The Dorky Vegan

My cats are obsessed with my groceries, it appears. Ginny has her obsession with my grocery bags, and Avocado just wants to hang out in my fridge all day. Virginie has this great picture of him stepping out of the fridge back in Shutesbury, all calm. He snuck in when she wasn’t looking, and she closed him in there. Luckily, she had to put something back in there immediately, and found him. Anyway, this accompanying picture was taken yesterday when I had the fridge open to get some food (not a lot in there, I know). He was actually crawling around on the bottom shelf before I grabbed my camera. I had to pick him up to close the fridge because he wouldn’t get out on his own.

Despite always trying to steal Ginny’s food (and mine, apparently), Avocado has successfully lost half a pound! Like I said, I just cut back on a tiny bit of his dry food (I still don’t have the money to buy more wet food… I should get my paycheck tomorrow). He hasn’t complained, but the results are in. Now what you see is just pure fluff.

Of course, I did try to up his activity. See this video.

I guess that’s why Ginny’s the skinny one (although, she’s grown a lot since I got her. She’s now at a healthy weight and she’s bigger than the shelter thought she would be). But for the record, Avocado attacked the toy as soon as I turned the camera off. Camera shy, maybe? I need to replace that toy though… it’s their favorite, so much so that they’ve now ripped out all the feathers (what’s on it in that video are four straggly streamers). When I was playing with Ginny after, the wand broke, which puts me dangerously close to their claws. I had a second one, but I left it at my mom’s and I don’t know where exactly. So I need to replace this, and I know they’re not expensive, but I really don’t have any money right now. So they’ll have to wait. I mean, it’s not like they don’t have fifteen other perfectly good toys laying around here.

One thing they do love is the shower. Yesterday, I took a shower (personal hygiene, yeah!). Ginny likes to sit on the edge of the bathtub because she’s a peepi— because she likes to watch the water drain (I don’t know. So does Avocado). She usually gets a good sprinkling of water from the shower, and she’s fine with it (although it’s cute to watch her ears flick back and forth when the drops fall on her). When I’m done, she moves closer to the drain to watch it all go down.

Yesterday, when I had gotten out but there was still a good half a foot of water in the tub (my drain sucks), she went to move positions… and fell in (she’s been having a lot of misjudging distances, surfaces, etc. lately. No ear infections, I checked, just Avocado’s klutziness rubbing off on her). Although she likes a little water, she did not like suddenly being drenched! She frantically flapped around a little bit and managed to get out of the tub (taking half the water with her onto my bathroom floor). I sat there and tried to towel her off for at least twenty minutes, but she was having none of it. Finally, when I knew that she at least wouldn’t soak all of my furniture, I let her go and take care of it herself.

Today, she was much more cautious with the shower.

I had other things to post about from the last few days, but I’ve forgotten them. That’s how it is, of course.

Ginny advocates the use of reusable bags. Cats are less likely to suffocate in them, they’re fun to play in, and… oh yeah, they’re good for the environment.

I’ve been trying a few new things in my quest to get Avocado and Ginny to not wake me up in the middle of the night. The other night, they started running around as soon as I turned out the light to go to bed, and Ginny spent the entire night in the wardrobe. I felt bad, so I turned to the Veggie Board for advice. The most obvious suggestion is to just let them have run of everything except the bedroom (which I used to let Avocado do in Shutesbury), but as I now live in a studio apartment, that’s not exactly possible.

Now, I understand that cats are nocturnal animals. But I also know that they’re highly intelligent and can adapt to a different sleeping schedule if I train them right. Most people don’t train their cats in anything, thinking that cats are stubborn and can’t be trained, but that’s just not so. I’ve trained them in a few things, and as this actually affects me (unlike fetching balls and walking beside me on a leash), I’m determined to succeed. My cats are smart. And I don’t want them to learn that this new habit is okay.

In Shutesbury, they didn’t do this. They slept through the night (well, until Avocado would wake me up at 6:30 for breakfast). It could be a number of reasons why they’re suddenly doing it. They didn’t do it the first few nights, when they were still adjusting to the new location. Now, I’m lucky enough to have two cats who adjusted to a completely new living arrangement (city, long drive to get here, apartment instead of house, no dogs, by ourselves) within a matter of days. Especially considering Avocado’s apprehensions since his accident. Once they got adjusted, however, they started the late night shenanigans. Which was good, in a way, but very, very bad in another.

So I’ve tried separating them. That results in Avocado crying for about an hour because he can’t play with Ginny. It also results in me feeling bad that Ginny’s stuck in the wardrobe/bathroom, even though she doesn’t mind it (she just goes to sleep). As soon as I let her out, they go back to their play, so nothing was accomplished. They also don’t seem to be learning from this.

I can’t use a spray bottle, because my cats are weird and like water. And I don’t want to punish them for playing; I just want them to learn the difference between “it’s okay to play during the day” and “it’s not okay to play at night”.

Last night, I tried two different things. First, I played with them constantly during the afternoon, and again while watching TV before bed. They both love the feather chaser thing (I forget what it’s actually called, but it’s that standard cat toy with feathers attached to a stick), so I have them chase it until they’re absolutely exhausted. Laying down because they can’t chase it anymore, and then I still dance it around them and they bat at it with their paws for a little while. This ensures that they’re tired enough to go right to sleep afterwards.

Also, I split their dinner into two feedings. I gave them 2/3 at the regular time (6:00) and then the remaining 1/3 right before I went to bed (of course, I have to watch them eat because Avocado will push Ginny away from her food even though it’s the same food). I can’t leave a full dish out at night, because Avocado will gobble up all of it in no time at all, so it’s carefully measured for him. But in doing so, he’s not hungry all night and crying for food an hour after I go to bed (the chasing usually starts because he’s walking around talking and Ginny, who was peacefully sleeping, gets annoyed and pounces on him).

The result? They were both ready for bed when I was, and slept until 4 or 5am. Yes, they woke me up then. I put a tiny bit of food in their bowls (just a few kibbles), went back to sleep, and was undisturbed until my neighbor started doing really loud construction insanely early in the morning (he’s been doing it for the past four days and it’s really starting to get on my nerves).

So, I think their late night rambunctiousness is a combination of being hungry (being fed too early) and just wanting to play. In Shutesbury, Avocado had Kali to play with all during the day, so he was tired at night. Lately, both he and Ginny have been trying to escape the heat by napping all day, and he doesn’t have crazy dogs chasing him around the house. I’ve been trying to lure them out to play more, but with the random heat wave this past week, it’s been hard.

But at least I know some of the solution.

I barely saw my cats all day until suppertime. Both were trying to beat the heat in whatever way possible. Ginny has been hiding out on the cool ceramic of the bathtub; Avocado spent the day underneath my bed as seen here (I crawled under and felt that it really was cooler). Ginny usually likes napping on top of the cabinets but it’s way too hot for her lately. And you can forget about getting them to play! Only at 4am, thank you.

Well I managed to find all 5 lattice balls the other night… then the next night I could only find four again. Last night I only found four but in the middle of the night, Ginny found the fifth (see why I have to hunt them down every night?). I wonder how many I’ll be able to find tonight.

Avocado, when he did come out from his cool spot, decided to be in one of his extremely affectionate moods. I couldn’t make a move without calling his attention and him running over, demanding to be pet. I guess he was making up for all those hours he wouldn’t come out from under his bed.

One of my neighbors was doing very loud yardwork (I don’t know what) all day, though, and that made him jumpy. My poor boy. Once, I went to pet and ease him and he jumped at my hand. I picked him up and cradled him, though, and he calmed down. Soon he was purring and begging for ear scratches.

I’ve also noticed that Avocado’s putting on a tiny bit extra weight (probably from stealing Ginny’s food all the time) so I’m cutting back on a tiny bit of his food. Just a little, honestly. When I scoop out his food, I don’t fill it completely to the edge, just one layer less. And anything he doesn’t finish right away goes back in the bowl. So hopefully he won’t feel hungry, but he won’t get fat either (I think it’s because we’re in a studio apartment now instead of a whole house with dogs chasing him, so less activity).

Still trying to get them to not wake me up in the very early morning… this morning, Ginny spent quite a lot of time in the wardrobe/bathroom. I put her in there and fell back asleep and woke up an hour or two later. Good thing she doesn’t mind it (she was fast asleep when I opened the door). Avocado would have a fit.

That is, why Ginny and Avocado were just chasing each other and I had to put Ginny in the wardrobe. They were behaving perfectly (ie, sleeping) until I woke up at 5am to pee. Appparently, that’s the signal for them to behave like crazy cats. Note to self: stumble to bathroom in the dark next time.

While sleeping, however, I had a horrible dream. I was at my mom’s with them (and taking my sister’s cat, Chester, because she was going overseas and couldn’t take him for some reason), and I couldn’t find Avocado. Finally, late in the evening, he came back… with his entire face painted. But it was really bad, as whoever painted his face blocked his nostrils and painted his mouth so that it couldn’t open (eyes too). I managed to pry open his mouth so he didn’t suffocate just in time, but couldn’t do anything else about the other stuff.

We knew it was our crazy neighbors’ doing, and my sister was telling me to get the cats out of here as soon as possible because of them (due to Avocado not going outside, it was only likely that they took him from our [really nonexistent] porch). I was supposed to move in three months, so she told me to just find a long-term foster parent for them (and I, of course, was crying because of what happened to Avocado and I didn’t want to part with any of the cats).

We tried going to the vet to get the paint removed, but as we opened the door, a zombie child came upon us, so we had to stay inside. And then the dream rapidly progressed into a Resident Evil, complete with Milla Jovovich.

Oh yeah, and there was a part about me having no money. Surprised?

I don’t know where the zombies came from, but as for the rest of it… well, I’m constantly worried about my cats. But really! A painted face?

Anyway. Then I woke up, and went back to sleep, and now I’m awake again. Oh, and sometime in the night, Avocado found another one of the lattice balls. That means only one is missing now.

Ginny just went back into the wardrobe because they’re still running around. But, for what it’s worth, they did come up with a “neutral space”: under my bed. If only it could be on my bed instead. But as soon as one goes under it, the other stops chasing (and in fact usually both will go under and just hang out) but as soon as the first reemerges, it all starts again. Usually Ginny’s sitting right next to the bed waiting to pounce on Avocado.

Redefining, that is, Avocado as a cat. It seems that he’s determined to be anything but a cat. Here he is trying to be a book, now that the bookshelves are cleared of the former tenant’s stuff (well, mostly). If he can’t be a dog, he’s just going to be an inanimate object!

Today was rather uneventful. I awoke at 4am like usual… but not because Avocado and Ginny were chasing each other around the apartment! I guess my body’s just used to getting up at 4am now. I read a bit in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (finished that, actually) until my body was ready to go back to sleep. Avocado and Ginny were all, “What are you doing up?” Avocado slept in my bed, Ginny slept on the couch. It’s possible that Avocado just wasn’t sleeping in my bed because it wasn’t comfortable with his e-collar.

I spent the late morning/early afternoon moving furniture around, which gives Avocado and Ginny even more space to chase each other around (like they didn’t have enough!). Which they promptly took advantage of. Avocado broke one of the Christmas ornaments he’s been playing with since March (yes, we didn’t take our Christmas tree down until late April, and then only because Virginie’s sister was visiting and would have laughed at us) by hitting it into the bed leg. So now, they only have… oh, fifty other things to chase around the apartment.

We came here with five lattice balls (not to mention other things, but this is what we’re talking about here) and within two days at most, two were missing. Despite cleaning, unpacking, moving furniture, retrieving the remaining balls from under furniture (that’s a never ending task!), I still can’t find those two balls. Well, they’re fifty cents each, so it wasn’t a huge loss, but I’m still wondering where they could possibly be.

Also, you wouldn’t think that it would be hard to be able to find two cats in a studio apartment, but they keep coming up with more and more hiding places! Especially since Avocado no longer has his e-collar, he’s the explorer (Virginie once opened the fridge to find him in there!)… they can fit behind the couch and the loveseat, they keep sneaking into the closet (and the shelf in the closet), the cupboards… half the time I panic that they’ve somehow escaped the apartment, even though I haven’t opened the door and the screens are all on the windows!

They’re calmed down now (I took all their jingly toys away so the people downstairs don’t hate me too much) so I guess I should go to bed while I have the chance!

Free, that is, of the e-collar and sutures. He’s healed! We went into the vet at 9:30 yesterday morning and he was absolutely fine. So he’s back to normal and exacting his revenge on Ginny for taking advantage of his lack of peripheral vision all those weeks.

And I discovered that if Ginny didn’t have Avocado to play with every day, things would be very different. I came back (after locking myself out and waiting two hours for my landlord) to find the apartment a MESS. She spilled over the smaller litter box and got litter ALL over the apartment. Papers everywhere, too. She’s a crazy cat.

It’s obvious that they now seem settled in. To the point where they’re trying to take over again! They’ve found so many hiding spots in my tiny studio that it’s unbelievable. They’ve had their own sleeping spots every night (Avocado by the window, Ginny usually on the couch or loveseat) but last night they actually both slept in the bed with me. That is, until about 4am when one of them decided to pounce on the other, which ended in them chasing each other around the apartment for about two hours. I finally shut Ginny in the wardrobe/bathroom for a little while, which always calms her down (and thus, Avocado) and when I let her out, she was fine with just curling up on my bed.

That is, until 9am when Avocado started pawing at my face because he was hungry. I tried to ignore him for about a half hour, but finally gave up and got up to feed them. The picture accompanying this entry is of them waiting for breakfast this morning. Look at Avocado’s face!

I’ve started transitioning Ginny to Innova Evo for her dry food. The shelter gave me a free bag of Science Diet with her adoption, because that’s the dry food she was eating there. But I don’t like Science Diet, so I’m trying to switch her over to Innova. I tried it a couple weeks ago, but because of the upset with being at my mom’s and everything, she ended up with diarrhea so I didn’t want to upset her more.

She’s been sneaking food from Avocado’s bowl anyway, so in her own way she’s been transitioning. But now I’m up to feeding her 50/50, and I separate them so she eats her portion and Avocado eats his (usually Avocado bullies her from her bowl because he prefers her food). I put her bowl on the top of the cabinets and his on the floor, and they’re fine.

That’s exactly the look Avocado just gave me as he jumped up onto the jungle gym and… well, something went wrong. I looked over and there he was, standing (a little shakily) on the top, looking at me like, “What’d I do?”

As for Ginny, oh, she’s all calm and innocent sleeping under my bed right now… but this afternoon I found her out on the windowsill! Have I mentioned that we live on the third floor?! The girl I’m subletting from, Gabriela, came here today to pick up a lot of her stuff (I have room to move and spread out now!) and she opened the bottom bathroom window about half a foot. I don’t know why, as the top window has a screen and was already open… anyway, she left, and I was putting stuff away in the space she created for me, and I look in the bathroom… and there’s Ginny, outside on the windowsill that’s about four inches wide! Nearly gave me a heart attack, but I pulled her back in (no time for pictures, sorry) while she was looking at me like, “What? It’s nice here. Got a great view of the birds and everything.”

I don’t think she would have jumped from the windowsill (this is the cat that won’t jump down from the kitchen counter), but she could have fallen. I don’t want to deal with more vet bills, thank you! (Would a cat even survive a three story drop? I don’t even want to think about it.)

So, note to self: remind Gabriela of just how small of a space a cat can manage to squeeze itself through if it desires (Avocado’s even worse than Ginny when he doesn’t have his e-collar on).

Other than that, they’re doing well. I can’t tell if Avocado’s depressed, adjusting to the new surroundings, not liking the heat, or if he just had his sleep schedule messed up (I worked so hard to get him to sleep at night and play during the day, and now he sleeps all day but wakes me and Ginny up at 3am walking around “talking” and playing with his balls). He does play with me in the evenings and early mornings, and then he’s just like his old self, so maybe he just doesn’t like the heat (I don’t either).

Ginny has a vet appointment tomorrow (I hope it doesn’t cost too much!), I have job interviews on Tuesday and Thursday, and Avocado should be getting his sutures out on Friday! It’s not an action-packed week, certainly, but we’re enjoying the relaxation. Oh, and the vet is only a few blocks from here, so I’m probably going to carry Ginny’s carrier (the soft one that folds up) and walk her there, since she loves being outdoors. I’ll leave super early so she can have lots of time to stop and look around.

It’s true. They love Modest Mouse, are impartial to Kaiser Chiefs, and absolutely hate Jimmy Eat World. We were driving on Wednesday night (or very early Thursday morning, I don’t know. We left at 8:30 Wednesday night and got here 24 hours later) and I had in Modest Mouse’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Now, I knew Avocado likes Modest Mouse. It was obvious from the day I brought home this CD. I put it in and he just curls up with me and starts purring like mad. I don’t know.

But then the CD ended, and I put in Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity (you know, their best album), and you should have heard the noise that both of them started making! It’s absolutely ridiculous. Are my cats the only one? (Virginie told me once, driving back from the airport, she was singing and Azabel started yowling… as soon as she stopped singing, Azabel stopped, but when she started again, so would Azabel. Virginie’s not a great singer, haha.)

Okay, so we’ve been in Chicago since Thursday night, but due to the craziness of moving in (and my sucky, sucky former job not paying me and me having a panic attack as a result), I haven’t been able to find time to write a post. The good news is that we made it here without dying. And my car made it here without dying (that was a close one!). I made quite a scene at the rest stops with my cats walking along on their leashes (well, Ginny walked beside me fine; Avocado’s scared of the loud trucks so he just sat there most of the time). It took so long to get to Chicago because during the day, the car got really hot (the A/C stopped working a while ago) so I stopped pretty much every other rest stop and let them out for a half hour or more to cool off, stretch their limbs, and get them fresh ice water. Because I take care of my kitties.

We finally got here at 7:30 Central time and they immediately took over one of the windows (as you can see in the picture). After I unloaded the car, I was absolutely exhausted but took the time to set up their “jungle gym” because they love that thing. Except… I threw out the instructions after I put it together the first time (in March) so I had to do it by memory. Which took an hour. Ha, my memory’s not that good! Avocado’s glad to have it back, though. I’ve set it up in front of the window (I rearranged some of the furniture) so he sleeps on it at night with the breeze coming in on him.

Now I have the daunting task of teaching them not to run out the door when I open it. That’s the problem with going from living in a house (every door leads to another room they can explore, except the door that leads outside) to a studio (they know the door doesn’t lead outside, but they haven’t grasped the concept that it’s off limits). Well, right now Ginny’s the problem, as Avocado’s still wary of his new surroundings. But in a few days I’m sure he’ll be trying to get out as well. But maybe they’ll learn quickly, as they’re smart. Or they’ll be too smart and figure out how to dart out quickly.

Other than that, they’re adjusting really well. I think they’re not enjoying the heat too much (it’s been ridiculous humidity since we got here, although today wasn’t too bad in comparison) but they’ve been playing, sleeping, and eating like normal. Ginny has a vet appointment on Monday (I hope I can afford it!) and Avocado should be getting his sutures out on Friday. Finally!

Anyway, I need to take a picture of the adorable dishes I’m using as their food and water bowls. They’re fish designed and supposed to be used for sushi (the one I’m using for water is a dipping bowl). I picked them up 90% off their original price of $7 back in February and haven’t used them since (I didn’t feel it was appropriate for a vegan to use them for sushi dishes, even if it’s vegan sushi). But they’re cute as cat dishes.

This is the (utterly ridiculous) shot of Avocado and Ginny taking up the entire bed. Just look at Avocado’s paws up in victory in the corner! In his sleep! How am I supposed to compete with that?

And then he woke me up very early, trying to gain my affections back… and then when I got back to sleep, Ginny woke me up by knocking over a bunch of stuff (again). And it’s been like that. But I did make a trek to a new pet store for some more food, because I guess I shouldn’t starve them despite their insistence on not letting me sleep. So I went to Pet Lovers in Swansea (at least I think that was the name of it; it’s in the plaza where Building 19 used to be, and Seabra, the most useless grocery store EVER, still is, seriously how is that still in business?). And it has my stamp of approval. And I’m pretty harsh with pet stores. I mean, keep me away from Petco and PetSmart and all those (okay, so I have to go to PetSmart tomorrow to try to find a carrier that Avocado will at least tolerate, but other than that…).

Anyway, it’s a really small store, but it’s locally, independently owned, which first off gets a gold star from me. Second, the people working there (who were all around my age, by the way. Not that I’m saying anything about that, just saying it) all knew their stuff. And the thing that really impressed me? There was no crap like Iams or Purina to be found! It was all truly wholesome, GOOD cat and dog food! I mean, I went there looking for Innova Evo, which I’ve been feeding Avocado since April (we tried one bag of Eagle Pack when I first got him but then found this, which is much better). When I was researching cat food, it was a toss up between Innova and Felidae, but the closest place that sold Felidae was over an hour away, so Innova it was. Quality-wise, they’re the same (I believe. It’s been a while since I did all my research). They’re both very high quality, human grade ingredients, no grain, high protein and low carb. Which is what a cat needs. Not like the stuff you’ll buy at grocery stores.

Ahem. I went on a rant there. Anyway, I walked in… and they had Felidae/Canidae (Canidae is the dog’s variety, if you’re looking for it)! Even before I saw the Innova, that was a good sign. I spent a while looking at the brands and… they’re all really, really good brands. So if you’re ever in the area, you should check it out.

Then I bought my 6.6 pound bag of food and four 5.8 ounce cans of wet food for $24.something (gulp) and went to Seabra, not knowing it was the most worthless grocery store ever (I walked out with a can of refried beans and a can of vegetarian chili, because that’s all I could find that I could eat. Mmm, gassy!). And then I came home and took Ginny outside for a walk, and she’s walking on the leash very well. As in, she actually walks next to me, unlike Avocado. Avocado’s fine on a leash, but he just wanders and won’t go where I want him to (he’s a cat, what can I say?). But Ginny just bounces along beside me. It’s really cute. Even though James thinks I’m ridiculous for bringing her out on a leash. I almost yelled at him, “Look at Avocado! See what happens when they go outside on their own?” I mean, I might’ve yelled at him. I tried not to. But I definitely did say that.

Oops.

You know how it is. You swear cats aren’t big animals, no problem, but when it comes to how big they can stretch themselves out over the bed… Ginny’s the worst. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, half off the bed, because of her. And she’s tiny, usually. But come nighttime, she needs her space! And I haven’t gotten it into her head that what she thinks is “her space” is actually mine.

Oh, right, she’s a cat. It’s all her space. Anyway.

It’s been, as usual, a hectic week. One of these days, I’m going to start cooking again, I swear. Until then, I’m pretty much living on whole wheat bread and/or bagels with Earth Balance and sugar on top. A lot of sugar. But as that’s all I’m eating, at least I’m not consuming too many calories. Not too healthy, mind you, but at least I’ve got one thing down.

Anyway, things were going okay. But that can’t happen in my life. Especially not when I’m trying to move halfway across the country! So, I took Avocado to his vet on Thursday to get his sutures removed. They looked at his tail and said it looked nice and started removing them. They had removed about six, had a few left, when they realized that one part hadn’t completely healed. So they stopped, obviously, gave me more antibiotics for him, and told me to come back in a week (or, if I had made it to Chicago by then, go to another vet in a week).

Then I went back to the house and started packing up the car, because I had a lot of stuff to move out over the next 24 hours or so. The cats were going to my mom’s that night and I would make one last trip in the morning for the rest of my stuff. That was the plan.

Well, I got a really late start leaving the house, because it takes forever to load a car correctly when you’re trying to fit as much stuff as possible into pretty much the world’s smallest sedan. So you have to take time to strategize. We left at 9, got a couple miles down the road (to the infamous Shutesbury Athletic Club), and realized that I forgot Avocado’s antibiotics in the fridge. So I turned around, got them, and got back on the road.

And mind you, driving down the MassPike, I was driving considerably slower than I normally do (read: going somewhat close to the speed limit!) because I was still driving with my spare on. Avocado and Ginny were very well behaved, as they are at night (during the day Ginny has to go in her carrier because she wants to run back and forth to every window to look out; Avocado just curls up and sleeps no matter what). So, even though we left at 9 (about three hours late), I didn’t get into my mom’s until 11:30.

And then… I get in the house and see immediately that Avocado’s tail, the end, was missing! I mean, the skin was missing. The bloody bone was just sticking out. So I woke my mom and she found the phone number for the emergency animal clinic, and I drove the 45 minutes there (sometimes I hate living next to nothing). I was there until 2 in the morning, just waiting for everything to go through. They were very nice, and everyone loved his name, and the vet tech was impressed with his friendliness despite his situation (she was trying to check his lungs and couldn’t hear anything except his extremely loud purring!).

So he had to have surgery, which I didn’t stay for, as they said it would be hours before he was released. So I went home and somehow fell asleep (out of pure exhaustion) with Ginny (who unfortunately had just been dumped in my room when I discovered Avocado’s tail, but I called my brother and had him take care of her while I was driving to the clinic). The hospital called at 9 and I went to pick him up.

Avocado’s missing a good portion of his tail now, but is otherwise healthy (so far) and happy. I was a bit worried yesterday because he was acting strange for him: scared when anyone picked him up (he clawed his way out of my arms, he never does that), hiding under my bed, not wanting to play. Last night when I got back from moving my stuff out (which was another ordeal, I didn’t get home until almost 3am!), he wanted to make it up to me by climbing all over me and purring up a storm (I just wanted to sleep…). Today he’s been very playful (by himself, and with me and Ginny), when he’s not sleeping because of the pain medicine (he has one dose left, at 4am). The only thing is that he has no inclination to get upstairs, where he usually tries to sneak (now Ginny does, and half the time manages to get by the baby gate AND shoe-holding-door-closed [doorknob’s broken]). Upstairs is off-limits and usually not being able to go somewhere annoys him. Now, even when I bring him upstairs (when I know Jewel’s in another room), he immediately wants to go back downstairs. I think it’s because he knows that place, it’s familiar and safe to him.

And, he also has no desire to go outside anymore. When I had to bring him outside to get him to the car, he pretty much freaked out (well, as much as a very laid-back cat like Avocado freaks out. But it was very unlike him).

Note that, some day I hope to update this with humorous stories about my cats. But right now I’m spending most of my time worrying about Avocado. When I’m not worrying about him, I’m worrying about how I’m going to pay back my mom for the humooongous vet bills for his surgeries. Oh yeah, and there’s that whole moving thing.

As for Ginny, she’s enjoying the dog-free household. She hates when I spend time upstairs, though, because she loves human company (they both do, really, but she more than Avocado. Possibly because she’s still adapting to being in a home, and because she’s still more kitten-ish than he). That’s when she repeatedly bangs against the basement door trying to get upstairs.

New pictures are up on flickr. I need to move Ginny and go to bed…