Ralphie turned the big 2!

Holy cow! It seems like only yesterday that I brought little Ralphie home from the Shelter. Hard to believe it's been a year now. AND he turned 2 years old on Sunday the 3rd. He still doesn't like being picked up, unless it's on HIS terms, but he is still King of the House, rules the roost just like he weighed 900 pounds instead of 9 pounds. HAHAHA!

I honestly don't know what I would do without him. Even with 4 other cats in the house, and 3 dogs.....Ralphie definitely makes it a home! Happy Birthday my little sweetie!

Ralphie and Tuffy

These two young rascals are so cute together! You'd never know, by looking at this picture, that they just finished pushing the throw rug FROM the bedroom INTO the hallway. And the door was closed! They are certainly talented!

Retirement does a Ralphie Good

No - neither Ralphie nor I have retired, unfortunately! My husband, Brien, DID retire. Today is his 3-week retirement anniversary. I can't even comprehend not having to get up and go to work every day. He still gets up at the same time I do though, for which I'm grateful. If he lounged in bed, I think I'd have a lot more resentment than I do. LOL!

Serioursly though, I think Ralphie is enjoying having his Dad home with him, although Brien tells me that Ralphie wanders around the house looking for me. It's a nice feeling, knowing my baby misses me!

Ralphie came in like a lion

Well, sort of. Days just seem to RUSH on by and I don't get postings on here like I should. No, no, Ralphie is fine. Better than fine really. I need to take him in and get him neutered, but I just worry about it. I shouldn't, my heck, he went through the bowel surgery and came out just fine, but hey.....I can't help it. He's still my little boy!

If I were to guess, I think he weighs about 8 to 9 pounds now. He's still not a BIG cat, not even half the size of the others, but he makes up for it in attitude. He's fascinated with the dogs, although I think Moose scares him a bit. Moose IS a big dog. He loves his brothers, but loves Tuffy most. Simba doesn't like him (heck, Simba doesn't like anyone!), and will run, but Ralphie still tries to pounce on him.

Oh, and he's fascinated with the gas fireplace. It's one of his most favorite spots to sit when it's cold outside!

Ralphie's First Christmas!

Well, the Christmas tree is actually still standing, believe it or not. Contrary to popular beliefs and opinions, Ralphie did NOT climb up the tree. I figured it would be the first thing he did. Instead, he hid underneath it, yanking off every ornament within reach. He only broke one though, and that's because we whacked it and it rolled into the coffee table.

He continues to thrive whereas Tuffy continues to hide from Simba. From what I've read, cats changed at the age of 3, which is when Simba decided he hated Tuffy. I need to take time to reintroduce them, but time is a precious commodity of which I have little.

No more pooping problems for little Ralph, although I do continue to give him pumpkin in his food several times a week. I really don't want to pay for another 2 days of hospital time, PLUS surgery. It's just about as much to pay for a cat as it is for a human! Where is Obama Care for our animals, huh?????

Anyway, Rolla continues to have scabs all over her body, but she seems to be improving. They look like the same scabs Ralphie had when we first came home. I wonder if she's allergic to him. The Vet (yes, ANOTHER vet visit!) gave her an antibiotic and a Prednisone shot, which cleared it up the first time, but I won't take her back for another shot. Having 2 cats that both took Prednisone and consequently died from kidney failure makes me a bit paranoid. Corn oil and Vitamin C in her food is what she's getting at the moment. Will keep you informed.

Meanwhile, Ralphie is a total maniac. I need to get Brien to take a video of him when he's racing around the house like Dale Ernhardt Jr. Without the car!

Christmas is coming!

Ralphie was a champ at the Vet's office when he went to get his stitches out. The Vet also weighed him and he now weighs (tada!) 7.9 pounds. I couldn't believe it! He gained 2 pounds in the 2 weeks since his surgery. He's been going regularly, but I make sure to give him pumpkin in his food just to keep him regular. I really don't want to be giving him an enema anytime soon!

I realized today as I sat out in the "cat house" with my other cat family, that it's not "they" that have forgotten how to play as they enter their major senior years - it's me. I got out the old string feather toy and even the 17-18 year olds wanted to join in on the fun. I'm glad. It makes me smile to see them having so much fun. Even if for a little while.

Parents are coming in a week or so, for Christmas. I know Grandma will be shocked to see how big Ralphie has grown. He terrorizes Simba all the time now. The Vet said he was aggressive because he needs to be fixed. I think he doesn't like Simba picking on Tuffy, truth be told!

Ah well, off to bake cookies for my sweetie. Ralphie says "HI!"

Ralphie is Home!

My poor little boy has been to the edge and beyond. When the Doctor talked to me yesterday, he said we got Ralphie's age wrong because his teeth determined him to be between 3 and 5 years old. I said, No Way, I had proof that he was 1 year old on April 3, 2010. THIS YEAR! I took pictures in today showing him when he was that age, taken just this past March. It was amazing to see the transformation. Anyway, apparently his teeth are bad, full of tartar and his little teeny teeth are falling out. (I did read that that's a natural occurance for cats!)
Anyway, they'd been giving him laxatives and enemas for 2 days and nothing would come out. He finally did surgery this afternoon. Not the completely invasive, opening up the bowels surgery, but he opened him up and massaged his intestines until everything came out. WHEW!
He's in the bedroom now, sporting a fancy little Scooby Doo kerchief and loopy as hell. I'm keeping him in his cat carrier until he can walk without falling over. Then I'll transfer him to his old kennel that he used when he first moved in.
God Bless Dr. Thinnes. I was very impressed with him and the way he handled the situation. Even though it cost me more money than I have (and who has money anyway???), Ralphie is my baby.
I'll keep you posted!