* * *
Tomorrow I will be the mother of a sixteen year-old. How is that possible, I ask you?
* * *
Last week at some point we looked at Spot (we don’t look at Spot a lot, because it makes him nervous. Also, he hides in the extra bedroom a lot, so we don’t happen across him all that often, either.) and realized that the bald spots caused by overgrooming on his legs had gotten worse and that basically he was balding from the waist (cats don’t have waists, but you know what I mean) down, on the front of him. Since Fred had to take Miz Poo to the vet on Saturday anyway (yes, he is a prince among men, and he is MINE) he called and made sure it was okay to take Spot as well.
Saturday morning he packed Spot up in one carrier and Miz Poo in the other. Spot was making the saddest, scariest, eeriest noises I’ve ever heard, and it was freaking out Spanky and Meester Boogers, too. Meester Boogers was sniffing at Spot’s carrier with his ears back and just generally looking freaked out.
When Fred came back from the vet’s an hour later he had three different medications for Spot along with an estimate from the vet regarding Spot’s teeth, which apparently desperately need cleaning. The medication was an antibiotic because the vet thinks Spot has a skin infection, medication for ringworm (he has a small spot behind his ear), and some kind of antidepressant medication so he’ll stop with the incessant grooming.
I don’t remember the name of the antidepressant off the top of my head, but it was the same stuff we gave Miz Poo last year or the year before when the vet suspected she was overgrooming and that that’s what was causing her lip to puff up. We had her on it for two or three days and had to take her off it, because it turned her into a total zombie. She didn’t act like herself at all, just sat there and stared off into space and was completely passive when we gave her medication or picked her up or whatever. After two days on it, I’d say it has the same effect on Spot, too. He’s always been the kind of cat who will purr really loudly if you talk to him or pet him, but Fred scratched him behind the ears last night, and not a purr was heard.
I guess we’re going to keep him on it for now, just because the sight of his skinny, balding legs is painful to see. Hopefully this will help stop the overgrooming and let his fur grow back.
At the age of 10, he’s now considered a geriatric cat. That just sucks to think about, to say the least.
* * *
When I came downstairs this morning, I glanced over at the cable box, and my heart just sank. The cable box flashed “Boot” at me a couple of times, and then went blank. I turned everything on, and it gave me the blue screen for a minute, and then claimed to be on channel 2, but the screen was black and I couldn’t change the channel or look at my list of recorded stuff. After about two minutes, the box turned itself off, flashed “Boot” at me, and then turned itself off. I called and bitched at Fred for a minute and he had me disconnect the power supply and cable to the box. I did so, waited a few minutes, and then plugged them back in. It did the same thing, I told him exactly what was happening, and he said he’d call the cable company.
While I was on my way to the pet store he called me on my cell phone to tell me that the cable guy would be at the house between 11 and 2 on Wednesday. I commenced to bitching about the fucking cable box and the fucking cable company and what bastards they all are and how I should just start taping everything with the VCR because I HATE THE CABLE COMPANY.
“No one I know who has a TiVo has ever had all the problems we’ve had with the friggin’ DVR!” I told him. “I should just go get us a TiVo!”
He wouldn’t go for that.
“Well, how the hell are we supposed to watch TV tonight?” I asked.
“We’ll move the cable box from one of the other TVs into the living room,” he said.
“And when the host of
The Swan is saying something inane and I didn’t hear what she said because you were TALKING, how the hell am I going to rewind so I can hear her?” I demanded.
“Bessie,” Fred said. “We used to watch TV without being able to rewind it. We can do it again!”
“But I don’t waaaaaant to,” I sniffled.
When I got home from the pet store, the cable box was up and running. I was able to turn it on and change channels and everything, but everything I recorded since last Wednesday and hadn’t watched – CSI: NY, ER, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal – was gone, gone, gone. Thank god Desperate Housewives reruns on Saturdays, but everything else is long gone.
Stupid cable box. Stupid cable company. The question now is whether the cable box just had a hiccup, or if it’s starting to break down.
And now I have nothing to watch this afternoon while I’m cross-stitching.
Fuckers.
* * *
“I don’t care that you were sitting here first. You got up and now I am sitting here. And if you try to move me, I will cut you. Capisce?”]]>
I beg you…get Dish Network. SO MUCH BETTER THAN STINKY CABLE.
Also, a pre-emptive strike from me:
The fact that Spot’s issues were mentioned was NOT a request for advice on how to deal with them.
Thank you in advance. 🙂
>
I know what you mean. At the tender age of 46, I am asking myself, how is it possible to be the mother of three kids, aged 21 to 24, and the grandmother of a five-year old and another grandchild on the way in December. Gah!
Someone needs to slow down the clock here.
Hey, we have those same patio chairs on which Mr. Grey is lounging in today’s picture! Is it just me, or do y’all think those things were maybe designed by a sadist? I sat down on one in my bathing suit, and when I tried to stand up again fifteen minutes later, my bare legs were covered in painful little welts.
This isn’t advice, just sharing (so there, Fred)… My cat does the same thing every year. I spent hundreds of dollars trying to diagnose her condition, even tried the kitty Prozac. I finally gave up several years ago and just decided she likes to do this to herself. It grows back just fine and she’s none the worse.
Happy Birthday to the Spud tomorrow!
Robyn – what was the brand of bath stuff you used that made you smell like blueberries all day long? I want to add it to my christmas list!
Thanks!
sharon
WOW! I can’t believe The Spud is turning 16!!! Must be about time to start looking at colleges!!!!!
my cat roo, who is 14, did that whole overgrooming thing for more than a year before he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. it took some time for other symptoms to appear, though. i hated it when he did it because like you said, it’s hard to look at. roo liked to lick himself bald along his sides and belly. no one wants to see a bald cat belly.
Better get those dishwaser tabs fast before Fred tries to poison you again!
Happy sweet 16 to the Spud!
My kitty is at least 13 — quite geriatric for a cat, evidently. Luckily, she hasn’t slowed down yet, just gotten more neurotic…
For what it’s worth, I had a cat who did the same thing. The anti-depressants did make her a zombie, but once she got used to them she came back to herself – a much less spastic self, but no more baldy and no more licking. MUCH better.
Robin, Is it my imagination or were you sounding a little more spoiled and whiney than usual!!?
Haha!! I do hope you can find some entertainment while you cross stitch this afternoon!!!
Happy Birthday to the Spud!!!
🙂 katlyn
Hey Robyn! I’ll show you my cross-stitching if you’ll show me yours….
~Julie
So, DVR. Yeah, I’m supposed to have the cable company come and set me up with that on Wednesday. I’m wondering if I should save myself the headaches that you’ve been having and order TiVo instead. One question though, why does Fred not want to get TiVo? I’ve been wondering what the pros and cons are of each and haven’t heard anything to really sway me either way. The only reason I decided to go with DVR is because I have to get cable hooked up anyway, so I thought it would be easiest to just get the DVR at the same time. Should I re-think this? Thanks!
Poor Spot! I hope he gets better, poor thing.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SPUD!!!
ER Rocked last week! It made me cry..bastards. lol Hopefully everything will right itself.
the bean is such a gorgeous little gentleman. also, that was the best caption for a photo. ever.
A big, sad, **sniff** for Spot & his spots. Poor little kitty.
Two blah blah computers. Me like! 🙂
Robyn–
Get a Tivo! We have Direct Tivo (integrated Direct TV receiver and the Tivo box) and can record two shows at once AND watch a third previously recorded show all at the same time (of course, we have TWO Direct Tivos, so technically we can record up to four shows at once :-). We have NEVER had a problem with it and truthfully, I don’t know how I ever watched TV without it.
To get even more recording space, my hubby put in bigger disks (it’s easy for those computer geek types to do; I’m sure Fred could do it no problem), so we have approximately 280 hours of recording time on EACH Tivo. Did I mention–GET A TIVO!!!!!
–Susannah
P.S. Just curious (have been for a while)–is there any specific reason why Fred is SO againast receiving advice? He really seems to have “issues” with it, so I was just curious why. That is all :-).
Susannah:
I’m not at all against receiving advice, when I ask for it. Unfortunately, all too often, people tend to give it when it’s not asked for. After a lifetime of it from members of my family, and years of it from a website wherein people felt obliged to chastise me daily on the way I chose to change my health, I’ve now found that a pre-emptive “no thanks” works wonders on nipping the unsolicited stuff.
Sure, it makes me look like an ass, but I’m used to that. 🙂
Happy Birthday to the Spud and Congrats Bitchy Poo on surviving parenthood for 16 years!!!
Blue mascara is minor, REJOICE, don’t even wanna tell you what my friends and I did on my Sweet Sixteenth (let’s just say it involved copious amounts of vodka and vomit, enough said. 😉
You don’t have to worry about missing CSI: NY from last week, because for some reason, at the last minute, they showed a re-run of the regular CSI, and the episode that was supposed to air will be on tomorrow (Weds) night. (unless this was just in my area–Philly…) I love me some Gary Sinese!!! I have me a tivo, and I am in love with it! It turned me from into a non-tv watcher into a couch potato!!
Happy Birthday, Spud!!
Happy Sweet 16 to the Spud.
And Robyn, you are just the coolest…you have a ton of cats and you cross stitch. There’s no better kind of person than that! 😉
I’d love to see some of your work sometime!
Awww….poor Spot!! I hope that the meds do their thing and his fur grows back soon. Poor little kitty-guy 🙁
It sucks when the vet refers to your pet as “geriatric”, especially when you are planning on them living forever.