a week of grieving

Last week I posted that my cat, Little Guy had died, and to tell you the truth I was a little taken aback by how few condolences I received on that post.  I know I have reached out to many of you who have had pets that passed.  Only my friends Stephanie and Mim left a comment to heal me.  I am thankful for them.  Surprised by others of you.
What I didn't write was the terrible way in which Little Guy died, and that was that he was killed by my other cat, Morrison, who is still quite feral, despite having been here for 4 years, when I took him in as a stray.  I came home to Little Guy dead, and I will spare you the gruesome  details, but suffice to say that I am still grieving.
At first I wanted to kill Morrison myself, but then I decided to put him down.  Now I am wavering on that idea, and am thinking of keeping him after all.  He doesn't know the bad thing he did, and was acting out of instinct.  I have to find it in my heart to forgive him.
During all this my mother was admitted to the hospital with a bad decubitus ulcer (bed sore) between her thigh and buttock, and another on her foot.  Despite the fact that a nurse was there every other day to change the dressing on the ulcer, it got to a point where the bone was exposed and she was finally taken to the hospital... how it went so long with no one noticing is beyond me.  Anyway, she had surgery, and is doing well but will have to go to a nursing home for about 3 months for rehab and wound care.  She is thinking that she will not be going home but will become a resident of the nursing home.  My sister is thinking that will happen, too, but I am holding out hope that she will be able to go home with the help of her aides and all.  I'm just afraid she'll deteriorate in a nursing home.  I guess time will tell.
It has been a hard week, and I sure hope that some lighter times are on the horizon.

update on Little Guy

Little Guy is getting antsy being in the bedroom all the time. The drain was taken out (very quick and easy procedure), but now I have to keep flushing the open areas, and he's not liking that too much at all. Already the skin seems to be closing up, and I don't know how long flushing is viable. I'll have to call the vet on that one.

Morrison sits at the bedroom door, waiting for Little Guy to come out. I am thinking of taking him to a rescue organization where he would be put up for adoption...but it would have to be a solitary cat household... And really, who wants an adult half-feral cat, who has half a tail missing. I think he would eventually be put down in that case. This breaks my heart, and I don't know if I'm capable of doing it. He's been here two years, and this is the first really bad incident, though there have been fights. He has gotten more aggressive toward Little Guy over the past several months. My first priority is Little Guy, who is 13 years old, and has been with me for 11 years. I have to think of his safety.

The weather is much more tolerable today, at about 82°. Wouldn't it be nice if August turned out to be mild. I'd be thrilled.

I can't wait for those brisk days of Autumn. What will be by then?

the dog days

It's August at last, and the last real month of summer. I can't wait until it's over. I've had enough of the heat, and this month will probably be the worst of it.

I haven't been up for doing much of anything in this weather. Right now all my energy is going to caring for Little Guy, who is being so good that I've been able to take the cone
off his head, since he's not messing with the stitches. I keep a close eye on him, though. He has been tolerating the pills he needs to take (pain killers and antibiotics), and also the flushing of the drain. Such a good cat. Tomorrow we go to get the drain removed; I hope that doesn't hurt him too bad.

I am at odds with what to do with Morrison. He has never been fixed, and I'm wondering if it's the testosterone that makes him act the way he does. I may just try to get him fixed to see if he calms down, but I am so worried that he will attack Little Guy again. My other alternative would be to bring him to the ASPCA and get him put down. I'd feel really bad about that, though. I've had him for two years now. I don't know what to do. I can't risk them being in the same room. It's hard to even catch Morrison, because he is still part feral.

I have the ac on in the bedroom for Little Guy, so it's very hot here in the living room, because I can't use both ac's at the same time, or the electricity will blow. The humidity is soaring, so it's not much fun.

I see you, too

another wordless wednesday with my faithful companions

Little Guy, the shadow

And Morrison in black and white,

wordless wednesday

Morrison

I guess my handsome Morrison is a favorite subject of mine.  Here you can see the torn up screen, which occured when he was first here, and very feral.  He has since found this a satisfying place to stay, and has no desire to wander.  And so, in the setting sun....

cats

My cat, Morrison, lazing in the sun, and my friend evie's cat, Sam, who is smiling for the camera.