah decided that she wanted to move back to Florida, so she packed up, and her dad and grandpa moved her and Tucker back home. She stayed with us until her house was ready to move into. Tucker spent his time in her bedroom because of our aging female Color. Whenever he got out and came downstairs where Color was, there was quite the confrontation. I was afraid our old cat would have a stroke with this other creature in the house. She was definitely a one-house cat.

A little while ago Sarah felt a mass in Tucker's side, took him to the vet, and it was decided that because he is as young as he is, surgery is definitely in order for him. Tomorrow afternoon Tucker will have surgery to have this mass removed. I almost feel funny asking prayer for a cat, but he is such an important part of Sarah's life. Sarah wouldn't mind a little bit of prayer for herself too. Thanks.