Thankful Thursday

 Hi everyone!

It's Mom Sierra here today, and I am joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

I want to apologize for not visiting anyone's blog last week. Spittlebugs hit the fan last Wednesday, and you're about to see why my focus needed to be solely on sweet little Gabe for several days.

A few weeks ago, Gabe was doing really great! He was eating all his meals, being social, and enjoying life. So, the vet and I decided it was time to start weaning Gabe off some of his medications for chronic pancreatitis to see what he needs long-term versus what he doesn't. 

It took nearly two weeks, but we titrated Gabriel off his buprenorphine. Gabriel is quite a sensitive mancat, so we had to lower his buprenorphine dose a tiny bit at a time. After 12 days, he was finally off the medication completely.

Unfortunately, he was showing signs of pain again—not wanting to eat his canned food, hiding in the closet after meals, and not being very social (rather spending nearly all of his time in his bed in the bedroom). 

It seems clear that Gabe still needs his buprenorphine. 

So, after talking to the vet, we decided to put him back on the medication to see if that would help perk him back up. 

Poor Gabriel was sad and miserable last week, waiting for the superpotent medication to leave his system.

Last Wednesday, I gave him 0.1ml buprenorphine per usual. Then I found out about the Wedgewood recall. I checked the bottle I gave him the medication from, and sure enough, it was in a recalled lot. Wedgewood Pharmacy has stated that some of the medications they sent out were underpotent while others were superpotent (too potent). 

Gabriel started acting strange shortly after I gave him his buprenorphine. He was meowing excessively, very hyper, constantly under my feet, couldn't settle.... He was like this for several hours. Then, he crashed. Hard. 

Thankful Thursday

*Graphic created by Terry Frum of Brian's Home - Forever.

Hi everyone,

It's Mom Sierra, and I am joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

Way back in June, I had the idea to create a Patreon channel for The Cat Blogosphere. I thought it would be a fun way to grow our pawesome pet community and help us all connect more. 

Life happened. Gabriel got sick. But it is finally time to launch our Patreon channel! You can read all about the Patreon channel over at The Cat Blogosphere if you haven't already.

Patreon will allow us to connect with one another via Zoom calls and community chats. I am really excited about the events we have to offer! 

The best part is that you can try out the channel and events for FREE for the rest of the year! After January 1, 2027, our events will go behind a pay wall, but you can always remain a free subscriber and participate in the online community chats.

How to Join The Cat Blogosphere on Patreon 

I've had several people say they are technologically challenged (like me!), so I thought I'd give a quick rundown of how you can become a free subscriber. 

1. Go to Patreon.com. 

Thankful Thursday

 Hi everyone, it's mes, Gabriel, and me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

Today me and Mama are both thankful. 

Gabriel checked around his empty bowl to make sure he didn't drop any food while he ate his midnight snack. 

Mama is thankful me is eating consistently. As many of you know, me has been struggling with chronic pancreatitis since June. Me had not been eating consistently since then. Me might eat two meals in a row, but never more than that. Me wasn't even touching my midnight snack most nights. 

BUT for almost the past WEEK, me has been eating all three of my canned food meals each day! Mama is so very happy and thankful that me is feeling good and me likes my current menu.

Gabriel enjoyed a nice snooze in the big basket on his tree after he finished filling his belly.

Me is thankful me feels better and that Mama listened when me said me wanted to eat a variety of flavors, not just the same one everyday!

Thankful Thursday

 Hello everyone, 

Today we are joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop.

I am so thankful for our good friend, Melissa, at Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.

See, I entered the annual Cat Writers' Association Communications Contest earlier this year. I earned three Certificates of Excellence. I've been entering the contest since 2019. Every year after the results have been tabulated and the certificate winners announced, the Cat Writers' Association sends us beautiful printed Certificates of Excellence. I have a few of mine framed. 

Well, this year, things changed. The organization decided to stop printing and sending the certificates. Instead, they are now sending digital certificates. 

Apparently this was a "policy change" they didn't feel was important to share with the contest entrants either before or during the contest. It was only after someone explicitly asked about the printed certificates that they told us about this change.

Thankful Thursday

 

Hi everyone, we are joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

It is the Mom today with some wonderful news. 

The vet and I agreed it was time to try Gabriel on prednisolone for the pancreatitis he has been struggling with for the past three months. We have tried literally everything else there is for treatment, but none of it was providing him with enough relief to recover.

He has been on the pred for almost two weeks now. He has had eight good days in a row!! He has not had more than two or three good days in a row since this all started. 

He is demanding food every couple of hours, and even though that is not his usual feeding schedule, I have been giving him snacks whenever he wants. He has been eating 5-6 times a day the past two days. He usually gets 4 meals a day, but during this illness, I considered it a decent day if Gabe ate two full meals (and yes, he has been taking an appetite stimulant). He may be a little rounder the next time he goes to see the vet....but he is still at a good weight. 

Gabriel is clearly happier now. He runs around, plays with his toys, jumps up on my back and wraps himself around my neck like an orange scarf several times a day, and follows me around like he did before he got sick. I am so incredibly thankful that my baby is back to his happy, social self! 

Next week, our vet wants us to start titrating Gabriel off his medications, one at a time, to see how he does. We will be starting with his pain medication next week.

I'd be lying if I said I am not nervous. Please cross your paws he has recovered from his flare and that it is time for him to come off his meds now. 

Thank you, again, to everyone who has shown so much love and care for our sweet Gabe through this trying time. 

Thankful Thursday: Giovanni's First Dental

 Hi everybody, it's me, Giovanni, and me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today!

Me had my first dental yesterday (Wednesday). Me tried to hide from Mama. Me hid well, too! Mama had to call her bestie and ask him to help her look for me, MOL!! Mama was getting scared hers would not find me and would have to cancel my dental, but hers finally found me. Me was coming out from under the couch! Mama looked under there three times and me was not there. Mama's bestie thinks me was moving from one hiding place to another so Mama could not find me! Me almost won.....almost. 

But in the end, me got put in the carrier and carted off to the vet. 

Thankful Thursday

Hi everyone, it's me, Giovanni, and we is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today!

Last week me went to de v-e-t to have some follow-up bloodwork done. 

Well, the next day the vet called Mama and said she thinks me is a DIABETIC KITTY! Mama said, "WHAT?!?!" The vet said my glucose came in at 324. 

Mama told the vet me has NO symptoms of diabetes. So they decided to run a fructosamine test on me that would tell them what my blood glucose has been like over the past two weeks. 

Mama was 99.9% sure that my high blood glucose level was because me is SO terrified at the vet, but she wanted to make sure. So, Mama waited on pins and needles for two more days because the lab was being very slow with my test.

It turns out my fructosamine was just fine! 

She says me is sweet but not TOO sweet! MOL!

Mama is going to try and spot check me sometime in the next month, but the vet is planning to run another fructosamine test on me and recheck my potassium (because it was a bit low) when me goes in for my dental in September.

So today me and Mama are thankful me is not a sugar baby and that me is healthy for my dental next month.

Thankful Thursday: Extra Treats

 

Hi everybody, it's mes, Gabriel!

First of all, me wants to say thank you to everybody who wished mes a Happy Gotcha Day! Me is lucky to have so many pawesome friends!

Do you know what else me is thankful for?

EXTRA TREATS!!!

That's right, me has been getting extra treats lately!! Giovanni gets a treat after each dose of metronidazole he gets, and me gets some, too, because Mama says you can't give one fuzzy a treat and not the other. Hers says me is getting treats just because I'm cute! MOL!!

Giovanni gets his medicine twice a day, so me has been enjoying lots of extra treats this past week! Too bad he will be done with his meds soon, MOL! 

We is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

Happy Third Gotcha Day, Giovanni!

 

Hi everybody, it's mes, Giovanni!

First, me wants to say thank you for all of de purrs and prayers for my belly! Mama started me on that medicine today, and hers was impressed with how cooperative me was about taking it! 

Second, do you know what today be?!?

Today be MY THIRD GOTCHA DAY!!!!

Yep, three years ago, me came to live with Mama and Tylan when me was just a tiny kitten!

Here me is at my foster home de day Mama came to visit me.

Today, me is so thankful to have a forever home, and me is thankful that my sisters, brother, and cat mama all have forever homes, too. 

Thankful Thursday

 Hi everybody, it's mes, Gabriel, and we is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

We have a couple of thankfuls today.

Me is thankful for everybody who wished mes a happy 1st birthday last week! Me and Giovanni gotted to have a bit more whipped cream on my birthday. It be soooo yummy! Me wishes we could have it everyday. 

Mama is thankful for de urgent care peoples who come to your home when you need a doctor de same day. Mama had to get thems to come out today because hers has a UTI. It be hard for Mama to get out and about by herself cause of her very low vision. So hers really appreciates this urgent care visit; it takes some of de stress off her plate.

Thankful Thursday: Birthday Fun!

 Hi everybody, it's mes, Giovanni! Me is joining Angel Brains' Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

Before me begins, me wants to apologize for the crummy photos in this post. Mama did not do a good job of capturing how adorable me is.

My third birthday was on Sunday.

Me had a good day. Mama had ham for dinner and shared some with me and Gabriel! Ham be our favorite! Later on, we had a nice play session with our new laser pointers. Mama really likes the one with the green light because it is easier for hers to see than the red light. Me and Gabriel go bonkers for it every night at playtime. 

Thankful Thursday: Suckle Blankie

Hi everybody, it's me, Gabriel, and me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today!

Every week, Mama gathers up all de clothes and washes them. Last week, hers gathered all de clothes and bed sheets like usual, but do you know what?! Hers forgot to wash my suckle blankie!! 

When Mama noticed, hers put my blankie in de laundry basket and got me another blankie to suckle. 

Me was so upset! In fact, me was so upset, me refused to curl up by Mama at wakie time like me does every day. And me didn't even want to be on de bed to hang out with her very much. 

Thankful Thursday: Professional Furniture Assembly

 Hi everyone, we are joining Angel Brain's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

Look at what got delivered to our house last week! It be an office chair and another bookcase for Mama's bazillion and one books. Mama said that this office chair is for her, so she can start researching and writing her new book, but we know hers really bought it for us! We both really loved napping on this nice box.

Today we be thankful for furniture assembly services. 

This be de new bookcase.

Mama be thankful for professional assembly services because hers knew there was no way hers could put together de new chair or bookcase by herself. We is thankful for de service because we didn't have to hear Mama spewing any HBO words trying to put these things together, MOL!!

What do you be thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

 Hi everybody, it is mes, Gabriel, and we is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today!

Today, mes and Mama be so thankful for Mama's best friend, Dad Terry, over at Brian's Home - Forever! 

You know what hims did? Hims spent lots and lots of time on de video calls with Mama on Tuesday, deciphering de photo instructions for our new tree and telling her which parts went where. My Mama can barely see, so de picture instructions be very confusing and not at all helpful for hers! 

This is de new tree! Isn't it nice? Mama just can't get over how cute it be, MOL! 

Me approves, too! Me curled right up in it when it was done for a long nap in this big basket! 

Yesterday, me spent lots of time napping in the square bed at the top of de tree. It sure is nice and cushy up there! 

Giovanni hasn't checked it out much yet, but hims be a scaredy cat. Mama says he will check it out after he realizes the new tree not be scary. For now, me will enjoy having de new tree all to mineself! 

Thankful Thursday

Hi everybody! It's me, Gabe, and we are joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today because we has a lot to be thankful for this week.

We had an eventful week last week. Mama had to starve on Tuesday all day for an endoscopy on Wednesday where theys put in some kind of device called a Bravo sensor in her esophagus. It was supposed to measure Mama's tummy acid levels. The doctors already know hers has reflux, so Mama wasn't sure what more the test would tell them, but hers decided to have it in case it could give them some answers about why her tummy is always acting up. Hers had to get off all her tummy meds for a whole week and starve for 33 hours for the test....can you imagine?!

Anyway, Mama got up really early in the morning and went to have the sensor put in. Then Mama came back and had a nap. When hers woke up, Giovanni wouldn't leave hers side. He told me Mama was in a lot of pain and hers needed us to take care of her. 

Thankful Thursday

Tylan and I the day we met at his foster home in 2018.

 Hi everyone,

Yesterday would have been Angel Tylan's 7th Gotcha Day. 

He came to us after Lita went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2018. I knew he was coming home with me and Carmine even before I met him. 

He was a wonderful boy—sweet, friendly, chatty, bossy, smart, loving, loyal, outgoing, and always had to be the center of attention. Tylan never met a stranger, and everyone he met fell in love with him. He loved belly rubs, his kitty beds, his basket, where he'd spend hours each day sunbathing, Carmine, Giovanni, his people, and soft blankies. 

Despite all of the challenges he had in his life, he was truly one of the sweetest and most loving cats I've ever had the privilege of knowing. 

I am thankful we had six years together, though I wish it could have been many more. 

Tylan and Giovanni liked hanging out near each other.

In honor of Tylan, we are donating 50% of the proceeds from the sales of our anthology, Purrseverance: Inspiring Stories of Cat Resilience and Hope to Colorado Foster Feline Rescue, the rescue I adopted Giovanni and Gabriel from. The fundraiser goes from October 1–December 31, 2025.

You can buy the book on BookBaby. It is also available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

We are joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop.

Thankful Thursday

 Hi everybody,

It's mes, Giovanni, and me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today!

The squirt likes to pester mes when hims is awake, but hims is pretty all right when hims is sleeping! So today, me is thankful for sleeping kittens! MOL. 

Most nights, mes lets Gabe curl up near mes and have a nap. As long as he isn't trying to suckle on mes, me thinks he's an okay baby brother. 

Mama always fusses over how adorable we is when wenaptogether. 

What do yous be thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

 

Hi everybody, it's mes, Gabriel, and me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

You know what mes really likes to do? Me likes to sit on top of the air purifiers! There be one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The bedroom one is the most fun, though.

Mama gotted tired of mes pressing all the buttons and changing the setting on the purifiers 20 times a day. So today, Mama is thankful for the child lock feature on the air purifiers, MOL!! Even though mes can't change the settings anymores, the purifiers still be really fun to sit on, and me still visits them many times a day.

What does you be thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

 

Hi everyone, it's mes, Giovanni! Me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today.

Today me is thankful that my Mama's friend came over and clipped my claws so me didn't have to go to the vet with the squirt last week! Instead, me gotted to stay home and enjoy de peace and quiet. Me sure was happy about dat!

What does you be thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

 

Hi everybody, it's mes, Gabe, and me is joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop today!

Here me is on Tuesday on my way to de vet. Me gotted poked a lot! Theys gave mes two vaccines and did something called an FIV/FeLV test. Me had the test cause me spent my first month outdoors before a very nice man founded me and my siblings and took us to de shelter. From there, mes went to my foster home at CFFR and then here to my forever home. Mama didn't think me had FIV or FeLV, but hers wanted to make sure.

And de results came back, and me is NEGATIVE for FIV and FeLV. Mama and mes are happy and thankful for dat!

Me is also thankful that me is done with my baby vaccines and won't need another for a whole year now!

What does you be thankful for today?