PhD_Frog - Network

It seems like Patch has agreed to a truce for sharing the living room cat tree with the two new boys. She still hisses and growls at them...

It seems like Patch has agreed to a truce for sharing the living room cat tree with the two new boys. She still hisses and growls at them if they come too close in other parts of the house, though. Meanwhile Joe has been hiding from them recently; I think they've been getting too rambunctious with their play-wrestling and he's too old and lazy to appreciate being ambushed or run over while they're chasing each other around.

So, my skating days are over now, but better that somebody else get some enjoyment out of my old skates instead of them just sitting in my...

So, my skating days are over now, but better that somebody else get some enjoyment out of my old skates instead of them just sitting in my closet taking up space.....

I did try to skate again after that, but I found that whenever I did anything that put any torque on the knee, even a simple 3-turn, I could...

I did try to skate again after that, but I found that whenever I did anything that put any torque on the knee, even a simple 3-turn, I could feel the pressure on the plate. And I wasn't able to really get up and down on that knee any more either to get the power in the edges, either. End result is that I found just sculling around the rink on two feet pretty boring, and gave it up after a while when I realized I wasn't regaining the strength to skate properly.

After my recovery from cancer I found great joy in being able to skate again -- I especially loved going to the Frog Pond on Boston Common...

After my recovery from cancer I found great joy in being able to skate again -- I especially loved going to the Frog Pond on Boston Common (naturally!), and when I moved to Colorado Springs I used to skate daytime public sessions with other adult skaters pretty often. But then in 2013 I broke my leg in a household accident, a tibial plateau fracture which is like the worst possible place. I was non-weight-bearing for 3 months and have a metal plate in my knee holding things together.

I pond-skated as a child but never had an opportunity to take lessons or skate on an actual rink until I went to college. I didn't have...

I pond-skated as a child but never had an opportunity to take lessons or skate on an actual rink until I went to college. I didn't have the time or money to pursue the sport seriously, but I used to regularly skate for exercise, and got to be a bit of a rink rat, regularly skating at the same rinks where famous coaches and competitors worked, and often taking my skates with when I traveled so I could visit notable rinks nearby.

I did something very sad 😢 today: I packed my old figure skates into a box of stuff I'm going to donate to a thrift store. I have...

I did something very sad 😢 today: I packed my old figure skates into a box of stuff I'm going to donate to a thrift store. I have not used them for almost 10 years and I've known for quite a while that I would never wear them again; my knee is trashed, plus these boots no longer fit me.

I got a couple of these cat feeding stations for Joe and Patch. They are both on special (and incompatible) diets, but the real trouble is...

I got a couple of these cat feeding stations for Joe and Patch. They are both on special (and incompatible) diets, but the real trouble is that the new boys will steal their food in an instant if they have access to it. The feeders have a retractable cover over the bowl that opens when it senses their microchip and closes when they move away. It's going to take a while to get them used to these contraptions, but at least they are eating with the cover open (and boys confined elsewhere).

Some photos of the whole herd of #cats now....🐱 🐱 🐱 🐱

Some photos of the whole herd of #cats now....🐱 🐱 🐱 🐱

Brio and Lillabo have discovered the cache of #catnip toys downstairs! #CatsOnCatnip

Brio and Lillabo have discovered the cache of #catnip toys downstairs! #CatsOnCatnip

Another bit of good kitty news is that Scooter, the cat I had to return because she kept picking fights with my older female, was also...

Another bit of good kitty news is that Scooter, the cat I had to return because she kept picking fights with my older female, was also adopted yesterday! The rescue folks say that her new family has an old dog but she will be the only cat, which should make her happier than she was in my household.

....and here's the new family members, a bonded pair of young adult male cats. I'm not sure of their exact relationship (brothers...

....and here's the new family members, a bonded pair of young adult male cats. I'm not sure of their exact relationship (brothers from different litters? father and son?) but the brown one is about a year older than the gray one. The rescue was willing place them separately, but they're so cute together (washing each other, etc) that I didn't want to be the one to split them up.

I'm probably nuts.... I'm thinking about trying to add TWO new cats to my household. 😻 😻

I'm probably nuts.... I'm thinking about trying to add TWO new cats to my household. 😻 😻

I'm also very impressed by the high quality of the recording and video editing of the VOCES8 videos, BTW. During an earlier phase of my...

I'm also very impressed by the high quality of the recording and video editing of the VOCES8 videos, BTW. During an earlier phase of my life I used to attend a lot of live classical music performances and this is the next best thing.

And.... another new version of "The Lark Ascending" from VOCES8! This one combines a full chorus and orchestra, and has the same...

And.... another new version of "The Lark Ascending" from VOCES8! This one combines a full chorus and orchestra, and has the same violin soloist who previously knocked my socks off in the 8-voices arrangement. 😍

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk08G_oWEMc

TBH the thing that has made the most difference in Joe's care is that his insulin dose is now so low that I don't have to fuss about...

TBH the thing that has made the most difference in Joe's care is that his insulin dose is now so low that I don't have to fuss about getting him to eat a big meal before his shots and can let him snack throughout the day, which has always been his normal habit. It's much less stressful for both of us that way.

Anyway, we'll re-evaluate in a couple months.

An update on my diabetic cat Joe: after a fructosamine test about a month ago, our vet reduced his insulin to the smallest measurable dose...

An update on my diabetic cat Joe: after a fructosamine test about a month ago, our vet reduced his insulin to the smallest measurable dose (0.5 unit) only once a day. We just got the results of his most recent test back and he is still towards the lower end of the normal range... vet said we might try cutting out the insulin entirely but she'd feel more comfortable keeping him on the same dose for now since I still have plenty of supplies and it's now routine for me to give the shots.

I'd still like to add another cat to my household, but first I need to get Patch back to acting like herself again....

I'd still like to add another cat to my household, but first I need to get Patch back to acting like herself again....

Patch used to spend most of her day in my office in the upstairs loft, which is adjacent to the room where I'd been keeping Scooter. ...

Patch used to spend most of her day in my office in the upstairs loft, which is adjacent to the room where I'd been keeping Scooter. Since Scooter started trying to beat up on her, she's refused to even hang out on the other side of the closed door to Scooter's room, and even now that Scooter is gone she is still afraid to come upstairs. I did bring her upstairs to see that the room is now empty but she was so stressed out that she immediately ran downstairs again.

So the situation after 5 months was that Scooter still had to be confined separately most of the time, unless I could supervise and guard...

So the situation after 5 months was that Scooter still had to be confined separately most of the time, unless I could supervise and guard Patch from further attacks, and Patch was spending almost all of her time huddled in a defensive position and on guard even when Scooter was not on the loose. That wasn't a good way for either of them to be living.

I'm very sad. 😢 I had to return Scooter the cat to the rescue where I adopted her back in December. She was in quarantine due to...

I'm very sad. 😢 I had to return Scooter the cat to the rescue where I adopted her back in December. She was in quarantine due to ringworm for 2.5 months, then when she was finally cleared to come out and meet the rest of the kitty family, I found she kept attacking my other female cat Patch, who was terrified of her. I'd gone very slowly and cautiously with introductions and tried every suggestion I could find to de-fuse the conflict, but nothing worked.