Buddy Update & the day in General

Well, been a busy day today. I got up this morning after working late last night and went to Barney Verdugo's funeral. I saw my friend Marcia and she is doing ok, but ok as far as can be expected. The death of someone close to you, especially in the way Barney died, is rough. There was quite a good turnout and he had a large group of friends and family. That was cool to see. I haven't heard anything about whether they have closed in on the shooter, though we ran an update last night to the effect that they knew the shooters girlfriend and were questioning or looking for her.

And, I saw the Razor today. I went over to see if I could take him home. Nope, but good news and bad news. The good news is, the tests for cancer came back negative. The bad news is, he is suffering from fatty liver and Dr Johnson had to remove some growths from it. They are treating him with antibiotics and using a feeding tube to feed him and give him water, so he's basically in kitty ICU. He wasn't sure when the office assistant was bringing him into the room what was going on, but as soon as he saw me and heard my voice, he perked right up. His eyes just opened up and he meowed at me. I started talking to him and I could tell he was really weak, but he started purring when I talked to him and called him "meowsir". I could tell he was happy I was there and he just stretched out, he has this weird way of laying on his stomach and extending his back legs all the way behind him and then he puts his head on his front paws almost like a dog. I have never seen a cat do that, especially the back legs. That, I think comes from when he had the ligament surgery as I had never seen him do that before when he was a kitten and only after his surgery healed. Why that is so interesting to me is, that my son, my sister, my mom have all commented that the only time he lays like that is when I am right there with him. He sometimes would come into the den and while I was watching TV, he would lay down like that until something or someone disturbed him, but only when he was with me in the room will he do that, so it was interesting that he did that today, with Dr Johnson in the room. I think it's a sign that he's relaxed with me there. Anyway, he just purred as I talked to him and I wanted to see how lucid he was so I started doing the "I see the tail, Buddy, I see the tail" then slowly, the tail was moving, and then the tip curled into his "question mark" that he always does when I say that to him. He meowed a couple times at me, in his "old man" voice, low and almost growly, I don't know where he gets that, his normal voice is a soft almost lilty meow. He's never been much of a talker, except when he's in a car and then he won't shut up, LOL. That's typical for a siamese or maybe a cat in general. He talked more when he was younger, but got quieter as he got older. I also said to him. "Big purr, Buddy, big purr" and then the motor came on for a second, but I think it requires a lot of strength for cats to purr like that, cos he quieted down pretty quick with a soft purr. The Big Purr is really loud and almost sounds like a muffled chain saw or snoring, LOL.

Then, as I was talking to Dr Johnson, I was talking about his early years and happened to say to her "Big Bad Foot" explaining his favorite game. And I swear to God, Dr Johnson saw this too, his eyes opened very wide, he looked at me and he stood up, as if to try and flop over on his back. She said, "whoa, Buddy, where are you going?" and I had to grab him as he has stitches in his stomach and I could tell, he was so weak that he wobbled, almost falling off the table. But he knew exactly what I said, he wanted to play "Big Bad Foot". Anyway, We talked about his prognosis and it is iffy, but at least it's not cancer. Dr Johnson had to get on with her job and I had to get to work, so she picked him up with the blanket they brought in and she started to carry him out. His eyes got real big and he turned toward me and started meowing really loud, almost like he wanted me to get him and take him home. I told him, "Son, you have to get better and then I can take you home." He looked at me and I could see the look in his eyes that he was scared, but he was happy to see me. I think he understood, no, I know he did. Buddy understands what I say to him. As I drove to work today, I felt good and scared at the same time. He doesn't look good, he's weak and it hurts me to see him that way, but I know, he's a fighter, always has been, always will be. If he can make it through this, he will live a long kitty life and that's fine with me. Still, I just keep praying, all I want for right now is to be able to bring my "Buddy the Razor" home and have him get back to being himself. Goodnight, Razor, I've said a prayer for you.

Dad