Today I brought home a new cat bed for Dex. The old one had seen better days, and was tainted by the sickly and not-so-fresh-smelling Sarah-cat. The cushion could be washed, but the outer portion of the bed could not, so I opted for a new fresh one. This one came with a matching furry blanket and a catnip-filled mouse.

I think he likes it. He crawled inside immediately and has not left.

For those of you who noticed that my floor is not spick-and-span clean, ignore the lint on the rug. I am supposed to be vacuuming, but I am blogging instead. I should get busy, I have company coming this weekend. Eeeks! I must clean! And bake!

I am sad to say that our Sarah-cat is no longer with us. I came home from work earlier this week and she was in her kitty bed, crying pitifully. I could not stand to see her suffer any longer, and when my husband came home we took her to the vet. She was down to a mere 2.5 pounds, though she had been 6 pounds the week before. So sad. I do not miss the sick, crazed, and demanding cat that she became (she would try to eat anything, from pillows, to feet, to pantlegs, and even her own feet), but I do miss the sweet Sarah-kitty that she used to be.

Dex, our boy cat, had developed an intense dislike for Sarah after she became ill. In the old days, I would often find them curled up together sleeping or cleaning one another. As she became sicker, he would not even tolerate being in the same room with her (though over the weekend I found him curled up in the cat bed with her on two different occasions.) Usually when she entered a room, he would not even stay around to compete for attention. Instead, he would hiss, and run away growling and find somewhere to be alone. One sound that always made us laugh a bit was the sound of a slamming door. When Dex could take Sarah-cat’s presence no more, he would hiss, trot quickly from the room, go into our bedroom and – no joke – slam the door behind himself. It was the funniest thing. When he was finished sulking, he would open the door and come out again.

Now I think Dex is quite happy to be an only-cat. He follows me around constantly, sits in my lap whenever there is an opportunity, and even sleeps with me. His is quite demanding now in his quest for attention, and purrs eagerly with every pat, scratch, or belly rub.

I have not posted recently about Dex’s progress. He is doing well, and has pretty fully recovered from his tramatic string-swallowing experience and the resulting surgery. Other than some missing fur where they had to shave him and some weight that he lost, he looks and acts like his normal self. Sarah, our girl-cat, did not want anything to do with him for quite a while after surgery. Now Dex is the one who wants all the attention for himself. I guess he got a little spoiled while he was recuperating. I did snap this shot of them enjoying a cozy afternoon nap together…so cute.

Dex is now well on his way to recovery.  We took him to the vet on Wednesday for a check up and to have his stitches removed.  The vet said he finally thought Dex was out of the woods and would fully recover.  This week he has ventured out and been more social.  Last week we had him sequestered in the bathroom (albeit with the door open so he was free to come out if he wanted) where he had his water and litter box nearby; I could close the door to administer medicine and food and he could not escape.  On Easter Sunday he began to purr when petted, and by Monday he was exploring the house and trying to hop up on lower pieces of furniture.  After we brought him home from the vet on Wednesday, he developed a cold within a few hours.  So now he has claimed the blue fleece pictured above and wants constant petting from us.  He has become quite the little “mama’s boy” but that’s okay because he is such a sweet little cat.  My husband snapped this picture as he was leaving for work this morning.  You can see the areas where they shaved Dex’s fur on his stomach and paw.  I am such a softie…and Dex is pretty good at milking this.  I think he is even getting a bit spoiled. 

Good afternoon and happy Resurrection Sunday! We enjoyed spending today at church and with family, then came home to spend the rest of the evening quietly together. I did take a bit of time to reflect on the wonder and miracle that makes this day so special to us who are Christians. To know that Jesus Christ died for my sins then rose again from the grave in triumph still strikes awe in me. He died for each and every one of us, in order to reconcile us with God. I hope those of you who read this can rejoice with me on this wondrous day.

As for Dex, he is continuing to improve. Last night he even purred for a bit when I was petting him. I was jealous because he had purred for my husband once before that, but would not do it for me. I think he has been upset with me for forcing so much food and medicine into him. This evening when I got home it was more than past time to feed Dex. He is supposed to eat every four hours, but missed at least one feeding while we were gone. As was suggested yesterday by the vet, I decided to offer him some regular canned cat food, rather than the prescription food he has been force-fed, to see if he would eat if voluntarily. I was pleased and surprised when, after a bit of coaxing, he began eating the Iams food from the saucer!!!! He ate several bites before my husband came to observe the big event, then was not interested anymore. I left him sequestered with it and will check on him in about 15 minutes to see if he has tried to eat any more. He has come such a long way in the past week. He went from being on death’s doorstep several different times to walking around, using his litter box, purring, and now eating finally voluntarily. Thank you to everyone for all of your kind words and prayers during this ordeal, I really appreciate them!