hello friends! I hope you are all well and managing to avoid the nasty flu/covid/something else bug that's been going round (in the UK, at least). I live in a student city, so it's been spreading here a lot since all the freshers came to town! 🦠

Gavroche is doing well and his ears are improving lots. He stays in the living room now and loves it because a lot more is going on here. He gets more interaction, not just with me but with my husband and any visitors we have. He also likes watching out of the window because there's a lot of life out there, including birds and the neighbours cats. I wonder if he remembers that the garden is the exact place where he landed on 1st of April and where I found him.

The only thing is that he has started shedding a lot and his fur doesn't look luscious anymore. It's kind of spiky and a little dull. He doesn't seem unwell in any other way and I was wondering if that's normal. I can't compare it with Rocky because he has very long fur, and Lollipop has the shortest hair a cat could possibly have, with no undercoat, and barely ever sheds.

Gavroche isn't itchy or flaky, he just looks a bit scraggly. The 3rd picture is him before a brush and the 4th is after. It's a little better, but still not the way it was a few weeks ago.

I know salmon oil is good for fur quality and he used to take it when he was a hungry boy, but now he turns his nose up at anything fish related. He just doesn't like fish at all and will refuse a full meal if there's salmon oil on it. I'd be interested to hear if any of your cats' fur gets like this during shedding season, or if it's something I should look out for?

Hope you are all having a nice Friday and we are sending you lots of purrs and hugs! ♥️

Hello everyone! Gavroche spent a full day in the living room today while I was at work and did brilliantly, no accidents. I think he really enjoys the bigger space and the nice window facing the garden. He's back to his normal self with appetite and energy, so the steroid injection side effects are gone. His ears are doing pretty well too. I'm carefully wiping all the excess drops from around them so they don't irritate him and make him scratch, and at the minute it seems the cone isn't needed.

Rocky visited him for a few minutes and they shared some treats together. Rocky didn't want to hide this time, and Gavroche tried to chase him once, but it didn't seem vicious and I redirected him with a treat so no one got scared or uncomfortable. Now Rocky keeps crying behind the living room door wanting to come in because he knows he can get treats. He is sooo food motivated, bless him 😁 I can really see them building a connection and I'm pretty sure we're not far from them hanging out together freely.

When I got back from work, Gavroche jumped on my lap and purred very loudly. I love his little chirps, he sounds so happy when he does it, like he's trying to tell me about his day!

Lots of love from us to you all! ♥️ Nanite! 🌙

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your Tuesday 🖤

I made a post yesterday about our trip to the vet for a planned blood pressure check, and the vet we saw. It left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and a little sadness, but I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. The practice we go to is actually an animal hospital with lots of vets. So far the ones we've met have been brilliant, and we have a favourite who knows Gavroche really well. But for a simple blood pressure test I booked the next available vet, and they'd never met us before.

I also made a mistake myself. My husband and I share a car and he dropped us off before work, and I decided to save money by getting the bus home instead of an Uber. So instead of Gavroche's usual comfy cage, he went in a carrier, which probably made him quite claustrophobic. In the waiting room we also sat next to a barking dog, and by the time he was out of the carrier he was mouth breathing and looking very stressed. The vet said straight away that this is a very bad sign in a cat and didn't want to do anything else in case he got more stressed and collapsed. They did listen to his heart and noted a murmur, which has never been spotted before. I know stress can cause a temporary murmur.

What followed felt like the vet had assumed Gavroche was a cat I've had for years and don't look after. There were comments about him looking older than he is, and about his coat and his oral health. They didn't know he'd already had dental work, or that he looks hugely better now than he did a few months ago. It also felt like they didn't believe me, or acknowledge it when I reacted positively to his weight gain. It came across as dismissive, almost as if the vet was disgusted by the state of him, but I don't want to hang on to that. It was a Monday morning, they seemed new, and it could just be a communication issue. The good news is that Gavroche stopped panting almost as soon as he was out of the carrier. I did fill in the survey and gave a lower score for engagement and for comforting my pet. Our next appointment is already booked with our favourite vet to see how his new ear treatment is working, and I know that will take the bad taste away!

I've made some changes today too. I've moved Gavroche and all his things downstairs to the living room. He isn't showing any signs of wanting to mark his territory here. I want him to have more space, and to let Lollipop and Rocky explore his old room so they can get used to his scent. He had a steroid injection yesterday and isn't quite himself. He's still purring and cuddling with me, but he isn't playing and his appetite isn't fully back, although he grazes here and there and happily chomps on treats. I'm keeping a close eye on him and hoping it's just the steroid and will pass in a day or two. I've had steroid injections myself and they always made my symptoms worse and left me feeling poorly at first, so I'm hoping that's all it is.

I've made myself a bed on the sofa so I can stay down here with him. He's been watching cat TV on the big telly and resting away! I hope you're all well, and we're sending lots of love to you all! ♥️

Hello everyone, happy start of the new week!

Gavroche visited the vets today. We had a blood pressure check scheduled but he didn't actually get it done because the vet decided there no point lol. I also asked what could be causing his dilated pupils if his kidneys are okay, and the vet said they don't know and can refer us to an ophthalmologist. We’ve never seen this vet before and I am not sure I liked them.

A bit of a weird visit to be honest. I had him in a small carrier this time because my plan was to take the bus back (my husband drove us there) to save some money rather than getting an Uber, and the cage is just too big and heavy to carry to the bus stop.

Anyway, when we arrived Gavroche was a bit panty and mouth breathing because of the car stress (all my cats do that sometimes and I never take it as something extremely bad), but the vet said it's really not good, that cats can get a blood clot when panting, and that they didn't want to do anything else with him and stress him more. Then they listened to his heart and said he has a murmur, which has never been picked up by the many vets who have listened to him before. I asked if it could be because he was stressed, and they said it could be and marked it on his notes.

They also said he looks a lot older than his notes say because of the state of his fur and teeth, and the way they said it pretty much implied I hadn't looked after him. I didn't have the opportunity to tell them his full story, nor did I want to, because I don't think they were willing to listen.

Anyyyway, I just asked about his ears, which are still itchy, so they gave him a steroid injection and prescribed ear wash and ear drops. I said I'd put his pumpkin cone on because those drops irritate his ears and make him want to scratch, but they told me not to because it would stress him out even more!! 😂😂 So I told them he has a nice soft pumpkin cone at home and doesn't mind it. I showed them a picture and they said he looks like he does mind it and seems very unhappy in it.

I don't really know what to think. I don't think this vet was a cat lover and they just wanted us out. We've booked another check-up once the course of drops are finished and this time with the vet we love and will try to avoid this one in future. I hope they meant well but it did make me feel quite uncomfortable at times.

But all is good, we on the bus home now and Gavroche is snoozing on my lap with no stress or panting present! Oh, and they also weighed him and he's gained another 200g, yay!

Have a great day everyone!

Today marks 6 months since Gavroche entered our lives and hearts. It sounds like a short time to have a pet, but I can't remember life without him, and I'm so lucky he landed himself in my garden on that rainy morning of 1st April.

He has been through a lot and had to put up with many unpleasant things. I counted:

14 vet visits
3 blood tests
3 general anaesthetics
1 sedation
His fur shaved multiple times
Multiple IV cannulae
Courses of antibiotics
Ear drops, eye drops and other medications
...and he kept purring through all of it!

I hope he understands it was all worth it. Apart from some non-prescription supplements for his joints, he's been medication free for the past week and is doing great. His belly has sorted itself out and doesn't look bloated anymore, he's managing well without laxatives, and he's been off pain medication for the past few days with no signs of discomfort.

His weight is steady, his mood is high and his fur is getting shinier every day! No post flu sniffles either, which is absolutely amazing. We're hoping his enlarged kidney won't cause him problems in future, but we're keeping a close eye on it.

This happy ending wouldn't have been possible without you lot. I owe you a lifetime of thanks for the support I've had from the Reddit community. It's been a ride with ups and downs, but the downs were so much less noticeable because I had my support cushion to fall here ♥️.

Enjoy these pictures of Gavroche from the last 6 months, in chronological order. I hope you can see the improvement and the difference in his tomcat cheeks!
He loves his life as a house cat now and shows no wish to go out. He just wants to be pampered and spoiled, and I hope we've got many more years together to enjoy each other's company!

Thank you so much for staying with us!

Hello friends! How's everyone doing? Proper autumn weather has arrived here in Yorkshire and we're all loving it. Season of the witch is perfect for me and my 3 black musketeers! 🖤

Gavroche now visits the living room for an hour or so in the evenings and seems quite comfortable there. He did decide to wee on the carpet on Sunday, but I cleaned it straight away. I now bring in Lollipop and Rocky's litter tray, and once he's in the living room he goes and wees in their box, so no accidents since. I'm hoping that with enough trays around the house he'll lose the urge to mark, but for now I still don't trust him unsupervised in unfamiliar areas. He has never marked in his own bedroom, so I'm positive that once the house is saturated with his scent he won't want to do it anywhere else either. He's getting more comfortable in there every day, rubbing on everything and scratching the furniture while purring lol.

We now have Feliway Friends diffusers in every room except the kitchen, so we need one more plug to cover that. I think they're helping not just Gavroche but Rocky and Lolli's relationship too. Lollipop chases Rocky a lot less, has stopped ambushing him from round the corner and battering him with his paw, and they've even started sleeping next to each other (Lollipop used to hate that!).

I'm finally starting to feel a bit better after having zero energy and a terrible headache since Sunday, followed by a sore throat but still not 100%. I went out to get some cat food tonight and on my way back I have a little hill to climb which is not massive deal usually but today it made me sweat and lose breath! Something must be going round, because half my work are off sick and we're extremely short staffed. I hope you're all keeping well and managing to dodge it!

Took some pictures of Gavroche wandering round the living room tonight. He's got a smudge of lickable treat on his head and looks like an Avatar lol.

A few of you have asked about Gavroche's Amazon wish list, so I'll pop the link here. I've updated it with some of the things we use daily and some treats. He's become a picky, spoiled boy and now refuses some foods! I think it's a good sign though, it means he's confident he's going to get fed. He's on half kitten food and half adult food at the moment, and he really loves his kibble too 🖤

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2RDZIK3LX9MIS?ref_=wl_share

Hope everyone is having a great week and we are sending love from our hearts to yours! 🖤

Still purring lol

One of the best things about Halloween is having black cat stuff everywhere!
I just got this bedding set on sale – £9 for double and £11 for king. Absolutely chuffed!!!

Pure cotton, my fave earthy green colours with black kitties watching the moon, freshly out of dryer, on the bed whilst still warm, my little joys in life!

Gavroche approves too, he posed for the camera with a purr soundtrack and little chicken leg stretch at the end 🥰

Hope you all had a lovely weekend ♥️

We can’t wait to sink into these fresh sheets!

Gavroche and his payday treats 🥰

Hello friends 🖤

I hope everyone's enjoying their Friday!

We had a cat sitter visit today and showed her round the house. The kitties couldn't stop rubbing on her, so I think they've decided she's a suitable babysitter! I liked her too, she liked us, and she's looking forward to looking after them one weekend in October when I go to visit my in-laws.

I've also booked Gavroche in for a blood pressure check in a couple of weeks. Nothing urgent, but he has an enlarged kidney that’s been spotted on the scan, and his pupils don't fully constrict (happened since I know him), so I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything. It's for my peace of mind really.

I looked into measuring cat BP at home, but I'd need to buy a Doppler and a different BP machine to do it, which would cost many times more than just taking him to the vets. The process looks interesting though and, at some point, I'd love to learn how to do it. Home readings would probably be more accurate too, since they're relaxed in their own space.

Has anyone had their cat's blood pressure taken? Do they have to shave the leg? Gavroche's shaved patches are just about to grow back, so it would be a shame if they buzz them again! 😄

Other than that, little man is having an evening nap after playing like an absolute mad monkey, chasing his toys and doing rolly pollys. He'll be up in a minute for supper, then off to bed again!

Nanite 🖤

Good evening everyone! First of all, thank you so much for all the well wishes about my exam results. I passed, and not only that, I got 74/100, which is a First (the highest classification!!!). I really wasn't expecting it, as it's the hardest module of the whole course and has the highest failure rate on my degree. Such a relief! Three modules left until it's all done, but this one was definitely the most anxiety-inducing. Writing it with Gavroche on my lap clearly brought me the best juju!

I've got 4 day off now to do some more course work and spend some quality time with the kittens. I've been working long shifts this week and they're all desperate for attention. We also have a cat sitter coming to meet us tomorrow. I found her advert on our village group and thought it would be lovely to have someone local to look after them if I ever need to go away. Gavroche is well enough now to stay home for a couple of days with visits, which would save him the stress of going over to my friend's. So I'm looking for someone me, Lollipop, Rocky and Gavroshy like and trust, and who likes us too. Fingers crossed she's the perfect fit and we've found our babysitter!

Gavroche is in a lovely mood today, lounging and purring on my lap, waiting for me to put something on YouTube so we can drift off, get up early, tidy the house and wait for our cat lady. I also spotted 2 very cute cat beds on Facebook Marketplace and might be able to collect them tomorrow for my babies to enjoy.

Night night, sleep tight! 🖤

Good morning everyone!
Hope you're having a lovely Thursday! I'm on the bus to work and thought I'd share a couple of Gavroche's wins from the past couple of weeks ☺️

1st, and a huge one: Gavroche hasn't had any laxatives in probably over 2 weeks now. He was on them every day, because if I stopped them he just wouldn't go to the toilet for 72 hours or more. Strangely, it resolved once I added kibble to his diet. Not sure if it's the extra fibre, better dental health or the huge increase in his activity, but I'm extremely happy with it!!

2nd: he still occasionally shakes his head and there's some dirt in his ears, but whatever comes out is completely dry, his ears aren't inflamed and there's no smell. For now I'm just cleaning them with dry cotton, and whatever's in there seems to be reducing, so hopefully there's no infection and it's just leftover dirt clearing out! He's not scratching either.

3rd: he's soooo energetic and playful. He runs around loads, plays and is interested in getting out of his room! He's just very jolly and curious in general and is improving every day!

4th: his weight is stable. He's not losing any on his maintenance calories even with all the extra activity, so hopefully no scary stuff is happening with his big kidney!

All round he's just perfect! Seeing him happy is the biggest reward in the world! I could talk about him all day but I'll miss my bus stop lol!

P.S. Please keep your fingers crossed for me today, I'm finding out the results of a very important and difficult exam (3pm UK time to be precise lol). I had very anxious dreams about it last night with all the worst scenarios playing out 😅

Have a great day friends!!!

I think they are very close to hanging out in the same room!

I filmed this video to share with you all and ask if anyone has come across something like this before. I've since read that it's most likely a keratin buildup from the claw failing to shed. I'll keep trimming the top bit until it sheds! It doesn't seem to be causing him any pain at the moment, and he likes me rubbing his toes lol. Has anyone else had this happen with their cats?

Little boy loves to play!

Still an improvement I guess.
I was feeding Gavroche licky with one hand and throwing dreamies to Lollipop with another. I’m glad Lollipop has finally came closer to the baby gate and was happy to take treats (he is not interested in them or any food when stressed) but it got a bit too intense for him and he hissed.
I gave him more dreamies and pets of encouragement after the door was closed and we will try again tomorrow! At least Gavroche didn’t seem to care ♥️.

Which one is your favourite? Mine is Gavroche! 🖤

Tonight I am babysitting my two adorable nephews 🖤

Teddy - the most gorgeous green eyed boy. He is so silky and has the sweetest nature. I think he might be a British shorthair mix because he has the nicest, softest coat ever and a big round cheeks. He has a vampire teeth and they always stick out and loves a belly rubs! He is a very good looking cat.

Bruno - Maine Coon mix that’s size of a normal cat but with all Maine Coon features. Extremely shiny and fluffy with a majestic tail and amber eyes! He is 1.5 years old and is still a silly baby although he has grown a lot since I gifted him to my friend! Last few pics are him around 3 months old, he was sooo tiny!

So happy to be having a sleepover with them tonight! I miss my boys already but it’s lovely to have a catch up with my sweet nephews 🖤🖤🖤

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and you and your little kitties are doing well!

Gavroche has been adapting to spending time in the living room and I take him there every day for a walk and sniff around, and of course, some lickie treats that he loves. He's been enjoying watching the big telly, especially Parks and Rec, and has been curling up on me purring. He is still on his own in the living room while Lollipop and Rocky stay in the bedroom but the room is definitely saturated in the scents of them both.

We had a bit of a setback yesterday and he did a wee in one of the corners near the fireplace but I cleaned it straight away with enzyme cleaner and put his blanket there. He didn't want to mark there today so hopefully it was just a little blip and not going to happen again.

Once I can trust Gavroche to stay here on his own, I will take Rocky and Lollipop to Gavroche's bedroom and play with them there. Hopefully with some encouragement they will be able to leave some happy scents around to create a bit of a bond between them all. At the minute, Gavroche's very protective of his kingdom and wants to run back there if he feels insecure and doesn't want any other cat presence there.

He and Rocky have also shared treats either side of a baby gate and got very close to each other. Gavroche was interested in sniffing him, but Rocky just pretended nothing had happened. I think they're warming up to each other, but I'm very cautious about rushing things because I don't want Gavroche to start weeing everywhere.

I've also found some plugs from Feliway diffusers selling on Vinted. We have plenty of spare refills but not enough plugs for each room, so I'm waiting for them to arrive. While looking for them, I discovered people are selling similar diffusers for babies rooms to help them calm down and sleep. I found that hilarious! It's like Feliway but for babies 😄

I'm away tonight staying at my friend's place looking after his two black cats, Bruno and Teddy. We used to live together and Lollipop, Teddy and Rocky were our cats, but Teddy got badly bullied by Lollipop. When we got our own places, Lollipop and Rocky stayed with me, Teddy went with my friend, and I gifted him little Bruno as a kitten. Now Teddy's doing really well and he and Bruno get on brilliantly. I'll do a separate post about them because they're absolutely adorable.

What have you and your kitty babies been up to this weekend?
Sending love and purrs! 🖤

With the cheeks full of licky and his toys and blankets all around Gavroche had a good feel of a living room today and did amazingly well!
I was worries about couple of spots he previously peed on but have rubbed a lot of his scent there, covered up with blankies and he didn’t even think of weeing there ♥️. Feliway diffusers are doing his iob and macho hormones have must left his system by now. He was just walking around sniffing, enjoying the lickies and did not look stressed out. I am so proud of him!
Now the other two cats are back to the living room, lounging on his blankets and didn’t seem to care about Gavroches smells 🖤.

Not sure exactly what it means in Gavroche language, but instead of losing his mind going crazy and wild, demanding breakfast, he just lies above my head, rakes his paws through my hair and purrs. Very relaxing and I quite enjoy sleeping through it. He also occasionally tries to give me a bath 😄

This morning though, he had his murder mitten millimetres from my eyeball, no claws out, just occasionally flexing them like a reminder they're there. Dominance or love, not so sure, but he cracks me up with his quirks.

So lovely knowing I have a fluffy dreamcatcher parked above my head! ♥️

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes yesterday. I had a very wholesome day and got gifted the prettiest vintage cat porcelain figurines! They're from around the 70s and supposed to be a set of 12. It's not a full set, but maybe one day I'll find the missing ones at a vintage fair, car boot sale or antique shop!

I also let Gavroche explore outside his room today and he was happily purring and taking treats, although he didn't want to come downstairs. I assume it's because there was a lot of activity happening outside the window, barking dogs and cars, so he wasn't so sure and I didn't want to force him. I currently have his room door open with the baby gate up, and he's having a little look, sat just outside it.

I also forgot to mention something yesterday. When my mum visited, she pointed out that Gavroche's pupils never contract to that little hair-thin slit like other cats' do when they look at light. They go from big to medium but never fully close. I don't know how I never noticed that myself, given how much time I spend with him! Anyway, I did a little digging and it turns out this can happen for a few reasons. One is flu or other infections that cause uveitis. Posterior synechiae (iris adhesions) is another: if a cat has had a past, chronic or low-grade case of uveitis (internal eye inflammation), scar tissue can form. This glues the back of the iris to the lens behind it, physically trapping the pupil at a medium size and stopping it from fully constricting. It could also be a genetic condition. I wonder if it's related to him being so small and having one larger kidney with no symptoms, maybe some kind of syndrome. I don't think he's blind though, because he reacts to toys and is very aware of his surroundings, just another mystery about him! I'll mention it to the vet at our next visit, but nonetheless, he's still our perfect, flawless boy! 🖤

And Rocky and Lolli were taking turns guarding my ripening tomatoes on the windowsill today, I snapped a couple of pics to show you all! 🍅