Hi All,
Not a lot to write about... Work is s..l..o..w... I'm broke and getting broker, and still have to pay for the Israel trip. Actually, I have money set aside for that, but somehow will have to be creative when it's time to pay my mortgage!

Shayna is perfect and adorable. I think that the Energizer company should trade in the bunny for Shayna! I tell you, she could beat that Energizer bunny up! Which is a good segue for this: she likes to beat up her toys. She has a little stuffed Elmo (the Sesame Street character) and a little stuffed lion, and she beats them both up on a regular basis. It's really funny to watch. Tonight a friend came over, and she could not stop laughing at Shayna playing and racing around nonstop. Pretty hard to be sad around her!

Unfortunately, Monaco doesn't feel the same way. Ever since that awful vet appointment, Monaco has been unhappy. She's a delicate, "special needs" cat to begin with, and then add to that grieving for Indy, my absence during Christmas, getting Shayna shortly after my return, and then that debilitating vet visit, at which she was found to have ear mites. So I had to use a mild antibiotic in her ears, as well as use an earwash. She despised them both; could barely walk without falling down. After about 12 days of this, she's a wreck. Won't eat or drink, is skin and bones, won't move, groom herself, or even use the litterbox. It's disastrous. So I've had to take very careful care of her to get her out of this depression. If I talk with her softly and pet her for about 35 minutes, several times a day, I've found that she will eat and drink a bit. If she hasn't dramatically improved by Monday, I'm taking her to the (ie. Angel's expensive and private) vet on Monday. It just isn't worth risking kidney failure, or worse.

All these vet problems have me asking myself if I am a candidate for Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome!!! (sorry, blogger's hyperlink system is choosing not to cooperate-- below is the full link, if you're curious!)
Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome

Could I be that messed up?? But fortunately or unfortunately as the case may be, all of the veterinary problems in my household are real, and none of them were caused by me. Let's see... Truffle really did have 2 major surgeries, Indy had advanced heart disease, Angel had a cough that went away after a course of antibiotics, Shayna had the biggest abscess that I've ever seen, and now Monaco has ear mites... and depression. I didn't imagine any of these ailments! Though I almost wish I had, so that the animals didn't have to suffer through them, and I wouldn't have to pay the vet bills or provide 'round-the-clock care.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I'm just sick of feeling like I live in a veterinary office!! (Though I did just finish FOUR books by James Herriot, so I'm not sure about the truthfulness of that last statement...)

A final sad note: it turns out that the kitten I found in the Virgin Islands died. I'm glad he was in good hands, literally and figuratively, but they could never get him to eat. :(


I wish I had more uplifting things to post. I'm looking forward to brighter days-- when I don't have a cold, and my pets (and I) are all healthy at the same time.

Oh, there is a little good news: tomorrow night I'm hosting a dinner party in my home, so I got the house looking all spiffy. Our neighborhood supper club is focusing on "Authentic Italian" cuisine this month (my choice :)), so I'll make an Insalata Caprese as an appetizer, and chicken Marsala as the entree. The "guests" (participants?) provide the rest. Promises to be a good time...