Cally, age 17 #crazycatlady

After hearing of my dear cousin's beloved dog passing away, I realized that despite my crazy cat lady presence on Facebook and Twitter, I haven't posted nearly enough about my beloved cat Cally here on the blog.  And that is unacceptable!

I've written the story of how Cally came into my life, but here's a little bit on how Cally has been lately, in her golden years!  Yup, we're guessing she is about SEVENTEEN years old now.  Yowza.

Mischief!

Big Changes:  As you know, I moved to Tennessee in 2012... this is Cally's third state of residence!  It was definitely an adventure.  Cally spent some time in Indiana during my move, so that the transition would be easier for her.  She had to spend a lot of time in the car, including an overnight at a hotel (her first ever!).  She did SO well, without any drugs or sedation at all.  No accidents!  I was so impressed.

Health:  Cally has always been a pretty healthy cat, but in her age has come down with some terrible cat breath, which unfortunately we just have to deal with... removing teeth/cleaning would require sedation that she might not be able to handle.  So we feed her plenty of treats like Temptations and Greenies to attack some of that tartar!

She has also lost a significant amount of weight, at one point weighing under 5 lbs.  For a formerly chubby cat, that had me worried!  Luckily, the veterinarian was able to diagnose her with hyperthyroid, which comes with chicken-flavored medication to help her out.  I think it's helping her gain weight, and I've noticed a little less night "crying" since we started giving it to her.  She also gets a can of wet cat food every night; she likes Sheba's chicken Premium Cuts especially.

Cally also has some trouble with grooming, specifically dreadlocks forming in her fur where she can't reach very well!  I've tried trimming and the Furminator (which is AMAZING), but I can't keep up with how quickly they are forming... so she has an appointment in a couple of weeks to be bathed and groomed.  What a spoiled cat!

Cat-itude:   Cally is extremely vocal in her old age.  She wants to drink from the bathtub faucet.  She wants treats.  She wants to sleep right next to my face.  But I love her companionship and social nature!  She's really come into her own as she ages; when we first got her, she was always hiding from us.

She was even the featured cat on the Temptations cat treat Facebook page!  Cally is famous!  :)  Isn't it fun to brag about your wonderful pets?