The dreaded UTI

Fellow friends and lovers of all furry creatures,

Libby here.

This week, I have a pretty serious topic I'd like to discuss. The dreaded UTI.

Otherwise known as a Urinary Tract Infection.

Now for those of you who have had the misfortune of experiencing a UTI, you can attest to how completely and utterly miserable they are.

Ok now for a moment, imagine having a recurring one. Yea...Pretty miserable huh?

Welcome to my life. I am the sad recipient of chronic UTI's.

I don't know if you remember but ages ago, when we first started chatting, I spoke about the fact that I have some bathroom issues. More specifically, I have some trouble when it comes to peeing.

Without going into too much gory detail, although the folks at PPAC help me go by squeezing my bladder, the pee sometimes just kinda sits there.

So let's just say that my condition makes me very prone to UTI's.

And this kitty tends to suffer from some discomfort.

I know, wha wha, woe is me.

Not sure why I felt the need to share this little tidbit with you all at this juncture but I suppose it's in part my desire to accrue sympathy points :)

And if any of you out there are sufferers, I know what it's like!

Til next time.

Libby

'Tis the Season for Lots of Kittens

Hey everybody!

Libby here.

It's Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa time and you know what that means?

PRESENTS!!!

I know...that's not really what the holiday spirit is all about but lets be honest. It's at least partially about that right?

But the good news is, it's not a requirement to spend a lot of money on a present.

In fact, do you know a great gift that costs very little? 

A BRAND NEW KITTEN!!!

And seriously folks, watching your kid or loved one open a box (with airholes of course) and have a tiny little kitten pop up into their arms is just priceless. 

So sing with me:

Tis the season for lots of kittens

falalala - lalalala

Who wants pairs of cashmere mittens

falalala - lalalala

And the moral of the story is, during the holidays, everyone wants to be loved and surrounded by people they love.

So, shameless plug, ask someone at the PPAC about adopting a kitten (or puppy) for the holidays.

Happy Holidays!

Libby

My Hero!

Hey everybody!

Do you remember Joey? Of course you do. How could you not. He was the love of my life.

Ok more like the love of the week but we were pretty hot and heavy there for a while.

And then I moved on to this other guy for a bit.

Anyway my love life is actually not the focal point of this particular post.

But, Joey is.

And that's because today, Joey "Chestnuts" did a wonderful thing for a fellow feline.

We had a bit of a situation here at the PPAC the other day and Joey came through with flying colors.

A stray kitty came in, very close to meeting the big cat in the sky. He was desperately in need of blood.

And Joey, being the valiant and noble cat that he is, bravely offered up his vein and allowed his blood to be drawn and donated to said kitty in need.

He saved another cat's life!

I'm starting to think it's time to give Joey a second look.

What a guy.

Til next time.

Libby

You can't make a wolf stop howling at the moon

Hi there,

Libby here. I am sad to say, I have some bad news to share.

I know it's not a great idea to open a post with something maudlin but, I figure, better to tell you fast and get it over with; like ripping off a bandaid.

Well, remember Zorro? My gentleman caller of a few weeks ago? He has passed on to the big litter box in the sky. I hope he is in a better place, surrounded by loads of catnip and oodles of treats.

A moment of silence for Zorro....

And, we're back! After a very respectful week long mourning period (in cat years, that's FOREVER), I got back on my game and went exploring at PPAC.

I needed to see if there were any new viable candidates for my affections.

Let me tell you, I'm making out like a bandit.

First, we have Joey "Chestnuts" and then, the lovely Gizmo (no nickname).

Joey is totally adorable. He's an orange tabby and he's "connected". As in the mob. I think he'd be a good kitty to have watching my back. And as I said, he's quite a looker to boot.

Then we have Gizmo. He's a cutie-patootie gray tabby. Also super cute.

I have my work cut out for me but at least I don't ever need to be worried about being lonely.

Until next time...

Ladies, watch out!

Shake your groove thang!

Hi Guys,

Libby here.

Now I don't usually do this but I just can't help myself this once.

I wanted to take this opportunity to give a shout out to my girl Taryn.

In addition to being an all around great woman, Taryn also has other secret talents. That girl can belt it out!

Bet you didn't realize that.

And I don't just mean plain old singing, I mean American Idol caliber talent.

How do I know this to be true?

Check out her amazing performance, here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixDFtmE1PE0

So as it turns out, she happens to be a class A singer in addition to being a rockstar with the animals.

Get it...she's a double rockstar!

Anyway, surrounded by all the super talented employees at the PPAC, I wanted to take this little opportunity to give props where props are due.

Next time you see her, give her a pat on the back. She rocks!

Till next time,

Libby

All the Pretty Colors

Libby here.

I’ve been thinking about all the pretty colors.

Red. Brown. Green. Beige.

Don’t worry…I’m not going color blind and reminiscing about the colors I used to see.

These colors are in fact, the ones I now have the good fortune of seeing every day.

The waiting room at Prospect Park Animal Clinic was recently redone; all the couches and chairs were re-finished and re-upholstered.

Before, the room, with it’s monotone couches, was missing a certain je-ne sais quois. Now, it has been found.

And now, for some other colors.

White. Black. Orange.

Those are the colors of the kitties and doggies’ fur who come to visit the Prospect Park Animal Clinic and who are sure to leave some remnants of themselves on the furniture when it’s time for their appointment.

Good thing these colors all go well with each other.

Come by and take a look, it’s an eye catching rainbow!

Until next time.

Libby.

Here comes the story of the Hurricane

Hi guys!

Libby here.

I know everyone's probably writing about lil Ms. Irene, the hurricane, but, I'd be horribly remiss if I too didn't contribute my weekly post to her as well.

Following hot on the heels of that crazy earthquake we had last week (what the heck was that all about?!), park slopers were in a well deserved tizzy!

The day before the storm, it was all everyone could talk about.

I heard Dr. Silverman's wife talking about how she needed to bring in her beautiful potted plants from the front steps for fear they'd get carried away in the winds.

And it made this kitties' heart warm to see the staff of PPAC all over volunteering to help come in and treat the animals in the office during the storm. In a rare departure from my usual sarcastic self, I really have to commend these fine folks for their devotion to the puppies and kitties of Prospect Park Animal Clinic.

Windows taped up, bathtubs filled with water (to help flush the toilets in case they stopped working, of course) and flashlights at the ready, Brooklyn prepared to face the storm.

Luckily, I spent most of the storm in relative comfort, warm in a cage, nuzzled up against Joey.

That kitty kept my fur unruffled and my heart warm during the storm.

And after all that, it seems that other than some flying branches and a bit of selective flooding, the fine citizens of Park Slope, Brooklyn, managed to come out of the storm relatively unscathed.

Though I could have sworn I saw the wicked witch fly by on her broomstick at one point.

Till next time...

Libby

A Kitten Named Oscar

Hiya!

Libby here.

I have a bone to pick. And don’t judge me—I’m just trying to come clean here.

But I have a problem with a certain little kitten who recently moved into the PPAC.

Why is everyone so obsessed with this guy?

I love kittens just as much as the next person. But, when it comes to Oscar, (that's the offenders' name) all bets are off.

It’s not that I’m an attention hog. Or that I don’t wish him well. Nothing like that.

I am merely a cat who has grown accustomed to a certain level of attention. And now that Oscar has moved in, I am up against completely uneven odds.

Oscar is mostly black with salt and pepper white hairs.

When you pick this little guy up, he literally rolls onto his back, flops over and cuddles whoever’s arms he is in. He is probably the friendliest kitten I have ever met.

And he has the tiniest little body but a big, fat Buddha belly.

All in all, the complete package is too much cuteness for words. He should be the homepage of cuteoverload.com.

I don’t stand a chance against his adorable, cuddly presence.

So I guess, when it comes down to it, I too am kind of a member of the Oscar fan club. I’m just pretending not to be to stand on my attention lovin’ laurels.

And I just found out that Dr. Silverman’s family will be adopting him. It’s good to know the little guy will have such a good home.

Till next time.

Libby

There's not much that's cuter than a kitten.

Hey Guys,

Libby here, again.

What's new? Anything exciting happen over your week?

I had a VERY exciting week. In fact, I'm kind of kvelling over here.

You want to know why? Well, I'll tell you; we have kittens!

No silly, I didn't have kittens. 

That would be kind of impossible if you know what I mean (get it? nudge nudge).

Prospect Park Animal Clinic has kittens. Take a look at their adorable punums!

These three little guys are soo cute!

I tried to convince the office staff to let me adopt one but, for some reason, they didn't seem to keen on the idea of my being a mom a second time around (yup! I have a few little ones of my own).

Anyway, it's pretty great having the babies around.

I feel my maternal instincts kicking in and I gotta say, there is not much in the world that is as precious as a tiny little kitten.

Don't believe me? You should come by and see for yourself.

And while you are here, you might as well give me a little back rub.

Ok?

Thanks.

Talk to you soon!

Libby

By This Point

Hi there,

Libby again.

By this point, I hope you have gotten over feeling sorry for me because of that whole "one-eyed" thing.

I know I told you not to worry about it but, as a pet lover, it would be pretty hard for you to not feel a little bit sorry for a poor one-eyed kitty. (Insert sympathy vote here)

Since we've already gotten that out of the way, I think I should share some other things about myself.

They will probably also make you feel bad for me.

You might get a little upset.

But don’t. It’s not worth it. And since it doesn't really bug me, it shouldn't bother you either. Capish?

However, in the interest of being a “full-disclosure” type of cat, I don't think it would be fair to start our relationship with lies.

So here goes.

My bowels don’t work so well. I kind of need the folks at PPAC to rub their hand over my stomach. And by rub, I mean press. And squeeze. And then press and squeeze some more—until I have a bowel movement. I don’t really enjoy that part so much so they have to hold me by the scruff of my neck while they do this. This is not comfortable. And it happens a few times a day. You can feel a little bad for me here.

Oh…and I sort of can’t pee either. Well I can but they have to do the same press squeeze thing around three times of day. Imagine the fun and games that process entails!

And while we’re at it, my tail doesn’t wag. It's pretty sad to see a tail that doesn't wag. It seems a bit unnatural I guess. But you get used to it.

I know…I probably sound like a pretty pitiful creature but at least there’s sushi.*

Hope you’re as entertained as I am.

Libby

*Please refer to "It's Not All That Different" for reference.

It Sucks Getting Old Sometimes

Hi there,

Libby here again. Miss me?

You don’t need to answer that—I know you did.

Can I just say, getting old really sucks sometimes.

Remember how I told you last week about my little er…bathroom issues?

Well to put things into perspective, even though I’m only 11 years old, that’s about the equivalent of being 60 in human years.

So I’m kinda middle aged.

But my buddy Zorro is OLD. He’s 18, which while in human years is the equivalent of a punky kid on the verge of adulthood, for a cat, that makes him a 90-year-old feline.

He’s a pretty cool cat but he’s definitely getting on in years.

In fact, he shares my bathroom problems. But sadly, for different reasons. It's actually really sad...he's got a cancerous butt tumor that makes him unable to go to the bathroom :(

That definitely warrants a sad face emoticon.

Regardless, you might call us kindred spirits because of our shared defecation maladies.

But you know what? It’s all good. Really.

He's being given excellent care and I think he lives a pretty happy life.

And he’s actually not that bad looking. His family’s got some money, too.

I hope he’s got a thing for one-eyed cats because this kitty is on the prowl!

Til' next time,

Libby

It's not all that different

Hi. My name is Libby.

As you can probably tell from the title of this blog, I am, in fact, a one-eyed cat.

Before you go feeling sorry for me, bear in mind that I'm not telling you this to elicit sympathy but rather because it's the truth. I have one eye.

I don't feel particularly bad about it so neither should you.

In fact, I have a pretty sweet life. I spend my days lounging around Prospect Park Animal Clinic.

The people who work here are pretty cool but even more than that, they LOVE to eat sushi.

And of course they love animals (being employed at a vet's clinic and whatnot) so they love to share their sushi with moi.

Not so bad, right?

How else do I spend my days?

Sometimes, I go for walks around the office to scope out the scene.

Or I might go hang out with Carmen at the front desk.

But other than that, I kinda just get to hang out, eat sushi and have my ears rubbed. Basically, it's not all that different from what you'd expect of an office cat.

Since my days are clearly quite titillating, I'm going to write every week on the interesting things I have observed, as told by...you guessed it, A One-Eyed Cat.

Hope you are as entertained as I am.