Sassy's Boo-Boo

Hi, Everyone.  Sassy here.  Well, I'm home from my surgery but my leg really hurts.  You can see the funny haircut I got and the big row of stitches on my knee.
But the vet said it went great.  My CCL was torn but the fix was easy and I'll stop being in pain soon.  Right now it's not so bad 'cause they gave Barb some good drugs for me.

Thanks for keeping your paws crossed for me!

Sassy

Sassy Sunday (7-10-11)

Hi everyone!  Sassy here.  No, that's not a picture of me.  This is the adorable (or so says Barb) Kitten #3. Poor baby doesn't have a name yet.  We are waiting for his (or her?) new mommy to name him.  He is pretty cute.

Ginger was downstairs with Barb last night.  And guess what!  She is scared of little, bitty kittens.  Yup.  Scared of them.  Chili, on the other hand, wants to get to know them.  But Momma hasn't let those dogs near them yet.  And, as for me, well, I'm the queen of the house.  If the kittens want to get to know me they can.  But they'll have to come to me.  I'm not gonna bother to go down there.

I will be going in for my surgery tomorrow.  Somehow I tore my CCL.  That stands for "cranial cruciate ligament" and it's the same as the ACL in humans.  There are some other treatments before surgery, but pain meds and weight loss (Oh, I've lost 2.5 lbs.  I'm starving to death!  Send pizza!) and rest are not helping.  And I'm not about to wear a brace.  I don't like wearing stuff.  Plus the vet doesn't think they work very well. (although he told Barb he'd be happy for us to try it if we want to).

There is more than one way to do the surgery.  We are going with the less risky, less involved form.  They will tie some suture material to the bone behind my knee cap, bring it around the front, and tie it to a hole they will drill in the top of the bone just below my knee.  This suture material won't last for too long, but by the time it breaks down there will be some scar tissue built up to stabilize my knee.  Sounds easy enough.
The other procedures involve cutting of bones and the vet said that in his experience, these surgeries work just as well but not better than the option he prefers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdrBzHQ49W4

And now, for your laugh of the week, I'd like to show you how ridiculous Chili acts when she thinks someone is gonna get her food.  It's funny.  Being the dignified girl that I am, I just growl at any dog to gets into my bowl without my permission.  (BTW, in case you were worried, Chili and I will both allow Barb to take food out of our mouths and bowls without complaining.  We are not food-aggressive.  Just a little protective when it comes to each other and our food.)

Have a great Sunday!
Sassy

Saturday Pet Blog Hop - Kittens are 3 weeks old!!

Hi Everyone!
We are participating in the Saturday Blog Hop today.  If you are interested, go here, and sign up!  The link will take you to Two Little Cavaliers, one of the hosts of the blog hop.

Well, the kittens we found on Father's Day are now 3 weeks old.  It's hard to believe!  They are now getting around on their own pretty well.  They are even venturing out of the "nest" my son set up for them in the guest bathroom shower.

Here are two of them, Roxy (the calico baby) and Kitten #3 (still not named by new family) out on the rug in front of their kennel.  Mom is looking on.  See her there in the corner?

Here Momma and #3 are squeezing between the door to the shower and the kennel.
So, today I set out a small, low tray with litter in it.  And I'll be putting some food out for them soon too. If there is anyone out there with advice, I'm all ears.  I've never taken care of babies this young and the internet does have some confusing information.

Sassy will be going in for surgery on her torn CCL (same as ACL in humans) next week.  That's the ligament in the knee.  She's been limping around for a while and the medicine isn't helping.  Doc thinks the best thing to do now is the surgery.  So keep her in your thoughts and hope she gets lots of good pain drugs!

Have a great weekend!

Sassy Sunday (7-2-11) Saturday Blog Hop and Kitten Update

http://twolittlecavaliers.com/2011/07/dogs-for-autistic-children-pet-bloggers-blog-hop.html

Hi, Everyone!  Sassy here.
I know it's Sassy Sunday, but we are linking to the Saturday Pet Blog Hop because Barb promised and then couldn't get to it yesterday.  That's fine.  I'm the pet blogger anyway. :)  You should check out the great list of pet bloggers on the hop.  Click the link under the picture for one of the hosts of the hop.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.

Great news.  All of our kittens and the momma cat have homes waiting for them!  Yup.  I haven't even gotten to see these little critters (the mom won't let me near them.  She even swiped Ginger's nose!  The nerve.) and they are all spoken for.  That's great.  Barb and family can't keep a bunch of cats.  Anyway.  Here's a pic or two of them.  Don't fuss at Barb about the picture quality.  She took them on her cell phone.

This one is Roxy.  She's the only one with a name.  The other's are "Momma Cat", "#2", "#3" and "#4".  Roxy was "Kitten #1", but her new mom let us know her name will be Roxy.

This one is "#3".  He (or she?) is one of the smaller two.  There are two bigger and two smaller.  We guess that's ok.  Barb, being the geek scientist that she is, has been keeping a log of their weights and everyone is gaining.  Roxy and #2 weigh about 11oz while #3 and #4 each weigh around 9 oz.  It's amazing how much an ounce of kitten is!  The two larger ones look huge compared to the two smaller ones!

Momma Cat is very protective of her babies.  And if they make one little squeak when Barb has them out of the nest, she comes right out and gets them.

Here she is coming to get Roxy.  It won't be long 'til Roxy is too big for Momma to pick her up!

Anyway.  All of their eyes are open.  Barb took them to the vet.  He said they are all healthy and thinks there are two boys and two girls.  Momma had no parasites and is FIV and feline leukemia negative.  If you add those results to the fact that she is super friendly, one must conclude that she was not a stray for long.  Perhaps her family dumped her when they found out she was having kittens?  Anyway, lucky for her she decided to have her kittens here.  One of the neighbors up the street had planned to call Animal Control on her.  Yikes!

So.  What else is new?

Chili continues to get caught with her tongue sticking out.  Barb thinks it's funny to take her picture.  Here, you can only see the tip.  Sometimes it sticks way out.
And that's about it!  We've got family coming tonight for dinner.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love,
Sassy
PS - Hi Aunt Barb! (Aunt Barb likes my posts, heehee)

Holy Felines, Batman! Kittens!!

Well, I guess the word it out.  Come to my house and you won't be turned away.  That is, if you are a dog or a cat.  Or a cat with a litter of kittens.

Momma (I haven't given her a name yet.  Any suggestions?) decided to have her litter of kittens under our chimney up against the foundation of the house.  On Fathers' Day, Ginger had her head stuck under there and I heard the most awful growling.  I had no idea what it was, but I knew Ginger had no business under there.
As soon as the dogs were in the house,  a starving, but beautiful and friendly pastel calico cat came out from under the chimney and asked for lunch.  We fed her, of course.  While she was eating one of the kids said "Mom, I hear something else down there."  Yup.  A pile of kittens.  Eyes closed.  Ears closed.  Umbilical cords still there.

So into the house they came.  One of the boys fixed her up a nice nest in the basement bathroom and she settled right in.

The kitten pictures were taken today (at 5 days old).  The calico baby is spoken for, but all the others, including Momma, are looking for homes.  They'll be ready to go in about 8 weeks.  Let me know if you want one. :)

Sassy Sunday (6-19-11) Father's Day

Hi, Everyone.  Sassy here.  Yes, it has been way too long since I did a Sassy Sunday post.  But with the end of the semester and the beginning of the summer, we've been busy, busy bitches! (that includes Barb, Ginger, Chili and me, BTW).

So.  I've been busy trying to rest my leg (I've got a torn CCL) and lose weight, sigh.  Chili has been busy annoying Ginger and me, mostly Ginger, since our foster dog Miss Piggy found a home.  Chili even got to see Miss Piggy (who is now called "Sugar") the other day.  Her new mom takes her to Doggy Daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays so Barb took the kids and Chili up to say hello.  I didn't get to go, hmph!

Anyway, today is Father's Day so I thought I'd tell you about my wonderful father!

He teaches at an establishment of higher learning.  But that's not what makes him so great.  He's great because when he gets home from being anywhere, he always takes time to say hello to me and the other dogs.  He pats me on the head and makes a comment about my pretty smile.  I love it when he comes home.  Usually my tail beats against the couch and he comes over to see me.

He's good with the other dogs too.  I've heard him tell Ginger that she's a pretty girl.  He's even said it to Chili but I can't believe he means it!  Chili always picks up a toy and brings it to him when he comes home.  He dutifully takes the toy from Chili and promptly gives it back to her (which is what she wants him to do.  I think it's a pretty dumb game, but it makes Chili happy so he does it.)

Let's see.  What else does my daddy to for me and the other dogs?   He doesn't fuss at Barb for buying the expensive dog food.  He gives me nibbles of his raw vegetables whenever he is chopping up stuff to cook. (My favorites are carrots, celery, brussels sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cabbage, swiss chard, apples, cherries, etc.)  He lets me sit on the recliner with him.  He takes me for walks.  He lets me out when I want to go out and he lets me in when I want to come in.  He lets me sit on the deck and watch him at the grill.  He lets me sit under the table when the family sits down to eat.  He speaks kindly to me and gives me all the love and attention a queen of my stature deserves.  I just love my dad.  I hope you all have wonderful dads (and/or moms) in your lives too!

Until next time,

Sassy

Gone Fishin'

5:30 AM - Sunrise on Kentucky Lake - June 2011

Once again our family has made it to beautiful Kentucky Lake.  We've come here 3 times before, always staying at the same place (a gem we stumbled upon the first time we came here).  Nothing fancy.  Just a welcoming, homey, really clean fishing resort with individual cabins and an excellent view.

This is the fourth day of our week-long stay.  The big guy and cub #1 are out with a professional fishing guide today (can I still call my teenager a cub?).  His name is Captain Kirk!  How cute is that?  The last 3 times they went out with him, they had phenomenal luck catching tons of fish.  So I hope they have a great day today.

But we don't need a professional guide to catch fish!  Check out the fish two of the 3 boys caught in the last couple of days. :)

"What happened to these fish?", you may ask?

Yup, we threw them all back.  I'm expecting the boys to bring back dinner from their trip today.  But the other fishing we're doing here is just for fun.

Youngest is, of course, a little disappointed he hasn't gotten a fish yet.  That's my only goal for the rest of the week.  I caught something yesterday.  Too bad it turned out to be part of an old leather purse or bag of some kind.  So I wouldn't mind catching a fish too. :)

There are some other families here as well.  These parents, though, get a little grumpy if you get too close to their kids.

Well, I guess I would too if I wasn't sure of your intentions.

Besides the geese and their babies, which we can see at home, there are tons of blue herons here.  We do see them at home too, but not nearly as many or as often as you can see them here.  They are so graceful when they stalk along the shore or fly over the lake.  But have you ever heard one of them?  I think they must have been the inspiration for sounds the pterodactyls make in movies.  They make the most prehistoric-sounding squawk.

I hope the start of your summer is going great as well!
Until next time!
Barb