Wednesday, December 18, 2013

A Day in the Life of a Cat Lady

Howdy Y'all! Well, since people seem to be posting "a day in the life" posts recently, I figured I'd join in and show you what my hum drum existence looks like.


I tried to choose an "average" day... but truth be told, they don't really exist. And yes... I seem to have fallen completely off the "go to bed at a decent hour" bandwagon. Sigh.

Anyhow, without further ado... here's my day!

10:30-11:30 Wake up, get up, get dressed etc. Give Sputty subcutaneous fluids, feed the cats and set some tea to brewing.


11:30-1:15 Catch up on blog reading, read Google news, watch local news, make & eat breakfast, give Sputty his meds & cuddle with him while his pain meds absorb. (the medication is given orally, but you just put a few drops between his lip and gum and it absorbs through the skin, so you don't want them to go eat and drink right after they've had it because if they wash it all down it does no good.)


1:15-2:30 Random Chores. Do dishes, clean kitchen, clean litter boxes, take out garbage & compost, turn compost pile (the part that isn't frozen). Search in garage for an old litter box - clean it out and set it up in the hallway where Sputty's been peeing. (This means I've given up on the idea that I'm gonna convince him not to pee there, so I might as well just give him a litter box where he seems to want one.)

2:30-3 Chat with CatMan on the phone


3-4:30 Random business. Order vitamins while sale is on, submit insurance claim forms for Sputty, deal with random emails from webpage users, open mail, try hopelessly to pay health insurance premium online.

4:30-5 Walk to post office to pay health insurance premium by snail mail since Kaiser's online pay form won't work. Think about long ranting blog post that I'm gonna write about my trials and tribulations trying to sign up for healthcare through the exchange, and marvel at the fact that the woman in charge of Colorado's exchange actually thinks she deserves a raise!


5-6:30 Cook dinner - preparing WAY more than I can possibly eat so I'll have lots of leftovers. Roasted chicken drumsticks, roasted garden squash, roasted green beans, steamed broccoli & a big bowl of cucumber, pepper, snap pea and avocado salad. The squash doesn't get done in time so I eat dinner without it. Give kitties a snack.


6:30-7:30 Give Sputty his mid-day pain meds and call CatMan. We chat for a while and then he reads me a few pages of "El Cuaderno de Maya" by Isabel Ayende - he reads and I look up the words we don't know.



7:30-8:30 Random stuff. Check email, finish cleaning up kitchen, read some blogs, give kitties another snack (this translates to me trying to encourage Sputty to eat something). Make some "slightly sweet cocoa" from my new recipe (1 cup lactose free milk,  1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 hard peppermint candy).

8:30-10:15 Watch a movie on Netflix - Mona Lisa Smile. It was OK.



10:15-11:00 Get obsessed wondering of the Elizabeth Warren character in the movie is supposed to be THE Elizabeth Warren - look it up on line and then realize that no... not even close. Have a snack (the squash that wasn't ready at dinner time). Prepare evening kitty meds. Get Smoky medicated - he's so easy.

11:00-12:00 Call CatMan. Read more of our book.



12:00-2:15  Random stuff. Give Sputty his evening meds (it sounds so easy when I write it down like that) & convince him to eat a little bit. Work on this blog post, eat a snack, clean litter boxes again, start another load of laundry (Sputty peed in his bed again), cruise interwebs looking for good way to add some sort of non-slip treads to my basement stairs (I did a complete banana peel slapstick fall the other day when trying to carry a load of laundry downstairs wearing socks), try not to worry about Sputty's vet appointment tomorrow

2:15-3:00 Take a hot bath and get ready for bed



3:00 Bed... yay!



So that's about par for the course here at chez kitty. What are your days like?

37 comments :

  1. I really like hearing about the details of someone's day. It's a nice peek in. A lot of my day is spent in the house these days, as I work at home and the missus is away. If I get outside once a day to hang out with someone, that's a win!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a total homebody. I do like to make sure that I get outside at least once a day for some fresh air so I don't get cabin fever, but I don't mind not seeing people because I get to spend 2-3 hours on the phone with CatMan.

      Delete
  2. You have a full-time job just taking care of Sputnik. How hard is it to give him his meds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, it's a handful, but I love him.

      It's not too hard to give him the pain meds because you basically just pull up his lip, stick the syringe in and squirt. The other meds are in the form of liquids or pills which are much more difficult.

      I basically have to get down on all fours and corral him between my legs then pry his little mouth open. I finally figured out that if I use a little bit of a pill pocket I can get the pill to stick to my finger. Then I can position it right at the corner of his mouth so whey I pry it open with the other hand it's just a quick stick of my finger down his throat. I also put the pill in a gelatin capsule so it slides down easier and so he can't taste it.

      The liquids are actually harder because there are several of them so it's about 3/4 of a teaspoon all told - I actually mix them all together with a bit of cat food so it won't taste quite so bad, but it takes about a half a dozen squirts to get it all down and he's not real fond of the whole thing.

      It all makes me grateful for Smoky who will literally let me stick my finger all the way down his throat and doesn't seem to mind at all.

      Delete
    2. Depending on the medicine and the cat, we have had an easy time and an impossible time giving them meds. Have you tried a pill pusher? It's like a big syringe that you put the pill in and it pushes it down their throat. It replaces the finger down the throat. We have success with it occasionally. (One cat would go into the other room and throw up their pill if they weren't hiding it somewhere in their mouth to spit out.)

      Delete
    3. I do have one of those pill pusher things, but I've never had much luck with it. He seems to fight having the thing in his mouth worse than my finger.

      That's too funny about the cat spitting out the pill in the other room. My system is to give the pill first and the liquids second so the liquid helps to wash down the pill. Unless he's got a really good hiding place, I don't think he's spitting them up! :-)

      Delete
  3. Sigh, my days are not like that anymore!

    I do remember the days of having an ailing kitty and having to give the fluid treatments. I don't miss that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Surprisingly enough, I find giving fluids to be much easier than giving meds. I do have to say that as much as I will miss Sputty when his time finally comes, I will not miss having a sick cat to take care of. I do feel really lucky that he's still with me though since I didn't expect him to live until the end of last year let alone this year!

      Delete
  4. My days vary widely based on whether I go in to work or not. If I do (I'm an occupational therapist), I'm up at 6:00 a.m., on the road at 7:00, start work about 7:45ish (it's a 35 mile commute--basically, I sub for other therapists--the commute is fine when the weather is good but is NOT fun at this time of the year when we are getting lake-effect snow and other yuk, which is why I work more hours in the spring and fall!). I get out around 2:00 or 2:30 , home by 3:15 or so, exercise until my cherubs get off the school bus at 4:00, then start cooking/chatting with kids. Dinner at 5:00; after that cleaning up, helping w/homework, making lunches for the next day, shuttling myself or the kids to wherever we need to go. Bedtime by 10ish.

    Of course, if I'm at home, it's a different story based on what needs to be done. Tuesdays are often my grocery shopping/94 cent latte special/library mornings. Wednesday my kids have delayed start so I never work on that day and I volunteer in the afternoon in my daughter's class. It's helpful for me to have a cleaning/laundry day. I like to get mundane chores out of the way while my family is at work/school so I have more time to enjoy them when we are all home.

    I recently had an neighbor ask me about taking a job opening she knew about because "you are home a lot". I think I was feeling extra sensitive and I took that as criticism ... wondering when I'll develop a thick skin and not let that kind of thing bother me. My husband and I have found that it works best for our family for me to have a loose schedule (I also have elderly parents 2 1/2 hours away and we have had medical emergencies twice in 2013--it's been helpful that I've been able to stay with them during these times) but sometimes I wish I had a more "regular" job ... mostly to avoid other's perceptions about how I spend my time ... sigh.

    Sorry! This was wayyyyyyyyyyy more info than you needed! Thanks for letting me vent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally understand about being sensitive about what people think. I know many of my friends don't understand why I'd want this life when I could be "out doing things". But to be completely honest, I just prefer being at home. I also have found the loose schedule to be invaluable, especially this year with sick kitties etc.

      Of course, if I'd chosen a day when CatMan and I were out riding, it would look completely different. I guess that's the beauty of it. Or a day like today when we spent the afternoon at the vet's office... or a day like tomorrow when I'll be helping my parents deal with a bunch of things...

      Anyhow, guess my point is that I've never understood why people think that if you're not working full time you must be bored to tears. I can't remember the last time I was bored!

      Delete
  5. I'm on vacation hours this week and next, so my day starts around 7:30 AM. During the rest of the school year, I get up just before 6, get daughters going for the day and to the park and ride. Then the rest of days vary so much. I work out of the house, 1 day per week, then spend the rest of my days cooking, cleaning, laundry, paperwork, crafts and sewing (mending clothes), workout 3 days/week, and random fix-it jobs around the house (or at the least, research for those fix-it jobs). During spring summer and early fall, I spend a lot of time gardening and preserving garden produce. I also make time to watch favorite TV programs and read books.

    A dull existence to the outsider, but I really enjoy my life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! You and I are almost on completely opposite schedules. Someday when my life looks a lot different than it does now, I'd really like to experiment with a "no artificial lighting" thing and see what it felt like to get up with the sun and go to bed soon after dark. Well... we'll see if my life ever goes in that direction - I'm not seeing it in my near future!

      Anyhow, your life doesn't sound dull to me at all. It sounds much more interesting than sitting at a desk for 8 hours every day! I like the fact that my daily activities vary so much depending on what's going on.

      Delete
    2. I love your no artificial lighting idea...might be tricky in winter though, at the moment it gets light around 7.30am and dark at about 4.30pm!

      Delete
    3. True... but maybe we are meant to sleep more in the winter and less in the summer.

      Delete
    4. True...not sure am allowed to sleep at work though ;) I do like early nights in the winter, but I am not sure I could lay in the dark until sunrise, I would get bored!

      Delete
    5. Oh you make me chuckle. I'm trying to fathom waking up before dawn... Actually, trying to fathom laying in bed being bored because even when I don't get up until noon, it still takes great effort to convince myself to get out of bed.

      Delete
    6. It is harder to get out of bed in winter...but if I lay in bed too long I get a headache!
      The early rising is genetic...my dad gets up even earlier than me, despite being retired! It does mean that a 'late night' for me is 11pm..
      It's 6am here...time to get out of bed!

      Delete
    7. Interesting... my dad and my brother are both early risers, but my mom was a hopeless night owl. Apparently red hair is not the only trait I inherited from her! :-)

      Delete
  6. Yes, someone else that is a night owl. Your hours are almost exactly like mine. People get so frustrated that I don't wake up at the crack of dawn.

    My days look a bit different from yours specifically in that I have no pets to care for. Normally the grandchildren are here nearly every day for a couple of hours but for the last few weeks they have been without a car so the visits are fewer. I get up between 10:30 and 11:30, wake with a cup of hot water and lemon while I check email, then it's take out what I need for meals, shower, do some cleaning and then go to work on whatever project I have now. Mid day I'll take a break to do some reading, Then today I visited with a neighbor for a while as my apartment was warmer than hers due to the heat being worked on, Today I felt like a movie so with my dinner I watched Extracted, it was pretty good. Did some painting then worked on the blog and did some reading. It's 3:10 and I'll head to bed shortly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes well, it's pretty amazing how one sick kitty can throw a wrench into everything. But my best friend cared for a paralyzed rabbit for 9 years, so whenever I start to feel like caring for Sputty is a lot, I just have to think about her situation and realize that it's not really that big of a deal.

      It does provide a structure to my day that it might not otherwise have though. It will be very, very strange when I reach a point where I can just go to bed without having to make sure that everybody's gotten their meds first.

      I might have to check out extracted... it's in my queue but somehow the picture made it seem like it might be a tad bit too zombie/alien-like for my taste.

      Delete
  7. When I'm working:
    6 - 7 - cuddle with boyfriend, get up, get ready, eat, get lunch ready, maybe wash some dishes
    7 - 8 - read a book while commuting (on bus)
    8 - 12 - work
    12 - 1 - have lunch, maybe socialize, maybe run an errand (yesterday I brought UPS some packing materials to recycle and deposited a check), maybe go to the library, maybe just walk around
    1 - 5 - work
    5 - 6 - read while commuting, or occasionally socialize with my friend who takes the same bus if we both catch the same bus
    6 - 10 or midnight - eat, do laundry and dishes, sometimes do something else useful (such as exercise or go grocery shopping), play on web, and sometimes do something else fun (read, watch a pre-recorded TV show), cuddle with boyfriend

    When I'm sick: read, sleep, heat up something liquidy, repeat.

    When I'm not working, I have more projects, some fun and some useful.

    On weekend days, we always have brunch, then usually go grocery shopping, and then also have fun and do useful things.

    I won't say I never get cabin fever, but it's quite rare. Generally, if I have a roommate I like, I stay in a lot, and if I don't, I spend a lot more time at libraries and exercising outside, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow... my life never looked that organized even when I was working. Maybe that's because I never worked a traditional 9-5 job. I must say that reading on the bus sounds like a much more enjoyable way to commute than battling other cars in rush hour traffic!

      Delete
    2. Oh yes! I've heard that some people get carsick when they read; so glad that's not me.

      Delete
    3. I fear I'm in the carsick category. Thankfully the furthest I ever commute is down the hall to my computer! :-)

      Delete
    4. Bummer. And yea!

      Delete
  8. I tend to wake up between about 5.30am and 6 am...get out of bed by 6.30am, feed cats, let rabbit out into house, feed fish, let chickens out (depending on when it gets light).
    Put kettle on, start porridge cooking. Watch some news on TV.
    Breakfast eaten by 7.30am (when bf leaves for work).

    Depending when I start work, do some cleaning, make bread, wash up etc.

    Let cockerel out.

    Knit for a bit.

    Walk to work, work, walk home. Maybe more housework, dinner.

    Feed cats, shut chickens into coop, get cockerel in.

    Wash up, bed- usually between 9-10 pm.

    I am definitely a morning person!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Holy Moly... I sorta can't imagine going to bed that early. That was about the time I left work when I was running the music school! Although, part of me thinks it would be really luxurious to be able to go to bed so early. I'm afraid that if I did that these days I'd never see CatMan. Our schedule is already a compromise since he generally goes to bed around 5-6am!

      Delete
    2. Wow...he goes to bed when I get up..and I though my bf went to bed late!!

      When I am really tired it is great to get ready for bed early and sit and read with the cats...I am contemplating this already, and it is only 6.15pm!!

      Delete
    3. Holy Moly! I usually haven't even eaten dinner by that time!

      Delete
  9. What are CatMan's hours? I think it's sweet that you talk on the phone and read to each other in Spanish :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He makes me sound like a morning lark! He's seldom in bed before 5 or 6am, and usually not up before 1-2pm. He's always been a night owl, but one of his main clients is a telescope designer, so I guess in telescope land midnight-5am are prime working hours!

      And I cherish my telephone time with CatMan. It's funny... my Ex and I lived together, but we spent FAR less time genuinely interacting with each other than CatMan and I do.

      Delete
  10. Your pictures are always so funny. Maybe you and I should do a co-blog on the trials and tribulations of the Healthcare Marketplace. I am keeping my private insurance for one year before I am force onto the site. I did set up my account though so I could look at the rates. I nearly needed to go see a cardiologist after seeing what my policy will cost next year, Yi-yi-yi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! My premium is actually going to go down, mostly because I chose a bronze plan with an HSA. I've actually wanted to do that for a LONG time, but couldn't because with the old system you were pretty much locked into whatever level of coverage you chose for life... at least with Kaiser.

      Anyhow, if I had my druthers we'd have a single payer system - Medicare for all - but alas, I don't have a very powerful lobby in congress! But in the broad scheme of things I think the concept here is a huge step in the right direction. It's the chaos of having all of these separate government programs that aren't connected and don't share data placed on top of an already chaotic private system that is making me crazy. I've literally been trying to sign up since October 2nd!

      I'm sure it will get better... I mean social security was a total disaster when it first rolled out. But I am just AMAZED at the incompetence I've faced on pretty much all levels throughout this process.

      Delete
  11. I love these posts! CatMan sounds a lot like my husband - Mr. G stays up til 7 or 8 in the morning and sleeps all day. I wonder if he keeps at it long enough if he'll gradually move to a schedule where he's awake during the day and sleeping at night . .

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles giving cat meds! It makes me feel awful when I'm holding them and they're struggling to run away :( Thankfully the only meds I'm giving now can be mixed in with wet food!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read somewhere that they've done experiments where people volunteer to spend a month or so in an enclosed environment with no way to tell what time it is, and they all end up making the days much longer than 24 hours. CatMan had some technical engineering explanation for this... it made sense to him - my theory is that it's some sort of a cosmic mistake!

      I'm actually getting much better at giving kitty meds. Never thought I'd say this, but at this point I think it's much easier to give pills than liquids. I think much of it depends on the cat though. Smoky will literally let me stick my finger down his throat and it doesn't seem to phase him at all. Sputty on the other hand... well, we're getting better at it!

      Delete
  12. I didn't know you were studying Spanish, that's awesome! It sounds like your days are full of contentment at the very least and one could do far worse! Loved the LOLcat in your cup. My days are mostly filled with work, which is getting better and I'm finally up for a promotion, so I'm no longer concerned with early retirement because I finally like what I'm doing. I'm also finally making more time for exercise, even if it means I take a later shift at work. It's worth it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Studying Spanish is fun, and it's also quite useful in my neighborhood where a hefty chunk of the population is from Mexico and doesn't speak any English. I think we've been at it for over 15 years at this point.

      I'm glad you're enjoying work more - contentment is a good thing!

      Delete

I welcome your thoughts so please leave me a comment and I promise I will respond.

On older posts I've had to enable comment moderation to prevent spammers, so don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away - unless you're just commenting for the sake of embedding a link, in which case I really wish you wouldn't waste your time or mine because I'll just delete it.

Thanks, and have a fabulous day!