Prissy

I’m sure you’ve heard of the highly popular online resource called Real Age, where you can find out what your “real” age is. The information is priceless - not only is it enlightening, it’s potentially life-saving.

I got an e-mail a few days ago about Cat Age, a website to determine the “real age” of your cat. It’s all pretty subjective, of course, because no expert (no matter how highly skilled or educated they are) can give a 100 percent diagnosis online, without actually seeing your cat in person.

However, the information is, again, priceless and has the potential to save lives. I consider myself pretty knowledgable when it comes to my little feline babies, but there were quite a few things I found out that were new to me. I was able to see what I’m doing right as well as what I could have done differently.

Apparently, spaying your cat is a great reason - for more than just the obvious. It’s actually healthy for your cat and can protect her from certain potential problems. That’s an area that caused Prissy to score a little bit higher than other cats in her category. However, given the fact that she’s 20 years old, I’m still feeling pretty good about her care.

Did you know that spaying your cat minimizes the risk of breast cancer and uterine infections? Alexa has been spayed (because she spent the months year of her life outdoors, until she got a taste of the good life), but Prissy has been a house cat since she was a kitten - so we just never saw the need.

Something else I learned - the teeth-cleaning treats we give our cats are good for treats serve a useful purpose. They help protect against periodental disease, which can ultimately affect various organs of the body and nervous system.

My cat’s ages were also positively affected because they live in a smoke-free environment. We know that smoke (even secondhand) is bad for humans, but sometimes we forget that it’s bad for our cats and dogs as well.

It’s a very fascinating survey and you get your cat’s diagnosis immediately - I highly recommend Cat Age!

Just when Alexa and I thought we had seen everything, we’re surfing along the web looking at cat toys and just look what we came across: A Cat DVD for Cats
! I’m not even lying, she raised her eyebrows. I’m pretty sure she’ll be wanting Santa to bring her one this Christmas.

The DVD has this to say for itself:
Over 3 hours of digital video footage to entertain your cats or dogs. Squirrels, goldfish, mice, birds, laser pointers and much more!

What a great idea! When Prissy’s eyes did more than just look beautiful, she’d love to “watch” tv. She’d sit on the couch all evening and watch whatever happened to be on. Her favorite shows were NASCAR races and Disney or NICKELODEON shows. I guess she loved the brightness and the voices of the children.

As for NASCAR, she just liked to cheer on her favorite drivers, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip and Ryan Newman. She wasn’t much of a Jeff Gordon fan. She wouldn’t speak for days when he won.

Check out the Cat DVD for Cats by clicking the link. I think it’d make a lot of dogs and cats feel like 14 year olds at a Miley Cyrus concert.

Prissy loves her, too.

Our elderly baby, Prissy, gave us a horrible scare Friday night. She had a housefull of people in tears. My husband, our middle daughter, and I had gone to the movies (We had a date with The Mummy.)

After the movie, when we came in the back door, our oldest daughter (Emily) and her boyfriend (Dill) were eating cookies and watching Prissy. Stephany and her boyfriend (Rusty the snake catcher) were nearby as well.

Apparently, Prissy had had some sort of a seizure. Emily said that she started going around in circles, disoriented and even fell over. She picked her up and held her for a while - telling her everything was all right, etc. When she put her back in her bed (on the kitchen floor, near her food), she was restless and kept getting up - but couldn’t walk, she kept going extremely to one side and falling down.

The kids rubbed her and got her to lay down and go to sleep.

When we came in, Prissy heard the door and was getting up as Emily told me about what had happened. Sure enough, she kept falling - breaking everyone’s heart in the process.

Given the fact that our girl is almost 20 (her birthday’s next month), has lost her sight entirely, and weighs less than 10 pounds, we thought this was pretty much the heartbreaking end. I got out of my clothes and into my gown and took up my rightful place by my baby.

Alexa stayed nearby, keeping a concerned watch over everything. She kept looking from me to Prissy, then back to Prissy… I held Prissy and offered her water and food - she seemed grateful for all of it, especially the holding. She didn’t seem to mind that I was crying all over her. I just kept thinking how I wouldn’t allow her to suffer or to die slowly. I made up my mind that I’d take her to a vet and have him help her along. Oddly enough, even through all of the drama, Prissy (the sweetest cat in the world - I swear) managed to purr.

Stephany knew me well enough to bring me a pillow and cover - she knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I spent the night sleeping on and off on the floor beside Prissy’s bed. We had frequent visitors through the night, everyone checking in from time to time - on both of us. I’d always loved our white marble kitchen floor before, but it’s miserable to sleep on! Around 3:00 am I was certain that it was the coldest, hardest floor ever made.

Saturday morning, Prissy seemed much better. With my arms steadying her, she even managed to walk to her food and water rather than them coming to her. The improvement felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my chest. By Sunday, her movement was even better - she ventured pretty far a couple of times… Purring the whole time, of course. She was pretty proud of herself.

The emotional rollercoaster has left all of us drained. I know full-well that the time will come when she doesn’t rebound. I know that, at 20, she’s really pushing the envelope. But she’s still happy, able to eat, drink, and do her business. She loves to be talked to, rubbed, and brushed. She enjoys life and I can see that. She gets excited over food, fresh cool water, and (oddly enough) when I give her fresh blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals to cozy up with. If they’re fresh from the dryer, she really gets excited! She loves attention and was born to be the star of the show. I know that our days with her are coming to an end. I know we dodged the lightening this time and probably won’t be so lucky the next time.

But I also know that my baby is right in the next room, still with me after nearly 20 years. It means so much to me that she AT LEAST makes it to her 20th birthday, but if she begins to show signs of suffering even in the slightest or (as my husband put it), losing her dignity and pride, every other concern will go flying out of the window. She’s always been a very proud, “prissy” little diva - which is how she got her name in the first place. We owe it to her to make sure she’s able to leave this world with as much pride as she entered it.

God willing, it will be peacefully in her sleep after a day spent in the center of the stage - receiving the love and attention of her audience. That’s how she’d want it and it’d be a fitting end to our little star.

But, for now, the show goes on and I thank God for the extended performances!

My evening on the cold, hard floor a few nights ago made me think a lot about a cat’s comfort. Prissy’s days of lying on the couch and beds, because of her blindness and age, are a thing of the past. Not only does it seem to bring her discomfort to jump - I’m scared to death she’d fall. So I’ve created her a plush, pillowy bed in the kitchen near her food. I’ve actually created a little bedroom for her, with walls, pillows, and a stuffed Bugs Bunny (she loves him muchly - Emily says it’s her boyfriend, the strong silent type).

I think we should all put ourselves in our pet’s place. We should ask ourselves how we’d want to be treated if we were the pet - what sort of bed would we want to sleep in (warm, clean, safe, and soft), what sort of water would we want to drink (always fresh, please!), etc.

You’ll notice that I post a great deal about pet beds on this blog. That’s because I believe every pet should have a wonderful, soft bed - especially older pets, since they spend SO much time there! Plus, their little bodies can be full of aches, so the softer, plusher, and warmer this bed is, the more comfortable they’ll be.

The Heated Cat Bed you see pictured above is an answer to a cat’s prayers. Recommended by veterinarians, this comfortable and therapeutic bed for cats is gently heated to soothe older pets and those with physical conditions such as arthritis.

The bed stays at a constant 102 deg F, which is the bed temperature suitable for most pets. The 4-watt heater has two intelligent thermostats that sense and maintain the bed’s optimal temperature. The soft micro suede cover is removable and washable; lined interior is coral fabric to evenly distribute warmth, with a cushioned orthopedic polyurethane foam base.

Click through the link or picture to learn more about the bed any pampered pet would love.

Obviously, someone who’s familiar with Alexa, Prissy, Svenn, and Bo used them as inspirations to create a bumper sticker. You’d think they’d at least send me one free, right?

The Cats running wild! Bumper Sticker lets the world know you love cats and gives them something to smile about at the same time.

You gotta love that!

Prissy

My little girl is going down pretty fast. It seems like she’s aged 10 years since November.

I moved a large, shallow box that Prissy’s fallen in love with right beside her food and water dish. I’ve lined it with a soft baby blanket. She, literally, hasn’t left the area for over a week. No more scratching on the wall in our bedroom each morning to let us know it’s time for breakfast, no more wandering into the office to see what we’re up to, no more curling up beside Stephany in the evening for tv and snacks. Frankly, our work, breakfast, and even Steph on the couch just don’t matter to her anymore.

Needless to say, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through in my life. I’ve had (and loved) Prissy longer than any animal I’ve ever had - last September it was 19 years. I can’t remember NOT having this beautiful, pampered, graceful, and incredibly sweet-tempered cat.

I’ve been trying to look at the entire situation from a perspective that doesn’t make me want to lie down and cry for 3 hours straight. Yes, she’s actually dying more than she’s living right now - but what a life she’s led! She’s lived in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Florida, and then back home to Kentucky. Kentucky’s her favorite - she loves the climate and she says that Kentucky boy cats appeal to her more. She’s always been a flirt.

She has helped to raise three beautiful girls. She has played barbies, been a “baby” in a stroller many times, celebrated many rowdy Christmases - right under the tree! She’s swatted countless ribbons and helped shred more paper than any secretary. She has supervised Scrabble games (from the opened box), helped work puzzles (often from sitting right ON the puzzle), and helped with many, many, many school assignments.

She has watched my husband fix and repair everything from kitchen faucets to bathroom light fixtures. Her reward for her assistance was the periodical rub on the head, the scratch under the chin, and the reminder of what a “good girl” she is. According to her, he gives the best chin scratches around.

And, the number of meal preperations she’s over seen! She’s been a constant kitchen companion for me since she was so tiny I had to watch out for her. One of her favorite pastimes used to be when I’d sort through my recipes. She’d lie across half of them while we decided what exactly would be made that week and what we’d need from the store.

She has seen every episode of Little House on the Prairie, I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith - as well as every cartoon ever made. She has been there for every major sporting event over the past 19 years as well. She’s seen her St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series and her UK Wildcats win more than one championship. She was stoked for weeks.

I’m thankful that she isn’t in pain and doesn’t appear to be uncomfortable. In fact, she purrs as much as ever and loves baby talk more than she ever did. Her breathing isn’t laboured and she still eats and drinks. She just sleeps in her box - getting out only twice a day to have a little bit to eat and a drink.

Needless to say, if it weren’t for the purrs and if we detected any pain or difficulty breathing -we’d take her to the vet and end her suffering immediately. That’s why I’m so thankful that, while her fading away is extremely hard on me, she just seems to be enjoying the extra rest.

For all the extra fun, love, and enjoyment she’s given us - she’s earned it.

***The picture at the top of the post is one that one that my daughters took back in January. Prissy was actually playing a little bit and they wanted to capture the moment. She had more people around her giggling and awwww-ing than most pre-school kids do!