Relatively straight

I took these pictures this morning after Chance got the splint off. The vet I saw this morning refused to put it back on. He thought it was more detrimental to him at this point than it was helpful. He was a jerk and unprofessional in how he handled things in my opinion. I will not see him again. I have an appointment Monday afternoon to see Dr. White who put the splint on to begin with. If it seems to go downhill between now and in the morning I will see if I can see Dr. White tomorrow. Dr. Nelson said it couldn't get any worse when I asked what if it gets worse. He can put his paw down on his pads like he is supposed to now and he could not before so I do feel that there has been an improvement. There isn't much muscle tone in that lower part of his leg/foot but there wasn't much to begin with anyway since he wasn't using it. He lifts that leg up a lot more now with the splint off but hopefully he will use it more and things will improve rather than go back the other way. I guess we will see what Dr. White has to say tomorrow/Monday and go from there. I think we just need to stick with Dr. White as it gets very frustrated to deal with multiple doctors and their differing opinions.

I spoke too soon!

Yesterday I was telling someone that I was surprised that Chance had not yet gotten the splints off of his leg. Well..........now he has. I noticed it looked like it was slipping down his leg some this morning but wasn't sure but then a little while later it was quite obvious that it had slipped even further down. So, I put him in my bathroom to keep him from running around on it anymore and making it worse and called the vet to see about getting him in to re-bandage him. When I went back in the bathroom to check on him I found the splint off and him madly trying to clean that leg. It looks like they are right and the leg is not growing. I haven't looked at it up close yet though since he was busy with it. When I left the bathroom to call work to say I'd be late I found the other kitty sitting in my chair at the computer. I guess that means I spend too much time here since she seemed to know where I would show back up soon.

The fighting begins

They started fighting more this morning. Chance would jump on top of her and bite her tummy and stuff. She kept coming back for more though!

Interesting resting place

I still haven't figured out a good name for this little kitten. She is quite vocal, climbs everything including me and has some interesting places she likes to rest. I was doing something at the computer and she climbed up on the back of my leg and just laid down! She moved around a little while I was trying to get a good picture to show where she was at.

I seriously thought I might have to return her but I think perhaps things will work out okay between the two kitties after all. At least they haven't tried to kill each other yet. They swipe at each other sometimes and growl at times but that has been the worst so far.

It's a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe they got so close to each other to eat and drink. They were in Chance's bathroom and she was eating his food and he was drinking some water.

The other picture is forced. I put them both in the cat bed and both were making "I don't like this" type noises. They played pretty well together tonight I think. I hope they are both worn out and will sleep well.

My poor hands

I have scratches all over the place from these crazy kitties. (mostly the new one)

My new "family"

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Not too sure about each other

Here are a few pictures of Chance and the new kitty. They are still not sure about each other. Both went to the vet today and got their first shots. The new kitten has a heart murmer. Leave it to me to find two cats with a problem. But, it appears she has the kind that doesn't cause any or much trouble. She goes back in three weeks to check the heart again and get her 2nd shot. She weighed 1.4 pounds today. Still no name for her yet. The vet suggested spotlight and the vet's daughter suggested blackie. My Mom suggested Emmie or Emerauld.

Chance got another splint today and it has even less support than the last one and we'll change it next week and see how it looks the week after that. His thyroid test came back normal but the vet is perplexed that he has gotten better on the meds. So, we are going to taper off of them and then see how he does and if he has problems again we will do further thyroid (more in depth) testing and probably liver bile testing as well. He weighed 2.2 lbs today so now he has more than doubled his weight since I got him. His leg that is in the splint still is not growing so not sure what his prognosis will be there just yet. The one vet said he didn't see any reason to amputate even if he has a little neme type limb as long as it isn't such that it causes problems like it was initially. The other vets in that group say to just amputate it. I am like Dr. White in that I don't see the need to do that unless it hinders his getting around and/or causes other problems for him.

New addition

This is my newest addition. I really hope it will work out okay. This one is a girl and they called her Be Bop at the shelter. I think I will change that. Any name suggestions for this one????????

She seems like a sweet kitty but she was going ballistic on the way home - trying to get out of the crate and meowing like crazy. She hasn't had any shots at all or anything so I am keeping the two separated until she goes to the vet on Monday.

I looked at the Ark yesterday but the ones they had were all bigger than chance.

UGH - she just had a very loose stool. Gross. It was outside of the little box too. :(
I hope this is just due to nerves???

I think I am going to escape to Walmart soon.

October Scrapbook Challenge

I got it done. It is really simple this time but I like it.

Chance is feeling better!!!!!!!!!!

Chance had another long day at the vet today. He was given fluids and they are now leaning the most towards thyroid problems and so they did a blood test and sent it off so I do not know for sure yet if he does have a thyroid problem or not but we started meds for that today. I guess the thing causing him the most discomfort in the past day or two must have been the constipation. I went with friends to dinner tonight and when I got back Chance was his old self again! When I went to change out the litter boxes I noticed he had done some major stuff while I was gone. I'm so glad he seems to be feeling so much better. I just hope this continues. It has been a rough 4 days. It has been hard to see him so miserable and not to be able to do much for him even though we have been trying so hard.

the latest on Chance

Chance spent the day at the vet's office today since he was quite lethargic this morning like he was on Sunday. It could just be that the antibiotics he has been on are not working. But, they are looking at 3 other possibilities as well. He could have water on the brain, liver problems, or hypothyroidism. They were leaning towards thinking it is a liver problem but are now also equally thinking it may be the thyroid. He seems to have more of the liver problem and hypothyroid symptoms than he does the water on the brain from what I have been able to find out on the internet. He is eating and drinking tonight and actually FINALLY had a bowel movement. He even has played some tonight. I had them do x-rays and it appears he is/was constipated and they also found some other abnormalities in the x-rays. He has a hip bone that is smaller than normal. He has several vertebrae fused together in his upper spine and the ribs on his right side (same side as leg that is missing bones) are not all equally spaced like they should be. He has a little bit of curvature of the spine due to those things I guess. The doctor didn't seem to think those things would be causing his current problems and didn't seem to think they would cause any long term problems for him either. We switched antibiotics just in case the other wasn't working and it appears they already gave him a dose today. So, I will probably dose him again at midnight for his morning dose tomorrow since he isn't supposed to have anything but water after midnight for his testing tomorrow. It may be okay to give him the antibiotic but I forgot to ask about that, so I will just do it at midnight. I hope we can get to the bottom of things SOON. The doctor said he was going to read more about the hypothyroidism tonight and decide which route to take in the morning as far as testing goes.

They changed his splint again today and supported it differently. The one doctor is still optimistic about his leg but the others aren't optimistic about it at all. I like him the best out of the doctors we have seen there thus far.

The only thing I was charged for today was the x-ray and the medication even though they also boarded him for the day, examined him, observed him thru the day, splinted the leg again, and did one blood test. That certainly helps since even though any one visit hasn't been horribly expensive he has had lots of visits and they are adding up.

Another one bites the dust!

One of my two favorite stones just cracked in two. :(
I think this is the 2nd one of this particular stone that I have busted.

updates

Took Chance to the vet this morning. They couldn't figure out why he had a fever yesterday. Said to continue with the antibiotics. Changed the splint. It doesn't seem to be working. They took it off and put him on the ground and as soon as he stepped on the foot it went sideways like it was before and it isn't growing either. So, looks like amputation is likely to be in his future. :(
They wanted to give it one more week to see where we were and then I guess we will talk about where to go from there.

Oh, he had ear mites too. It irritates me that several people have mentioned or noted his dirty ears but haven't suggested that they be cleaned or that it looked like ear mites or anything. They were nasty and I've gotten more gunk out of them since we have been home. Hopefully we can get that cleared up soon. I asked the tech if they would clean them when we got there and she said sure. I will ask that they clean them again next week when we go in if they need it. Chance was not a happy camper with the whole ear cleaning thing but at least he doesn't try to bite them or anything but he will me sometimes when I am trying to do something like that.

He has played some today but mostly just seems to want to sleep. I miss my wild kitty that feels good but maybe before too much longer we can get him healthy and active again.

Talked to my mother last night and she said that Dad was in a considerable amount of pain with the thumb accident. He was braver this time and looked at his thumb within a few days of the injury. Last time it was weeks before he would look at it. Mom says the table saw is going on the curb or to my brother. I guess she is tired of nursing these injuries and somehow I don't think he is a very good patient although he says Mom is a good nurse.

Went to an awesome ladies conference this weekend. The speaker was great and her topics were very relevant to where I am at right now and the things that I am dealing with.

Sick kitty

I have a sick kitty on my hands today. When I got him out of the bathroom this morning he was shivering like he was cold. I wrapped him in a little towel and thought he would be okay soon. He was very lethargic and seemed to get even more so as the morning progressed and I could not get him to eat or drink anything at all and he kept shivering like he was cold. So, I wound up taking him to the emergency vet clinic. They ran a blood test and stool test and found no parasites and the blood work came back fairly good. He had a fever and was slightly anemic. They gave him a pain med shot (anti-inflammatory type thing - they said he could be shaking because he was in pain) to get his fever down and sent him home with antibiotics. They aren't sure if this is something viral (blood work didn't really indicate an infection) or if there is something going on with the leg that has the splint on it. He is walking around now and has eaten a little bit and seems more himself but he isn't too steady on his feet at all. He walks like he is drunk. He falls over and shakes at times like someone with parkinson's or something. I am hoping that is due to the pain meds and/or because he is a bit weak due to not eating or drinking for awhile.

I have a 5pm appointment tomorrow to re-do the splint but I will probably call when I am dressed tomorrow to see if they can see him earlier.

I looked SO HORRIBLE when I went to the vet. I had not showered and my hair was pathetic - plastered to my head because I did shower last night but didn't fix it or anything so I couldn't do anything with it. I was afraid to take the time to shower and get ready with the way he was acting so I just dressed and went. I really thought he might be getting ready to die on me or something.

I think I am at the point now where I could go thru with amputating the leg if that is what is causing him problems now. I want him to be healthy and happy and active and he has been far from it today. Perhaps it is just a viral thing though. He is a good bit more perky and alert right now so hopefully he is on the mend from whatever is going on and we'll find out at some point tomorrow how the little leg is doing and if there are any problems going on there.

Sooooooo messy!

What an incredibly messy kitty! He gets litter all over the place.



So........ I bought him this tent thing to go over the litter box so that maybe the litter would stay inside there and not be all over the bathroom. I thought the ramp thing was just too cool.



I think he likes to play on the ramp more than anything but he actually has gone in this litter box once now.

Even though he is quite messy, I haven't had any problems with him going anywhere but the litter box. Well........except for that one time when he pooped on the tweety bird!

I can't wait to get him a playmate and hopefully they will do well together. He has noticed his reflection in the fireplace glass and just sits there like why won't that kitty come play with me. It is so pitiful really.

accident

Just found out my Dad cut off part of his other thumb a day or two ago using the table saw. He had this same type injury a little over two years ago but this time it wasn't as deep as before Mom said. I think I would retire the power tools.

More kitten dollar bill pics

I had a request to post more pictures of Chance with the dollar bill. He was not as cooperative as before! He was attacking the dollar and would not be still for anything - except when he was eating. He still looks just as little to me but it looks like he has gotten a little taller and longer. I know part of the .6 pound weight gain went to his little belly!

kitten - hiding

Little Chance just loves to hide. I love the picture that I caught of him going under the hope chest in the computer room. It has been a very long time since I have had a pet and this is the first time I have been totally responsible for one. I am enjoying him a LOT - except when I get frustrated with him. (which isn't super often) He is a good kitty and they have fallen in love with him at the vet's office.

Contest winners

I have named my kitten - Chance.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest - you all came up with some great names!

The first place winner is Beverly for the name Chance and the 2nd place winner in the random drawing is Levi!

Kitten update

I took Chance to the vet this morning and they changed his splint out. They said his leg was much straighter but still weak but he did put his foot down on the pads like it is supposed to be so hopefully what we are doing will work for him. I have to take him back in a week to check things out and change the splint again if he doesn't manage to get it off before then. It is longer this time because the vet tried to give him more room in there for growth and stuff. He isn't real happy about it but hopefully he will get used to this one too and be able to get around okay. He weighed 1.6 pounds today! He was one pound even a little over a week ago when I took him there for the first time so I am pleased to see that he is gaining weight and I actually saw him drink some water today too. He didn't seem to be drinking much and didn't really seem interested in the milk I was giving him anymore now that he has the canned food. He will eat the hard food if that is all there is but he likes the canned better of course.

The vet said he is a very good patient. She said normally it would be almost impossible to put a splint on a cat when they are awake but he cooperated with them. He gets scared to death when I take him to the vet and he was ready for a nap too so I'm sure those things helped. He really is a sweet cat though and seems to like to be held and cuddled when he is tired or scared. Other times he is your normal wild kitten running around and playing and pouncing and stuff and I think he must like to play hide and seek. I have started letting him run around the house more and he will meow like something is wrong so then I will call him and try to find him and he just stays in his hiding place and is really quiet - even when I walk right past him.

The Shack

I just finished The Shack by William P. Young.

I actually did like the book but I read it from the standpoint that it was basically pure fiction. I wouldn't call it Christian fiction either.

The book did have some good discussion on forgiveness and there were a few other passages that I thought were pretty good as well.

On page 97 "God" is talking with the main character of the book. He tells him that living unloved is like clipping a bird's wings and removing its ability to fly. That isn't something that He wants for us. The main character doesn't feel very loved though. "God" says that pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly and that if left unresolved for long enough you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place.

On page 147 they are talking about fears. The main character asks why he has so much fear in his life. "God" says to him because you do not believe. You don't know that I love you. The person that lives by their fears will not find freedom in my love. I am not talking about rational fears but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe that I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it, you talk about it, but you don't know it.

I like those two passages and I do think there is some truth there.

The author does take a LOT of liberties in the book and said some things that I totally do not agree with at all. I don't know that this book would be good for a new Christian as it could be very confusing.

If you kept a record

If you, O Lord, Kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

The fullness of the Godhead bodily, the very I Am, hung on a cross and gave his life to pay the penalty for your sins. He shed his blood for each and every one of us.

Some of us continue on in our defeat because we think we are the only ones who have failed. Everything from moral to financial failure smears us with shame long after the poor choice. The silence of the body of Christ leaves people to believe that no one would understand.

Jesus is the author of connection. Satan is the author of isolation. The more our enemy takes us captive, the further we distance ourselves from healthy people. If we remain in captivity long enough our circle gets smaller and smaller and ultimately we feel isolated even from the ones still left and we are left feeling that we are entirely alone.

If we are in Christ, we are NEVER alone. He never disconnects himself from us. Anytime we feel disconnected from God, we are the ones who moved. Not Him.

Psalm 139:7-10 says "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise up on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

God is so connected to us, he even shows up where we don't want Him. No matter how ashamed we are for Him to find us in the shape that we are in, acknowledging His Presence in our pit is our first step out of it.

1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. That infinitely broad term includes the one thing you keep reliving and grieving.

God is not the one keeping the record of your sins. You are. You keep playing that record over and over. You may think you are honoring God with your misery over past mistakes but you are not. You are actually walking in unbelief - not trusting what He promised to do if you'd repent. Self-condemnation does not honor God. If you want to honor God with your response to His forgiveness then be happy about it. Our enduring misery over our past is one reason we end up getting back into the pit. Somewhere deep in our souls we want to punish ourselves and return to what we deserve. Christ took what we deserve.

All of this came from Week 5, Day 1 in Beth Moore's Stepping Up bible study.

I never thought of dwelling on my past mistakes was dishonoring to God. I can relate to wanting to punish ourselves and I find myself wanting to punish others at times as well and see them get what they deserve. I know that is not the right attitude to have because we are supposed to forgive just like Christ forgives us. I find that forgiveness - both of myself and others can be a hard thing for me. I can forgive the little things but the big things are much harder to forgive and I find myself holding on to things a lot longer than I should. I have to remember that I don't deserve forgiveness any more than anyone else does and that Christ not only took what I personally deserve but He took what those around me deserve as well.

Video sesion five was really good as well.
The enemy just loves it when we choose not to forgive. Second Corinthians 2:10-11 says that we are to forgive people in the sight of Christ in order that Satan may not outwit us.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says that we are to encourage one another.

1 Peter 4:8 says that we are to love each other deeply. (for love covers over a multitude of sins)

Finally she says that if we don't want to be counted amoung countless Christian casualties in our pilgrimage , we have to learn to fight FOR each other instead of with each other.

Zephaniah 3:9 says "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder".

At the end of the video she had everyone get shoulder to shoulder. She says this is our calling. Do not let anyone come between you. Anytime we put space between us and are not standing shoulder to shoulder, the enemy is coming in. He will fill that space. He is just looking for a void to fill. NOTHING should come between us. We are to take up for one another. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. When we aren't standing shoulder to shoulder the enemy is winning and he WILL come in and fill the void.

During the prayer time she asks God to help us to choose to encourage one another. Help us to choose to stand shoulder to shoulder.
Help us to love one another deeply.
Help us to forgive.

How do I stay spiritual?

I've been watching the Women of Faith conference and pre-conference DVDs since I have been at home the past few days. During the pre-conference they have a question and answer session and a lady said that her husband had an affair and they were trying to work through that, her daughter had a mental illness and had been sick for three years and she was working 3 jobs to make ends meat. Her question was how do I stay spiritual through all of this. Patsy Clairmont, Anita Renfroe and Jan Silvious gave the following advice:

Take naps and sleep. When you are exhausted that gives the enemy territory to slip in and your spirituality to slip out.

Take vitamins because you body gets depleted when you are going through so much.

Surround yourself with Godly friends who will support you and pray with you and not judge you.

Stay in God's word as much as possible.

The best advice I think was to not try to stay spiritual.
It is not YOUR job to carry you but God's job to carry you so just relax into His arms.

If we try to stay spiritual in our own strength that is taking energy that we don't have.

So, just simply say to God "I can't. You can. You never said I could. You always said you would" and just let Him do it for you and relax into His arms.

So pitiful

The best picture so far of the splint.



Here is how he came home. The other paw is bandaged because that is where they had the IV to give him fluids and they just took it out when I went to get him. As you can see, he was not too cooperative for picture taking!



This is the best picture of how his paw looked when he was walking on it. It didn't seem to bother him too much but the side was taking a beating for walking on it where it was not meant to be walked on.



He was SO pitiful after I picked him up. He meowed like crazy on the way home and it was the there is something really wrong kind of meow. He was quite hungry. I fed him around 2am and then he didn't get anything else to eat or drink until almost 6pm. I have never seen him drink so much milk or eat so much food at one time. I gave him milk first and he didn't get sick so I gave him soft food about an hour after that.

He has calmed down considerably since I brought him back home and he has even been playful late last night (when I so desperately wanted to sleep) and this morning. He does not like the splint at all. He keeps trying to sling it off and bite the bandage around it off. At least he doesn't seem to be in pain like I thought he was yesterday but it is just awkward for him and he seems to have a hard time getting comfortable sometimes.

We're just hanging out at home today and probably tomorrow and then not sure after that. I got permission to take him to work with me so I can watch him while the splint is on so that will be good. Maybe I can go in at least for a little while later in the week??? We will just see how he is doing.

It's a deformity

I just got a call from the vet and was told that the kitten's leg isn't broken after all - it is a deformity. He is supposed to have two bones in the leg - the radius and the ulna and he is missing the radius. Also he should have about 7 bones in the wrist area and he only has four of them. They forced the leg into position and put him in a splint and said he has a chance of being able to walk on that leg properly and use it. He has to wear the splint for about a week. So, amputation is still a possibility and I really hate to do that to him but they say he will do just fine if we have to go that route.

kitten update

I took the kitten to the vet today and the vet is pretty sure the leg is fractured and that it isn't a birth defect. SO, he will be dropped off first thing Monday morning to be x-rayed to be sure what they are dealing with and the plan is to re-break the leg and then put it in a splint and hopefully it will heal up okay. The vet did mention amputation and said it was possible that the leg wouldn't grow at the same rate as the others but hopefully it will heal and he will have better use of it than he currently does. I feel for him having to go thru another trauma in his short little life but it is probably best to go ahead and deal with it now while he is young. He will wear the split anywhere from about 3 weeks to 6 or 8 weeks. That should be quite a feat to be sure it stays on him so that he can heal. I am sure he would be okay if we had to amputate the leg but I would rather save it if we can.

The good news is that they tested him for feline leukemia and something similar to aids today and he doesn't have either one.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

You shine in your ability to relate to and understand others. Good at seeing others' points of view, you get how people think and feel. You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations. A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict. You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

kitten with dollar bill

I took this picture this morning. He is hiding under the lip of the hall bathroom cabinet. He has been a LOT more alert and playful today. I've decided to go ahead and call tomorrow to see when I can get him in to get the foot/leg x-rayed. I would like to go ahead and find out if it is broken or if it is a birth defect and see what can be done for him and when. At least it doesn't seem to hurt him.

A few more kitty pictures

The kitty is doing pretty well. I was concerned he might not make it but he seems to have improved since he was given fluids and has had milk several times and some canned type food a few times as well. He was even playing some last night! He was pretty lethargic most of the day yesterday.

I put him in a clothes basket on his little bed and let him sleep in my room last night. He did pretty well but he was up at 5am! But, he got out of the clothes basket on his own when I was in the bathroom and hid under the bed so I'm not sure if that will work for tonight or not. I don't want him roaming around until he uses the litter box on his own which he hasn't yet. I put him in there several times when I saw that he was going and he covers it up when he is done so he has that part down.

You can see his bum paw in the one picture. It is the right one. It stays bent like that. He still tries to use it but it seems to hinder him more than it helps at this point but maybe we can do something with it at some point so it will be more helpful to him.

It's a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! & kitten naming contest

I got a little kitten today. It is cute. It's mom stopped feeding it - that was discovered last night. It has either an injury or birth defect in one of its front legs/paws. It twists backwards and to the side and the vet said it had five or six fractures in the tail. I'll probably have the leg x-rayed when I take him for his first round of shots to see what if anything can be done. It sounds like it would most likely require surgery and it wouldn't be fully functional but with the way the kitten is putting pressure on it, it could cause open sores and it might require amputation if that happens. I'll just keep a watch on him and discuss things with the vet when I go in for shots in about a month.

Oh, and I am doing a pet naming contest. Just comment to this post with your name suggestions and if I name the kitten something you suggested then you will win a gift certficate/card for a manicure/pedicure or a gift card to your favorite restaurant - your choice. The second place winner will be a random drawing of all who participate in this contest and they will receive a $10 gift card to the place of their choosing.