Warm and Toasty Thursday

When our dad plays his video games, we like to climb on top of, and next to the console, to get the heat protruding off of it! "We silly!"

"I can't wait for my mom to get out of bed in the mornings so that I can sleep in her covers just like she does!" (Note: Reggie did this himself, I did not put him here!)

"Yeah, I'm warm, so what? Stop taking pictures of me or else I will laser you with my eyes!"

Ode to Marley....

Let me just talk about Marley a little bit here...

He is the sweetest kitty boy ever. Not that Reggie isn't, but they just have different personalities. Marley has always been a little spoiled. Probably because he is our first "baby" and the first sphynx we've owned. (I always tell him, "You'll always be our first sphynx Marley!") Ever since we got him back in Nov. 2007 he's been spoiled by us wrapping him up in his "kitty burritos". He hardly ever has to work to get snuggled in a blanket because we always help him out.

He HOWLS and MEOWS at me in the mornings while I'm making coffee or in the evenings while I'm doing dishes. Why is he howling you ask? Duh! "I just want you to scratch my head and rub my cheeks and chin". He does this after he's jumped up on the high pub kitchen table and makes endless noise until I've finished starting the coffee or take off my dish washing gloves. Then he just stands there while I give him his scritches and rubs. If I stop too soon, he let's me know that too.

Recently I've been putting one of their cat beds in the bottom of the bedroom closet. Then at night I'll put one of their fleece blankets in the kitty bed. Well, Marley lets me know when he's ready for bed because he'll just walk over to the empty cat bed and wait until I put his blanket in there. Then in he goes for the night!

We love you Marley so much and you are such a good big brother. You constantly give Reggie baths, even if he never returns the favor. You don't bite me or meow at me while I am performing "sphynx maintenance" on you. You cover your presents in the litter box unlike some other hairless kitty I know. You don't make a fuss at the V-E-T. You aren't even two years old yet, yet you are the most regal kitty we know. Here's to Marley, the sphynx kitty that opened up our hearts to hairlessness and we'll never look back!

This is Marley on the kitchen table. He likes sitting on the grocery bags after I've unpacked the groceries. By the way, his coloring is "blue and cream".

Friday Night Photo Ops!

Before our mom and dad headed out for the evening, they took some pictures with us. As you can see, we are totally mancats in these pictures!

Wordless Wednesday

Valentine's Day Treats

In honor of V-day, Mom gave us some chicken....real chicken too! Not stinky goodness chicken made only for kitties! ... We gobbled it right up...

"Well, I didn't finish mine all gone, but then Reggie took care of that for me" --Marley

"This was the bestest meal in a really long time! Yum!" --Reggie

"Hunting" for Birdies

While they can't actually "get" to them, Marley and Reggie sure try their darndest every morning!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Reggie's Echo Results

Reggie does have mild HCM; only some slight thickening in the left ventricle, but NOT in the left atrium which the doctor told me is when it is really bad. She said his asthma is totally unrelated so we can probably get him started on some steroids for that. She agreed with the radiologist too that his asthma is mild and should stop with the steroids. So, this doctor needs to speak and send the lab results to my current vet for follow up....BUT...she was very surprised b/c Reggie has NO heart murmur....both her and my regular vet confirmed they don't hear any sort of heart murmur, so that is good I guess?! Really, when I think about it, the only reason we found out about this mild thickening was b/c he coughs from his asthma which led to the chest x-ray to this...Like the cardiologist said yesterday, if she was just doing a routine exam on him she would have had no reason to suggest an echocardiogram for him, so this makes me think how many other sphynx' could have this and not even know it! Reggie's breeder told me both his parents are clear of HCM, but I'm wondering if one of them has it midly and doesn't even know it.

Like the doctor told me today, the "good" thing about HCM is that it is so variable. They just don't know if/when it will progress, if at all, from animal to animal....He could live a very long life if it doesn't progress, or he could get worse. She is concerned because of his age (he'll be 1 year old in April), but said we should check again in 6 months to see if there has been any changes. Then, after that, maybe check once a year. She is not putting him on any medications for the heart just yet; she said though in 6 months, even if there has been no changes, we still might put him on medication then....I guess we'll wait to see what she recommends. She was a very good cardiologist though and didn't rush me at all with my questions...for $600 she shouldn't! haha! (But I got Care Credit and can pay in 3 payments, interest free). Of course they couldn't get Reggie to lay on his side "like a normal cat", so she wrapped him up in the blanket I brought with him and sat him in her lap and did the ultrasound that way. What a character he is. Marley is so much better at the vet's compared to Reggie!

If anyone has advice pertaining to mild HCM, please let me know. I've heard that adding taurine to his diet is good for heart conditions. Anyone familiar?

Wordless Wednesday

Mini disclaimer: I know it's "Wordless Wednesday" but I should say that this was the temperature when I got in my car yesterday afternoon; after driving for a bit, the temperature steadied off in the 80's. Still, very warm! And now they are predicting heavy rain for 3 days starting tomorrow. Go figure!

Reggie and his sweater

Contrary to what you may think, sphynx, at least my two, don't like sweaters! Here is Reggie and his attempt to get it off. Even tempting him with treats didn't fool him that he had it on. He kept walking backwards to get it off.

PS: Reggie's echocardiogram is Friday - Please keep him in your purrers.

Building a Fort

Marley especially loves to sleep in a "fort". We often help him build it, but nonetheless, he'll sleep in there for hours. That is, until lil' brother comes and finds where he's been hiding.