Bengal Cat Haven

Nena and her dog toys

2009-09-19T21:08:00.002-05:00

Nena by far is the one that plays with cattoys more than any others. Her favorite actual toy (non straw or other normal household item) is a rubber squeeky pig (dog toy). She carries it around in her mouth and squeeks it to let you know she is behind you. But she has started a game between me and Joe.

One of the things Nena does is inevitably leave the toy on the ground near our bed. So when one of us wakes up in the middle of the night, we step on it creating the loudest squeek possible followed by halfasleep laughing. This process is now called "getting pigged". Now it is common to find the pig (or the rubber chicken) hidden under a pillow or in a pocket. Like bad parents we always seem to blame it on Nena. This has led to "pig paranoia" as well. We often get into bed only AFTER we have inspected the bedding and pillows.

The joys of animals!

So much for Bengals not being lap cats

2009-09-02T10:23:00.002-05:00

When I was learning about the Bengal breed, I read over and over that Bengals are not typically lap caps and maybe 1 in 50 turn out to be. Well of the 4 that I have had, only 1 isn't.

Dazz is a certified mama's boy and loves that I work from home. He waits in the doorway of the bedroom until I wake up, follows me into the computer room, and sleeps on the floor next to my chair for a bit. Well I am sure you are saying "how does that make him a lap cat??" Once he wakes up, he whines at me, jumps up, and then plops himself down between the keyboard and me, kneading my arms and/or chest, and then finally tries to sleep while cuddling as close to me as possible. He does not mind that I type as long as I dont move a whole lot or make any noises. Then he whines at me (and I do mean whine) until he settles down again.

At least hes not like Tea who takes it upon herself to headbutt every hand within reach of her even when I am typing.

Good times!

Shrinks for Pets

2009-08-27T11:16:00.002-05:00

I often thought while Ariel was sick and Prowler was reacting to her illness that he needed a shrink. While browsing the web one day, I came across a "Pet Communicator" that helps deal with pet issues.

I looked over her site and it was very interesting. I suggest giving it a whirl!

http://www.rachaelresk.com/

Carolyn

Long Absense

2009-08-27T11:14:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a while since I posted. I could not bring myself to come here because the pain from losing Ariel was too fresh. I am going to try to post more here as this is a great way to communicate with all my friends, old and new.

I wrote this for my Creative Writing class and I wanted to share it.

Ariel,

her claws
poke out to knead,
puncture through skin.
I stroke
along her soft fur,
scratching down the cat's spine.
Heart beating
strongly against mine
then
the memory fades
and I still miss her.

Her life: cherished from adoption to eternity

GLBR on Facebook

2009-02-26T06:09:00.002-06:00

Hi all,

Great Lakes Bengal Rescue has made it to Facebook. FB members and non members alike, head on over there and show your support for this wonderful organization.

Adopt a Bengal!

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/221356/47772772?m=6d54c0aa

Its been a while

2009-02-17T07:28:00.002-06:00

I know it has been a month since I have posted but after losing Ariel to Kidney Disease, I really have been dealing with my sorrow. Non pet lovers may look at me crazy for how I feel but those with beloved animals know they are members of the family.

With time also comes healing and progress. So my pledge is to come here and be more active again.

Carolyn

Weirdness

2009-01-19T08:14:00.002-06:00

Tea has always been weird and a tad bit obnoxious when it comes to being petted at 3am. But she by no means is the most odd of the bunch, that title belongs to Nena. I guess it is no shock then that when Tea gets around Nena, they act really bizarre.

They have this weird mommy kitten thing that they have been doing since the beginning. Nena walks over to Tea and wails at her and then Tea begins licking and biting her and wanting her to submit and Nena licks Tea and its really weird.

But lately Tea has been picking up Nena's other habits. Tea has started carrying toys around in her mouth while meowing. Granted she still wont chase anything and will only swat at it if its in front of her but still. Now Tea has begun laying on her back and sleeping with her feet up in the air just like Nena. It has only happened a few times but for Tea this is really odd. She has always curled up as much as she could in the past three years.

She is becoming less of a cow and more like a cat !

Gotta love the snow

2009-01-15T08:17:00.002-06:00

It has been snowing here pretty regularly (thank goodness I have a stay at home job now ...) so the nature channel has been very interesting.

All three kitties have been fascinated by the falling snow but especially Nena. She has been sitting in any and all windows just watching the flakes float by and is so curious. Her little head and eyes just bob up and down watching the snow fall.

The last few weeks, all three kitties have been extra close and clingy. For Tea and Dazzler, this is nothing out of the ordinary as they have always been the non typical Bengal lap cats. Nena however has always been the type to spend some time alone and the other time close but not too close. Right after we lost Ariel, she would not leave either my or Joe's side. She began sleeping in our room or when I was working during the day, sleeping right near me. She is still not a lap cat by any stretch but she sure has picked up on our grief.

Thank you everyone for the kind words and thoughts after my previous post.

Love to you all,
Carolyn

The end of the era and beginning of a new one

2009-01-01T09:09:00.003-06:00

As the year came to an end, so did Ariels battle with kidney disease. Her condition rapidly deteriorated over the past few weeks and yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life.

Ariel was a wonderful pet and unfortunately we only had her a little less than 3 years. But in that time, she brought such joy and love to us and we gave her the same in return. I will forever remember those blue eyes and the first day that she crawled into my arms wanting to be held.

Shelter pets are wonderful animals. Open your heart to a shelter pet if you can.

Ariel, you are forever in our hearts.

Carolyn

Endless Fun

2008-12-18T06:56:00.002-06:00

The catbed in the sky is now the place to be in the house. Dazz, Nena, and Tea can spend hours pulling on that light switch and it never loses its appeal. All four of the kitties spend time snoozing up there however Ariel has decided that the dirty clothes basket in the laundry room is far more private and has been sleeping in there while she is out and about.

Dazz on the other hand, has decided that the closet light should remain on at all times. He lounges in the cat bed and plays a while but always leaving the light on. Then he falls asleep and as soon as one of us goes over and turns the light off, he wakes up, plays with it again for a while and goes back to sleep but the light is still on.

It is hard to believe we have had the kittens for 2 years and Ariel and Tea for almost 3. If you are looking for a charity to donate to, please visit Great Lakes Bengal Rescue and lend your support.

~Carolyn

Tea acts like a cat!

2008-12-12T07:53:00.002-06:00

Well since my last post, we have had a lot of action in the sky. Tea has indeed decided she is really a cat and climbed up to the shelf to sleep in the cat bed and play with the light switch. What is really amazing is, she decided to make the 7.5 cannonball leap not once but TWICE. Our flying bovine is getting used to this feline thing I think!

Air NENA

2008-12-03T12:58:00.002-06:00

Our little adventurous one has amazed us once again! It seems that Ariels catbed in the skies has intrigued Nena and Dazzler. So of course once they inspected what it was like up on that 7.5 foot shelf, they realized there was a string attached to a light switch that they can compulsively turn off and on for hours on end.

Well Dazz takes the same route down as he does up, jumping onto platforms all the way down and taking 3 hops. Nena on the other hand has decided that there is just no fun in that. For our most cautious cat, she has no problems jumping the 7.5 feet down and even swan dives while she is at it.

This has not happened just one time, but every time she is up there and she is up there 1-3 times a day. I am trying to get a picture of her airborn but no success yet.

Then there is Tea who makes it up the first jump but then decides that acting like a cat is overrated. :)

~Carolyn

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T05:42:00.002-06:00

With the beginning of the holiday season, I am once again mindfully thankful for all that I have. I have wonderful friends and family (you know who you are!) and a wonderful pride of kitties. I love each of them dearly and am fortunate enough to have them.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and take a little time to appreciate all that is around you.

Carolyn

Hmmmm perhaps we have a breakthru!

2008-11-20T08:11:00.002-06:00

The past few days have been positive on the Dazzler front. While he is still very overly interested in Ariel, he is not obsessed with her and pestering her like he used to. We of course have not given him the opportunities either but what little close interaction they have had has been positive. Or at least not as negative.

She does not seem to be as scared of him anymore and he does not seem as aggressive either. She wandered out of the room yesterday while he was out and about and he ignored her for the most part. He did chase her a little but she did not howl, he did not tackle her, and it was very playful

Perhaps there is a light!

~Carolyn

Is it paranoia?

2008-11-16T10:16:00.005-06:00

So of course since we have found out about Ariel's kd, I have been watching her like a hawk. Some days it seems as if she is her old self and then there are other days where it seems like she is sleeping more than usual and just kind of hanging out. Now that I am home, of course I get to watch all the kitties versus when I was out of the house 50+ hours a week.

This is where I began to wonder if I am being overly suspicious because of all the close observation. Is this normal for her? Did she just lounge around while I was at work all the other times? She's always been a lot more calm than the kittens (Nena and Dazz)and preferred to play at 3am while the others are deep in sleep.

I know the vet told me to watch how she is eating because that will be a good sign of a change in her condition. She was never a big eater except for lunch meat and canned food (which she cant have now unless its the prescription type which she is not fond of). She still eats her low sodium turkey like a champ and does eat her dry food as much as she ever has.

What I have done is make sure that I am not concentrating on her and ignoring the other kitties. Both Joe and I have made extra sure we are giving all four a lot of attention and love time. They all are our kids and each needs love just as much as the others.

But I am still wondering .. is there a thing as being too cautious?

~Carolyn

Calmer Days and a Great Vet

2008-11-13T21:30:00.004-06:00

The weekend is approaching along and OMG Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away. But as I sit here with Ariel sleeping near me, I am hoping with all my heart and soul that the NY Jets hold on and beat New England. Ahhh but this blog is not about the lame Pats but my loving cats!

Today the phone rang and on the other end was the Crest Hill Animal Hospital calling to check up on Ariel. There have been two vets working with us during this entire ordeal and Dr Katie (Dr Brandy is the other) called to check up on Ariels eye infection and to see how her fluids and kidney condition has been. It was totally unexpected and made me feel great about the care Ariel is receiving.

Joe often asks me questions about vet visits and what not and does not understand why I do not ask 1001 questions about every little thing. They take into account ease of giving medication as well as the best treatment with cost in mind. When they tell me that they have a cream for the eye infection instead of drops, I did not question it. This call today further proves why I feel this way. What it comes down to is I trust them to do what is best for Ariel and all of our cats.

So the advice for today is find a vet and if you are not comfortable with them, keep looking.

~Carolyn

Nice Relaxing Weekend

2008-11-10T11:54:00.003-06:00

Greetings and Salutations everyone!

This weekend was calm for the most part and Dazz only spent 30 mins in time out since Friday so we think hes getting the picture. Ariel seems to be feeling a little bit better but she is still splitting her potty breaks from the main litter box. She is going more and more there so hopefully she will go back to the main place.

Tea and Nena are funny. Nena's demands her "love fest" usually every morning when Joe is making breakfast and then when he gets home from work. She wails and wails at him until he pets her. But as he is petting her, she walks away from him and leads him to her food dish so she can eat and be petted at the same time. Tea on the other hand will take a "love fest" pretty much from anyone at any time. The big love fest time is as we go to bed. She will follow us and dive bomb our hands to "force" us to pet her while she purrs like a motor boat. If you ignore her, she will whisker your face until she wakes you.

Dazz is a good boy and I love him so. I was doing some homework last night and he crawled up on the desk and layed down between my arms and the keyboard. He is so lovable and then with the blink of an eye he turns into destructo-boy.

If you are looking to get a pet, please please visit your local animal shelter and rescue one of these gems. If you are looking for a cat, I recommend you visit the Great Lakes Bengal Rescue link I have to the right to see if a Bengal is right for you. They are great cats but not run of the mill. Not all Bengals show all traits but I love that 3 of our 4 play fetch and Nena actually does it better than any dog!

Thanks for stopping by,
Carolyn

Change of Pace

2008-11-07T21:14:00.003-06:00

Through all of the hard times this past week, I wanted to mention how good Tea and Nena have been with all the weirdness going on. Nena's favorite cat toy that actually is a pet toy (as opposed to straws which she plays fetch with) is a squeaky rubber pig that is really a dog toy. She carries that thing around in her mouth and leaves it laying in the middle of every inconspiuous walkway possible. Usually she puts it on the side of the bed at night so when we wake up at 3am, we step on it and scare the crap out of everyone. Today after coming out of the bedroom, she had left it right in front of the door and SQUEAK. No matter where it is in the afternoon, at night it ends up somewhere else.

Tea as usual just wants to be petted. She will lay with Ariel in the cat bed in the room Ariel hangs out in or she will sleep with us and Dazz on our bed. Either way, as long as she is by someone or another kitty, she is happy. She did hear me feeding Ariel and of course our resident cow-cat wanted in! She took one bite of Ariels food and did not like it. This is a good thing just in case she gets into it accidently.

Dazz is a good boy and only reacting to something he is smelling in Ariel's urine. He just went into the litter box and completely covered her spot up and then came in and swatted her on the butt. Its very odd but I know he is just going on instinct.

We are truly blessed to have four such wonderful kitties.

First fluids treatment

2008-11-06T20:54:00.002-06:00

Tonight was the first time Joe and I gave Ariel her iv of fluids and while it did not go as smoothly as it did in the vets office, it was not a disaster either. The needle came out one time so we had to make a second attempt since she did not get her full fluids yesterday at the vets. I also managed to stab myself in the thumb and boy its still smarting.

We have decided that after her fluids, we would give her some turkey as a special treat and of course the other three get it as well. They were all sitting outside the closed door waiting patiently for us to open it up.

This is really hard. She was not happy and squirming and meowing to get away. She has been sleeping pretty much since then and I am hoping this starts to help her feel better. The vet says that she will eventually get used to it somewhat so I am hoping thats true. Right now its tugging at our heart strings.

~ Carolyn

The news

2008-11-05T20:27:00.004-06:00

Well we got the results back from the vet and Ariel has kidney disease. They are not sure how far along it is and we won't know for a month or so until they do another test to check her levels. We now have to give her an IV of fluids 2-3 times a week and put her on a special diet. This means no more free feeding for any of the cats which will be a bit of a change. I know it will take a few days (I hope) to get them used to the new routine.

I am hoping these treatments will help her and solve our litter and aggression issues. Every time she pees, Dazz instantly shows up and starts chattering at her. He could be on the other side of the house but is picking it up now.

Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

My poor Ariel

2008-11-05T07:34:00.002-06:00

Well Ariel made a trip to the vet yesterday. As it turned out she had been drinking and peeing a lot and peeing where she should not have been. They checked her glucose levels and they are ok so the blood work was sent out to test for a hyper thyroid and other possible explanations. If she indeed is sick and I am 99% certain something is wrong, then it would explain Dazz acting aggressive all of a sudden after 2 years of peace.

Lets hope!

Hello and Welcome!

2008-10-31T21:55:00.001-05:00

I have decided that since everyone is always asking me about my babies, that I would start this blog so the information is only a click away.

My four rescue kitties are a treasure to both Joe and I. We would not trade them away for anything. But like any family, we have our situations to deal with to make our family move along each day.

Dazz is still hyper-boy and likes to pounce the other cats when he wants to play. The problem is Ariel does not like to rumble and tumble and runs from him. This of course makes her look like prey which rev's good old Dazzler up even more. Ariel is sensitive to being chased and we want her to remain comfortable in this house. He riles her up and that is unacceptable.

Thanks to Sherrie, a good friend and wonderful foster-mom to 3 of our 4 babies, we have some ideas to calm him down. Currently though, Dazz spends a lot of his waking moments in "time out". He knows he isn't supposed to be doing it because as soon as he hears my voice, he leaves her alone and then goes downstairs for his time out on his own.

He is the most Bengal of all of our cats and yet he is a mama's boy still.

~Carolyn