Happy New Year!

Do you make new year's resolutions? Do you stick to them?

Mine this year is to work really hard on the inside of the house over the winter. I can't stand living in chaos, with half of my things still packed and stacked in the corner. I need to get the walls skim coated, painted and shelves built. It will be a good day when all of that happens.

I am still continuing to try and simplify. I emailed Michael the other day, describing my Christmas card fiasco (I am actually taking a break from doing them right now!). I said to him, "In an effort to simplify things, I have made them more complicated."I think that is a metaphor for my life! B says it's the human condition, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

The kitty saga continues. Firstly, Nic is doing great. He has filled out quite nicely in a week, and has made himself at home. He is sweet, and we are happy to have him.

The other kitty is not doing so well. It was touch and go yesterday. He started the day off by eating solid food, which made me so happy! I'd fed him Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) all week, so to have him take a few tablespoons of solid food was great.

I got home from town and went right down to him, just a few hours later. He had taken a turn for the worse. He could not stand, he collapsed immediately when I put him down. His pupils were tiny slits, and he just stared blankly straight ahead. His heartbeat and breathing were irregular.

I held him, thinking he was going to die any minute, and wanting him to die warm and loved. After a few minutes, I decided I was desperate enough to try and tube feed him. I have read about doing it, but the fear of putting it into his lung kept me from doing it earlier. But I had nothing to lose, so I did it. It worked, and I got him to take about 4 tablespoons of KMR that way.

I brought him upstairs then, and kept pushing the KMR all night. We slept downstairs so I could be with him, and I snuggled with him in my bed. I woke up to him alert and purring this morning! I just fed him another 4-5 tablespoons about 3 hours ago, and he is sleeping like a baby. Probably time to push some more.

I hope that he will clue in and start taking solids on his own soon. I go back and forth between being so exhausted from keeping up with this for a week, to feeling like I haven't done all I should. I will do it as much as necessary, but it will be so much easier when he will eat on his own. He will be healthy in no time when that happens. I have bought him the most stinky, rich, seafood flavored catfood I can find! : )

Oh, when I took him to the vet on Wednesday, he felt (as I had considered) that someone had dumped Nic and his brother off in the country and they wound up at the neighbor's. Bastards! They are so cute, they would have been adopted in a heartbeat from a shelter. People are such cowards. No animal deserves to be treated that way, and then suffer because their owner is so callous.

I pray he makes it and has a great 2005!