If It’s Not One Thing It’s Another!

Posted on August 20, 2014August 20, 2014 by Dusty Roads

So you all know that this year has been a rough one in my little household. First I played the klutz and got all bruised up on the trip to San Diego.

Then poor Smokey passed away.

Smokey

And most recently I came down with shingles.

Just when I thought things might be looking up Rocky started acting strange. Well he always acts strange but this time he started acting like he was in pain.

Yesterday morning he played fuzzy alarm clock and got me up by sticking his nose in my face. Cat whiskers tickle in case you didn’t know that. As I moved over to make room for him he plopped his chin on my hand while I rubbed his cheeks, chin and throat. He was the picture of contentment.

This morning was completely different. Once again he woke me up by sticking his nose in my face but when I went to give his chin a rub he gave a melp (that’s the cat version of yelp) and almost backed off the bed in an effort to get away. That got my attention.

I got up and tried to approach him but he kept running away. This is not normal behavior for the Rocket-man.

I decided to feed them fish cat food for breakfast. I usually save that for treats because I’ve heard fish flavored cat food isn’t good for male cats. Of course they love it. It’s Rocky’s favorite and I wanted to be sure he was eating. He is. And he had a drink of water after breakfast and he did some grooming. All good signs.

Except when he came over for his after breakfast petting session and I reached for his head…he almost fell over backward getting away. I let him go and he found a chair to his liking and curled up to sleep. If he’s sick that’s probably just what he needs.

He is now letting me pet his back and if I work my way up from his back to his neck to his head I can gently stroke his cheeks but I can’t go near his chin.

I called the vet and tomorrow morning we’ll find out what, if anything is going on. I’ll be sure to let you know.

Love the New Furniture

Posted on August 18, 2014August 18, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Rocky hasn’t really warmed up to the new furniture but Buddy loves the recliner.

He will settle for the love seat if I refuse to move.

It’s a Cat’s Life~No Words Needed

Posted on August 17, 2014August 17, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Physical Therapy and Cats

Posted on August 1, 2014August 1, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Well I seem to be in a holding pattern with the shingles. I’d say about 3/4 of the rash is gone and the redness is fading but there’s still a stubborn spot right in the middle of my back. I’m also still getting those weird cramps in my right side. But it’s not getting any worse either.

The physical therapist for my left hip called and I started there this week. The first appointment was an intake appointment and was pretty easy. They determined that my hip/leg pain was not sciatica(Yay!) and is really just overly tight muscles. They sent me home with a card full of future appointments and a couple of basic stretching exercises.

Back for my second PT session they tried to lull me by using heat therapy first followed by massage. It was a deep tissue massage and as always it hurt like crazy but it loosened up a ton of muscles. I should have made my escape then because the rest of the session was 45 minutes of stretching . By the time they cut me loose my legs were like jello but I was moving better and the tingling had disappeared so maybe this is working.

Back home my fuzzy roommates were happy to see me. They are used to me being around home most of the time so when I go out for awhile they gather at the door to wait for my return.

My cats are weird, no doubt about that. You know how Rocky has to have a heat lamp but Buddy does something even stranger than sleep in a sun spot. Buddy climbs to the top of the cat tree and drapes himself over the edge. Pretty soon you hear coughing, gagging and wheezing. Silly cat is choking himself. He does that to get my attention and he’ll only sit up if I bring him the tube of hairball gel. He loves that and when he sees me coming with that tube in my hand, well, lets just say, he has a miraculous recovery.

I’ve got some more “Cat Tails” but I’m out of room for now.

Mayor Stubbs

Posted on June 11, 2014June 11, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I haven’t heard too much about Mayor Stubbs since he recovered from the attach on his life by an assassin dog. So when I ran across this recent article I thought I’d share. He does look like he’s getting old. 🙁

Talkeetna’s feline mayor contemplates retirement

Stubbs the cat has faithfully served his constituents for 17 years, and his owner says it might be time for him to leave Alaska’s political arena.

By: Laura Moss

Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 12:12 PM

A visitor cuddles Mayor Stubbs at Nagley’s General Store. (Photo: Cody Wellons)

I recently snuggled with the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska.

He was friendly and quite diplomatic, making sure to give everyone who’d traveled to see him an equal amount of attention.

In return, we all gave Stubbs, a 17-year-old cat, a few scratches behind the ears. We could be some of the last Talkeetna tourists to do so.

The mayoral Manx has served Talkeetna, which is home to fewer than 900 people, since July 18, 1997 when he was still just a kitten.

It’s rumored that Stubbs was elected mayor following a write-in campaign by voters who opposed the human candidates. However, Talkeetna has no actual mayor and no election — the town is run by a community council.

Nagley's General Store in Talkeetna, Alaska

Stubbs conducts his unofficial mayoral business from Nagley’s General Store, where he can often be found sleeping in a basket or sipping his favorite cocktail: water with a catnip garnish.

On the day we met, Stubbs was doing the rounds in and around the store, greeting his constituents, as well as tourists who were in town for Memorial Day weekend.

Eventually, he curled up beneath a picnic table for a nap.

Having recently turned 85 in cat years, Stubbs may soon retire from life in the political spotlight.

His owner, Lauri Stec, says she may move Stubbs into her house to take a break from the deluge of visitors who flock to the store each summer to see him.

She says Stubbs will likely hate being stuck at the house, but she’s concerned about his health — and his penchant for trouble.

“He’s definitely used up 100 lives,” she recently told the Alaska Dispatch.

In August, Stubbs was mauled by a dog, an attack that left him with a punctured lung, crushed sternum, bruised hips and a deep gash.

He was rushed to a veterinary clinic in Wasilla, Alaska, and eventually made a full recovery.

In addition to surviving the assassination attempt, Stubbs has also lived through being shot with a BB gun and falling into a cold fryer at the café attached to Nagley’s General Store.

If Stubbs leaves the store this summer, his fans — who hail from regions far outside his constituency, from the likes of Turkey, Australia and China — will still be able to keep up with his adventures on Facebook.