Rest in Peace, Kitty-Cat

Kitty-Cat passed away at about 3:30pm. I couldn't get him to the Humane Society in time. (I had a napping baby and a kid at school still.) He didn't even want to drink the milk from the little dropper. In his final moments, I would rub his belly (with the towel, of course - Germs, you know) and he would open his mouth real wide, like he was trying to get another precious "Meow".

I spoke with at least a half dozen animal professionals today, from animal clinics to animal control to humane societies. I believe I waited too long. I had planned to go to the humane society and have them care for Kitty-Cat - if I had found a sitter or until baby woke up and kid got home from school. At about 2:30, I called the Humane Society to see if they knew what death looks like in a cat - if a jaw reflex was normal postmortem or not. (Crazy me.) But they said if I brought him and he was sick, they couldn't care for him with no vet on the premises. I cried to Humane Society Sandy over the phone. She tried to ease my pain and regret.

All the should-haves came to mind. I should have taken him to the vet right away or to the humane society before the baby's nap. I should have let Papa Paul "put him to rest" at his farm so Kitty-Cat didn't have to suffer so much in his final moments. I should have fed him with a dropper earlier.

I am sorry Kitty-Cat. So sorry. Please forgive me.

Grant and I remembered the happy moments we had with him. From chasing him around the front yard yesterday to remembering him scurry out of the garage last night. But our fondest memory will be of finding you cuddled up on our front porch this morning. That was the moment I fell in love with you, Kitty-Cat.

We will never forget you, precious Kitty-Cat.

Anyone Want a Cat?

This is our new friend, kitty-cat. Meow. Meow.

It showed up yesterday around our yard and in our garage. Looking to see if the man got the newspaper on the front porch, lo and behold, kitty-cat is taking a little snooze on our front doorstep.

If you know me at all, you would know I don't care too much for animals. I respect them, but do not cherish them. But this helpless little guy/gal has just gotten to me. The thing is he hasn't moved since I found him there this morning. It is weak; it is skin and bones. We tried tuna in a dish. He just shoved his face in it, but I had to take his head out of the bowl because I thought he was going to suffocate just laying in it. We tried milk and water in bowls also. He just is too weak.

The boys asked if they could keep him. Too bad Dave is allergic. So, I told them we would ask Papa Paul to keep it and they could visit anytime. Papa Paul said sure, bring it over, I'll put it to rest. Unbelievable.

Thus, my phone calls to local vets and humane societies ensued. The St. John Clinic asked if I wanted to have him euthanized. Another unbelievable. I'm just looking to see how to make him better and have someone adopt him at one point. Dave wants to keep him for the winter to get rid of the mice that will be swarming into our garage, the mice that want to get out of the cold for the winter from the construction zone.

As of now, I am waiting on a call back from St. John Animal Control. The Schererville Animal Control guy told me that they would come out and test for leukemia, AIDS, rabbis and what not. Then, they will decide whether kitty-cat will be worth saving.

I'm a bit sad about this little thing. It is barely moving out there on my doorstep. I believe it will die today if I don't do anything about it. That is a lot of pressure on me. Ugghhh.

I'll keep you posted.

And FYI, that's Dave's rug on the front porch. Can you guess which one is the old grouch?

Trains, Taxis & Shuttle Buses

It is so great that those Christian school teachers need a convention when those public school teachers don't. Free reign of Disney for some. Free reign of the Dells for others. For us, it was free reign of the Windy City.

Courtesy of hotwire, we were able to snag a 5 star hotel room for only $125 - close to the museum campus, courtesy shuttle service to the major hot spots (family hot spots, that is - not the hippest nightclubs), and a wonderfully cold, I mean, wonderful pool.

We hopped the Metra Electric line at Sibley, mom and the little guys. I was quite nervous to make the transfer with three little boys at 56th street with only 1 minute to spare before we missed our connection. Thankfully, we were good. We hopped right off at McCormick place and had a blast on the escalators up to our hotels. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down.

We took our shuttle bus to Water Tower Place looking forward to hitting the Thomas store and getting Happy Meals at McDonalds. Guess what? Neither of them are there anymore. What, no McDonalds? Unbelievable.

So, we walked up Michigan Avenue looking for that McDonalds the Water Tower security ranger headed us towards. None to be seen. "My legs hurt." "How much longer." Oh no, please don't complain. I am planning this wonderful trip for us and spending quality time with you boys and no little boys - there better not be anybody complaining!!

Finally, Legoland is in site. Ahh... Well, not quite yet. These boys need to eat. They don't think so, but venture on up more escalators right past the promised Legoland, to the food court. What a tease, Mama!

Grant was thrilled to fill up a cup with free Legos. He said you just have to pay for the cup. Yeah, mighty expensive $13 cup. Cousins Josh, Caleb and Josie joined in on the fun at the store as their Grandma Docter and mommy and daddy were dragged along. Ha!

Oh, what a blast to be able to enjoy the delectable food of Chicago - Garrett's popcorn and deep-dish Giordano's pizza. (My fingers were stained yellow/orange for 2 days after eating their cheese popcorn!)

More adventures awaited these little boys as they experienced an el ride and a taxi cab ride. And weren't we glad that taxi u-turned for us as the rain started dribbling and turning into an extreme hailstorm!

We finished our little trip the next day to the "Dinosaur Museum" aka the Field Museum. I'm glad to say we finally made it there; so then we won't have to go back again for a long time. (Obviously, not my favorite museum.)

I know, kind of boring entry. Blah, blah, blah. But it is just a simple way for me to show gratuitous photos of my boys!