The Wob-log

April 2006 Update

2006-04-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

It was a long Winter for me.

After Christmas, I developed Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. It was a very painful problem, but I am all better now. I was treated by my veterinarian, Dr. Schmeiser, with medicine and a special diet. Diane and Bob have had to handfeed me twice a day since January. The food doesn't taste bad, and them feeding me means that I get held by them that much more. I am still on the special diet now, but if my most recent test results show that there are no longer any crystals in my urine, I can go back to a more regular diet.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease is a serious problem, and can kill a kitty if not treated quickly. In this disease, crystals form in the body and block the kitty's ability to urinate. This means that poisons build up in the body (and it is very painful). My symptoms were a loss of appetite, vomiting, frequent trips to the litter pan to try to urinate, growling, and crying out in pain. I am very lucky that my friends and family watch for signs of illness, and that they take me to the doctor right away when there is a problem.

I am feeling all better now, and am ready to hit the road again! The warm weather is here, and we are planning adventures for me. Watch for a new one before the end of April.

Last Fall, we gained a new friend in the house. His name is Rusty, and he's now about seven months old (I'll put some photos of him on the web site soon). Rusty, a fluffy orange kitten, showed up at our back door last Fall. He was was hungry, thirsty, very thin, and weak. He had lots of fleas and parasites inside of him, too. He was also blind in his left eye. Bob and Diane took him in the house, set up a special cage for him in the basement (new cats should be kept separate from the cats in the house in case they have any diseases). The next day, they took Rusty to the veterinarian to have him checked out. In addition to all of the other problems, he had ringworm. Ringworm is not a worm, but a fungus. I made bare spots on Rusty's fur, mostly on his ears and face.

It took several months to get Rusty healthy enough to meet the rest of the kitties, but when he did he really shook things up in the house. Rusty is crazy. Bob and Diane say he is the most playful kitten they have ever seen (They call him The Orange Flash because he runs around the house at top speed). He chases everyone in the house (even me, which is why I hiss at him a lot), and likes to pick on my big brother Pod, even though Pod is twice Rusty's size.

Except for the blindness in his left eye (no one knows how it happened), Rusty is all better now, and was even neutered in early April. Maybe when he gets older and calms down, I'll learn to like him. But for now, I like to keep away from him.

I have to go pack and rest now. If the weather is nice tomorrow I am going on my first adventure of 2006!

My own web site, helping animals, and a mini-adventure.

2005-09-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

My adventures have become popular, so Bob decided to give me my own web site! My site is now at www.LighthouseKitty.com. We are going to make some changes over time, but for now the site is preety much the same as it was, with the addition of a letters and photos area.

I have donated money to help the animals threatened by the recent hurricane and floods in the Gulf Coast region. Several groups are working there -- I donated to Noah's Wish, a very organized group that specializes in animal rescue in disaster situations. You can read more about them, make a donation, or learn how you can volunteer, at http://www.noahswish.org/.

Last Monday, I went on a mini-adventure to Gardiner County Park in Bay Shore, across the street from Sagtikos Manor. Sagtikos Manor was owned by several famous Long Island people, including the Gardiner family. When President George Washington toured Long Island, he stayed at Sagtikos Manor one night. But we didn't visit the manor, we visited the park across the street, which used to be part of the manor property.

Gardiner County Park is one of the few parks in our area where pets are allowed. There were lots of dogs there. I saw, among others, a beagle (like Shiloh) and a greyhound that used to be a race dog. I hissed at both -- I'm more of a people person.

I got to play in the grass, which made me purr, and ride in the carrier down to the Great South Bay. At the end of the trail (it ends at the bay), you can see the Fire Island Lighthouse. I haven't been to that lighthouse yet, but Bob says I can go there this Fall.

The park is very nice for pets, although the number of dogs could make it scary for kitties. If you have a dog and live in Suffolk County, you should visit it. Even if you don't have a dog, it is a nice place to visit. You may even see me, or Shiloh, there!

I should have a couple more adventures, and some big news, this Fall. So keep an eye on my new web site!

A New Adventure!

2005-05-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I went on a new adventure: a lighthouse cruise!

We saw five lighthouse from a boat, and I had lots of fun. See my story about it, and photos, on my web site, at: http://longislandlighthouses.com/wobscruises.htm!

Springtime!

2005-04-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, it was a long winter. I hope they are not all that long. I had fun playing with Pod, hanging out by the heat, seeing my first snow, napping with Bob, and I even got to go visit some friends now and then (I always wore my sweatshirt when I traveled in cold weather). But I am glad that Spring is here.

I turned a year old in early April (I'm a big boy now). Pretty soon I will be going on another adventure, which will be nice, but I may need a bigger carrier for this year's adventures. Watch for updates on my web site, including tips for handicapped kitties and their owners, and a photo gallery of some of my friends.

Well, I have been awake for over an hour, so it is just about nap time. I'll have more news soon!

Wobbles Around the Globe

2004-12-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Although I'm not ready to travel around the world yet, my friend Diane did find a translation site that showed what my name (Wobbles the Lighthouse Kitty) would be in other languages:

German - "Flattert der Leuchtturmkitty"
Spanish - "Bambolea el gatito del faro"
French - "Vacille le phare Kitty"
Italian - "Vacilla il kitty del faro"
Dutch - "Waggelt Kitty van de Vuurtoren"
Portugese - "Balança o kitty do farol"
Russian - "Вихляет маяк китти"

The translation website she used is at http://www.appliedlanguage.com/free_translation.shtml.

Wobbles Merchandise in Time for Christmas!

2004-11-25T17:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Nancy at LighthouseTShirts.com will be making merchandise available with me on it! Several people have asked about it, so she decided to do it.

When she decides on some regular stuff to stock, I'll put it on my web site. Until then, she'll make custom t-shirts, mugs, prints and other things with my photo and name, or the artwork her daughter Jackie made for me (on my main page). You can contact her at 631-277-4611 or nbahnsen@lighthousetshirts.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Today was a fun day. It was my first Thanksgiving, and I learned that I like this holiday. There were lots of great smells all afternoon, which ended with me, my brother, and the rest of my friends and family eating turkey and other yummy stuff. I really like to eat (I use a lot of energy moving around, so I need to eat more than some other cats).

Something else cool happened today -- I learned to go through the little cat door! We have some baby gates and a cat door between some of the rooms, mostly to keep Shiloh the beagle from getting into things that she shouldn't. Although I can still fit between the bars of the gates, until today, I couldn't get through the cat door. Once I figured it out, I did it again. Now I can explore more places in the house, and I love to explore!

Bob says I'm going on some new adventures in the next month or so. I'm going to meet Santa Claus (I don't know who that is yet, but he seems like a popular person), and I'm going to at least one historic site. I'll post the stories and photos on my web site when I do these things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Shopping

2004-10-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

I got some new clothes today. Since I spend more time on my side than most cats, I can get cold more easily. So Bob bought me a sweatshirt and a coat today. The sweatshirt will help keep me warm when I am on the floor in the house. The coat is for when I go on cold weather adventures. The Summer may be gone, but there are still lots of adventures out there!

Another bad day

2004-10-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

My Uncle Hocus died today. His cancer got bad, and he was no longer comfortable, so Bob, Diane and the doctors decided to put him to sleep. It has been a sad week.

Lost my Mom today

2004-09-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Junior, died today. She showed up at our back door in the rain. She was having problems breathing, so Bob and Diane rushed her to the hospital. The doctors tried to help her, but she died. They think she had been attacked by a dog. Cats that live outside are always in danger. Cars, dogs, wild animals, mean people, parasites, and diseases are some of the things that can kill or injure them. I'll miss my Mom -- she was less than three years old. I hope more cats can be saved from the dangers of living outside. If Pod, Grace and I had not been adopted and brought inside to live, we might not be alive today.

My turn to get neutered

2004-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was neutered today. I'm still a little groggy, and uncomfortable. It'll take a couple of days before I get back to normal. I'll just have to relax and taken it easy for a few days.

Uncle Hocus is sick

2004-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

My Uncle Hocus came home from the hospital today. He had a big operation a couple of days ago. They found out that he has cancer. It is called hemangiosarcoma and it is a very bad disease. It is more common in dogs than in cats, but it is serious no matter who gets it.

Pod's doing well

2004-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pod is completely back to normal and playing with me. Although he's bigger than me and doesn't have cerebellar hypoplasia, he doesn't beat me up too bad. I think he knows that he has to go easy on me. I'm glad he's all healed. We have lots of fun playing.

Pod has an adventure

2004-08-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

My brother, Pod, was neutered today. That means he had an operation so he cannot have kittens. Although kittens are cute, there are too many cats that need homes and having more kittens just makes the problem worse. Pod is doing well, and recovering fast. He seems okay.

Welcome!

2004-08-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Some days, important things happen in my life, but they aren't quite the sorts of adventures I put on my web site. I will write about some of those days here in my little online journal.