Mo Survives

After a lot of vomit, some dry coughing and a lot of pathetic looks I finally took Lola to the vet last Thursday. I had been avoiding the vet for strictly Jewish reasons (it's okay I'm Jewish so I can say things like that), but finally gave in and went to Pyramid Animal Hospital.

It took some feeling around and a thermometer in the butt to come to the assumption that Lola had some inflammation in her intestines. So we went on some pills and switched over to sensitive stomach food and voila, Mo has officially survived her week long vomit session. But don't fret it hasn't been that simple. There was day one where Penny refused to eat the new food. Here I was asking myself, am I really going to have to feed these cats two different foods everyday, they're becoming more and more like real kids! Then there was day 3 where Lola decided to eat a hair tie. You'd think with an inflamed intestinal system and a weeks worth of throwing up she'd avoid things like this but of course not, luckily I came home to my hair tie in a pile of barf. You may be saying why is that lucky? I'm just glad it came back out of her!

So with that said, Mo is back in full kitty force, Penny has given into the new food and everyone is semi back to normal. For your enjoyment here's a picture of the cats when I brought out the kitty cage, Penny wanted to come with.

And here is a picture of Lola from the last time she went to the vet and they had to put a thermometer in her butt, it's safe to say she wasn't any more thrilled about it this time.

P.S. I'd highly recommend Pyramid Animal Hospital, they were great, didn't run any tests that they didn't have to and fixed Lola right up, we'll definitely be going back there if we need a vet again.

The Dilemmas of Being a Mom

I can only assume that sometimes having a pet is like having a child. Most real parents would probably laugh at that statement but at my ripe age of 25, Smelly and Mo are the closest things to kids that I have and that I want. With that said, lately Lola has proven to be more like a child than ever.

With an uneasy stomach, a drooling mouth and a pathetic look, Lola has been sweeping the apartment with piles of vomit since Thursday. In true cat mom form I didn't worry at first because all animals throw up a little every once in a while, however, it is now Tuesday and Lola has thrown up about 15 times since Thursday, so I've gone from calm cat mom to crazy paranoid cat mom. I'm not going to sit here and tell you vomit details, but in an attempt to try and relate this blog to some regular things that are happening in my life and things not necessarily ALWAYS related to Penny and Lola I just found it interesting the things I've learned from this vomiting experience.

The first is that even though I didn't birth her (because that would be creepy), Lola definitely feels like my child. I find myself worrying about her, feeling helpless because I don't know how she's feeling, doing things like feeding her chicken broth, rushing to Petsmart at 8:45 before it closes at 9 to get her hair ball formula, shoving the hair ball formula down her throat because the whole "rub it on their paw" thing is a joke, following her around to lay down paper towels when she throws up and calling everyone I know to get advice on what to do. I'm like a new mother with a sick baby. But what can we do? Neither of the cats have ever been this sick before, so it appears that a vet visit is in the near future, but in the meantime I'm reflecting on this experience with a few life affirmations.

One: I am not ready for real children, I don't enjoy my things being thrown up on but I guess I should be thankful it wasn't on me.

Two: Animals really are family members

Three: Google might have the answer to everything but it will also scare the crap out of you before it solves anything.

As I sit in bed and as Lola sits in the sink, I deal with the dilemmas of being a mom. To vet or not to vet? Our children should be priceless but is it worth a $200 vet bill for them to tell me she has hair balls? Like real parenthood (I assume) we have to make these decisions for our kids and hope its the best one, I just hope in the end I've raised good cats.

I can at least thank Lola for her most recent actions which have brought me back to the blogging world.

Smelly and Mo Have a New Home

Now don't get your panties in a twist, I did not get rid of Smelly and Mo. We all know I could never give up the devils, no matter how many things they destroy.

You may be wondering what happened to them? You may not care, either way, we moved into a new place and Smelly and Mo are finally feeling settled enough to start sharing their stories with the world again.

Life in the new place has been pretty calm. Aside from the occasional mishap, like when Penny thought she could catch a pigeon through the window and I woke up to her dangling by her legs from my bedroom blinds. Or when I woke up to the sound of something being eaten in my room, unsure of what it might be I jump out of bed, turn on the light only to find that Lola has managed to find and inhale my favorite pair of underwear (well at least half of them). Then there's times like this, where the kids insist on being in the bathroom with me when I shower. This particular morning Penny decided she was bored and then she ran away from the picture and left Mo to look like the bad kitty (notice the toilet paper roll)

Either way, Penny and Lola are doing well. They have a deck they love to spend time on, a new couch they are scratching and plenty of cords to chew on. They plan to be back in full evil force by winter.

Cat's Who Love Water

I thought Smelly and Mo were weird for liking water, and by liking I mean not minding when its splashed on them or standing at the end of the bathtub as I shower. But this is just crazy! Look at that cat go... maybe I'll try this out on Smelly and Mo.

Kitty Taking a Bath

Smelly and Mo Get 4 Brothers and Sisters

I know what you're thinking "Crazy Cat Lady went and got 4 more cats!!" No not quite! Jen and Maria came home with some fishies and the cats are in fish heaven.

They like to spend the day staring at the fish tank with such force that they are convinced the fish are going to come out and jump right into their mouth. Below is mo having a stare off.

True to form, one of the cats ate through the tube that provided bubbles for their new friends, but i wouldn't expect any less from Smelly and Mo, nothing new makes it through the house without some chewing and ruining.

So if you're wondering what Smelly and Mo have been doing they've been staring, trying to learn how to fish, and hanging out with their new brothers and sisters.

Who's That Kitty in the Window?

I almost didn't want to post this because it just confirms the intelligence level of my cats, BUT I think it's hilarious how Penny and Lola have stare downs at each other through the windows.

If you look real close you can see Lola in the background there (she's sitting in Maria's window) and Penny is sitting in the living room looking out the living room window.

So I'm sitting here minding my own business and Penny goes to the window and is crying and scratching and freaking out and it turns out she's just looking at Lola. But she has no idea she's looking at her sister, and Lola is doing the same thing. Neither of them can figure out that they're in the same space just looking through 2 different windows that face each other! Lola even came into the living room and Penny didn't acknowledge her because she was too busy staring at Maria's window wondering who that cat in the window was and where she went!

Another useful day in the life of Smelly and Mo.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Smelly and Mo Get a Bath

That's right, bath time! Every animal needs to be bathed. Personally, I've never been one to personally bathe my cats BUT I was given Vet's Best "Waterless Cat Bath" and thought I'd give it a try then review it here on my blog. If you are not familiar with the product or the brand you can visit their website.

I was drawn to this product because it is all natural. I believe we should treat our animals like humans and be aware of what goes in and on their body! Then of course the fact that it was waterless was appealing. So does it work?

I'm going to say YES! I'm not sure how dirty your cat may be, but my cats are indoor cats so they aren't spending their days rolling around in dirt or anything. However, right before I got this product I came home to Penny having a sticky tail that smelt like something familiar. Turned out she had sat on some spilled laundry detergent! So I busted out the waterless cat bath (all you have to do is apply the foam straight to the cat's coat then massage it into their coat and skin). It took a few times to get the laundry detergent out of Smelly's tail but it worked! And she smelt good after.

Now it was time for the full body wash. Let's be honest, cats hate getting baths. Having a waterless product doesn't make them like it anymore but it sure as heck makes it easier. You can do the waterless bath on your cat by yourself. Although it helps to have someone help you apply the foam seeing as you most likely are desperately holding your cat down or as I did, sitting on the cat in hopes they don't run away. Don't worry, no cats were squished or harmed during bath time.

It only took about 5-10 minutes per cat for a full body wash. When I was done I set them free from my death grab and waited for them to dry. Of course, being cats they are going to clean themselves, which they did, but it's okay because the product is natural! They dry in about 10-15 minutes and then it is recommended you brush them, which I did. Now Smelly and Mo look good, smell good and although they acted like it was painful it really wasn't!

Here I am mid-bath! Smelly looks pretty happy eh?

I would recommend this product for anyone looking to save some bucks from taking your cat to the groomer. Plus you don't have to worry about the dreaded phone call (my family received this with our old cat, Kimmy) that says "I'm sorry but your cat was such a bitch we won't take her back!" What is also nice about this product is although you can always get it from the Vet's Best website I was in Petco the other day and they had it there as well, so it is easily accessible for you, easy to use on your cats and a money saver in the end. All in all, bath time was successful.

Smelly and Mo are now sleeping peacefully probably dreaming of the traumatizing act of being sat on and then rubbed down with bath foam.

*Don't worry dog owners, Vet's Best has lots of products for all furry family members!

Smelly and Mo Have a Visitor

Every cat meows, well most cats. There are cats like Lola who meow ALL day long. I'm not kidding she doesn't shut up for anything. I don't even know why she's crying half of the time, I believe it's because she's not getting attention but what kind of cat likes attention every second of every day. Only Lola.

Then there's cats like Penny who try to meow but her voice box isn't so hot so she sounds like a senior kitty, possibly on her death bed.

And lastly there are cats like the orange kitty that has taken a liking to my backyard. His cry is distinct and haunts Penny, Lola and myself. I'm pretty sure it haunts my roommates as well. I'm not sure where he lives, he has no collar on and he hasn't been fixed. (Maybe that's why he lingers around the house because he knows there's two saucy female felines in the house.) As tempted as I am to feed him, I haven't because I don't want him coming back more than he already does. Plus he looks pretty well filled out so I don't think he's been abandoned, I just think he's a wanderer.

So everyday I hear that cry, it comes at weird times, like 3 in the morning. It wakes up everyone (by everyone I mean Penny, Lola and myself of course) and gets Penny and Lola all riled up. They start hissing, growling, trying to jump through the window to get to the lonely boy outside.

I'm glad Penny and Lola have an admirer, and lets be honest, it's probably just Penny, Lola isn't necessarily a head turner. I just hope that orange kitty learns to control the hours he chooses to come for a visit but for now Penny is on the constant look out!

Smelly and Mo Go to Tahoe

It's always an adventure when I decide to pack up the kids and head to grandma and grandpas house. I've learned from several occasions in kitty early years that the cats are better if left roaming the car than trapped in a cat cage. This way they can go where they want, watch the road, and not feel confined.

So the trip started out as it always does, smelling like poop. I'm assuming nerves is what makes each of the cats poop within 2 minutes that the car starts moving. At least they do it in the kitty litter box. I thought this trip was going to be a disaster because I was in my mom's jeep wrangler and it was so windy outside I couldn't hear a siren if it was going off next to me. The cats did surprisingly well, Lola didn't drool like usual and Penny just kinda looked at me every once in a while like "where the hell are you taking us lady."

One of my favorite parts of the ride was when Lola decided to stand up with her paws on the dashboard and I see her head going back and forth back and forth back and forth, only to realize she's mesmerized by the windshield wipers! I tried my best to get a picture of her... you can see her on the right there. She's also being a backseat driver.



Once in Tahoe the cats had a fabulous time as always. The first thing they did was sprint downstairs, I think they instantly remember there is a way for them to be outside at my parents house. Penny was the first to the doggy door (she was probably hoping her babies' daddy would be out there). However she only made it half way out the doggy door before she was stopped by several inches of snow. It was pretty funny watching Penny and Lola walk around the pen, through the snow just to be outside. They would do the whole take a step, pull the paw out, give it a shake, take the next paw out, give it a shake and so on. It looked like they were dancing.

At one point over the weekend I couldn't find Penny and I thought she'd maybe found a way to escape and get cozy with big black kitty but then she appeared! In my closet!



I thought the best part of this was how the hell she got up there. BUT turns out the best part was when she got stuck up there and couldn't find her way back down. Sometimes Penny is not the smartest cat of the litter. She paced back and forth trying to run down the hangers until she finally looked so helpless that I just helped her down. She definitely had the "well shit mom what do I do now look."

It only took a few hours for Lola to follow in Penny's footsteps. They're both up there!



I am convinced that Smelly is the leader and mo is the follower. Penny is much more daring than Lola but I think Lola is smarter for letting Penny check out the situation then she dives in once she knows its safe.

So other than some good sleeping and snow pawing the cats didn't cause too much trouble. There was no broken property and at one point my dad said "so do the cats still chew on weird things like wires, do I need to worry about my computer?" and I was like "well yeah they do but you're fine its just for a day that we're here." Next thing I know my mom is pointing and smiling and there's Lola gnawing on the leaves of one of my dad's fake plants.

Well Lola, thanks for proving me wrong, once again!

Easter Look Alikes

I got this great email today from Jenica... any animal lover has got to like this. I personally like the ones that look just like Smelly and Mo. :)

BEWARE OF IDENTITY THEFT THIS EASTER

I'm not sure who needs to be credited for this but I love it! Happy Easter!