Cat vs Internet

If you don't follow a blog called The Oatmeal...stop what you're doing and click over to their site. I can't read it at work anymore because I laugh so loudly people give me funny looks.

This is a small bit of the new comic Cat vs Internet(click on the picture to read in full. Please!) and I couldn't have put it better myself. That chubby grey cat fits Albert to a T.
Heh heh...now I know why a pair of night vision goggles were delivered to my front door. Enjoy!

Seattle Snow Day

Snow Day, originally uploaded by CoriK..

We live at the top of a hill that is routinely shut down and blocked off whenever it snows. I love it because I get to play hooky from work; the boys love it because without fail, some intrepid driver tries to drive up and around the street closures. This leads to engine gunning, tire rolling and ultimately one car sliding backwards down the street into any number of parked vehicles. I imagine Albert and Elvis shake their heads, sit back and share a laugh at the insanity on the street below.
And yes...I've slid backwards a time or two as well. I just hope these two furr-brains weren't watching.

Man, I love this cat...

Elvis, originally uploaded by CoriK..

As soon as I walk in the door I set my keys and purse on the table and toss my sweater/knit outerwear onto the big pink chair in the living room. 5 seconds later Elvis is in the chair snuggeling into the leftover warmth. It's become part of our winter routine and is totally adorable and heart-warming all at the same time.

Jellybeans

Mocha Jellybeans, originally uploaded by CoriK..

No nose, just toes, but who knows whose toes are these toes.
[Hint: These toes tow bros to and fro through the snow.Whoa!]

Update: these have to be the cutest toes in the whole world. Of course the belong to Albert!

Final Jeopardy

???, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Who knows whose nose is this nose. Wait..what?

Update: Good guess Kelley...Albert it is. 

This One's A Lazy Bum

This One's A Lazy Bum, originally uploaded by CoriK..

What? You're Not a Cat!

What?, originally uploaded by CoriK..

My birthday is right around the corner and I wanted to let you guys in on a little secret...I don't just celebrate the day, I celebrate the entire month. I have parties and dinners to attend, karaoke to sing and Thanksgiving meals to prepare. I'm just plain ol' busy up until December 1st. All this is to say, don't let the sound of crickets chirping everytime you come to the boys site scare you away. The hiatus is only temporary. The boys are doing great, active and ridiculous as ever. We've had some silly firsts at the Livermore-Knight household and I can't wait to share...I have a little contest planned and I'll try to squeeze it in next week. Until then, have a wonderful week and enjoy the fabulous November weather!

Bubba Update

Albert, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Hey guys and gals, Albert here! Just wanted to let you know that the vet said my attention hog brother is going to be just fine. His test results were excellent...he always was the teacher's pet. He is down to one pill a day for three weeks then down to one pill every other day for three weeks after that and then done to none! This is good news for him but bad news for me...sympathy please? Every time Mom gave Elvis a pill she gave him treats afterwards and then gave me some too so I didn't feel left out. Ahh, the good ole days.
Anywho, now that Elvis is better it's back to your regularly scheduled programming...ME! Try to contain your excitement.
P.S. I'm really glad Elvis is ok. It would be no fun at all with out him. But you didn't hear that from me!

This one is doing just fine!

Elvis, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Elvis finished his last round of steroids this morning. We have an appointment at the end of the week to see if he will need more or if we are in the clear. Something tells me we are good to go. His energy is at 120% and he and his brother are playing together instead of fighting. If you look at his right(our our left) paw, you can see where the hair is finally starting to grow back from his blood transfusion. It's ALMOST like he was never ill in the first place.
Right now I'd like to put a little gratitude out into the Universe...Thank You for our continued health, happiness and everything else we are blessed with on a daily basis.

Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat, originally uploaded by CoriK..

We've been ready for a whole hour now. Where's all the candy!

Halloween Scritches

 

Real scritches...

                                              Invisible scritches

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

albert scary, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Rituals

It's become a morning ritual for Albert and Elvis to wake me up well before my alarm goes off. You know, because they're STARVING. These two have it down to a science... from the kneading and the head swatting to the constant mewing. Albert is probably the worst. He's puts his wet nose right on my eyelid until I can't take it anymore. I squint into the darkness ready to shoo his furry butt away, but it's too late. He knows I'm up and the meowing turns to howling and the kneading turns to frantic prancing. "Okay," I think. Just get up, feed them and go back to bed. So I do. At 4:30 every morning, I stumble in the dark to the food bowl, trying not to crush Albert as he runs back and forth between my feet. Elvis, never really that hungry in the first place, has curled into the warm spot on the pillow where my head previously rested.

I'm such a sucker.

Edited to add: I just realized that I drew this entire picture with my right hand. I'm left-handed. Can you imagine? I spend so much time on my computer that I don't even know which hand I write with anymore... What does that say about me? Jeeze.

Winter Pants

cat dance 014, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Please disregard the gigantic spider for now and check out the fur-ocious fur pants Albert is sporting. He's got the fluffiest 'tocks I've ever seen.

Seriously!

Cats Halloween 044, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Cats: "Enough with the picture-taking, lady! The constant clicking is interrupting our noms. Why don't you go outside and play with your own species for a while? We'll let you know when it's time to come in...*snicker*...maybe."

Window Watching

Last week, two men came and painted the trim around all of our building's windows. Between the ropes hanging down from the roof and the men swinging by on harnesses, these two didn't move for hours.

Disgruntled

Disgruntled, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Do you see this face? This disgruntled, put out little face. I just don't get it. Albert really is just the sweetest thing and in person has the most precious pout. Why can't he smile? Is this his "Blue Steel?" Lord knows he's been making this face since I started taking his picture. Is it me? Does my dear sweetie-puss...dare I say it...hate me? Well guys and gals, I did some digging and take a gander at this little gem from Al's IBKC days. Is that the beginning of a baby snarl? Guess he was just born that way! Though I wouldn't mind more photographs like this.

Two Pills Are Better Than Four

                        

Elvis Update: Had a check up with the vet on Saturday and Elvis is now 100% better. Can I say that again? 100% BETTER! He is officially off of his antibiotic and instead of 4 Prednisone pills a day, he is down to 2. Obviously I see him doing better every day, but to hear the vet say so is just super. There is still no real diagnosis other than he had some weird auto-immune spell. Hopefully we can wean him off of the steriods and he will be ok. If not, well now I know the signs and I can prevent him from getting to such a drastic place.

The boys and I spent the weekend getting ready for Halloween. That was fun. Expect to see Albert in his finest attire/costumery(Elvis gets a pass this year ;)) and an awesome flashback to their IBKC days. I love this time of year and I'm glad I have these two little furballs to share it with. And you guys too!

Year Two: Elvis

Survivor.

Instigator of Hugs.

Catnip Fiend.

Irreplaceable.

My Little Ellie-Belle.

Year Two: Albert

My little fighter.

Cuddle-bear.

Spider Assassin.

Chatterbox.

Always up to something.

Albert really is the sweetest little monster.

A Word To The Wise..

Albert's fluffy exterior hides a menacing warrior ready to maim at a moments notice.

So, to all you kitty diseases, consider yourselves warned...

 

Mess with Elvis again and

Albert will hunt you down and make you wish you were never born.

Itchy and Happy

Itchy and Happy, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Elvis on the left and Albert on the right. My how they've grown...

Miracles

Hey Everyone,
Sorry about the non-posting. Things have gotten a little nutty lately and I can never seem to catch up. The one positive note in all of this is that Elvis is doing SOOOO much better. The meds have been doing what I pay them to do which is make Little El normal again. To recap, when I took him to the vet, his white blood count(?) was at 7%(scary low), after blood transfusion - 16%, 1 week later -19% and as of Saturday - 30%. That's huge guys! I think normal is 34-36%. The vet also says his bone marrow continues to do well(all of your prayers worked!). The only spot of bad news is that the cause of all of these problems is some immune system disease which likely means Elvis will be on Prednisone for the rest of his life. I guess long term steroid use can shorten the kitty life-span, though I'm not really focusing on that because, Hallelujah, Elvis has a life-span!
He is currently eating me out of house and home which is fine...he looks so healthy I have no complaints. Albert is a sweetheart and gets many hugs for alerting me to the fact that his bubby was sick. Though, if there is a next time, maybe he can whisper it in my ear instead pouncing on his ailing bro.
I am so happy we are at the point we are at..back to a somewhat normal home life. The past few weeks have been horrible, as anyone with a sick pet knows...even though you pray for the best, something inside always prepares for the worst. Sitting in the living room and trying to picture a day without both Albert and Elvis, well... it just wouldn't be home.
I promise to post pictures of my two little fighters just as soon as I can. Thank you once more for all of the sincere well wishes and prayers. It's meant everything to me.
xoxo
Cori

Brothers

Some of you wanted to know how Albert was treating Elvis since returning from the hospital. For the first couple of days he followed Elvis EVERYWHERE. It annoyed Elvis but seemed more protective than mean on Al's part. As I watch them now, I realize that Albert isn't so much pouncing as trying to be close to his brother. They both like to sleep in the same chair and Albert will jump up trying to squish his way next to Elvis. Elvis, instead of putting up with Albert's butt in his face, hops down. That seems to be the extent of their discontent. Don't get me wrong, Albert still acts out now and again, but for the most part, when Elvis needs to rest, Al lets him. It's actually pretty peaceful around here. Fingers, toes and paws crossed, it stays that way.

Hey Everyone!

So, just wanted to give a quick update on Elvis. He's making progress, albeit a little slowly. Vet appointment on Saturday let us know that his blood content(?) was down from 19% to 12% which is not good but that it wasn't 7% which is what we started at. The vet wasn't sure if the bone marrow was generating new cells so she sent off for another test, the results which we got back today. It looks like the bone marrow is regenerating cells(YAY!) but only a small amount. Frankly, I'll take what I can get. If it hadn't shown any improvement...well, let's just say that's the worst that could have happened. This small amount of cell generation lets the vet know that his bone marrow WANTS to work, which is pretty much the highlight of my week. She is going to up his steroid dosage and put him on more antibiotics and give him an iron supplement as well(he's been licking a rock). We will have a return vet visit in 10 days and hopefully see a more pronounced improvement. Though I'm not sure what the future holds, I'm counting today as a victory for Team Elvis. Thank you again for all of the well wishes and prayers.
Cori

Good News..

Elvis is home!!! He has been reacting positively to the blood transfusion and the doctor said he was good to come home. Elvis is one happy cat right now. He is on prednisone and an antibiotic. The doc still isn't sure what the problem is so we are going back next Saturday for more tests. He said the thing we want most is for the bone marrow to start doing it's job so that's what I will pray for. The waiting is hard, but for now, i am just so happy that Elvis is feeling better and eating...and HOME! Thank you all. I can't tell you how much it means to have a whole wide cat community to lean on for support. The boys and I appreciate it so much! More updates as they come.

Big hugs,
cori

P.s. I met Elvis's blood donor, Azure the cat. Elvis is now part Siamese. :)

Elvis

Thank you everyone for the kind words and prayers. The blood transfusion went well, he's up from 7% to 16%(blood count?). The problem is his bone marrow. It's not producing the things it's supposed to so they have him on steroids and will test tomorrow to see if it improves. If it doesn't then the prognosis isn't good but I won't even go there until i have too. I visited with him today and he looks so much better and wanted cuddles and was purring and making biscuits..If it weren't for the neon green bandage on his arm you wouldn't even know he was sick. I think that's the hardest part, he looks and acts like my little Elvis...
Anyways, I saw him and brought him a pillowcase from the bed and he ate a little and purred and i was totaly being a trooper for him until I heard that Sarah Mclaughlin song from the abused pets commercial and I totally lost it and started bawling. I think I scared the vet tech a little and Elvis was just staring at me like i was loco and then i started laughing and crying and that's about how my days been. Good and bad with a touch of the hysterical.
Tomorrows is the retest so i'm going to pray for a responsive bone marrow and a healthy Elvis.
Thank you all again for the shoulder to lean on. Albert, Elvis and I appreciate it.

Cori

It's Elvis

Hey Everyone,

This won't be long and I hope to post updates later, but little Elvis is very sick and in the hospital. I noticed he wasn't acting right last night and made an appointment for Friday morning. I got home today and knew I couldn't wait. According to the doctor Elvis is very anemic and is getting a blood transfusion and oxygen as we speak.  I should know more tomorrow morning and the nurses said I could visit Elvis after work. Please send your love to him and pray for the best. Typing this is making me cry, so I'm going to feed Albert and make sure he's doing ok while his brother is getting better. I'm kinda at a loss for words right now, but I know you guys will understand.

Cori

Napoleon Complex

Albert, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Maybe it's because he is the smaller of the two or maybe he just has the more dominant personality, whatever the reason, Albert is being a huge pain in the butt. Don't get me wrong, with me he is still cuddle puffs and sweetness, but poor Elvis just can't catch a break. Wherever Elvis is, Al is 3 steps behind and probably mid-pounce. If Elvis jumps on the chair to sleep, Albert jumps on top of Elvis. Elvis gets down...Albert sits for two seconds and then he gets down too. THIS HAPPENS ALL DAY LONG. Really. ALL DAY!
Plus, Albert is kinda rough. He bites, scratches and pounces and the result is a scabby chin or bloody ear for El. If Elvis fought back maybe I wouldn't be so concerned, but Elvis isn't a fighter...period.
Which isn't to say they don't sometimes get along. I woke up this morning and Albert was giving Elvis a bath.
So, my question is, do I keep stepping in or do I butt out? I hate that Elvis hides in a cubby on the bookshelf, but I also hate constantly shoo-ing Albert away from his brother.
Why can't they both just get along?! Is this just the way of things? Am I interfering in the natural process of the Animal Kingdom? Do you guys have any guidance or suggestions? I keep hoping this is a phase..what do you think?

We're Ba-ack!

Elvis doing his best "Dramatic Cat" expression!, originally uploaded by CoriK..

Dramatic Chipmunk's got nothing on this cat!
It's been a busy summer, but a fun one. Hope you guys are thriving as well.
The boys are doing ok, the weather's nice, things are rolling along.
The only not so bright spot of the summer is that Albert and Elvis are going through puberty and it's hard to watch sometimes. Albert is definitely winning the "Alpha Male" contest, but more on that tomorrow.
We almost adopted another little kitten, (Ve Ching, anyone), but she was snapped up because we, me, I took too long thinking about it. I'm thinking it worked out for the best, though, because another family now has a wonderful new addition. But like I told Laurie, the seed has been planted. I think a sibling might be good for the boys, plus, can you ever really have too many cats? Don't answer that!
TGIF everyone and have a great weekend!

Takes After His Bubby

It isn't as fierce as his brothers, but Albert's moustache is growing in just fine. Even better, I think he has a little goatee.

Puberty Rewind

It's all about the Moustache. Where did it come from? How long is it staying? Most importantly, why does it keep changing shapes? Weird little cat.