We miss you very much, buddy.

Our precious Sunny is still sick.  I’ve been trying to sort through all of my pictures of him.  This is one that I’ve always enjoyed.  The quality is not at it’s best — I’ve compressed it down to save on bandwidth.

Our place has been very different without Sunny around. Sunny is typically a very quiet cat — so quiet that you forget he’s around half the time. But the last week or so, while he’s been in the hospital, has been very different. It’s almost too quiet. I keep waiting for that little face, with his ears back, to come trotting down the hallway. I know it will come soon enough; Sunny just has to fight very hard and pull through. But I sure do miss him.

His bed has remained untouched since we brought him into the emergency room. Prior to these events, Macky would sleep in Sunny’s bed from time to time. Macky hasn’t touched it. He doesn’t even go near it. We have this area above our kitchen that Macky and Sunny climb up into — it’s their little “eagles nest” that they’re always sleeping in. We put a blanket up there to make it comfortable for them, and they would spend hours up there. Unfortunately, Macky hasn’t been up there since Sunny has been in the hospital. I used to love coming home from work, opening the door and looking up to see their little sleepy faces hanging over. I miss those faces together; I’m sure Macky misses his brother, too.

I think I feel for Macky the most. He doesn’t seem depressed, but you can tell he misses Sunny. As crazy as it sounds, I think Macky and I are dealing with this in a very similar manner. I’ve continually looked to Macky for comfort these last few days, and I feel as if he definitely knows why. I’ve noticed he’s done the same with me, too — actually sleeping on my lap the other day. The other morning, when we were expecting the worse, I was crying in the bathroom when I looked over and there was Macky. He was standing on the toilet, his head tilted slightly, and being ever so curious about my emotions. But he knew exactly why I was crying; he was just as concerned for Sunny as I was.

Rebecca and I held Sunny the other afternoon while at the hospital. He was too weak to move, but Rebecca was able to get him to purr. We’ve been so afraid he would think that we abandoned him. But hearing him purr confirmed otherwise. He knew who we were, and showed us his happiness of seeing us by purring. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.

And it was at that moment, too, that I realized I loved Rebecca even more than I thought I did (I mean, I love her a lot, but at that moment, I realized I loved her a lot a lot — if that’s possible). I’m so happy we’re both very animal crazy, and that we’ll do anything and everything to give Sunny the support he needs.

I’m heading to the hospital tomorrow to see Sunny. I cannot wait to see that little bundle of sunshine.

MSNBC is displaying a collection of photos titled, Travels with Fido and Fluffy.  The photographers document their trips with pictures of their pets. 

We’re taking Sunny to see a cardiologist on Thursday morning for his enlarged heart. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to find some help for him. I know, deep down, that he’s going to be alright. I know he might be put on medication for the rest of his life, but I know that is what’s best for him — and I know it’s going to help him greatly. Actually, I fear that, with the medication, he’ll be more like his brother, Macky. I guess in a few months from now, we should see two cats destroying our home rather than just one. And you know what? That’ll surely be a blessing underneath it all.

Sleeping these last few nights have been rough. The last few weeks, our three cats have been SLEEPING WITH US THE ENTIRE NIGHT. One of them (ahem, I won’t mention names, MOWIE) even LOVES to sleep on OUR HEADS. But besides that, we wake up with every odd noise in the night thinking Sunny isn’t feeling well. Even when it’s just Macky tackling his pink toy (yes, he has a pink toy), or Macky scratching at the litter box for twenty-goddamn-minutes building a sandcastle or something. If this is what human babies are going to be like, man, maybe I’ll reconsider. But even so, when we wake up and immediately look at Sunny, he looks back up at us like, “geez momma and dada, I’m fine, go back to bed, I’m sleeping here.”

We’ve been thinking about getting pet insurance for our three kids (lets face it, they’re more like our children than just cats). Macky is injury prone (broke his leg when he was a couple months old, loves jumping from dangerous heights, and is always cutting his face), Mowie is, well, Mowie — though she is getting skinnier — and Sunny is probably going to be on medication. Those expenses do add up, and all three of them are certainly worth it. But, insurance will make things easier, and it’s probably the best route to go. After all, Sunny’s vet visit last week plus Sunny’s cardiologist visit on Thursday will cost us just under one-thousand-dollars. I found an estimate online and it would cost us just about a grand a year to put the three on insurance.

And it’s certainly not about the money. It’s all about Sunny, and Macky, and Mowie, and us — their parents. The looks on their faces when we come home from work, the purring as we pet them, and even Mowie running frantically to the food bowls — make it all worth it.

I despise when people do not take their animal’s health issues seriously. If it’s not financially possible, then I surely understand, but otherwise, make every effort. Because when it comes down to it — your cat, your dog, your whatever — they do make every effort to make you happy.  You should make sure to do the same for them.

Sunny, our big fluffy orange cat, had another episode last night where he appeared to have some form of convulsions.  He was shaking vigorously, unable to grip the floor with his claws, and breathing quite heavily.  I picked him up off the floor, put him on our bed, and his breathing calmed down.  At one point he shoved his head into our pillows (which was wicked cute).  As he emerged from the pillows, we began to rub his body for support and love.  He shortly thereafter began to breathe easily and we saw his fluffy tail move from side to side.

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Despite Macky having serious ADD, he takes the best pictures out of all three cats.  You would think he’d run out of the picture before you could actually take the picture.