The Cat Days of 2006
Yesterday was my nutty old cat Tasha’s 16th birthday. Remarkable.
Tasha, also known as The Girl Who Drools, has made good use of all nine of her lives. I bought her from a pet store when she was about 6 weeks old, in February 1991. I named her after Tasha Yar, Denise Crosby’s character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. That should give you a hint of how long ago this really was.
And yet she hangs in there.
When the vet told us she had diabetes, she said that Miss Tash would have about 1 – 3 years at most to live. That was four years ago. We have to give her insulin shots twice a day, a move that we refer to as “shooting the cat”. At first it was difficult to track her down in order to give her the shots, but once it dawned on her that a little hypodermic poke would lead to a can of food, she started coming around more often.
She’s moving a little slower these days, and sometimes she gets a bad reaction from her insulin that sends her into a bad case of shakes, but Tasha is still a part of her family. She and The Lovely Mrs. G. bonded early on, and they’ve shared a blanket on the couch ever since. Tasha and Miss Katie have also had a love/hate relationship over the years – Miss Katie was 3 when Tasha came to live with us, and after several preschool years of being dragged around like a stuffed animal, Tasha apparently surrendered the over-loving, and the two of them get along very well, especially when Miss Katie has something to eat that Tasha would like to try.
Ah, eating. Have you ever seen a cat that loves meat more? I doubt it. You name it – if it’s flesh, this cat will scarf it down. Her favorite will forever be turkey, but she also has this uncanny ability to detect a forthcoming can of tuna fish, even before it’s been taken out of the pantry. She’s also a big fan of French fries, and you can guarantee that you’ll have a helper nearby if you happen to sit down with a bag of carryout burgers and fries.
So Happy Birthday, Tasha. You’ve been a good friend over the years, and we’re glad to have you around. Now, get down off the table – you know better by now.
Tasha, also known as The Girl Who Drools, has made good use of all nine of her lives. I bought her from a pet store when she was about 6 weeks old, in February 1991. I named her after Tasha Yar, Denise Crosby’s character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. That should give you a hint of how long ago this really was.
And yet she hangs in there.
When the vet told us she had diabetes, she said that Miss Tash would have about 1 – 3 years at most to live. That was four years ago. We have to give her insulin shots twice a day, a move that we refer to as “shooting the cat”. At first it was difficult to track her down in order to give her the shots, but once it dawned on her that a little hypodermic poke would lead to a can of food, she started coming around more often.
She’s moving a little slower these days, and sometimes she gets a bad reaction from her insulin that sends her into a bad case of shakes, but Tasha is still a part of her family. She and The Lovely Mrs. G. bonded early on, and they’ve shared a blanket on the couch ever since. Tasha and Miss Katie have also had a love/hate relationship over the years – Miss Katie was 3 when Tasha came to live with us, and after several preschool years of being dragged around like a stuffed animal, Tasha apparently surrendered the over-loving, and the two of them get along very well, especially when Miss Katie has something to eat that Tasha would like to try.
Ah, eating. Have you ever seen a cat that loves meat more? I doubt it. You name it – if it’s flesh, this cat will scarf it down. Her favorite will forever be turkey, but she also has this uncanny ability to detect a forthcoming can of tuna fish, even before it’s been taken out of the pantry. She’s also a big fan of French fries, and you can guarantee that you’ll have a helper nearby if you happen to sit down with a bag of carryout burgers and fries.
So Happy Birthday, Tasha. You’ve been a good friend over the years, and we’re glad to have you around. Now, get down off the table – you know better by now.
posted by Tommy G at
8:05 AM
1 Comments:
We have a similar situation, a cat who will be 15 years old this year. And she is also diabetic, receiving insulin shots twice a day. But our cat is a picky eater, given the fact that she is apparently allergic to most foods. You would never know it by looking at her, though!
By
Monty, at 11:02 AM
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