Six Cat Photos

We received the results of Faith's bloodwork yesterday, and she is, overall, doing really well, especially for a cat with cancer. A few numbers are a little off, either from the cancer or taking steroids for two years.

The lab did say she has a 95 percent chance of developing kidney failure in twenty-fourth months. We are not worried. She will be seventeen in April and was diagnosed with small cell lymphoma two years ago, which we opted to treat with palliative care only. Faith will most likely not be here in twenty-four months where kidney failure is a concern.

However, Faith gets concerned whenever I leave my room and will check up on me. I caught his photo at her eye level before she darted away (as if I didn't see her).

Here are a few photos I snapped of our cats: Faith (calico), Senna (tabby), and Midnight (black cat and Faith's mom).

All three cats are rescue cats.

Faces of Faith: Part One

Faith is six weeks away from her two-year anniversary of her diagnosis of small cell lymphoma.

Many cats with diagnosis live two to three years when treated with chemotherapy, prednisolone, and vitamin B12.

For many reasons, we opted for palliative care only, understanding we would get two to three months instead. But except for the scare in November (when we actually scheduled her at-home euthanasia only to have her pull through an hour before the veterinarian arrived), Faith has continued to do well.

Here's half a dozen photos of Faith for you to enjoy today. Hope at least one makes you smile.

Happy Thursday!

Have Some Faith

In April, my very healthy senior cat Faith suddenly became deathly ill, was hospitalized and then was subsequently diagnosed with small cell lymphoma.

After lots of consultations and for plenty of reasons, we opted for palliative care only. This means, instead of treating Faith with chemotherapy, we opted to continue steroids only, understanding we might only get a couple months benefit from them.

Well, Faith is nearly eight months on the steroids and has done really well, only needing anti-nausea medicine once a week. She's even regained all of her lost weight and then some.

This past week she has vomited three times instead of once, so the fact her cancer might be heading in the other direction is on our radar.

She's still eating and running around like a kitten, so she's not in any danger yet as we can see.

But we are keeping an eye on her weight and, if the more frequent vomiting continues, will get her tummy scanned.

In the meantime, here are half a dozen recent photos of my very photogenic cat, who poses for the camera when she sees it pointed in her direction (sometimes even if she's sleeping).

Also, if you're wondering what's up with Woodstock, that's Faith's "support animal." It was a gift inside my stocking a few years back that Faith instantly claimed. She drops him all over the house (when he's not with her).

The Many Poses of Faith the Calico

Anyone who's ever owned a pet knows no two pets, like people, have the same personality.

We have owned up to six cats at one time (not on purpose), and Faith, my calico, is by far the most photogenic in terms of posing for the camera.

Yes, Faith loves to get her picture taken. And she has quite a few that the kids call her "Tinder" pictures.

I'm fairly certain she has no idea what that means. I've show her the resulting photos on my phone, but she never looks.

Still, she does brush up against the phone; her way of claiming kitty coprights?

At any rate, when The Herald-News asked its employees to submit a photo of their pet for an advertisement for its Cutest Pet Contest, the dilemma was narrowing the selection down to one.

I used the top one. Scroll down for others.

And if you live in The Herald-News readership area, and if you own a pet, consider entering.

Here is the link.

https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/marketing/2022/03/07/herald-news-cutest-pet-contest/

Happy scrolling!

You Know What We Need Right Now? Cat Photos

Remember when photos of cats dominated social media?

What better time to bring them back and make us smile?

Here are some of mine. Feel free to share yours with readers, too.

Rebekah left her drawer open, an open invitation for Faith to chill.

Midnight chills with my number four child Timothy.

Frances chills inside Rock Soul Love in Morris, where she lived for a few years.

Hope, who is living with a wonderful family in Morris and sends me photos of her, snapped this one of Hope chilling inside a box.

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Reclaiming Hope

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Reclaiming Hope

Never give up on Hope, even when Hope appears to have given up on you.

Just when it seems Hope is gone for good, she reappears.

https://www.theherald-news.com/2014/09/09/morris-man-reunites-cat-with-joliet-owner/abnxr4w/?page=2

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday-Ish: A Tale of Four Cats

Because who doesn't love pictures of cats?

So the "throwback" in today's post isn't a previous post, but the opportunity to see all four cats on the same day...so why not take photos?

One of the greatest heartbreaks for any pet owner when losing a home through foreclosure (as if that isn't bad enough) is relinquishing ownership of pets when the "new" home doesn't allow for them.

We were fortunate that, during the eleven-thirtieth mark, an opportunity arose to keep most of the cats. We hadn't started out as pet owners, and how we did is a story unto itself. But we always strove to be responsible pet owners. With many rescues and shelters overflowing with more cats than they could place, the situation was bleak.

In the meantime, one cat died and one (my son's) was successfully rehomed, due to his marking issue (My cats didn't accept outsiders, sheesh. As if they didn't all start out that).

Two cats "found" their own foster homes in Morris, and how that happened is also a story unto itself. But with a family birthday celebration on July 15 (Fifty-six for me and a year for my granddaughter), I realized I could visit my other two cats.

As a little birthday present to myself, I took pictures with all four cats. Not because I'm a crazy cat lady. But to remind me how good God is, how he always provides, how he allowed me to continuing being a responsible pet owner to the same set of pets, and to stand in awe of his crazy ability to constantly widen our borders.

And now, the cats!

Frances, our original rescue kitty, who now lives at Gypsy Soul in Morris.

Hope, who now lives with a really nice family in Morris.

Faith, Hope's sister.

Midnight, mother of Faith, Hope and Charity (deceased).