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!

Ralphie and the Vet

My poor little Ralphie is at the Vet as I write this. And me, being the worrywort I am, am worried sick about my little baby. He's been constipated for a few days, and he stopped eating, which made me think about taking him in. I gave him pumpkin and olive oil and Vitamin C, but nothing worked. It was when he stopped eating that I really worried because that boy is ALWAYS eating!

The Vet just called and said that Ralphie has 8 inches of blockage in his little bowels. He's not a big cat, so 8 inches is a lot of crap! They are going to knock him out and give him a laxative suppository, then palpate his abdomen to see if they can get the stuff out. They want to keep him overnight because he said when it comes out, it will make a mess, and he didn't think I'd want that at home. (I don't care, I want my Ralphie boy home with me!) IF this doesn't work, they'll have to open him up and clean him out. I'm hoping it works because I can't bear the thought of little Ralphie getting operated on.

He is so precious to me. Even with those killer claws of his! Brien and I are stopping by the Vet's on the way home from work to check on him. You know I'll worry about him all night long!

Halloween Ralphie

Well, I wanted to buy a real pumpkin, but the month just kinda got away from me! Ralphie wasn't too interested in the fake pumpkins. He actually preferred playing with the cords!

Ralphie continues to delight and amaze everyone he comes in contact with. We keep him and Tuffy in the bedroom when the dogs come in for the night (until they go into their kennels). He hates not being where the action is, and tries to escape any time someone goes into the bedroom. Just the other night, he came bolting out of the bedroom. Now, you have to picture this. Little 5 pound Ralphie surrounded by a 110 lb dog, a 78 lb dog and a 50 lb dog. Dixie, the girl of the dog family, loves the cats, but she likes nipping at them. Ralphie, God bless him, just rolls over on his back in a total surrender position. What the dogs fail to realize is that Ralphie has razor sharp claws. I feel sorry for any of them that try to sniff his belly! HAHAHA!

Too long!

I apologize. It's been way too long since I've told you about Ralphie's adventures! The folks were up over Labor Day week and Ralphie took to Mom (his Grandma) like white on rice. He followed her around, laid on her lap...it was really cute! Of course, stupid me, I don't have any pictures! They are coming up for Christmas, so I'll be sure to get some then.

Ralphie's also been a bad boy. We had a vase (note, I said HAD) that had some really tall colored sticks in it. Well, Ralphie was infatuated with those sticks, jumped up on the counter and started playing with them. Next thing I heard was a big crash. I went out to the livingroom and saw Ralphie, looking all innocent and the vase in a million pieces on the floor. Gotta love that cat!

On an extremely sad note, and nothing to do with Ralphie....I just want to say how sorry I am that Bear was put to sleep yesterday at the Enoch Animal Shelter. It broke my heart. He attacked a puppy and bit the Animal Control Officer as well. Neither was a good thing, but honest to God, if those dogs had some training and better facilities, maybe this would never have happened. I'm looking into getting training for all of them. I don't care how much I have to pay - those dogs need to be adopted and anything I can do to help, I will. God bless you and keep you Bearsky. You are missed.

I've been trying to clean out the storage room and the garage to make room so that maybe we can park the cars in the garage this winter! I collect so much stuff, that I'm taking lots of pictures and putting stuff on eBay. Just to get a little "walkin' around money", you know? Well, Ralphie and Tuffy both think they are being SO helpful when it comes to checking out what I'm getting rid of. I can hear them now - "But MOM! You can't get rid of this basket! This is fun!" LOL

The Velveteen Cat

Ralphie has the softest fur - just like the Velveteen Rabbit! He's snoozing right by my chair at the moment, in the tiniest piece of sunlight. Of course, he's tiny, so he fits just perfectly!

Ralphie eats just about everything. I tried a piece of bacon on him this morning and he tried to eat it, but finally just spit it out. I think it was too crunchy for him. He did, however, clean the honey butter off my French Toast breakfast plate! I have to put him in the bedroom if I'm going to have any kind of serious meal. He doesn't understand the word NO. He's on my lap, on my shoulder, in my face and on my plate, eating whatever it is that I'm trying to eat.

He has finally learned to jump up onto the kitchen counters. Could be good, could be bad. Brien caught him on the stove this morning. It's a flat-top, and he needs to learn to stay off because it could be hot!

Nonetheless, he seems to have reached his growth potential, and he'll never be a big cat, but that certainly doesn't stop him from acting like one. He wrestles with Tuffy all the time, and attacked Simba this morning. He doesn't think a thing of it when Simba whacks him on the head. He just tries to attack again. What a crazy little boy we have!

Ralphie decided to be Daddy's Little Helper today....installing a new garbage disposal.

Ralphie is absolutely fascinated by Moosie. Moose puts up with the little stinker because he knows he'll get in big trouble if he harrasses the Ralphster in any way, shape and form. Just look at his expression though - poor big lug! LOL!

He has become such a toy maniac! And trying to get him to go downstairs to the bedroom when the dogs are coming in has been a challenge in and of itself

Ralphie continues to amaze and amuse me. I've changed his diet slightly by adding brown rice to his chicken. I still run it all through the food processor, adding various digestive enzymes and vitamins for him. It will take a few weeks to see if the rice actually helps with his chronic diahhrea.

And he LOVES being outside! One of his favorite lounging places is inside the little dog house that sits out in our small enclosed grassy area.

Ralphie the Conqueror

Ralphie continues to delight and amaze me. Although I could have done without the incicent last night! I heard Bosco panting, so thought I'd run down and let him out before I went to bed. That wasn't a problem, he ran up the stairs and Ralphie tried to play with him (mind you, Bosco is a dog and weighs about 70 pounds!). Bosco came back to bed, and I went to let Dixie out (the other dog, about 45 pounds) and didn't realize that Ralphie had followed me into their room. She came stalking out of her kennel and rushed Ralphie. I yelled, Ralphie jumped and Dixie went upstairs. Poor little Ralphie, I think he was actually startled for the first time in his life. His tail was 3 times bigger than normal and all his hair was standing on end. It was really quite funny! I put him in the other bedroom until Dixie went back to bed.

He's back to normal this morning though, terrorizing JoJo and Simba and rushing around seeing what there is to eat. That boy loves to eat!

And in this corner....!

First, I apologize for not having a picture (yet!) of Ralphie and Tuffy tusseling it out on the bed. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Ralphie isn't even HALF the size of ole Tuffy beans, yet...he initiates the playtime. He stands and wiggles his little butt and Tuffy just looks at him. Then Ralphie pounces and they wrap their paws around each other and pretend-bite and role around. I just can't help but laugh. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - Ralphie has no fear!

UPDATE! Pictures are here!

Ralphie's into playing games!

The angle of this picture makes it look like Ralphie has gained a lot of weight, but it really isn't true. He eats really well, but he's still by no means fat. Probably because he's usually running around the house like a maniac! The only reason he's sitting in front of the computer is because he saw the mouse pointer move and he thought it would be fun to try and catch it. One of these days, may he WILL learn to play Solitaire, but I don't think it's going to be any time soon.

Ralphie the Lounge Lizard

I now know why Ralphie sleeps in a kennel at night. It's not because Moose will squish him - he's way too fast for that. It's because he tends to sleep on my face and then he purrs louder than a Mac Truck and I can't sleep!

Ralphie, the June Bug

Hard to believe that Winter is over and Summer is here. Yes, you are correct. I didn't mention Spring because I don't think we had one. It was almost 100 yesterday and in the high 90s today. Doesn't deter Ralphie and his pack from running outside to see what the bugs and the hummingbirds are up to though!

Brien bought sod and laid it in the tiny backyard, and also in the dogs' run. I'm not sure Ralphie really knew what to think!

He looks good though - the little scabs are slowly going away, he's enjoying his turkey and/or chicken puree and he's even started eating a little Science Diet canned food. I also bought a bag of Duck and Green Pea made by Dick Van Patten's company. It's allergen free, so I'm hoping it will help to curb his never ending diarhhea problem (Ralphie's, not Mr. Van Patten's!)

Memorial Day Ralphie

It's been a very long week, but that's just work for me. Ralphie is continuing to thrive and charms everyone he meets. Not that he meets many people, but I'm looking forward to having his "Grandma and Grandpa" come up to visit him!

He and Tuffy enjoy their time in the bedroom together and both were a huge help in making the bed last night!

Cross your fingers, he hasn't made a mess in his kennel in 2 nights!

I thought I saw a puddy-tat

Ralphie saw his first rabbit last night, out in the field beyond the fenced in portion of the yard. This is pretty much what he looked like!

Ralphie has Cattitude

As my husband says, you never want Ralphie walking on your face because you never know where his paws have been!

Ralphie still has a little diahhrea problem which I doubt will ever truly go away. I think he poops at night when he's sleeping and doesn't realize it, because he always ends up with crap on his legs or his tail. I've GOT to get a picture of Ralphie's tail - it's like a monkey's, it's so dang long!

Ralphie definitely has cattitude. He has firmly established himself as "head of household". If only he could deduct his chicken expense from our taxes next year, we'd be good to go!

Ralph in the Grass

Remember when I said that Ralphie didn't like going outside? Well, I admit it. I was wrong. I think, since he's now become King of the Big House, he thinks it's pretty cool going outside with the big boys. And now that the weather has become nice, everyone is enjoying themselves!

Ralphie has become a real kitten

Much like Pinocchio, without all the wooden parts, Ralphie was a bit of an enigma when he lived at the Shelter. He wanted to be a real kitten, but never quite knew how to go about it. Sure, there were lots of other cats at the Shelter to hang with and food and water were always plentiful, but something seemed like it was missing.

When he came home with me, he was still that little cat that didn't quite know where he belonged in the world, but he was catching on quick. Different experiments with food, sleeping in a kennel with his personal, private litter box and lots of toys finally, FINALLY brought out the Ralphie kitten that I knew was hiding in that compact little body. No, I don't think he's gotten any bigger physically, but emotionally, he has become a powerhouse. He races out of the bedroom as fast as he can go, runs into the kitchen and waits for me to heat his food up in the microwave (as I said, ALL my animals are spoiled!), he plays with the balls on the wood floor, skittering around like a tiny little tornado. And OH, he LOVES string, rope and anything that you can pull across the rug that he can chase. I always thought Ralphie was going to be a quiet, unassuming King of the Shelter or Home, but I was wrong. So very wrong. He has taken over the house, taken over my life and taken over my heart.

Guess I'll have to buy him a cricket.

Ralphie's First Day in the Big House

He IS the King. He's already taken over JoJo's blanket!

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Okay. I admit it. Ralphie isn't a big fan of the great outdoors. Which is actually probably a good thing since he's so tiny, I'm afraid a good gust of wind would blow him clear to Kanarraville! He goes out briefly with the boys, but is more anxious to get back in the house to explore strange new worlds and new civilizations. Well, okay, he's not Captain of the Star Ship Enterprise, but he thinks he's a great explorer at any rate!
I'm going to leave the bedroom door open tomorrow to give him free reign of the house. I don't think Simba will appreciate it much, but I suspect he'll run around briefly, then go find his favorite snoozing spot and spend the rest of the day in the bedroom.
G'nite!

Friday Night Sights

Ralphie has now been part of our family for 2 weeks. Seems like there was never a day that he wasn't here.
I stopped and chatted with Chris from the Shelter today, told Ralphie's Mom that he was doing good and didn't realized, until Chris asked, that Ralphie indeed is growing hair on the back of his legs. I'll have to get pictures if he'll sit still long enough to take one!
Here is a picture of him playing with a ball though. He has discovered that he has a "play" gene in that little body of his. I was beginning to wonder!

Ralphie puttin' on the ritz

Well, okay, Ralphie wasn't putting on make-up, but he sure seemed like he wouldn't mind! I HATE having my picture taken, but Ralphie was so dang cute sitting there helping me out, that I couldn't resist.

Since we get up every weekday morning at 4:30am, there's never enough time to give Ralphie the love he thinks he deserves, so....having him sit with me while I paint my face is good time for both of us.

By the way, ground up the chicken last night, added a little oil, some cat vitamins and some digestive enzymes. Ralphie LOVES it! He had 2 bowls of the stuff this morning. No, they weren't full to the rim, but he was chowing down when I left. Keep your fingers crossed!

Chicken Soup for Ralphie

Ralphie loves chicken soup. Okay, okay, it's not really chicken soup, like from Campbells or anything. It's just cooked chicken with the stock that cooked with it. (Oh, and I put nasty giblets in there too. Afterall, I'm making this for the cats, not for me!) the more I have Ralphie around, the more I think he suffers from food allergies. Chronic diahhrea isn't something I'd wish on anyone. Especially Ralphie. It's only been a week though, but I was hoping that the Science Diet crunchies and the Fancy Feast would have helped.

I'm heading to Petco this weekend to buy some extravagent food for him - perhaps with no fillers at all. I also found a recipe in one of my natural pet books that's specific for food allergies. And I can use chicken, so half the battle has been won.

If anyone has any other ideas, I'd be more than happy to hear them!

(This is Ralphie with his brother Tuffy and sister Rolla. Talk about relaxed. Sheesh!)

Sunday is a day of rest

And for Ralphie, that is the rule. Although, I think he thinks every day is a day of rest. Since he's been here, he's been finding every place possible to lounge. There is no better reason to have Ralphie in my life, except to make me smile. Thank you Ralphie.

Laundry Day

What better helper could I have (besides Tuffy)? Ralphie is all things. He's the most curious cat I've ever met in my life! He HATES being stuck in the bedroom all the time, so while I was doing the laundry, he got to enjoy the run of the house. Of course, he doesn't like to stray too far from where the people are, but I DID see him munching on Simba's cat food a couple of times!

Ralphie's Week Anniversary!

Hard to believe the little fella has been here a whole week!

Routine is pretty much the same as it has been all week. Brien and I DID go to a Creedence Clearwater Rivival concert last night, so Moose had the run of the house and Ralphie had the run of the bedroom.

I couldn't find him when I got home, which made me panic just a bit - he's so tiny! He was curled up in the round scratch post cave. Looked pretty comfy too!

Tuffy is warming up to him. I think it's because Tuffy knows that Ralphie gets fed twice a day, so if he's in the bedroom, then he'll get fed as well.

Tried something different - I accidently bought some Science Diet canned food, and didn't notice it was the chunky kind with gravy. When I bought that for Ralphie's 1st birthday at the Shelter, he didn't appreciate it at all! Tonite though, he decided to give it the ole college try. He actually licked off most of the gravy and ate a few of the pieces. He ate more after I crunched them up with my finger.

He continues to be fascinated by Moose. I continue to keep a wary eye on the dog, just in case he flips out and goes after the little guy. Ralphie may be a lion inside, but outside, he's still my baby.

Sick Day

Little Ralphie Bean has a cold. Or something similar to a cold at any rate. He woke up this morning, but didn't bound out of his kennel to eat, nor did he purr. He DID, however, have some goopy stuff coming out of his nose. Poor baby!
I warmed him up a little bowl of chicken broth, leftovers from the dogs' breakfast. (Did I mention all my animals are spoiled rotten?) I added just a pinch of Vitamin C. He ate most of it, then decided to crawl up my chest and perch on my shoulder. Problem with that was the fact that I was getting ready to get into the shower, thus....had nothing on but a smile. Which soon turned into a grimace as Ralphie's back claws sunk into my neck. Ah well, it will heal.
Ralphie began to purr as we cuddled together waiting for Brien to come back from feeding the horses. He comes to get the dog food (after it's warmed in the microwave of course!), then I go get Bosco and Dixie out of their kennels. It was so nice sitting with Ralphie though, that I didn't want to get up!
One of my other babies didn't look too good at all this morning. She lives out in the "cat house". No - no women of ill-repute back there, just a bunch of party animals! She's at least 15 years old, probably closer to 16 1/2, but still.....I hate seeing them get old and I hate even worse, seeing them die. I've already lost 3 this year - that should be my quota!

A Day in the Life of Ralphie

Ya know, most people enjoy a good cup of hot coffee in the morning to get them going. Me? I prefer a good cup of Ralphie. Well, okay, not literally! (Even though he is just big enough to fit in a coffee mug!) He just makes me smile. I get out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4:30AM Monday through Friday and opening up his kennel, seeing him stretching and yawning, just makes me grin. Then he runs straight to his crunchy food bowl and eats for about 5 minutes before deciding he needs to cuddle on my shoulder. I need to make a little pad for him to sit on!

He LOVES coming out into the rest of the house, but, like Tuffy, he has to stay in the bedroom until the dogs go to bed. Dixie, our girl dog, loves Tuffy. Loves to eat his hair that is. She's a Border Collie - I think she feels like she has to herd all the cats around.

Even amongst bad news (just found out the truck is broke and will cost over $3,000 to fix), Ralphie makes me smile.

Later.

Ralphie the Snoozer

Well, Ralphie was sound asleep when we got home. He's now sitting on my shoulder, rubbing his face on my glasses (and knocking them on the floor!). What a character. I missed him today. I told one of the girls at work I was going to need a Webcam in the bedroom so I could check on him during the day.

Like most cats though, all he did was sleep. And eat. And hopefully poop in his litter box. Didn't see anything on the floor, so there is definitely hope!

One of the dogs at the Enoch Animal Shelter named Bear, was adopted over the weekend. I was ecstatic. He's got a little Pittie in him, but I truly think there's more of something else than that in him. He's such a gentle soul. Young, full of energy that needs to be trained, but really sweet and loving. I'm prejudice of course - I think they ALL need to be adopted. I hope he stays in his Forever Home though. Nothing would make me happier.

As for Ralphie - it's getting late and I'm getting tired. He's all ready to party, but he's going to have to do it in his kennel.

He's been outside a couple of times - doesn't really know what to do with all that air and grass, but I think he'll learn. He's too teeny to leave outside by himself. I'm afraid the hummingbirds will pick him up and cart him off!

Later.

A Little R&R for Ralphie

Today is Ralphie's first day in the bedroom with Rolla without me. I mean, I had to come to work today. I won't be there to peek in on him and see him curled up on a pillow on the bed, snoring. Okay, well, Ralphie doesn't snore that I've noticed, but still. He seems to really enjoy looking out the windows, he's got a fresh bowl of water, his crunchies and a re-fill of his canned cat food, so I shouldn't worry, right? I feel like a new Mom.

Tuffy meets the new addition.

The Kennel

Went to Cal Ranch yesterday and bought a kennel for Ralphie to sleep in. I know. I know. But that cat carrier was too small to hold a litter box. I didn't want him pooping on his blanket, then having nowhere else to sleep. And NO, didn't get one the size of Moose's kennel (although I thought about it!) I bought an "Intermediate" size, 36" long. Plenty big enough for a litter box and a nice size bed.

Didn't hear a peep out of him last night and he DID use the litter box. Only missed once, but....it was on the floor of the kennel and not in his bed, so I consider that a definite improvement!

He's getting curiouser and curiouser. He doesn't like sitting around in the bedroom all day. Brien brought him out to wander the house, but wasn't watching and Ralphie scaled the back of his leg, up the back of his shirt and onto his shoulder. Good thing Brien isn't a hemopheliac!

Still has the "runs" (Ralphie that is, not Brien!) but I'm hoping the consistent food will straighten that out in time. If not, I may take him to a vet in St. George for a consultation. Food allergies or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Ich. I just want him to thrive, no matter what his size. The other cats are still afraid of him. Which amuses me because they are all a LOT bigger than he is. Perhaps they see what Ralphie himself sees. A Lion.

Ralphie's First Night

....was ANYTHING but uneventful. He enjoyed his ride home. We sat and waited for my husband to come out of work (we carpool). Brien wasn't nearly as surprised to see Ralphie as I thought he would be. Ralphie went back into his kennel for the 20 minute ride home. For his first few days, we thought it best that he hang out in the bedroom with Rolla, so that's where I put him.

Rolla, who is terrorized by every other cat in the house, seemed quite taken with little Ralphie. For the first time since I've known her, she didn't growl and run under the bed. This might be the start of a whole new friendship!

I gave him some Science Diet Kitten food which he started munching like he hadn't eaten in 20 days. I know that isn't true, no matter how tiny he is. The people at the Shelter took good care of Ralphie Bean.

Ralphie likes Rolla, but turns out, his favorite cat is our 110-pound Chocolate Lab named Moose. He's fascinated by him! Thank goodness our cat Simba told Moose who was boss when he came to live here. One claw to the nose cured Moose's propensity for chasing cats! Moose gave Ralphie the once-over, then went and laid down in his kennel.

I made up a bed in a small cat carrier for Ralphie, at least for the first night. I didn't want him wandering over to Moose's kennel and getting in trouble. Afterall, it's his first night. I didn't want to report to the Shelter that Ralphie got squished.

He slept pretty good, except for the fact that he pooped in his kennel. Ralphie has issues with diarrhea. I heard him, got up and let him out, picked him up and proceeded to have Ralphie poop down my leg. I got cleaned up and let him hang out with me for a few minutes, where he crawled across my face and raked his back claw against my nose, causing a terrific nose bleed for a few minutes. I felt like Moose.

When we woke up in the morning, I let him out and let him crawl on me while laying in bed. I should have known better. He was purring up a storm, right by my face, then...WHAM! Poop right down my chest. Ah...ain't life grand.

I suspect Ralphie may have a bit of a food allergy. He's starting to get some digestive enzymes in his food and hopefully, having the same food all the time, will alleviate his symptoms. Who knows, he may even grow a little!

My husband has been very patient with me. For this, I thank you and I love you.

The First Day of the Rest of Ralphie's Life

I'm taking Ralphie home today. Brien promised I could back in March, for my birthday. The birthday didn't turn out too good because one of my beloved cats passed away from congestive heart failure. ON my birthday. Pretty much sucked.

Let me explain WHO Ralphie is though, and why I've decided to start a blog about him. Ralphie is a kitten. A cat now, I suppose, since he just turned 1 year old on April 3. Ralphie is kinda like Peter Pan. He will never grow up. Unfortunately, he will grow old though, unlike Peter. Dang it. He's just teeny though - not any bigger than the size of about a 12 week old kitten.

Don't let his size fool you though, he thinks he's the King of the Shelter. He has NO fear. Which could be bad. Chris, the Animal Control Officer, refuses to let him get adopted to "just anyone". I totally agree with her. Ralphie is special. By the way honey, I'm not adopting Ralphie - I'm just fostering him. He needs to get used to a real home, with a normal food bowl and water bowl and dogs. I think the dogs will be okay, but I'm keeping him in the bedroom with Rolla for now.

I'll let you know how it goes on his first night at home.