About Me

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I live on 6 deeply wooded acres in the boonies of Middleville, MI. I'm married to an amazing man, Brian. He's pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm a big animal lover. I have 5 cats; Bella (6), Cognac (3), Georgia (3), Maggie (2), & Auggie (8-9mos.) We recently lost our kittens, Aesop & Amelia, to a battle with Feline Leukemia. I feel the need to mention them. They were amazing beings that showed unconditional love like no other cats I've had. I also have Cheech (9) that I'm fostering. We have two puppies; Charlie & Henry. Having a blast! I'm a dabbler in photography, photo shop, & crafts. I'm kind of a bookworm/nerd/geek. Yes, I have read the Twilight Series. No, I'm not obsessed. I love Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, C.S. Lewis, and L. Frank Baum - among others, obviously.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

February Update

Bonjour!

Well, a lot has been going on. After I came to terms with the news of Cogs having an incurable virus and realizing that he's not going to die tomorrow because of this, things around the McKinley household have been a lot better. Cognac just finished his first round of antibiotics and he's looking SO much better. He's happier and cuddlier. The place where he (and Georgia) came from is now out of business. Thankfully Georgia's healthy... But it makes me wonder how many cats they sent home that were infected with this virus. ...Sad.


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Doesn't he look better? :)

*Some of today's pictures are of my phone. Sorry for the quality.*

I've been having some issues, too. I've been having really bad sinus issues / sinus infections since December 28th. It has not been pretty... Nor have I for that matter. My doctor suggested that I have a CT scan done of my sinus cavity. I did. After meeting with my doctor with the results, I learned that I have "some" deviation on my left septum area. He put me on a nasal steroid for just a little bit and suggested that I use a Netti Pot every day to rinse out my sinus cavity. I'm already feeling a ton better with all of this. YAY! (Which, I'm going to point out that my mother-in-law has been suggesting the netti pot to me this entire time... Not that I didn't trust her, it took me a long time to purchase one. I bet I read every amazon review on the one that I bought.)

After a short hiatus, I got back on the treadmill... And at my doctor visit this week I discovered that I had lost 5 more pounds! Go me!

And now...
Pictures!

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Auggie!

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Bella looking a tad annoyed.

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Charlie!

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Charlie again. (He was very photogenic this month. Henry came out blurry in EVERY picture.)

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Yes, Charlie again.

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Please excuse Brian's shoe... I bet Charlie knows how that shoe got there, too. But here's Charlie playing with Pengy! You may remember Pengy from this post. Charlie and Pengy are at it again. Pengy had been retired for a little bit, but after a repair, he's back in the rotation and Charlie is diggin' it.

Also, here's a picture of me in tray 5 of my invisalign! I'm finally noticing the changes.Photobucket

That's all for now guys!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Cogs Update

Well, I don't really have great news. We got the DNA panel results today from the virus that's causing Cognac's upper respiratory issues. We learned that Cognac actually has three viruses in his system. Two of the viruses are respondent with an antibiotic called doxycycline. So, he'll be going on that antibiotic very soon. The third virus is called the calicivirus. Click here to learn more. Basically there is no cure ...Yet.

In the meantime, we have to get all of our cats in to the vet as soon as possible to all get updates on their distemper shots. Our vet highly suggested that.

Our vet told us to give him 48 hours. He's going to be contacting MSU to see if there are any trial treatments that can be done with this calicivirus.

Please keep Cogs in your thoughts and prayers. The poor guy has been through so much in his 4 years here.

I'll update as soon as I can.
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