Spunky Doodle Crosses the Rainbow Bridge at Age 17

The hardest thing about pet ownership is watching your beloved pet deteriorate to the point when it's time to let them go and have them put down.  Spunky Doodle was born feral and I took her in as a kitten.  She lived with us for 17 years and 2 months.  Although she was never a lap cat, she was very playful and would sleep next to me in my bed every night for quite a long stretch.  

She threw up a lot during a long stretch and had to only eat special Royal Canine food for renal support, but still was active and acted normal.  We enjoyed her playfulness with our other cats and I loved playing all sorts of different games with her. 
She was quite the entertainer and made me laugh a lot over the years.  I never once regretted bringing her home.  

Over the past year she developed a tumor which we had tested and was told it was not cancerous.  However, it kept growing bigger and bigger.  At first, I couldn't even see it and just was able to feel a slight bump on her right side, but then I saw it.  Her jumping up on things came to an end and so did her sleeping with me.  I lifted her onto her cat tree, carried her up to the den so she didn't have to climb the stairs.  The vet gave her a steroid which helped with her appetite, her eating so she didn't throw up so much and it seemed she had more energy.  She actually did pretty good for about two months until the last couple weeks when I noticed she was walking around less and less, having a hard time getting in and out of her litter box.  Sometimes, she'd even step in her waste and the litter would get caught in between her toes--yuck!  I decided it was time to let her go.  She was not well and not enjoying her days.  

It helps knowing I did the right thing for her, but I still miss her and am heartbroken.  The last trip to the vet for her was Tuesday and I just carried her in the pink cat bed instead of putting her into a carrier.  

This is the shirt I got from Spunky Doodle on Sweetest Day this year.

You can view videos of Spunky (as well as my other cats) on my YouTube Channel here.

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My Dog Must Be a Magician!

Look, no tags mom!  It's a mystery!  This morning when we were putting her leash on, my husband noticed her tags were missing.  Yet, the ring they hung on was still closed tight!  Can't figure out how they came off or where they are.  It's so frustrating.  This is about the fourth time they fell off.  I looked all over the house and retraced our last walk of the day yesterday. but couldn't find them.  

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Bad Dog!

Biggest Bruise I ever had--thanks, Roxy!

Had an adventurous walk Saturday morning with our dog--went all the way to Brookpark, then over to W. 54th and home. Roxy rolled on some weeds that were just sprayed with weed killer on Brookpark, then pulled me over face first when she ran after doing a roll on some wet grass and had her leash between her legs. I let up on the leash a bit because I didn't want Roxy getting hurt, but then I got hurt instead (At least she did stop after I fell down)! Fortunately, just scraped my left knee and bruised my right upper leg because I had keys in my pocket that I fell hard on--stupid keys! Mostly I fell on the grass which was good! She is very strong and I hadn't braced myself enough to stay up.

A lady driving by stopped to make sure I was all right. My husband told her I needed a ride home but she was on her way to work. Another guy stopped too and was going to call an ambulance but I was able to get up on my own and could walk so told him I didn't need one.

I was able to walk the rest of the way home in pain (about 40 min.). The whole walk took 2 hrs. and 15 min. We washed off Roxy when we got home and I put Bactine and ice on my wounds. My knee wasn't hurting at all when I got home, but now it is a little. My upper leg hurt more but feels okay when I rub it. Praise God didn't break anything!!!! Went to Urgent Care in afternoon to make sure because had big dark bruise by 4:00. Now Gerard knows how I feel when he falls. Don't think we'll be doing this walk again!

Sorry mom, didn't mean to hurt you!

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"My Second Gotcha Day" by Roxy

before I was adopted--at the shelter

Me Today after Getting My Teeth Brushed

I've been with Karen and Gerard for 2 years now and am six years old.  I've come a long way since I first arrived.  I don't bust through screens anymore.  I can stay home alone without chewing things or getting into trouble.  I do not have to be crated, yay!  I don't jump on the door as often when they come back home.  I usually pass other dogs on the street without tugging on the leash to get to them.  I usually wait for permission before chasing squirrels.  

Today is was very rainy and thunder boomers came during my morning walk, but we took shelter on someone's porch that was very nice and dry.  The lady didn't seem to mind and even offered to drive us home the rest of the way, but we waited it out.  It only rained for about 15 or 20 minutes.  We have lots of nice people that live around us!  Just the other day when we got caught in a rain shower one street away, a lady loaned us her umbrella.  

I had a good "gotcha" day in spite of the rain because Karen and Gerard did not go to play pickleball like they usually do.  I had Gerard all day and Karen most of the day except when she went to the gym.  When she came back, she had ice cream sundaes from McDonald's and I had a Dogster ice cream.  For supper, Karen included a bacon treat as a surprise for me.  

I am happy with my home and so glad they adopted me!  They usually let me have the couch or the chair by the window.  (I do still bark at other dogs that go by and of course, the mailman.)  Oh yeah, and I like my new name better too!  There are still lots of dogs in shelters.  Maybe you could rescue one?  Woof!  Woof!  

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Special Trees That Made Me Laugh

On our walk the other day, I noticed these three trees that made me laugh in the backyard of a house in our neighborhood.  I thought it was a good idea!  They reminded me of the trees in Wizard of Oz that threw apples.  Did you ever see any trees with faces?  

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A Letter to Mom Because I Can't Talk to Her in Person

Dear Mom,

I miss you so much and so often. You were the best mom I could ever want and if I could have hand picked a mom, it would be you! You were always supportive to me and very giving. I admired your tact and your wisdom. You were so smart yet you never made me feel dumb or stupid. I'll always be grateful to you for advising me to combine the secretarial skill classes with the college bound courses. They served me well.

I had so much admiration for you when you welcomed three foster children into our family and gave them a loving home and took on all that extra responsibility. I thought it was wonderful how you helped Pam with her accounting and John with his math so he didn't need to attend summer school. You put up with so much extra heartache by doing this that you could have easily avoided, but you wanted to make a difference for them, and you did! I never had any children, but like you, I am involved in children's ministry including teaching Sunday School (had to stop during COVID pandemic, but plan to resume). I loved being your helper growing up and learned a lot from you about teaching and motivating kids to learn. I thought about being a foster parent or adopting but I married so late, it just would not have been practical and Gerard never expressed any interest in doing it.

I loved our late night talks when I would lean against your soft arms on the couch.  You were a great listener and advisor! You being overweight never bothered me or embarrassed me. You were heavy, but never looked sloppy. I loved how you would stick out your false teeth just to be silly sometimes! You had a wonderful sense of humor and I loved how we shared inside jokes and would crack up at the same things.

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Our Worst Annual Checkup Ever!

Annual checkup time is always stressful and I'm glad it comes only once a year!  This time though, it was even worse than usual!

When I got weighed and the scale showed 143, I said WHAT?  That can't be right!  Granted, I did have on shoes that together weigh 3 lbs., corduroys and a turtleneck under my sweatshirt, but still.  That is a 13 pound difference than my weight at home wearing just my slippers and PJs.  This morning I tested our scale with my 10-lb. weight to see if it is accurate, and it is.  But then, I went ahead and got weighed fully dressed and oops--it showed 140!  Yikes!  Time to cut down on the desserts--the hostess ding dongs, the snowballs and the brownies.  I really don't know how I can possible be more active than I am already, other than playing pickleball three times a week in the mornings.  For that though, I need dry warmer weather consistently.   

The day after, I get a call from the hospital offering to schedule me for a catscan that my doctor ordered.  Again, WHAT!  He mentioned no such thing to me and no, I do not want to schedule one.  This call was so annoying to me because not only due to the content, but because it was a machine calling so I couldn't even talk to a real person.      

One thing we did learn is to always drink some water before going so they can draw blood easily for the lab work and the urine sample.  My husband hadn't drank enough which led to an additional trip to the outpatient building at the hospital after stopping at home to drink a lot of water to rehydrate.  Oh, what a nightmare!  To summarize, he had to wait over an hour and by then he really had to go bad.  Turns out the lab didn't even know he was waiting--something got screwed up when he checked in.  After they did find out, it still took them 20 minutes to get him in and by then he was afraid he'd wet his pants.  Fortunately, he didn't!      

Not only that, but my husband hates needles and in addition to his Pneumonia shot, was poked six times for blood, four at our doctor's office and twice at the hospital.  I felt so bad for him.  My husband only goes for these checkups because he knows I think it's important, but this trip was truly awful.  We spent 4 hours dealing with this annual checkup torture.  He's such a good guy!

On the bright side, there is some good news.  

    (1)  The doctor ordered him that Colonguard test to do at home so he doesn't have to have a colonoscopy!  

    (2)  My blood pressure was 120/80 which is amazing!  Retirement definitely agrees with me.  

    (3)  We got a one-year prescription for our pills that are keeping our cholesterol under control.

Do you go for annual checkups?  If not, don't let this stop you.  It is always helpful if things can be caught early that are wrong and prevention is worth it.  Next up is my annual mammogram.

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I'm On Steroids and Feeling Better! by Spunky Doodle

 

Since mom started squirting some pink syrup (Prednisolone) into my mouth twice a day, I've gotten my appetite back, become more active (even going upstairs) feeling much better and eating without throwing up!  At first I didn't know what was coming when mom squirted the pink syrup into my mouth.  She caught me by surprise and I was off guard, but now I don't much like it and try to escape.  Since the time I shook my head and it got all over my furs, she has been putting a small towel around my throat so I don't get any of the sticky syrup on my furs any more.  I try spitting it out, but she's on to me and keeps my head tipped back longer making sure I swallow it.  

Mom says I have to put up with it because it helps me to not throw up.  She did give me some good news though.  After Sunday, I only have to get it once a day and then, after two more weeks, just once every other day.  That won't be so bad.  I think it's worth it not to have an upset stomach, right?

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My Poor Spunky Doodle

My old cat, Spunky Doodle is having a tough time these days.  This month, she's been throwing up once a week, which isn't all that unusual for her.  She used to throw up way more often than that; however, today it looks like she threw up a little blood.  I heard her throw up sound early this morning so got up to see where it was but couldn't find anything.  About a half hour later, I definitely heard it again so got up again and still didn't see anything.  At breakfast time, she did it again and that's when I was able to catch it in a plastic lid and saw what usually looks clear looked a bit red.  Usually, after she makes a throw up she'll eat some after about 30 minutes, but not today.  She ate pretty normal yesterday, but nothing so far today.  

That's a first and I am afraid she's seeing her last days.  She is only 2 months away from her 17th birthday so is 84 in human years according to the cat age converter calculator I found.  We brought her to our home as a little kitten.  She was born feral at my dad's house.  She's had arthritis in her hip and back legs for quite some time so I brought her litter box downstairs hand set up everything she needs in our computer room so she doesn't have to climb the stairs.  I noticed she was only using her box once a day and thought it may be because she didn't want to do the stairs.  It appears I was right about that because since I brought it down, she uses it several times a day.  

I'm going to see if she eats anything today, and if not, will get her to the vet, maybe for the last time.

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First Thing I Thought of When I Woke Up This Morning

I was sleeping soundly until I heard a rumble outside.  I leaped out of bed at 4:50 a.m. (I normally get up at 5 a.m. anyway) and looked out my bedroom window to confirm what I thought.  Sure enough, our garbage can was being blown down the driveway!  My only thought was to get dressed as fast as possible and get those cans into the garage before all the garbage is blown all over.  We had winds up to 25 m.p.h.  I knew it was going to get windy by morning, but forgot to get the cans in.  I think it only took me five minutes to get dressed and was happy to find it was 61 degrees and all the garbage was still inside the cans!  What a great way to start the day--really got my blood pumping!

Participating in Writer's Workshop. 

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