Goosie

Goosie is showing her age. She is eleven now, and has led a rather hard kitty life, what with the FIP, the Stromitis, and being locked in the neighbor's garage for five days, without food or water.

She now only goes out to take a poop, after I get home from work. She only stays out for about ten minutes. The rest of the time she lives in my bedroom, apparently sleeping 23 hours a day. When it started getting cold, I brought in a little space heater, and it has rarely been turned off all winter. Goosie apparently feels the cold, and spends the night lying next to the edge of the bed that the heater is on, so she gets the updraft of the hot air. Occasionally she dangles her head over the edge, and turns her ears hot pink from the heat.

I think she has artrititis as well. She no longer bounces from the bed to the window sill, but sits on the bed for a couple of seconds get her leap together. The same with the leap from the bed, to the nightstand, to the dresser where her food is. When I pet her I have to be very gentle if she is standing up, as she staggers from the pressure. Also she doesn't seem to like me petting her very much now, and complains if I stroke past the middle of her back (but, she also longs to be touched).  She mostly likes having her cheeks stroked now, and a lot of the time she is the one moving her head around, while I just hold my hand out. Even then she manages to hurt herself, and slashes me in revenge.

On the other hand she is eating like a horse! Where as before she just licked the gravy on the cat food, she now eats the whole can, occasionally a second can later on, and nibbles at a steady rate on her cruchies. The neighbor next door has moved, and I wonder if she used to feed her, or Goosie raided her dog's food as she didn't start eating like this until the neighbor moved.

She gives me feedback as to what she likes to eat by kicking the bed when she is displeased. She also makes a point of waking me up several times a night to show me her kitty tantrum (KICK,KICK,KICK), about my food choices for her. I keep finding scratches and dried blood trickles on me from this. She has made me go to Wallyworld at 3:AM to get something she likes as I wanted to sleep. Gone is the human tuna, and in with Meow Kitty. She loves this and eats it all, and rewards me with letting me stroke her tummy. She also has returned to kneading my stomach, as she hasn't done this all winter, instead lying in the hot air blast.

I'm hoping this summer she will return to going outside. I worry that reason she hasn't is that I started letting Mittens out as well and they are deadly enemies. I don't let them out at the same time but Goosie can look out the window and see her, so might think she is out there all the time. Time will tell.

She is very crabby, but still has her lovey dovey moments. I love her so much.