This cactus is showing out.

This cactus is showing out. I love her so much! ❤️

Thank you, Patricia! She's one of my favorites! 😊

This poor boy misses being outside.

This poor boy misses being outside. There's no way we can let him go by himself with the state of the yard. Soon, buddy. ❤️

This is a "volume up" situation.

This is a "volume up" situation. I started getting a migraine around 5 this morning and Shaun sent me photos and videos of the cuteness I was missing. Here is the video. I guess Bear was in a silly mood this morning. 😂

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. 😂😂😂