I miss my dog
Last Sunday night, Xena and Gabby went off on another one of their infamous adventures. You know, the kind that cause me to lose sleep and what little hair I have left. They didn’t show up when I poured food in their food bowls Sunday night; only Gabby had come home by Monday night. Her behavior was very unusual – she was very depressed and wasn’t eating. That’s when the sinking feeling set in that something was terribly wrong. I’ve attempted to get Gabby to lead me to where she last saw Xena, but she either can’t go or just doesn’t know where she is.
It’s been five days now since we’ve seen her. The weather has been getting progressively worse – colder and rainier with a decent chance for sleet tonight – and there’s no sign of her. I think my old dog is gone. … Read more
Chloe, our beautiful little mostly-grey dilute calico cat, died earlier tonight at home. My wife had left an hour or so before that for some work-related function, and still isn’t home yet, and I still haven’t been able to reach her. Chloe has been having what we thought were allergy-related breathing problems for about a year now, and we had been treating her regularly, which usually involved force-feeding her some really icky-tasting medicine with an eyedropper. Here recently, however, her breathing problems intensified, and our veterinarian stepped her up to some stronger medicine in pill form. She was due to go back in for a checkup next Tuesday. … 
A Chloe update for you…our sick kitty is getting a little bit better, but she’s also driving us nuts. Her appetite has returned, slowly but surely, and she’s starting to gain her weight back. We’ve also discovered the secret to slipping her pills into a tasty treat – apparently vets can get little chicken or fish flavored “pockets” that you slip a pill into, and the cat eats it up and gets her medicine without scratching the crap out of you. Don’t let that innocent little face fool you. Chloe’s got some claws, man.
Xena and Chloe spend a little bit of time outside; Chloe seems to be finding it a little easier to breathe outdoors these days than indoors. Chloe had a recent visit to the vet where we learned that she has the kitty equivalent of asthma, and so we’re having to give her pills twice a day for the next two weeks. Hopefully she’ll not only find it easier to breathe, but her appetite will return as well – she barely eats, and as fluffy and soft as her coat looks, when you pick her up, you find that she’s skin and bones underneath that fur. 🙁 I’m really worried about her. … 
Now here’s a pet pairing that I don’t think I’ve had a chance to photograph in years. In the upper left hand corner is Chloe, snoozing on our antique Duncan Phyfe sofa, while Othello, snoozing on a comforter on our other sofa, is awakened by me taking pictures. (Ignore the clutter in the rest of the room if you can.) I’m surprised Othello is in as good a mood as he’s in – he’s got every right to hate my guts tonight. … 
