Pets Year in Review

2011 was a good year for the pets. Pretty much they were spoiled beyond belief.

Mojo
Mojo is a happy dog who smiles all the time. He’s always wagging his shaggy tail. He still thinks he’s a lap dog and likes to lounge on the couch. But this plus all of those treats in his foods and after going potty means he’s packing on the pounds.

He didn’t have as many playdates at the dogpark as he might like. He did have a birthday party and several dates at Sandy Creek Park. He did get a new football, though (fun!). He and Gunnar are best good friends. They play together, nap together, groom each other. Each time they lick each other it’s still the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Sadly, yesterday he got diagnosed with arthritis, but if he loses some weight hopefully that will be under control.

Gunnar
Gunnar had a good year. There was lots of pushing things of table ledges and bullying of Katie. He stomped around the house like a little emperor, only switching to stealth mode when plotting an ambush. He played with a lot of boxes, straws, pipe cleaners, pieces of dog kibble, pretty much anything we didn’t want him to have. All in all, he’s a happy evil kitty, who purrs a lot and lets us carry him around like a baby.

Katie
Katie is a happier kitty. It really took her a year to get used to us having Gunnar. She talks more now and hides under the bed less. She takes naps on Matt’s lap and is a lot more affectionate. She has this really funny tick though. If she’s trying to sneak past Gunnar, she walks in slow motion like it makes her invisible.

So that was the year with the pets. There was lots of fur. Lots of cuddles. Sleeping in the bed.

Oh, and I almost forgot....

Dust bunnies
Or rather the dust elephants. We live with a horrible amount of pet fur. Tufts of it even find their way into corners of rooms the pets don't go into. Sometimes it rolls around like tumbleweeds in the Wild West. We just resigned to the fact that there is always going to be a fine layer of pet fur on the furniture and that our clothes, especially black clothing, is just going to be pet-owner chic (i.e. covered in fur).

Diagnosis: Arthritis

Mojo is on bedrest for the next week.

A couple of months ago the vet told us that Mojo was getting a little chunky, that he needed to lose weight. We decided that he could get more exercise if we started going to the dog park more. But lately, every time we go to the dog park, he comes home limping.

The first time it was both front legs. He was just really stiff. He'd feel better if he walked around and in a few days he was walking normally. This happens every time we go to the dog park. He'd limp on his right front leg. Maybe it's a muscle thing? That he just needs to stretch. That he overworked himself.

Yesterday he went to the dog park and he was limping when he came home. He couldn't put any weight on his right paw. He'd yelp if you touched it. I was sad just to watch the dog was in so much pain and could barely walk anywhere.

This morning we took him to the vet. It had been going on too long for us to ignore it, to think it would go away. His walking was improved so were were almost worried the vet would laugh at us as over concerned parents, but something was obviously wrong.

Mojo hates putting on his harness. We have to angle his paws in. So this morning, he tried to run from getting the harness put on. At the vet, the vet came in and checked him paws. He said he noticed some carpal flexion issues. We told him Mojo wouldn't like his right paw to be flexed like he just did on his left. So the vet flexed Mojo's paw, the same as we do for the harness and Mojo let out the most blood curdling yelp.

The vet had seen Mojo trot on over to the scale (he lost three pounds since his last visit) so he knew it wasn't a mobility issue, but when Mojo yelped the vet knew something was wrong. So it was time for x-rays.

The vet gave us a CD of his Xrays. I thought that was pretty cool.

The vet showed us the X-rays. And to our relief, there was nothing really wrong: no stress fractures, popped tendons, etc.

But the bad news is Mojo has osteoarthritis and some bone spurs in his front limbs.

He's only three years old.

The fast stops at the dog parks put stress on his joints and aggravate the condition. So from now on, less dog park (at least until he's healed) and more walks.

He also needs to lose about 10 pounds. That should keep his condition from flaring up. To lose this weight, Mojo can't have any more cookies, just carrots, apples and green beans for treats. (He likes carrots and apples. We've never given him green beans.) We also need to either switch hin to a diet food or feed him 25% less food.

He's on anti-inflammatories and rest for the next 7-10 days. Poor guy.

Here's some info on canine osteoarthritis from Arthritis M.D.com

Mojo has all of the symptoms. He's stiff after the dog park, always asks for help getting into cars, he even sometimes sits down on walks when he doesn't want to go any further.

Symptoms of Canine Osteoarthritis:

At a young age, the signs of OA are acute joint pain and lameness. This acute phase of OA is often ignored and OA is generally diagnosed later in life when its chronic signs become more significant. Many owners first notice that their dog seems stiff after vigorous activity or when the dog first gets up after resting for a period of time (for example, upon waking up in the morning).  The dog will often warm out of stiffness when beginning an activity, but may refuse to perform strenuous activities altogether.  Dogs may be reluctant to jump into the car or go down stairs, and may lag behind on walks, or may appear slow to rise.  They may also seek warmth and soft, comfortable surfaces, and may lick or chew at the affected joint.  Dogs do not normally cry when in pain, so it is important to recognize other signs of OA pain.

Weight:  It is important that the dog maintain a normal weight; obese dogs should be put on a strict diet.  Lower weight leads to less stress on the joints, and this can help reduce the dose or frequency of drug administration, which, in turn, can reduce side effects. 

Exercise modification: A controlled, moderate exercise program performed consistently is best.  Moderate exercise can help maintain range of motion of the joint, maintain muscle mass, and promote cartilage health.  Exercise also helps with weight reduction.  The exercise level should be modified according to the needs of the individual dog.  If the dog seems stiff following a certain amount of exercise, it should be slightly reduced during the next activity period.

Best Christmas Present Ever

Gunnar is getting some good use out of that box he got for Christmas. Apparently it's just the right size for hiding, playing with, swatting at dogs from.

Blog note

I meticulously embed copyright notices into every decent photo I upload into this blog. For some reason, Bridge isn't reading the copyrights and the copyrights aren't showing up. !?! I'm going to try to fix this.....and hopefully there's an action so I don't have to go back to over 200 photos, but if the blog is down or turned private briefly that's why. I just don't want my photos stolen.

Thanks for reading.

~Sara (Mojo's mom)

Self Portrait

I like to make sure there's a variety of pictures on this blog. There's a lot of Mojo and Gunnar, so I try and throw in some pictures of Katie, some pet friends, etc. One thing there's not a lot of—me. I'm usually behind the camera and I don't like having my picture taken, but here's a picture of Mojo and me. He hates when I try to take pictures of him. Hates it. Can you tell?

Cheesy arm length self portrait. Could I get any paler?

Long Winter's Nap

I think Katie might sleep in the dog bed more than Mojo. Recently, it's her favorite sunny spot.

Katie got her Christmas ham and has been a very happy kitty. She demands pets whenever she can and even talks more than she used  to. Now, if only I would stop taking pictures of her.

Merry Christmas from Mojo and Friends

Merry Christmas from Mojo and Friends.

The pets had a wonderful Christmas. They loved the Christmas decorations. Gunnar, especially, liked eating the fake pine decorations and knocking the Christmas tree off the mantle. They each had their own stocking. From left: Gunnar, Mojo, Katie, mom, dad.

Gunnar got a box as an early Christmas present and Mojo got a container to keep his dog food fresh.

Christmas morning, the cats got their presents first. They got some cat toys. There was this HUGE mouse in the bottom of the package. I thought it was too big of a toy, but Gunnar took to it right away, and I keep finding it in the oddest places as he carries it with him everywhere.

Katie got some toys she played with all day :)

Gunnar attacking the large mouse toy. You can also see the cookie jar Mojo got for Christmas.

The best way to keep your new treasures safe? Lay on them.

After Christmas morning at our house, we went over to my sister's house. Mojo had a blast....when he wasn't trying to lick the baby.

Come here, you look delicious. (No babies were harmed in the making of this photo. Mojo is on a leash in case you're really worried.)

Mojo thinks Christmas is the best.

Lexi looks delicious. Come here and let me lick you.

PRESENTS!!!!!! (Seriously, don't know why he looks this crazy)

Matt, my dad (who just had open heart surgery) and Mr. Mojo

Matt looked at this picture and apparently didn't realize how big Mojo is.

Matt: When did our dog become the size of a horse?

Me: He's big.

Matt: He's the size of a horse?!

Me: That's what your grandpa has been saying.

Matt: But look at him, he's as big as the couch.

Me: He's 75 pounds. He's bigger than some of the police dogs.

Matt: He's bigger than most of the police dogs.


So all in all, Christmas was fun. We went home. When we got home I put all the pet treats we received up in a cabinet so they bags of gifts wouldn't be destroyed when I wasn't looking. I knew someone had given us catnip, but I couldn't find it so I just left it where it was. Mistake. I come downstairs maybe 20 minutes later and the catfood bag that was in the cabinet is on the floor, as are a few bags of treats. Katie is slinking around the kitchen, trying to nose in on the kitty mischief. Gunnar is chewing on that bag of catnip I couldn't find. Cat is a catnip monster. He has this uncanny nose for finding it. That's exactly why I wanted to put it up. So I didn't come home to find him stoned, rolling around in catnip like he did that one time.

Gunnar getting into the cabinet.

The pets want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks for reading. Let's see what mischief I can document next year.

Oh, Gunnar

What you looking at?

Gunnar is trying his darnedest to get on Santa's Naughty List. Just today (before 10:30 a.m.!)  he:

• woke us up by fighting REPEATEDLY with the humidifier at 6 a.m.
• knocked a Christmas tree off the mantle
• started a fight with Katie
• decided to use his litter box right after I cleaned it
• tore up the wrapping on Matt's dad's gift
• found the wrapping paper and decided all the gift tissue he could find needed shredding
• took a break and decided to sit in a window. Jumped up to the window sill and missed. Hung there for a few seconds (I laughed), fell down and knocked a few things over
• decided to tear up my brother's gift
• At which point I kicked him out of the room with the gifts and brought him to his dad for punishment cuddles. He went to pout over by his food.

Seriously, cat?

What do the pets do all day?

I've been home all week. And if you were wondering what the pets do all day, I have the answer. Nothing. They sleep a lot. That's it.

I get up and they do their morning routine. The cats run downstairs with me. I pour their food. Gunnar chows down. I change their water. Katie waits for the new water. I clean their litter boxes. Gunnar promptly uses the clean litter box. I take Mojo out. I feed Mojo. The end. That's pretty much all of the excitement until Mojo goes out for lunch. And then until dad comes home. They're a little more active in the evening. Gunnar has a 6:10 p.m. appointment with crazy. He darts up the stairs, meows up a storm, jumps on things, trashes some papers, maybe jumps in a box, then takes a nap on the bed until about 9 when he goes to see Matt. Katie stays downstairs with Matt in the evenings.

The pets tend to stay in whatever room I'm in and there's surprisingly little pet drama during the day. They usually fight in the morning, but they must get it out of their system, or save it until bedtime when they always have a fight. During the day, Gunnar might go off destructing but shortly thereafter he'll have to sleep it off. Katie wanders quietly away and naps in a sunny spot. Mojo sleeps. He doesn't even get up to bark that much. I knew he was lazy, but I'm not sure I thought he was this lazy.

Mojo gets comfortable.

Pet fashion

You can thank Rachel Zoe but faux fur vests are all the rage this year. So are those furry boots.

My pets have never seemed interested in fashion.....until I caught Gunnar wearing what I thought was one of those faux fur vests.

Gunnar rocking the latest kitty fashion craze.

Then I looked closer and realized (please don't call PETA) that it was real fur. Thanks Mojo.

Mojo, your tail is on me.

Wet Dog

I went to take Mojo on a walk at lunchtime and instead on going the normal route he turned right and took me to the park. I had planned on taking him to the park later this week when it was nicer out, but I went with it......

Even though it was drizzling and yucky out. But before I realized it, his paws were filthy. He was walking through mud puddles (not the sidewalk of our normal route) and he was going to have to get a bath when we got home (we have light carpet and the tub is upstairs.)

So I toweled off his paws downstairs and then bathed in all by myself upstairs. He's pretty good about getting bathed. He just tries to jump out of the tub too soon. We really need shower/tub or one of those adjustable hand held shower things that I could spray him with. After I washed him (yuck the tub was so disgusting afterward), I let him dry off on the porch. He really enjoyed watching the rain.

Wet dog.

Gunnar helping to try off Mojo's paws. When Gunnar is wet, he licks himself clean, so same thing for Mojo.

Closeup of Gunnar licking Mojo's paws.

Mojo returning the favor and licking Gunnar.

That evening it was still raining and Mojo decided that it was his new favorite thing was sitting on the porch and watching the rain.  I kept the door open and he'd go downstairs and say hi to Matt, race up the stairs, watch the rain, go tell Matt something he saw and repeat.  I went out there at one point and found a balled up pair of socks. I don't know if he brought it out there because he was playing with it, he will sometime bring a song outside with him. But he had the biggest smile on his face from playing out the porch.  He loved it.

Pets Letters to Santa

Just in case Santa reads this blog, the pets have a few Christmas requests (Some insisted it on typing it themselves, others had me type and edit as I as we went along):

Mojo thinks the bed is his. Sigh.

Deer Santa,

I is been good dawg this year. Mom says so anyway. Especially when I poop. I always poop by the road. Never by the house. Isn't that great? I'm a good watchdog too. I get up and bark at the neighbors, a stray leaf, air so the peoples think I'm guarding. Also, I have perfected my BEG face so I can get the mostest foods. My favorites are noodles, potatoes, bacon, chicken, hamburger, salad, carrots....really anything.

If you could bring me the following I will wag my tail and not bark when you come down the chimney.

1. SOCKIES—infinite supply. The stinkier the better.

2. BACON. People bacon is the best.

3. Mom to let me sleep in the bed 

4. Dogpark in my backyard. 

5. Play rings with me?

She thinks all pillows are cat beds.

Dear Santa,

I haz bin good cat thiz yeer. Gunnar iz stupid bully. Plz bring himz coal. I can eat all of hims hamz.

Mi Christmas lizt iz:

1. To be onlee cat

2. Hamz

3. Shoelace that zaps Gunnar if hims touches it

4. A litterbox with a paw scanner that no let Gunnar in.

5.  No Gunnar

Lots of goodz lap cuddlez,

Katie

Looking thoughtful. But what's he really plotting?

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good evil kitty this year. I have knocked lots of glasses off the edges of tables, knocked the hamper down the stairs a few times, even gotten into some cabinets I wasn't supposed to (though eating the fake plant was definitely a mistake). If you have any extra packing peanuts, I will be happy to take them off of your hands.

If you wish to please me, you can bring me:

1. Catnip. Enough to roll around in. 

2. Boxes to play in and ambush ankles from.

3. Another humidifier, one with fish in it. (Yum, fish!)

4. Supreme world domination

5. Appropriate length tail.

His Highness, Sir Gunnar of Wiltshire

Water Bowl Mystery

Woke up this  morning to find a pair of Matt's socks in the water bowl. Hmm.....Wonder who put them there. The cats are usually the ones who put things in the water bowl, but these socks are heavy. But I don't think Mojo would do this on purpose. I guess Gunnar wanted to keep them safe...

UPDATE 12/29/11: Mystery Solved
I ate a bowl of soup upstairs and while I was doing some chores I heard bowls clinking around. I thought it was just Matt pouring himself a bowl of soup.....but he was on the couch. So I go in to bedroom to see Gunnar playing in my discarded bowl. And what's in the bowl? One of my socks.

Early Christmas Present

I got Gunnar one of his favorite things for Christmas: A box!

Big guy had tons of fun hopping into and out of this box. He'd hide in it and then pop out like a Jack-in-the-box. 

Box for me? Whatever will I do with it?

Because kitty likes to read.

Hiding in a box. You can't see me.

Dog Park Saturday

Thanks to the wonderfully warm weather, we went to the dog park today. It was one of Mojo's friends birthdays. It was a little windy, but not not too bad. We had a very fun time and the dogs were more active than they've ever been. They actually ran around the entire hour instead of laying down for naps after 35 minutes.

Mojo happily running through the woods.

Heather's dog, Cash. He was good at finding balls tossed into the woods.

Mojo, Cash and Billie Holiday with the orange ball in her mouth. We were celebrating Billie's fifth birthday.

Mojo actually playing ball. Usually he just runs around with the other dogs.

Daisy. She zipped around the park and had a blast.

Treats! Phoebe the poodle and Mojo were begging for treats. Cody and Billie Holiday eating theirs. The boys in the background.

Cash, Daisy, Cody and Phoebe playing at the park.

Leaving the park.

Katie

Katie, looking poised and beautiful in window light. She's such a lady.

Mojo's Grandparents' House

Mojo loves to go to his grandparents' house. LOVES. 

The first thing he does when he gets there is run to their dog Sophie's room and eat her food. By then we run after him and try to catch him. He then runs a reckless lap around the house. He bounds up the stairs and we run after him and close doors so he doesn't go in any of the rooms. We catch him and take him to the back yard where there is more running amok. 

One of Mojo's top-speed laps around the house.

When he's tired he comes back inside, and finishes off any of Sophie's food he didn't get the first time. After drinking all of Sophie's water he then takes a nap. 

Ok, so someone takes a nap. Not necessarily Mojo.

When Mojo wakes up, he tries to bites the ears off Sophie's toys. 

I have sewn the ear back on this dog several times. Eventually I think it got eaten because the toy has two half ears. But I don't have to practice sutures on it anymore.

By then someone is snacking and Mojo shamelessly begs for food. He gets a lot of table scraps. It's one of the perks of visiting.

Another perk is that there are no baby gates. At our house we use baby gates to confine him to one part of the house. So he can't run up and down the stairs like a mad man (dog?). Seriously, the stairs are his personal Autobahn. So of course he runs up and down the stairs at their house. He likes going upstairs and looking down on the living room. He smiles so big when he does that.

He loves the backyard. We don't have one, but wish we did. He sprints at top speed around it. He sniffs the plant life and always begs for meat if his granddad is out there grilling. 

Being a shepherd, he loves having a flock to tend to. If we're not all in the same room, he'll alternate between hanging out with us and herding the stray back towards everyone else. If someone is in the office, he'll go glance in the door every few minutes. If someone is in the kitchen cooking, he's likely there. Ready and able to eat anything that might fall on the floor.

Mojo's extended family. Grandparents, great-parents, an uncle, aunt and cousin. Shot from the second floor overlook that Mojo likes so much.

And when it's time to go, Mojo gets that sad puppy look on his face. He slouches, almost cowers in the sad position he takes. Sometimes he backs away or tries to go up the stairs. He won't let us put his leash on him. He doesn't want to go. It's like he's saying: "Seriously guys, I'm just going to stay here."

This goes on for several minutes. He really likes it there. But he can't stay. If he stayed, we couldn't come home to him at lunch and he wouldn't have his cat. (How many dogs have their own cats?) Eventually we have to take him back to our townhouse, without a yard and without a fancy second-floor overlook. Poor Mojo. 

Compensating

We've all heard about how guys might compensate for their lack of ....with an expensive sports car. But Gunnar, sometimes I wonder if all of his bullying and stalking and generally acting mean and tough is compensating for his lack of....tail. Poor Manxy cat.

Guns Overload

His very uncatlike lounging. Not sure if he thinks he's a dude or a dog.

So lately you may have noticed that I tend to feature Gunnar a lot. And there are more posts about him than Katie. Why is that?

1) Because Gunnar hangs out with me more. When I'm writing, he comes and naps near me. If I take a nap, he stays nearby and fights with the humidifier. Katie and Mojo hang out with Matt when we're doing different things, but Gunnar follows me around like a puppy.

2) Because Gunnar is a mile a minute. When he's awake, he's into everything. Katie is more shy, likes to hide. Basically she does a lot of the same. She just sleeps and walks casually around the house (as opposed to stomping), and how many blog posts can I do about her sleeping? But Gunnar is busy plotting his next move: knocking the laundry hamper down the stairs,  planning his next ambush on Katie etc. 

Puppy Mojo

I seriously need to archive my photos, so I was trying to get organized this weekend. I found over 1,000 pictures of Mojo including this picture of BABY MOJO.

This is from the day he came home. CUTEST THING EVER.

Picture of a Saturday

This is what Saturdays usually look like at my house. I write. Katie naps while keeping me company. Mojo is bored. Gunnar is off destroying things ;)

He's an awfully good cat......when he's not being completely evil

Gunnar CAN be a good cat. He likes to cuddle, gives good hugs, likes to purr loudly. And when he's sleeping he is a good cat. But that's not how he spends his waking hours. He likes to stalk Katie, ambush her, stomp around the house, eat the dog's food, knock things off tables, tear up paper towels, sharpen his nails on the couch, getting into closed cabinets, find odd discarded items that he shouldn't have...mostly he likes to make a lot of noise: playing behind the blinds, knocking his condo over, jumping up on things, jumping down, meowing at the top of the stairs, fighting with the humidifier (he likes to do this when I'm sleeping). Maybe this demon spawn he actually is part bobcat?

PS> I think he had something to prove because shortly after posting this he made a gross mess right outside Katie's litterbox. :(

Playing with water

Manxy cats are known for their love of water. Gunnar has hopped into bath water before, and he likes to hop in the bathtub whenever we open the bathroom door. The other day he hopped in the bathtub and I trickled on the water just to see what he would do. Answer: Play in it. He batted his paws under the drip, licked his paw and repeat. He had a lot of fun watching the water. He probably would have done it all day. I guess he'll have to settle for fighting with the humidifier. 

Katie's Sunny Spots

One of Katie's latest sunny spaces to sleep is in Mojo's dog bed. (Mojo very seldom sleeps there). Katie thinks it's a nice soft space to sleep in the sun.

Apparently it was such a good spot that after she left Gunnar had to go and try it out. The silly guy was sniffing the spot, laying in it, trying to get comfortable. He did this with all of her nap places this weekend. I'm not sure if it was curiosity or a territory issue. Probably both.

Painting with Light

Photography is all about finding your light and I do love beautiful light.  I don't like using flash so I like to shoot outdoors in by window light. Cats naturally seek out sunny spots, so here we had an impromptu photo shoot when Gunnar found some wonderful window light.

Gunnar hanging out in the bathroom.

Zoomed in version of the same kind of shot. Love the contrast in his whiskers.
He pops so much and it's all from the window light.

Gunnar

Enjoying the sunlight