Kitty-Cat Soap Opera

Well, he's at it again.
Oscar managed to disappear from us during a daily outside sunning. He was missing for five days, during which we prayed continuously for his return. I posted photos on Facebook asking for help in locating him. We walked the streets over and over again, calling his name and facing the strange looks of neighbors and we searched. We tried calling the vet and the animal shelters in hopes that someone had brought him in. Nope. He wasn't to be found.

But, God's interceding grace abounds. 

After dinner one night, I decided I had to keep looking. We had just been slammed with the storm that reached from Canada to Mexico and had some serious snow on the ground. But, I had to look anyway. I bundled up for the 24ºF weather, warmed up the car, and headed out. I had thought about all the possible places he could hide during such a terrible storm. The only place I thought he could survive was in the storm drains below the streets. Since my window wouldn't roll down, I had to get out of the car and yell for him.
After just a few minutes of driving, I found a storm drain that wasn't covered with snow. Probably the only one on base. I got out, yelled down the drain, and immediately got a crying kitty sound from deep down inside. I couldn't see him, so I didn't know for sure it was him. I phoned my husband and a friend to come watch the kids. Mark came to my rescue.

He pried off the manhole covering the drain entrance, jumped inside (not even knowing if it was Oscar yet), and began dragging himself on his belly through the pipes and watery muck. About 100 feet down the tube, he found him. A neighbor came to help. We shoveled and pried off another manhole cover further down the street and Oscar and Mark came out.

It was dark, cold, and wet down there. Pretty sure he didn't have food, sleep, or clean water for at least several days.

Oscar spent a good 4 days in the vet's office.

Morgan gives Oscar some lovin' at the vet's office.

$250 later, we have a somewhat healthy cat again. I'm so thankful for those people that came to our aid, and especially thankful to my husband, who so lovingly crawled through crud to rescue a cat that he doesn't even really connect with.

He deserves the Man of the Year award in my book.

After the fact I was singing the song "Hiding Place" during worship and it hit me─God is our hiding place, but He's not a hiding place we need rescuing from. He is not a sewer or storm drain. His hiding place is a high tower, away from the dangers and storms of life. His hiding place is one of healing and rejuvenation. I'm thankful to have my Oscar back, thankful to those that helped find him, thankful to those that prayed for his safe return, thankful for the vets and staff that took such good care of him, but even more thankful to My God, who provides, heals, restores, and seeks out.

Psalm 46  NKJV

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

 ¹ God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble.
 ² Therefore we will not fear,
         Even though the earth be removed,
         And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
 ³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
         Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah
     
 ⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
         The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
 ⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
         God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
 ⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
         He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
     
 ⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah
     
 ⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
         Who has made desolations in the earth.
 ⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
         He burns the chariot in the fire.
     
 ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations,
         I will be exalted in the earth!
     
 ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

The Happy Invalid and Other News

Our kitty is healing nicely. Thought you all deserved an update after my depressing post several weeks ago.  :)

He has regained the use of his back legs and tail. He's much like a drunken sailor as he walks about the house and yard, trying to regain his balance and muscle tone. We're really thankful for the progress that's been made. He has had a few adventures in walking to include some tumbles down the stairs, some failed attempts at climbing onto furniture, and some misses in the litter box. He's not quite got his bladder and bowel control back yet. We're hoping it comes soon; the pee pads and tinkle trails across the floor are getting old.

In other news, our farm project is on its way to completion. Our friends are days away from closing on their house next door, and we're waiting for our appraisal to come back so we can start construction. The beautiful weather has been a God-send, and I'm praying it continues so that when construction on our house gets underway, it'll be good weather for digging the basement.

We've been out gutting the basement of the existing house so that Jack and Karin can move in ready to work in a clean space. It's been a mess, but the hard work has been worth it. I love the payoff of seeing it all come together. We've been digging around in all the out buildings to see what's worth keeping and what needs to be tossed. The couple that owns the property now has been kind enough to let us get to work even before closing. We're enjoying the adventure already!

gutting basement exposes some interesting electrical work!

farm treasures are not what we thought!

Phantom of the Opera theme song keeps playing in our heads.

The mold in the basement definitely called for masks.

This was no simple affair.

The last time we were out there, we brought the dogs. They had a marvelous time running the length and breadth of the farm property─jumping in the water, playing in the hay, chasing the kids. Calvin came home with very sore hips that night, but we had a victory─He didn't run away! He had so much space to run and play that he saw no need to escape.

God has been good to us. We've not been doing much "schooling" these last weeks, but we've learned much in these days of preparation for moving, in caring for our sweet kitty, and in working hard to get the last of our harvest in and prepared for winter. Karin and I spent 16 hours in the kitchen on Friday. We accomplished a lot of canning and freezing for our winter months at the farm! So glad we could do it together!

Karin works on prepping popcorn for drying.

roasting garlic and  making pumpkin seeds

roasting roma tomatoes!

two large pumpkins gave us enough puree for 28 pumpkin pies!

our beautiful popcorn

the kids help shuck the corn for drying

Mark loves on Oscar

Loving Life,
Erin

Tragedy in Paradise

Not sure how to write this one, so I'll just come out and say it. Our peaceful (albeit crazy-busy) world was a little bit shaken on Tuesday by a phone call saying our Turkish kitty was in the pet hospital. He had been hit by a car sometime Friday night or Saturday morning and taken in by the police. We were thankful he was being taken care of, but concerned about his condition.

We left the house immediately, skipping lunch, to go check out what was going on. He had been there all weekend without us knowing, and we felt we needed to get there quickly to get more information. What we found when we got there was slightly disconcerting. I was so thankful my husband had taken the rest of the day off to come with us. I needed him.

The vet tech shared with us that Oscar didn't have any use of his back legs. He's a paraplegic kitty. Ouch.

So, we waited for the vet to come in and visit with us. The signs were not great. Some slight feeling in the feet and tail, but not much. No movement beyond the mid back. Not able to hold his urine or feces. Ouch.

We had them do an X-ray. It didn't show any breaks, but there's no telling how much damage had been done to the nerves and how much would repair itself. Thankfully, he didn't need any surgeries. Thankfully, the bill was smaller than I had anticipated.

Yesterday was a check-up. They put in a catheter and gave him a lovely cone of shame to wear around his head. That lasted until we got home. He pulled the cone off and started cleaning himself. He left the catheter alone until after we had all gone to bed. By morning, he had pulled it out completely. So much for that!

Today, a week later, he's still not using his legs. He has better feeling in them and some slight movement from time to time. He hangs out in the laundry room─living it up in his dreamy, drugged up state. He's pretty content there, but I wish he were content to lay up in the living room where we are during the day. It takes every ounce of my being to not drag him around with me all day long and try to keep him company. I know he needs rest.

Every night, when we relax on the couch, I bring Oscar up to snuggle. He always purrs when I sit down next to him. He can only get himself half into my lap and I have to help him the rest of the way.

I'm trying to keep my head about me. It's hard to love something so deeply and contemplate the thought of having to make a decision you don't ever want to have to face. Makes me think about people whose loved ones are in comas for weeks, months, even years. How could I possibly make the decision to pull the plug?

Oscar's not on life-support, but he's certainly not the same cat he was a week ago, either. He's a hunter to the very core of his being. We were looking forward to having a good mouser at the farm. Now, I don't know if he'll ever be able to go outside again.

There's a fine line between loving an animal and keeping it alive for your own comfort. I need to be able to weigh the factors that come along with being a pet owner.

Will he ever have a good quality of life again? 

                                  If we keep him, will we? 

Will he recover enough to be the Oscar that he wants to be?

         How much money and time do you pour into an animal before it becomes too much?

These questions are swirling in my mind and every once in a while they get the better of me. I'm so thankful it's not one of my children.

That's all for today. I need some chocolate.