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!

So, that was yesterday.  Since then he has done a “number two” in the litter box. (yay! food is moving in the proper direction and making it through!)  He is also a bit more active.  Instead of sleeping in his cat carrier (his preferred place to be of late) and never leaving it, he has ventured forth into the main areas of the house and even settled himself in his cat bed this evening for several hours.  He also is not happy about eating yet, but he is not as combative as he was a day or two ago about taking his food and medicine.  He looks more like himself and is less groggy.  After I fed him tonight, he even crawled up into my lap for cuddles.  What he seems to like best right now is being bathed.  He has been rather stinky since we brought him home (I think he tinkled on himself either before or after the surgery).  He does not like being dirty, but cannot groom himself quite yet.  I wish I could just give him a good bath, but that has to wait until his wound heals.  So, every time I feed him, I follow it up with a warm wet washcloth over his fur.  This cleans him up from where he may have dribbled food or medicine on himself, signals that the feeding is officially over, and I think he likes the feeling of being groomed.  He is definately doing better!  Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for my poor sick little cat.  We go back to the vet in the morning for another check up.  (That will make 5 out of 6 days at the vet this week – it has been a long week!)

And in my knitting news…there has not been a lot of knitting going on lately, just a little.  I am currently working on another swallowtail shawl, this time for my husband’s grandmother for her birthday.  I did not want to do the extra repeats like I did last time, so I increased the needle size in order to make the shawl larger.  I hope it turns out okay and the detail of the pattern is not lost by doing this.  It is hard to tell before blocking.  I will post pictures when I am further along.

I will keep nursing him, and praying for him, and hope that he will pull through this thing yet.  It is very difficult for me to watch him suffer.  It is difficult for me to watch any person or animal suffer…it just tears me up emotionally.

==UPDATE== (posted by Benjamin — Heather’s husband)
Dex made it through the night without problems, but the doctor said that he’s a bit groggy still (the cat, not the doctor). We should be able to pick him up this evening as long as everthing goes well today.

I received a phone call from the vet.  The procedure was not successful.  My husband and I were aware that this might be the outcome and we might have to put our cat to sleep.  It is very hard to take.  But the vet offered us some hope:  One of the girls who works at the office is friends with an elderly lady.  This elderly lady is wealthy and is not able to “get out and do much” but she likes to help in ways she can.  She has volunteered to pay for Dex’s surgery.  When the vet told me this, I was beyond words.  Benjamin and I had prayed, but we knew his outlook was rather bleak.  So, this lady whom we do not know is paying for our cat to have surgery for a life threatening illness.  Wow.  God provided a means when we had none.  We are talking about how we can thank this woman enough.  My husband suggested knitting a shawl for her….

My husband and I have Devon Rex cats.  They are a wonderful breed, and we really enjoy them.  We adopted them as adults when they were retired from showing and breeding. 

Devons are known for their wavy or “rexed” coats, which are downy soft, and their faces are dominated by their large eyes and ears.  They are often described as being pixie-like.  They are friendly and very social.  They prefer to be around people, rather than being aloof. 

Sarah Ophelia, or Sarah for short, is our female.  She craves attention and eye contact.  She is outspoken and likes to sing.  She is the “mama cat” and always grooms herself, our male cat, and even tries to groom my husband from time to time!  (He does not need it - he is very clean, lol!)

Luvdatrex, or Dex as we call him, is our male.  He will do his “Lassie” impersonation when he wants something – he will meow until you follow him and he will lead you to what he wants.  His favorite things are clean laundry and watching birds outside the window. 

For more information check out these sites:

Cleocatra (This is where my cats came from.)

Devon Heaven (This is where Dex was born.)

My cats:  Dex and Sarah.