Glenwood

A New Chapter

2012-01-26T20:21:00.001-05:00

An Old Sweater Is Prime Real Estate

I've not written since last year. It occurs to me to write and I do take photos, but life is busy and the changes in our lives are more subtle. Glenwood has not settled down, for example, so describing the objects she knocks down or whacks to get my attention makes for repetitive writing (and reading), as do the wee-hour wake-up calls. Perhaps what's changed is how I react. At 4 am I admonish her less and instead pick her up and carry her back to bed. Sometimes that's all she wants.

We had a high-drama moment when I had family over during the holidays. As we sat in the living room talking, I noticed Glenwood's absence felt deeper than usual. (She always hides when people are here and bullies when people aren't.) I finally put everyone in search mode. She had wedged herself between the fridge and the wall, and my brother had to pull the fridge out to free her.

There was another, when several contractors were in my home. Glenwood started tearing through the apartment, back and forth, unable to get to any of her safe spots because each room had big strange men in it. It was heart-breaking; she ended up on top of the kitchen cabinets, breathing hard and her eyes wild.

Another reason I've been ambivalent about writing is that stories end. A book, an essay, an article ends, and it's the natural course of things. It feels like abandonment to stop this blog, yet it's also fair to think the story of Glenwood's rescue, survival, and current life is complete. So perhaps now I will post the occasional epilogue.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

It's Halloween, which must have prompted Timmy to go undercover.

Timmy as a Curtain

I love watching people in costume in New York. On my way to the college this morning, I followed a bunny ...

Halloween on Third Avenue

Glenwood, meanwhile, knows that her personality is too big to hide under any costume. She has been the Lap Kitty of All Time lately, with the weather turning. Here she's just playing cute until a lap formed.

Change of Plans

2011-10-11T20:21:00.001-04:00

Glenwood, Two Years Later

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````I didn't miss the date in thought, but did miss````````````````````````````````````````````` noting it here (these interruptions are Glenwood, of course): October 1 marked two years since I picked this little girl up, a pile of bones and stink and fur. Here she is, all seven pounds of her (including the shadow). Life hasn't changed much since I wrote a month ago: she is spayed and goes into heat anyway, she's a morning person who wakes me up at 4-ish by throwing things off tabletops, she is sweet and funny beyond words.

We went to One Love yesterday to check out her ear infection and discuss the, um, reproductive issues. Dr. Ryan, Dr. Ken, and I agreed that the ear gets no worse, troubles her not a bit, and is not a big deal for me to care for. (Not after nine weeks of swabs and balms and syringes and ointments two years ago, anyway.) Since the surgery would be both bloody and painful, we've decided to forego it. It would also leave her deaf in that ear (not that she listens or anything). We're doing some dietary experimentation to see if there's an allergy. So I sent myself an e-mail with the subject line Natural Balance Duck and Green Peas.

2011-09-11T10:04:00.000-04:00

It's been the busiest of times, preparing for classes, construction in my apartment, more. So of course, Glenwood had to get into the mix. As I was wildly finishing and printing syllabi, she edited a course calendar.

Is 5 Glenwood's Lucky Number?

It's Not as Quiet as It Seems

2011-08-09T19:05:00.001-04:00

A Garden at Glenwood's Home of Origin

I post less often, but it's not because life with Glenwood has become boring. Oh, no. It's been an odd (and very hot) summer, and as often as I take photos and think of posting I ... just ... don't ... always ... get ... here. But the other day, I walked by Glenwood's first home (not unusual). I usually look up the driveway to see if there are cats (no), but this time I looked more carefully at the garden that the neighbor plants in the abandoned front yard. And I noted the stakes he uses are broom handles. Very nice. The house remains abandoned, but the yard is cleaned up dramatically from when Glenwood lived there.

On other fronts, turns out my studio table must be where the air currents from the windows converge to drop the temperature by a degree or two. Because look:

I've been working in another room for nicer light, so I don't mind them hanging out here except that possession is nine-tenths of the law.

They are very good buddies. Timmy puts his entire head into Glenwood's left ear to clean it, evidently finding the taste and smell of her infection intoxicating. Not much grosses me out after a lifetime of cats plus bringing Glenwood back from the brink, and I enjoy cleaning her ear in a perverse way, but when I see him doing that ... UGH.

Much of the time, they just hang out close to each other. It's nice. The rubber strip is a very popular toy.

Magical Thinking

2011-07-30T11:00:00.003-04:00

A couple of days ago I looked at Glenwood and thought, hmmm, she hasn't gone into heat again. What a fool I am. Hours later, I noticed the kind of turbo affection and heard the vocalizations that could only mean one thing. She grooms from head to tail, hoping for the big date. She flirts. She stalks. She sleeps.

Kitties on Ice

2011-07-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

When I lived in the loft it would get excruciatingly hot and I would give Timmy and Riley ice-cube rubdowns. They loved them. So with this even more brutal heat, Timmy was thrilled, but Glenwood not so much. Hard to imagine that a kitty who has survived what she has is afraid of an ice cube, but she shrank from it. But I know this little girl, and I kept at it. Now she is an ice-cube slut. Here she is lounging after a full-body rubdown.

Cooled Off

While I was a tad worried about leaving them, I could hardly turn down an invitation to Fire Island for an overnight. So I placed fans strategically, arranged for kitty care, dug the goo out of Glenwood's ear (she is more productive in this heat) and put in her ear wash, and hit the road. (It was cooler on Fire Island, but still pretty hot.) Now that I'm back, Glenwood is making it very clear that I cannot pick up my bag to go anywhere ever again. She has a huge case of the cutes. And the weather seems to have broken a bit.

Welcome Home

Stratgies for Keeping Cool

2011-07-18T19:13:00.000-04:00

The Closet Works ...

... So Does Stretching Full-Out on My Desk
(See How Fur Grows from Her Paws?)

Hot Hot Hot

2011-07-11T12:17:00.001-04:00

It's been quite a toasty summer so far, and Timmy and Glenwood are slow-moving. Actually, Timmy is not moving at all. He is parked in the middle of the foyer, and I just have to operate around his sizeable mass.

Timmy in July in Brooklyn

I got a voice message from Dr. Ryan last night, and it sounds like Glenwood's surgery could be this fall. I'm doing twice-daily ear-digging lately, as the heat is making her extra-productive. She purrs through it; I sit on her. After the surgery, I'm going to have to sandblast this apartment to remove all traces of her head-shaking. I just found some ear goo on a drawing, and that is about the limit of what I can tolerate.

Distance Makes the Heart Grow ...

2011-07-02T10:48:00.000-04:00

I had the good fortune (or audacity, depending on perspective) to go on vacation for two weeks, with Sherri sending daily reports on Glenwood's and Timmy's status. It was, admittedly, a long time to be away. When I walked in the door, Timmy promptly adhered himself to me (and remains pretty much a part of my leg) but Glenwood wasn't quite sure and ran away. It took her half an hour or so to remember me, and then she took the other leg. I decided not to be wounded by her memory lapse. By the next morning, all was back to normal. (Yes, Timmy appears to have put on one or two.)

Timmy Resting After My Vacation

Glenwood Back to Normal

On the medical front, Sherri couldn't catch Glenwood for ear excavation, so I got another kind of earful from her upon my return.

Next ...

2011-05-30T12:10:00.000-04:00

This is Glenwood while she was rolling back and forth on her back trying to seduce the ever-stoic Timmy. Now that my toe is almost healed, she's gone into heat again. This marks the second time since she was spayed. Sigh.

This action was on a different day, but same pillow. (You can see Timmy has adjusted his angle, if not his attitude.) And upon that same pillow, Glenwood has the same intentions. I put in a call to One Love.

Timmy got a moment's rest from Glenwood yesterday, but I can't tell who won, him or the string. They are clearly ignoring each other.

Well It Wasn't Broken

2011-05-28T09:20:00.000-04:00

I don't think that Glenwood has evolved much in her approach to my belongings; rather, I think that wearing earplugs at night has reduced my anxiety about what she'll do to them and so I sleep - then wake up to whatever she has relocated. The exception is around 4 am, still, when she goes all out for ...? Impossible to know, but her demands penetrate the earplugs and I'm awake. Often she's jumping up on the dresser, which really really really drives me nuts.

The night before my last post, during our 4 am interval, I leapt out of bed to chase her off the dresser and tripped over my handweights. Because they are, uh, weights, they didn't budge when I hit. I landed on the floor, not in a crash but as a way of absorbing the shock. Oh yeah, it hurt. But I could move everything so I went back to bed, figuring I'd deal in the morning.

The pain was excruciating. If you doubt me, get this: I called the doctor. Last time I broke a toe (the Architectural Digest incident) I didn't go to the doctor for weeks. Now that I'm back in running shape (more or less), the thought of being benched was enough for me to want to know the damage. And, of course, I iced, with Queen Glenwood finding the whole thing fascinating. She actually walked off with the icebag in her mouth once, but I was too immobilized to get a camera. Beneath this ice bag is one giant, purple, painful big toe.

Glenwood Is Amused by the Damage

My doctor was somewhat amused (appropriately), being a runner himself and recalling my slow appearance after the AD incident. The x-ray showed no fracture, so now I'm just letting it heal enough to get a running shoe on it.

And Life Goes On

Catch Her While She's Still Cute

2011-05-25T12:06:00.000-04:00

There was a Glenwood-instigated incident last night that I will report once I know more (after the doctor, and I don't mean the vet), but for now, let me just show you that yeah she's cute (him too):

If She Could Only GRADE the Papers

Timmy Spent About a Week on a Sweaty Fleece Before I Could Bring Myself to Take It Away

Glenwood Wants What She Wants

2011-05-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Glenwood's official name, following yet another genius realization by Sherri and yours truly, is Glenwood Smudge Shadow Sweibel. To this I propose adding (in honor of the recent royal wedding?) Willful. Even in the midst of this sentence, I heard the familiar crash of my decorative tiles in the bathroom, which is one of her many ways of commanding my attention. Since it works, I can report that she wants (1) food or (2) attention. Neither (1) nor (2) are in any short supply, so her demands can seem ... well ... those of a spoiled-ass kitten.

When She Wants Privacy

When She Wants to Annoy

When She Wants to Be in Front

Hopkins on Tilt

2011-04-24T08:01:00.001-04:00

Hopkins, by Sue Keller

The illustration, by Sue Keller, was a gift from the early 1980s. Hopkins was a big guy like Timmy but had a bad heart and only lived about five years. Sue's work hangs above my meditation spot and below a painting by my aunt, Harriet Lefkowitz. I think it was at this slant for days before I noticed. Yes, Glenwood's antics continue but work has kept me so busy and preoccupied their effects barely register. I've also started wearing ear plugs at night.

The semester ends May 5 and I will come up for air.

Post-Heat: Our Routine Returns

2011-04-16T15:30:00.000-04:00

Glenwood's normal nighttime antics, I realize, are more challenging than her merely being in heat and wailing and barking all night. After all, she left me alone and was less interested in food than other things.

Now that she's out of heat, we're back to the routine, and it feels even more disruptive. She starts trashing my desk and dresser top at about 4.00 am so I'll serve her wet food, then she makes that the start of her day, which includes exercise, snacks, and play. I sleep in ten-minute increments the rest of the night, punctuated by Get down!, curses, and trips to the kitchen to dole out the four bites of food she eats at a time. Timmy will eat the rest if I give her more, and he's supposed to be on a weight-reduction plan. When I finally drag myself up for good, she jumps onto the bed and goes to sleep.

Thursday night I took a stand and locked her and Timmy out. All night I could hear things being relocated and endless meowing. Below is my bathroom sink as I found it in the morning. Note that some of these items she pulled out of the medicine cabinet, though she was careful to close it when she was done.

My next experiment is no more wet food. If cats forget everything in three weeks, they'll forget that too. Just for kicks, I put a little water on the dry food. It fooled them. They snorted it.

The Heat Is Off

2011-04-11T07:24:00.001-04:00

It was March 3, 2010, that Glenwood last went out of heat, and this time it was April 7. So this experience lasted a week (I typed "only," then realized that is an insane descriptor of the last seven days); her first heat started about February 24, 2010, so was a few days longer. But of course, it's been almost a year since she was spayed, so this is all quite mysterious. Even weirder, I now realize the Oscars came early this year because in 2010 she watched Alec Baldwin host while recovering. As long as we don't go a third round before she's Conewood again, I'm good. Timmy too, as the sexual/identity crisis he just went through was stressful. Watching my neutered male try to impregnate my spayed female was bizarre. Sorry, no photos; that would be kitty porn.

And the Heat Goes On

2011-04-06T18:52:00.000-04:00

The photos below were taken in rapid succession, as Glenwood self-entertained yesterday morning. She is a wild-woman. I like my work, but I am especially glad to go there knowing there will be no howling or barking. I apologize to Timmy in the morning as I leave.

This Just Can't Be So

2011-04-03T13:08:00.001-04:00

Before I get to the big news, I'll just say that we continue to wait for Glenwood's ear surgery to be scheduled. I left a message urging One Love to schedule her sooner than later, as Glenwood is scratchy and I'm worried about the long-term effects of her having this infection ... on her, on Timmy, on me. We're also waiting for Timmy's bloodwork to come back. As you can see, there is apparently nothing wrong with him that a little weight reduction won't solve. Only problem is, cutting back on the kitty tuna is not going over well.

Anyone Can Tell What's Next

Timmy's Overhang

In between paragraphs, Timmy just crossed the keyboard, belly swinging, to jump to the windowsill ... with Glenwood in hot pursuit. And I mean hot. The kitten is in heat. Never mind that she's spayed, never mind that I've spent the last 18 months of my life caring nonstop for this fur thing, never mind that sleeping is already elusive. The last three days have been howl-filled and I'm wearing ear plugs. A little Internet research suggests that even a tiny bit of reproductive tissue left behind can result in ... this. Look at her! Here's 2 from about 937 shots I took of her yesterday, trying to get just one that isn't blurred. She is, simply, a blur. I've put in a call to the vet, and will report back soon. FLASH: Dr. Ken just called. It's confirmed; she's in heat. He can take a peek at her girl parts while sealing her ear in surgery, but of course that cannot happen until we survive this. I told him if he gets a howling box from me in the mail, don't open it. On the upside, Timmy and his thyroid are fine.

Wild-Eyed (Me Too)

Tail Antics

Cat-ch-Up

2011-03-21T08:45:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a long time since I posted, not because there hasn't been some news - Timmy has resumed chasing his tail, after all - but because I've been flat-out on every level.

Yesterday Timmy went to One Love for his annual check-up. Squishing him into the smaller, hard kitty carrier (since Glenwood blew out the larger, soft one) was challenge #1. Once in, he folded himself into the smallest possible area in the back, with his rear end and his face facing the door. Sounds impossible, I know, but it's true. I neglected to document that position, but did document the one he took on the ride home, which was the opposite. His face was nudged into the front corner so all I got was ear.

Timmy After the Indignity of a Check-Up

He tested out pretty well for his ten and a half years, though he was appalled at the process. His weight is 19.1 pounds - less than his highest but more than he weighed when he first started running from Glenwood. Dr. Ken limited his Trader Joe's kitty tuna intake for some weight reduction. Timmy's thyroid felt a bit enlarged to Drs. Ken and Ryan, so we're doing some bloodwork for that, plus a full panel just because he's middle-aged.

Since we got home, he's been hissy and growly at Glenwood, and even took a few whacks at her. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that has absolutely no effect on her. He's being nice to me.

On another note, I was loathe to photograph the awfulness of Glenwood's first weeks here. Who needs that? It was hard enough for me to look at (and touch ... ew). But yesterday I asked about Bishop, a pit bull who was in a horrific fight and who I'd met about a week after he arrived. It wasn't clear he'd make it, but he had sweet eyes and his sewn-up drippy stoned-on-meds face haunted me. Bishop pulled through. Dr. Ken showed me the before-and-after photos. Bishop's nose was gone. (I can't believe I didn't keel over.) After Dr. Ken's reconstruction, he's not exactly Prince Charming, but he has something like a nose, and he is home. That is one lucky pooch. I'm sure few owners would have taken that on.

All that to prepare you for Glenwood's ear goo. It's time to share. I dig this out of her once or twice a day. She is going to be having surgery in the next few weeks, as soon as Dr. Ken can line up his expert consultant. It's getting worse and even though she remains the happy terrorist, this can't continue.

Status Quo ...

2011-03-04T18:34:00.000-05:00

... but still zany.

A Nanosecond of Rest

What Could Possibly Have His Attention?
Not Sure I Want to Know

Glenwood's ear infection is the same. I'm still awaiting news from the doctors on what's next. Timmy's melted tail is the same. (You can see the dent above if you look carefully.) I've improved my nighttime strategies. No one, but no one, is better at falling back asleep. It's my key survival tool.

If Only ...

2011-02-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

... life were as intoxicatingly thrilling, thoroughly consuming, and ultimately satisfying, as this:

My brother Jonathan, who was father to the quite odd Harry until finding him a new California home for very good reasons, noticed that of all the fancy toys he purchased for his cat, it was when he dropped a twistie that all hell broke loose. I've noted the same. Only the red laser light produces a more vivid response.

Glenwood has major sticky stuff in her ear now, so of course brushes along every available surface, from my pants to the door edges of my apartment, leaving a trail I am sure will take me decades to sandblast off.

Plan E.5

2011-02-08T20:50:00.000-05:00

Glenwood's ear is worse, in the sense that it's a bit smellier and I'm digging out Even More Goo. She remains ecstatic to be alive, however. Here she is rabbit-kicking my running gloves after creating her usual mess of the pillows:

And in a peaceful nanosecond with Timmy:

So, tomorrow we are trying an interim med between plan E and surgery. Look at this baby:

The whole thing goes into her ear and I scrunch-scrunch-scrunch (Dr. Ryan's specific orders) and we wait two weeks. When I was ear-digging a few minutes ago, I noticed she pulled this off, as her new habit is to bat the toothpaste into the trash to get my attention. Did she miss, or nail it? Hmmm.

Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da

2011-01-29T10:20:00.000-05:00

And so life continues chez Glenwood, Timmy, and Liz. No progress on the veterinary front to report. Whatever hopes I had for Glenwood to mellow with age seem futile. She remains a lunatic. As you can see, while I work, she paws my reference books. After I make the bed, she unmakes it within five minutes. When I foolishly left a bowl of grape tomatoes on the counter, I've had surprises since and just found another this morning. Yuck. And then ... there is the lovely moment where she chills and shows off her tail.

Flipping Through the APA Style Manual

I Make the Bed; She Unmakes It

How Many More Are Out There?

A Rare Moment of Calm

Timmy's Tail

2011-01-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to return to a steady meditation practice. I have a nice place to sit, with candles and cat reminders. The illustration is of Hopkins, a big orange guy from my Massachusetts years; to the right is Spike, my 21-year-old who moved to NYC with me and made sure to live long enough to see me settle down a bit; to the left is Riley, whose death in 2009 catalyzed Glenwood's life. The violin was my father's.

Timmy often lands here when running from Glenwood; she uses it as a launching pad to the window sill or something to bank off of as she tears through the apartment. Today, Timmy settled onto the right side while I sat. His tail was curled up and around above the candles. It wasn't close enough to the flames for me to chase him off, but then there was this smell and I saw his tail was, I guess, melting. I leapt up to put him out and fur-ash drifted to the floor and stuck to my hand. He wasn't on fire but his fur had, yes, melted. And him? Oblivious. He knew nothing of what happened. He still doesn't. But look!!!

Now I have two cats with missing or damaged fur. What are the odds?

Timmy Has a Dent in His Tail

Glenwood Is Still in Poodle Mode

She Looks Like a Poodle

2011-01-17T18:24:00.002-05:00

The vet shaved Glenwood's left front leg for the IV, and she still looks like a poodle. This photo doesn't do that image justice (my apologies), but shows her passed out in my lap with her little shaved area last Tuesday, after I brought her home. (I only just now figured out how to get the images off my new phone. It was too obvious to figure out a week ago.)

Glenwood had a lengthy hacking attack this morning. She's not getting any meds for the infection at this point, since they don't help, so it's really about waiting for the radiologist's report in terms of what might be next. I still do my Q-Tip digs, but it's force of habit and somehow satisfying, as if I'm helping. She's in no distress, even when she's making her old-man noises, but it's still discomforting.

While this blog doesn't have a sound track, you can take my word for it that she is the loudest bather in cat history. Timmy is utterly quiet when he's in the grooming zone, but Glenwood snorts up a storm.

She Is Asymmetrical

2011-01-12T19:26:00.001-05:00

Glenwood spent the day with Dr. Humphreys yesterday. Big Timmy couldn't believe his good fortune: an entire day with no black flying fur thing landing on his back while he slept. Glenwood, on the other hand, was not so happy. Dr. H sedated her, took x-rays (which I'll post once I have them), drained several gallons of pus from her ear, and poked around to see what the deal is with this chronic ear infection. No polyp. But, unfortunately, even I could see on the x-rays that one ear-area is different from the other. A radiologist is going to have a look and I'll know more in a week or so, but it looks like my miracle kitty needs surgery. I wish my miracle kitty would win the lottery.

It's discouraging, but manageable. I'm just sad that this little puff has only had a couple of months of health in her whole life. The upside is I'm the only one who is sad. She is deliriously happy (at home, with me), thriving, and in no distress. Can you imagine how awesome this stretch must feel?

It's Plan E for My Studio Assistant

2011-01-08T18:34:00.000-05:00

On the way to One Love this afternoon, we stopped at a red light right in front of Glenwood's old house. I pointed it out to her, but she was preoccupied.

Glenwood's ear infection has worsened. It's been delivering more goo and smell the last week. I really should have bought stock in J&J before I started with all these Q-Tips. Hundreds. So it's on to plan E. On Tuesday I'll leave her at One Love for the day. Dr. Humphreys is going to sedate her, take x-rays, and explore whether there's a polyp deep in her ear or something under her palate that's holding in this infection. Dr. Ryan will check in. If there a polyp it'll have to come out, though probably on another visit. If there isn't, the doctors might recommend surgery on her ear canal. Dr. Humphreys' only other idea is that she has a food allergy. Oy.

She is one lucky kitty, with so many people caring about her so much. And I am one lucky kitty-caretaker, with One Love caring about both of us so much.

On another front, my home studio is newly upgraded, making it a much, much better place to work. Glenwood is my self-appointed studio assistant. I gave her Spike's blue seat of honor, but once I put a rug down she prefers to be closer to me.

When I get up, she keeps my seat warm.

She also empties the miniature trash can that my Boston studiomate, Marty Epp-Carter, gave me.

Timmy, meanwhile, continues to do what he does best at his middle age: sleep. But how does he hold this position? My brother thinks he looks like weatherman Al Roker now that he's lost five pounds running from Glenwood. He has more skin than body. He is such a love. And alternately tortured and embraced by Glenwood.

Stairway to ...?

2010-12-27T18:41:00.002-05:00

My camera is too often out of reach when a photo opp comes along. I've missed more than one shot of Glenwood climbing a ladder. I have a four-foot ladder and a six-foot ladder; she has experience with both. Here she is on the six-footer, which is hanging inside a closet door ...

She is such a flirt.

Strange Rituals

2010-12-23T08:52:00.000-05:00

I know I left you hanging in my last post about some evidence of maturity in Glenwood's behavior. It's true, but not as dramatic as I thought/wished. I don't put all my belongings in a closet every night any more, and she sleeps later, but she still wakes up far earlier than I and has insistent means of getting my attention.

One proven strategy is to jump on the desk in my bedroom, then move to the printer, which creaks under her "weight." Sometimes she clears the desk of papers. This starts at about 6 am. Get down, I say, sitting up. One get down rarely does it, but two or three do. At least she understands English.

Back on the floor, she walks over and stares up at me. My role is to stare back. We do this for a few beats, then she jumps on the bed and snuggles up, purring. I pet her, having been manipulated into rewarding her for bad behavior to prevent it from getting worse. If I fail to stare back, she proceeds directly to more antics without the snuggly interlude. Snuggle-time ranges from three seconds to another hour of sleep, but sometimes we have to repeat the get down-stare ritual four or five or a thousand times a night, with no guarantee that I'll get more sleep. I've been napping daily. Go figure.

Once she has the household up and has snubbed her breakfast, she settles on the living room radiator with the creeping fig. It's the perfect spot to watch bird activity on the fire escape.

Plan D

2010-12-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

We were at One Love today, and Glenwood's ear is pretty much as it was, even after almost a month of twice-daily irrigating and digging. But before I go into plan D, how much fun can one kitten have on a napkin?

She's such a flirt. Anyway. Dr. Humphreys has a vet-friend in Greenpoint who raves about this anti-everything ear med. When today's exam showed no improvement (though she still thrives, obviously), she got an earful of it. It's caramel-like and forms a plug; now she gets left alone for two weeks.

I'll post about this tomorrow or so, but I also think Glenwood has turned a corner in becoming, say, mature.

Then and Now

2010-12-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

The release anniversary must have me nostalgic, as I've been doing some Glenwood-then and Glenwood-now comparisons. She spent her first night as a free kitten in, um, the bathroom. This is how I found her that first morning.

December 8, 2009

A little over four months later, she filled up more of the sink. Big Timmy would probably overflow.

April 26, 2010

Today she had a superior case of the cutes when she awoke from nap #37, with her little furry paws curled and crossed. I'm not a bad napper myself, which is quite thrilling to her. Company!

One Year Ago Today ...

2010-12-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

December 7, 2009

... Glenwood was freed from the bathroom after nine weeks of isolation, sleep, meds, and food. Look how tiny she was! And how kitten-shaped!

December 7, 2009

I thought she'd never go into the bathroom again, but she stays close to me so often keeps me company. She's enthralled by the mirrored medicine cabinet and by the tub, which makes a mighty fine hiding spot, especially when approached at 90 mph (much faster than Timmy can follow).

Look how gorgeous she is now.

December 6, 2010

She is the sweetest, craziest, softest, most willful eight pounds of kitty ever. I watch her and remain struck that events had me find her (and her me). She was so close to death, and it was only Ellen's need to cancel dinner that brought us under one roof. Sadly, so many Glenwood's don't get saved. I think about them too.

A Penny for Timmy's Thoughts

She's been healthy since her release except for the stubborn ear infection. Tomorrow I check in with One Love, and will be bringing her in for a look-see. I'm still swishing her ear and cleaning out goo with Q-Tips twice a day.

A Shy Attack

2010-11-29T20:03:00.000-05:00

I had friends over for brunch yesterday, in part to introduce Glenwood, and who do you think spent the entire time under the dresser? I thought she'd take a little while to come out of the bedroom, but she never did. I was able to coax her out a couple of times for a sighting, but the appearances were brief and her exit swift. As soon as everyone was gone, she reverted to her Other Personality.

I have a quilted duvet cover that I bought on Martha's Vineyard in the late 1980s. Its age is starting to show, which makes me sad because I love this thing. When Glenwood was tiny, she started using some of its worn spots as points of entry, so I put it away until she grew up. Now that she's grown up, the small points of entry are becoming larger. Whole squares are becoming frayed. I lay a blanket over it for protection now.

The new pillow continues to be a source of focus, individually and together. Here are three images from the last day or two:

Spooning

Glenwood Uses Timmy as a Pillow

Timmy Uses Glenwood as a Chin Rest

One Step Forward, the Rest Back

2010-11-24T06:40:00.000-05:00

Since the Miracle Night of the Closed Curtains, all has reverted to (ab)normal. It is 6.28 am, and I've been awake for at least an hour thanks to you-know-who. Rather than have my stress levels hit the stratosphere before I'm vertical, I got up.

I've been holding back on this photo because it makes her look bad, but when I had the audacity to go away for one night last weekend, this is what I came home to:

What happens is that the light reflecting on a large picture over my desk as the sun rises prompts her to use the lamp as a support to paw the picture. Since I wasn't there to bark at her, the lamp toppled and brought every desk item in its vicinity down with it.

I lock her out for as much of the sunrise as I can, but she starts meowing and banging the doorknob. I'm sure you can see why I just love her so much. Gee, I'm tired. One remaining option is heavier curtains or shades but (1) who knows if that'll work, (2) I don't like them, and (3) I can't afford to redecorate or turn over my aesthetic to an eight-pound terrorist-kitten whose vet bills remain a priority. I'm sure there are other options, like taking all my pictures down or blindfolding her, but they seem extreme. Maybe they won't in another year or two.

Do you blame Timmy? At this moment, I envy him.

Plan C

2010-11-21T10:24:00.002-05:00

Well, the Baytril didn't work and the pink stuff and shots improved the infection but Glenwood still has something living deeper inside her ear than can be seen or gotten to. The One Love team tried a suction process yesterday but whatever is settled in there is staying put.

I hadn't given a lot of thought to the science aspect of vets' characters, but Drs. Ryan and Humphreys were doing some teeth-gnashing; they are frustrated; they want to fix her. I want to fix her, too, but my frustrations are different. Plan C is a new wash that I'll squeeze into her ear twice a day and squish down with aggressive ear rubbing. Then she'll shake. Then I'll clean it all up. The goal is to loosen up the ear inhabitants so they can be suctioned out. The next attempt will be early December.

I tried closing my curtains last night to see if the change in morning light would fool Glenwood out of the 5 am crazies. That may sound stunningly obvious but my curtains are sheer and I didn't think it would make a difference. It did! I just had to adjust them so Glenwood could get onto the windowsill; the look in her eye told me she wouldn't hesistate to pull them down if I didn't. At least I don't pretend to be the boss.

One Love is a new operation, so spread the word. The care is great, everyone is super nice, and they usually have cookies for people in addition to treats for the pets out front. Willie the Rescue Parakeet watches over the scene; he was named after Willie Nelson, who first inspired him to sing in his new home. And on the science front, Dr. Humphreys described his approach as doing the least possible to get the body aligned so it will fix itself. Pretty poetic for a science guy.

Pre-Glenwood

My visits there are always long between the care and the socializing, and by the end all three of us were sitting with Glenwood on the floor. She really does set the tone.

The box above was a gift from my painter friend Diane Ayott years ago. She and her partner had new window shades installed, and she brought me the left-over shade-ends knowing I'd appreciate them. I displayed the box out of Glenwood's reach (or so I thought), but ... Thankfully, the damage was fixable (and also beautiful) so all is back in place and now they are really out of reach. Really.

Post-Glenwood

There's a New Pillow in Town, But I Can't Find the Garlic

2010-11-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

We're at an interesting phase in Glenwood's development. Her ear infection seems to be resolving (another visit to One Love is on for tomorrow), which may or may not be contributing to shifts in her energy and intellectual capacity. She has utterly insane periods of the day, which are predictable: the 5 am crazies, spurred I believe by the shadows and changing light as the sunrise starts, and the post-prandial crazies after breakfast and dinner (not that she eats, or eats in my presence, but symbolically). She tears around the house, leaps on Timmy, meows endlesslly, runs across my desk, and generally stirs up the household. Her meow is notably childlike.

In between periods of hysteria, I think she is mellowing. She is more of a lap kitty, actually echoing her bathroom days, and is the fastest-to-purr cat I know. One of my strategies to calm the early-morning crazies is to sit up in bed when I hear her on my desk, tell her to get down, and just keep staring at her while she stares at me. For some inexplicable reason, if I stare long enough, she jumps off the desk and comes up to cuddle. Instant purr. That's good for maybe 20 minutes of rest. And repeat.

So, the new pillow is a new battlefield and love nest. Life is full of contradictions. Here you go:

The garlic clove I bought a couple of days ago is just gone. I've learned not to leave grape tomatoes on the counter, as they reappear in very bizarre locations and not always in great shape, but the garlic I hoped would survive. What's so crazy is that I really, really looked for it, and the thought of where it might be makes me shudder.

Timmy's and Riley's previous mother, Emily, was in town from London last weekend, but unfortunately we couldn't schedule a good time to visit. She wants to see Timmy, of course, and meet Glenwood. I haven't seen Emily since Riley's death and there will be another layer of sadness.

My New Secret Weapon

2010-11-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the simplest tasks take me months to do. (Painting my dresser is in the taking-years-to-do category.) This one involved (1) opening the "garage door" of my studio table, (2) taking out the museum putty, and (3) using it to batten down objects otherwise subject to Glenwood's antics. I started and completed the task yesterday. Imagine that. Here's the putty:

While the stuff is already working wonders for holding pictures in place, the teethmarks show the putty itself is not safe from Glenwood. Little is. Thank God this pillow is holding her in place for a minute:

About a year ago I bought a Fuji camera that spits out mini instant photos (a la Polaroid) and thought it would change my life. I took about four pictures and haven't used it since. Here is one of the photos, freshly unearthed from my studio table. Regal, isn't he? He's actually keeping himself out of Glenwood's reach, or trying to.

A Cleaner Ear!

2010-11-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

At the risk of speaking too soon, Glenwood's ear looks better. Whatever Caladryl-looking-gunk Drs. Ryan and Humphreys loaded her ear with (and which now dots my blanket), combined with the antibiotic shot, seem to be working. She goes back Thursday for an inspection and, I assume, another shot, since it's a bi-monthly thing.

It's impossible to tell if her improved health has improved her energy, simply because her energy is so insane that "more" has no meaning. I can say, though, that she seems to sleep through the night more quietly, so at least her peak energy points are mostly when I too am awake. The new bedtime routine is Timmy on top of the two pillows I'm not using (or me on the two he's not using), with Glenwood leaning against the two he is on. She likes to lean, I've noticed. She is also purring more, and I take that as a hum of gratitude for her less irritating ear.

Pillow Boy, Redux

Glenwood Leans, with Socks

Maine Coon?

2010-11-04T20:56:00.001-04:00

When people ask me what kind of cats I have I say, "Cats. You know, cats." Then a guest walked into my apartment, took one look at Glenwood and said "Maine Coon!" Since Kristen knows something about everything, I looked up the breed. Here's the link to Wikipedia: Maine Coon. (Do NOT tell my students I'm using Wikipedia.)

While Glenwood is smaller than the extra-large Maine Coon, her deeply underprivileged origins could explain that. But her fur length, fur quality, fur from her ears and toes, fluffy tail, and disposition fit to a T, and so I'm accepting that this insane animal who lives with me has some Maine Coon in her.

Right now she is chasing Timmy, just for a change of pace.

One Love

2010-10-28T20:50:00.002-04:00

Isn't One Love a good name for an animal hospital? Glenwood and I went to see Dr. Ryan in her new milieu today and got a full tour. We both got treats, too: Milk Duds for me and a peacock feather for her. Timmy has already managed to arrange the feather beside him on his pillow, just so it doesn't get away.

The hospital is light and happy. Dr. Humphreys, a wonderful doctor I met when Riley had to go to the ER, is also in the practice. Four giant chickens were dropped off (in a cage, thankfully), and he was strangely elated. They were moved to the back room awaiting transfer to his backyard (and ultimately his in-laws' horse farm) and kept crowing (clucking? squawking?), and everyone was smiling.

So, Drs. Ryan and Humphrey confirmed the Baytril didn't work, and now Glenwood has bacon-smelling pinkish stuff in her ear (reminds me of Caladryl) and got an antibiotic shot. She goes back Saturday for a vacuuming-out of the pinkish stuff.

It should be noted that Glenwood typically stresses and squirms at the vet, and hides if she can. But when Dr. Humphreys picked her up, she turned into a total flirty mush. What's that about?

I wish One Love all the best. And I wish Glenwood a bug- and goo-free ear. It'll take some time to see if this new strategy works.

0-

2010-10-26T19:18:00.002-04:00

The above title is Glenwood's typing. I mean it. She jumped up just as I started this post and is now comfortably lying above my keyboard, with one foot on the F8 key. I hope that key doesn't empty my bank account. But then again, it's already empty. She just left, with a little gurgle.

Her ear infection continues. It's been going on so long it's become normal, but it's not, and so we're off to the vet on Thursday. Dr. Ryan has joined a different practice, and so we will be going there. I will miss the kind people at Hope but feel my allegiance is to Dr. Ryan. She saved my kitty, and she's great.

Glenwood broke more glass. And if you think I'm an idiot for leaving glass out, I'm not. It was the glass in a picture frame; she's not supposed to be able to do that.

Timmy Is THE Original Pillow Boy

2010-10-16T12:08:00.001-04:00

Just Another Day

2010-10-10T09:23:00.000-04:00

Glenwood has one eye open. Experience proves that her thought bubble would read, "Enough of this napping. Let's rock."

She pauses before applying the full stranglehold.

Apparently, she's finished with Ibsen and considering DH Lawrence's Women in Love.

She likes her art crooked.

And she likes Timmy. Really. Funny how much smaller she is yet how much havoc she creates for him.

And This Is the Thanks I Get

2010-10-02T10:24:00.000-04:00

A Gift from the Chinman's

OK, it's a given that I love this kitten meeces to pieces, to lift a phrase from my Dad. That said, she can make that very, very difficult, particularly in the wee hours. The broken pitcher above is what I awoke to this morning. It was a gift from dear family friends I've known since second grade. In an act of crazy synchronicity, the breakage occurred because Glenwood knocked the plug from my dinghy off a shelf right into it. (Yes, I have a dinghy.) The dinghy was my father's (a Cape Dory named His Martin's Ship Bouncy) and was also given to me by the Chinman's. My father (Marty) gifted it to them after we wrecked it in a boating accident, and they had the good sense to take it and repair it. The dink sits in a yard in Marblehead waiting for me to claim it. The plug is my reminder of it, and of years of wonderful sailing with my family and the Chinman's, and of more wonderful sailing with the Chinman's after my parents' deaths. It is a beautiful object itself, and quite heavy.

Plug from the HMS Bouncy

I've put away so many things that to have the few left out be targeted is disheartening. Below is a morning present from months ago. This was a gift from my brother and his wife when they were living in Singapore.

A Gift from Andrew and Gloria

How Time Flies

2010-10-01T14:00:00.001-04:00

Today marks one year since I scooped up a smelly, flea-ridden, wormy, infected, emaciated, dehydrated, 1.2-pound, four-month-old, dying black puff of a kitten with a face sealed in mucous from behind an abandoned Brooklyn house and brought her home, where she lived in my bathroom for nine weeks while I assaulted her with food and meds ...

... trying not to infect Big Timmy, who lurked outside the bathroom door all those weeks. Amazing.

Glenwood now weighs 8.4 pounds and is the sweetest, softest, most loving terrorist around. She sticks to me like glue except at night, when she removes books from the shelves, takes art from the walls, uses edibles for hockey, and sweeps anything off a tabletop. The pre-sleep ritual I undergo to protect my things continues to expand. At around 5 am I usually lock her out of the bedroom for a break. She meows her little face off while periodically jumping up and smashing the doorknob with her little paw. She is a toddler. A toddler-terrorist. A toddler-terrorist with a squirrel tail.

While it would be poetic to report her 100% healthy, this ear infection persists. She's still on oral and aural Baytril plus an ear wash, and I'm still digging out Q-Tip-fulls of goo twice a day. Does it stop her? Not for a nanosecond. I adore her, and she appears to like me pretty well. Or at least my shoes.

A Bacterium and a Tomato

2010-09-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

Glenwood's Staph ear infection has worsened again, and so she's back on Baytril oral plus a wash and med in her ear. The goo I dig out of there twice a day (four Q-Tips, both ends, which is all she'll allow) is alarming. But she's thriving and so Dr. Ryan is opting to keep the meds going rather than send a scope down her ear (yet) to see if there's a polyp or something holding the infection in there.

When I went into the kitchen the other morning, I was puzzled to see that my tomato had been ... um ... interfered with. Guess who?

I'm having it for dinner tonight anyway.

Coexistence

2010-09-11T10:57:00.000-04:00

Now that I've returned to independent worker status, I'm working at home more often. As you can tell, Glenwood is strongly opposed.

And while Glenwood continues to keep Timmy in running shape, they are also coexisting more closely. The narrative below pretty well covers it.

Hmmm.

We'll see about this.

OK, I'm in.

It doesn't get better than this.

Willa

2010-09-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

I'm awash in memories and tears over Willa's death and Marty's loss. Marty took these in her South Carolina yard on Saturday morning, Willa's last on this side of the rainbow bridge.

The Bug That Won't Go Away

2010-09-04T17:35:00.004-04:00

My old friend Marty said good-bye to her dear yellow Lab Willa this morning. What a sad day. I adored Willa and have sweet memories of her in the Boston studio Marty and I shared. I will write more about them here when I have a photo.

Simultaneously, I was having a drama getting my kitten to her 11.30 appointment with Dr. Ryan for this ear infection. When I got Glenwood into her soft carry-bag and opened my door, a neighbor was there. She said water was coming through her bathroom ceiling. We ran downstairs - with Glenwood's bag over my shoulder - and in the chaos that followed I ended up back in my apartment (not the source of the leak) and Glenwood busted out of the bag. Right through the netting. Tore through the apartment like a lunatic. After all, she'd just seen (a) a strange woman (b) a strange floor (c) the woman's dog (d) the super flipping out and (e) me flipping out - all from inside a bag on her way to God knows where. I'd probably do the same.

I called Hope Vet to say I'd be late and coaxed Glenwood out from under the bed. It felt like an abuse of her trust. I knew she couldn't resist me reaching to her, yet it was for a betrayal (in my mind). I folded her up and stuffed her into the hard carrier and out we went. Here she is at the vet, one unhappy camper:

Glenwood Making Like a File Folder

So it's back on Baytril for another two weeks, plus another culture. Dr. Ryan is worried there's an infectious residue where her ear connects to her throat that we're just not getting. There's also a chance that her tough start and early illnesses left her with some kind of deformity. Glenwood is making her old-man noises more often and scratching at her ears, so it's worse again. But now we are home and all is forgiven. Tuna heals.

Closet Redux

2010-08-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

At the risk of sounding like an idiot given this story from not-so-many months ago, I came home tonight after a four-year train ride after a four-year wait to check out at Trader Joe's and ... no Glenwood at the door. Timmy was there, but all I heard was a distant, small meow from the kitten. I opened the hall closet. Nope. The linen closet. Nope. The bedroom closet. Yup. And, as before, utterly trashed. And, as before, she walked out nonchalantly. And, as before, she was utterly forgiving and just wanted some damn dinner. And, as before, no pee, no poop, just a tantrum.

In fact, I was really, really lucky because, ironically, all the precious items that I put in the closet every night to protect from her antics were in there with her for 12 hours because I was too lazy to take them out this morning! All my family pictures, some quite old and not replaceable, and not one loss. Good kitty.

Glenwood Spends a Day in the Closet

Night and Day

2010-08-27T16:36:00.000-04:00

For full disclosure, Glenwood's early-morning antics are infuriating. Wouldn't it be ironic if I killed her in a fit of disrupted sleep after working so hard to save her? Just to give an idea of what I do to prepare, below is an image of my daytime home followed by how it looks like before bed so as to limit the destruction and noise.

Daytime

Nighttime

So what does she do? She jumps onto the top shelf or the black table 3821940 times a night, waking me up and prompting me to growl "Get DOWN" an equal number of times. And this isn't the only place she wreaks havoc. She jumps on my dresser and my desk, neither of which I can Glenwood-proof without having an unrealistic number of my belongings in a closet every night. And that's not all:

Glenwood Gardens

Glenwood the Trash Collector

One Morning in the Life Of

2010-08-21T07:41:00.000-04:00

At this point I'm sure I could offer a unique post most every morning I wake up with little Glenwood in my life. First thing today, I saw she had selected Ibsen: Four Major Plays from my shelves. She's apparently proud of her intellectual prowess since she opted to pose. Timmy's reading has so far been limited to lying on newspapers.

Also this morning, I noticed her moving her belongings under the dresser. This is new. Unfortunately, her green pillow went into the trash shortly after, as she started to disembowel it and consume its innards. (Her feral beginnings, if you recall.) That's all I need ... a kitten with a belly full of polyester filling. Ugh.

Meanwhile, Timmy.

2010-08-20T08:07:00.002-04:00

Timmy was alpha to Riley's beta, though the two were neck-and-neck in terms of personality. Riley was a little hostess, greeting newcomers at the door, throwing herself onto her back (literally: there was always a little sound effect when she landed) in front of me as I walked to command a scritch. Timmy was Big Man on Campus, bullying her away from her food or a spot he wanted that she was occupying.

Timmy and Riley in My Loft, c. 2006

Timmy is more reactive to Glenwood. Here, he has borrowed Glenwood's drawer but keeps a lookout. This morning after breakfast, when she was at peak energy and unmaking the bed and he was in a postprandial droop, he took refuge on a windowsill behind a plant.

I wish I could say that the infection they shared is gone, but I'm not sure. Timmy seems OK (though has teensy spots in his left ear) but Glenwood still produces ear goo and is scratching a bit, even as she finished her 14 days of Baytril. I have a note to call Dr. Ryan.

Ike and Mike

2010-08-12T21:47:00.002-04:00

Glenwood's ear does seem better and if it caused her any issues with balance, they're evidently cleared up. Today she climbed a ladder in my closet. Of course, I had a hunch about her climbing skills the day she spent 12 hours in there.

Timmy just can't bear it. He is out cold.

Closer to Fine

2010-08-04T08:18:00.000-04:00

Timmy's infection seems cleared up and he's done with Baytril; Glenwood has about ten days to go to make sure she's clean. I kind of enjoy cleaning their little ears with Q-Tips.

Otherwise, all is normal in this abnormal household. Look how weird they are.

F5

2010-07-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

The other day Glenwood rolled over the keyboard and a man's voice from my Mac started announcing every click I made. ABOUT THIS MAC. SAFARI. ART. I clicked frantically, trying to make it stop, but that only made the man frantic. Turns out it's the Voiceover function, quickly turned off. F5. Glenwood is banned from the keyboard.

Dr. Ryan called: she tested positive for staphylococcus aureus. She's back on Baytril in her ear and I'll pick up an oral med today. Timmy's getting five days of Baytril in the ear as he seems to have it too. Amazing, really, that it's the first time he's caught something from her.

The Upside of Cleaning

2010-07-28T11:33:00.000-04:00

I'm in nesting mode, trying to make all my stuff look like less stuff. That's how I trick myself into heavy cleaning. While emptying a bookshelf, I found one of Glenwood's lost toys. It's a silly tiny stuffed thing that was part of another toy, but she goes nuts for it. Here she is, first toying with it then ultimately squishing it. She sure shows it who's boss.

In the Front Row

2010-07-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

I was test-driving a video sequence for a proposal when who should sit in front of me? As someone who's watched countless movies with a head-shaped hole in them (I'm five feet tall), this was nothing new. It was even more challenging because she wasn't sitting still.

I think Timmy may have what(ever) Glenwood has, as he's been scratching his ear and the skin above his eye is inflamed. It could also be a heat-type rash; he's been making like a rug during these brutally hot days. I'm keeping an eye on him. When I get the results for Glenwood this week, I'll update Dr. Ryan on Big Timmy and see where we go from here.

Goo Flash

2010-07-22T11:30:00.003-04:00

I dropped off an ear goo sample at Hope this morning. It's been delayed a bit, but Glenwood is in no distress. She was so lovey-dovey this morning I could barely leave the house. I should know results in a couple of days.

Figured It Out

2010-07-19T07:56:00.002-04:00

This peculiar arrangement of kitten and corner is not unusual. I've been nervous of something in the wall (a mouse?) but last night Sherri and I, geniuses that we are, realized that Glenwood is confronting her .... shadow. As she moved closer of course it grew larger until it became such an obvious threat she had to extinguish it. And again. And again. So in addition to her first nickname (Smudge, bestowed by Sherri many moons ago), she has another. Introducing Glenwood Smudge Shadow Sweibel.

Riley, November 1, 1999-July 10, 2009

2010-07-11T09:16:00.003-04:00

When I started to type the title of this post, I thought today was the anniversary of Riley's death, but thanks to Blogger's autofilling, I see it was yesterday. How is it that I so anticipated this anniversary then missed it? And I felt like crap yesterday, so it seems my interior knowledge was acting up when my consciousness was postponing. It's a way of getting off the hook without getting off the hook, or perhaps hanging myself on another.

I continue to feel sure that Glenwood's personality is imbued with Riley's spirit. Here's an example of how these two (who never met, of course, to exchange ideas) handle a heat wave:

I think Timmy also misses that funny little girl.

Here's a couple more of her just because.

Rest in peace, Riley.

Peas in a Pod

2010-07-10T18:33:00.002-04:00

Glenwood's culture came back negative, which Dr. Ryan found odd since we know she's got something growing in there. So I've been put on swab duty and will get another sample this week and bring it in for a do-over.

Swabbed and Waiting, and Maury

2010-07-05T21:56:00.003-04:00

Glenwood and I went back to the vet Saturday for them to dig some goo out of her ear for culturing. No problem with goo collection. We await results, with no evidence that this kitten is feeling anything but fabulous.

A few months ago I read about Maury in an Infinite Hope fund-raising publication. A woman had found him after he was hit by a car as a kitten, and brought him in. His back half was a mess. I've never been able to ask Dr. Ryan about him because he was so young and fragile and hurt, and I just didn't want the words said.

So Glenwood and I are sitting in the Hope waiting room, where the adoption cages are, and a tech comes in to attend to a beautiful tabby who had emptied his litter box all over the floor. She called him Maury, and I said "MAURY??? THAT Maury?" Maury made it! He is very soft and has square paws, like Riley. He's a really nice cat. The problem is that he leaks. His nerves in the rear half are shot and his bathroom habits are not quite under his control. In fact, they have to "express" him to make sure he does his business. They've tried acupuncture and everything else, but this is probably how Maury is going to be. Dr. Ryan said if she wins the lottery she is going to build him his own room.

Persistent Pseudomonas

2010-06-30T07:20:00.004-04:00

Glenwood's recheck did not go as smoothly as we wished; the infection is still there and seems stuck deep in her ear. Dr. Ryan took her off meds and cleanings for a week to let the ear do its own thing, then she'll do a culture. Since Baytril, the drug Glenwood was on, is a strong, broad-spectrum antibiotic, Dr. Ryan needs to know more about the cause to figure out what's next.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Glenwood wakens at 4.11 am and brings the whole house with her: jumping on my bookshelf with family pictures (Get down!), on my mother's leaning bamboo bookshelf with a box of wooden spoons from a flea market and a framed Matisse postcard (Get down!), and on another bookshelf I've protectively decorated with wooden plates that she uses as frisbees (Get down!). There's more, but you get the idea. I feed her and Timmy to quiet her, then they bathe, then Glenwood has even more energy. Somehow, I get a little more sleep between it all and wake-up time.

The thick heat has finally lifted though, so it is impossible to be cranky with this gorgeous, gorgeous day. Thanks for checking in, and I'll post again soon.

Cool Cats

2010-06-24T20:40:00.002-04:00

It was so hot and humid today that I worried for Glenwood, as she's been open-mouth panting. That's not a good sign for cats, but Glenwood's fragility makes her more prone to it. She's going back to Dr. Ryan Saturday to follow up on the ear infection, which I continue to treat. I'm getting quite good with the Q-tips and digging out four pounds of goo twice daily. Because I had my hands all over her for weeks while she was living in the bathroom, she allows me great liberties.

I went to Governor's Island for the first time today for an artist residency info session (wonderful) and left the air conditioner on for the cats. (I don't use it much for me, but for them ... anything.) Here they are luxuriating in the coolness, Glenwood on her chair and Timmy by his pillow.

Happy Birthday, Glenwood.

2010-06-21T18:10:00.001-04:00

Today is Glenwood's first birthday and she's making old-man noises. I just gave her some flax seed oil (she hates it) so she's glaring at me. Since her birthday is somewhat random it's a little weird, and hard to believe. She's been with me and Timmy since October 1. Well, she's been with me since then; she didn't join Timmy until the Bathroom Release Fete on December 7. Amazing.

She's So onto Me

2010-06-16T10:45:00.001-04:00

I'm convinced Glenwood knows when the syringes, Q-tips, and cotton balls are coming out the nanosecond I think "time for meds." No physical activity on my part is necessary. She hides behind the DVD player, the tightest spot in the house. The bird toy usually lures her out, but I can't find it.

I'm likewise convinced that both cats know I'm coming home as soon as I board the subway.

Glenwood continues to trust me to pet her silly while chatting to her, which is a point of nervousness when I'm just as likely to drip stuff in her ears. But since she obviously has the timing down for the meds, she must know when it's safe to approach.

She is starting to try and take the art off the walls at 5.30 am, which is problematic. She's also jumping on shelves I thought she'd never jump on, which means a lot of small glass objects have to be put away for awhile. Timmy continues to lumber around when she's not chasing him, and is very affectionate with me, and I with him.

Deep Goo

2010-06-13T20:57:00.002-04:00

Glenwood's re-check yesterday showed the infection is improved but not resolved. So we've got ten more days of meds to go. It seems it's settled in the turn of the ear canal, where it meets ... uh-oh. I'm out of my league. Whatever the turn meets, it means lots of massaging on my part to coax the meds down there.

There's two ear meds. One to cleanse and the other to treat, 20 minutes later. After her ear-cleansing med and rub, it's good if she shakes her head (and not hard to get her to do). This morning, the shake sent ear goo flying. Is it gross or what to clean kitten ear goo from a wall? Anything for my little Glenwood.

The oral med is easy, once I catch her. She is so onto me.

Limitation and Creativity

2010-06-10T22:51:00.002-04:00

When I was in my first year at MassArt, the core courses had pretty strict assignments, which I sometimes wasn't too happy about. (Art and Fear is the book to read on this one.) Seventeen years later (can it be?), my studio is in my apartment and not the kind of big raw space I've always had and could beat up. Between those two things and a zillion others, I've learned that limitation can be freeing. (Andrea Zittel speaks of this very nicely in her Art:21 segment.) Most recently, Glenwood occasionally occupies a section of my keyboard, and I wonder if writing without any of those keys might have me produce something really, really brilliant.

She is feeling better, which is great (except at 4 am) since her birthday is approaching and there is going to be a celebration. It's June 21, I've decided.

See how her fur comes out between her toes? I love that. She is due for a mani-pedi, which Sherri kindly provides. Just the noise the nailclipper makes turns my stomach, which is weird considering how much of her goo I had my hands in for her first several weeks with me.

Better Already

2010-06-08T18:36:00.000-04:00

Glenwood is already down to near-zero old-man episodes, and her energy level has returned. The former is fabulous, the latter not without its perils. Her new wake-up time (thus, mine) is between 4.00 and 5.00 in the morning, and that has accumulated into enough sleep deprivation for me to be challenged to form sentences in the classroom. I actually called in sick today at my other job because I was too exhausted to function. But enough about me. Here they are in a changing-places routine: queen then king of the hill.

Pseudomonas Redux

2010-06-06T09:06:00.005-04:00

Glenwood's visit to the vet yesterday revealed a new Pseudomonas infection in her left ear. This is the same type of nasty infection that she came with. Dr. Ryan was, as always, fabulous and thorough, and it's just that much more clear that Glenwood will always be delicate, despite all day-to-day evidence to the contrary. So we've upped her supplements and started ear and oral meds. It's a much smaller version of Still Life wtih Meds than in October-November, but a little sad to return to.

It was very, very hot and humid in Brooklyn yesterday, so by the time we got home from Hope Vet, Glenwood and I were stressed and gross. I remember that Riley and Timmy always liked a good ice-cube rub when we lived in the loft, and so Glenwood got her first and loved it. Here she is all rubbed down and relaxing, then staring in disbelief at the ice cubes floating in her water dish.

On another note, Sherri kept us company yesterday. While Sherri's company is always welcome, my ulterior motive was to introduce her to Dr. Ryan so she will bring George and Sushi in for check-ups. I think we got a little closer now that Sherri has first-hand experience with Dr. Ryan. Here's big fat whiny George being tortured by Sherri, who was supposed to be studying.

And

2010-06-01T21:58:00.001-04:00

Since I wrote earlier. Glenwood has found her tweety bird, has stopped her old-man sounds, and is back in full-attention mode. (The flax oil seems to help but she hates it, and, worse, me with it.) The tweeting is nonstop! Still, I'm having Dr. Ryan take a look.

A Little Worried

2010-06-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Glenwood's old-man syndrome is worse, and I wonder whether the sudden heat and humidity are causing her to have a little trouble breathing. It sounds sort of asthmatic, and sometimes makes her unable to eat until it passes. I left a message at Hope Vet to make an appointment for Sunday. It's unnerving, and a little more so since June 8, 2009, was Riley's diagnosis with congestive heart failure. Anniversaries are brutal, and seem a bit thematic between this blog and my artist blog.

Glenwood Needs a Birthday

2010-05-30T19:56:00.000-04:00

By Dr. Ryan's best estimates and Glenwood's teeth at the time, she was about four months old when I found her October 1. That means her birthday is in June. While June 1 is the obvious choice, maybe June 21 would be nice for her .... Not sure, but if anyone wants to weigh in, please do ...

Glenwood seems healthy. The raspy breathing is all but gone, unless she's snoring. She does make the horrible noises old men make when they're choking, however. It's startling to hear from this little body, and seems to be related to eating. I wonder whether some food goes down the wrong pipe (my mother's technical language) and she's trying to exhale it. She clearly does not like to throw up, unlike most cats, and I attribute that to her delicate feminine nature.

At almost a year old, Glenwood is the sweetest, funniest, softest, most personable kitten. She's usually passed out between my keyboard and monitor, blocking access to certain keys. That's between bouts of chasing the cursor, which has my screen covered with pawprints. Never a dull moment.

A Priority Expenditure

2010-05-23T07:32:00.001-04:00

I was in Target, where emerging with the strangest assortment of items is the norm (mascara, eggs, and a chair, for example), resisting 928 impulse purchases, when I saw this cat toy. I could've resisted this too, except that it sings. I liked walking through the store with a singing basket.

It's a huge hit with Glenwood. One night she was flying across the doorway of the kitchen, every time she'd throw it up and down the hall to recapture. She was airborne, so no way I'll be getting a focused picture. (And it's a good thing the singing is sweet, because it's constant. I put the bird in a drawer when I go to sleep.)

Timmy's not interested. He's too grown up for such antics. And, according to his previous mother (in a comment to my last post), the fridge is a re-habit, not a new habit.

She's Jewish!

2010-05-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows a Jewish mother has Jewish offspring, but who knew it extended to a rescue kitten (especially one with the WASP-y name of Glenwood)? But she is! The bagel theft gave her away. The plastic bag it was in had a long tail, and she kept stepping on it as she ran from me, making for a bizarre chase.

Meanwhile, Timmy has taken to perching on top of the fridge, a new trick, and one I'd like to stop. Yeah, right.

Cat and Mouse

2010-05-11T07:39:00.001-04:00

She's quite the worker bee. (I take unbelievable joy in this mousepad.)

Nighttime Antics

2010-05-08T09:44:00.005-04:00

The evidence from last night's festivities suggests there was a hockey game, with the garlic serving as a puck.

And Back at the Ranch

2010-05-05T20:31:00.003-04:00

So here's Timmy, just hanging out (literally) on my Van Gogh chair, when who should come along to disturb his peaceful contemplation of the floor but ... you guessed it ... Glenwood.

Paw-to-paw play-combat ensued.

For the Others

2010-04-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

Walking to the subway along Flatbush Avenue early this morning, when I usually have my eyes down, I looked up to see a box in the doorway of a bank, and in the box was a cat. It startled me. The cat was sitting calmly and looked healthy, and the box was a nice box, so it seemed the cat had been cared for but abandoned. This is how a perfectly good day collapses for me. I stopped and looked at the cat, and it looked at me. I had to go; my students were making presentations and I could not be late. I walked away, then went back and looked again, considering the logistics if I were to scoop the cat. I just couldn't; I left; I felt horrible and hypocritical waiting for the subway, and the day stayed like that. Where are our loyalties?

On the way home, I debated whether to avoid the cat-spot or look, and decided to look (or I'd face more regret). Cat and box were gone, and all I can do is hope that the cat is safe.

The Welcoming Committee

2010-04-26T19:34:00.000-04:00

This is how I'm greeted as I exit the shower. Of course, I do all my post-shower stuff so as not to disturb them (I ran to get the camera before they budged) no matter what kind of gymnastics are involved on my part.

A Healthy Senior (I Mean Timmy)

2010-04-22T20:44:00.001-04:00

Timmy's results came from Dr. Ryan today, and he is perfect! Svelte, functioning on the inside, and showing evidence of a wry sense of humor in his advancing years. And his and Glenwood's raucous behavior (well, Glenwood's) has become almost exclusively playful and not hissful, though she just jumped onto his back from the desk while he lay in post-prandial splendor on his floor pillow. That brought a little scuffle, now resolved.

The warm feeling I get when I'm on my way home and remember that I will see these two is wonderful. I love home and could spend pretty much all the time here. Having the fur things to care for (and be cared for by) makes it an even better place. And with my emotions running high lately, they are soothing presences.

The Glenwood Diet

2010-04-15T20:12:00.001-04:00

April is Senior Pet Wellness Month at Hope Vet so I schlepped Timmy in there today for a check-up. Once in the exam room, the vet tech weighed him and was so surprised at the drop in weight that he got a different scale! But the result was the same, as shown in the graph below, courtesy of Dr. Ryan.

While a big drop in kitty weight can be cause for concern (diabetes, etc.), Dr. Ryan didn't come close to panicking because she knew exactly how Timmy dropped the pounds: running from Glenwood. Yes, he occasionally chases her, but not enough to slim down so dramatically. He looks svelte and wonderful, with no major tartar on his teeth and all else looking and sounding good. His tests will be back in a week, so I'll post then (if not before). I'd post a photo of him post-vet but he's had enough for today without me pointing a camera at him.

Glenwood is doing great (now that I'm back from the conference), except for some furball that's having her make these hacking noises (thankfully less horrifying than the barking she did while in heat). Dr. Ryan suggested some flax oil. Update to come.

The Audacity

2010-04-14T19:31:00.000-04:00

I went to a conference for the last four days. This was not a big hit with Glenwood; Timmy has the maturity to cope. Sherri took care of them, but was treated to a redecorating most every visit. The above shows what one maybe-seven-pound kitten can do to a tidy couch if determined.

When I came home there were pillow relocations like those above and even more dramatic alterations: a wall shelf was crooked on the wall and its display items dispersed (most are still MIA). Red-onion peels were scattered around, and the onion itself lodged under the fridge. (She was playing hockey with garlic cloves last week.)

Back to (ab)normal.

Here's the Story

2010-04-06T13:00:00.001-04:00

Glenwood is always right there when I get home. She puts her little furry face right up to the door as I open it so I have to go in shouting No! Get back! Don't you dare! and blocking the way with whatever I'm carrying. Then I apologize for coming in so violently. Timmy, meanwhile, sits on the table by the door and thinks about trying to run out, but never summons himself to act. We all have a little love fest then off to the kitchen for dinner. That's normal.

On Thursday, Timmy was at his post but no Glenwood. When I shut the door behind me, I heard a plaintive meow from the coat closet. I didn't see her shoot in there in the morning (I'm usually so careful!), but shoot in she did. Twelve hours later she emerged, totally nonplussed and ready for food. My coat closet, however, was trashed:

She'd pulled all the scarves off the hooks on the door, mauled a bagful of clothes headed for the Salvation Army, toppled the stack of kitty carriers and extra litter box, and moved the six-foot ladder (evidently so she could climb to the shelf and toss some gloves over the edge). And while it was quite a scene, she didn't pee, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Placeholder

2010-04-03T20:17:00.002-04:00

There was a hilarious moment chez Glenwood Thursday night, but I can't download the photo until early next week so the story must wait. This bit of wrestling will have to suffice. Look how big she's getting! It's length mostly, not bulk. She's still about a third of Timmy's weight, very lean.

But not mean! Glenwood seems to be calming in her old age - 10 months (roughly) as of April 1. She still chases Timmy like a lunatic, but there's much less hissing and much more play. She's also become my shadow. Like Riley, she follows me around and is with me all the time.

Kitty Party Cards

2010-03-29T22:41:00.007-04:00

It's common knowledge that my recent months have been cat-focused. I wonder if I'll turn into a crazy old Brooklyn cat lady. I doubt it, but I am getting older tomorrow and noticing that cat birthday cards are coming in. My cousin bought the one above in London months ago and carted it back to the States. How great is that? Below you can see that Glenwood looks excellent in front of it. Timmy has been preoccupied with other things.

One White, Broken Whisker

2010-03-28T13:56:00.003-04:00

Finally, she went to sleep in the right light when my camera was nearby.

Meet Wilson

2010-03-21T08:55:00.006-04:00

My friends Mike and Leah's kitten, Wilson, was spayed the same day as Glenwood. Both kittens have ambiguous names that have people call them "he." None of the parents are very forgiving of that.

Wilson lives in Queens, where the veterinary community takes a whole other approach to post-spay fashion. No Elizabethan cone for Wilson, but instead a smart, well-fitted, sleeveless sweater, with a slight faux turtleneck. You'll note the sharp-edged armhole (leghole?) cutout reveals an adventurous approach, even as the color is decidedly conservative.

Glenwood at the Oscars

2010-03-19T20:26:00.007-04:00

I'm a bit delayed in posting this, but Glenwood watched the Oscars wearing her best cone. She has a particular fondness for Alec Baldwin (understandable).

Glenwood and Timmy also spend time in the cat-food cupboard. There was little that the cone stopped Glenwood from doing, and the whole thing was hilarious. Glenwood just typed the following:

She is cone-free now and seems very happy. (Or is vb very bored? Uh-oh.) I'll post some new pictures soon. She just crawled into my lap.

Escape Artist

2010-03-07T20:22:00.005-05:00

When I went out today, I closed Glenwood in my bedroom with her Elizabethan collar intact. When I got home and opened the door, she ran out collar-free. Here's what I found:

She's also enjoying her moments of freedom with Timmy (and the elephant).

Conewood

2010-03-06T20:14:00.006-05:00

The deed is done; Glenwood was spayed yesterday. All went beautifully, and now she's home with her Elizabethan collar. Of course she's been hilarious, and her usual stubborn insistent self. Even with her in my bedroom and separated from Timmy most of the time, she's managed to stretch anyone's idea of what the day after surgery should be. Let's see, she:

got under my dresser, wearing the cone
chased Timmy, wearing the cone
knocked down the luaun barrier I put up, wearing the cone (twice)
edited an e-mail, wearing the cone (see below)
unearthed new and lost toys, wearing the cone

I've taken it off a couple of times to give her a break and allow her some bathing time, but she of course doesn't note the incision in her shaved belly. So I keep her away from that until I've had enough of fencing and blocking and put the cone back on. Now I see she's bathing as if the cone weren't on, which means she gets into some weird position and licks the inside of the cone. She is also sleeping quite a bit, and purring a ridiculous amount.

And finally, finally, I got a photo of the one white, broken whisker, which she has somehow held onto all this time.

Sound of Silence

2010-03-03T13:39:00.002-05:00

As soon as I walked in the door yesterday, I knew Glenwood was out of heat. The entire apartment felt different ... stilled. The howling, hyperhyperactive, crazed fur monster who had taken over her 6.7-pound body was gone and my kitten was back. It's like having a different animal, all sweetness now.

The spay is on for Friday. And if it doesn't quiet her down as I'd hoped before she went into heat, I will be fully satisfied never, ever to hear Glenwood bark again.

Delay of the Spay

2010-02-26T17:36:00.004-05:00

For anyone living in the northeast, you know about the couple of feet of snow we got (and are still getting). Today was Glenwood's spay date, and I was damned if a little snow was going to stop that. So at the crack of dawn I chopped my car out of its ice bubble, got us loaded in, and four-wheeled my way to Hope Vet by 8.30 - only to learn the spay couldn't happen because she's in heat.

I looked on line before leaving to see if her condition would interfere, and relearned the lesson I teach my students: don't trust everything you read on the Internet.

So we are back in the warmth of home, and Glenwood is resting between wailing sessions. She's rescheduled for next Friday. This should be quite a week. It has never been a dull moment with this kitten. I just love her.

I'll post some pictures once I replenish following the PC's demise. She is extra fluffy in heat.

Thanks to Sherri for the photos.

Her Life Is About to Change

2010-02-24T15:56:00.005-05:00

I've been meaning to write but (1) my PC did the big sigh, and with it my photos of little Glenwood and big (but now less big) Timmy, (2) I'm working too much, and (3) a bizarre incident with a recent issue of Architectural Digest left me with a broken toe. This last may not sound like it would interfere with blogging but believe me, it has.

Glenwood went to the vet last Saturday to have blood drawn prior to her spay this Friday. (Getting her into the carrycase is becoming quite the challenge.) Because of her early ailments, Dr. Ryan wants to make sure we do this right. I haven't heard the results yet but should within 24 hours or so.

Dr. Ryan had asked if Glenwood's been in heat, and I couldn't answer. She's insane every waking minute; how would I know? Turns out I may now know, because this 6.7 pound kitten is doing some major-league meowing. I assume that has to do with her, ahem, maturity.

Glenwood's 15 Minutes

2010-02-15T18:13:00.004-05:00

I couldn't resist adding Glenwood's story to the Animal Rescue site after learning of Bitsy. Here's a photo of Glenwood's back half in all its fluffiness, taken today. It must require a lot of upkeep because she's a constant, perhaps obsessive, bather.

Maybe a Distant Cousin

2010-02-12T16:23:00.004-05:00

I did hear back from the nice people at Bideawee! Bitsy was found in Greenpoint, making both kittens Brooklynites if not relatives. Bideawee reports that Bitsy's tail is not as fluffy as Glenwood's, which seems to keep growing even as the rest of her has slowed down.

Glenwood is breathing raspily more often, I think. I'm nervous her scarred bronchioles can't keep up with her bigger, more active self. She sleeps against me at night, and has made my bedtime her bath time. She goes into full lick mode. The deeper she goes into the bath-zone, the louder she snorts. I have to wait until she's clean, sighs, and goes still before I can doze off.

Her spay is not far off. I've spoken with Dr. Ryan, and will be making an appointment within the next couple of weeks. She needs a bit of extra care because of her "rough start," as Anna put it, so I want to make sure my time is clear so I can take care of her.

Glenwood's Twin?

2010-02-10T19:45:00.004-05:00

My home page is The Animal Rescue Site, where I click daily to provide free food to animals in need (and to give free mammograms, and to save the rainforest, and to support literacy, and to feed hungry children). This morning there was an ad to Help Save Bitsy. Bitsy looks remarkably like Glenwood and so I clicked and read. Their stories are so similar I wrote to Bideawee (who saved Bitsy) to see if they came from the same spot (and could be related!). I don't expect to hear back (mine is a small and minor request in their scheme of things), but I did it anyway.

It was upsetting, but the description of Bitsy's state when she was found finally made me understand what was going on with Glenwood when I found her. Both kittens' faces were sealed by hardened mucus from their infections, and so eating became impossible and death was not far away.

The Animal Rescue Site reports not getting enough daily clicks to do its work, so if you can, please help.

Beta Boy?

2010-01-30T09:29:00.005-05:00

The endless chasing/running and paw-to-paw combat continue, as does the occasional bath/cuddle. Timmy's tenure as Alpha Boy may well be over. The same spirit that Glenwood tapped to stay alive (and to meow at a stranger in the dark then purr as she got lifted up and carried away) is in full force in our household. I retain hopes that she will mellow with age (and perhaps, spaying), and am confident Timmy does too. Here he is in precautionary hiding mode, a newly developed skill. He has definitely dropped a pound or two with all the running.

Unfortunately, Glenwood always seems to find him.

The only hope he has if she gets preoccupied with a different toy. Her tennis ball remains bigger than her head, though her head-to-body ratio has evened out. She is very long, very lean, with a squirrel tail in skunk colors.