Pussy Galore!

No, not from the James Bond movie. It’s what is happening at Sis’ house!

Sis has always had cats but usually 6 or 8 at a time. When she moved out here in the country, 20 years ago, she started feeding the stray cats that hung around. Then she started bringing them inside during the winter months so they eventually became housecats. When I came here, back in August, she had 47 cats!! I couldn’t believe it!

As of 2 months ago, 5 of her females gave birth to a total of 15 kittens plus her boyfriend found 2 stray babies and brought them to her. So, now the total is 64 cats/kittens.

Amazingly, her house does not smell bad! She is very diligent about keeping it clean and cleans out the litter boxes several times a day. Many of the cats stay outside most of the time but they are all in at night. She has a 3 bedroom double-wide mobile home and there are litter boxes, cat beds, cat stands, cat toys everywhere! Several of them sleep with her at night. It’s insane!

Not Sis' house but it could be!!
 

 Is she a hoarder? Yes, she is. She plans her day around the cats ‘schedule’. She must be home at certain times to feed all of them. In the evening, she feeds them all cat treats. They must have those, you know!

Three weeks ago, Sis lost her unemployment benefits. She’d been getting them for 2 years and reached her limit. She was told she could re-apply the first of August and see if she qualifies for it again then. Now, she is panicking! How will she feed her cats? She spends $150 a week on their food and litter!! Shocking! She will only buy the best-- no generic for her cats!
She has a vet bill of over $300 that she pays out as she can but as soon as she gets it paid down, another cat becomes ill so the bill is pretty much ongoing. They’ve known her for years and have gotten a lot of business from her over those years, so they are willing to work with her.

Brothers N and D are basically supporting her now plus she started receiving Food Stamps but she can’t buy cat food with those.
Brother D wanted to sit her down and have an intervention with her. All of us were willing to go along with it. Something needed to be done about this cat hoarding. Well, it did no good. She is adamant about having her cats. She did agree there were about 25 of them that she’d try to find homes for. We told her that wasn’t going to work. For every cat she found a home for, another would come along and she’d take it in. There are so many ads for free cats/kittens that she would get a small response. She put up ads online and in the paper 3 weeks ago and she has never gotten a single call about them.

D and I offered to put them in the car and take them out to neighboring farms, where they would be gladly accepted as mousers by the farmers, but she said she wouldn’t know what happened to them while they were out at the farms so she declined our offer. She will not take them to the local Humane Society as she knows they will be killed there. They are so full and have to euthanize up to 25 animals per day.

So, a week ago, she finally confessed that she is overwhelmed with all the cats and is so tired from taking care of all of them and trying to keep up with all these new kittens and really wants to find homes for them.
Again, we explained that was going to be very difficult since there are so many cats! She is unrelenting. The ONLY way she’ll get rid of them is to find good homes for them and be able to stay in contact with the new owners so she can know how the cats are doing! She refuses to consider any other way out. Since her financial situation is so dire, she needs a quick solution, not something that could take months and months.

I don’t know how to help with this dilemma. Every idea I come up with, she rejects it. Yesterday, she came over and complained again, “What am I going to do about all these cats?”  I simply looked at her, said “I don’t know”, and went to my room. I was so frustrated with her! I’m not trying anymore. It is pointless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---What you have read is the God’s honest truth. Trust me, I couldn’t make this stuff up!---

It’s That TIME Again!

It doesn’t matter to me if we’re moving our clocks forward or backward--it messes me up! It takes me about 2 weeks to adjust to the time change. I feel groggy and out of sorts and have a low energy level.

When I get up in the morning, I think “Oh, it’s really an hour earlier than I’m used to getting up.” So, yeh, I feel sluggish.

Mom is adjusting better than I am, I don’t think she even notices the difference.

Goody Cat, however, refuses to wear her watch and adjust accordingly. She is used to going outside just before my bedtime. So, now she cries to be let out when I’ve been in bed for an hour. Gr-r-r-r!
I have to just suck it up and let her out because she doesn’t understand this time change crap. (Yes, she has a litter box, but prefers to go outdoors after being on the streets for so many years.)

Well! That’s all the energy I have to write with for now.

Yawn.............

Back To Normal

Brother D left 2 weeks ago to start his new truck-driving job. Yay!

Mom and I have certainly been enjoying the peace and quiet, and getting our schedule back to where it was. She is calmer, sleeping better, and eating good again. I feel much more relaxed but am still dealing with the IBS though it has lessened somewhat. It takes time for my body to get back to normal (whatever that is).

However, the week after D left, he called and asked Mom for money to get through until his first paycheck. She had Sis go to Western Union and wire it right away (I didn’t know where it was).
This made me so angry! Mom lives on Social Security--only--with very little savings put back. She can’t afford to be giving money to him when he had $700 while he was here for 5 weeks and blew nearly all of it on alcohol!

Mom bought the groceries for all of us to eat on and he is a BIG eater! He bought his cigarettes and alcohol only--nothing else. He smokes very little so that was a lot of money spent on booze! I was angry at Mom for giving him her hard-earned money! She was angry for having to do it.

Mom, I wouldn’t have given it to him!
I had to! He doesn’t have any left!
Too bad, he should have thought of that while he was here and saved his money.
Well, he sat here drinking for over a month and did nothing else around here but he’s my son. I have to help him out.
Mom, he is a 50-year-old grown man capable of taking care of himself. You could have told him you couldn’t afford to send him any money and he’d have to fend for himself. I bet he’d never do it again!
That wouldn’t work, he’s always been like this! I have to help him!
He’s always been like this because you’ve always helped him. If you’d let him suffer--just once--he’d learn to be more careful with his money.

In reality, would he? I doubt it. Alcoholics have only that next drink on their mind. They have no sense of responsibility to themselves or others. Lots of experience in that area!!

Goody Update: The first 3 days D was gone, Goody would go into his room looking for him or lay in front of his bedroom doorway as if she was waiting for him. She’s now back to her normal routine also and she sleeping with Mom again like she used to do.

Brotherly Loathe

Three days before Christmas, Sis and I were wrapping gifts to put under our little tree. We were looking forward to the holiday as it would be the first time in 20 years that we’d all be together--a time for rejoicing. Brother D was still out on the road driving for Arrow Trucking, the company he worked for, but would be home for a few days the following week.

Later that afternoon, we heard D’s semi-truck pull into the driveway. What?? Maybe he was surprising us because it certainly was! He came in, sat down, and proceeded to tell us he’d lost his job. Mom’s first statement was “They finally caught you, huh? You were drinking while driving!”
D ignored her remark then told us that the company had shut down--closed it’s doors with no notice until today. All of the truckers got the message via their truck computers...’Go to the nearest dealer and turn in your trucks and go home. We are no longer operating.’

As the weeks have gone by, it’s become quite the nightmare for D and for us. It turns out that many drivers were stranded all over the States with no way to get home. Many tried to drive home in their trucks only to run out of gas and find out the company gas cards were cut off. The federal government has charges against Arrow Trucking for racketeering and many other charges. The owners of the company are no where to be found. Two weeks of pay wasn’t given to the drivers, they can’t get to their 401K accounts due to no paperwork forthcoming from Arrow, many are finding it hard to get new jobs with other companies because of no work history files for them to check. Of course, D is devastated and we feel really bad for him.

But! He is handling his problems with alcohol. D has been an alcoholic all of his adult life just as our Dad was before his death last year. D starts drinking in the morning, rarely eats any meals, and is totally wasted by nightfall. He sits in his room, playing video games and yelling and cussing at the game all day long. When Mom and I go to bed, he is still in there until nearly midnight and he could care less that we are trying to sleep.

One night, I’d had enough and I went into his room and stated very calmly and quietly “D! We’re trying to rest!” He said ‘Oh, sorry’ (as if he didn’t know that--- both of us had told him goodnight when we went to bed). Then I said, “Can you not play that game without all of the cussing and yelling?” Then walked out closing the door. He had no reply. At least, I didn’t scream at him like I really wanted to do. He did quiet down and has been quiet each night since then.

Previously, Mom wouldn’t let me say anything to him because she didn’t want a big argument and more tension. But, I had enough and couldn’t hold back. While it affects my mother’s health and well-being I feel the need to put a stop to it. This is HER house and HER needs come first but, alas, she is the one stopping from acting on this issue.
Since I’d finally spoken up and all stayed calm, Mom now asks me to say things to D that she’s afraid to say such as “You need to eat something before hitting that bottle.” “You aren’t going to sit here drinking all day, start finding a job.” “You need to be quiet when we go to bed, we need our rest.” And so on. As long as I stay calm and speak quietly, he doesn’t take it as a threat and he complies with my requests.

This is very hard on both Mom and me. We both lived with abusive alcoholics and when each of us left our husbands, we had vowed to never live with another alcoholic. Well, this our brother/son and we are at a loss on how to deal with his behavior. Mom is reacting by not getting her sleep at night due to worrying about him hence she is taking several naps a day to make up for it instead of just one afternoon nap, her appetite is low, and she’s nervous a lot.

I’m reacting the same way I did when I was married--very stressed and tense which has kicked in IBS and an old ulcer recurring after many, many years of not having either problem. I feel so enraged inside at the unfairness of having to live with this kind of behavior again. I very much want to throw him out but Mom says, “He’s my little boy. I can’t do that to him.”

So, I take my ulcer and IBS medicines,  try to stay calm, and pray he finds work soon---please VERY soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Goody Update: What’s weird is that Goody just loves D!  She has never wanted to play with me or Mom or any toys. Very lazy, fat, old cat. But, with D, she is playful and he loves playing with her. She must have been a man’s cat before she was dumped on the streets.

She sleeps with Mom every night now. She used to sleep with me so I don’t know why she changed her habit. Maybe she’s watching over Mom--??

Mom’s Eye Care Delayed

We’ve had to put a hold on Mom’s glaucoma care. The cheaper eye drops ($4.00 at WalMart) were doing nothing to help the eye pressure. Doc prescribed another medicine and when I called about it I found out the cost was $216.00!! Impossible for Mom to afford. I told Doc this--again--and he said he had no idea how much the drugs cost. They are not informed of that by the drug salespeople. Maybe if they were, they’d realize how ridiculous the drug companies prices are and help us to change things. ---Not!!

Mom threw her hands up in the air and said “Forget it! I’m not having anything done! I’ll just get through it on my own and deal with it when I go blind. When that time comes, you can lead me around by the hand.”

“Ummm no, Mom. I’ll put you in bed with a bell!” Well! She seemed to like that idea and I thought ‘oh no! She’ll drive me nuts with the bell.’ “That’s ok, Mom. I’ll lead you around by the hand.”

Sis and I finally talked her into signing up for the prescription plan through Medicare. It will cost her $26.00 per month and $5.00 per month for her eye drops--the good eye drops. Very affordable. She threw a fit saying she can’t afford that so Sis and I told her we will pay for it and she finally agreed. Her coverage will start the first of the year so we’ll go back to making appointments for her then. She will not have the surgery due to the fact her co-pay would be about $2,000 but at least she’s agreeing to have the eye drop therapy which will be for life. We haven’t even dealt with the subject of her cataracts yet. It was enough of a struggle to get the glaucoma stuff straightened out.

I feel bad for Mom. Her day revolves around doing word puzzle books and reading a lot of fiction books. If she loses her eyesight it will be seriously devastating to her. I think she would just curl up in bed and sleep until her day above comes along. I hope those eye drops do their job!

Goody Update: Goody has a new full name thanks to Nancy (friend and follower). Her name is now ‘Good and Plenty’ after the famous candy! It certainly fits her as she weighs in at 15 pounds!

She has adjusted to our daily routine so she’s up when we are up for the day then spends a good deal of the day outside. She is used to being out there and that’s fine since she stays by the house or in the yard. She does most of her ‘business’ outside which makes it nice for me. I only have to clean out her litter box about every other day. At night, she goes to bed with me and sleeps through the night. She keeps my feet warm. She is a joy and Mom really likes having her around so things are working out really well!

Goody, Goody For Me!

Sis has about a dozen stray cats that come to her house every morning and evening to eat. She buys the food then pours it into containers around the yard for the strays. The strays know when it’s time to eat and no matter where they are they manage to get to Sis’ house on time for their meals. She has such a big heart for cats and has several of her own indoor cats she cares for also.

Soon after I moved here to Mom’s I noticed a big ol’  gray tiger striped cat wandering around the area. One day, I pointed it out to Sis. She said “Oh, that’s Good Kitty.” I thought the cat was one of the many strays, which she gives names to,  and thought nothing more of it.

As time went by, some of the strays got to know me and would hang out on our porch sleeping in the sun. Good Kitty was one of them. I’d always go out and pet them and talk to them. Good Kitty was always the last one to leave at the end of the day.

Two weeks ago, we had a cold spell with gusting Texas winds and temps in the 40’s. I felt so bad for the strays but most would get under the mobile homes and stay warm that way. However, Good Kitty would hang out by the window and look in. She looked so sad and lost. One evening, Sis came over to visit and Good Kitty came in with her!

Mom was not happy about that! She wanted Sis to take the cat outside. Sis asked her “Why? It’s not hurting anything.” The cat was laying on the floor in front of the couch. Mom insisted she was not going to have another cat, they got into things, jumped up on things, and were dangerous being around her legs. Sis said “Mom, this would be the perfect cat for you. It’s fixed and de-clawed and is much older. It wouldn’t be getting in the way at all.” I said “What? It’s fixed and de-clawed? I thought it was a stray!”

Well, it turns out that the cat had a family who lived a few doors down for several years. They moved out at the beginning of summer and left the cat there! I don’t get that!!! How does someone have a cat for years, have it fixed and de-clawed--which costs a considerable amount of money--and then just leave it behind?

Now, I felt totally different about the cat. This cat had been an indoor cat since it was a kitten and had to spend the summer wandering the neighborhood with no defense against other animals. I felt so bad for the poor cat. It looked to be at least 5 years old if not older. I joined in with Sis trying to convince Mom to let us keep him. She emphatically said ‘No’.

Too make a long story short--it took another week to finally convince Mom to let us keep the cat. Sis would bring it in with her during her daily visits and Mom slowly got used to it and saw that the cat wasn’t going to be any trouble. I went to the store one day and when I returned Sis told me that Mom finally relented and said I could have it. I was so pleased! I hugged Mom and thanked her and I thanked Sis because she was the one that finally convinced Mom.

Sis gave me the supplies I needed and the cat became one of the family that night. I checked her over real good, found out ‘it’ was a she, detected no fleas on her, and discovered she had ear mites. I’ve treated her for the ear mites so she is fine now. She is very good since she is so fat and lazy. Typical ol’ cat--she eats, sleeps, walks around for maybe 5 minutes, sleeps, gets up and walks around for 2 minutes, sleeps--you get the idea!

She’s become accustomed to being outside for so many months that she wants out every morning, after eating, but she stays close by and comes back in during the afternoon and stays in then. She sleeps at the foot of my bed every night. Mom enjoys watching her and she pets on her and coos over her. She is a great cat for us.

I call her ‘Goody’.    Goody, goody for her--Goody, goody for me!!