I am assuming that you want an update on the cat, who, when last we spoke, was at the vet getting neutered.
He is fine. A little depressed, in my estimation, and possibly a little bit embarrassed and/or miffed by the state of his testicles, but fine. Also, if you’d rather not read several tedious paragraphs about my cat’s post-surgical experience, I urge you to skip right on down to the list of dinners below.
I am FINE.
The recovery period after the neutering procedure is supposedly two weeks. The instruction sheet the vet sent home with me says that under no circumstances are we allowed to remove the cone they sent home with us. (The vet doesn’t call it a cone; they call it an Elizabethan collar, and it cost $20, by the way. For $20, I would think that it wouldn’t rotate so that the Velcro/opaque segment of the cone is directly in front of his sight line, but apparently I’m wrong.) With the cone on, the cat cannot eat well or drink water easily, he cannot clean himself, he keeps running into things, his balance is off so he can’t successful jump onto something even as short as a step, he cannot rest his head comfortably, his neck is constantly itchy, and he adopts various mournful positions that make him look very pitiful indeed. His fur is greasy and he lies around a lot more than is typical. I do not see how this is sustainable for two weeks.
So: We have been removing the cone as frequently as possible and simply supervising the cat so he doesn’t lick anything. He does wear the cone – excuse me, Elizabethan collar – at night, when he sleeps in a bathroom we’ve converted into a temporary cat cave.
The vet and the internet insisted that I buy special litter for him, post-surgery. It’s pellets made up of newspaper and it’s probably much better in many ways than the litter we’ve been using since we got him, but he refuses to use it. He has taken to meowing at us when he has to go to the bathroom, and one of us has to escort him to his regular litter box. (The litter box is in a part of the basement we don’t want him in when he’s not in a cone; too many niches for him to hide in and commence furtive licking.)
One of the other admonitions in the vet’s instructions is to keep him calm. For two weeks. He’s actually been pretty good, so far. We have a shoe box he likes to play in, and he’s been batting springs and fuzzy worms around inside the box, and that seems to occupy him pretty well without requiring a ton of athletic movement. Carla made him a special water toy that we learned about online but he wasn’t super into it. Maybe we’ll have to try it again. He’s also spending a lot of time in the sunroom or at the window in my office, monitoring the bug and squirrel activity outside.
Okay, okay. Here is a photo of him in his Elizabethan collar. Please don’t tell him I shared this with the entire internet.
Revisiting all his life choices, trying to figure out which one led him here.
Okay! Enough about the cat! Let’s discuss my other favorite topic: FOOD.
Now. It is September, and school is back in session, and I need to get back into the dinner planning groove. Let’s see: we’re visiting friends for dinner tonight. Carla is trying a new sport this fall, and she has games every week. That means I need at least one meal each week that produces enough leftovers for us to eat after her game. We’ve been pretty consistently doing at least one night of Search the House for Your Own Meal, and one night of takeout. So that leaves me with three meals to make.
Oh – that reminds me: I keep trying to figure out snacks I can send to school with Carla that she can eat before sports practice or before a game. The snacks can’t have nuts, and I would prefer that they have some nourishment in them, rather than just calories. I’m not opposed to “just calories,” and in fact have been sending her with Cheez-Its and cheese ballsand granola bites and fruit snacks because she will eat those things… but I would love ideas for things that have other benefits besides calories. I’m not sure those things exist, though, especially nut-free things that do not require refrigeration. I am happy to BAKE things, as well. And, even though my “she will eat this” expectations are low for most new/nourishing foods, I am willing to TRY things, even if Carla ends up refusing to eat them. If you have any ideas, let me have ’em.
Okay, back to the dinners.
Dinners for the Week of September 1-7
Salmon Burgers with Cucumber Quinoa Salad: We have salmon burgers in the freezer, so all I have to do is make the salad, which I can then eat for lunches.
Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken: My parents return to our part of the country this week, and I want to have them over for dinner and to meet the kitten. Greek salad has kind of become my go-to for guests – it’s so easy to prep in advance, and it’s so tasty.
Beef Birria: You know what else I have in the freezer? Beef birria! And we have enough for at least two meals. I plan to make the tacos in the oven (as in this recipe) rather than on the stove. And then maybe I’ll turn the ingredients into enchiladas (a la these chicken enchiladas) the second night.
Let’s hop back on the blogging bandwagon with some random bullets organized by alliteration.
5 Food Fixations
The Best Brownies: Usually I am happy to make brownies from a boxed mix, but I didn’t have a boxed mix in my pantry and I needed some brownies. So I googled “best easy brownies” and ended up following this recipe. The brownies were so good. Rich and fudgy and not overly sweet. (Comments about the recipe mentioned that the original was on the sweet side; the recipe creator even included a note about how to reduce the sugar level, so I felt fine about leaving out the powdered sugar. The brownies were not too sweet.) Alas, the brownies are now gone.
Starbucks Favorite at Home: One of my go-to summer drinks at Starbucks is a green tea lemonade. But I honestly despise going to Starbucks. Well, maybe that’s putting it a little too strongly. How’s this: I hate going to Starbucks as often as my family likes to. For my particular personality and for my particular child, treats are both more enjoyable and more appreciated when they are truly treats – out of the ordinary, once in a while – rather than regular features of our week. I have implemented a once-a-month rule with Carla, and that works just fine for us. But recently I realized I could make green tea lemonade at home. I just brew a big jug of green tea, and then pair it with some lemonade. Just as satisfying and much more cost effective. It’s been such a hit that I even bought a special pitcher just for my green tea.
Cherry Crisp: My parents and I took a day trip to a region that specializes in cherries, and my mom bought a couple of bags for us to enjoy back at her house. One night she made a cherry crisp with some of the cherries (which she painstakingly pitted, chopped, and froze for future devouring by my daughter). It was delicious. I have been thinking about it ever since. In fact, I tried to make my own cherry crisp for my husband and in-laws, following the same recipe my mom used. I don’t know if I made an error while adding the ingredients, or if I cooked the cherries too long, or if the cherries our grocery store sold me are simply subpar, but it couldn’t hold a candle to my mom’s. I guess I’ll have to wait until next summer, and hope she recreates the magic.
Posh Chocolate: I cannot remember who told me about this little boutique chocolate shop, but I needed to mail some thank-you gifts and these fit the bill. Then I wanted to have a little “welcome to my house” gift for my in-laws while they visited, so I had a box of truffles sent here… and added a box of the huckleberry bonbons for myself, my husband, and Carla to enjoy. They are delicious and beautiful, and very reasonably priced for artisan chocolate. Also, I ordered all four boxes during the height of the heat wave, and they all arrived intact and unaffected. (I did pay $7.99 for cool packaging, as per their warm weather shipping notice.)
These are SO delicious. High quality chocolate, and the huckleberry flavor is distinct and very natural rather than artificial.
Chipotle Chicken & Black Bean Soup: After endless oppressive heat, we’ve been having a spate of cooler weather. So I made a big pot of my favorite soup and I’ve been eating it for lunch. So yummy.
5 Frets & Frustrations
Kitty Surgery: My little kitten is at the vet’s today, getting neutered. I have been extremely anxious about him being sedated, even though I’m aware this is a common and fairly simple procedure. The kind vet tech listened to my anxious babbling and answered all my questions and handed me a printout about what to expect that assured me I am not the only high-strung pet parent they’ve ever dealt with. I bought him special newspaper pellet litter (which is supposed to be less likely to stick to his incision) and moved some carpet squares, his milk carton bed, a litter box, and his water fountain into a downstairs bathroom so he won’t be tempted to run and leap around. It was weird coming home to an empty house; I have very quickly become accustomed to his little kitty pitter patter on the floors as soon as I walk through the door. I did take the opportunity to run the robot vacuum, who I am sure will appreciate doing its job unencumbered. (Leo’s attitude toward Rocky is either suspicious watchfulness or all-out attack mode, and requires a lot of supervision and “leave Rocky alone” repetition.) Anyway, I’m sure my sweet kitty will be fine, but I’m fretting about him anyway. I really wish my mind didn’t always leap immediately to the worst case scenario.
Blog Backlog: It has been a long while since I’ve posted… and a long while since I’ve read or commented on posts. I’m sorry! I am keenly aware of being a bad blog friend. And now I’m fretting about how I am possibly going to go back and read all of your posts that I’ve missed. My Feedly was so overwhelming I simply marked all as read (and I don’t even follow all of my favorite bloggers on Feedly! ack!), but I dislike missing out on what’s going on around the blog community. Well. I will figure it out somehow.
Health Concerns: I have a couple of dear people in my life who are dealing with some health uncertainty right now. One is facing surgery, which will confirm or refute the presence of cancer; and then there will be recovery from the surgery and possible additional therapies. Another is facing a chronic diagnosis and adjusting to what that means and how to keep on top of things. I can’t DO anything, except offer support, so I’m sitting over here fretting.
Freezer Leak: We suddenly have water appearing beneath the door of the freezer each time we open it. I can see a buildup of ice on the bottom of the freezer, so one possibility is that it melts and then pours out when we need ice or whatever. Another possibility is that the filter is clogged. We had similar leaking from the fridge side when we first moved into this house, and the fridge service person told me that the filter had never been cleaned and was FULL of pet hair. (Hork.) But… we’ve only had a cat for three months and we have the filter cleaned annually, so… who knows. The fridge service person is coming out in early September. I always love when the scheduler reminds me that he charges $75 per quarter hour, on top of the $159 fee just to show up. So let’s all hope this is an easy filter cleanout and not something requiring multiple quarter hours of his time.
CPAP Tryout: My primary care physician and my sleep specialist agree that I should at least try a CPAP machine to see if it helps me sleep better. I have mild sleep apnea (which, I learned, means that I was observed having 10 sleep apnea events per hour; “mild sleep apnea” is 5-15 such events, according to whatever criteria my sleep specialist follows.) so CPAP isn’t even really indicated, but they think it could help and so… I guess I will try it. I am unconvinced that it will do anything except cost additional money and further prevent me from sleeping. A couple of friends think I should really be pursuing the “this is perimenopause” path, but I haven’t gotten any traction from my gynecologist, pcp, or sleep specialist on that idea… and I feel too weary of all the appointments and all the money to reach out to a menopause specialist. Yet.
5 Frivolous Fripperies
Sunroom Sundries: One of my husband’s wish list items when we were looking for a house was a sunroom. This house indeed has a sunroom, or, more accurately, a screened-in porch, but for the majority of the time we’ve been here, all we’ve used it for is storing various outdoor cushions and pool floaties. This summer, we made a plan to turn it into a usable space. Now, we have furniture (although we are still waiting on a coffee table, which is backordered until November) and a rug and throw pillows. I really wanted to have some big leafy plants in there and after looking around exhaustively I finally found two on-sale palms that are non-toxic to cats and don’t require direct sunlight. Finding the right plants was very challenging, but Then all I needed were some decorative planters and some plant stands, both so they look nice in the sunroom (and don’t leak all over the floor) and so they look nice in our house when I move them inside over winter. Listen, I tried so hard to shop locally for these things. I went to six local, independently-owned garden centers and two separate Home Depots and a Target to try to find planters I liked that weren’t a billion dollars, and could not, so I ended up ordering them from that online place. The planters, despite being enormous and ceramic, arrived completely undamaged and I like them and the plant stands quite a lot. I am sitting in the sunroom as I type, and it’s breezy and I am surrounded by greenery and zero bugs and I love it very much. Leo, incidentally, adores coming out here. He likes to pretend he’s a jungle cat and keeps a close eye on the bees pollinating the hydrangeas.
Shorts: It’s been a hot summer and if there’s one thing I hate more than wearing shorts, it’s being uncomfortably hot. So I ordered a few more pairs of exercise shorts so I can walk outside without wanting to die. I got these ones in black and navy after admiring the pair that my friend was wearing. And then I got a pair of longish yoga shorts I can wear for walking or for doing workouts in my basement. I like them all very much. All of them have pockets, which is useful, and all of them are long enough to prevent thigh chafing.
More Shorts: Somehow the exercise shorts purchase set off a little shorts-buying spree, and I ended up getting two pairs of non-exercise shorts as well. These green ones and these khaki ones. I like the way they fit, and love the green ones wholeheartedly. I’m not completely sold on the khaki color, though – it’s a little darker than I thought it would be. Perhaps I will return that pair. And then I thought, I’ve got exercise and public clothing options covered, what about lounging around the house options? So I got a little T-shirt and shorts set that I adore. I feel more put together than I do when I’m wearing pajamas and the material is a nice weight and very breathable.
Pill Keeper: This is a very silly purchase and it makes me feel a million years old, but I love it so very much. My husband bought it for me because I kept complaining that I couldn’t remember which of my 85 supplements and medications I’d taken already. And then I had to go out of town for two weeks and I didn’t want to take all the bottles with me. So he bought me this pill keeper, which has containers labeled for each day of the week, and each day’s container has a little compartment for day and for night. I dislike having to fill each compartment every Sunday, but I love not having to hassle with bottles or concentrate on whether I’ve already taken my allergy pill.
Planner Plans: Okay, I am trying again to be the Planner Person I want to be. I got this undated daily planner – undated in case I try it for a week and then give up on/forget about it for a few months and want to try again. It’s nice and big, it has lots of room to write. I am going to start September with schedules and plans and a work strategy. LFG.
5 Full-Out Flops
Still No Zucchini: My zucchini plant, which is flourishing in terms of size and number of flowers, still has yet to produce a single viable fruit. My very inexpert guess at why it hasn’t produced is that a) there is a dearth of female flowers and b) the male and female flowers never seem to open at the same time, which seems like poor planning from a reproduction standpoint. I am happy to try, if slightly creeped out by, hand fertilization. But I have never seen a single female flower. UNTIL TODAY. Of course, the male flowers were all closed. But I pulled one off its stem, tore off the petals, and tried to use the male stamen to fertilize the female one. We’ll see how it goes.
Scratching Post(s): We have purchased four scratching posts and pads in the three months we’ve had a cat. They are a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. We also have a bunch of carpet square samples from when we were choosing a living room rug. And yet the cat by FAR prefers to sharpen his claws on the new furniture, any and all rugs (except the carpet square), and the carpeted stairs. We clip his nails weekly. We redirect him to preferred surfaces when he scratches the wrong things. We have scratchers ALL OVER THE PLACE. And yet. Sigh. I realize this is just him Being A Cat, and there’s not really anything we can do, but it’s still disheartening.
Tidiness Maintenance: Earlier this summer, Carla and I fully cleaned her room, her bathroom, her craft room, and her closet. She bought organizers for her bathroom drawers, she culled her clothing to only the things she supposedly likes and wears, she allowed me to stow all her Barbies, LEGOs, and other toys in bins. We tidied and sorted and shelved and vacuumed. We discussed doing a nightly five-minute tidy. We discussed ensuring that everything has a home. We discussed putting things away when you are ready to move to the next thing. We discussed not starting a new project until you are done with the current project. And now we are at the end of the summer and everything is once again buried under a litter of clothing and craft supplies and trash. Part of me feels like, okay, my kid is in a messy phase; I was a pretty messy kid, too. And a mess won’t kill anyone. Shut the door and ignore. But the other part of me feels like EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
Laid-Back Summer Schedule: This failure was at least instructive. Carla was adamant this year that she didn’t want her summer to be full of long-term camps. Knowing that my child prefers to be active and that I prefer to have copious time to myself, I set up several short-term camps for her. But we did have long stretches of days and weeks where she had nothing to do. Instead of filling those days with time in the pool, time with dogs, time with friends, Carla spent a lot of time Velcroed to me, feeling bored and unmoored. This, despite its high points, made for a less-than-ideal summer. I asked her which camps she liked the most, and she enjoyed the two camps that had her occupied ALL DAY. So now we know for next year. More camps. Maybe more travel (our time at my parents’ summer home was phenomenal). Much less unstructured time.
Gift-Giving Stalls: As usual, I have been completely overthinking and under-delivering on gift giving. Case in point: I had been researching ideas for my sister-in-law’s birthday gift all summer, and then when I realized I was running out of time to ship it to her, I panic-bought her some jewelry (which I think she will like). The gift has been sitting on my desk serving as a cat toy ever since and now her birthday is next week and I have yet to ship it. Also, my mother-in-law’s birthday is coming up in September and then my husband, sister-in-law, and brother have birthdays shortly after that, and I have not a single idea of what to get any of them.
5 Feline Photos
Here are some photos of my sweet kitten. The vet called and said he did great during surgery and I can come get him soon. She also said she thinks he will top out at ten pounds, which is HALF the size that the breeder anticipated. Who will be right????
What’s more comfy than some wrapping supplies and a stack of Post-It Notes?
Post ten-minute chase-the-feather-wand-toy session.
If a human is in the gym, the cat is in the gym, investigating EVERYTHING. Or staring at you with pity while silently critiquing your form.
Those bees look very busy but they could decide to invade at any time so it’s crucial to be alert.
Not sure if he was sick of listening to my workout video or if he wanted to try out the treadmill.
After examining a recent video I sent her of the kitten, my mother asked, “Is he getting really big?” I don’t think so, I told her. He’s just a baby.
But I dutifully got on the scale, got on the scale with him, and then did the math. (Actually, I tried for about ten minutes to get him to stand on my kitchen scale, which he refused to do with more than two paws at a time.)
When we first got him, he was somewhere around four pounds. Now he is EIGHT AND A HALF POUNDS.
He’s still just a baby though.
We’ve had the kitten for two whole months now. I think it’s safe to say that he’s completely changed our lives. For the better, I hasten to add. Of all the life choices I’ve ever made, getting him is right up there near the top.
Names
The first thing you should know, is that I lost the naming battle. We call him the name my daughter gave him, Leo; Lenny is a blog-only name. Oh well. There’s always next time. (Although now I have a desire to name a kitten Lionel, so we’ll see.) (We have no current plans to get a second cat. Desire, yes. Plans, no.)
We hardly call Leo by his given name, though. We all refer to him as Cat, or The Kitten. I have a variety of nicknames I use for him, namely Buddy or Baby Cat or Floofy McGee or Cutie Patootie or Blinky Baby.
This is how he looks after a nap, and the reason we call him Blinky.
Likes
At this stage in his young life, the kitten has many preferences. His favorites, in no particular order are:
Playing
Looking out the window
Scratching things, especially things he should not be scratching, but also, fortunately, things we bought specifically for him to scratch
Colorful plastic springs that of course get lost SUPER easily under chairs and couches and the stove and doors (I now understand why they come in a pack of 60)
His people
Shoes
Water dripping from the faucet (to bat and bite)
Why yes, the mirror is filthy because after “catching” drips, Leo flings them around the bathroom
Lying in front of the open freezer door
So coooooolllll
Filtered water (to drink)
Our robot vacuum (although I suppose instead of liking Rocky, the kitten could possibly harbor a deep and suspicious hatred for it???)
The plastic slipcovers we bought for our chenille armchairs
Chasing his springs into the chenille armchairs so he can jostle the plastic slipcovers
“Hiding” under the plastic slipcovers we bought for our chenille armchairs
Climbing onto the chenille armchairs beneath the plastic slipcovers
Concealing himself underneath the coffee table or couch, or behind doors or walls, and leaping out at whomever walks past him in an attempt at ferocity (he does not use his claws or teeth when he attacks, which I find so endearing)
Dislikes
The kitten is an extremely agreeable fellow. The parent of Carla’s friend, on first meeting the kitten, said, “He’s really pliable, isn’t he?” I think he was looking for the word “compliant,” but “pliable” is accurate too; the kitten is very floppy and amenable to existing in all sorts of strange and uncomfortable looking positions.
He does, however, have a few dislikes.
“Please don’t bathe me, I promise I’ll be good.”
Baths
Being held when he wants to PLAY
Postponing a meal by any amount of time AT ALL
I was washing berries when I SHOULD have been getting his lunch what was I THINKING?????
Staying inside when his people are going outside
Car rides
Being excluded from any activity
Contributions to Smooth Running of the Household
The kitten has undertaken several jobs and has committed to doing his work as effectively and adorably as possible. In many cases, he has been promoted to manager and takes his supervisory duties very seriously. On any given day, you might find him:
Supervising the robot vacuum
Overseeing the cleaning of the litter box
Investigating anything that takes place on the kitchen island
Ensuring the safety of his humans by accompanying them at all times
Scrutinizing all shoes that enter our household, even while still on a visitor’s feet
Examining the interior of any rooms or cupboards usually unavailable to him
Disposing of flies
Testing his humans’ Emergency Response System by performing daredevil acts on the second floor balcony
Reminding whichever human happens to be in the kitchen at meal time what their primary purpose is (he does this first by sitting patiently near the human’s feet, then by rubbing the length of his body against the human’s ankles, and finally, if the human still isn’t getting it and requires disciplinary action, by stretching his front paws up as high as he can reach on the human’s leg and gently biting the human’s knee)
“I am sitting here very calmly and patiently but that does not mean you should take your sweet time getting my dinner.”
Keeping a close eye on the housecleaner and performing spot inspections of her tools
Monitoring the loading and unloading of the dishwasher
Administering the assembly and installation of new furniture
Inspecting the laundry
Assessing the sinks
Allergenicity
So far, I am not allergic to the kitten. I mean, if I pet him and immediately rub my eye and get cat hair in my eye, my eye will get itchy and red. But that’s IT. I am so incredibly grateful for this. After yearning to have a cat for decades, I finally have one and it feels like a miracle.
Toys
When you are a kitten, everything is a toy. A current favorite is the unlucky wool dryer ball that dropped out of a pile of clothing and into the kitten’s line of sight.
The dryer ball is not supposed to look like this.
State of Purr
When the kitten first joined our household, he purred near constantly. I wonder if some of the purring was born of anxiety from being extracted from his family of origin and deposited in a new house with strangers. He no longer feels the need to purr at all times. But he still has a roaring, appreciative, sometimes intense-to-the-point-of-chirping, purr that he deploys frequently when:
we return home from being anywhere, including the backyard where he can see us at all times
someone begins to prepare his food
it’s cuddle time (not to be confused with play time, during which he will submit to being held but will decline to purr)
Post-breakfast, post-playtime snuggles
Daily Routine
We are slowly developing a routine of sorts. One that will get thrown into disarray, I’m sure, when Carla returns to school.
6:30: Breakfast with Mom.
6:45: Help Mom clean the litter box. Sometimes he will interrupt his own breakfast to ensure that Mom is doing the job appropriately.
7:00: PLAY.
7:10: Wait a second, that’s not enough playing! MORE PLAYING.
7:30: Help Mom wake up Carla, which involves intense purring and then falling asleep in Carla’s bed.
7:45-11:30: Combination of sleeping or playing, based on some internal schedule his humans don’t fully understand. Join Mom in her office where she pays way too much attention to that clicky rectangle.
11:30: Eat lunch!
11:45: PLAY!!!!!!
12:00: Seriously, that’s not enough play time.
12:30: Cuddle with Mom, which involves thunderous purring and falling asleep.
1:00-6:30: Mainly sleeping, with some occasional interludes of play.
Worn out, but not by too much screen time.
6:30: It is DINNER TIME, PEOPLE. Get it together.
7:00: PLAY!!!!!! and/or entertain the humans with his antics if they are sitting down to dinner at this time.
8:30: Accompany adult humans to Carla’s room, take up spot of honor between the pillows, and commence full-body purring.
The pillows are pink, and he lies on his back between them just like this and purrs until he falls asleep.
9:00-3:00: Sleep in a cinnamon roll shape on Carla’s bed.
3:00: Awaken to Mom removing him from Carla’s room and closing her door so he can’t see her probably ever again. Despite the disturbance, initiate appreciative purrs for encountering a human at this time of night.
3:03-5:00: More sleeping.
5:00-6:30: TIME TO EXPLORE AND PLAY!!!!
Evidence of Brilliance
The kitten:
Plays air hockey
Plays fetch
Communicates his needs (his water spilled, a plant tipped over, his spiral got stuck under the oven, he wants to play with the wand toy but it’s on top of the bookcase) via a combination of meowing, sitting, and leading his humans to whatever needs their attention
You’ll find at least two spirals under the stove at all times.
Sits on command
Comes when called
Regularly Uttered Phrases
The kitten isn’t, so far, a big talker. But we talk to him (and about him) a lot.
“Why are you so pretty?!”
“Where’s the cat?”
“Oh, hi, cat!”
“Where’s your spiral, Buddy?”
“He’s just a baby!”
“Leo, in this house, we don’t [climb on counters] [scratch the carpet] [climb on tables] [climb on desks].”
“Are you the cutest cat ever?”
“Whatcha doing, Buddy?”
“Excuse me! Are you supposed to be doing that?!”
“Who’s the best kitten?”
“Such a seepy eepy weepy baby!”
“Yes, you are so fierce. The fiercest babycat I’ve ever seen.”
