A Hospital Visit

for the kitty :(

Wednesday I came home from work and Jaq kept trying to pee and nothing was coming out. He spent a lot of time in the litterbox but nada. I called the emergency vet around 9 pm and they wanted me to come in RIGHT AWAY. It is relatively common for male cats to get blocked pee-ers (urethra?) and if it goes too long bad levels of various things that they should be peeing out can build up and it can be fatal. Or the bladder can explode. Also fatal.

I packed him up and rushed the 40 minutes to the animal hospital in the rain and dark and when I got there they basically said "Is that Jaq?" as soon as I walked in the door and then 3 techs rushed out and grabbed him. They needed to test his levels right away and unblock him.

He was blocked up, his bladder was full and they couldn't even "express" pee out of him by pushing his bladder (which they normally can to blocked cats). In went the catheter. His blood work all came back good and was not elevated though. They were relatively impressed with that- when cats come in blocked up it has usually been long enough that they are not in good shape at all. I was a little more aware of the situation since I know my parent's cat had that happen a few times AND my kitty is super smart and tried telling me all night and eventually squatted right in front of me in the living room and didn't pee because he knew that would get my attention. That's when I really knew something bad was happening.

Anywho... Jaq E. Poo had to stay in the hospital for 2 days with his catheter and painkillers. I was able to pick him up Friday afternoon and bring him home. His poor belly/private parts and wrists are all shaved from IV fluids and the catheter. He's got little bracelets now :)

They don't know for sure why he got blocked and there isn't really a way to prevent it from happening again. So cat people... be aware and watch your kitty for weird non-peeing behavior.

This afternoon.

Since we got home Lucy has not left Jaq's side.. she is all up in his face licking him and sniffing. Jaq is being really good about it but I am sure he is annoyed. Apparently Sissy missed him!

Read more...

Christmas with the Humphreys

Read more...

A couple of weeks ago we had out pictures taken by the awesome Mary Kate McKenna of MK McKenna Photography. I have been following her for years (since I first moved to Maryland!) and have been really wanting more pictures of us since our wedding was almost three years ago (!). Sadly, our budget did not allow for it.

BUT. In October she did a special through Plum District (similar to other coupon sites like Groupon). The stars all aligned and we were able to sign up for one of MK's mini sessions.. and it includes Christmas cards!!

She was awesome and let us include the children in our photo session and then took some of just the two of us. We went to a park in Frederick that had a really cool covered bridge.

My favorite- the cover of our card this year!

Up to no good.

A little traumatized from the 40 minute car ride and then being outside.

 

Thank you Mary Kate for doing such an awesome deal on Plum District! Hopefully we will keep seeing you in the years to come!

Read more...

The Children

 

Name: Jaq E. Poo Humphreys
Age: 3.5 years old (!)
Nicknames: Poo poo, Jaqepoo, Princess, Baby, Stinky, Gooshy, Goosh-head
Likes: Treats, Daddy’s attention, water fresh from the tap (like a fountain), cuddles, smacks on the hiney, little toys, deli ham, sitting in between the shower curtains, chewing on double-ply toilet paper

Dislikes: Being stepped on by his sissy, being hungry, single-ply toilet paper

Name: Lucy Loo Hoo Humphreys
Age: 1 year

On her 1st birthday (last Friday!) with her birthday present.

Nicknames: Lucy Loo, Sissy, Sissy Loo, Puppy, Boo boo, Lulu, Tinklebutt

Likes: Rawhides, peanut butter, Frisbee, soccer ball, walking & running with Mommy, her brother, ice cubes, cuddling under the blankets, playing in water, chasing a tennis ball (only inside), eating sticks & rocks, eating cat poop

Dislikes: Going outside alone.

Read more...

What's in a Name?

My parents’ first cat that they got before I was born (well.. my dad even had him before he met my mom) was a black kitty named Cinder (because he was black.. duh). He was my best friend when I was little- slept in my crib with me (the horror!) and we ran around outside together. That cat started my love affair with animals!

By the time I was 6 or 7 I wanted my “own” cat and my parents kept telling me that I had to wait until Cinder died, but that crazy cat just kept going & going! I resorted to asking for hamsters just to have a pet of my own.. At Christmas when I was 8 my parents gave in.. I got a kitten!!

There was no cute Christmas morning reveal either.. I didn’t feel well that night and went into their room even though the door was closed.. I saw something jump off the bed and was petrified it was a squirrel or something ridiculous- they grabbed the kitty for me and gave her to me then but I wasn’t allowed to bring her to bed with me that night! I stayed up all night thinking of names for her. I decided she would be Butterscotch (because she was orange… duh).

That was probably my best/favorite Christmas ever. She was my baby and came running to me whenever I was upset. She just knew.

When I was 11 Cinder (finally) died. He was so old and broken down but it was still a horrible day for me. A few months later my parents decided it was time for another cat, this time for my sister. We got Pooh (ie Winnie the Pooh… not toilet Pooh).

As much as we loved the orange kitties, they just weren’t the same as Cinder. My senior year of high school a black cat was hanging around outside our house for a couple of (short) days. We couldn’t let him stay out there so he quickly took up residence in our basement and then upstairs. This black male kitty had the same qualities as Cinder and we decided that all cats from then on must have those qualities.

This cat was named Gus. I love the movie Cinderella and wanted to continue the black kitty naming tradition (Cinder). Gus Gus is the fat dumb mouse in the movie!

 

I bet you see where I am going with this.. My cat that I got when I graduated college? Black, male.. named Jaq (the leader-mouse).. hence the spelling too.. The movie mouse is with a ‘q’.

And yes… now we have Lucy. I needed a female name from the movie that would still be an appropriate animal name. Lucifer the cat became Lucy the dog. When I told my family the dog’s name, my sister’s first question was “After Lucifer!?” They know me well..

 

A recap:

Cinder

Butterscotch (Bud)

Pooh

Gus (Gus) (cat named after a mouse)

Jaq (another cat named after a mouse)

Lucy (a dog named after a cat)

So.. what about you? Do you have a pet naming theme? Do you prefer typical animal names (Fluffy, Spot) or do your pets have people names? My family is 50/50 with the people vs. pet names, though I think overall I prefer people names (not George or Bob or something though..)

Read more...

Spoiled Brat

I have a cat

We are getting a puppy

Not this exact one.. one like it though!

In order to get ready for the puppy, I got a dog bed at Petsmart on Black Friday.
The cat thought it was for him.

 So the dog has someplace to lay, I went back to Petsmart on Saturday and got another (cat sized) dog bed.

The cat didn't like it.

(Seriously.. I took away the big bed when I put out the little one and Jaq wouldn't go near it! We put him in it and he jumps right out. As soon as the big bed came back out, guess who was all cuddled up?)

Dog = low man on the totem pole around these parts.

Read more...

My Cat = Superstar

Take a look-see at this video. It is a lineup of Jaq's tricks:

-Sit pretty
-Sit
-Give me your paw
-Other paw
-High Five
-Lay down
-Roll over

Read more...

Sunday

Read more...

Working at Home Today..

..and having this makes it SO much better.

Read more...

John needs a dog...

Jaq is oh so modest.

...fo' sho'. It is a good thing we are moving into a house and able to get a dog before tooooooo long, because my CAT know knows and does the following on command:

1- sit
2- sit pretty/dance
3- lie down
4- "give me your paw"

..apparently the next command is to give the other paw. Then roll over. A cat. For real.

Read more...

My Favorite Things

I've been tagged by Heather at Heather Drive.

The "rules" for this tag are:
1. Mention and link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List 6 little things that make you happy.
3. Tag 6 other bloggers and let them know they're "it".

So, without further ado, my favorite things:

1- Kitties! I would seriously have as many as my house would hold.. if only John weren't such a spoil-sport and holding me back. If it weren't for him, I would be THAT crazy cat lady.



2- Organization. I could spend hundreds of dollars on shelving, containers, dividers. Ahhh I just love it when everything has its own place. Its so refreshing.



3- Similarly, I love mopping and vaccuuming really dirty floors. It makes me feel so happy to see the clean come shining through!

Image

4- Sweets. I can eat chocolate, cake, cupcakes, frosting, etc all.day.long. Seriously- I cannot turn down sweets. It really makes it hard to lose weight...



5- College football. I was a hockey person growing up. Its hard not to be when you live in upstate NY. I played ice hockey throughout high school and my first year of college. Then I had my Life Changing Moment. I transferred schools. To the South. The home of college football. I was sold instantly. I love the atmosphere and just the sport itself. I look forward all winter/spring to the fall for the kickoff of football season. Once August comes, we watch football Saturdays (college), Sundays (NFL), Mondays (college), Tuesdays (really crappy college), Thursdays (college) and Fridays (college). Amen.





6- Gardening. I love planting seeds and watching them sprout and grow into plants with flowers or veggies. My love for vegetables came because my dad always had a huge garden and every summer we lived off of fresh vegetables. I am going to include fresh vegetables and landscape design in the "gardening" category.



and.. a bonus:

7- Design. I have such a potential to adore my job because of my degree. I enjoy the challenge of space planning & trying to fit all of these functions into a space, while making it the most efficient layout possible.. and still aesthetically pleasing. The icing on the cake is being able to select finishes and pull everything together. Don't ever call me a decorator though- wicked burn. I went to school for 4.5 years to become an interior designer- I do not "decorate," ie pick draperies and tchochkies. It gets me so riled up when people decide that they are good at picking colors and furniture & determine that they are now interior designers. Sorry honey, but that requires 4 years of college and passing a lisencing exam.

This was a quick little project senior year. It was a competition to design affordable/sustainable housing out of cast-off shipping cartons- like what you see on the back of a tractor trailer. Its not my favorite project, but it was fun & the other have too many images to share all of them! Someday I will try to do some posts with my projects. I think you can click the image to make them bigger.

Ok- I am going to tag:
1- YD @ A Little Bit of Everything
2- Meredith @ La Buena Vida
3- Leslie @ Leslie G
4- Amber @ WabiSabi
5- Jenna @ That Wife
6- Pam @ The Adventures of Mrs.Reagan

Read more...

This is what Jaq does... If he is wandering around like he is bored, we know to just check his water bowl. He drops all of his toys in here- the plastic jacks (as illustrated above), his feathers, balls, and even a couple of times, his stuffed cat!

PS- Don't think I am a terrible kitty mommy by the looks of that water. The water had just been changed the day before. Jaq purposely drops pieces of his hard food into the water bowl too- apparently filtered water isn't good enough.. he wants flavored water.

PPS- Yes, I am procrastinating studying for my test.

Read more...

...this sure doesn't look like someone who hates cats.

Read more...