Hot Mess

It's hot today.  Uncharacteristically.  Usually in the summer, the highs may reach the 50s. Today, it was 70.  It won't last, and it was gorgeous outside, but inside it is another story.  The buildings here are overheated all year round.  They have to be, even in the summer.  So, they are heated today, and it is smoking hot inside with no real way to cool them down.  I have a fan in every window, and we are still sweating. 

Gus is also suffering.  Since he is sporting a thick coat, he's really hot. After we came back from his big adventure, he played hard, knocked stuff off of shelves, dragged around one of Chad's socks and killed it repeatedly, then he crashed.  The only problem was, he likes to sleep by us. We are on the couch. The couch is leather.  It's cool at first, then it warms up as you stay in one place.  So Gus has migrated from the back of each section of couch every  10-15 min.  as he tries to nap. 

Proof below!

1st position

2nd position

3rd position

Up close since he's so cute

4th position

He just switched again, but believe it or not, I'm tired of taking the little slacker's picture--not really.  I'm just hot.

Gus's Big Adventure

Socks's daddy picked him up the other day, and since then Gus has been a little depressed, or bored.  So today I decided to take him on an adventure. There's not much you can do around here if your a kitty -- outside that is-- it's not safe.  There are lots of dogs roaming, there are owls, and foxes. Not that I'd let him outside anyway.

I took the four wheeler to the beach yesterday and it was so beautiful that I thought Gus might enjoy it.  I put him in his airplane carrier, because it's a little more comfortable than the hard plastic one, and strapped him to the front of the wheeler.

Gus in his carrier at the beach.

We rode down the beach a ways, but it was sort of bouncy, and I didn't want to jar the juices out of him!  He watched out of the screened sides and front, and I could see he was quiet and calm.  We didn't go for very long, but he was so good for his first outing (that wasn't to the vet)!

Before this, we went to his daddy's office.  Because, why not? I figured he could get out in a safe place where he was limited so he wouldn't get lost or hurt.  He was excited to be in a new place and explored like a mad kitty. His sniffer was going fast and he was flehmen at all the new scents. He explored daddy's toys, and didn't break anything, although he made sure to dust the entire desk.

Chad letting Gus out of the box.

No idea what he is doing.  Maybe trying to fit between plane and bottom of cabinets?

Cleaning behind the computers.

Trying to go on a plane ride?

The Most Spoiled

Gus, although he doesn't know it, lives the life of the rich and famous.  According to my husband, who really is funny but don't tell him it goes to his head, he's a million dollar cat.  Most of the lifestyle he enjoys has been provided by my niece, yes, the same one that convinced us to get him.

She's the one that bought his monstrous 7 ft tall cat tree.

Socks and Gus in tree

Yesterday, she told me to come over because she bought him a cat bed.  Before I show you the cuteness, one thing about Gus is he loves his comfort. This is strange to me.  Jinx always loved hard, cold surfaces.  He'd ignore a cushion for the tile floor.  Raz liked a lap. Even if a cushion was available, he'd be on your lap.  Gus loves pillow and blankies.  I keep a soft fuzzy blue blanky on the couch for him.  

Gus on his blue blanky

He loves to get on my couch pillows especially if there is a fuzzy blanket over them.  The problem is, they keep getting moved around.  This makes him sad.  

Gus on blanky over couch pillow

Don't get me wrong, he loves to be held, and sometimes that's what he wants, but when he wants to crash, he likes his royal arse on a plump, purple cushion.  Thus, the lovely watermelon bed.  I kid you not.  She bought him a watermelon.

Ready for a nap

How dare you take my picture

He loves it. He's sleeping the afternoon away right now inside of a watermelon.  Oy.

Crusty Gus

After school got out, I left Gus for a week to go to Utah to see my mom.  When I got back, he had a terrible crusty little chin.

Gus's crusty chin

I had no idea what was wrong.  When I felt it or examined it up close, it didn't look like an injury, it looked like a burn.  The problem was that the hair was still in it, so it wasn't a physical heat burn.  I took him to the vet.  

Apparently, he has something called, kitty chin acne.  Great, my baby was a teenager!  Not really, it's not caused by puberty or anything, but a type of allergic reaction.  The vet said the most common cause was plastic food bowls.

Gus has mainly stainless steel bowls.  However, my sister gave me this cute little blue plastic bowl, after I was discussing an article about food bowls-- regarding her dog who is food shy.  Apparently, a lot of animals struggle to eat in traditional shaped bowls because they jar their whiskers.  So the article was describing shallow low-rimmed bowls that wouldn't hit the whiskers but could still contain food or water.  Therefore, the cute plastic bowl.

Of course, it was Gus's favorite bowl.  Since I was going to Anchorage for a minute for a doctor's appointment, I found some similar shaped stainless steel bowls to replace the cute one. They are utilitarian and ugly, but low and non-whisker jarring.  

His chin is slowly clearing up. It's gross though, I have to scrap it and treat it with medicated wipes.  He hates it.  Ugh, off to do it again now!

Gus and Socks

I live in a native village.  This puts things into a unique perspective.  First, white people are definitely not first class citizens, maybe 3rd or 4th class.  Next, most school teachers, like me, only stay up here when school is in session, because their homes and often their families are somewhere in the lower 48. They leave for Christmas break, and they leave for summer break. 

I don't leave.  My family is scattered, I don't have another home, and my sister and niece live up here with me so Barrow, AK is my home year round. This puts me in a unique position for some of my friends.  My neighbor has me watering her plants and picking up her mail, and my very dear friend (she works with me and we are in the same church) left me her cat for a part of the summer. 

I might have mentioned Socks before in a previous post.  Socks helped us decide to get Gus.  We love Socks.

This is Socks playing with Gus's electronic mouse toy.

Socks is a very different personality from Gus.  He's very shy.  I don't think he's lived around another kitty before, but I'd have to run that by my friend!  Anyway, he struggled for about 3 days when he came to stay with us this time (the first time took him a week or more).  He wasn't really shy of us after a day, but he was terrified of Gus.

Now, if you knew Gus, you know that is the funniest statement ever.  Gus is a cottonball.  He looks and feels like one, and there isn't a mean bone in his body (his daddy even calls him the giant q-tip among other things).  He was confused by Socks.  Gus lived in a household with other cats, and we have long surmised that he may be lonely for another one.  He followed Socks around a little, curious, but wary (since Socks growled at him), but he wanted to make a friend.

Socks was so afraid, that he hid under our bed.  He went to the litter box, but he was afraid to get in it (maybe that he'd be ambushed? Unknown.) He was so afraid, he held it for two days, then exploded with pee all over my bed.  (I'm sorry I didn't tell you Deb, but everything is fine now Socks is good... no worries, I have pets and I have a very expensive mattress cover that protects the bed from everything!)

I felt terrible.  I cleaned up and put a new litter box under the bed for Socks, so he'd feel more welcome.  (I should have thought that through in advance, but Socks had spent time here before so I didn't think it would be a big deal).

Well, you guessed it. You can't separate cats.  Gus started using that litter box and Socks started using the old one in the utility room.  So, problem solved. After a week I put both litter boxes in there and there hasn't been a single accident or complaint since. 

Socks didn't eat for a couple of days either. I'd get him to eat a few treats if I put them under his face, but he was too nervous.  Then Gus started eating his food (the grass is always greener, you know) and Socks started eating Gus's food.  So I didn't have a righteous set of diarrhea to clean up, I had to start mixing their foods together. 

That progressed to tandem treat time.  Sorry Deb, but we have the bad habit of giving Gus his treats on the kitchen counter.  Raz trained us to do that, and we taught Gus.  Gus taught Socks. 

Gus and Socks eating treats on our kitchen counter.

Then, they started playing together.  First it was chase, you know, one cat would chase another down the hall and they'd reverse and come back. Then it was tandem running (Chad said they ran like a mule team up and down the hall shoulder to shoulder), and now it's full on wrestling. 

wrestling

These two are now fast friends. They sleep on the bed together, with or without us. They play together.  They still don't eat together; they like to eat out of each other's bowls though.  They are buddies!

Sorry it's so dark, but both boys on bed.

Gus and Socks playing

Jingle balls down

I've written about how much Gus loves jingle balls.  By that I mean the little cage like balls with a bell inside that jingle when you touch them.  Up until recently, if you touched or accidentally jingle jangled a ball, Gus would come running, quickly assuming the position behind a barrier so he could pounce. 

One of us would stand at each end of the hall to throw jingles for him to run after, swat, and pounce on.  It was a joyful time for Gus. 

Then, disaster struck.  Right on his nose.  He got smacked two times in a row right in the schnoz.  Now, he is terrified of jingle balls. 

You can only imagine how many jingle balls my tiny apartment currently holds.  It feels like hundreds.  Now, I can't even jingle one without Gus looking around and slinking behind the couch.  It breaks my heart. 

He still loves his feathers though.  With his new bird obsession, at least he has a feather he can catch!  I'm afraid of the day a bird does come around.  If a jingle ball to the nose is all it takes, I can't imagine what a beak to his nose would do! 

He still has his catnip toys I guess.  I can't imagine what those could do to his nose!

swatting feathers

leaping towards feathers

Healthy boy

So my husband and I were looking through the pics of Gus when I first brought him home. We noticed something.  Gus looks healthier now.  Here is a pic of him the day I picked him up.  He is in his carrier sitting at the airport.  Look at his color and the condition of his coat. Even his brilliant violet blue eyes look faded.

His color is almost brown.  He is most definitely lavender pointed.  Now after four months of premium cat food and regular brushing, he looks like this:

I guess we are doing something right.  He even feels healthy. He eats a lot, and his body feels muscular.  You can feel the ridge of the edge of his ribs, but it is covered with muscle and his stomach is firm.  Of course he runs through our house like he is being chased by cheetahs.  Often.

Besides playing hard, he loves to sleep hard.  He likes to do it stretched out with his feet up.  I'm not kidding. 

Kitty obsessions.

I haven't blogged for a while. Not because Gus isn't the cutest boy ever (see above), but I'm a teacher at the end of the school year.

So, Gus has a couple of new things he's discovered. The first and the best for him are the snowbirds.  Yep.  Every spring, the snowbirds come out up here in the arctic (I know nothing about them.  I don't know if they migrate or hibernate.  Not a clue.)

Officially they are called snow buntings. They are the cutest little bundles you've ever seen.  They are a small mostly spherical, black and white bird. Approximately the size (and shape) of a racquetball ball.

They flit and flirt and sing so sweetly.  They fly in a sort of short jerky flight, and it drives Gus nuts!  He runs from the back window in the bedroom to the side window in the living room trying to get a little snowbird nugget.  He frets and chirps and huffs at them.  I have to close the blinds at night so he won't watch  them all night. (It's light all night long).

He is utterly obsessed with them.  I love them too, because their song is similar to the meadowlarks where I grew up.  I could listen to them sing forever.

His second obsession is cat treats.  He's liked cat treats for a while.  I have an issue with cat treats that may be just superstition.  I think I may have killed Raz with cat treats. He would preferred treats to meals, and we sometimes let him get away with it. He loved them so much, and we liked to spoil him so we gave in and fed him countless tons of cat treats. 

Cat treats are not designed to be food. They don't have the best ingredients.  It's like a person surviving on a diet of McDonald's french fries and ice cream.  I  fed him good food, but ruined it by giving him all the cat treats he desired.  And the cat treats I chose, were whatever I got at the grocery store. I was stupid. 

I don't want to do that with Gus. I'd like to think I can learn.

I like to give my cats treats because I like to reward them and make them feel special.  Gus has toys and a tree and lots of hugs and squeezes, but food is an easy reward that he can appreciate right now.  

Since I can't bear not to give him treats, I give him the best treats I can.  Freeze dried meat.  That's right. You can get treats that are just freeze dried meat!  I've gotten him chicken, turkey, salmon, and shrimp.  Guess which one he likes the most?  Yep, the smelliest one.  The joke's on me!

                            

                

Sick kitty, I think

So Gus is worrying me lately.  For the last two days he has done nothing but sleep.  Now before you smart aleks out there tell me that's what cats do, I'm telling you it's not normal for him.  He usually spends the time from when we get home until we go to bed running around, playing, doing hijinks, and generally tearing it up.

Saturday, he lay on the couch on a fuzzy blanket the entire day.  He only got up to eat and use his toilet.  Then he slept in bed with me all night.

Sunday, he lay on the couch on a fuzzy blanket the entire day.  He only got up to eat and use his toilet.  I did try to tempt him with his favorite toy, which is a string on a stick with feathers.  Usually I touch it and he immediately comes running.  Sunday, his ears perked up and he played half heartedly for a few minutes, then he couldn't keep his eyes open and got back on the fuzzy blanket and went to sleep. He slept with me all night.

He did follow me into the bathroom when I had a shower on Sunday. But rather than meow at me and check that I was still behind the curtain, like he usually does, he fell asleep in the sink.

If he doesn't greet me at the door today and act like his normal, crazy self, he's going to the vet.  

Secretly, I think he's going through a growth spurt, but I'm still feeling very worried. Give the dude a prayer if you are reading!

***Update***He was fine when I got home.  Back to his crazy, sweet, and loving self! 

Book Review--The Last Hour of Gann

I have to review this book because it blew me away.  It's the first time I've read a book, in a long while, that I really couldn't put down.  You've may have or could read the description on amazon or wherever you go to buy it, but in short, it's a sci-fi novel about a woman from earth who crash lands in a colony ship with other earthlings on an alien planet where the alien's are humanoid, but reptilian. Determined to survive, she does what the others of her kind can't do.  She realizes she has to adapt to the new planet and accept it as her home.

What I loved about it is how masterfully it was written. Not only does the author realize a completely new world with new creatures and a new culture, but she does a shockingly poignant description of religion and God.  Meoraq, the alien, is a deeply religious man who let's god guide him on his journey.  Amber, the human, is an atheist with no belief in a god.  Along the way, things happen that make you think that the author is trying to prove there isn't a god and destroy Meoraq's faith. 

*spoilers ahead*

However, even after Meoraq learns his religion is totally made up and why, his faith in god is restored because during the course of their journey, Amber comes to have faith in god and is able to show him the way back.  It ends on a high note as he becomes the new prophet for the new religion that he will go forth and preach. Shockingly close to the difference between Mosaic law, and the change that Jesus made when he walked the earth.

The novel was thought provoking, touching, and held my attention over it's very long process.  This is also a love story as the two aliens grow to love each other, although they don't have any reason to be attracted to each other.  Meoraq finds her ugly, but falls for her spirit and strength. Amber finds him unbending and fanatical.  Yet, they can still fall together even with obvious physical differences and oddities. 

One of the best books I've read in a long while!

**As a warning, this is a pretty raw book, with graphic sexual situations, and horrible acts between people including graphic rape.  So definitely not recommended for anyone under 21.

Cat food

I've wanted to do a post on cat food for a while.  When Raz got sick, I read and studied all I could about kidney disease.  I could accept Jinx dying at 16 because he was getting old (although not old enough of course), but it seemed way to soon for Raz.  I discovered a lot. Kidney disease and urinary tract issues are a major issue for cats, all cats.  They are very sensitive to just about everything in their environment.  We probably are keeping them alive longer than they would be in the wild because they aren't exposed to parasites, predators, and other things that kill them early. On the other hand, we could be helping them a live much longer than we are.

The problems are many.  I thought I was always giving my cats quality food.  I checked to make sure some type of meat was the first ingredient before I bought it. I made sure that the protein and fat was high (above 32% for protein, and 18 or more for fat) I knew cats were apex predators--I mean look at a cat! Everything about it screams killer.  I knew that they had to have meat, but I didn't know that some of the additives and fillers in cat food that seem like they would be healthy (because they are healthy for us) are poison to them.

I'm not a monster.  I immediately switched Raz's food and maybe that is why he lived 7 more months.  The first thing I found out was that cats run in a state of dehydration.  They never drink enough.  That is a fault of their metabolism, which is one of the things that make them prone to urinary tract issues.  Although not all experts agree, wet food is better because it adds needed moisture to their diet. Think about it--in the wild would they eat dried out food? 

Now, I always thought dry food was better for their teeth, but I found out it makes little to no difference.  If they are prone to tartar, they are prone to it. So I immediately switched to wet food.  But it can't be any wet food.  Experts and cat people seemed to agree that a raw food diet is ideal (however not that practical or cheap). I bought a new super premium raw diet, but it didn't come before Raz died. 

Dr. Marty's diet was awesome on paper.  It comes as hard dehydrated raw food pebbles that you rehydrate with water and mix into a mash similar to a canned food.  I loved the ingredient list and wanted it to work, but Gus hates it.  At first I could mix it with other stuff and he'd eat it, but eventually I couldn't disguise it enough and he turned his nose up at it.  That made me sad. The stuff is 60 bucks a tiny bag.  I now have a half empty bag and three full ones that I don't know what to do with. 

I also discovered that the type of protein makes a difference.  Human grade protein is better than by-product meals and low protein.  So I started Raz on Cats in the Kitchen by Weruva.  The pouches are full of meat with a fish base. Raz loved them as does Gus.

I could get those on Amazon, but not very consistently or at the same price.

I was new to the world of premium food.  Plus living in the arctic I have to buy food that can be shipped to me.  The next foods I had to decide on were Orijen, Instinct or Wellness. They were all listed as a top premium food with good protein and raw ingredients, bonus you can buy them at Petco and places like that.  I found the ingredients and the reviews to be excellent for Orijen, plus high protein and fat content (which is fantastic for cats although it wouldn't necessarily be great for us!)

However, at the time, Petco only sold the dog food not the cat food (although that has changed).  And I couldn't get it delivered here (lots of companies refuse to ship to Alaska).  So I went with Wellness (Instinct had some dangerous ingredients).

It's not cheap, because I buy the wet food, but I hope it means that Gus will live a very long time with us!  I also continue to research and I'll let you know when I find better foods!