Today was just ridiculous, and that was just stuff at work. Looking back on today and how it brought me to tears, I thought maybe a lemonade laugh could be squeezed and extracted from this lemon-of-a-day.
My morning routine involves opening my bedroom door and being hit with the smell of POO. Not just any poo, but that of an 18-19 (no one knows) super senior, former feral (indoors 5 years) with numerous medical issues including IBD. A fun fact is that the bathroom where the litter boxes are, is directly across from the air handler closet. So when Old Man Squeaky takes his IBD dawn dumperoo--when the AC kicks on, it sucks that fragrant air into the air handler and pumps it into my bedroom where I'm trying to sleep behind a closed door.
I have to close the door because I also have a 3AM hairball puker and an obsessive licker that only licks faces. I just cant...
Upon leaving my room, first it's clean the war zone in the bathroom, including sometimes a trail of poopy paw/butt prints trailing from the bathroom through the living room, kitchen, on the coffee table...yeah. Do a paw check on Squeaky and give him a paw cleaning in the sink if needed, or a butt wiping before disinfecting the tile floors where poo tracks are found. He has a 16x48" litter box that all three cats use but he will only pee in it. He is embarrassed to poo with the others and so I put a litter box in the tub where he was having "accidents" at the worst of his IBD. That led to a second box when he jumped out of box #1 too early and suddenly had to do #2, part 2. I know....it's nuts.
Once the house is de-pooed, he gets Mirataz transdermal in one ear for appetite, methimazole in the other ear for hyperthyroid, and Romeo gets his Flovent inhaler. Everyone gets their special ingredient, prescription, special low-whatever toppers and sprinkles of whatever no carb dry food and supplement for everyone's problems.
Feed the kids.
Interrupt Squeaky to shoot two pills per shot down his throat whilst eating. First round is 1/4 prednisolone and 1/2 amlodipine. Second shot is 1/4 prednisolone and 1/2 amytriptiline. If he gets the pills when he's not eating, he throws it all up. Also throws up crushed pills in liquid. Will not eat food with pills and rarely eats everything (hence, Mirataz appetite stimulant).
With all of them eating, I check my phone for the time and carried it into the bedroom where I planned to make the bed AND THERE I SEE 3 POOPY BUTT PRINTS that I apparently slept next to all night. It must have happened during the afternoon when i wasn't home. The door is closed when I go to bed. Disgusted, I ripped the sheets off the bed and threw them in the laundry. As I did, I saw the blanket had puke from the 3AM puker...who somehow spewed when I was again out of the house and left the bedroom door open.
March to the laundry (in the garage) and stuff the nasty linens in and turn on the washer.
After making coffee and getting some toast, I sit down to see how many fires are in my work email to try to extinguish today. Old Man Squeaky finished breakfast and decides to have an IBD after breakfast poo and pee. Clean the litter box again so I can eat breakfast, wipe his butt, etc.
After working for 20 min or so, I reach for my phone because I need to confirm the cat with the Flovent inhaler got his prescription sent to the pharmacy in Canada. Phone is not there. I go to the kitchen first, then the bedroom where I looked at the naked bed... OMG did I wrap my phone in those sheets and blankets and throw them in the washer????????
Race to the garage, open the washer full of water and start to search up to my shoulders in soapy, poopy, puke-y water for an Iphone 8. Pulled out a wet, 40lb king size bottom sheet and a waterlogged blanket, nearly herniating my whole lumbar spine lifting it. I searched blindly in the water with both arms, feeling in the heavy wet sheets hoping not to feel anything hard and rectangular. I gave up before confirming because I didn't want to really know.
Where else might I have gone? I remembered Old Man Squeaky had a post breakfast poo and Teams went off right when I was cleaning it, before I'd even had a sip of coffee. The bag of poo was still on the floor--the horrible Teams call sound had caused me to literally drop everything and run. on the counter was my phone.
I have no memory of carrying it in there. Such is the morning in the life of a caretaker for three special needs kitties.
I hope you enjoyed the story and can get a laugh from it. I was crying when I found the phone but in hindsight I thought maybe it would help everyone. We all fight the good fight every day with our kitties in need and we need each other's support.
Cast/Credits:
Squeaky: 18-19 yrs old, former feral, indoors 5 years, Stage 2 CDK, IBD, hypertension, hyperthyroid, environmental allergies, asthma (Albuterol), food sensitivities, dermatitis, topical flea medication allergy, enlarged heart, psychogenic alopecia, OCD, nasal polyp, all teeth removed except 3 canines.
Romeo: 15 yrs old, Diabetes type II in remission with diet, CKD stage II, huge gallbladder stone, asthma (Flovent), FHV.
Churchmouse: 11 yrs old, severe abuse/rescue, cataracts from malnutrition, malocclusion (severe overbite), FOPS (trigeminal neuralgia), 14 teeth removed, food anxiety, nerve pain, PTSD, chronic hairball puker. Will not tolerate grooming, but grooms self all day and then pukes.
Cat Mom: Momma cat to three weirdos pictured below.
My morning routine involves opening my bedroom door and being hit with the smell of POO. Not just any poo, but that of an 18-19 (no one knows) super senior, former feral (indoors 5 years) with numerous medical issues including IBD. A fun fact is that the bathroom where the litter boxes are, is directly across from the air handler closet. So when Old Man Squeaky takes his IBD dawn dumperoo--when the AC kicks on, it sucks that fragrant air into the air handler and pumps it into my bedroom where I'm trying to sleep behind a closed door.
I have to close the door because I also have a 3AM hairball puker and an obsessive licker that only licks faces. I just cant...
Upon leaving my room, first it's clean the war zone in the bathroom, including sometimes a trail of poopy paw/butt prints trailing from the bathroom through the living room, kitchen, on the coffee table...yeah. Do a paw check on Squeaky and give him a paw cleaning in the sink if needed, or a butt wiping before disinfecting the tile floors where poo tracks are found. He has a 16x48" litter box that all three cats use but he will only pee in it. He is embarrassed to poo with the others and so I put a litter box in the tub where he was having "accidents" at the worst of his IBD. That led to a second box when he jumped out of box #1 too early and suddenly had to do #2, part 2. I know....it's nuts.
Once the house is de-pooed, he gets Mirataz transdermal in one ear for appetite, methimazole in the other ear for hyperthyroid, and Romeo gets his Flovent inhaler. Everyone gets their special ingredient, prescription, special low-whatever toppers and sprinkles of whatever no carb dry food and supplement for everyone's problems.
Feed the kids.
Interrupt Squeaky to shoot two pills per shot down his throat whilst eating. First round is 1/4 prednisolone and 1/2 amlodipine. Second shot is 1/4 prednisolone and 1/2 amytriptiline. If he gets the pills when he's not eating, he throws it all up. Also throws up crushed pills in liquid. Will not eat food with pills and rarely eats everything (hence, Mirataz appetite stimulant).
With all of them eating, I check my phone for the time and carried it into the bedroom where I planned to make the bed AND THERE I SEE 3 POOPY BUTT PRINTS that I apparently slept next to all night. It must have happened during the afternoon when i wasn't home. The door is closed when I go to bed. Disgusted, I ripped the sheets off the bed and threw them in the laundry. As I did, I saw the blanket had puke from the 3AM puker...who somehow spewed when I was again out of the house and left the bedroom door open.
March to the laundry (in the garage) and stuff the nasty linens in and turn on the washer.
After making coffee and getting some toast, I sit down to see how many fires are in my work email to try to extinguish today. Old Man Squeaky finished breakfast and decides to have an IBD after breakfast poo and pee. Clean the litter box again so I can eat breakfast, wipe his butt, etc.
After working for 20 min or so, I reach for my phone because I need to confirm the cat with the Flovent inhaler got his prescription sent to the pharmacy in Canada. Phone is not there. I go to the kitchen first, then the bedroom where I looked at the naked bed... OMG did I wrap my phone in those sheets and blankets and throw them in the washer????????
Race to the garage, open the washer full of water and start to search up to my shoulders in soapy, poopy, puke-y water for an Iphone 8. Pulled out a wet, 40lb king size bottom sheet and a waterlogged blanket, nearly herniating my whole lumbar spine lifting it. I searched blindly in the water with both arms, feeling in the heavy wet sheets hoping not to feel anything hard and rectangular. I gave up before confirming because I didn't want to really know.
Where else might I have gone? I remembered Old Man Squeaky had a post breakfast poo and Teams went off right when I was cleaning it, before I'd even had a sip of coffee. The bag of poo was still on the floor--the horrible Teams call sound had caused me to literally drop everything and run. on the counter was my phone.
I have no memory of carrying it in there. Such is the morning in the life of a caretaker for three special needs kitties.
I hope you enjoyed the story and can get a laugh from it. I was crying when I found the phone but in hindsight I thought maybe it would help everyone. We all fight the good fight every day with our kitties in need and we need each other's support.
Cast/Credits:
Squeaky: 18-19 yrs old, former feral, indoors 5 years, Stage 2 CDK, IBD, hypertension, hyperthyroid, environmental allergies, asthma (Albuterol), food sensitivities, dermatitis, topical flea medication allergy, enlarged heart, psychogenic alopecia, OCD, nasal polyp, all teeth removed except 3 canines.
Romeo: 15 yrs old, Diabetes type II in remission with diet, CKD stage II, huge gallbladder stone, asthma (Flovent), FHV.
Churchmouse: 11 yrs old, severe abuse/rescue, cataracts from malnutrition, malocclusion (severe overbite), FOPS (trigeminal neuralgia), 14 teeth removed, food anxiety, nerve pain, PTSD, chronic hairball puker. Will not tolerate grooming, but grooms self all day and then pukes.
Cat Mom: Momma cat to three weirdos pictured below.
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