orange tabby – Page 15

Still Sick

Sam in early 2008 enjoying his freedom in the house at large after we adopted him and kept him in isolation with Emma for a couple of weeks. He’s had diarrhea the past month and we got the first clue as to why from a fecal sample, he doesn’t have nearly as much healthy bacteria as he should despite taking probiotics the past month. He’s going to start some antibiotics soon if he doesn’t improve, as he may have some bad bacteria that’s keeping the good bacteria from thriving. If there’s a silver lining to getting laid off a month ago, in addition to being able to take Ellie on long walks each morning, it’s that I’ve been here to take Sam to the vet and get his medicines and give him second chances at eating when he’s not feeling well. He actually put on a little weight this month, not what you’d expect from someone with his condition, so the good news is he’s getting the nutrients from his food. After what we went through with Emma, that’s a big relief.

But I’ll be a lot happier when we know what is going on.

The Orange Tabby in His Element

A camouflage evolved for thousands of years allows the orange tabby to blend into his environment, the hardwood floors of the Pacific Northwest. Sam as a kitten in 2007, a few days after we adopted him.

Is It Dinner Time Yet?

No Sam, dinner is still 40 minutes away. He gets hungry about 60 to 90 minutes before dinner and climbs into my lap and studies my every move, sometimes making biscuits on my stomach to suggest dinner must have been hours ago and I have clearly forgotten to feed him.

Climb Every Mountain

Sam atop the scratching post a few days after we adopted him in 2007, probably watching Emma play with her mice (we adopted them on the same day).

Under the Weather

Sam’s not been feeling well the past couple of weeks, his appetite has been off and he’s had diarrhea. He had been throwing up too early on but we think that was a red herring as he was having trouble getting a hairball up. One benefit of getting laid off is that I can be home to give him extra feedings as he only eats so much in one sitting, so he’s ultimately getting enough food and hasn’t been losing weight, but we don’t know what is going on yet. His blood and urine tests both looked great, and he’s not in pain, so the vet wants to give him another week on gentler treatments before getting more aggressive. I’ll be a lot happier when he’s back in the pink of health.

The Dapper Young Man

One of my favorite pictures of young Sam when he came to live with us in 2007. My lasting impression of him from that time is of a kitten who purred easily and loudly. This impression was formed right from the start, he purred the moment they brought him in to see us in the meeting room at the Humane Society when we were deciding if we should adopt him. Once we gave him free reign of the house, I loved to climb into bed at night as Scout jumped up to join me, and I could listen to a purring sound grow louder and louder as it moved from my office, as it climbed the stairs, as it jumped into bed with Scout and I. Sometimes he and Scout would start rubbing faces and then they’d both be purring at full bore, the sweetest music to fall asleep to.

Brothers

I took this picture of the brothers on the same day as the previous picture of Trixie and also edited them at the same time. I decided I also prefer this one in black-and-white, even though I don’t dislike the color version, which is so rare for me I began to wonder if something hadn’t broken in my brain.

Tag: orange tabby