FIV is not an immediate death sentence for cats. My mother-in-law’s FIV+ cat, Babe, has lived with FIV for more than ten years, and has had no more vet visits than the average cat. He’s a wonderful pet, and a great comfort to his mistress.
Today, meet O’Ryan, an FIV+ cat who was fortunate enough to have been rescued by Purrfect Pals, a sanctuary to nearly 300 cats who have nowhere else to go. These are cats who have tested positive for FIV or feline leukemia, cats with behavioral issues, feral cats, geriatric cats, and cats with diabetes or other long-term health issues. All live in colonies in a clean, comfortable, cat-oriented environment, receiving regular veterinary care.
Here’s O’Ryan’s story:
O’Ryan was found abandoned along a river bank, starving and ill. He probably wouldn’t have lived more than another day or two if a Purrfect Pals volunteer hadn’t rescued him. He was placed in a foster home and had dental surgery, abscess care, and extensive medication. His foster ‘Mom’ found him to be an extremely loving cat who wanted constant attention and loved to be petted while he lay next to her. He is very vocal and talks to you in his deep voice as long as you will listen.
After regaining his weight and his health, O’Ryan met a nice couple, Dianne and Donald, who fell in love with him and took him home to be a friend for their other FIV cat, Penny. Like all Purrfect Pals FIV positive cats, O’Ryan was ‘adopted’ as a permanent foster. FIV cats can live long and healthy lives, but they are also more susceptible to mouth and dental problems. As a permanent foster a FIV kitty can always have any medical problems related to FIV cared for at no charge at our Purrfect Pals clinic.
O’Ryan has become Penny’s best buddy. Even though Penny is a bit of a princess, she accepted O’Ryan immediately and they love to run, play and sleep together. When not playing with Penny, O’Ryan loves to sleep on the back of Donald’s chair or beside him begging for attention or to sit on Dianne’s craft table patting her hand to get her attention
O’Ryan is a very fortunate FIV+ cat. He has found a home where he is adored and well cared for. The Purrfect Pals Sanctuary has an FIV room currently occupied by many wonderful affectionate cats who are hoping that you might consider giving one of them a loving home as well. Donate now.
If you don’t currently have cats and are considering adoption, why not consider opening your home to a pair of FIV+ cats? You’ll certainly be saving a couple of lives, and are likely to be rewarded with an appreciative, devoted companion.
There is a gaping black hole in the Catster universe today as everyone’s best friend, Calvin, made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge this morning after a six-week fight with stomach cancer.
His arresting green eyes suggested an old soul of a cat, wise beyond our knowing and as loving, cuddly and affectionate a cat as you could ever hope to meet. He was the heart and soul of Catster, always there to help, to comfort, to make your day with his gentle good humor. We will long remember his pawmails which always closed with his signature “Knead On.”
His mom, Laura, was his second caretaker. His first was Laura’s aunt. She passed away, and the day after her funeral her husband loaded all of her cats in the car and took them to the pound. Hearing this, Laura went to the pound and “bought back” the four cats, one of whom was Calvin. Laura found homes for the other three and kept Calvin. She’s had him for the last seven years.
Calvin was 18, and leaves behind Samoa, Violet, Gleek, Sugar, and Newman. He joins Spunky, Autumn and Rocky at the Bridge. Please drop by his Catster page and leave a big hug for his family, especially his mom and pop, Laura and Ted.
Cash the Cat may have set a new world record for cats awaiting adoption; he’s been waiting for 19 years (longer, even than Minxy did!). This heartwarming story describes how Lee Van Camp — a woman with a very big heart — was willing to give Cash a chance at a happy home in his sunset years.
Chasing dreams is not always for the faint of heart. Some dreams come easy, others take much longer. Some take so long, in fact, that they seem to fade into the distance and all but disappear. For Cash the cat, it would be easy to understand if he ever became discouraged about the dream of finding a home. After all, he’d been waiting over 19 years.
Cash was found as a stray 4-week-old kitten with FIV. He came to Best Friends at the time and has been here ever since. Heck, he’s been at the sanctuary longer than a lot of the buildings.
When Lee Van Camp of Fountain Hills, Arizona, began thinking about adopting a cat from Best Friends, she knew just what to do. A previous Best Friends adopter twice over, Lee wrote to Best Friends adoption manager Kristi Litrell and told her what she was looking for — an older, special needs cat.
Her previous two adoptions at Best Friends were senior dogs. P.J. and Brandon were each 13-years-old when Lee adopted them. “They deserve to have a good home,” Lee says, about older pets. “Even though they may not be with you for ten years or more, you can still give them the same love.”
So when it came time to adopt a cat, Lee knew from the outset she wasn’t going to be picking a kitten. Kristi wrote back with a suggestion that sounded promising. Cash was an FIV cat who had been at Best Friends waiting for a home for 19 years. He didn’t have any teeth (which incidentally means he can’t infect another animal with FIV), but was otherwise in good health. Would she like to meet him?
Lee drove up to Best Friends and spent an entire week with Cash. Her first impression upon meeting him was that he didn’t look like an almost-20-year-old cat. She thought he seemed a lot younger. She also came to recognize very quickly at least some of the reasons why he might have been overlooked for so long.
“He’s not the cat who will come marching over to say hello,” Lee explains. He was the wallflower — the one in the background who avoided the spotlight every chance he could.
Cashing in
Even though Cash tried to pull the shy routine with Lee, she was determined to win him over with kindness. Armed with persistence and a pocketful of treats, Lee spent day after day bonding with Cash. It didn’t take long before Cash recognized something special in her.
Before the week was over, Cash would even crawl up on her lap for pets and goodies. By the time she had to leave the sanctuary, Lee knew she could give him a good home — the home he’s always deserved. “His forever home,” as she likes to emphasize. Make no mistake, now at Lee’s residence, this cat is not going anywhere.
Lee knows a thing or two about caring for older animals. Her dog P.J., the one she adopted from Best Friends last year, is on a whole assortment of various medications and treatments. Undaunted, Lee takes in stride all the special needs that can come with age for P.J. and her other pets. To her way of thinking, though, Cash is a walk in the park. No real special needs, other than the fact he’s not a spry young kitten any more.
If there’s one thing Lee likes to pass along to others, it’s encouraging them to consider adopting an older pet. “There’s nothing like it,” she explains. “They are so appreciative to finally get a forever home.” That certainly includes Cash.
For the entire car ride home, Cash never made one sound. Every time she’d lean back and look at him, Cash would just glance back quietly. You have to wonder if he kept waiting for someone to pinch him and wake him up.
In his new home, Cash is finally getting to experience all those things he’s heard so much about over the years. Things like closets and beds. But even the everyday stuff takes some getting used to. If Lee is on the bed, for example, Cash will join her. If she’s gone, however, no dice. Remember, human furniture might as well be a UFO floating around the living room for all he’s seen of the inside of a house!
Lee knows Cash might take a little while getting used to a home setting. So far, however, he seems content with this newfangled approach to living. It will only get better from here. And no matter what else, as Lee says, “He’s going to get lots of love.”
Congratulations, the both of you. Thanks for the reminder that dreams do indeed come true.
Cash may have been one of the sanctuary’s longest-term residents, however, there are still plenty of other mature felines who are available for adoption.
You, too, can make a senior cat’s life happy in her last few years, or save a special-needs cat from certain euthanization. Check with your local shelter or Best Friends to find out how to adopt.
Cash is living proof that FIV positive cats can live long, healthy lives. My mother-in-law has a senior formerly-feral FIV+ cat who is over 15 years old. Aside from a thyroid problem and occasional dental extractions, he’s been in great health, and is one of the sweetest, most loving cats I’ve even known.
The AVMA celebrates Senior Healthy Pet Month in September, which is a good time to reflect on whether you’re doing everything you can to keep your senior cat healthy and happy.
Cats are considered “seniors” after age 10, and “geriatric” after the age of 13. The AVMA recommends twice-yearly checkups for geriatric cats. That might sound like overkill, but early detection of common senior afflictions (thyroid problems, diabetes, chronic renal failure, cancer, heart problems and the like) can mean the difference between effectively managing the disease long-term and having to euthanize your beloved pet.
10 Tips to keep your senior cat healthy and happy:
1) Take her in for regular dental checkups.
Cats mask discomfort and pain, and it’s often hard to tell if your cat has dental problems unless her breath is horrific, or her face swells from an abscessed tooth. Regular dental checkups and treatment can save her months of discomfort, and keep her from losing weight – weight that, for a senior cat, might difficult to regain.
2) Groom her often
The benefits of grooming extend beyond keeping her coat tidy. Senior cats are far less aggressive groomers than their younger counterparts, and usually end up with a lot more loose hair … leaving them especially vulnerable to hairballs. Grooming your cat daily will help you learn your cat’s body to such a degree that you’ll be able to recognize tender spots or lumps early on. You’ll be able to spot skin flakes and a dull coat that might be symptomatic of thyroid disease or a poor diet. And it will give you invaluable bonding time — time you won’t have together once she’s gone.
3) Encourage play
It’s easy to forget to interact with older cats, since they sleep most of their days away and don’t seem like they want to play. But it’s worth trying to engage them in play — try their favorite toy and some catnip, and see what happens.
In addition to the quality time you’ll spend together, activity will help keep the cat in better physical shape, and you’ll be in a better position to tell when the cat is lethargic, which could be a clue to a health problem. Be sure to play in a private area, where a younger cat won’t encroach upon the game, which will sometimes cause older cats to back off.
4) Buy bed steps
Older cats often have difficulty jumping up on the bed. If she’s accustomed to sleeping with you, and no longer can get up on the bed to do so, she might feel depressed and alienated.
So, if your senior cat likes sleeping on your bed, consider buying a set of steps for the bottom or side of your bed.
5) Provide a heated cat cup or heated pad
Geezer cats feel the cold more, and appreciate a warm place to sleep.
6) Evaluate accessibility and make changes, if necessary
Consider providing a litter box with lower walls, and raising the height of her food and water bowls.
7) Create a stable environment
Change is difficult for a lot of cats, especially as they get older. For example, adding a kitten to the household may be difficult on an older cat, especially if she’s long been an only cat.
8] Consult with your vet about food supplements
Supplements or special formulations of food can provide additional Omega3 fatty acids, glucosamine with chondroitin, immune system boosters, probiotics, or other supplements that may offer benefits to your cat’s health. Discuss the options with your vet. (Never give your cat supplements designed for humans)
9) Switch to a senior formula cat food
Talk to your vet to determine if your cat might benefit from one of the many senior formula cat foods on the market. These foods typically provide an optimal balance of appropriate protein, fat, calories, vitamins and minerals for older cats.
10) Provide a fresh, appealing source of water
Cat fountains are very popular with cats, and may encourage your senior cat to drink more. Keeping your cat well-hydrated is especially important for proper kidney function and overall health.
Good scales that weigh accurately in ounces may cost $80 to $100. Weight loss is often the first signal of disease or dental problems (as in your #1 tip) but can slip by undetected until it’s significant. Get a scale, use it regularly — for all your cats, not just seniors — and catch problems early. You can use a people scale, but it may be hard to detect a few ounces lost, which can be a significant loss for us small cats.
12) FRECKLES SEZ: Once you are ten years old, join the Olde Furts Group on Catster.
It’s a good place to meet other geezers and get good health advice and support.
Thanks Lola and Freckles for making it an even dozen tips!
In a claim that strains credulity, Jim Cowell of the U.K. has come forward to claim that his cat Tizzie is the world’s oldest at 36+ years old.
Cowell says that Tizzie was found near some railroad tracks in the 1970s by a couple who gave the cat to Jim’s mother. This 1975 photograph shows Jim’s mother and Tizzie.
Jim hopes that his story will prompt the couple who originally found Tizzie to come forward and help verify Tizzie’s age. Tizzie’s vet has no record of her age, so she’s unlikely to make it into the record books without further proof.
Matilda the Algonquin Hotel Cat(above) is celebrating her 14th birthday today with a lavish pawty that benefits the North Shore Animal League.
The Algonquin has housed a resident cat since the 1930s, when a stray cat (later named “Hamlet”) checked in permanently. Matilda has full run of the hotel. Her duties include greeting guests on arrival and sniffing their luggage, making sure the bellhops aren’t goofing off, and supervising any parties held at the hotel.
The Algonquin throws Matilda a big birthday bash each year, and some of the parties are more memorable than others. In 2002, while celebrating her seventh birthday, she jumped on her cake and bolted from the room, leaving a trail of buttercream paw prints.
When you’re as big a celebrity as Matilda, you can pull diva stunts like that with impunity.
At this year’s pawty Matilda will be treated to a designer birthday cake created by Lauri DiTunno, star of the TV show “Amazing Wedding Cakes.” The main event will be a feline fashion show hosted by Beth Stern, spokesperson for North Shore Animal League America.
Matilda will get the spa treatment before the start of the festivities with a special grooming by Artist Knox, star of the reality show “Beverly Hills Groomer”.
All proceeds from today’s event will be donated to Matilda’s favorite charity, North Shore Animal League America, the largest no-kill animal adoption and rescue organization in the world.
You can send purrthday greeting to Matilda via email or Facebook.
There’s still time to reserve your spot at today’s pawty! Call (212) 419-9197 to RSVP.
You’ll only need to make a $5.00 minimum donation to North Shore Animal League America.
City Kitty, an arthritic cowcat who lives a the Naples, Florida, City Hall, has a new lease on life thanks to a concerned and caring citizen.
Last month, LaVeeda Krumm took the feral cat to Harborside Animal Clinic, after she noticed a problem with the cat’s overgrown nails. At the clinic, tests revealed that City Kitty had advanced arthritis and hyperthyroidism, a common affliction in older cats.
The vets at the clinic ministered to City Kitty, but the price tag was a steep $439.
Dr. Ruth Eisel, a vet at the clinic, said that when City Kitty was brought in, the clinic was told people would be pitching in to help cover the costs. Unfortunately, the funding didn’t materialize and the three doctors in the practice had to pay the expenses themselves.
“When it came to chip in, there was no one there except for LeVeeda Krumm,” said Eisel. “The doctors said to ourselves, (the cat) was promised help, so we put our own money toward the cat.”
Two weeks after the visit to the vet, Councilwoman Penny Taylor sent a memo to her colleagues asking city employees to pitch in to help offset the medical expenses.
“We love her,” Taylor wrote. “We need help with this bill and a collection station has been established at the volunteer desk in the downstairs lobby of City Hall.” Unfortunately, donations have been very slow in coming in.
Taylor said she was relieved to learn that Krumm took City Kitty to the doctor.
“I’ve been worried about her,” Taylor said. “She’s very wily.”
City Kitty is just one of several cats that lives near City Hall, said Naples Mayor Bill Barnett. Barnett estimates she’s been around City Hall for about 15 years.
“I’ll tell you it adds a personal touch,” Barnett said about having a city pet. “This is not a bleak gray drab atmosphere around here. We’re filled with good old normal people. It’s a warm fuzzy.”
An overactive thyroid means City Kitty needs to take medication twice a day, which is hard to do with an feral cat. But Krumm said she’s doing her best to make sure City Kitty gets it at least once a day.
Being the City Kitty has its perks: In 2006 city employees built her a cat house to keep her out of the elements during bad weather.
Donations for City Kitty’s medical expenses are being accepted at
Naples City Hall,
735 Eighth Street South
Naples, FL 34102
My sweet tuxie Rocky is celebrating his 18th birthday today. After all these years, he continues to enchant us with his quirky behaviors. Somewhere along the way, he bonded to my husband, Jeff, and in the middle of the night he’ll wake up and go over to where Jeff is sleeping, and snuggle his head beneath Jeff’s hand, trying to rev up “the petter.” Still asleep, Jeff complies and pets Rocky. Rocky rarely cadges pets off me. Jeff explained that it’s because I don’t “pet him right,” then demonstrates the petting ceremony which looks suspiciously similar to the way I pet Rocky. Obviously, there are some subtleties I’m missing. Maybe it’s a guy thing.
When I first brought Rocky into my home, he was the odd cat out. I had a territorial tortie who took an alpha cat role over Rocky. Rock didn’t seem to mind. When my sister adopted the tortie, we adopted Junior, a sweet clown of a Balinese who never met a cat he didn’t like–or want to wrassle with.
Junior and Rocky’s first encounter is etched in my mind: they sniffed each other, then Junior, a much tinier kitten, engaged Rocky in play. Rocky had never really played with another cat, and had never even been around other cats who did anything more than tolerate him, so playing was new. He was a bit clumsy at it at first, but came to love it, crave it, and even demand playtime from us. Everyone who ever met Junior became fast friends with him, and Rocky was no exception. Rocky’s purrsonality was transformed as well — he came out of his shell and appeared to have more self esteem.
A little piece of Rocky died when Junior went to The Bridge. His relationship with Junior really helped me to appreciate the vibrant emotional lives of cats.
We’re lucky that Rocky is in good health, given his age. Like many geezer cats, he suffers from hyperthyroidism, so we have to give him a pill twice daily. But that’s about it, aside from the occasional tooth that needs pulling and semi-annual dental cleanings.
Like many older cats, Rocky needs help with grooming. He spends less time grooming (and more sleeping), and he grooms less rigorously (in his youth he was “the anal-retentive groomer.”) So, every day we spend quality time together with the FURminator. It’s a special bonding time for us, and it gives me the chance to discover any unusual lumps or sore spots on him, a good preventative maintenance tactic.
As cats get older, it’s even more important to tend to preventative maintenance to catch small problems before they become big–or untreatable–problems. Caught early, many of the afflictions associated with advanced age — hyperthyroidism, chronic renal failure and others — can be very manageable, and some cats can live comfortably for years after diagnosis.
Recently, Alice Wolf DVM wrote an article about geriatric cats for the Winn Feline Foundation. If your cat is a teenager, I recommend that you celebrate Rocky’s birthday by reading it. It’s a great, succinct compendium of geriatric afflictions and preventative care for geezer cats.
With regular, preventative maintenance, your geezer cat might live to celebrate his 18th (or 25th!) birthday.
In NYC’s East Village, cat lovers are mourning the passing of Pretty Boy, a 22-year-old cat who ruled the stretch of East 7th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. Here’s the story:
By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY
The steady rain has delayed countless city rituals: barbecues, baseball games, rooftop cocktail parties. Add to the list a funeral, rescheduled twice this week as mourners awaited an outlet for their collective grief.
The deceased: Pretty Boy, the Mayor of East Seventh Street, a dignified white cat who had a confident swagger — and a distaste for rainy weather. Thus the long-delayed memorial service to sprinkle his cremated remains along the path he once strutted.
Pretty Boy, believed to have been about 22 years old, was a local fixture for over a decade, making his rounds on the south side of the block between First Avenue and Avenue A, as shops opened and closed and renters moved in and out. His death last month, of natural causes, unleashed a storm of emotion.
A business owner broke into tears at his mention. One young resident wept through a rehearsal for her kindergarten graduation. And Herbie, a disheveled supermodel of a cat who used to live with Pretty Boy at Mikey’s Pet Shop, has retreated behind bags of cat litter to grieve privately.
“Every day I cry,” said Betty Knapp, who used to work at Mikey’s Pet Shop. Pretty Boy used to rest on her chest when her blood pressure rose, she said, and it helped to calm her down. Now, she bursts into sobs when she talks about him. “He knew he was the man. He was the man on East Seventh Street. Everybody just loved him.”
While accounts differ on exactly when Pretty Boy appeared on the block, Mikey Diaz, owner of the pet store, said he had strutted in and leapt onto the counter shortly after the store opened in this spot in 1998. Pretty Boy started sleeping in the shop at night and was later joined by Herbie. During the day, Pretty Boy ventured a few doors down to a hair salon called Chatsii, where he perched on the reception counter and leapt onto the laps of customers. Some days, Mr. Diaz said, he swaggered through a Swiss restaurant on the block.
But the turnover of shops on the block meant changes for Pretty Boy. Monique Simard, the previous owner of Chatsii, said that after she retired in 2004 Pretty Boy was no longer welcome in the space: The new owners were allergic to cats. And the Swiss restaurant closed.
So in 2004, Pretty Boy showed up at Salon Seven, a little farther down the block, and began a friendship with the owner, Mark Dolengowski.
It made for a good life: After waking to breakfast and a face-washing from Mr. Diaz at the pet shop, Pretty Boy headed over to spend the day with Mr. Dolengowski, sniffing hubcaps on the way over and meowing for water upon his arrival.
He spent his day purring, sprawled on the appointment calendar at the reception desk and in the laps of clients having their hair washed. The cat’s love of hair salons made Mr. Dolengowski suspect that he was a reincarnated hairdresser.
When he returned to the pet shop at day’s end, Pretty Boy was less subdued, chasing Herbie around the store, Mr. Diaz recalled, and breaking into the catnip. When rats appeared, however, Pretty Boy typically stayed on the counter and let Herbie handle them.
At the tail end of his life, Pretty Boy was balancing a fairly demanding schedule. He spent Saturdays traveling back and forth, greeting clients at the hair salon and purring for fans and families who stopped by to visit him after services at a synagogue in the neighborhood. Sundays brought children from a Ukrainian church.
Daliyah Abdel-Rehim, who lives on the block, is struggling to accept that Pretty Boy, whom she calls her “best friend,” won’t attend her upcoming sixth birthday party. Her mother, Iryna Malytska, said that Daliyah cried through her kindergarten graduation rehearsal on Wednesday.
“She really loved him,” Ms. Malytska said. “He was a part of Seventh Street.”
Standing before the Pretty Boy memorial he made with photographs and a vase of pink peonies, Mr. Dolengowski, too, conceded that the cat’s death had broken his heart.
“You get so hard living here,” he said in a gravelly, mournful voice. “But pets open up that heart center. There is something about the unconditional love; they clean the blues off of you.
“That’s their mission. That’s why a lot of New Yorkers have pets.”
Today is my best frend Taz’s 20th birthday! Woo Hoo!!! And even tho time is vary precious to him, he jenerussly agreed to sit down with me this week and talk about this milestone event.
Skeezix: Taz, to what do you attribute yer longevity? Taz: Two things, good genes and to parents who whisk me to the vet at the slightest sign of trouble and are able and willing to mortgage their house to fix that trouble if need be.
Skeezix: How will yoo be sellubrating yer berthday at home?
Taz: I am going to spend most of the day sleeping . In the evening, my Dad is stopping at the market for fresh fish, which he will purrsonally cook up for me for dinner. I have also requested a very special cake!
Skeezix: How are you and yer Catster frends going to sellebrate yer berthday? Taz: I hope my pals will stop in on my page and say hello!
Skeezix: Taz, yoo were Catster’s Cat of the Week this week. What was yer reaction win yoo found out yoo’d won this distinguished title? Taz: Wow, Skeezix, I was speechless for a second! I feel great, I am going to be 20, and now Cat of the Week! Life is good.
Skeezix: As you look back on yer long life, is there anything you regret not doing? Taz: I do wish I had spent more time with my elder sister, Flinders, before she went to the bridge. She raised me from a small kitTON and we were really close until we both got older.
Skeezix: Anything yoo did that yoo DO regret?
Taz: No.
Skeezix: What stand out as some of the hilites of yer life? Taz:First of all, the day my Dad found me in the parking lot of a local police station and took me home. Then, the two times in my youth that I escaped and went outside to sow my wild mancat oats; my parents eventually found me but I found out how much I was appreciated. Last but not least, the date my beloved Catsy (catster #521036) accepted me as her valentine, on VD 2008. She has since gone to the bridge but I will never forget her.
Skeezix: What’s a typical day like for yoo? Taz:Dad gets up really early and I get up, too and greet him. I go in the basement to my purrsonal mancat cave and keep him company when he lifts things up and down. I sleep in until my old Wicked Stepmother (WS) gets me up and feeds me. Then I sleep some more until dinner time, when my Dad takes me out on my leash for my walk. Then it’s back to bed!
Skeezix: Do you have any age-related health problems, and if so, how do you deel with them? Taz:I was diagnosed with CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) years ago. Since then I have to go in to my vet once weekly for a poke, which Dad calls a fillup. My parents are convinced that my doctor’s approach to starting fluids at the beginning of CRF has kept my kidneys from getting worse. I also have been diagnosed with IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease) but I have been symptom-free for a long time.
Skeezix: Taz, I gotta tell ya, I am SO JELLUS of yer extensive wardrobe! Ware do yoo shop for clothes? Taz:That old WS has gotten really creative over the years. She started out with clothes for small dogs. The ones at the stores are generally boring but you can get better ones at shows and art fairs. She then made odds and ends for me herself, which she still does (my ruby slippers are her proudest creative embellishment). Now she shops ebay and the doll aisle at Michaels for our wardrobes. One of our favorites for ready- made is Mary Catron in California, we found her on ebay.
I bet you don’t have your own closet, do you? Dad finally bought me one as he got sick of finding my stuff all over.
Skeezix: Akshully, I do have my own clozet, but it’s pretty teeny, so sum of my wardrobe is stored in footlockers.
Win yoo blow owt all the candles on yer berthday cake, Taz, whut will yoo be wishin for? Taz:A little more quality time with my family.
Skeezix: What advice can you give to other cats who are inching up on the 20-yeer mark? Taz:Enjoy every day you are lucky enough to get!
Before the week was over, Cash would even crawl up on her lap for pets and goodies. By the time she had to leave the sanctuary, Lee knew she could give him a good home — the home he’s always deserved. “His forever home,” as she likes to emphasize. Make no mistake, now at Lee’s residence, this cat is not going anywhere.
4) Buy bed steps
many senior formula cat foods on the market. These foods typically provide an optimal balance of appropriate protein, fat, calories, vitamins and minerals for older cats. 
In a claim that strains credulity, Jim Cowell of the U.K. has come forward to claim that his cat Tizzie is the world’s oldest at 36+ years old. 
who took an alpha cat role over Rocky. Rock didn’t seem to mind. When my sister adopted the tortie, we adopted Junior, a sweet clown of a Balinese who never met a cat he didn’t like–or want to wrassle with. 
A little piece of Rocky died when Junior went to The Bridge. His relationship with Junior really helped me to appreciate the vibrant emotional lives of cats. 
As cats get older, it’s even more important to tend to preventative maintenance to catch small problems before they become big–or untreatable–problems. Caught early, many of the afflictions associated with advanced age — hyperthyroidism, chronic renal failure and others — can be very manageable, and some cats can live comfortably for years after diagnosis. 
The deceased: Pretty Boy, the Mayor of East Seventh Street, a dignified white cat who had a confident swagger — and a distaste for rainy weather. Thus the long-delayed memorial service to sprinkle his cremated remains along the path he once strutted. 
Hi evrybuddy, Skeezix heer.
I bet you don’t have your own closet, do you? Dad finally bought me one as he got sick of finding my stuff all over.
