Royce and his fellow patients at the vet; Art blows the snow away; linemen and At&t iPhone limbo
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 4:00AM ;)
These are symptoms that an aging cat with thyroid problems can be expected to exhibit: voracious appetite, gorges food, vomits often, powerful thirst, becomes very vocal, meows more than ever, once-beautiful fur coat becomes ratty and ragged.
I learned this from Dr. Gerald Nance of the Wasilla Veterinary Clinic, seen here giving Royce a good look-over.
;)
Royce is a bit nervous, but he enjoys attention and he is getting it.
;)
Whoa! Maybe a little bit too much attention! Royce gets his temperature taken.
;)
The only way to know for certain that Royce has a thyroid problem is to take a blood sample and get it analyzed, for several conditions. So Dr. Nance took Royce into the backroom and got a sample taken. We should know by Friday.
;)
Up front, a tiny patient named "Teddy Bear" waited in the arms of a clinic receptionist.
;)
And a dog named "Gunner" waited his turn. I wonder what kind of guns he uses, and how does he shoot a gun, as he lacks both thumb and fingers?
Or could his name be "Gunnar," not Gunner?
It could be, I suppose.
That's what they teach you in "Newspaper Reporting 101":
"Always ask how the name is spelled - never assume." A boy's name might sound like "Jim" to you, but it might actually be, "Gym."
And no boy named "Gym" wants to see his name in print spelled as "Jim."
But this is not a newspaper. This is a blog. The rules for blogs are different than newspapers. In fact, there are no rules for blogs. A blogger can do whatever he pleases.
And no dog that I have ever met gives a whimper how you spell it's name. Call it what you will and it will still wag its tail if it likes you and growl at you if it doesn't; maybe even bite you.
Gunner wouldn't bite. He would just shoot.
Unless he is Gunnar. In that case, he has no need for guns.
Still, at some point, I think I should adopt that old newspaper standard when it comes to the spelling of names, dogs included.
;)
And this is Buttercup, who is not sick at all, but just hangs out at the clinic with her people.
;)
Gunner(ar) goes in to get checked up.
;)
Shortly after I returned Royce to the house, I took my walk. I took a picture of my hand, just as an exposure check. I had no intention of putting this image in this blog, but, what the heck. Surely, this is a picture I should give the entire world the opportunity to gaze upon.
I will probably win a big prize for it.
;)
I walked and walked without seeing another person. And then I saw snow blowing. It has not snowed here since well before Christmas, but the winds of the past three days have blown snow around, sometimes putting it back from where it had already been removed.
So Art removes the snow from his driveway again.
"It's practically as hard as concrete," he told me.
That's what a driving wind does to snow - it makes it hard, so that you can walk right on top of it without breaking through.
;)
On my coffee break, I saw this lineman at work in the face of Wasilla's own little "Big Ben." Notice how the clock says 4:15 and look how light it is. The light is coming on fast now. The official sunset time today was 4:12, four minutes and nine seconds later than yesterday.
Remember how a couple of days ago I noted the cold temperatures to the north of here and speculated that they might soon slip down?
So far they have not. On my coffee break, depending on where I was, the temperatures ranged from 13 to 19. It will probably go a degree or two below zero overnight. I just checked to see what the temperatures are in two of my favorite communities:
Fort Yukon is -56.
Barrow is -25, fairly warm for January. Barrow doesn't get as cold as Fort Yukon, though, because Barrow sits at the edge of the ocean and even the Arctic Ocean moderates temperatures a bit.
Still, Barrow can be a lot colder than -25 this time of year. And Fort Yukon can be much colder than -56. Barrow gets cold earlier and stays cold longer. The wind blows more in Barrow, and harder. Still, Fort Yukon gets the colder temperatures. Fort Yukon gets hot, too: 101 degrees. The very coldest places in Alaska are also the hottest - not counting the tops of mountains. It must get colder up there than anywhere else and it never gets hot, but they don't keep official weather stations on the tops of Alaska's big mountains.
And the places that get the most snow are much warmer than the places that don't - like Valdez. The snow piles past the eaves in Valdez, but super-cold temperatures don't happen. I've found both -20 and -24 listed as the record low in Valdez. The wind can really blow in Valdez.
Anyway, now that I am not going Arizona next week, I am going to go to Barrow instead.
I will tell you what the weather is like when I get there.
;)
There were actually two line men working.
And no, I still don't have my iPhone. I have spent hours on the phone this week, talking to a friendly woman from At&t who genuinely seems to want to get the problem solved, but so far she hasn't been able to.
Each day, she says she will have the problem solved by the end of the day, but when the day ends, the problem is not solved. I still do not have my iPhone.
I could describe the problem as she has described it to me, but it is totally illogical and she doesn't even understand herself why it has played out as it has and I lack the energy to explain.
It's enough to know that I still don't have my iPhone, and I damn well should.
Yet... off and on throughout the day, I have been seeing images coming in from Haiti. It makes me wonder why I am even concerned about such a small matter. In time, it will get worked out.
Probably most people have figured this out by now, but here is the same address that I posted yesterday where people can go to help those in Haiti:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/01/haiti_earthquake_how_to_help_a.html?sc=fb&cc=fp
Reader Comments (15)
I also think of Haiti when I have a small problem -- vexing to me, but in the scheme of things, an itty-bitty problem if a problem at all compared to life and death complications. If it helps, the assistant manager at my Sears store has assured me that my problem (stemming back to a Columbus Day sale last year) has been solved.. We shall see.
I feel for the Hatian's also. No extra cash here but sure would send some if I could.
Bill, I just love coming here every morning, reading about your day, seeing the BEAUTIFUL pictures you have taken, with Classical King FM playing in the background. It's the best way to start my day. Thank you.
Bill, I sure hope Royce doesn't have a thyroid problem, because it is not an easy condition to manage. But if he does, know that it is treatable.
Royce is gorgeous Bill! What a fine looking feline he is! Just to let you know and share my knowledge, my beloved orange tabby Buddy passed away yesterday morning after surviving cardiomyopathy and heart failure for 2-1/2 years, about 2 years longer than expected. He was also hyperthyroid and took methimazole ( generic for tapazole) for more than 2 years and it controlled very effectively.Instead of insisting on selling me overpriced veterinary meds, my specialty vet gave me prescriptions to take to the regular pharmacy and it was not too bad as far as cost, making it much easier to decide to treat him. He took 1/2 of 5mg methimazole per day and the cost was about $12 a month from Walmart. ( don't ask what all his other meds were!) I realize now what I should have done was have the vet prescribe it as 1/4 of 10mg a day and it would have been $6 a month. Best of luck with Royce. They are our precious ones aren't they?
Royce is a beauty, even if he has a major issue with his thyroid. Lets hope its that and he returns to his former state of health.
We had the pleasure of keeping a marmalade long hair called Ivan the Terrible. Unfortunatlly he mixed it up with a dog. I saw him years later sunning himself at a house three blocks distant. Seems they fixed him up after the fight, and he became their house cat. My son found out shortly afterwards, and we felt he had a new and very decent owner so said nothing.
good luck to Royce. Love the pictures of all the fur babies.
I hope it goes OK for Royce, I almost couldn't bring myself to come today, fearing really bad news. We, too, had a cat who was on Methemazole for the last 2 1/2 years of her life. Couldn't keep her with us forever (what could?), but it gave her more time and all but the last month were good quality time.
We used to have a Siamese cat named Pawsha who fell in love with a fat cat next door named Dave. Dave was known as a cat fighter in the neighborhood and a bully, but for some reason, he returned her affections. One day, Pawsha decided she would be an outdoor cat from now on. She spent the rest of her life, day and night, hanging out with Dave.
Another great post Bill! Good luck with Royce. This is my hands-down favorite blog and I read it every day.
Nice to hear Dr. Vance the vet had SOME answers for you, Bill. I hope the blood tests reveal a treatable problem.
Mocha, I'm sorry for your loss. I've been there in the same situation with my onetime companion Fang; I know how heartwrenching it is.
Hello Fellow Royce Fans....FYI
Thought I would pass on this information in case any of you would also like to help Bill and his family with vet expenses...........
Just spoke to Sharon at Wasilla Veterinary Clinic 907-376-3993
She works on W,Th,F & S.
Alaska is 3 hours behind Central time.
Asked if I could donate $'s toward the care of Royce....
She said 'Yes, they certainly would work with me and anyone else who would be interested in doing the same.'
Told her how I tracked the clinic down through information on Bill's awesome blog. She was going to check it out!!!
Dr. Gerald Nance treated Royce. (N not V)
Note to Bill.....Hope it was OK to use your blog to share my info (if not, I believe you can hit the delete button.....it's OK you would not hurt my feelings).
I'm glad the doctor could give you some answers today. I hope the blood tests reveal something treatable and easy for Royce to handle. I too was nervous about looking at your blog today. I'm not very knowledgable about thryroid problems in cats but it sounds like some of your previous commentors have experience and some positive expectations for Royce.
I also agree with previous posters about your blog. I used to come here to see and hear a bit of home and to watch Kalib grow. Now your blog is a daily stop for inspiration, life lessons, laughter and a warm feeling in my heart/belly. Your photographs are beautiful. Your words are sweet and honest. I wish you well with your resolutions. I have a strong feeling it won't be long before you can count on this wonderful site as a source of income. Thank you for blogging.
Fabulous idea Funny Face! If it's alright with Bill, I'm in!
Hi Bill, we are "neighbors" and fellow cat lovers that live right down the street from you on Ravenview.
Just wanted to tell you once again how much we love your blog and what big fans we are of your critters (oh, and your family seems pretty swell too :-)
You know my other half because he's the smartest man at the MacHaus (well, maybe the second smartest, hard to judge those things.)
At any rate, we have a vast herd of animals both of the feline and canine persuasion and they are all giving their best wishes to Royce. Our old guy Herman cat is of an undetermined age and our Puss kitty will be 15 in March. They are both skinny old critters with more matted hair and less shiny coats than they used to possess, but they are loved nonetheless, as I know yours are. Our other 4 cats range in age from 5 years to 11 years; no young-uns any longer in this house.
We've been lucky enough to have some of them get old and leave us of their own volition and some we've had to intervene in their passing. Hopefully Royce's story will be of the former type, although we never want to have them go anywhere but on our laps or beds our couches or chairs!
Take care and love your blog!
Alicia
Grandma Nancy - I hope the problem is really solved. I still do not have my iPhone, but I learned today that I am now being charge the higher rate of service of the iPhone.
aview - Thank you!
Problem child - I appreciate the encouragement.
mocha - I am so sorry to learn about Buddy. I also appreciate the money-saving advise and your eagerness to help Royce out.
Lilly - Good thing that Ivan survived - that must have been a little tough, to give him up quietly like that, but it sounds like he had a good life.
Twain - Thank you.
CG - That's always the tough thing - unless something bad happens to you, you know from the moment that you get them you are going to lose this litter characters that you love.
Dahli - Lucky Dave. And thanks - that's an amazing statement for me to read - and very encouraging.
Karen - Me too. And I'm optimistic.
Funny Face - How can I thank you for doing all this for us? It is because of Melanie that we have Royce and she really wants to take care of him now. I have devoted part of my new post to an explanation. I am overwhelmed by your generosity.
Angel - I mentioned Little Guy in my new post. I'm glad you are a regular visitor.
Alicia - I think everybody at Machaus is pretty smart. Sometime, I must meet and photograph your fur buds.
Thyroid is a lot better than the illness I was concerned about. I would love to buy some of your prints, too. I would even subscribe to your blog. Your vet seems wonderful!