More Decluttering

Just when I thought I was finished with part of my decluttering program, I discovered more useless stuff.  Yesterday I started cleaning my bathroom and, as I cleared off the countertop to wipe it down, I realized that I really didn't use a couple of the items, so I discarded them.  This led me to the vanity drawers.  With an eye towards efficiency and usage, I organized the items I used on a daily basis into one drawer and gave careful consideration to everything else.  I'm not one to purchase a lot of toiletries, however, I still found items that seemed like a good idea when I bought them but rarely or never got used.  Out they went.  I filled a small plastic bag with odds and ends that had accumulated.  Now, when I wake in the morning or get ready for bed at night, I can easily find exactly what I need without a lot of fuss.  To paraphrase Martha Stewart, decluttering - it's a good thing.

Zelda Home

Today I picked up my cat Zelda at the vet after her having spent two days there.  The vet warned me to brace myself for how she looks:  all her beautiful grey fur clipped; round, scabby bald spots everywhere; and, to top it all off, the cone of shame around her neck to keep her from chewing on herself.  She's too sad looking to post a photo.


The good news is she's not terminal; the bad news is she has a severe case of ringworm. Daily medication and baths should restore her health although it will take a while for her fur to grow back. 

The Story of Cosmetics (2010)

My friend Lisa at http://www.retrohousewifegoesgreen.com brought this excellent presentation to my attention. For those of you who were concerned about BPA in plastic bottles, this is well worth the time to watch.

More on Zelda

I ended up leaving my poor sweet Zelda at the vet's office for a couple of days.  They were going to clip her fur and bathe her several times with some antifungal shampoo because initial tests show it  to be a fungal infection.  Once again, I've been a bad kitty mommy as I didn't notice that she has also lost a lot of weight.  Who knew with all that beautiful grey, fluffy fur?  I'm hoping her weight loss is associated with a lack of appetite from not feeling well and not a symptom of something else.  I plan to pick her up tomorrow, poor skinny, bald little thing, and lavish lots of love and affection on her.  

Zelda Update

I found Zelda yesterday when she finally came up to the house.  Of course, I immediately grabbed her (gently, of course) and put her in our basement so she can't pull a disappearing act again.  She can't come into the house as my house cat Dixie is queen over everything and doesn't take well to interlopers. 


 Unfortunately, Zelda's skin condition has worsened and I can tell she's extremely miserable.  It has gotten so bad that I began worrying that it's terminal.  However, I pulled myself out of that funk and decided it couldn't be that dire.  I went ahead with some practical steps to help the poor creature, which included bathing her with the medicated shampoo provided by the vet.  I was nervous about doing that as I felt it would be akin to me trying to commit suicide what with her sharp claws and fangs.  Although she didn't like it, she was fairly cooperative for a cat.  I think she sensed that I was trying to make her feel better.  


We have a vet appointment this morning, so I'll be doing another follow up post.  I'm hoping and praying for the best.   I'm looking forward to Zelda's beautiful grey coat being restored to it's previous splendor.

Quote for the Day

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end."
~Ursula K. LeGuin

Zelda

I've been a bad kitty mommy, mainly to one of our barn cats, Zelda.  Zelda was a stray cat that came to us years ago when we first moved to Virginia.  At first, she was a shadowy creature, coming to our house at night to eat the dog and cat food left on our porch.  Soon, we saw more and more of her and one day I finally was able to coax her to me so I could pet her.  One of the kids discovered that she was a mother cat and had three kittens hidden in a building on the property we were renting at the time.  The kittens were the spitting image of their father, the tom cat we had recently taken in.  (And that's another story.)  The kids named her Zelda and she joined our family's rapidly growing menagerie.  Over the years, Zelda has become extremely attached to our black lab Ginny, much to the annoyance of Ginny.  Zelda is a very shy cat, but she's very sweet and I enjoy her company.


A few weeks ago, I noticed a crusty patch on Zelda's back.  I assumed it was a hot spot and was going to keep an eye on it.  Well, I got busy and didn't think to check her.  One day I realized I hadn't seen her for several days so I went in search of her.  Zelda has two places that she likes to spend time - in our barn and in our equipment shed.  I found her perched on the stack of hay in the equipment shed and she came down to me.  That's when I saw the crud that had taken over her body.  It covered a large portion of her back and tail, plus was on one of her ears.  I was going out of town that afternoon so I rushed her to the vet for treatment.  I was told the crust could be due to a variety of things:  allergies, fungus, even cancer; only time and treatment would tell.  I left Zelda at the vet overnight to be partially shaved and bathed and my daughter picked her up the next day, with instructions to give her a liquid antibiotic twice a day.


Well, Zelda seems to not like her treatment and has disappeared.  My wish is that she's just hiding, that her skin is healing just fine without her medicine, and that she'll show up when she's good and ready.  Zelda, please come home; we miss you.