The Colon Club

I am writing this with my cat Tuva holding my hand in her paws as she snuggles and purrs. When I have my blood pressure checked, I think of when I use her as a pillow and get surround sound purrs.
My husband's cat Feynman is an amazing nurse cat. When one of us is sick, he sticks to us like velcro. And he seems to know what hurts. If its a bad leg he'll try to lie in top of it. Stomachs get snuggled against. sad? Much sniffing at and curling around ankles. He always recommends lots of sleep!

I'd love hearing about your pets.

When I was laid up following surgery (camped out in a corner of the living room on a small bed), I thought our two cats would try to cuddle and otherwise comfort me. Keep dreaming, BB. They ignored me, probably because I didn't look like someone capable of feeding them. I did spend a lot of time sitting at the kitchen table communing with Raymond, my daughter's Beta (Vietnamese fighting fish). He lived at college in her dorm room for two years (so he's got his Associate's Degree), but then she moved off campus and all concerned thought it would be best if Raymond went to live with Grandma and Grandpa. He's my pal; my pet. I take good care of Raymond, and I know he thinks the world of me. He's got more personality than some people.

In a more serious vein, yes, cleaning Raymond's bowl on a regular basis, feeding him twice a day and making sure that he's entertained all give me a great deal of satisfaction. Kind of like gardening--living things respond to care and when they do well, you know you're doing a good job as a caregiver. Just one more reason to feel good about hanging in there.

I'm glad someone brought this up. There are days that my two cats are the only thing that keeps me going. They are such comedians, I can't help but laugh at them, even when I am feeling bad. And I love taking pictures of them. One of my concerns is that through treatment, I am still able to care for them as well as they're accustomed to. I think interacting with pets is very therapeutic, even in the absence of disease.

I am always delighted to share their antics, so will post a link to some of the latest photos that I posted on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2055399078025.116457.1636030362&l=3abceace61&type=1

The refrigerator shots gave me a much needed laugh, thanks!
They are beautiful. I always had Orange cats in the past, I love them but have 2 adopted greys
now. And my brother lives for his Siamese.

It really helps being greeted by them when I come home, it would be so sad and lonely if they weren't there (umm, of course I mean until my husband comes home from work)

Bluewillow, your cats are adorable. I'm happy for you that they provide you with comfort and obvious adoration.

I have a psychotic rescue cat who weighs about 25 pounds and is so annoying and nuts he provides me with plenty of laughs. One of the great loves of my life is my dog, a Brittany Spaniel (Luc) and another is a chocolate Lab, my granddog (Bailey). Luc was still very wild and hyper when I was diagnosed, but somehow he knew to be careful and snuggly with me after all the surgeries. He is very intuitive. He'll take a nap with me anytime I ask him. After my liver resection he would curl up against my incision, putting just enough pressure on it to splint it. Often, when I cried he cried. He is a "verbally" very expressive dog (especially when it comes to whining, guess he got it from me ) but he's been a constant buddy and I'm not sure I would have recovered without him. On the frequent nights that I can't sleep (still) he will get up and down with me as many times as I do.

My granddog Bailey, who is heading into his elderly years, is the smartest, sweetest dog ever born... I'm positive of it. He has big time OCD, which is endlessly amusing to me. He has to walk around the outside couch 7 times before he drops his ball to be thrown. Honestly. Currently he is suffering from psychogenic drinking. He scared the p*ss out of all of us as he was drinking about 3-4 gallons of water a day. It looked for all the world like he had developed diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipitis. Tons of lab work later, he just feels like neurotically drinking. Nothing at all wrong with him (thank God). Bailey was diagnosed with malignant mast cell tumors 6 weeks after I was diagnosed. I was more freaked out and terrified about it than my diagnosis. He had massive surgery, without clear margins on one area. We live with out fingers crossed that he won't have a recurrence.

Anyway, they've all helped so much in my recovery, and even though the cat is boop-shooby, I love them all very much.

bluewillow wrote:.... They are such comedians, I can't help but laugh at them, even when I am feeling bad. And I love taking pictures of them.

I think they belong on http://icanhascheezburger.com/ esp. doing the "ceiling cat" impersonation !

actually I use my "grandpuppy" dog walks as a bit of "me" time, and he is also a bit of a goof....never fails to cheer me up.

Long live furbuddies and fin 'n feather buddies too !

Cheers
CRguy

The ONLY "man" allowed in my bed right now is MARCUS my Tweenie dachshund! We had a dachshund that oddly died right when I was Dxed and then right before my BIG LAR we got Marcus and he has been with me since the divorce, although we have shared custody but he is mostly with me, I cannot imagine my life without him!!!!

Whenever I come home from a procedure and crash on the couch Marcus will NOT leave my side, he sleeps with me at night, he is always there for me! I could go on and on......you can see pictures of him on my Face Book page!

I'm a huge believer in pet therapy! And, I need to add grandchildren to the list! When Blake was first dx'd we didn't think he'd make it to see our 2nd granddaughter born! Obviously, he did & now she's 3 and there is another grandbaby (girl #3) on the way! We get to meet her next month & I'm sure Papa will be there!

Sending positive thoughts & well wishes!

O and I forgot to mention I am GRANDPUPPY Sitting also for the past week. My daughter and SIL are at Disneyworld and they left me with their Boston's Lilly and Bella and they are the sweetest dogs! I will miss them, makes me want to get another one because Marcus likes the company besides me sometimes!

Very seriously, when I feel like nobody" gets it" I talk to my dog. She at least doesn't say "keep a positive attitude." I have one cat who since post surgery has sat on my lap anytime it is empty, she now also wants to sleep on me. My animals are the back bone of my support group they don't say" don't worry be happy," they make me happy, they are true blessings.
pollo 65

Our two Belgian Shepherd Malinois have been sooooo important to Dick. They stick right by his side during his chemo days and on the days he feels good. They hike with him, swim with him, go on the boat and nap with him. I am so grateful for our dogs.

Aloha,
Kathleen

Oh Susan your kitties are adorable, it's a pleasure just to look at them! Thank you for giving us an opportunity to look at them.

CRguy wrote:

bluewillow wrote:.... They are such comedians, I can't help but laugh at them, even when I am feeling bad. And I love taking pictures of them.

I think they belong on http://icanhascheezburger.com/ esp. doing the "ceiling cat" impersonation ! CRguy

Funny you should say that. I have actually submitted a couple of their pictures. My daughter, my grandson and I are all big fans of the site and have most of the books. Have also submitted several pictures to the Bad Cat folks.

Russian27 wrote:Oh Susan your kitties are adorable, it's a pleasure just to look at them! Thank you for giving us an opportunity to look at them.

I am always happy to share. Not everyone appreciates cats and the joy they can be, so it's nice when someone does and can also enjoy them. I also have 3 grandkitties (my daughter's kitties) that I enjoy photographing when I have a chance, as well as my sister's cat....all the family cats are boys.

Pets are the best!
I actually got my two cats as tiny kittens when I was having chemo for ovarian cancer 6 years ago. I swear that even then they just knew when I was feeling bad. When I had to go and lie down on my bed they both used to come and sit on my chest and purr, purr, purr in my face. It was quite odd really, but I always thought they were like little angels sent to me in my hour of need. They are 6 years old now and I just love them