Today was Balthazar's follow-up appointment.

Today was Balthazar's follow-up appointment. He was ready. When I went upstairs to get him he was already in his carrier. Of course he came out to greet me, but he went back in easily. He's such a chill, sweet, lovey old kitten.

His appointment went well. He pretty cooperative and purred through his exam. He showed the vet his whole personality - foot fetish and all. 😂 He loves feet. He rubs down your shin and flips over at your feet, just grabbing and nuzzling. It hurts and tickles, but he's so happy. He's a mess.

His top fangs definitely need to come out. Due to his age and other health conditions it's a little risky to put him under, but his doctor is going to consult with the internal medicine vet and get her opinion before surgery. We went ahead and scheduled him for June 14th.

At this point I feel like I have to be ok with the fact that he might not make it through anesthesia. We won't allow him to suffer with painful teeth, so they have to come out or we have to make THE hard decision. And since he's had pain meds he's been acting brand new, so I feel like that says a lot about the quality of life he'd have without those teeth. Plus, he's not acting like he's done with life at all, and we try to follow their lead.

He's going back on Tuesday for more pain meds. We'll also be taking Harley to be seen, as well. Last night me and Shaun and Kira were up talking and Harley came meowing through the living room, then stopped and peed on the couch right in front of all of us. That can't be a good sign.

It's always something. I'm just grateful we're in a position to care for these old kittens as they age. If I hadn't gone back to school there is no way I could provide them with the quality of life that I want them to have.

I was looking back at my album today and our youngest cats are 8 years old (excluding my Gramson, Leon, because that's Kira's son). The youngest creature here is Bear. We only have Bear because Oreo didn't make it, which left me and Cub with a dog-shaped hole to fill.

For the last few years our family has grown smaller rather than larger. Sadly, I see that trend continuing because that is just how life goes. But I'm so grateful for every one of these kids. They enrich my life every day and I can only hope they know how much I love and appreciate them. ❤️

Cone and sling free!

Cone and sling free, and finally able to fit back into one of his favorite hangout spots - under the kitchen table!

His appointment went well and they said he looks great. He still needs to be sedated to keep him from playing too hard over the next 6 weeks. The plan is for him to go on walks - gradually increasing the time he walks - in order to train his muscles to keep the knee joints stabilized and where we put them. So that's the plan!

Unexpected blooms...

Unexpected blooms today from my Pink Ice Plant.

I'm officially off work...

I'm officially off work until Tuesday and this is how chill I aspire to be. 😂😂😂

It's been a rough day.

It's been a rough day.

I woke up to Balthazar bleeding out of his mouth. He came up on the bed purring, ready to cuddle, looking like a vampire. I called the vet and they let me drop him off so they could see him between surgeries.

He has an infected tooth root. He got an antibiotic injection and a topical pain med. He'll be seen again on Thursday to reassess. For anyone who doesn't remember, he's our current eldest cat. We thought he had IBD, but the vet said she thought it was a cancer. He's been on steroids and doing well for a while, but we and the vet both have concerns about putting him under at his age to remove his tooth, which could get infected again. So I've been having feelings about that. It's never fun to make these quality of life decisions.

On the bright side, he did eat a bunch of wet food and seemed to be in good spirits, but I know that animals hide their pain.

Anyway. I didn't make it to the post office. I'll try again tomorrow.

So bored.

So bored. Grumbling and a little drunk from meds. Damn cone. Can't even have a shoe. AND YOU STEAL THE BOOGERS!? 😂😂😂

Bonus eye and ear of Toebean. 😂

I repotted some plants today.

I repotted some plants today. I just needed to. I had a bunch of Baby Rita pads taking up my little pots and I wanted to see if they had rooted. They have! I also checked my Jade babies and they have roots, as well. If anyone wants some of my babies (for free!), please let me know. I have about 6 of each and I don't need to keep them. I plan to mail some things out on Monday or Tuesday, so I can get them out then if you let me know.

In other news:  I don't usually care for the warty plants, but I love this Mauna Loa. The colors, the leaf shape, the texture. Perfection.

Also, my cactus was showing off both of her blooms today. Look at her go! ❤️