Secret Paws 2014

We got a wonderful Secret Paws package from Samantha Black!


Look at all these gifts! She really spoiled us this Christmas!


We didn't even know where to start. That Christmas tree toy is a lot of fun, and the snowman too. And we love all the balls!


Maggie didn't even want to wait until the wand toy was out of the package to try it out. She's impulsive like that.


Josie picked out a piece of tissue paper. The tissue had a nice nip smell to it too.


Look at all these treats! We're stocked. We've really enjoyed the Tumblers!


Huggy Bear says "Thanks for all our great stuff, Samantha!" She was even nice enough to send something for Mom and Dad. Merry Christmas! We love doing Secret Paws.

The morning after...


Dad left the box with the tissue in the kitchen so of course we played with it all night. (The laundry basket on the counter was to carry supplies to a friend's house so Mom could cook dinner.)

Secret Paws!

We got our Secret Paws package last week from Samantha Black! She did an amazing job putting together some great gifts for us, and even something for out Mom and Dad. I have a bunch of pictures that I will upload this weekend. Family was in for Christmas so it threw off my posting, but I just wanted to acknowledge the great gifts from Samantha. Thanks again! Merry Christmas to everyone!

And an awesome box...

The truth is in the pupils

I had to go back to the vet again for a check-up -- hopefully the last one for a long time.


There was a talkative Corgi at the vet's right beside me. Let's just say I wasn't liking that dog very much today. Pupils don't lie. I was done. I had to huff at him several times.

And then the vet said he wants me to lose half a pound a month. I'm not sure how that's supposed to happen. Dad said something about putting the food away for part of the day. We'll see. I don't want diabetes either, so I'll do my best.

On the plus side, I'm getting better. But I'm done with these adventures. I'm ready to nap in my box in peace again.

Thumbs help

This is one of my favorite comics...

http://www.gocomics.com/dogeatdoug/2014/12/08

Not on our tree

Mom and Dad were out shopping and saw this ornament. I'm pretty sure it would last about 30 seconds on our tree before we killed it. I mean, just look at that tail. It's asking to be smacked.

Oh the indignity

Well I went back to the vet yesterday for a follow-up visit and it seems like my bottom is healing up well, although they want to check it again next week. But to top things off it seem I have gotten an eye infection from cleaning my bottom. So now I get eye ointment. At least everyone at the vet said I was a very good boy and I didn't fuss at anyone or hiss, so that's got to count for something. And I am getting a bunch of extra treats because of all I'm going through.


Here I am getting some love from Mom. You can see how they shaved my belly too. I had lots of knots in my furs and they were nice enough to clean them up while I was under for my procedure last week. (They had to shave my nether region too, but I'm not showing that off.)

I'm very good at hiding

Jasper: very good at hiding.

Mom and Dad called for me and shook treats but I wouldn't come out so after searching every possible spot they resorted to looking at the storage under the stairs and found me. I was kind of done with Maggie hissing at me and found a nice spot to relax and not be bothered.

A (literal) pain in my butt

Well shucks, it looks like it wasn't an abscess after all, and Maggie is off the hook. What my emergency trip to the vet turned out to be was a ruptured anal gland, and boy did it stink. Even the vet tech who is around stink all day said it smelled bad. I guess if I'm going to do it, I should do it right.

So I had to have a minor procedure to repair it. I had to be put under for them to do what they needed to do, but I'm up and moving around now. I get to come home at 5:30 all patched up and sporting a fancy new haircut for Christmas.


I had to do some investigating of the vet's office once I calmed down some.


After all was inspected and the office was determined to be OK, I settled back in to my carrier. (Mom really had to fight me to get in it at home, but at the vet's I was OK hanging out.)


I think all this had Maggie a little stressed out. She needed to snuggle up in Mom's lap for a little bit. She's a snuggler, but not often a lap cat. (Mom is wearing compression socks because Mom and Dad have been walking to prepare for another 50 mile walk in March.)

Not happy ...

Ugh. I'm at the vet right now and I'm not happy about it. I had another abscess rupture from Maggie biting me on the butt. It had to be Maggie because she's the only one who bites me like that. Fortunately Mom was working from home waiting for a new kitchen table to be delivered so she could get it taken care of right away. I don't have a regular vet I go to so I'm seeing the guys at PetSmart because it was the closest and easiest to get in to. I'll probably get my mats cleaned off that I won't let Mom and Dad can't get off of me while I'm here too. Not how I planned on spending my Thursday...

Happy to have them back

The happiest part of a Happy Thanksgiving for us is when Mom and Dad come back home. Mom and Dad traveled up to Richmond, Va, to visit Dad's grandmother, who is 96 years old. Most of Dad's family converged on Richmond from Cincinnati, Knoxville and London, England so Dad's mother and father, sister and her husband (and dog), brother and his wife and 3/5 of their kids, and his cousin who lives in England now were all there. They had a really nice visit, and got to see Nanny's new place. At 96 she just moved from independent living to assisted living in her retirement community, and even then the people at the retirement community were resistant because "there's nothing wrong with you." She has balance issues when standing, but is otherwise healthy, and there's little more you could ask for than that.


Here's Dad with his grandmother.

Homecomings are wonderful things because we get to put our stink back on Mom and Dad.


Josie wasted no time claiming Dad's lap. Of course, Mom and Dad were also happy to be back in their own space and catching up on TV shows.


My favorite spot is between Mom and Dad's pillows with my head resting on Mom's pillow. They travel with their pillows so it was nice to have these back.


I even let Maggie curl up near me. She was tucked right against Dad in this picture.


Mom and Dad brought back some doughnuts from Dixie Doughnuts in the Carytown district in Richmond. This one was our favorite because it looked like a cat. Unfortunately we didn't get to eat any of them.


Huggy Bear was happy to have Mom and Dad home. He worries a lot about them, so once they were home he could relax in a ray of sun that was hitting the cat bed.


Also, there was a scary clown...