The Kitty Goes to Germany, Part I, Long-winded Limericks.

There once was a cat named Kitty
whose adventures inspired this ditty -
a preposterous tale
which may become stale
as I recount and attempt to be witty.

In North Carolina it started,
the attempt to get this cat charted
on a plane to Deutschland,
though we hadn't planned
on such incidents as to make us faint-hearted.

He went to the veterinarian
(in his opinion, completely barbarian).
Many papers were signed;
we were officially inclined
to endorsement from the USDA Authoritarian.

For an hour and a half we drove
with a screaming young child, we strove
for an autograph and stamp
to officially replant
this cat to our new German grove.

We stopped at the local maze
(an airport - they cause such a craze,)
to gain the green light
that for shipping, he'd be all right
however his crate they did not appraise.

Another afternoon running around
but there was nary a cat crate to be found
At least three different shops,
all of them flops,
though we eventually bought something sound.

There was also the need for an expensive scanner
to display Kitty's microchip identity in a manner
that allowed the EU to read
that he was who he seemed,
and customs could wave the approval banner.

Throughout this somewhat hectic adventure,
which was already a real jaw-clencher,
we were dealing with movers
and all related maneuvers
to progress in our Germany-bound venture.

We dropped Kitty off with a friend,
for on our own flight it was time to ascend.
We had no clue
of the many jobs she'd accrue -
what would follow was surely not intended.



The End of Part I

snapshots.

Strawberry Chobani yogurt for breakfast.

Good morning! 

Me and my little Meow-Meow.

Marveling at how pressing the buttons changes the Twilight ladybug's color. 

Another breakfast shot - scrambled egg with cheese.

Lunch - pasta topped with butter, parsley, diced avocado and parmigiana cheese. 

Iris' sweet half mohawk! 

The kitty's expression just after being woken by Iris.

Me with my baby!

Iris with her Papa.

Tickles!

Smiling kissy face.

Love.

meow meow!

It's very rare that I can capture a good image of our kitty. He's camera shy and too quick!
I think I was successful today, though!

Sunlit bath time.

This is his Love Muffin expression.

a cat-baby.

It's late morning.

Iris is napping. 

I am feeling somewhat naked without a baby attached to me.

The kitty is being obnoxious and wanting my attention, 

so...

I used to dress up my parent's cats in doll clothes when I was little. 

Obviously, not much has changed. 

He purred a lot. 

And stayed put without so much as a wiggle for a good 10 minutes.

I also seem to have very large dimples.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing me in all of my morning glory. 

You may potentially be questioning my status as a functioning adult.

And I don't blame you!

a letter to my kitty.

Dear Meow-Meow,

During my pregnancy, I was insistent on the fact that the new baby wouldn't take your place. And she hasn't, but we have a different relationship now than we used to. Your personality has changed since Iris entered the equation -  you're more easily startled, more desperate for attention and yet more independent. You used to spend your days sleeping in the living room next to me on the couch, but now prefer the cat-tower in the other room. I used to give you love at every opportunity, and I still do but those opportunities are less now. 

You used to lay on your back in our laps during meal times, something most people would frown upon but you were that important to us. You often got little bits of scrambled egg or licks of syrup and butter as you basked in our constant attention. Marius used to pick you up cradle you in his arms - one of your favorite things in the world. We played with you with ribbons and feathered balls. These things don't happen much anymore, which makes me feel very sad.

I was brought up instilled with a deep love for animals, and you were my baby before Iris. We still call you The First Baby, but you have to beg for our attention. After Iris was born, you took to biting our ankles for attention and earned the nickname Piranha Cat. You have lately started to slam the kitchen cupboard doors in the evening to get me to come over and play with you. It's inexcusable to me that things have gotten to this point. When you slam the cupboard I tend to curse and become irritated with your behavior. But I know deep down you don't do it to be annoying, you do it because you want us to spend time with you, like we do with Iris during the day.

When we took you home with us over 2 years ago, we taught you that you are part of our family. Lately, I think you are feeling very left out, bored and even a little bit depressed. You have a wonderful personality; sweet and affectionate, social and playful. I miss spending quality time with you and I want to make more of an effort to make you snuggly and happy. 

I think you're the best kitty in the world and I am going to do my best to show you that from now on.

Love, Me

catch that cat!

Iris has slowly been discovering that the Kitty is not so out of reach after all...
When we are playing in her bedroom, he hides underneath the crib. She hasn't figured out how to crawl on her tummy or duck her head to get under there, so he can watch from a position of safety.
In the open, however...

Pooooor Kitty.

the zoom groom

This past Sunday, the Kitty went to "the place where the naughty kitties go." The vet! He goes in for preventative care twice a year - he gets vaccines, deworming, general checkup and dental analysis. How do we afford this? Pet insurance! We pay somewhere around $18 a month for a basic healthcare plan and according to the last bill, this has saved us $1000 over the last two years!! 

This trip he was very nervous and tried to cling to me th entire time. By the end of the visit, I was absolutely covered in cat hair. He despises being combed and tries to bite the comb, wriggles around and basically makes it impossible to shed out that extra fur. This is frustrating because our curtains where he sits at the window are covered in hair and it's just everywhere no matter how much I clean. So, I decided  to take a look around PetCo for an alternative brush and found the amazing Zoom Groom.

He adores it. 

Though it kind of looks like some torture chamber tool.

It gently pulls loose hair out and feels like a massage for the cat.

And it WORKS.

I brushed him for five minutes and he even purred the entire time. Now his coat is so soft and smooth! We can pet him without ending up with a handful of hairs! I plan to do this once a week from now on. This thing is amazing! If you have a cat, you definitely need to get one!

introducing... videos!

I created a new YouTube account a few months ago and have finally gotten around to starting uploads. A lot of my videos of Iris were taken with my Rebel Canon before I adjusted the massive file size, so YouTube won't upload them until I resize them... so until then, here's a video of the Kitty. 

He was trying to get the bits of rice leftover in the bottom... he ended up completely soaking wet but I couldn't capture it because Iris was upset over something. More videos to come! 

Note: You can tell how old I am by my tendency to call digital media "videos"!!

an "off" day.

I've been feeling pretty bummed out today, though I'm not really sure why. I'm going to attribute it to my hormones which have been all over the place over the last, well... the last year and a half at this point! Unless you count PMS in which case it's been over a decade, hooray!

Iris woke up at 6am this morning. After a long 2 hour attempt to get her to sleep the night before and getting up multiple times at night, I was pretty tired. We had a quiet morning as usual - I had coffee, worked on a few posts and went about my morning routine while she played at the table. Before it started getting hot, we walked to the office to send my mother's birthday card about 4 days late. That's part of the reason I'm a bit sad but at least I wrote her a nice surprise birthday email to try to make up for it. Things have just been so busy with Iris lately and I've had to put a lot of other things on hold.

In other news, the kitty did some weird things today.

Iris started making some extra-strange sounds today along with blowing big bubbles. On the way to the office, she carried her granny's letter all the way and didn't want to let go, how adorable! Then on the way back I gave her my keys to play with and she held them with both hands behind her head... all the way home. It was really quite odd and funny! She spent the rest of the day being very grumpy, as she tends to be until Marius comes home. I feel like she's making up for the colic she didn't have as a newborn with her misery lately. I wish I could do more for her teething pain but I don't feel right with Tylenol more than once a day (she gets one dose about an hour before bedtime).

Today has just been one of those days where I'm overly tired, feeling a bit isolated and just blah. I'm sure tomorrow will be brighter! I love my family, Marius should be home soon and there are beers in the fridge with my name on them. After all, I ate 1600 calories worth of Taco bell for dinner, two beers can't do much more damage! 

my Atlantic heart.

I can hardly believe it's May! Iris is almost 7 months old and 'swim season' has been in full swing here for a couple of months. It's been in the 90's already and we'll soon be making our first trip to the pool at our apartment complex. I hope we can make at least a few day trips to the beach this summer too. I'd love Iris to experience the ocean that I have loved so well. After growing up only minutes away from the northeastern coast, living 3 hours inland is sometimes a bit stifling. I miss the rolling of the waves, the fresh prickling of salty air against my skin and the overripe stench of seaweed (which everyone but myself seems to abhor, how curious!). Being a military family ensures that we are subject to relocation every few years, so we need to take advantage of living somewhat close to the beach while we still can!

We've been spending some quality time outside, Iris and I. We go for walks in the early afternoon if it's not too warm for comfort. We've got an Ergo carrier and a Baby K'tan but neither is really suited to this time of year. Iris is very heat sensitive like her daddy, so yesterday I ordered a light purple gauze sling from BabyEtte. It should be much cooler for both of us this summer, I can't wait to use it! It's nice to have a stroller for long walks but I much prefer carrying her. I love to snuggle with my baby girl and I want her to feel safe and secure.

The kitty was very pleased to be allowed outside with Marius yesterday- he's an indoor cat other than his occasional field trips onto the balcony. He was entranced by the birds (we call them his 'crunchies') diving from roof to tree. I love his intensity of expression as he attempts to will the birds into his claws.

 I am so looking forward to our adventures this summer; the first with our baby. I imagine her reaction to beholding the Atlantic, exploring the gritty sand and dipping her toes into the tide for the first time. With Marius' hand in mine and Iris cradled against my shoulder, we will stroll down the shore with hearts swelling. Life is truly a most wondrous thing.

small changes saturday v.2

I vaguely remember hearing something a few years ago about how clay based cat litter is unhealthy. At the time, I kind of brushed it off. Doesn't everyone use scented clay cat litter? Well, it must be fine then! After recently deciding to switch to cloth diapers, I thought why don't I do the same for our kitty? 

I bought a few cheap cloth diapers and cut a tail-sized hole... no, not really! I just did a little research on cat litter and after a very short period of consideration, chose to switch to... pine! 

 There aren't really any credible studies done on the health effects of clay litter, but there are plenty of anecdotal warnings. I read about how many people believe that cats and kittens may ingest too much litter from licking their paws and fur and have become ill or died. Breathing in the dust and fumes from the added scents may not be detrimental to their health as some claim, but it certainly doesn't seem a natural place for a kitty to do his business. I know I wouldn't like it, not to mention he smells awful after getting out of the box. 

I chose this over recycled newspaper or Feline Pine's original pellet litter because it is clumping and makes my life a bit easier. I always found changing the entire box to be unpleasant and would put off doing it until it became a horrendously smelling chore. The pine smells lovely and kitty seems to have no issues with the switch. His fur seems much cleaner and shinier now too. My next change was to switch his food.

We switched from Iams to Castor and Pollux Organix. Take a look at your pet's food nutritional label. Chances are, one of the first ingredients is corn, soy, by-products and other things that are definitely not naturally a part of a healthy, balanced diet. You can read all about it as well as product reviews here. Needless to say, since switching to a food with organic and natural ingredients, the kitty is even more thrilled about meal time. His "breffast" and "sup-sup" are highly anticipated and wolfed down much more enthusiastically than his old food. He seems much perkier recently, as well! 

We love our cat-baby - why should we consider his health and needs any less than our own? Granted, these products are more expensive but we feel it's worth it and we are able to make cuts elsewhere to afford him what we can. I feel really good about changing these things for him. Even if he doesn't live any longer for it, at least it makes him happy!!

I love his expression in this photo - he was helping me wrap Christmas presents!