day 13

Today I am thankful for our sweet kitty, Gabby. She is awesome. I love her. Gabby first joined our family not too long after we moved to Seattle; we got her as a 6-year-old cat. She is now 15. Insane. She, ahem, was very very fat and is now a very slender kitty. She was the center of our lives and is now amenable to being tormented by two doting children. She does so well with Wesley and Laurel. She can hold her own. We tell the kids, "soft hands! soft hands!" They don't always listen. Gabby has some favorite hiding spots.

Things have gotten tough with an older kitty. She had some "accidents" (so not like her), and we learned her thyroid was going bad so she is on kitty meds. I know, crazy. But a thyroid is an easy, inexpensive thing to fix so it's worth it so I don't have to deal with mortality for awhile. We had her kitty box in the garage, since that was so very convenient, but today actually we moved it in the house for the winter. Even though she has a nice fur coat it's SO COLD out there. So Gabby gets her own room upstairs. Lucky. Even I have to share a room.

Gabby disappeared this afternoon for awhile. That was also not like her and I did not like the panicky feeling I got. She was being coy when we left for preschool at noon, not going back in the garage when she should have, and I was in a hurry so I just left her outside, free to roam the neighborhood. (She has a collar.) Usually she is right there when we come home, begging to be let in. Not today. She didn't show up until 7:45 PM.... wet and hungry. Wow. It even monsooned this afternoon, and I have no idea where she sought shelter. Poor kitty. I didn't like not knowing where she was.

It just reminded me again how much I love her. I really do. Sweet kitty. A few friends have lost pets recently, and I don't like thinking about that. I want Gabby to stick around forever. I think she misses the attention we used to give her that now the kiddos get. Every now and then we have just me and her time, and it's sweet.

Ahh pets. You totally love them. And you clean up their poop. (Well, Shane cleans up her poop.)