I got a new cat: Tatiana!

[Dru]

Nope, I've got three other people in the house, plus two dogs

[TimM]

Crowded house.  Four people, four cats, two dogs!

[Dru]

Three horses and four chickens, too   I lived in Boston for a stint, but I grew up in the Berkshires, which is where I live now--it's beautiful here, and I love the peace and quiet.

[TimM]

I live in a one bedroom apartment, so one cat is good enough for me.

[Dru]

Not a cat, but very cute anyway.  This is Joe, and as you can see, my sister has decorated his stall for Christmas

[TimM]

What a lovely horse, Amanda. 

[Dru]

Thanks, Tim.  He's a really sweet horse, too!

[TimM]

Have you ridden him yet, Amanda?

[Dru]

I have ridden him before, but I'm not a very good rider.  My sister has ridden him in shows and won championships, though. 

[TimM]

Congrats to your sister, Amanda.

As for me, I'm still trying to keep Tatiana away from the Christmas tree.  It seems every time I turn around, she's there, chewing on it.  She has her own chew toys, why is she always after the tree!

[TimM]

Today, Tatiana finally did it.  She knocked over my Christmas tree.  No damage though.

[TimM]

Tatiana, my current cat, is three years old as of today.  According to her adoption records, she was born on December 21, 2010.

Here is a video of the Ottawa Humane Society (which I am a proud supporter of), where I adopted Tatiana from:

http://www.youtube.com/user/OHSWalkathon?feature=watch

[Dru]

We had a terrible scare with my sister's very dearly loved cat Steve (funny name for a cat, I know).   He was rushed to the animal emergency room Saturday night, and they basically told us he would have to be put to sleep--he had a blocked urinary tract, and they suspected he had a kidney stone, which would have meant thousands of dollars worth of risky surgery, or he could have had crystals in his urine, which is a re-occuring condition that can be fatal; either way, it wasn't looking good.  However, his urinalysis came back perfectly normal, and it now looks like he has a rare stress condition that caused a muscle spasm and prevented him from urinating.  He has to eat prescription cat food for the rest of his life, and he may have to take an anti-anxiety medication, but he's going to be okay.  It is almost a miracle.  At any rate, he is home safe and sound, and here he is resting comfortable in the drawer of his mama's bed:

[edubs31]

Scary stuff, glad he's OK. A friend of my wife's cat had to be put down not long ago for a urinary condition like the one you mentioned. Sad.

Here's one of Teddy from a couple of months ago. He's just under a year and four months at this point...

[Dru]

Thanks, edubs; I'm glad he's okay too. 

Teddy is absolutely beautiful!