Pipsqueak On the Move!

So much activity in the life of this little kitten.  Dave and I are kitty helicopter parents... sigh.

After we last posted on Sunday, both Camille and Mazie went in for check-up with our vet, Dr. Dayton.  At 14+ yrs, Camille is hanging in there and has managed to gain a pound or two, so we're pretty happy about that.  She is a little anemic, so we're adding some liver and other yummy stuff to her diet.  Thank goodness for our friends at East of Eden Farms who are pasture raising beef, chicken and turkey for us humans and using the bits and pieces to make a super high quality raw pet food.  Camille will be eating like a queen (as if she doesn't already).

As for Ms. Mazie, of course the entire staff at the vet's fell in love.  She's a cute little creature.  Her health is excellent.  They checked her tummy, which had been a little bloated, and said it was most likely due to her not getting enough physical activity and eating while laying down.  So, now more kitty exercise!  Dave and I are putting her wet food on the edge of her bowl and helping her to hold her bottom up so she can stand while eating.  She's getting the hang of it and even had a little snack all on her own this morning.  All in all, both our lovely little girls are doing splendidly.

Mazie's mobility is improving day by day.  Evil Dave has found a box!  Most cats, as you know, seem to love to hop into and out of boxes for whatever mysterious kitty reason they have.  Hopping anywhere is not a reality for Mazie (yet), but alas she now has a box.  We are putting her into it a few times a day and letting her find a way out on her own.  The first time we did it, we completely lost it in guilty laughter.   You see, our little champion's victory was short lived.  As soon as she managed to pull herself over the lip of the box and rest her front paws on the ground, the box flipped and turned over on top of her.  Poor kitten - so close only to have victory snatched from her tiny paws by the laws of physics.

She's mastered the box now and just looks pretty annoyed with us when she sees it coming.  One of these days, she's going to figure out how to swat us for what we're putting her through.  We're not being sadistic, we're trying to help her figure out how her body's parts all work together and there's no better way to do that than to put her in situations that she has to puzzle out for herself.

Yesterday, Dave took the girls to VetRec, a pet physical therapy practice which Camille has been visiting for some time to help with her arthritic back-end. Three more adoring fans for the Pipsqueak as she met Dr. Meyer (the rehab vet), Dr. Klein (the acupuncture practitioner) and Jason, the vet tech.  Quite a few ooohs and aaahs later, Mazie has a little exercise routine that we do with her twice a day (she has truly mastered the "stink eye" expression) and a plan to begin some acupuncture on her to see if that gives her a little boost in muscular control.  We've pinged a couple of CH kitty forums to see if anyone has had any luck with acupuncture and haven't gotten any replies. 

The Amazing Mazie continues to progress daily.  There are dozens of tiny milestones that Dave and I ooh and aah over.  She takes a tumble every few steps, has perfected a backwards scooting that typically ends in an epic somersault, and continues to try, try, try.  We are her biggest cheerleaders.  She must wonder what all the fuss is about when she climbs out of the littler box or takes a drink of water on her own, but we want her to have as much positive stimuli as possible.

Thanks goodness we don't have human children.  We'd be terrible helicopter parents.