Fierce Fighter Day

Today is a day to remember the fierce fighters watching over us from Heaven.

I have two, my big sis Jasmine,
and my bestest pal in the whole wide world, Gizzy.

Thank You!

You all know that Jasmine didn't like me much. But I liked her. Sure, I teased her sometimes, but that's what sisters do. She was my big sis, and she didn't take any guff from anybody. She was a Champion cricket hunter, she was regal, and she could be very stealthy and sneaky. She was the very definition of aloof. In short, she was a terrific cat.

I confess I didn't treat her as well as I should have in this blog, but you all saw through my kittenishness to the wonderful cat she really was. Once again, the thoughtful, caring and compassionate cats in the blogosphere have blown us away. Over a hundred comments, more than a dozen tributes (see the sidebar at left), and several private emails expressing their condolences have poured in, overwhelming Mom and I.

Mom brought me into this family a little over a year ago because she thought that Jasmine was sick, and would be going to the Bridge. She turned out not to be sick, and we were all stunned when it was Gizzy who went to the Bridge first. Now Jasmine has followed him, and while we know they are together, and happy, Mom cannot but think of how terribly sad (and lonely) she would be if she had not adopted me.

Mom's eyes were leaking often over the weekend, as she read the comments and the wonderful poems of condolences in the special tributes to Jasmine. I've been making sure she pets me, because I know that makes her feel better.

The picture below, of Jasmine on Mom's lap, was taken over 4 years ago, when Jasmine was about 10 years old. it's one of Mom's favorites of Jasmine. As you can see, Jasmine was as watchful and wary as ever. Mom was convinced Jasmine could read her mind.

Jasmine, we loved you!

Cats of the Blogosphere, we love you! Thank you!

Jasmine has gone to the Bridge

Jasmine joined Gizzy at the Rainbow Bridge late this afternoon. Everything was pointing to it being bladder cancer.

Mom is really sad, and her eyes are leaking. We are gonna be off-line for a few days.

We want to thank everycat and everybean for their kind words of help and support during Jasmine's illness.

Quick Tuesday Update

The Halloween Quilt will be flying to Florida tomorrow. But Mom has enough Halloween fabric to make a couple more Halloween Quilts, so if anybody is interested in buying one, email me at Darlingmillie AT gmail DOT com, or go check out my Products page on my website. (Just click the link that says order a Gizzy quilt, and Mom will get back to you.)

Jasmine pee'd all over her nice blue bed today, instead of in the litter box. And she didn't eat much, and stayed under the bed most of the time, and hissed and growled at me something awful. Not only that, Mom found poopies on the floor and on the rug. (Not me.)

Mom has ordered some stuff to take the pee smell out of the floor, and she also decided to try some Feliway, since she saw me trying to mark the nice yellow pillow from my tent. Has anybody got any experience with Feliway?

All Hell Breaks Loose

Oh. My. Goodness.

Saturday night Jasmine seemed so much better. Mom got into bed late Saturday night and realized somecat had marked her pillows and sheets. Sunday morning Jasmine left a stinky poopie in Mom's room.

Sunday afternoon all Hell broke loose.

First Mom ran the rug sucking monster all over. Then she prepared a little tray with crunchies, stinky goodness and water and put it in the bathroom. Next she set up a new litterbox with fresh litter. After that she put Millie's bed in there. Oh, oh, I could see where this was going.

Next was Mom got Jasmine and stuck her in the bathroom and shut the door. Jasmine wasn't too happy. I could hear her MEOWING all over the place.

I should have seen what was coming next. -I- got stuck in the sewing room with the door shut.

Mom's sister the Karate Lady was over. They had been talking about the ratty carpet in the picture box room. I dunno WHAT was going on, but it sounded really nasty.

Much later, when I was allowed OUT of the bathroom, I had to go exploring....


The carpet in the picture box room was GONE. (Of course, the picture box is gone too, but it was broken. Mom says the new picture boxes are FLAT and REALLY EXPENSIVE so she isn't going to get one for a while.) The furniture was all stacked in the studio and the table room. But that wasn't the worst. There was a big stinky black spot on the floor (hardwood, mind you) that stunk to high heaven of cat pee. The Karate Lady had had to open all the windows, and even then she had to leave because it was so bad.

Mom had to finish by herself. That was not how she had planned to spend her day. She got blisters, cuts, and slivers on her hands, and they are still swollen. The furniture in the picture box (oops, I mean "living") room is all moved around. She has to go buy some special stuff to get the smell of the cat pee out of the floor.

Jasmine got stuck in Mom's room with a tray and a litter box. (Which she hadn't used all day.) Mom says Jasmine's going to spend the next couple of days in the bathroom. Mom says Jasmine HAS to learn to use the litter box, or she's toast.

Toast? What does bread have to do with any of this?

Actually, I don't think Jasmine's gonna get toasted. She spent most of last night in Mom's room with her food tray (crunchies, stinky goodness, water AND some full-fat plain yogurt) and her very own private litter box. Did I tell you the door was closed?

I got the same treatment in the sewing room (but I didn't get any yogurt.)

Mom has also keeps the french doors to the studio closed. Anyway, in the middle of the night, Jasmine wanted to get out of the bedroom. She woke Mom up, and Mom let her out. The only places Jasmine could go didn't have any carpeting. Mom wanted to make sure Jasmine used a litter box, and the only way to do it was to keep me someplace else.

This morning Mom got up, and lo and behold, Jasmine had used the litter box in Mom's room and the litter box in the bathroom.

So it's looking good. But Mom says we're still spending the day in separate rooms today.

At least my room has better accomodations.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

This may look like a perfectly normal picture to you, but at our house today, this is a Big Deal. Jasmine has been hiding out under the bed. Here she is out in the open on the big comfy chair in Mom's room (and on my Gizzy Quilt!) Mom spent last evening with her sister and came home late to find Jasmine sleeping in this very spot. Mom petted Jasmine, and guess what? Jasmine's fur was silky and lustrous!

Meaning that being OFF the anti-biotiks makes Jasmine feel a lot better! We surely hope she is getting better.

Almost a Gizzy... but only a Jasmine

Wowza! Check this out! Jasmine is sleeping kinda close to me.

So. About Jasmine. She's been on anti-biotics for three weeks with no change. She's still peeing and pooping all over the place, making Mom completely crazy. Her bloodwork is OK for a geezer cat. She has a heart murmur and a small kidney stone. She has had her urine and stools checked. She's grouchy. Most of the day she hangs out under Mom's bed, instead of her usual spot in the recliner in the picture box room. She wants to be in Mom's lap all the time.

Sound familiar?

Some of this stuff sounds like how Gizzy was feeling this winter when he was sick. Remember too, that Jasmine is 14-1/2 years old, a cancer survivor, and has a tumor in her eye.

Mom has stopped giving Jasmine the anti-biotics, and cancelled the v-e-t appointment for next week. What are they going to do? More expensive tests? Surgery? Nope. Mom wants Jasmine to be comfortable. If cats are true actors, they hide their weaknesses, and evidence of pain. Jasmine is showing us she isn't happy. This is the cat who was so fastidiously clean, she would cover up Gizzy's stuff in the litterbox along with her own. Now she's peeing and pooping all over the house.

No matter what's going on with Jasmine, she probably won't be with us much longer. Mom wants to spare her pain and misery.

Mom wants a little time to say good-bye.

Jasmine's 7 Random Things Meme

Hi everybody! Thanks for all the nice thoughts and purrs. I really appreciate it. I'm still taking that yukky anti-biotiks medicine twice a day. I am very tired of it, and I've stopped being nice when Mom drags me out from under the bed to jam it down my throat. I think I must be getting better because the litter box doesn't seem so painful...

Anyway, back to the matter at hand (I mean paw). Here are 7 Random Facts about Me.

1. I love tuna, and tuna juice. The little pest doesn't, so I don't have to share!
2. I love milk, and test Mom's every morning.
3. I love yogurt, vanilla mostly.
4. I love to lick the salt and cheese from potato chips and Doritos.
   
5. I can run and jump every bit as fast as the little pest. Boy, is she surprised when I show her!
6. I am shy. If you came to visit, you'd never know I lived here.
7. When I'm in Mom's lap and she's petting me, I often make biscuits.

Jasmine Update

Mom brought Jasmine back to the v-e-t yesterday. Jasmine's infection isn't completely cleared up, and Mom has to give her anti-biotiks for another week. (Yech!)

Jasmine also lost a tiny bit of weight since the last visit, and Mom doesn't think she's eating all that much. Sometimes Jasmine uses the litterbox for her poops, and sometimes not. Mom's been putting big flat incontinence pads out all over the picture box room floor. Jasmine has been peeing on those. Mom also put one in a special litterbox, and Jasmine used that too. Mom's happier, because now it's easier to clean and doesn't stink up the carpet, but still worried about Jasmine.

The v-e-t said one of Jasmine's (insert medical term here) is still too high, and if the anti-biotiks don't clear that up, the next step could be more x-rays or an ultrasound.

And here's a scary thing. Mim-may came over last week, looked at Jasmine and said, "She looks like Gizzy looked, when he started to feel bad. Her fur doesn't look like it usually does."

She's right. And Jasmine's been grouchier than normal lately. Not that I can blame her.

And Mom says No Ultrasound.

Eek!


10:00 AM Update... Mom gave Jasmine some stinky goodness and Jasmine ate a lot of it.

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Tomorrow Mom and I are gonna have a slide show with ALL the Gizzy Quilts!

Cat Bloggers, we have a problem....

We need your help.

As you know, Jasmine has a bladder infection, and has not been using the litterbox. She has been peeing on the carpet in the living room. She has been taking antibiotics for over a week. The antibiotics make her poops.... mushy. And she has been leaving them all over the carpet too.

Mom is really upset. When she gets up in the morning, and again when she comes home from day hunting, she looks behind the couch and the chairs in the picture box room for "deposits," watching very carefully where she steps. It's hard. The carpet is brown.

Now Mom's got this stuff she sprays on the carpet to clean it. And she tried to cover the space behind the couch and chairs with newspapers, hoping that Jasmine would do her business on the newspaper. But Jasmine has been delicately avoiding the paper, and using places where there is no paper.

Mom got really really upset today, because as she knelt to pick up a "deposit," she got more all over the leg of her nice pants from a "deposit" she didn't see.

Help! How can we get Jasmine to stop using the carpet as the litterbox (yes, we have three litterboxes, and yes, Mom keeps them very clean), and start using the litterbox for her business?

Will she start using the litterbox on her own after the infection goes away?

Will she use the litterbox after she's finished her antibiotics?

Should we cover the whole carpet with newspapers?

Should we try to keep her out of the picture box room?

Help!

Easy Like Sunday

It's quiet around here today. It rained this morning. Mom said we need lots more rain. Mom's been doing the dishes and laundry. She calls it housework. I'd say the house is the boss. I don't see the house working.

She's been giving Jasmine anti-bitiotiks and Jasmine doesn't like it. I watch, and I sure wouldn't like it either if somebody jammed that thing in my mouth, squirted the icky stuff in and wouldn't let me go until I swallowed it. I may not be a big fan of Jasmine, but the old girl's got spunk, I gotta say...

Later, Mom's gonna watch the guys named Pat play the Jets. And after that the big Tennis men's final with Fed and a kid named Joke-a-vik. Mom's rooting for the kid.


Hey, if you got a Holiday Gizzy, could you email me the number of the quilt you got? Thanks.

Jasmine Update

Jasmine's bloodwork looks pretty good, all her organs are OK. Her kidneys are fine. The v-e-t says she has a urinary infection and Mom will be going to get some anty-biotiks for her in a little while. The v-e-t also wants some of Jasmine's poop. I guess they wanna do another test. Lucky Mom! (tee hee!)

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In other news, we are receiving reports of Holiday Gizzy Quilts landing at their new homes. You can see pictures over at Daisy Mae Maus' place. Everybody says how much they love the "Nip Raviolis" that Mom Robyn from Hot(M)BC made. Mom and I will add links to other blogs as pictures go up. It looks like this was so successful, Mom is thinking about doing it next year too. Of course, we'll have to include the Nip Raviolis.

Jasmine and the V-e-t

Mom Lynne here. Jasmine went to the vet this morning, as you all know.

She's 14-1/2 years old, is a cancer survivor and has a tumor on her left eye. It hasn't got any worse over the last year, so that's good.

She's lost 1/2 pound in the last year. In fact, right now she weighs less than Millie! The vet didn't find anything obvious except for a heart murmur, which isn't uncommon for an older cat.

They took an x-ray, and blood and urine samples. From the x-ray we learned her heart is o-kay, which I take to mean not the greatest, but that could be due to her age. She also has a small kidney stone, but the vet said that is nothing to worry about. He said there was stuff in her stomach, urine in her bladder and her colon was not empty (how, oh how does one phrase that delicately?), so it shows that "things are moving well from one end to the other."

We'll know more when the results of the bloodwork come in tomorrow. Stay tuned.

This and That Thursday

This is the quilt Mom made for Lisa, who won the Babybean Quilt Raffle. Lisa likes all colors, and her favorites are blue and green. Isn't this quilt pretty? It is so much prettier in real life than it is in this picture. Lisa should get her quilt today.

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Jasmine is going to the v-e-t today. She has a pee problem. She has been peeing and pooping outside the litterbox. Mom thinks Jasmine has lost some weight, too.

Jasmine does Scattergories

Mom asked if I would like to play. I said I'd love to! So here are my answers...

RULES: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made-up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

• What is your name: Jasmine
• 4 letter word: jinx
  
• vehicle: Jaguar
• TV show: Jeopardy!
  
• City: Juneau
  
• Boy name: Jack
• Girl name: Jillian
• Alcoholic drink: Jealous Queen (go look it up yourself)
  
• Occupation: Jeweler
• Something you wear: jumper
• Celebrity: Julia Child
  
• Food: jam
• Something found in a bathroom: jars
• Reason for being late: jet lag
  
• Cartoon character: Jerry (of Tom &)
  
• Something you shout: Jump!

PS: He hasn't got a blog -or- a computer, but it's Mr Cabinetmaker's birthday today!

Wordless Wednesday

(this is Jasmine)

Same Jasmine, Different Quilt

I dunno what it is about the Holiday Gizzys, but Jasmine can't seem to get enough of them. Here is Jasmine on a -different- Holiday Gizzy than yesterday.

Mom has finished 8 of the 20 Holiday Gizzys. When she finishes them, she is replacing pictures of the quilt designs with pictures of the finished quilts on the Slide show at Bizzy for Gizzy.

Personally, I think it's just Jasmine's way of getting Mom's attention.

OOooooooh! My Secret Paws package just arrived!

Wannabe

OK, so you all know I think Jasmine can be kind of a piss-pot. I mean, she doesn't want to play, but there is no other cat around for me to cuddle with, so I really want her to like me. It would be nice to be able to walk around the house without having her hiss at me whenever she sees me. This is kinda how it looks whenever we are in the same room together:


But it's not always like that:

See, she's coming around. I bet she'll like me one of these days. I want us to be friends.

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I've got a real big anniversary coming up on Wednesday. It's not my birthday or my gotcha-versary or anything like that. It's not exactly something to celebrate. Lotsa beans and cats know what day it is and why it was such a Big Deal. And it was a Big Deal. I'll have a post about it then.

Mom's cut up all the strips into blocks and has started designing the Holiday Gizzys. You can check it out over at Bizzy for Gizzy.

This, That and The Other

THIS:
This is about as close as Jasmine and I get without fighting. I want to play, she doesn't.
THAT:
Now that our quilts are finished, Mom can work on the two she is planning to auction to benefit cats in the blogosphere. They will be special quilts, and Mom wants to have pictures by Sunday. We need to know which cats to help. Leave your suggestions in the comments. Check out the neat slide show of quilts Mom made over at the Bizzy for Gizzy blog!

THE OTHER:
I got to try it out Jasmine's quilt. Ha! Ha!
Millie!

Uh... Mom, I was just giving it the final QA check... you know...
Psst... After Mom makes the special auction quilts, she will get to work on the Chris...

MILLIE! That's a SECRET!

Fantastic Quilt Friday

Mom has finally finished the top of Jasmine's quilt. She used a technique called Seminole patchwork, where strips of various widths are sewn together, then cut apart and rearranged to make very unique, graphic designs.

For instance, this strip of three colors, when cut apart and rearranged...
makes this patterned band:
And this strip, cut apart at a 45-degree angle, and rearranged....
can make something like this. Mom didn't use either of these in the finished quilt top she made for Jasmine.
But she did make these two strips, cut them apart and rearranged them:
into this one, which she likes very much:
A big piece like this, with strips cut at a 45-degree angle one way, and then another strip cut with the pieces at the other 45-degree angle (to get a mirror image) and rearranged:
make this pattern:

Here is the finished quilt top. It's a bit bigger than the others, about 26" x 28", but Mom says that's the size the quilt wanted to be. (yeah, sure, like I believe that.)

I think Jasmine approves.Mom said, "Don't even ask." The quilt top alone took her over 16 hours to make, so she isn't going to make any quilts like this to sell.

(you can click the pictures to biggify)

The Seminoles are an Indian tribe from Florida. You'd have to do a Google search to find more information. If you want a book about Seminole Patchwork, you can try Amazon.