Do you remember Bill?
He was one of the True Blood 6. I know that a lot of you weren’t reading back then. The short version is that there were six kittens in the litter. They had eye issues that were, I thought, just the usual goopy issues that the majority of fosters have when I first get them. A few days of ointment usually clears it up. Only the True Blood 6 didn’t just have goopy eyes – the whole litter had Eyelid Agenesis. Basically, their eyelids hadn’t formed correctly. Some of them were worse than others, I think Bill and Terry were the worst of the bunch. You can read more about that – and their surgery – here.
Ann and Rich adopted Bill and brought him home to join their cat-in-resident Izzy. Last year, Ann sent an email updating me on how Bill was doing – you can read that (and see pictures) here.
Recently, Bill started having issues with his legs, and after some visits to the vet, it was determined that he has Luxating Patella.
Today, he’s going in for surgery. They’ll operate on at least one of his (back) legs, and possibly both.
This is where you come in.
Please keep sweet Bill in your thoughts today, and send healing prayers his way. I think that a quick and painless recovery from surgery for Bill would be the best Christmas present of all for Bill AND his parents!
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I have a ton of permanent resident pics in one of my hard drive folders, so I’m going to start sharing several a day with y’all so you can enjoy them while we’re waiting for fosters!
Spanky just loves to sleep on top of that Rubbermaid condo in the back yard. Sugarbutt doesn’t seem to appreciate his upstairs neighbor.
“I hear apartments on the second floor are safer! Less break-ins and such!”
“Is it snack time yet?”
“How about now?”
Someone sent us this KatKabin. I put it next to my desk thinking that no way would the cats want to use it. To my surprise, it’s almost always occupied. Spanky and Jake are the two who use it the most, but pretty much everyone else has given it a try and declared it good. Too bad they don’t make a double-decker version. (YET)
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Previously
2011: Patty Peppers, you make me wanna kiss you.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: LOVE DEM KITTEHS.
2007: No entry.
2006: Fred And3rson and the Always Ready for Snackin’ Time Players present “Who’s Ready for a Snack?”
2005: No entry.
I remember Bill and his liplids! Or were they eyelips? So sorry to hear he’s having knee problems… I can sympathize. I hope his surgery goes well and he can go on his merry way.
And I think Spanky might be my new love. He’s a handsome guy, isn’t he?
Eyelips for sure.
I called them eyelips, and the vet’s office called them liplids. Liplids is a better descriptor of what exactly they are, but I think eyelips rolls off the tongue better. So to speak. 🙂
SPANKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! Be still my heart. That skinny old man and his pink lips make me swoon every time I see him.
Praying for a quick recovery for Bill.
Had to come back and swoon over my Spanky some more 😉
Someone loves spanking!
Spanking: noun. The act of obsessively visiting L & H for a Spanky fix.
LOL!
A perfect day – lots of Spanky pictures:)
I hope Bill has a quick recovery, poor little chap.
The True Blood 6 were the litter you had when I started reading this blog! Poor Bill – here’s to successful surgery and a quick recovery. Its clear he is with a wonderful family!
I was just thinking the other day that we hadn’t seen any pictures of Spanky lately 🙂
Poor Bill – we will be sending purrs…..
love the 2 story apartment!
oh poor Bill! Many purrs for a quick and successful surgery and a quick quick quick recovery! I so hope they send another update to let us know how it goes..
Love the photos.. and lol@won’t use the cabin..
“a lot of you weren’t reading back then..” HA! I think I’ve been rading for like a decade! The old house! The old blog! 🙂 Thanks for the update. Are the permanent residents enjoying a kittne free, quiet interlude?
They are enjoying a VERY BORING kitten-free interlude. They sleep an awful lot. I don’t think I’d noticed how much they sleep when there were kittens here to keep things hopping! 🙂
Glad that Bill will be having corrective surgery — he and his siblings were so sweet! And as always, it’s a joy to see the Spankster. Robyn, do any of your brood get fluffier in December? I ask because my younger cat does. And speaking of fluff, yesterday’s photo of Pearl and her swain was SO touching.
I haven’t noticed them getting fluffier, no. But they’re not shedding nearly as much as they do in the Summer, so maybe they’re just retaining more fur!
Praying for sweet Bill, so glad he’s in a good home with parents who take such good care of him.
On an unrelated note I confess that Spanky is my favorite of all your permanent residents. I just love that old boy.
Spanky thinks you have excellent taste. 🙂
Oh my goodness! Just yesterday I was thinking about the Trueblood kitties and wishing for an update on at least a few of them. I must say this update isn’t quite what I had in mind, poor baby. I will be thinking happy thoughts and hoping all goes well for sweet Bill.
Best wishes Bill!
Nope, sure wasn’t. Doesn’t matter – I’ll keep a good thought for Bill and his family today. 🙂
Where did you get that KatKabin, and is it an indoor-only thing? I’ve been wanting to make cat shelters but the truth is I’m about as crafty as a rock. If I can buy one, so much the better for me.
As far as I can determine, I think this KatKabin could go outside if I wanted to put it out there. They make another one, that has scratcher-type material on the outside, that is inside-only.
This one came from Fab.com and (according to the slip) was $75. They’re not selling them right now, but they came around from time to time. I’ll try to remember to link them the next time they’re on sale at Fab.
I started reading your blog when the True Bloods were starting their “eyelip” surgery! Sending good thoughts, purrs and hugs to sweet Bill and his family!! Please keep us posted as you hear how he is doing.
Oh Spanky, meet me under the mistletoe and I’ll give you some snacks AND kisses! 🙂
Sending healing thoughts and prayers to Bill and his family!! Spanky is looking especially handsome!!
Booo Bill having health problems and needing surgery!
Yea Bill has a loving family that are concerned about him and are getting him help!
Happy thoughts for him today.
Robyn, this one’s for you. Re: Sungold. Has he ever been outside? I know you do have some arrangement so your cats can be out a bit and I wondered about him. What I don’t want is to bring a cat home and then have them cry and be unhappy wanting to go outside. I have no “safe” arrangement for a cat to be outdoors, so whatever I decide, the cat has to be happy being an indoors cat forever. Any info here? Much appreciated.
Lynn… In my experience, cats that have been outside can be perfectly happy inside. My Einstein was an indoor/outdoor cat for the first couple years of her life. When she moved to an Air Force base and regulations said to keep her inside, she adjusted fairly quickly (Understanding that their new surroundings will be somewhat intimidating and the new outdoor surroundings particularly so). My Norman was a stray who spent quite a bit of time on the streets and he has absolutely no desire to go out, in contrast to Simba who has never been allowed outside in his lifetime and stalks the door every time we let the dog out. Sungold is young enough that, even if he had made it outside (and I don’t think Robyn allows it), he hasn’t gotten accustomed to being an outdoor cat. I think it would be fine.
Thanks, Kelly, appreciate the info! That’s how I lost my wonderful Silver cat; he’d been in and out and cried so to go out that I had to weigh the quality of his life/happiness. He lived a brief 4 years before dogs killed him. I swore then I would never take in a cat that begs to go out. I can’t go thru that again. I’m in the process of looking at Sungold and Mr. Stripey if I’m approved.
I am so sorry about your kitty… and completely understand your reasons for wanting to keep any other cats inside. Mine are 100% inside now. I think it depends on your surroundings and the animal’s temperament, but most kittens are so flexible that they will adjust to whatever you give them and learn that as “normal”. I am so happy to hear about Sungold and Mr Stripey!!!! I hope this works out for you 🙂
Thank you for your heartfelt sympathy. I will never get over Silver cat; he’d wait for my car and sit and stroke my face. I know any other cat won’t replace him, but I can still give a good life to those who need it. I was only going to try for one cat, but when I saw the two brothers, I hated to separate them, so what the heck? Hope I get approved as I’ve already started changing the house around for needed space. David, my significant other, will be a bit surprised (only expecting one!!), but since they look so much alike, maybe he won’t notice, ya think? 🙂
to add to the info about begging cats: Our inside-only cat, who’s never been outside (except by accident), constantly tries to run outside. It’s a door thing! They want what’s on the other side. She loves windows, but probably assumes they’re TVs. We also have my family’s 20 yr old cat, and she was always indoor/outdoor. When we took her in 5 years ago, we thought it would be hard to contain her. Nope! She has NO interest. She occasionally gets scared if she looks out a window (ok, that’s just her weirdness & nerves).
She did, for a while, ask to be let in the big hall closet after every meal, in the same manner she used to ask to be let out after every meal at my parents. That was just weird. So, doors?
Hmmm, Rebecca, that’s an interesting theory and it could be that. My two indoor cats love to look out the big glass storm doors, but show no interest in actually going out. My one outside cat sits on the front porch and peers in through the same big storm doors but has no interest in coming in. She lives on the porch in her cat tree/house (furniture looks really hokey out there!) and the porch is gated, so she’s safe. The cats all peer at each other and swipe the glass. I do think it’s a “door thing.”
We had to do this when a neighbor threatened to kill our non-violent siamese. She really did mind it the first couple of years and would often make a jail-break that only last a couple hundred of feet. I tried the “leash” a few times but she wasn’t having it. Maybe yours would be more receptive.
Eventually, and after a couple of moves, she settled down into being an occasional “porch” cat who could enjoy surveying and hearing her kingdom and the wildlife but none of the danger.
I cannot even imagine what sort of vile creature would harm an innocent cat/dog. Someone in our neighborhood just poisoned the most darling little dachshund dog and her puppy (they did like to roam, but hurt absolutely nothing!). The whole neighborhood grieved. Anyway, just one more reason that whatever I do, my dogs/cats/sweetheart are kept fenced or indoors! 🙂
Oh, Bill! Definitely in my thoughts today! I hope everything goes smoothly for him and that his human parents can get him home for snuggling soon.
I started reading Love & Hisses when you had the True Blood 6 fosters – a friend sent me a link and I was hooked immediately. Been reading ever since, but these cuties with their ‘eyelips’ tugged on my heartstrings more than any others, I think.
Spanky is so purty. I saw on his permanent resident page that it says he’s a talker? Do you have a vid?
I have one that I’ll dig up for Friday’s post! 🙂
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Bill’s true brother Hoyt and I will be sending lots of love and prayers for healing for sweet Bill and his family. I was so excited to see one of the True Blood six but so sorry for the reason. I am still crazy in love with my Hoyt.
Hurray – A Spanky picture day too! He’s always been my favorite and he’s so handsome 🙂
Awww, Hoyt! I have to say, the kittens from this litter were really sweet and awesome. 🙂
Prayers said right now for a successful surgery and a speedy & complete recovery for sweet Bill…
Hey Spanky !!
xoxo
Bill is such a sweet little boy…I wish I could take his pain away. Our thoughts and prayers are being sent to you, Bill, and your family for a speedy recovery! We’re so glad you found such great parents!
Good thoughts and prayers being sent your way, Bill, for a successful surgery, very little recovery time and no pain. Hopefully, that will fix the problem and you’ll be up and charming everyone again in no time! You’ve had some rough health issues in your short life so far, pretty boy! I hope this is the last. I’m sure your loving parents will take excellent care of you. Awwww, Spanky – even though you’re the old man of the house, you are so handsome!
Oh Bill! You’ve had enough trouble in your life! You did not need this too! hugs and purrs! Praying for a successful surgery and fast recovery!!
So that’s how you keep so many kitties! You stack them!
Robyn…I know you have a lot of experience with testing of FeLV with your fosters…I found a kitty in our garden (eating twigs and leaves last week) she was quickly moved into the laundry room(away from our other 2 cats) and is doing well, esting playing, being affectionate. Today she was micro-chipped and received shots and the testing for FeLV came back as a “slight positive” (from our local Humane Society). From your experience have you seen any of your fosters with that result and at a later date (with other testing) come back as a negative? I plan to take her to the vet in a couple of weeks for secondary testing.
Any insite you can provide, from your personal experince, would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time and your blog!!! Best wishes Mary
Mary, I haven’t actually had any of my fosters come back positive for FeLV, but I’ve heard anecdotes, and I don’t think it’s unheard-of for them to ultimately test negative. I’m going to post your comment in tomorrow’s post, because I know someone out there has dealt with this before and I’d be interested in hearing what they have to say.
Awwwww Bill!!! We are purring and praying for you!! Take care
x
The Truebloods were around when I started reading…I am praying for Bill and hope he is up and running around soon! So happy he has a loving family who can help him get the best of care.
SPANKY! Just gotta love that guy!
Robyn – just after reading here, I ran into a story about Kitten Associates in Newtown Connecticut – they are opening their doors to children affected by the Sandy Hill tragedy for ‘kitten therapy.’ The website is http://www.kittenassociates.com – There is a note on the home page explaining the move. I am pasting the note below.
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How Kitties for Kids Works
By Robin Olson – Posted on December 15th, 2012
Kitten Associates is a small, home-foster based cat rescue group located in Newtown, CT. Due to the recent tragedy in our town, we’re going to open our doors, by appointment only, to residents of this community. We know the healing power of time spent petting a cat or watching them play with a toy can bring to a child and his or her parents. Each session will last for 30 minutes, but longer periods or repeat visits can be requested. For safety reasons we can only allow children over the age of 4 to meet our foster cats and kittens.
After visiting our kittens we’ll be giving your child a FREE plush kitty as a way for us to give back and say THANK YOU to the people of Newtown for letting us be a part of this community.
If your child is under the age of 4 and over 3 years of age, we can provide a plush kitty instead of having a visit with our real kitties.
We’re here to help put smiles back on your child’s face and we hope that in our way we can do that.
Poor little Bill. I’ll say some extra “shouts” for him and a very speedy recovery!
Awww, Bill! I think I had just begun reading your blog when the True Blood 6 came to live with you. I wanted to adopt them all! Please let us know how Bill comes through his knee surgery.
Add me to the list. I too began following your blog when the True Blood 6 were with you (haven’t missed a page since). Sorry to hear Bill needs surgery & hope everything goes well for him. Sounds like he’s in good hands though, with a family that’s going to take good care of him. Sending prayers his way.
I remember all the true bloods…and their eye-lips! That is when I found your blog and became a permanent fan!!! Love and hugs to you, Bill!