Willie Old Timer Report

Greetings all! The bean is home sick in bed today, and thought I'd use the time to send an update on Willie.

Happy to report that things here are good! Willie's pokes are generally at the high end of normal. Occasionally, we get a little high (I saw a 151 the other night), but I'm not letting it worry me too much. More happy news... he hasn't had his pemphigus meds since July or August (and then it was one pill every few weeks), so it looks like that is pretty well under control. At 18, his movement isn't what it was, so we do have to watch his fur more and groom where necessary... he occasionally gets mats on his haunches. With the demise of Merrick's BG food line, we've been on the hunt for a replacement. I think I still have 2 cans left from my last case that I'm saving for when DBF and I are out of town... we use it to make kitty cubes. Willie continues to be very carb sensitive. We tried the Honest Kitchen foods, which the cats LOVED. Unfortunately, they were just too high in carbs, and even when mixed with the BG to bring the overall carb count down, it was just too much. Bummer! Right now, we're feeding the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw in Chicken and we're getting good results. Plus, both Willie and Herbie have had a noticeable increase in coat quality and Willie has had MUCH more energy. Over the past 4-5 months, I'd noticed that he seemed to be playing less and sleeping more, which I attributed largely to his advancing age. Turns out, it may have been the food... which really makes me wonder what Merrick was up to with those last batches. Now, Willie's sleepiness has been replaced with a Whack-a-thon full of catitude! I've also noticed him being much more social with the beans... even to the point of being a lap kitty!

Herbie continues to be a bundle of energy even as she grows into a lovely young lady. She is still completely enamored with DBF and loves to sit on his lap and watch tv/make eyes at him. I can only lure her away with an exceptionally squishy blanket on my lap! DBF jokes that if I ever kick him out, he'll be taking Herbie with him. Gues s I'd better keep him? ;-) ;-) Herbie has been discovering catnip lately, though Willie's not having that! I had bought her a Nanner, which I figured Willie would leave alone as he's shown nothing but disdain for them in the past (The fit Mannie must be throwing past the Bridge right now!!). His new favorite game is to sit next to the Nanner and the other catnip toy and whack on Herbie if she tries to take them! There's also been whack-a-thons over the new cat bed. I had an old donut bed that I'd gotten for like $2 at the JCP outlet which barely fit Willie, and then Herbie would try to squeeze in around him. The new bed (completely with orthopedic memory foam mattress. how we spoil them!) can easily accomodate both of them, yet nobody seems willing to share.... Whomever is in it gives a whack to the one trying to share!

The one spot they can agree on is in the attic, which is now DBF's office/man-ttic (no room for a man cave in the basement, soooooo....). The room has a rather steep slope, and along one of the short walls is a heat vent that is maybe 18 inches off the floor. just below it, I've placed a couple really fluffy bath mats that I had to abandon as Herbie took great glee in destroying them in the middle of the night. We have the thermostat set pretty low during the day, and it is set to kick on around 4:30 for a more comfortable evening temp while we're at home. I'm always amused on my telework days when, like clockwork, they disappear around 4:15 to be ready to bask in the heat. They then saunter downstairs when the beans come home.

The thing that I think cracks me up most is that Willie is continually trying to train DBF on bathroom party protocol. When mamabean uses the bathroom, it is a pets party. When daddybean heads to the bathroom, Willie goes running in, all excited, only to leave in disgust when DBF never bothers to sit down. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: DBF marvels at the way Willie can give him an icy "NO. U IZ DOIN IT WRONG." stare as he gives a dramatic sigh and leaves. At least he has the shower protocol down? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thankfully, they've pretty well left the Christmas tree alone this year. Last year, the bottom third of the tree was bare, as Herbie considered it a hanging spot for cat toys. This year, she seems content to just lay on the tree skirt (made of a wool sweater knit) and occasionally bat at one of the low hanging fruit. Not a single ornament displaced! Not sure if this whack-a-thon business warrants coal in their stockings, but we shall see! This holiday season, I'm just deeply thankful that my boy is in relatively good health and spirits, and I'm just cherishing every moment I get with him. He's been with me for 17 years now. Hoping we still have several more together!

We hope everyone is doing well!

 

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! What a great report on the entire family. We are so happy to read about the tails (er, um tales) of Willie - 18 is awesome!

Happy hollydaze to you and yours and thank you for letting us know how things are going!

 

What a wonderful report!!

Sounds like you're ready for a wonderful holiday season and your furkids are going to be good for Santa Paws too!!

 

i'm thrilled to see a Willie report! great to see you, christie! i was just telling my sis-in-law about willie this weekend, and his toothless mousie-catching antics. her sister's cat needs teeth pulled and she won't do it. :shock: i told her that willie gets along fine without his toofies. anyway, we talked about his many talents. i made sure to tell about him bringing mousies to you in bed, too. cat_pet_icon good job Willie!

so glad to hear he's doing well in his senior years - i hope you have many more years with your sweet little buddy! he's a keeper!

belly rubs to Herbie, too!

btw, the dbf sounds pretty good too! ;-)

 

What a surprise to see a Willie condo and what a wonderful report on both Willie and Herbie!! It sounds like they both delight and amuse you and DBF. If you don't stop by for the holidays, best wishes for a happy and healthy year for you, DBF, and the kitties.

 

Hi Christie,
What a great Willie & Herbie report! So funny on the whack-a-thons. I remember how protective Willie was of her when she was just a kitten.
Yes, the foods dilemma is with us all. Whenever you find something that works, they change it! I'm glad you found one that works for you.

Have a happy holiday season and visit us again sometime. You don't have to be sick in bed to visit LL!! :lol: Sending you some healing vines.

Ella & Rusty

 

Wonderful Willie and Herbie report!! Please do keep us posted, and have a wonderful Christmas, Christie!!

 

Wonderful to see a Willie condo again. I'm so glad all are well there! Interesting on the NV, Tess has been getting a bit tired of it lately. Don't be such a stranger!