Fly free sweet boy

This morning, our Sasha was re-united with his fur-sibs, Silver, Sami, Shady and Silas.  I am grateful that he passed peacefully in my arms at the vet's office.  I was able to reassure him that he was, and is loved, and his spirit will always be with us.

Sasha was the first cat we adopted when we bought the old house in 2000.  He has been a constant in our lives ever since.  While never a loud cat (unless he was demanding food or attention), the house feels empty and quiet without him.  I'm not certain Saku realizes he isn't here but did spend some time on my lap when I arrived home.  

About six months after Sasha joined the family, we adopted Silver.

The two were inseparable, at least until Sami joined us a year or so later.

I like to think the two are together again and curling up for a nap as they did so often then.

Sasha was always the patient teacher of all the cats who came after him, and they all loved him for it, and wanted to be near him all the time.  Well, except perhaps Saku, but the two did learn to tolerate one another.  I think there were just too many cats hogging Sasha's attention when Saku was a kitten for the two to bond.

From left to right: Sasha, Shady, Silas, and Sami.  

This morning as we sat in the car waiting for the appointment, I picked him up and he looked out the window at the sun.  Sasha was always happiest napping in the sun. Sadly, these last few days he hasn't wanted to be out in the sun room even when I had the door open.  He spent most of his time sleeping on the couch instead.  

The last two days were difficult as he had quit eating much, mostly licking at his food, though he was still drinking water.  Sasha hadn't been able to get up on the bed on his own, but I heard him coming down the hallway and lifted him up each night.  I had vacillated as to what to do, but this morning as he walked down the hall he staggered a few times.  I suspect he was weak and I knew the decision couldn't be put off any longer. 

I know that all of you reading this, understand how difficult this decision is and was.  If I could have, I would have kept Sasha with us forever.  We were so very blessed to have this special cat in our lives, and there will never be another like Sasha. 

Fly free, my sweet boy. 

Getting old ain't for sissies

It's the mom bean here today.  For those who've followed this blog for a long time, you'll know that our Sasha is, for lack of a better term, ancient.  We don't know exactly when he was born, but have used May 25 or 27 as his birthday.  The date was selected based on his approximate age when he was adopted and coincides with the date we moved into our old house.  Accordingly, he has reached an age of 21 years, 5 months this week.

Recently, I've begun seeing some significant changes in Sasha.  He is now sleeping nearly 23 hours a day.  Rather, I assume he is as I sleep 6-7 hours a day and don't know what he's up to then.  

His eating habits have changed too.  I feed the cats wet food twice a day, each receiving about a third of a can of Fancy Feast at each meal.  There is also dry kibble available at all times.  In the last week or so, Sasha has not been eating as much wet food at meal time as he did previously.  Instead, he's been eating a small amount, then napping, then waking up asking for more food about an hour or two later.  This has carried on throughout the day.  Since I am home, I've been catering to his needs.  (Saku has been quite confused by this development.)

Sasha is showing signs of physical decline as well.  Getting up and down from the bed, or onto the chair next to my son is increasingly becoming more difficult.  I have added a shorter stool to the side of the bed, so that he can use both stools to get up.  Last night, I woke in the middle of the night to him curled up next to me - he's obviously figured it out.  C says he will circle the chair until C lifts him onto or off the chair.  

He's been nearly deaf for sometime now - he startles easily if we come up behind him.  Now he seems to losing his eyesight.  I suspect he has cataracts as his eyes are clouding over.  However, he is quite capable for finding his way around the house. He certainly can find his favorite sleeping spots.  

I suspect we may not have him with us much longer.  But for now, he's still eating, drinking his water, and eliminating.  Sasha seems content and he hasn't exhibited any signs of pain.  This latter factor isn't necessarily a good thing, as I know cats are pretty stoic.  But for now, we'll keep doing what we can to ensure he is comfortable and safe.  My hope is that he will fall asleep one day, and simply not wake.  But if the day comes, that Sasha is unable to continue, I will make that difficult decision to let him go.  My son and I have been talking about it; this post is part of my own coming to terms with the thought of losing Sasha.

We're still here

 Hi efurrybody, Saku and Sasha here today.  Yep, we're still here.  Mom bean says we don't do a heck of a lot so there isn't much to share.  BUT she's wrong, we do a lot...a lot of sleeping, eating, and a whole lot of p**ping.  She should know about the last 'cuz she has to clean it up. MOL!

We're still hanging out in the sunny room.  Most of the time, Saku naps in the tunnel but one day he was napping in the bed and mom thought his foot dangle was cute.

Saku: I heard the click of the flashy box.  How dare she wake me. By the way, Sasha is sleeping in the orange bed beside me.

Here's proof she feeds us too.  Sasha gets his dinner on the couch so mom bean can keep an eye on him.  He doesn't always eat everything at once and Saku has a bad habit of trying to steal the rest.  

Sasha: So mom bean takes it away and covers it up and serves it to me later in the evening.  I have her well trained!

We won't share you any proof of the third thing we do so well.  Mom bean cleaned up the boxes just this morning and she'd tell you it was a smelly task.  She says she might have to reconsider which flavor of Fancy Feast she feeds us.  

Thanks to the Tabbies of Trout Town for reminding the mom bean that we haven't posted for awhile. We'll see if we can stay awake long enough to put mom bean on notice a little more often. 

Checking in on Caturday

 Hi effurybody, Sasha here today.

Mom bean took my picture this morning after breakfast.  Did you know I always get to eat breakfast in bed?  She's been letting me do that for a long time now, 'cuz that Saku is a big pig and will steal it.

She wasn't furry happy with me this morning, 'cuz she was watching the noisy box and talking on her phone to the bean sisfur and I just curled up right beside her.  Yes there is a whole lot of bed on the other side of me but it's my spot!  Sheesh, some beans just never learn.

Have a great Caturday efurrybody!

Happy Birthday Sasha!

 Our Sasha is 21 years old today!  

This is about as much enthusiasm as Sasha manages these days, except when it comes to food.  (Photo taken yesterday in the sunroom - while the sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds.)

Sasha is a reliable alarm cat, waking mom up between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. every day.  He does this by getting as close as he can to her face and then yelling in her ear.  Sometimes she can get him to let her sleep more by petting him, but if she dozes off and stops he starts yelling again.

Despite all signs that he is losing his hearing, mom figures it's mostly selective hearing.  He  always hears the can of stinky goodness being opened, and mom needs only to lift the treat bag and he's up and waiting for his share.

He usually doesn't eat all of his meal at one time, preferring to have it served to him over the course of the day.  Mom has learned that breakfast is around 6:30 a.m., finished up mid-morning around 10, dinner is at 4:30 p.m. with the last tidbits finished around 8.  You can be sure if he cleans up his dish in one sitting he hollers for more at the other times.  Kibble is available throughout the day and he does eat it but it frequently comes up shortly thereafter.  

He loves the water fountain, especially if mom puts an ice cube in it.  Sasha likes to talk before and after he's had a drink, perhaps to ensure mom is aware he's getting his necessary intake.  She certainly knows the output is good!  Though he's having some difficulty climbing in and out of the big boxes, Sasha prefers those to the smaller and lower sided box she bought for him.  She's thinking she may need to cut an opening on one end of the big box so he can get in an out easily.  

Sasha's favorite person continues to be his bean brofur C.  If he isn't napping in the sunroom or on the couch, he's downstairs on the extra chair that sits beside C's computer desk.  The other day, he even let C get rid of some mats on his hind end.  Mom is the only one who can clip his nails, but that must be done only on paw at a time.  Sasha is still quite capable of showing his displeasure with a swat or a nip.  

Sasha has always been a tolerant cat, thought occasionally Saku tests his patience by leaping on him as he walks by.  Sasha no longer plays, spending most of his days and nights sleeping.  He has some interesting positions, often with his paw over his face, or this one where he's almost standing on his head!  

Today will be a day like so many others, mom catering to his needs and wants, lots of naps though there won't be any sunshine, and scritches and pets from mom and C.  We're all just grateful that Sasha is with us to celebrate this day.

A old photo, taken about 2007, of Sasha with his sisfur Silver.  The two of them adored each other. 

It's Cold out there

 And I don't care!

Mom bean took this picture through a window 'cuz she says it is way too cold* to be in the sunny room.  

I'm just a sun seeking cat so I stuck it out for a little bit before she dared to venture out and bring me back indoors. I was fine, I tell you, but she worries. Guess I'll have to find another spot for a nap.  

*It might be sunny but the outside temperature is -16C and the inside temp isn't much higher...crazy old cat!

My turn in the sunshine

Hi efurrybody, it's Sasha here today. 

I told the mom bean it was way past time that she help me post.  Our furriends might think I'd run to the Bridge or something.  Nope, I'm right here, laying in the morning sunshine.  It's one of my favorite places especially now that it's gotten too cold to use our sunny room much.  Mom bean says that we'll probably be able to use it next week.

Time to get back to my nap, this time on the couch.  Dinner was served there, and I'm feeling ready for a post meal snooze.  

Take care efurrybody!

Happy Caturday!

Kitties, we are so thankful for Caturday!  Yesterday was a no good, horrible day.  You won't believe what our mom bean did to us.  Well, maybe you will....cuz you know she's annoying most of the time.  

She ruined the sunny room for the entire day!!!

 Yes, she did!  She took all of the soft towels and cushions off all of the chairs and took them away.  I (Sasha) was forced to nap in one of the cat beds.  For shame!

 She even turned some of the furniture on its side.  About the only good thing she did was to put the table in front of the window. I (Saku) found it a great spot to get some window whiffies.

 Even Sasha's favorite chair got the same treatment. 

Saku had to use the old scratcher as a spot to hang out.  Never mind the cat tree is right there.

And then, horror of all horrors, she made us leave the sunny room.  She brought out the sucking masheen and cleaned the floors.  The towels and cushions and even the rugs were taken away somewhere and came back later smelling different.  

By evening efurrything was finally back in place and we were allowed back in our room.  

And do you know why she said she did this to us?  She said it was 'cuz she thought the room smelled like cats.  Well, duh, we're cats aren't we?  

Oh well, all's well that end's well.  We're enjoying our sunny room again today. 

Happy Caturday efurrybody!

Happy Birthday Sasha!

Sometime about this date, is Sasha's 20th birthday!  Mom bean says he came to live with her and our fur-sibs in mid-July 2000.  He was adopted from the local Humane Society and his age was approximately 7 weeks.  The mom bean did some math and working backwards she decided that May 25, 2000 would be the date...mostly because that was the day they had moved into their house.

To celebrate this milestone, Sasha will likely sleep much of the day away.  Since that would be mostly boring, mom bean went into her stash of photos to find some more lively to share.

Well, this isn't very lively but is the first photo she could find of Sasha.  It was taken in 2007...about the time she got a digital camera.

This is the first photo of the original 3 S's, Silver on the left, Sasha, and Sami to the right.  

Sasha's favorite bean was (and still is) our bean brofur.  Here he is wearing C's toque - no one else could have put it on his head.

Sasha has always been the tolerant cat. He put up with the continual addition of other cats, Silver, then Sami, next up were the twins Shady and Silas, and then the biggest pest of all, Saku. 

This photo is proof that at one time the two of them actually shared a cat tree!  (Mom bean can't remember this at all and if there wasn't photographic proof she wouldn't have believed it.)

More proof, here's Silas squished into a cat bed with Sasha! For those who haven't met Silas before, he weighed in at 22 lbs. at his heaviest.  Sasha, on the other hand has never weighed more than 10 lbs.

This kitty pile made mom bean smile.  She never could make her bed back then.  Clockwise from the top left are Sasha, Shady, Sami, and Saku.

Okay, this still hasn't been furry lively has it?  

Is this better?  It's Sasha playing with a kicking toy...we think Saku was waiting his turn.

When we moved to this house in 2010, there were four kitties, Sasha, Sami, Silas, and Saku.  The sunny room became Sasha's favorite place to hang out.  He loves the sun on his furs and if mom bean gives him a bit of nip, he's even happier! (This photo is from 2013 which is the year we started this blog.)

Another photo from December 2013.  Sasha is the only kitty who didn't mind the Santa hat, and he never efur tried to take an ornament off the tree.

Sasha also loves to be able to get outside in the summer time, and he especially likes to eat grass.  One year the mom bean even grew grass in the house.

In 2017, Sheldon came to live with us for a little while with his sticky bean and his mom.  Poor Sasha, the kitten loved him too!

These days Sasha spends a fair amount of time sleeping. He's gotten skinny though he hollers like crazy when he wants to be fed.  He's become a fan of the new water fountain - before he would only drink out of bowl in the sink.  Mom bean thinks he's deaf, but his eyesight seems to be good. His favorite person is still the bean brofur with mom bean coming in second.  Sasha doesn't much care for the sticky bean, but like the kittens before him, the sticky bean loves Sasha.

We hope you've enjoyed the trip down memory lane with Sasha.  There won't be any big pawty, Sasha would probably sleep right through it!  But we appawciate our furriends who we know will drop by to wish our special boy a happy day.

Mom bean says every day with Sasha is a blessing.  He's simply a sweet boy, and while she would prefer if he didn't wake her before 6 a.m. (and he does frequently), she's grateful he's been part of our lives for nearly 20 years.  Happy Birthday Sasha!

Keeping an eye on things

Hi efurrybody, it's Saku Sasha here today. (Mom bean is appawently losing her mind...we knew it, now she does too.)

I do this efurry morning.  I wake the mom bean up at dark o'clock so she can get us our breakfast.  Did you know I eat my breakfast on her bed?  Yep, I do because Saku is a piggy and if we didn't stay separated I'd never get to eat it.

Once I've had my fill, I curl up in the warm spot where mom bean was sleeping and have my first nap of the day.  No way am I going to let her come back and have a bit more sleep!  Nope, that's my spot now!

I'm keeping my eye on things from right here (sorry about the finger, she was trying to pet me at the same time!)  

Have a great Caturday efurrybody!

Sunny Days

Hi efurrybody, it's Sasha here today.  Saku is around too...just not sure where he is.  

The sun has been visiting the last couple of days, so the sunny room got opened up for us.  Mom bean says the floor is cold but that doesn't bother me...I has a fur coat.

There have been lots of naps and I even let the sticky bean sit with me one day.  He's not as grabby as he used to be, even pets me nice but boy, oh boy, can that bean talk!  Hard for a kitty to nap.


Maybe I need to learn to hide like Saku does.  



 He didn't even wake up when the mom bean took this photo.  


Have a great day efurrybody!

Share and share alike

Mom bean calls this: synchronized drinking
We call it: We're thirsty you silly bean!

Until recently, only Saku used the fountain.  But now Sasha has decided it's safe.  Maybe the mom bean can get rid of the bowl in the bathroom sink?  No we'd put a stink about that. 

Happy Mew Year!

Hi efurrybody, Sasha here today.  This picture is from a couple of days ago when the mom bean opened up the sunny room for me.

It wasn't furry warm outside but the sun on my furs was wonderful.  Mom bean says it will get even warmer today so I'm sure we'll be enjoying the sunny room again.  What a way to start a new year!


Saku and I  (and the mom bean too) send our best wishes to all of our furriends  for a sunny and happy 2020!  

Happy, not happy Caturday

Hi efurrybody, mom bean was so happy to see we were hanging out together.  Sasha, on the other hand, was not thrilled to find Saku napping so close to his favorite spot.

So, of course, she had to bring out the flashy box.  Neither of us is happy now.

Have a happy Caturday efurrybody!

A truly Happy Caturday!

Hi efurrybody, Sasha here today!

We've got sunshine today, and you know what that means?  Sunny room time!  Since I'm a furry old kitty, that sunshine feels so good on my furs and soaks right through to my bones. 

Ah, the life of a cat.  Now I just need to get the mom bean to get out of here with the flash box.*  

Have a happy Caturday efurrybody!

*no flash required. 

Still here

Hi efurrybody, it's Sasha here today.  This photo was taken several days ago during my elebenty sixty seventh nap of the day...when the sun was shining.  Today it's cloudy and cool so no sunny room time for us.



We did have some time in the sunny room yesterday but the sticky bean was here.  He pestered me and pestered me until I finally had had enough and I snapped at him.  (No, Sasha did not bite E).  He left me alone then and I was able to get a good nap.

I think the mom bean should invest in one of these cages for the sticky bean!  Mom bean says it was at our bean sisfur's friends house and is meant for the woofies.  Whatever, if it would keep the sticky bean away from me.  

Have a great day efurrybody!

Pee Ess:  We're about to fire the mom bean...she's so lousy at helping us post.  I'll be taking applications after my nap.  ZZZZZzzzzz. 

My space

Hi efurrybody, Sasha here today.  

I was tucked in on my side of the bed when the mom bean decided she needed a photo of me.  Don't I look comfy?

Mom bean says for a little cat I sure take up a lot of room on the bed.  I say that's my pero, perog, right to do so!  My spot is in front of the pillows right beside her.  She used to sleep on that side of the bed but I took it for myself. 

Saku purrfurs the end of the bed.  I think he knows better than to try to sleep in my spot. Sometimes he is a smart kitty.

Have a great day efurrybody!

Good things

Hi efurrybody, Sasha here today.

We're getting lots of sunshine but appawently there was a big storm the other night with lots of thunder noises.  I wouldn't know 'cuz I slept through the whole thing.  Sometimes being an old kitty is good.

You know what else is good?  When the mom bean goes out shopping for our stinky goodness and finds it on sale!  She bought three cases, different variety with 24 cans in each.

This ought to keep us eating for awhile!  

Have a great day efurrybody!

And we thought the birds were noisy!

Hi efurrybody!  We've got a no sun, noisy day happening here.

Pieces of the sidewalk to be hauled away

There are a bunch of guys in orange vests with yellow stripes making noise and a mess in our backyard.  Mom bean says they are here to move a gas line...whatever that is.  




Sasha doesn't seem too concerned - it helps to be old and going deaf!  He says he's just going to settle in on the couch and take a nap.

Saku on the other hand is not impressed! He says, how is a kitty supposed to nap when there is such a racket going on?  Well, we sure hope they won't be here all day.

Have a great quiet day efurrbody!