Saturday, January 7, 2012
Pearl Marie Louise 1996-2012
Monday, September 27, 2010
It's Only a Cat
I'll confess something. I didn't want Pearl. I had two cats. It was plenty. Taking in another would mean a long integration, difficult in my small apartment. Pearl was unlike any cat I'd ever had. More independent, more snooty than any cat I've ever lived with. I took her because who would adopt a 6 year old, black, gimpy legged cat? And she really was a handful. She was not happy with Sugar at all. She took months to integrate. I didn't understand her. She was definitely more like a roommate than a pet. But she was smart. She swore like a sailor when I could eventually just say "NO" to chasing Sugar and not put her in time out. She stopped, but she chuntered under her breath as she walked away from the hunt as if to say, "You always take her side. Boy, some friend YOU are. You don't understand me. I don't know why I stay here." *huff*. But she was a character and she was her own being. And I began to really appreciate her for being herself and not for cuddling and being "cute". She was like a naughty little sister by then.
For many people like me and you, who are taking time to read this blog, it isn't just a pet. It's a family member. It's SOMEONE. They make US someone. They teach us things.
Then, she got ill. And iller. And she let me poke her ears and stick things on her face to breath and stick things in to her neck (well, OK, shots are probably not even felt, so maybe it doesn't count). She sits when I say "Sit" for her blood tests. She teaches me patience. She comes for cuddles even though it's rare that I am not DOING something to her to control an issue. How can you not love that? And how can you think "it's only a cat"?
Now she is 15 and arthritic and she walks a bit like the drunken sailor she once swore like. She is grayer and allergies make her itch. The arthritis makes it hard for her to groom regions I'd rather not go, but have to so she can stay tidy. But she's still funny and seems happy enough and still occasionally chases Sugar and Sugar actually likes it. I know the day will come when I will have to part with this irascible character but I will always be thankful to her. I will always be glad she was "just" a cat.
Recently I read the most beautiful article. "With Pets as 'part of the family', grief hits hard when they pass" by Anthony Breznican of USA Today. It's well worth the look and definitely view the video. It begins "I didn't want this cat".
I totally understand. Updated link: Updated link Pet Grief
Video Sinatra's Good-bye
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Diagnosis can be Overwhelming
I'm not insisting that we be brimming with hope. It is ok not to be optimistic. Buddhist teaching says a feeling that you have to maintain hope can wear you out. The biggest gift that you can give is just to be absolutely present. Whether your worrying about being hopeful or hopeless, pessimistic or optimistic; who cares, the main thing is showing up. That you're here and finding ever more capacity to love this world, because it will not be able to be healed without that. That is what is going to unleash our intelligence and ingenuity. And our solidarity for healing the world. -- Joanna Macy in an Interview with Krista Tippett on Being (Episode - A Wild Love of the World - September 16, 2010) Blog entry
then walks with us silently out of the night.
These are the words we dimly hear:
You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.
Flare up like flame
and make big shadows I can move in.
Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don’t let yourself lose me.
Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.
Give me your hand.
—Rilke’s Book of Hours, I, 59
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Dear Mom
Dear Mom,
I know it's only been a couple of days, but there are a few things I'd like to tell you.
First of all, you really do have to calm down, because you're stressing me out.
Please at least let me get all the way out of the litter box before you start to inspect it.
Don't stare at me while I'm eating. It makes me nervous. I need a little privacy please.
You really don't have to follow me from one room to the next. I'm not doing anything that I haven't done a million times before. I'm still trying to catch those pesky fish that live behind the glass. I'm chasing the dust bunnies under your desk. I'm waiting to catch Libby (drooler) off guard so I can smack her and run. I'm doing all those catly things I've always done. I don't need a perpetual audience.
Just because I'm sleeping, doesn't mean that you need to wake me up and check on me every five minutes. I'm a cat. I sleep.
I feel hot because I've been lying in my favorite sunny spot in the office. Yes, that really is the only reason.
I know it would make you feel better if I slept in your bed with you, but it wouldn't make me feel better. I've never done that before, so it would feel funny to start doing it now. Besides, I really like my bed. I've had it a long time, you know.
It doesn't mean that something is wrong with me just because I don't want to play. Don't you remember the rules? When you want to play with me, I want to ignore you and treat you with disdain. I want to play with you when you are reading the newspaper or attempting to drink your first cup of coffee. This has always worked for us, so why would I want to
change that now? So if I don't want to play with you, it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't feel good. It means that I'm just being the Rainbow I've always been.
Stop lecturing (boyfriend) every time you leave the house for five minutes. He has read everything you have. He was there at the vet's when you picked me up. He knows all the signals/symptoms of hypo, and he knows what to do. He knows where the syrup is. How could he not, since it's now in every room in the house. Remember when you told me that you would trust him with your life? Well trust him with mine. He loves you, and he won't let anything happen to me.
You know that pounding headache you've had since last Sunday? It might go away if you'd chill out just a little bit.
And lastly, every single sound I make need not be analyzed for meaning. Just because I speak to you, it doesn't mean I'm sick or hurting or getting ready to go hypo. I've always been a very vocal kitty. Sometimes a meow really is just a meow.
Love,
Your Sugar Cat
---
Written by Laura and Rainbow. We couldn't agree more with its sentiment.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Insulin Primer
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Pancreatitis Sucks
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Relax with Kitty Knits!
Treating diabetes in our feline friends can be very overwhelming and stressful, particularly at first. And even as you get into a routine, random, unexplainable spikes and worries can cause we caretakers to freak out occasionally. It's important to remember to breathe and take time for yourself. Do things that calm you. I can think of few things better than needlework. Recently, I took up crocheting and it is just a fabulous way to relax. Next I am taking knitting lessons and I can't wait to try patterns from the fantastic new knitting book
Kitty Knits by Donna Druchunas!
Donna has some of the most adorable projects for both you and your cat I've seen. I asked Donna a few questions and she very graciously granted a little interview:
So, have you always had cats?
No, actually. We had a cat for a short time when I was a kid, but usually we had dogs. I got the first cat that actually belonged to me just before I got married in 1990. His name was Kittens (mostly because we never got around to finding him a real name), even though he was pretty big. Since then I’ve always had cats. I can’t sleep without them walking around in the bed.
How did you come to live with Uno and Deedee?
Before I had Uno and Deedee , I had Sparkles and Tipper. They both died of unrelated cancers a few years ago and I was lonely. Both of my current cats are adopted from the humane society.
Deedee (picture right, Donna and Deedee) was a tiny, scrawny thing when we found her waiting to be adopted. She was really timid and afraid and it took her a while to relax after she moved in with us.
When I found Uno (left) a few months later, I’d gone with my mom to help her find a cat, and Uno stuck his paw out of the cage and patted me on the head when I walked by. I went home and told my husband that I’d found what I wanted for Christmas! And we went back and adopted Uno that afternoon.
You have some really lovely patterns! These are just great. Where do you get your inspiration from?
I don’t know. I just like to make things up. Since I love cats, I am
always looking at pictures of cats and buying things with cat motifs on them. So when I decided to work on this book, I just started making little sketches of projects that I thought would be fun to make and to have. I also wanted to make a range of projects using different techniques, so there’d be something for everyone, instead of just using my favorite techniques.
Do the cats every bother your work? I know mine like to use my beds before they are even done. Sugar loves to watch the yarn move ever so slowly. Pearl is just irritated I am not paying attention to her.
My cats love to lay on UFOs! Fortunately they don’t bother my yarn any more. Uno used to use balls of yarns as attack toys when he was a kitten, but he doesn’t bother with that now that he’s older. They also love to sleep on the rugs I made for my first book, The Knitted Rug. Their
favorite yarn is mohair, so I made them their own mohair blankets a while ago, to match a sweater I was working on. I was going to include the patterns in the book, but there wasn’t enough room and we decided to cut it because the other projects were much more “cat” intensive!
Uno and "The Cat Afghan"
So is this a kind of departure for you from your regular work on knitting? What are some of your other patterns based on?
Most of my other work is based on inspiration from historical or cultural textiles from other parts of the world. It was fun to take a departure from that on Kitty Knits, but you’ll see that I did include a few pieces that follow that theme. The lace scarf includes the Peruvian cat motif designed by Dorothy Reade, who was very influential in the development of the patterns used by the Oomingmak knitters in Alaska, as I discussed in Arctic Lace. The chullo cap is also based on traditional Peruvian designs. And the Scandinavian colorwork sweaters are based on traditional knitting patterns as well.
Deedee and Felted Catnip Mice
How long have you been working with yarn?
Pretty much for my whole life, although I did take a break from knitting and crochet for about 20 years (from 15 to 35)! I am glad that I learned to do so many different things when I was young, because that makes it easier for me as an adult. I can go back to things I learned a long time ago and explore them in more depth without having to start learning the skills from scratch. I really admire new knitters who come to this craft with no childhood background using knitting needles! Getting grown up hands to learn how to make stitches is no small feat.
Thanks again for inviting me to join you for the day. It’s been a pleasure visiting your blog.