Thankful Thursday

Things are finally starting to get normal around here again.  Mom Paula has been running a cool air humidifier in the bedroom for the past three days and Brulee's breathing is better (and so is Mom Paula's).  Truffle was still a little "hissy" with Brulee yesterday morning.  Mom Paula got smart and put the Feliway diffuser in the hallway with a new bottle.  There was some left in the bottle, so Mom Paula forced open the top, poured it on a damp wash cloth, and put it on a part of the fan of the humidifier so the Feliway could get in the atmosphere in a different way.  When Mom Paula got home last night, both of us met her at the door and were ready for our treats.  For the first time in 4 days, Truffle didn't hiss at Brulee!  We both also stayed in the living room while she was watching TV, too.  We've been a little antisocial and hiding.  Brulee is still just a little congested, but she is so much better.  Now to get to grooming her fur to get rid of the mats that have formed and cleaning those eyes!

I'm looking a little rough this week.

We are so thankful for all of the purrs, purrayers, and good thoughts the last couple of weeks from our furriends and their humans in the CB.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Truffle

Brulee appears to be feeling better, but Truffle is still a little hissy.  No aggressive behavior, but things aren't totally normal yet.

Grandpa Paul is home from the hospital.

This is Getting Old

Brulee says these trips to the vet are getting old.  She went back for her follow-up checkup last night. Her fever was down and the doctor said she sounded better.  He wanted to do more bloodwork for other possible diseases, but Mom Paula said "no" for now.  Thank you for your continued purrs.

Purrs for Brulee

Mom Paula had to rush Brulee to the emergency vet yesterday and they were there for almost 4 hours.  Brulee vomited a little yesterday morning and Mom Paula noticed she was a little uncomfortable.  Mom Paula had to go play the piano at church and then go to the hospital with Grandpa Gregg.

When Mom Paula got home, Brulee didn't meet her at the door.  Mom Paula found her under the middle of the bed.  Brulee wouldn't come out and wouldn't even eat one of her freeze-dried treats.  Mom Paula managed to crawl halfway under the bed and pull Brulee out.  Brulee felt hot to the touch and was wheezing.  Mom Paula quickly put her in the Sleepypod and off they went.  Once at the emergency vet hospital, Brulee started panting/breathing through her mouth and the vet tech immediately took her to the back and put her on oxygen.  The vet came out and said Brulee had a fever of 104.6 and had some nasal discharge.  She wanted to do blood work and take xrays of her lungs.  Mom Paula wasn't allowed to go back to the examination room with Brulee.  About 2 hours later, the vet came out and said Brulee's lungs were clear and her bloodwork looked good.  She said she thought it would be best to send Brulee home because she was getting stressed in her cage.  Brulee was given sub-q fluids, Meloxicam, and Maropitant.  The vet recommended Mom Paula run a humidifier for Brulee and watch her closely the next 24 hours.  She said Mom Paula may need to take her to our regular vet to see if her fever is down.

Brulee came home and immediately started exploring the house.  Mom Paula fed her and Brulee ate well.  She ate some treats (which she wouldn't do earlier in the day) and she isn't hiding.  Truffle isn't doing as well.  For the first time in 3 1/2 years, Truffle doesn't like how Brulee smells.  Truffle has been slinking around the house and hissing at Brulee.

We'll give you an update later today to let you know how things are going.

Pee ess - Grandpa Paul may come home from the hospital today.

Sunday Selfie

But I don't want to do a Sunday Selfie...

You can see more Sunday Selfies at The Cat on My Head.

Remembering Sweet Praline

Four years ago today, Mom Paula helped our sister-before-us, Sweet Praline to the bridge.  Praline was known as the Diva of the CB and was almost 16 years old when she left us.  Today, we bow our heads and honor our beautiful sister.  The night before Sweet Praline went to the bridge, she put together a special video and you can watch it here.

A very special thank you goes to Ann of Zoolatry for designing this graphic for us at the last minute (yesterday)!  Mom Paula added the words, but this was one of her favorite photos of Sweet Praline because it was taken the last month she was on earth and she was watching bird TV with the beautiful spring sunshine on her face.  Thank you, Ann!

Baby Truffle

Truffle has been a little stinker ever since the first time Mom Paula saw her.  She's still a stinker, but such a beautiful one.  This photo was sent to Mom Paula when Truffle was 10 weeks old.  Mom Terri said her daughter was getting ready to go to college and was throwing away a bunch of stuff and when she looked around, Truffle was in the bag.   Isn't she adorable in her Victoria's Secret bag?

Grandpa Paul is still in the hospital, so continued purrs and prayers are appreciated.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a couple of rough weeks with Brulee having to be rushed to the vet and Grandpa Paul being rushed to the emergency room at the human vet.  We're very thankful that both appear to be okay.  Brulee is doing great and Grandpa Paul is doing better, considering the scare he gave us yesterday.  He'll be in the hospital a few more days.

This isn't a sponsored post, but we are extremely thankful for Trupanion Pet Insurance.  Mom Paula purchased a policy for Angel Sweet Praline several years ago and she was very impressed with how well they handled expenses with her.  Trupanion was the only company who would insure Angel Sweet Praline with her being a senior kitty.  When we came to live with Mom Paula as kittens, Mom Paula immediately enrolled both of us with Trupanion.  Mom Paula likes it because she can set her own deductible and reimbursement rate.  The insurance policy doesn't cover wellness visits or the doctor's fee, but Mom Paula set it up where she pays no deductible and has 90% coverage.  She pays a little more for the premium, but it's worth it for an illness or accident.

Brulee's total vet bill a couple of weeks ago was $608.69.  We just received an email that Trupanion is going to reimburse us $498.26 and the check has already been mailed.  Mom Paula thinks we'll keep our policy as long as we get great service like this.

There are many pet insurance policies out there and the buyer needs to read the fine print.  Some companies will only reimburse a "standard" rate based on their regional figures.  Whatever company you may choose to invest in for the expenses of illnesses and injuries, having a policy is a good idea.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Special purrs needed:  Our Grandpa Paul was rushed to the emergency room last night and was admitted to the hospital.  Please purr and pray for him and our family.

A Tale of Two Tails

We fooled you yesterday.  Some of you guessed the tail belonged to Truffle and some of you guess the tail belonged to  Brulee.  We thought we'd show you two photos of each of our floofy tails and see if you can figure out who the tail from Monday belongs to.

Here's Truffle's beautiful backside:

Truffle

Here's Brulee's floofy backside:

Brulee

Can you identify the differences?  So, who does this tail belong to?

Who's Tail?

We know you can tell us apart from the front, but can you tell us apart from our tails?  Take a guess who this is...

Sunday Selfie

Brulee took a moment while she was at the vet this week to pose for a selfie.  Mom Paula still can't believe how relaxed Brulee was in the examination room.

You can see more Sunday Selfies at The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art

Truffle decided Brulee has had enough attention on the blog this week.  Truffle found a new photo editing website called pho.to.  We went to the "fun effects" and chose the "rose" and put in one of Truffle's recent pictures.  We really like this effect.

If you want to see more Caturday Art creations, you can visit Athena and Marie here.

An InLinkz Link-up

Emergency Vet Visit

Brulee had an unexpected trip to the vet yesterday.  She's been having a little tummy trouble and had been vomiting a few times the last couple of weeks.  Mom Paula decided it was time to get her checked out, so she put Brulee into Truffle's Sleepypod and off they went.  Brulee appeared to like the Sleepypod, but Mom Paula became concerned when she looked over and saw Brulee was shivering.  Brulee is usually very calm in the car.  Mom Paula unzipped the top of the Sleepypod a little bit and began petting Brulee and Brulee stopped shaking.  Mom Paula was really concerned.

Brulee

There were a lot of woofies in the waiting room yesterday morning, but we didn't have to wait too long to get back in the examining room.  Once we were in the room and Mom Paula unzipped the Sleepypod, Brulee stepped right out and began winning over the vet tech.  Brulee stepped right onto the scales and weighed a svelte 8 pounds (down 0.13 pound from September).  Brulee's temperature was normal, so that was a good sign.

Brulee wonders why Mom Paula hates the scale so much!

Since Cherokee Trail Veterinary Hospital needed to "work in" Brulee, we didn't get to see Dr. Keisler like we usually do.  We saw one of the newer vets, Dr. McKinnon.  She immediately complimented Brulee and stated that she wasn't what she expected to see when she walked in the room.  She said Brulee was bright-eyed and moving around and curious.  She checked Brulee's tummy and didn't feel anything unusual.  She said  Brulee was a little dehydrated.  She said she thought Brulee may have eaten something that didn't agree with her tummy, but she'd feel better getting some blood work and x-rays done since Brulee had been vomiting a few times in the last couple of weeks.  Mom Paula agreed because she wanted to make sure Brulee was okay.

Mom Paula wasn't allowed to go into the back room with them.  The vet explained that they try to keep people away from the radiation of the x-rays.  Mom Paula reluctantly agreed and felt like she was in the examining room forever before they brought Brulee back in.  The vet tech said Brulee was wonderful and calm during the tests.  Dr. McKinnon told Mom Paula to give her some anti-nausea medicine for a couple of days and to eat a couple of cans of the Hills ID food.  Brulee was given a shot for nausea and some Sub-Q fluids.  The vet said the results should be in later that afternoon.  Mom Paula stayed at home with Brulee all day to watch her and wait for the phone call.  Dr. McKinnon called about 8:30 pm and said the bloodwork was great and the x-rays were normal.  She said to watch Brulee and to bring her back in if there were any more problems.  Even though the visit and tests costs over $600 (which we really don't have to spare), Mom Paula said it was worth it to make sure Brulee was okay.

Brulee was so relaxed at the vet's office and we're so relieved she's okay.

Thankful Thursday

Brulee is thankful for a refreshing drink of water from her fancy cat fountain.

Update:  Brulee needs to go to the vet at 9:30.  She hasn't been feeling well.  We'll post an update when we get back.  Special purrs please.  This is the first time she's been sick.

Update 11:40 am:  Mom Paula - We're home from the vet.  After a $600 vet bill, I still don't know what's wrong.  Brulee had no fever and the vet didn't feel any blockages, but she was concerned that she'd thrown up so many times recently when she doesn't usually do it.  Brulee was a little dehydrated, so she received some SubQ fluids.  The vet also did some blood work and took x-rays.  She was given medication for nausea and two cans of food for her tummy.  I won't hear the results of the tests until this afternoon.  I'm so nervous.  Please purr that this isn't anything serious.

Wordless Wednesday

Mischief

While Mom Paula is away, the kitties will play ...

Easy Does It

There's nothing like taking it easy on the Ess and the SleepyPod on a Monday morning while Mom Paula goes to work to make some green papers to keep us in the style we've grown accustomed to.

Brulee on her Ess and Truffle in the lid of her SleepyPod

Sunday Selfie Blog Hop

We're participating in the Sunday Selfie blog hop sponsored by The Cat on My Head.  We found a cool photo of us, but it was a little blurry and the light was wrong because of the sunshine, so we played around in PicMonkey and did a old Polaroid type photo (Mom Paula remembers when those photos were "the in thing" to have).  We hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

You can find more Sunday Selfies here.

Caturday Art

Mom Paula:  Okay.  I admit it - the only thing I did for this photo was to add a "simple edge" frame in PicMonkey and color the interior frame green.  I thought this photo was a piece of artwork in itself because of the beautiful Spring flowers in SC and my adorable Brulee waiting for me in the bedroom window (Truffle's head popped up soon after this photo).  Have a wonderful Spring day.

Brulee waiting in the window

You can see more Caturday artwork at Athena and Marie.

An InLinkz Link-up

Purrfect Food for Persians #RoyalCanin

This post is sponsored by PetSmart, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Royal Canin Pet Health Nutrition, but Sweet Purrfections only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article. 

Persians are one of the oldest and most popular breeds of cats.  They are known for their luxurious coats and sweet personalities.  Owning a Persian is a full-time commitment, but the results are so worth the time and effort.  Persian cats should be indoor kitties.  RoyalCanin® has developed a unique formula of feline cat food that is breed specific for Persians, Maine Coons, Ragdolls, and Siamese cats because of their specific nutritional needs.  Jean Cathary, a veterinarian from France, founded Royal Canin in 1968.  His vision was a pet food company that was grounded in science that made cat food to fulfill the needs of the pets, not the pet owners.  All of the pet food is made in company-owned plants in the United States and Canada.

Brulee chooses Royal Canin Persian formula over other brands

We’ve been eating Royal Canin feline cat food since we were kittens.  Our vet highly recommends the Royal Canin formula because of their research into the unique nutritional needs of felines.  Brulee has the unique Persian jaw that makes it difficult for her to eat kibble.  We've tried numerous other brands, which she tends to like, but it's so sad to watch her try to get the small kibble into her mouth.  The almond-shape of the Royal Canin Persian kibble helps her enjoy her daily meals without a struggle.

Truffle helps to show the unique almond shape of the Royal Canin Persian formula.

There are three characteristics that are specific to the Persian formula:

• Hairball Reduction:  Persians swallow a lot of fur during grooming because of the length and density of their coats.  The Persian formula contains fibers to help stimulate the passage through the intestinal system and also to naturally limit the formation of hairballs.
• Digestive Health – Persians have a sensitive digestive system and this formula has highly digestible proteins, prebiotics and fibers to support a balance in the intestinal flora.  This also helps with the stool quality.
• Special Brachycephalic Jaw – Persians eat differently because of their jaw structure.  They will grasp their food with the underside of the tongue to bring it into the mouth.  Smaller, round kibble is difficult for the Persian to pick up and chew.  The Royal Canin Persian formula has an almond-shaped kibble which makes it easier for the Persian to pick it up.

We started out with the basic Royal Canin Kitten formula and switched to the Persian Formula when we became adult ladycats.  Royal Canin has now developed a Persian Kitten Formula to help meet the needs of the growing Persian kitten. 

One of our local PetSmart stores

You can find the Royal Canin Breed Specific Formulas at your local PetSmart®.  We found a complete section of the Royal Canin feline food in the cat aisles and there was a specific display for the Breed Specific formulas.  We’re very lucky that we have two PetSmart stores within 10 miles from us.  You can locate your closest PetSmart here.

Special display of the Royal Canin Breed Specific Formula

Throwback Thursday

We thought we'd go back to the first April we came to live with Mom Paula for our post today.  Here we are as baby ladycats in April 2012.

Brulee and Truffle

Wordless Wednesday

Patiently Waiting

Brulee can't figure out where Mom Paula went.  She was used to Mom Paula resting in the bed with her for the past 7 days and all of a sudden, she left for a whole day!

Brulee

Brulee thinks she'll just wait on this multiple-layer blanket pile until Mom Paula gets home to rest again.  We know this photo may look familiar from a few days ago, but this is where Brulee stayed all week - right beside Mom Paula in the bed.

Staying Home Strategy

Truffle thinks if she sleeps on top of the freshly folded clothes that she can keep Mom Paula home.

Mom Paula is going back to work today after being out of the office last week due to her URI.  She's feeling better, but is still coughing and now she's hurting between her shoulder blades and neck from coughing.

Happy Easter Sunday Selfie

We're sharing a special Easter Sunday Selfie today.  

Truffle and Brulee

You can enjoy some more Sunday Selfies at The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art Hop

We're participating in Athena and Marie's Caturday Art Hop.  Originally, we were going to do a sweet, colorful Easter card, but we found this neat texture on Pizap.  Mom Paula says it reminds her of an old song "Brick in the Wall," although we emphatically state that we aren't just "another brick in the wall."  This background is under textures and it's brickwall.

Truffle and Brulee

An InLinkz Link-up

Friday at the Movies - Clean Sheets

We haven't shared a Friday at the Movies post in a long time, so we thought we'd start off April with a movie.  As you know, Mom Paula has been home sick this week and she thought it would be a good idea to put some clean sheets on the bed yesterday.

Messing up the clean sheets

Humans just don't understand what it is about clean sheets and kitties, but we just go crazy on them. We'll never tell our secret!

Nurse Kitties

We've been keeping an eye on Mom Paula this week while she recuperates from an URI.  We're glad the coughing is finally starting to subside because it's sounded terrible around here.  We think Mom Paula will be home with us one more day and then it's time to go back to work.  Thanks for all of your purrs.

Brulee thinks it's time to take some cough medicine!

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Truffle

Update:  Bandit is doing better.  He went back to the vet yesterday and they said his tummy feels a lot better.

Update 2:  Mom Paula is sick again with an URI.  She's coughing so much that her ribs hurt and she can't keep her eyes open because she's so sleepy.