Ashley, My Feline Daughter

Originally sharted on Facebook:

This evening Rach & I took our feline daughter to the emergency vet. Our cat Ashley had been acting off the last few days. Her stomach was distended, she had some difficulty walking and no longer was able to jump up on my desk. She no longer was getting up to greet me in my middle of the night trips to the bathroom.

Ashly was 14. That's 86 in human years. She was diagnosed with cancer. As a cancer survivor myself, I couldn't see me potentially putting Ash through such a discomforting and painful experience when she'd have no understanding of why it was happening.

I'll miss the comfort she gave me during some really low times in my life, and her efforts to nurse me and mother me when I was suffering from congestive heart failure earlier this year.

She'd only play with a toy once she figured out how it worked, would ask for food NOW so she would have it for later, actually touched my glasses inside and out to understand how they worked and woke me up for snoring too loudly.

I've lost many pets in my 53 years, but only one feline daughter.

Ashly, you will be greatly missed.

Dude! What's Up With Your Cat Posing With Your RPG Books?

If you read this blog with any regularity, you've seen numerous pictures of my feline daughter, Ashley. If you've gamed with me online, you've probably seen Ashley's tail at the very least as it crossed the screen mid game.

Ash has her own blanket on my desk. It's her spot when I'm on my computer. Why fight the inevitable when you can just embrace it. Besides, every book that hits my desk she feels a need to check out. Might as well make it a signature of The Tavern. On the plus side, she keeps the mice away ;)

At some time, like all pets, she'll move on to the rainbow bridge, and I'll have these pictures to hold me over until we meet again in the distant future. She's a young 7 years old, so hopefully she'll be posing for Tavern Pics for many years to come :)

Our Next DM - Ahsely

This Saturday and last we've been unable to game, what with the holidays and such. We need five to game (DM+4) and we've had four available this week and last.

I offered to have Ashley run a session or two, but she seems to favor Top Secret if I read that screen correctly, and no one wants to go there ;)

(I'll post the winners of OSR Christmas Day 13 when i get back home tomorrow)

Whereupon the Kitty Became a Tigress

This morning was the yearly vet visit for my kitty Ashley (who as graced this blog in the past).  I'm up here in the Poconos, where the vets are nicer (and cheaper) then the Big City.

The appointment was for 1050 - by 0950 Ashley was nowhere to be found.  My mother's 2 cats didn't have a care in the world, but mine somehow read it was vet day, and promptly found herself a new hiding spot.  It took me nearly half an hour to find her.

I knew it wasn't going to go well as Ashly tried to take a swipe (through her case) at a 200+ pound pony that the owner insisted was actually a breed of mastiff.  Yep, my kitty was primed.

She handled the vet tech well that weighed her - 9.7 pounds, and seemed to calm down as we awaited the vet.  In comes the vet to sweet talk her and her hiss was fairly impressive.  The vet tech went to get a towel to try to restrain her for the exam and shots and then quickly moved up to the leather gloves that went past her elbows.  I wasn't going to ask for the usual nail trim at that point.

Just what I look for in my mornings... feline stress.  Once we were home, my weretiger was back to normal, no stress and no grudges for her ordeal.

Just think, last year the vet was so impressed with Ashley's markings she must have brought it up three times during the exam.  This year, they couldn't finish the exam quickly enough.

This post alone will probably keep me off the the RPG Bloggers Network as being too little game related.  Trust me tho', this incident will find its way into a game session in some form or another ;)