Bonded!

Normally two or three cats follow me to the bedroom each night and may sleep with us, or perhaps rotate in and out of the bed through the night. Two routinely join me for afternoon naps.

They are never far away.

The mainstays are Kinikini, our orange tabby boy, and Kiko, the black-and-white spotted female that was the last to be rescued and join the family.

Well, during the five days I was in Queen’s Hospital, none of the cats went in our bedroom or onto the bed. Zero.

It was a dramatic behavior change.

But when I returned home on Sunday afternoon, about 40 hours ago, Kini and Kiko immediately glued themselves to me! They followed me to the bedroom, took up positions on the bed whenever I was there, waited outside the bathroom to make sure I came out, etc.

They are, it seems imprinted on me, leaving us deeply bonded in a very special way.

Meda would be unhappy about being snubbed, except that the two calicos, Kali and Bessie, clearly favor her.

Here are some photos taken since I retured home Sunday afternoon. It’s now Tuesday morning, a little after 8:30 a.m.

The photos are in chronological order, beginning just a few minutes after I walked into the house.

One picture needs a bit of explanation. It shows large wet spots on my leg as I’m sitting at our dining table. It’s all Kiko drool! She had taken up her position on my lap and enjoyed a long period of petting, during which she purrs loudly and, yes, drools. This is the evidence!

This may end up being a Feline Friday stand-in for the week. We’ll see.

Back from the hospital

I’m back!

Thank you all for your expressions of support during my 4-night hospital stay this week! I was released from Queen’s Sunday afternoon and picked up by a friend, who also stopped and picked up Meda on the way to the hospital. I arrived home around 2:30 pm., managed to get into the house, waved at the cats, drank a glass of Gatorade, walked back and forth across the living room several times with the aid of my cane (hoping it would clear my head), and then lay down on our bed for a nap that probably lasted close to 90 minutes.

No, I didn’t wake up refreshed and ready to boogie! Instead, I was still unsure on my feet, grateful whenever reaching an intended destination while trying to accomplish what would normally be a very simple task. But I did managed to mix one of the bags of poi that’s been in standby mode for the week. I can report that it had just about reached an excellent point on the “sour” scale.

I managed to figure out what Meda would enjoy eating and we ordered a delicious-sounding sandwich from a well-known name up at the mall, which was delivered before too long. While Meda munched on her sub, I ate a bowl of my sour poi and drank a cup of chicken bouillon.

I had to spend a little time sorting out my medication schedule. Two prescriptions are to be taken twice a day at 12-hour intervals, and a third three times a day (every 8 hours). I have the pill containers on two pieces of paper set on the kitchen counter, with two containers on the paper labelled “12” and the third on the “8” paper. I think I can quickly wrap my mind around that basic scheduling.

It’s now Monday morning. I started the day with the first “8” pill, and I’ll go from there. I’m off to a good start on the fluid front, finished two glasses of water by 6:30 a.m. I’m sitting at our dining table, laptop open in front of me, working my way through a protein shake. Kiko is staring at me from the floor with her back against one of the sliding doors to the back deck. The sun has been up for an hour, but the light in the yard is still muted. This is a morning for the automatic sprinklers, which are working their magic around the yard.

The first rays of bright sun just hit the living room. Kinikini will quickly find a spot of sun on the floor and sit there until it moves on.

After 50+ years living with cats, I finally ordered an air purifier, just to see how much it would catch of the miscellaneous cat hair floating around the house. It was delivered yesterday and left outside the front door. Meda and I managed to get the box into the house Sunday evening so that it didn’t go walkabout overnight. If I have the energy later today, I’ll try to get it out of the box it was shipped in and set up for a test run. It should be an interesting experiment.

At one point in my hospital stay, I was asked about the fall at home that triggered calling 911.

The nurse probed. “Did you feel lightheaded or dizzy?”

I had never thought about the difference, and am not sure I understand how I would recognize it.

For what it’s worth, I finally chose lightheaded, although I really don’t know if that’s the best answer.

I’ll come back later to describe the cats’ reactions to my return, with a few photos.

Hold the phone!!

After implying I would have to stay for another night, I was just told I will be discharged within a couple of hours and sent home. A very pleasant surprise.

The doctor on duty said my liver enzyme levels are going down, one is almost normal again, I haven’t had any pain, and have tolerated the transition to real food without a problem.

So bottom line, I’ll switch to antibiotic pills in two different versions, instead of continuing the IV trip that I’ve been having here since Wednesday.

So I will save my hot shower until I get home, although I hope they’ll deliver my lunch before then. And I should be out the door within a couple of hours!

I feel pretty beaten up but relieved to be on the way home soon!

Happy happy!

Sunday morning still life

Breakfast is served! Papaya, yogurt, jello, muffin of the day, and black coffee.

I do expect to go home later today, but know that sometimes “shit happens.”

Unfortunately, I have been spoiled by the high quality papaya served at the Kahala Hotel’s Plumeria Restaurant.