Shop till you drop.

Tree's mum very kindly offered for us to host a small house party to sell off the stock from the shop. I spent most of the day setting it all out, having forgotten what a jumble it was in from closing the shop. It went surprisingly well and we made enough to pay for all of Herbie's vets bills, so the pressure is off a bit now. I can see now why party plan businesses are so popular, but then again, it is xmas so people will buy more.

On the festie side of things, Tree and I have booked up a few of the smaller ones for next year and will no doubt enjoy them more now they are not our main income.

On the work front, I start in my new job on Monday and I have already spent some time at the hospital getting to know my colleagues. They all seem a very friendly bunch and I know I will fit right in. A lot of them I already know from outside of work, which is great!

Herbie rides again!!

The title of this blog will be lost on a lot of readers but I'm just showing my age! Anyway, Herbie is doing okay on his medicine, which I have to dose twice a day no less, and now spends his time either eating or sleeping. He is very comfortable and knows his limitations, regarding going out and defending his territory, so his world now revolves around the confines of the garden. The computer chair by the pot belly stove has been taken over and a lot of time is spent standing at the computer so as not to disturb him.

Understandably, his lifespan is considerably shorter but its more about the quality of his life and he is definitely enjoying the fuss being made at the moment!!

Herbie update.

Well the weekend has come and gone and Herbie, I am glad to say, has managed to make it through. We are still a long way from being, relatively, in the clear and careful monitoring of his condition will become a part of our daily routine. Bearing in mind that he could suffer a heart attack at any time, I have learnt to perform feline CPR, something I would never have imagined in my lifetime. He is back to his grumpy self and is desperate to go outdoors. We go to the vets tonight and should find out the prognosis for his condition. Fingers crossed he can go outside!!!

A bit of a scare.

Tree and I were only saying on Thursday night how we were coping quite well with the credit crunch and that as long as the cats, or the car, stayed okay we would be alright. We then heard a chilling sound as Herbie lay on the floor, eyes glazed and made a low wailing sound. This sound was one of the most distressing things I have ever heard and we were both sure that he was dying right in front of us. His tongue lolled out and he was panting for breath. I fetched the cat box and he was as limp as a ragdoll when I scooped him up.However, on arrival at the vets, he soon seemed to recover enough to be examined. The vet checked him all over and couldn't find any immediate damage. He instructed us to take him home and monitor his condition. As soon as we got him home, Herbie had another episode as bad as the first. The following day we returned to the vets and this time we saw a different vet called Isobelle. She said they would take him in for observation. By the afternoon we had a call to say to come and collect him as he showed no ill effects. This was followed by another call to say he had had an episode and they would like to speak to us. I feared the worst and was relieved to see him alive on the night-time visit. She recommended blood tests and a heart scan thinking that poisoning could be a factor. The next day we got the bad news. Herbie has a serious heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is a thickening of the heart walls that constricts the amount of blood going through the heart (detailed information can be found here). This is known as the silent killer and we accepted the worst. We were also told he had fluid on the lungs. We were given tablets and told he would be lucky to live the weekend. The next few days and nights I stayed with him and comforted him as he had several episodes, or mini heart attacks, each time thinking this would be it. All he could manage to do was lay still and labour his breathing. Our main concern was that he was not eating and this would be the death of him. By Saturday night he was responding to the tablets and the episodes stopped, however, he still had no energy. Our spirits raised though when he ate for the first time later on Saturday night. It is now Sunday and he has perked up no end. His breathing is normal and he even jumped up on the bed for a cuddle this morning. I managed the first few hours of sleep in days and feel better to cope with it all as well. We are not out of the woods though and he could still go at any time. The main thing is to accept that every day is now a bonus for Herbie and to keep his quality of life at the forefront of our minds. He has eaten several times and even got grumpy with me when he had to have his morning tablets! A good sign!!

Special thanks go out to Isobelle the vet who has asked for daily updates on his health and to Tree's mum who lent us the small mortgage to pay for his treatment, running at about £400 so far.

Isobelle now says that he could live two days or two years, no-one knows. Some even live for five or more.I will keep you updated!!

Samhain Blessings.

Tree and I have just come back from a lovely weekend in Wales spent with our friends Shaun, Jane, Katie, Phil and Laura. We stopped at Jane's Aunties bungalow, just outside of Tawyn in North Wales.

Friday night was spent overeating and playing Halloween games, quizzes and telling the inevitable lame ghost stories. We all dressed up in Halloween costume with the cliche witches, vampires and ghouls making an appearance. Pumpkin carving was attacked with gusto and I was pleased to win "Best Pumpkin award" with my flying bats and signature paw prints. Other designs included Pumpkin Jack, A vomiting head, a cat and ghouls flying.

On Saturday we went into Aberdovey for a walk around the town, harbour and beach. The weather was cool and crisp and the colours in the hills were gentle pastels of heather and dried grass. In the evening we went to a bistro and had a pleasant time before retiring back to the cottage for more chocolate consumption. On the way back we stopped at the beach and let off fireworks.

On Sunday we rose later and had a lazy breakfast followed by a board game and then decided we should go out for a walk. Tree was not feeling too well and so we left her to sleep while we went out. The time seem to whizz by and, before we knew it, the time to leave came along.

All in all a lovely weekend and we have decided to do it all again next year.