Laura Seabrook's Ramblings

1. result of a cat fight; or
2. a burst abscess caused by bad teeth.

That's a light and radio (tuned to ABC Classics) on the left, and the feast and mini-bonfire on the right. At back is Pegasus's memorial bush (I shall probably buy and plant another bush to mark her passing, even though I can't bury her under it). How I'll remember her the most - the cat in the window:

It's like when Pegasus died. Despite my knowing intellectually that he was gone, I still seemed to expect him to turn up, or be places where he'd usually be. It's the same with Ebs. I almost expect her to jump down from the wardrobe in the RecRoom onto my computer desk with an almighty thump; to be there on top of the bookcase near her food looking at me in the lounge; and so forth and so on. And like Pegausas, I know this will continue for a while.

Having a ritual out the back tonight, to celebrate her life.

I went out three times to check on Ebony last night. The first two times there were meows. The third time there was nothing. This morning there was nothing. Here's what this all looks like:

The drain she ran under after being attacked. Pic on the right shows the spur branch, and some food I left for her.

Looking down the spur line. Is that yellow object Ebony's eye? Also, Ebony earlier this year.

The thing is I CAN'T TELL for sure. She may have left that spot during the night. The drain spur must go somewhere so she could have gone to the other end, or come out  and into my yard somewhere. It's unlikely she'd come do that, or come into the house, because she knew Sam was here.

I'm taking the dogs for a walk. With them out of the yard/house there's still a chance. Maybe.
 

Bobby and Xena waiting for their dinner.

This summer has been a bad one for fleas. The house was flea bombed in October, and again last month after K & M moved out. But that seems to have been ineffective. A week after it seemed the fleas were back again. I vacuum and do what I can, but seems like a battle I can't win (in fact, the booms seemed to have killed more cockroaches than anything else). But I am worried about gabby and Ebony.

Here's Gabby about this time last month:

She has a good thick coat, and there's a shine to it. Here's Gabby a few days ago:

Her fur is uneven and patching, and the shine's gone. Worse, there seem to be bare patches like this:

Ebs has always had bare-ish patches but not so bad. Today however, she looked like this!

Bobby and Xena seem unaffected. Here's Xena a few days ago:

Mind you, Xena stays outside, and mostly in next door's yard. Bobby likewise is fine:

I trimmed his coat about a month ago, and while he huhs and puffs in the heat, all dogs I've ever known do. He is starting to sit down like Pegasus did in the last year of his life, but Bobby's 14-17 years old - he can do if you wants to.

So, any suggestions about what this is for Gabby and Ebony? Due to bills I'm short until Wednesday otherwise I would have taken Gabby off to the vets already. Ebony doesn't seem to be concerned about her white patches. What gives?

Kevin, Michelle and Hallie aren't up yet. However, I just brought Xena inside, and Gabby was already in here (as are Bobby and Ebony). It's a full house at the moment, though I think Xena will find a way to get out.

Ebony has taken to pooing in the bath tub.

Not sure why, but often late at night she ends up at the other end of the house. Her litter tray's down my end, but Kevin has asked me to close the connecting door between the lounge and the kitchen. That means often she's trapped down the other end. Not that she seems to mind much. Anyway, sometimes Kevin discovers that she's pooped in the bathtub!

Now last night, I went to bed at 10pm, and made sure that Ebony was down my end. This morning before I went out I made sure she was down my end, and that there were no poops in the tub, before closing the connecting door (the front door gets left open for Peggy and Bobby to use). However when Kevin got home tonight he complained about find a cat poo in the bath tub!

I left about 10am, and Kevin left about about 11:10am, so sometime between then after the connecting door was opened (mostly so that Hallie can be let out) she snuck down there and did it. I'm going to clean out the litter tray tomorrow, but that can't be the only cause, surely? If she doesn't want to use it at my end, she can just pop out the window and go outside. Pretty hard to do that up the other end. The laundry window was left slightly open earlier this year, but it's just too cold to do that right now.

Suggestions?

Ebony turned up just as we were leaving for Glendale.

I was going off to the opticians, and Kevin was coming as well so we could do some shopping afterwards. Just after we'd gone through the front gate, I heard Ebony and saw her just underneath the car. She was limping, with her left front paw bent (and slightly swollen) and holding her left front leg to her body. I opened the front door and put her inside, and she jumped up to eat some food.

We had a bus to catch, so we had to leave her home, but she was safe as that part of the house was isolated from the dogs. When we got back, she was on top of the built-in cupboards in the front room, looking down with large yellow eyes. Kevin examined her while I went out the back and fed the other pets. He seemed to think that she'd dislocated that paw. I phoned one local vet and described the symptoms, and they said that it may be either bruised, or perhaps she'd been bitten in the armpit, but that such was all they could tell over the phone.

They also said that if she's not constantly crying (she isn't) then it's probably not that bad. Kevin's going to phone another vet for a second opinion soon. If I have to take her to the vets, it'll be either Jenny (not Jenn, another one) across the road giving me a lift, or a long trip on a bus (I have a cat box), but probably not until tomorrow. She's safe in the front of the house, and I'm keeping doors shut so she can't run off or that the it isn't invaded by Halley (who probably means well, but has been spooking her). Halley and Ebony need to be properly introduced, though while Ebs is injured is probably not the right time to do so.

I am very very relieved that Ebs is back, but further complications are just draining me.