Cat post

I haven't posted anything about my cats for a while, so figured now might be a good time to do a little update. (And check out that photo! Aren't they sweet??)

If you recall my post in June about dear, sweet Iris and her eye infection, you will note that she now looks all better! Our little Iris Beans had a speedy recovery and has been doing wonderfully ever since. Still, the multiple trips to the vet (especially the first visit to the emergency room) cost us a nice chunk of change. But that's why we have pet insurance, right? So a few weeks after Iris' recovery, I filed a claim form and faxed all our paperwork to VPI pet insurance. We've had this insurance for Bellow for four years and got it for Iris as soon as we brought her home from the shelter. Bellow had a major leg break when he was only 6 months old, resulting in a surgery to put a titanium rod in his leg and 6 tough weeks of recovery (mostly because it was impossible to keep a kitten from jumping around). That's when we investigated pet insurance and settled on VPI. Ten years of insurance is less than Bellow's one incident (nearly half what that cost us) so we couldn't say no.

Anyway, I received an email shortly thereafter saying the claim had been received and we should hear from them within a month. I forgot about that, until I received a check from them in the mail! Not only did they pay the full allowable amount for Iris' eye thing, minus a $50 deductible, they also paid for her receiving fluids for her fever! We're still out more than the deductible, but that's because the emergency vet visit cost more than three times what a normal office visit would've cost. So, I'm happy. The insurance company is everything they're touted to be, but this is the first time I've found out for myself. (And no, they are not paying me in any way to say these things.)

Bellow, as usual, is up to no good. He's become addicted to drinking from the bathroom sink. Addicted to the point that if you start heading down the hallway, even if you're not going to the bathroom, he will race to beat you there and then sit on the sink in anticipation. Addicted to the point that he knows when I head to bed, so every night around 10:00 he disappears--until I turn on the light and walk into the bathroom to see him sitting on the sink, blinking in the light. Waiting for the faucet to be turned on. I feel like this is getting out of hand and I should cut him off, but I also know that neutered house cats can develop bladder and kidney problems if they don't get enough water, so I'm hesitant to start depriving him. What's a pet owner to do? I blame my mom, who let him drink from the sink once last fall when my parents were visiting us. She unleashed a monster.

The photo above is of Bellow "helping" me sew. As is typical, both cats like to help me with the sewing and the fabric and anything else I'm trying to do that doesn't require their help. Of course. I was getting ready to pre-wash a bunch of fabrics for garment sewing, so I was basting together their raw edges to form a big loop so they would be less likely to tangle in the washing machine. About halfway through my pile I turned around to throw another finished loop on the floor and found Bellow curled up in the very middle of the pile, intent on taking a nap. Aww. So I just kept throwing my fabric around him and let him sleep.

I [heart] my kitties.