Only the Shadow knows

Yes, we have added a new member to our family.

Her name is Shadow (I know, unique!)  We got her when she was just at 6 weeks old and didn't even weigh 2 pounds.  She is now almost 9 weeks old and goes to the vet for shots on Sunday, August 1st, so we'll see what she weighs then.  Gabe is not too sure about her and they tussle now and again.  The kids adore her and she is a welcome addition to our family.  Finally, the girls and the boys are even again in the house!

RIP, Pirate Kitty

Juliette was put to sleep today - oh how I hate that term.

About three weeks ago, she was vomiting multiple times a day, so the vet gave her an injection and put her on prescription food. That worked well for about 2 weeks and she was back to vomiting multiple times a day by this weekend. It was time to do something.

We had two choices. Keep her on medicine which will eventually stop working - it only worked for about 2 weeks this time, or let her go.

It was an agonizing decision, but we chose not to let her suffer any more. She will be missed.

Meet our Pirate Kitty

Pirate Juliette is now our one-eyed kitty.

The first picture is when we were trying to save the eye. The second is after the eye had been removed and the last is with the stitches out. She had her own Independence Day of sorts. She got her stitches out and cone off on July 4th. The little area towards the top of where her eye would be is where she scratched a bit of her scab off once she got her cone off.

We brought her home and she came out of the carrier and promptly proceeded to groom herself all over. She seems to be adapting well and is eating well again, too. The vet says that her fur will grow completely over the site and it will seem as if there was never an eye there in the first place.

Poor girl!

Kitty Update

Juliette is now our one-eyed kitty. She fought the valiant fight, as did our wonderful vet, Dr. Carrie Lane of Klaich Animal Hospital. But the eye was not salvageable. We had considered putting her down at this point, but we've had the cat longer than we've had kids. So, she will be our pirate kitty.

The stitches come out and the cone comes off on the 4th of July and she should have no issues after that.

Update on the Kitty

We took her in for her second follow up today. The vet says that it is still looking good and they want her back on Monday. They are going to sedate her and bring the third eyelid down to check it out.

We shall see.

Poor Kitty

Meet Juliette.

We have had Juliette for about 7 years. We got her from the Humane Society where her previous owners had placed her because she licked bags. Another family had already adopted her "partner in crime" Romeo, thus splitting up the pair. We felt bad for her and she loved on DH, so we brought her home.

She has been such a good kitty for us. Many members of my Hostess Clubs have become well acquainted with her lately, as she has really come out of her shell and visits when they are here.

About six months ago, she had this cloudiness on her left eye. We took her to the vet and they told us that as long as it wasn't bothering her (which it wasn't) we didn't need to worry about it. She's an indoor kitty, so no worries about her not being able to see predators well. She just has to deal with Gabe, our other kitty, who is even more shy than Juliette, and a lot of people don't even know that we have him.

Last week, she was our little pirate kitty, walking around with her left eye closing and goopy. So, off to the vet we went last Thursday. They gave us antibiotic cream for it and wanted to see her again in two days. Saturday's news was not so good. She has a large ulcer on her eye right in the middle of the cloudiness. They wanted to sedate her and debride the eye. Shudder. So, they kept her overnight, cleaned up the eye, stitched up her third eyelid and stitched the eye partially closed. She came home with a partially shaved head, stitches and a cone. Her follow up was scheduled for today (Friday).

We have been giving her the antibiotic cream three to four times a day but it really didn't appear that it was working. Her eye looked worse to me and she has not been eating well. She is also very mad at us for the indignity of the cone and collar (it has flowers and butterflies on it) plus the fact that she cannot hide under the bed anymore. Poor girl.

We took her back to the vet today and they cleaned up her eye and told us that it was looking as well as could be expected and to keep up with the cream and bring her back in five days. Needless to say, I am very relieved. I was very concerned that the news was not going to be good. The next step after this is to remove the eye, and I am not sure that we will be able to go down that path for a myriad of reasons.

Think good thoughts for our little love if you get a chance to. I will keep you updated.