Cat Panic-Attack

Just when you thought you'd heard everything... Yep, there is such thing as a cat-panic-attack.! I found that out yesterday when I took dear Gabriel for his monthly nail clipping. Instead of getting used to his occassional car and vet trips, he actually got worse! He freaked out. As soon as the carrier ws set in the car he began his tirade. Halfway there, I looked over and what did I see - his mouth was open, tongue hanging out, and he was panting like a dog... I then began to freak out myself, fearing I was about to lose him altogether.

We finally got to the new place, they had to navigate me over the phone, and the kind vet there had to look at him. He wasn't overheated of course... He had a "panic attack"... Poor Gabriel was hyperventillating...

Of course, right after the clipping he was more than happy to crawl back to the carrier... The rest of the afternoon was spent chasing a rogue fly stuck in the house; both he and Princess went nuts for a few hours chasing it around, knocking themselves agains window panes, jumping up to five feet high to get it... All was well...

:)

How Thangs Go Wrong Somethayme

As being Gabriel here, Ah can tell you that Ah've been very happy... y'awl know that. Ah mean, Ah have charge of Pipi, Ah got mom, and ain't nobody bothering me. In fact, Ah got a whole place here, bigger than Ah ever imagined. And so, Ah do as Ah please awl day loong...

But god-dang it, mom sometimes cramps mah style. Laike last night: she kept tryin' to get me out of my favorite spot again in her small room [bathroom]. She tried to cajole me up, poke me here and there with her fingers, spoke to me... But Ah wouldn't buudge.. Ah laiked it right there and Ah couldnt' see whah Ah had to move. Ah was tired and hot.

She wouldn't give up though, sayin' to me thangs laike 'it's time for beddie bye' and awl that... She tried to turn me over so Ah would stand up and kept rolling up on mah belly to avoid being picked up. Finally, Ah'm like: "God dang it! Ah'm just gonna git up and just go around the door and change spots... Maybe she'll be okay with that. She came after me there too! "No! ", Ah protested, raising mah paw to block her hand and keep her from touching mah back. Then she tried to get ahold of me. "Nooo, mom! Ah don't wanna! ", Ah swatted at her with mah open paw this time.

"Ayyyeeehhh!!!!! ", she screamed. Dang it.. Now Ah made a mess and Ah really didn't mean to, and Pipi started staring at me ("What did you do to her?!!). Ah just bounced away as cooly as Ah could muster laike notin' happened. Ah can take a hint after awl...

Being Gabriel

Being Gabriel means Ah gawt to do a lot of different thangs. Laike, Ah step into the room where Ah know mom's in one paw at a time, stopping and then stretching mah neck to assess the situation. Does she or does she nawt want me in here? Or laike, Ah am sooo, so sensitive? Ah kinda...jump at the slightest sudden sound that's near me 'cause Ah am so tuned into what Ah do...

Being Gabriel also means crying laike a baby when Ah want to jump on mom's lap on the couch and Ah can't 'cause sometin' in the way. And when Ah try to chase Pipi? Ah now have to rev mah engines 'cause Ah'm kinda heavy and Ah have to take time out to get going... so mah back legs start revving up first ... kinda laike spinning mah own wheels for a few seconds befawre Ah can start running.

And it also means takin' heed of mom's "excuse me" words nowadays... Ah've learned that trick from Pipi... When Ah hear "excuse me" ? Ah know she kinda.. wants me out of the way so Ah vacate the small room in short order, no fuss about it, Ah don't even look baack even though Ah laike that small room, Ah laike to lay on the cold floor there.

And, Ah laike to give mom some thayme in the mornin' befawre Ah thank it's time to start cawling her bah outside the door... Pipi keeps warnin' me not to wake her up, that's important, Ah know... But Ah sit and wait until Ah know when she wakes up - and then Ah can start cawling her and begging to open the door ("Ah've been owt here enough already, waiting... Pleaase, mom.. pleeeeease open the door, okay??")

Been Gabriel, above awl, means standing there in place whenever mom wants to lauve me. Sometimes? She puts me on the 'beddie bye' in the mornin' or when she comes home at night and she just huugs me awl over. And Ah oblige, y'a know. Ah can tell she needs me just as much as Ah need her... Ah can tell it's really important for her to be that close to me... Ah don't feel smothered laike Pipi... So Ah just stand there, patiently, and let her looove me all she wants...

Where But.. Where?

I am not sure whether to relay this little moment directly or try to interpret it for Gabriel. But it was in the late morning today when he sauntered up near the dining table area where I was sitting. I assumed he must have seen me because I was right there; but his general attention was elsewhere. So I started trying to get his attention: "Baby.. babyyy!!", I called. And I mean I was right there just a few feet away from him. He had his back to me, facing the stairs. The more I called, the more he pointed his ears toward up the stairs. And then the unthinkable happened: he began to bound up the steps, eager to find me... Thinking I was up there, ears pointed and all...

Aw-gawd!! The first thing I could think of was that he may be having some sort of hearing problem in one of his ears... He actually could not tell where the sound was coming from... He could hear it but could not get the right direction. He did a similar thing the other night when Princess had just entered my closet and the door opening made a squeaky sound. He was right next to it, on the bed when this happened but he was unable to tell the correct direction of the sound: he thought it was coming from outside of the room and he stood up, alarmed, his eyes got dilated as he instantly looked at me, searching my eyes for reassurance. "It's okay", I told him. "It's this way...", I tried to get him to focus on the closet area. He finally did, noticing Princess in there... But he was still left wondering, alarmed as to the sound he heard...

The more I think of it now, the more I am suspecting that it may not be an ear/hearing problem at all... It's more of a ... psychological thing, for lack of a better term.. Tied to his beginnings, as he may be associating unfamiliar sounds as omens, or preludes, to something disruptive about to happen to him... At least he has had a very tight bond with Princess, since his foster days or before... They went through this together and they have each other to lean on.. They're always looking out for each other, besides being so bonded to me. In fact, they were able to transfer, or rather replicate the type of strong bond they have developed with each other, on to me as well... I don't know how I did it... Besides being there 24/7 for them for the first month and a half after my adoption. And just making myself available for lots of love - and slumbering on me for hours at a time.. like an emotional pillow for them.

Gabriel continues to like to sleep inside the carrier, so I think he is making great strides. And I just discovered another yet whole paper towel roll placed over you-know-what (this, on the empty bathroom sink.)

Revisiting THE Room....

A while back I began noticing that the door to the storage room was occassionally left ajar - even though I always keep it closed nowadays. At first, I thought that maybe I hadn't closed it tightly. But then I would click it closed and the next day still find that it had been opened... It would only be that particular door, down by the rec room. There is a half bath down there too, the door is kept closed at all times; meaning, nothing or nobody has tried to open that door up...

I finally saw Princess trying to push the storage room door open one evening... She was trying to get in there again... This is where Princess I spent a lot of time in her last months of life... This is where, as you might all remember, this is where she would sleep at night. And I kept the door closed on purpose ever since Princess II arrived here. But she keeps wanting to go back to the room... and she has... on her own sneaky time, she has. When the room is empty, dark and bleak now. I still feel horrible about that room myself... the fact that I had to close the door on her overnight, to keep her from waking me up. I never like to go into that room anymore and I'm glad to see that at least Gabriel doesn't have any interest in it either...

Only Princess....