I think I'll better arrange a vet appointment on Monday.

Today, Yuki jumped onto the table to delicately step onto my lap from there (as she's regularly wont to do), asking to be petted, and I obliged. The situation and the lighting were perfect for me to gaze into her yellow eyes (which I'm not regularly able to do), and I discovered a small, half-moon-shaped area on the surface of the lens of her left eye, perhaps 2 mm x 5 mm, that looked cloudy and distorted.

What's happened to her? How did she hurt her eye? Did she do it herself, what with all the mad running through the apartment and bumping furniture on the way, did she fight with Elena, or what?

Can she even still see out of both eyes? Should I have realized it sooner? She's been behaving normally all the time, no rubbing of the eye, no visible inflammation or tears.

How the heck is the vet supposed to make her open her eye wide enough (when she squints - which she usually does when being petted - the area is covered by her lower lid) to diagnose anything? I foresee a fight and another reason for Yuki to hate going to the vet; and even when the vet spots the problem - what's she supposed to do? Operate? Would that make things better? It's not like Yuki can answer any questions ("How bad is it? Is your sight blurry? Does it hurt?").

Argh. Poor kitty.

Dammit. I. Hate. This.

edited 02 Apr 2012: Apparently Yuki is fine and I'm the one with the problem - vision problem, that is. The vet couldn't find anything wrong with Yuki's eye, and I'm majorly surprised - as well as relieved, of course.

Yay, Elena hat das erste Mal in ihrem Leben einen Haarballen hochgekotzt. Aber mußte sie den unbedingt auf den Teppich machen?!

...I'd take it all back.

( Or, in short, I wouldn't get a second cat. )

I have one sick little kitten.

( But back up. )

Yesterday, I brought Elena to the vet, and they proceeded with the castration after declaring her fit and healthy (and no, she's not overweight, my dear f-list, so there! 4.03 kg is perfectly okay for her age and size!).

I left her there at 10:30, got a call from the receptionist around noon that she'd woken up from the anesthesia okay, and picked her up again at 16:00.

She was still a bit dazed, but contrary to what I'd been told she managed to jump onto the corner shelf without hurting herself, and thankfully doesn't seem to be in pain although she kept quiet for long and still prefers sleeping on top of my traveling bag in the bedroom to hanging around the living room with me as usual.

The incision is about 1.5 cm long and looks expertly done and sewed up. They shaved about a hand's width of the fur on her lower stomach (which looks a bit ridiculous), but she's purring again and doesn't seem to pick at the stitches, thank God.

On Wednesday, they'll check the incision, and the following Monday, they'll take out the stitches. I wonder whether I'll get her into the cat carrier again, however; I guess we'll have to see.

I hate having hurt her, although I know it was necessary. Blah.

Considering how much Elena is asking to be petted by presenting her tummy and how much she keeps meowing, I'd say she's in heat again.

That means I had to cancel her vet appointment for the second time, and call my boss to tell him that I'll be in tomorrow and would rather like next Friday off. Gah.

Plus, I'll have to suffer through Elena's endless meowing whimpers for another five to six days.

My mother did some research and told me that pedigree cats can be permanently in heat, especially in February and March. Since Elena only gave me 1 1/2 weeks of blessed quiet this time, I guess that's it.

Greatness, as RayK would say.

:::headdesk:::

xkatjafx, please consider yourself forewarned.

Buying your cat a ball with feathers: 2.99 EUR
Buying your cat an assortment of other cat toys: 24.96 EUR
Bringing your cat a walnut found on the street: Priceless.

Meaning, Elena keeps running around my apartment like crazy, jumping at the walnut, kicking it around and sneaking up on it. So far, the nutshell hasn't cracked, but I feel for the poor nut, I really do.

*g*

Here comes a collection of photos from various sources - it looks like Elena is very photogenic, and many people whip out a camera when they see her... *g*

For more news on the kitten front, ( check out what's behind this cut. )

Wednesday last week, my mother came to see me with Elena in tow. She stayed overnight to help Elena get accustomed to her new environment, and we spent a lot of time looking for a certain kitten in quite a number of unlikely hiding places. Who, for example, would have thought that a cat fits behind the fridge? Well, Elena managed, although I believe hope that she won't once she's bigger.

Apart from that, I now know where to get cat food cheapest, heck, I even managed to set up the scratching post (after two visits to the home improvement center, that is).

The thing that irks me, though, is that the cat litter pan stinks, and therefore the rest of the kitchen. It's not so noticeable in summer, but what will happen once I have to keep the window closed? Rabbits simply smell better. Argh.

Elena likes being in the same room as I am, and has no problem curling up next to my infrared mouse or the keyboard (I often have to shoo her away from the ESC button). But most of all, she prefers sleeping next to my computer monitor. ( Here is the proof. )

Last Weekend, my mother and I went again to see Elena and her (foster) siblings. They've all grown a lot, which is most obvious in the fact that their eyes have changed from baby blue to a yellowish color that'll deepen and turn more orange, the breeder assured us. Plus by now, the kittens are a lot more active, curious and investigative, and little Eros even managed the feat of purring audibly while Elena preferred to sleep perched high in the scratching post when she wasn't licking/biting my fingers.

For those interested, ( here are a couple more pictures. )

On Saturday, my mother and I went to see her colleague with the cats. For one thing, they are after all not Chartreux cats, but rather British Shorthairs (info and info) which come in a variety of colors. The blue ones, British Blues, are commonly called "Chartreux" because of the color, but, while there used to be a bit of crossbreeding between the two breeds, they are registered separately with the FIFe and are therefore not Chartreux cats. Whatever.

Which makes more sense anyway since my future cat's siblings and foster siblings are all either lilac or chocolate (their mothers are blue resp. lilac with a chocolate mask, their fathers chocolate resp. blue). My little one is the only blue kitten in both litters.

Anyway, since the kittens will be entered into the breeding book soon, I had to come up with a name beginning with an "E" and chose Elena.

Since I already had a vast number of people cooing over the kittens' collective cuteness, ( here are the pictures. )

Last Saturday I celebrated my birthday with my friends and family at my parents' house. Even Frank and Maria came and stayed for three and two days respectively. For once, no one played shy wallflower (Frank and Juliane drew in even those who usually sit in a corner and smile), and I only regretted that Rebekka, her husband and her son had to leave so soon (yes, 6-year-olds do have a set bedtime, I know). My older brother and my sister-in-law are up North because she's started a new job there and therefore weren't able to come, but my younger brother hung out with us. Isn't it strange that with the years age differences become less and less important?

My presents consisted mainly of DVDs ("Walk on Water", "House, M.D." Season 1, "Miami Vice" Season 1) and a new "Hillsong Australia" album that I already love.

We ate too much and talked a lot. My parents were very helpful which sometimes makes me feel a bit bad because I am certain they wouldn't clean my room or make my bed if they saw more of me.

On Sunday I met mareen, trobadora and novafairy in N., and we went to see "Good Night And Good Luck" in the cinema. Contrary to drunken mumblings in the front rows, I can solemnly swear that no one of the characters on-screen shot themselves during the movie. Really. *g*

On Monday my mother took me to see her friend - the one with the Charteux cats. Two of her cats had kittens on 01 Apr 2006, and they range in color from beige to darker brown to blue, all still with blue eyes (the ones that are already open, that is). They complained loudly when they were picked up, crawled instead of walking and were nauseatingly cute. Argh. Yes, I'll take one. I'm a sucker for small, cute, furry mammals. As if that were something new.

Afterwards I went to see Sonja and Martin and their newborn daughter Clarissa and ended up carrying her around for the better part of my visit. She has dark hair, sleeps a lot and cries a little when the person holding her sits still. Nonetheless, her parents looked like they weren't yet at the end of their tether and had things well under control.

Babies. Eeep. They are everywhere. Brrrr.

My mother wants me to get a cat. A Chartreux cat to be exact. A colleague of hers breeds them and is willing to give her a kitten for free, and my mother thinks I need something purring, cuddly, pettable and calm.

Would anyone of you be willing to take it over a weekend now and then? Supposedly they travel well, don't demand a lot of attention and are perfectly willing to laze around all day.

Oh, and they are blue.

Yes, it's that breed.