The Homework Ritual

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Aaaah….the end of the day.  It’s time to relax.  Ok scratch that, time to get down to some serious homework.  Yep, I signed myself up for answering discussion questions, team projects, focus papers, nail biting deadlines, sleepiness nights, and who could forget the dreaded final that looms just 5 weeks away.  However, enough about me, I better fill you in on the kids.  Of course I have an audience, Belle is on the arm of the chair with me, and Jak is on top of the chair behind my head.  Have you noticed a trend?  Both Belle and Jak position their selves somewhere above my head the first chance they get.

The homework ritual begins shortly after I arrive home.  I would like to put my bag down, and change clothes before the stampede to the door to greet daddy; unfortunately that never happens.  Remember Garfield, everyone’s favorite cat?  Well as soon as the door opens 2 or 3 of the kids bolt to the door; it’s somewhat like watching Garfield race to the lasagna dish.

Homework time….boo.  As I sit in the recliner with my lap, Belle and Jack begin jockeying for a position on the chair.  The winner is the kid that finds the most comfortable spot for them and the most uncomfortable position for daddy.  Jak won the battle royal this afternoon sitting on the back of the chair.  Now visually picture a cat on the left arm of the chair, a cat on the top of the chair and me sitting in the chair.  Yep you guessed it; my toes are reaching for the ceiling.  I wonder how long I can stay in this position.  Never mind, Betty decided to bite the power cord to the lap top and when I reclined forward Belle jumped from the left side of the chair to the right side almost at the same time Jak jumped over my head (more combat wounds).  We could have had a collision in mid air. American Airlines, Flight 202 requesting permission to land.  Tower do you read me?  I guess they went out for coffee.

Well it’s almost time for the kids to get their wet food.  Feeding time should prove to be an inspiration for my next blog; how to feed five cats with four cans of fancy feast.  Stay tuned, and be safe.  Show all your animals the love that they so unselfishly show you 24/7.

Scott

Raceway Park

It has been some time since I updated by blog.  The kids; Penny, Belle, Jak, Fred, and Betty are all doing well.  It appears that they use our living room as a race track in the middle of the night, 3am to be exact.  I understand there belly clocks going off at 9pm for wet food, but how do they know its 3am and time to use the living room as a race track?  Once they finish playing speed racer across the living room, it’s time to use the stairs, not 1 or 2 of them, 3 cats racing up and down the stairs like their waiting for the mailman in the middle of the night.  Fred is the only one adventurous enough to venture outside when we accidently leave the door open to long.  He gets under your feet, and squeezes out the door.  He doesn’t go far, just to the gate, but our next door neighbor has two large dogs that might jump the fence.  Fred doesn’t care; he’s aloof to most things, even us at times.  He just happens to be the only cat that enjoys people food.  But that story is for another day.

Bedtime is a big deal in our house.  Fred and Jak race to the bedroom for the best position, (on top of my head).  Last night Belle made it to the bedroom first, of course that was after consuming 3 yummies and a drink of water.  In the middle of the night before Raceway Park began, Jak decided he wanted Belle’s spot.  Now I thought cats could see better in the dark then humans, but apparently not.  Jak jumped over my head onto Belle and shit and hair” flew.  Needless to say I jumped up to find my forehead bleeding, and Belle and Jak lying next to each other at the foot of the bed.  Maybe they thought it was time to wake up daddy?  Well they could have woke me up with head butts instead of playing leapfrog over my head, lol.

I hope that you enjoyed the latest update on our furry family.  Please stay tuned for further updates.

The Arrival of Betty

On Sunday December 6, 2009 while visiting the Friends of Linden Animal Shelter, little Betty a gray tabby stole my heart.  Although we already have four furry friends at home, I just couldn’t resist her.  She nuzzled my nose and neck and I fell in love with her.  The adoption was immediate which surprised me because the animal rescue associations that I have dealt with in the past require an extensive background check on potential adopters.

Betty adjusted quite well to the other animals, Penny, Belle, Jak, and Fred.   She has become attached to Fred.  The two of them run up and down the stairs, through the expandable tunnel on the floor and run and chase each other all over the house.

 I noticed that Betty’s eye continued to run and became concerned.  We made an appointment at the vet to ensure that there were no health issues.  Our visit at the vet was very upsetting.  The vet gave us two prescriptions; one for her eye, and one for her ears.  He also informed us that Betty has a Stage 4 heart murmur.  Here I am in the vet’s office, holding my baby in my arms, crying my eyes out.  The vet must have thought I was nuts because when he left the room he didn’t come back.  The vet suggested x-rays, ultrasound, blood work and other tests.

When we got home, I held Betty for hours and just cried.  I called Kathy from Friends of Linden Animal Shelter and she assured me that Betty was quite healthy and she was misdiagnosed.  Kathy made an appointment for Betty at the Rahway Animal Hospital for a recheck.  The vet at the Rahway Animal Hospital was wonderful.  He informed us that Betty’s ears, and eye has cleared up.  He informed us that she may have a Stage 2 heart murmur but that cats live perfectly healthy lives with heart murmurs.  We brought Betty home, and let her out of the carrier.  She immediately hit the food dish and began chasing and playing with Fred.

Betty has gained two pounds since we brought her home from the shelter, and runs and plays all the time.  Stay tuned to hear more about Betty, Penny, Belle, Jak, and Fred.

Welcome

This is my first attempt at a web page, blog as I attempt to share with you my insight and love for the animals that have become so important to me.  The following is a brief bio of the animals who reside in my home. 

It began with the adoption of two cats, Belle and Linny (sisters) approximately two years old from the Summit Animal Rescue Association.  The association named the girls “The Jungle Girls” because of their brown and black markings.  Originally the idea was to only adopt one animal, but the association did not want to separate the girls so we decided to adopt the two of them.  Or should I say they adopted us?  Unfortunately Linny passed away approximately three years ago due to a small liver that could not support her system.  Linny passed in the arms of my partner in the comfort of her own home.  She has crossed the rainbow bridge and is smiling down on us.

Shortly after the passing of our Linny, Summit Animal Rescue called and asked if “I” would stop at PetCo to visit a 2 y/o male cat that desperately needed a home.  Needless to say I spent four hours sitting on the floor of the pet store playing with the cat and took him home the same day.  His name was “Finklepuss.”  We changed his name to “Jak.”  So now there were two lol.  Jak was a rescue that had a few different families including living in a school dorm, a foster home, a vet home, and finally what was thought to be a forever home.  We took Jak into our home and shortly thereafter Jak developed an issue with his mouth in which his mouth would lock and cause him severe pain.  All of his teeth with the exception of four had to be pulled.  This was a $2,500.00 operation that the Summit Animal Rescue Association paid for.  If it had not been for the generosity of this organization Jak may not be alive today.

Approximately two or three months later Penny, a 9 y/o cat lost her owner.  A family friend called hysterical informing us that this loving cat would no longer have a home.  The owner’s son wanted to put Penny outside and set her free.  The minute the two of us walked into the house to see the cat, my partner feel in love with her.  And that was the end of that.  Penny now has a forever home with us (number 3).

Finally, last year on the 4^th of July, we attended a picnic and we found Fred.  The neighbor next door found an orange tabby in the woodpile behind her house with 8 kittens.  The woman took in the mother and fostered the kittens.  She took mommy and the kittens to the vet to ensure they were all healthy and began to find forever homes for them..  Fred is the fourth furry member of our household.

Please stay tuned for the daily antics of our furry friends.  Thank you.