The move is finally upon us. It's Saturday, and we'll be moving on Monday. Today and tomorrow will be full of packing — you know, all the stuff you use until the last minute. I may have a few site updates today depending on how things go around here, and I'll definitely have a final update or two tomorrow before I send out the weekly newsletter. After that, I'm not sure when the next site update will be, but I promise to get back online as quickly as possible. The DSL is supposed to be hooked up by the middle of the week, but I'm not placing any bets. You know how that sort of thing goes… The Random Thoughts may not be updated daily as usual, but I'll catch up as soon as I get back online and have a few free minutes. Aside from that, enjoy your holiday weekend.
I’m tired
I've been home from work long enough to grab a bite to eat. Yes, I worked today. It's been that kind of week. I realize there haven't been many site updates over the last several days, but you're just going to have to cope with your cravings a wee bit longer. With so much going on at work and getting ready to move on April 21, things are quite hectic for me right now. Not to fear, though, as I'll be updating the site as much as possible and hope to be back to regular updates shortly after we get through this move.
Cat declawing gets outlawed
In what I hope to be the first in a series of similar laws, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously voted to ban the declawing of cats.
Known as onychectomy, cat declawing is a procedure which mutilates a cat's paws by removing the first joint of each toe.
I've long considered this to be pure animal cruelty and a completely unnecessary procedure.
I have had cats in my life for as long as I can remember, and declawing them has simply never been an option. I live comfortably with four cats right now and don't fear being wounded by them. I also do not worry about furniture being used for claw sharpening.
It's a matter of patience and training and not a matter of medical mutilation from the Dark Ages.
Cats may be inherently independent, but that does not mean they can't be trained. By trained I do not mean beaten and abused for scratching a person or piece of furniture, either, but rather a simple technique of reinforcing good habits and negative feedback for bad habits — followed by positive reinforcement of the corresponding good habit.
With four cats in the house, all of whom have their claws, you would expect my roommate and I to be bleeding at all times and to have furniture that is shredded.
Not so!
The kids understand where and what they can scratch, and, even when playing rough with one of us, they are gentle enough not to cause too much damage. Shallow scratches are the worst wounds we've suffered from.
I applaud West Hollywood for this maneuver and hope that other cities, municipalities and counties follow their lead. Perhaps we can do away with this barbaric practice altogether.
Now we taper him off
Spoke to the vet today, and it's time to start tapering Grendel off of the corticosteroid. He's been on one every other day, so now he goes to one every third day. If he does well on that schedule, we stay on it for two weeks then reduce it to one every week. Again, if that works well, then, after two weeks, we take him off of the pill altogether. He's done well on the inhaler, so I'm hoping I can finally get him off of the pills. Here's hoping things go as planned.
I’m not neglecting you
Just so you know, I'm not neglecting you. I've been busy packing and have had some folks visiting from out of town, so the last two days have been hectic. I just got home from work, so I'm going to grab a bite to eat and hit the sack (it's been a long day).