What WS said, askye. You deserve good support and you're being very responsible.

That wonderful news, sj.

askye, I'm glad you've got such an understanding boss. I hope the time off helps reset your baseline for you.

Burrell, I have only found this, but you may well find it useful -Royal Canin, seems reasonable quality, possibly even good enough to start your cat on sooner rather than later. [link]

I think I tried one of those as well, WS. Thanks

Oh, Andi, you have no idea how happy I am to see all your information about kitty doctoring. Makes things go so much better when our little friends have trouble.

My info about cats with early stage renal disease is that the subQ fluid therapy prolongs lives. Forget about starving them trying to make them eat food they don't like. Obligate carnivores don't need grain filling or the cheap stuff.

With a prescription, you can order a case of the saline bags at Costco for about $25, the needles and drip lines from Foster and Smith. Much Much cheaper than getting those supplies from the vet.

I hope the good news keeps on coming, sj.

I am research girl, and I want to know everything. One of my favorite things about Kaiser is that most test results are online and can even be graphed.

Sadly it seems my adventures with the hummingbird family have come to an end. There has been little hummer activity at Chez Katie over the weekend. Occasionally I see one swooping over the roof next door but none at close hand.

Sad because it is over; ecstatic that I had a week in which I could walk right up to a wild baby bird and see it all unafraid curiosity, willing to lean over and poke my finger with its little white tongue hard enough that I actually could feel it. Amazing isn't strong enough to describe it.

Funny that the birds were not especially frightened by the cats and were sitting on the same dangerously low branch only a few hours after the captured-by-Pearl incident. They have a long lasting fear and distrust of me now that is more appropriate for their chances of survival than thinking they are pets, but still, I miss my little buddy zooming over my head in the morning.

Aw. Maybe they'll remember your place as being a good place to raise families, Katerina Bee, and come back for future generations. Thanks for sharing their progress with us!

I talked to Mom and she said that R is her favorite person right now.

I had someone make a disparging remark about working retail (not to my face it was online and kind of an aside) but at my skill level in an office setting there's no way I could get the kind of accomdations I need. I couldn't say - btw I need all day Wednesday off and then - can I have two days off in a row. Oh and I need my hours changed (I switched from all most all closing shifts to opening shifts) and I can do that here.

Now I just need to remember to eat. I don't think I did a good job shopping but I don't feel like cooking and a lot of the quick foods are out because of problem ingredients.

My mother works at K-mart now. She started for the Christmas holidays. Some of her old co-workers think it was a terrible comedown and actually came to point and laugh. Mom said they work at a high school...they aren't in high school.