Meet my new children

Some of you know that I've been house sitting for 2 1/2 years now. Every once in awhile I will pet sit as well. Somehow, over the course of that time, anyone who owns a geriatric pet in this town finds me (I'll tell you about Morgan, the 16 year old Cocker Spaniel who I had to take EVERYWHERE with me - even to work all day, or Grandma (whose real name I can't remember) who was a 15 year old Multi-poo who was blind and bumped into walls, some other time).

This post is about the two cats I'm looking after right now. I met Leroy and Tiffany a year ago and I've been reunited with them now for the next 7 weeks.

This is Leroy. He's 15 years old and yes, your eyes do not deceive you, he's only got one eye. I can't remember exactly how he lost the eye, but it has something to do with an infection gone wrong.

This is Tiffany (or Tiffy or Grandma as I like to call her). She's 17 years old and this picture does not do her justice. She looks like a robot. No joke. Jennie and Bren can attest to the fact that she looks like that cat on that show Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. It's eerie. When she looks at you, she moves her head really slowly as if she's mechanical and her eyes are a little far apart so they don't look real. You know how cats usually clean themselves so well and look so nice? Well, not Tiffy. I think she's given up. She looks greasy and quite ratty. She also has trouble making it to the litter box almost EVERY TIME. Now, the longest I, myself, ever had a pet was 13 years and it was incredibly hard when he died (RIP, Mikey). I still have a hard time talking to my parents about it because they put him down when I was away for the weekend and I didn't think he was even sick. My point is that I can only imagine how attached these people are to these cats seeing as they're 17 and 15 years old, but are these faces only a mother could love? Last year when I stayed here, they were both a lot more spry and active. This year ... not so much. I think Tiffany's only moved from the bathroom counter that you see her on in this picture 2 times so far. You can see her food dish in the corner of these pictures ... that's because I HAND DELIVERED it to her. I really don't know if she'd eat if I didn't bring it to her because it would take so much effort to get up.

Every morning I have to turn this faucet on so they can both have a little drink ... even though there are 2 other water dishes throughout the house. Ok, I'm making it sound like I'm not a pet lover and I totally am. These are just funny cats with funny rules. Yes, rules. I have 11 pages of notes on how to pet them, feed them, give them their medicine (oh yes, there are meds involved, people) and how to clean up after them. This year the owners have given the vet my name and a DNR order (Do Not Resuscitate, for those who don't watch ER or Grey's Anatomy). That would mean they realize that Tiffy's on her last leg. Just my luck to find her staggering about like a crazy "woman" or curled up one morning not breathing. Why me? I do charge for pet sitting, but I think it's time I called the local pet boarding place to see how much I should really be charging because every time I clean up a stinky hair ball from the floor I really don't think I'm charging enough. I've never used a mortar and pestle for myself, but I find myself using it every morning and evening when I prepare Leroy's food because I have to grind up his pills to mix in with his food. And I'm thankful that Tiffany doesn't have as much energy this year because when I have to put her medication in the form of a cream in her ear twice a day, she doesn't swat at me and claw my arm up anymore. Good times, good times.

But last night as I was watching TV, Leroy curled up on my lap and purred away and Tiffany laid by my head and all was right in the pet world.