Even though I am catless (don't get me started, I'm really depressed about it, and just want Ginger and Vicktor back ~ no other cats...yet) I belong to a bunch of cat groups on Facebook. One of the common questions people ask is about FIV+ cats, aka cats that are positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. 

FIV+ affects the cat's immune system, and may be dormant for many years. It may make the cat susceptible to other infections, but as long as they are taken care of by their owner, the vet visits are the same as any other cats. They can live long happy and healthy lives. It's only transmitted to other cats through a bite, not shared grooming or sharing bowls. So logically, keep your FIV+ cat indoors.

FIV+ cats aren't as troubled and deathly sick as people seem to think they are. When we had Hans, he was FIV+. As far as I know, he didn't pass it to Vicktor or Ginger. 

Our Christmas card 2007. Hans, Ginger, & Vicktor. As you can see, Hans was a handsome fellow.

So please don't let a cat being FIV+ deter you from adopting them.

Click here for a good website on FIV+. 

Being a business owner, I have to plan. I meal plan, I plan what I wear each day the night before, and I plan vacations. Andrew (my hubs) and I try to take at least a small road trip each year ~ even if it's just for a change of scenery. That means it's usually on a Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday when my shop Cats Like Us isn't open, so our getaway doesn't interfere with shop hours. Let me tell you, I had our Cleveland, Ohio trip planned a few months in advance. It did not go as planned, as the universe was working against us. We still managed to include some fun things, but it wasn't what I had hoped.

A few days before we were set to leave, I was double-checking the hours of everywhere on our list. One day of our trip was going to be dedicated to visit the Feline Historical Museum. It's a museum created by the Cat Fancier's Association outside of Akron, Ohio that's dedicated to the preservation of the history of cats in all art forms and types of pedigrees. Well it said on their website they were closed until further notice! I contacted them and one of the persons that runs the museum died, another was hospitalized. How awful. I was super bummed about this, but it's understandable. Needless to say, our trip plans changed two days before. 

Since our last trip to Cleveland in 2019, some new places have opened that we wanted to check out, so we were still determined to go on our road trip! The first stop was The Haunted House Restaurant for Sunday brunch. It's on a corner and when you check in at the movie counter there are large murals in the waiting area. Inside they have at least three TVs playing different horror movies, movie props, and lots of windows, booths, tables, and a nice bar. I ordered the lobster BLT and it was heavenly. (Yes, I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu! I'm on vacation dammit!) Paired with The Ring cocktail, it was the perfect combo. Andrew went with some a la carte breakfast items. They played 80s party music, and announced a birthday and an anniversary while we were there, but beware when the horror soundtrack starts! You might end up with an extra lunch guest! 

Andrew made a friend! (He's wearing the exclusive to Cats Like Us Monster Matt T Shirt.)

Next up we visited Suite Lorain. It's a go-to when we are in Cleveland for vintage, but it's very crowded. Not with people, but with merchandise, and this time around they were very strict with the Covid mask mandate. I was talking to Andrew with my mask on, alone in a corner of the shop, and was told that it was moving and needed to cover my nose better. Which is ironic since the shop itself is a bit messy, dusty, stuffed to the brim, and a little hard to shop because of the overcrowding. You could easily remove half of what's in it, and it would still be full. As a store owner myself, I just want to sort and organize it. If you do go there, go on a mission or be prepared to dig through piles. They do have everything, but you have to take the time to find it yourself.

Another new (to us) place we visited was Cleveland Curiosities. It was recommended by our friend Jay of Wooden Ts (He printed our Monster Matt T shirts.) The small and friendly shop was bustling with customers when we were there. It had oddities and taxidermy for sale, some of it quite large! I would recommend a visit. If you can't make it there, we have a local shop next to Cats  Like Us in Tonawanda, NY called Black Sheep Market that carries similar items, but has more small gifty items, less taxidermy, and a strong sense of humor!

After shopping and driving around, we worked up an appetite and planned to grab a drink at The Dark Room Bar. They have a list of horror movie themed drinks and seemed like a good fit for our trip... only...when we pulled up...they looked closed. It seems they had a fire. Strike two. Two places we had planned to go to that were closed. I swear I checked two days ago, and they had hours listed.

So what were we to do? We googled nearby restaurants and ended up at the Creekside Restaurant and Bar. We chose it because it sounded like an "old people place" that would have cocktails. It did not disappoint. Old people know where it's at! The food was delicious and service great. Good for people watching, lots of toupees, and golf style outfits. It's not surprising that as we left, there were tons of people waiting for a table. This ended up being a good choice.

We ate an early dinner, and were still pretty wired, so we decided to catch a movie. We saw Thor: Love and Thunder at the largest movie theater I have ever been in! You seriously had to walk up five flights of stairs to get to our seats in the middle of the theater. It was pretty cool. (Side note: I thought the movie was ok. It was much more of a goofy love story than a super hero flick.)

Now on to day two. (Sorry, this is a long blog post.) Our second go-to vintage shop is Flower Child. It's organized and two floors and we were really looking forward to checking it out only...as we were walking up to the door a sign was being added to the front door. Really?! You got to be f'n kidding me! Closed for maintenance. WTF. I JUST checked their hours. It looks like they made a post on their Facebook the afternoon before we went there saying they would be closed. Three strikes. Ok, I tried to maintain composure and stay positive. 

We were not going to drive to Columbus, Ohio to their other location.

On to our next stop then, The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft. I wrote about them before, and they deserve another write-up! I mainly wanted to go back to the gift shop there. This place has such a good vibe. It turned around our day. The owner was working again, and I overheard him chatting with some customers. Everything he said is exactly what I say when my customers ask certain questions. Being a business owner isn't easy. You don't get days off. (and even when you do, everything seems to be closed. lol.) The shop is small but has a nice selection of books both new and used, and not just on witchcraft, but all kinds of subjects, there's a large crystal and gemstone display, altar pieces, and so much more! 

"Attention Shoplifters: The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick is protected by a 1000 year old curse. Don't test us."

I came home with three books, a magnet, glow in the dark T shirt, special blended positive tea, and tea leaf fortune cards. (Another side note...I took an online six week tea leaf reading course from The Tasseomancy Museum. That's another reason why I was M.I.A. for a little bit. I plan to take the advanced one in fall.)

I'm a fan of cemeteries. They are quiet, serene, and free. I don't get a chance to go to them very often. When we learned the Feline Historical Museum was going to be closed, we shifted gears and decided the Lake View Cemetery would be worth a visit. Yes, Eliot Ness and the James A. Garfield Memorial are there, but I really wanted to see the Haserot Angel aka "The Angel of Death Victorious"! It's a life size angel sculpture made of bronze and marble located under a tree canopy that appears to "cry" black tears holding a snuffed out torch to symbolize extinguished life. Haserot was the name of a canning mogul, and it's their tombstone. It's absolutely beautiful in real life and so metal! But really it's a stunning piece of artwork by Herman Matzen. You can walk around it to view the full piece. 

Here's me in the picture for scale. I'm 5'6". Some other notable tombstones...

Alan Freed. Cleveland disc jockey that coined the term "rock n' roll".

Eliot Ness. Public Safety Director for Cleveland that brought down Al Capone.

James A. Garfield Memorial. It has relief sculptures, stained glass windows, and a gold dome.

Rounding out the day, and since we had more time to kill (get it? we were in a cemetery?.... I apologize.) we had some time, and visited a park. Hung out on a park bench, and then visited with some tiki friends at their in home tiki bar. We met their four cats. It was so nice and relaxed, I forgot to take pictures.

Last day was the drive back. We drove by the Worlds Largest Stamp. Even though it's a park, there's no free place to park because it's so close to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (I've been there already. It's a beautiful, HUGE museum. If you go, be prepared to do a lot of reading and spend the whole day.)

Image taken from website, since we didn't stop and park.

The last last place to mention is that I finally ate at a Waffle House. (There aren't any in New York State.) Andrew is a fan and really wanted to go there. I thought it was fine. The bacon was made to my liking...burnt, and I was excited they had cinnamon raisin toast. He had a pecan waffle. 

So I guess the moral of my trip story... No matter how much you plan things, they may not work out and you will need to be flexible. I need to relearn this. Before I owned a shop, I was pretty easy going and went with the flow. This trip taught me I need to be able to pivot. 

If you got this far, thanks for reading! 

When Andrew and I got married we decided that cable TV was a waste of money and subscribed to Netflix. That was almost 20 years ago! We still get the DVDs in the mail with our plan. I'm not joking, they still mail out DVDs, and it's great because a lot of the DVD movies aren't available for streaming. I should also mention ~ in case you didn't know ~ they limit your queue to 500 titles. So when you tell me about a great movie and I say, "I'll add it to the list.", I really do...most of the time. 

The day Ginger died I got a movie in the mail, it was A Street Cat Named Bob. I knew about the movie because Bob was one of my many Facebook famous cat friends and I knew that he died last summer. Needless to say, this DVD sat around my house for six months because it was triggering for me to even look at it, let alone watch it. I knew it was a feel-good movie and based on a best selling book of the same name from 2012. Yesterday I finally was in the right mind set to watch it.

*SPOILER ALERT*

A Street Cat Named Bob is exactly what it's about, but there's more to it than that. It's based on a true story about a young musician named James that is homeless and a recovering drug addict. A social worker sees potential in James and finds him a place to live. One night Bob, the ginger tabby, appears in his apartment after the window was left open. He feeds Bob cereal and milk because it's all he has. (Side note: Cats are lactose intolerant, don't give them milk if you can avoid it.) He asks around and no one claims Bob.

Bob picks James as his person, even though James is in denial throughout the movie and says more than once, "Bob is not my cat". James takes care of Bob and spends the last of his money at the vet (haven't we ALL be there before?) and finally acknowledges that Bob is his cat and best friend. James detoxes from methadone with the help of Bob just being a comfort and emotional support animal. They help each other on their journeys. 

James is a busker and a great musician but is invisible to the general public, BUT once he starts bringing Bob out with him, everyone wants a picture with him and his cat. Bob is the center of attention, his gimmick, a fan knits Bob little scarves, and brings him cat food, and he relieves James' loneliness. They become a team, and even have an article in the local paper written about them. It grabs the attention of a book publisher and they ask him to write his story. It becomes a best seller and in real life James is now a millionaire.

Here's the real owner of Bob.

I will say I cried through the whole second half of the movie. The relationship that they had was charming and heartfelt. It made me miss Ginger. There's lot of close ups of Bob, and camera angles from Bob's perspective...or should I say PURRspective? There's lots of purring in the movie. James' dad is played by Anthony Head (aka Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Bob is played by himself, and his owner that wrote the story is his handler for the movie! (Although I didn't see Bob on the Cinema Cats website.)

I looked up how Bob died, and he got hit by a car. I will repeat this until I'm blue. If you have the capability to keep your cat indoors please do. Cats are killed by cars more often than you think. It's a shame that Bob died like that. Thinking about it upsets me, so I will digress.

I give the movie four and a half cans of tuna out of five.

Here's the trailer

Let's talk about the past few weeks. I got my first COVID shot, work has been insane with people wanting to sell me vintage items, my car got inspected and needs repairs, our garage roof is leaking and will need to be repaired soon, Andrew and I had to go to the dentist, and we had to take Vicktor kitty to the emergency vet. Of course he was sick on a weekend and we had to pay twice as much. He wasn't pooping or peeing for a day and he didn't want to eat. With Vicktor that's an enormous red flag! 

We went to the emergency vet on Friday at 9:30pm and had to sit in our car because they won't let you go in because of COVID restrictions. We sat outside for three hours. We found out he has a bladder infection, his little penis was swollen, and there was a small blockage in his large intestine. Let me back up a little... Vicktor has a history with bladder crystals, so we give him Cosequin daily to maintain his bladder. 

The vet sent us home with liquid antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory, and Cat Lax. (I can't make this name up. It's a cat laxative for hairballs to keep his intestines moving smoothly.) They also told us to feed him pumpkin for digestion. Yep, solid pack plain pumpkin. There's enough fiber in it to help with hairballs. You can feed it to cats in their food twice a day. It's one of the safe human foods to feed cats, and dogs. (About 1 full tsp per meal for an adult cat.) Some cat food even has pumpkin already added. We've been adding warm water to Vicktor's wet food, so he gets enough liquids too.  

We've been keeping an eye on him and so far he's pooping small nuggets and peeing. I never thought I'd be so happy to come home from work to a full litter box. There's a reason we call him "poo kitty" and the pumpkin seems to be helping.

p.s. going for my second covid shot tomorrow, a little nervous.

Well, the end is here. I started watching Supernatural when I started blogging almost four years ago. It's been with me since Fluffy's beginning, and it's fitting that we said Goodbye to Ginger this week AND the Winchesters. She loved Sam and sitting with me to watch Supernatural. This last part of the 15th season is 7 episodes. I was hoping for Crowley's return, one last glimpse of Rowena, or even a happy ending for Dean with Lisa and Ben. Nope. We got none of that.

Little Ginger with her Sam doll.

In summary....The beginning of this second part has a lot of pop culture references to Scooby Doo, Highway to Heaven, Baby Yoda, Knight Rider, and Goonies. It makes it a little lighter because if you recall Jack is being mentored by Death/ Billie to kill God/ Chuck and knows in doing so he is going to die too. He's a da bomb ~ no literally ~ he's going to blow up. Sam and Dean try to recruit Amara to work with them in killing her brother God/ Chuck. She does help them keep him captive. 

Death/ Billie.

They find out Death/ Billie wants to become the "new God" and return things to the proper order. That means the dead stay dead and anyone that has been resurrected will go back to being dead. i.e. Sam, Dean and many of the people they spent their lives saving. That's really not good. Hunters and friends start disappearing and they blame Death/ Billie, only it's really God/ Chuck making everyone disappear, until the only people left are Sam, Dean, and Jack. 

Jack gets sent to the "empty" to explode so he doesn't hurt anyone on earth. We find out Cas made a deal with the "empty" to return when he finds true happiness. His love of his family on earth has made him truly happy. Cas and Death/ Billie get sucked into the "empty". They are gone forever. Jack is back on earth.

Jack feels a presence that's still alive and it's a dog, that looks like my old dog I had growing up. They also find Michael. God/ Chuck brings back Satan, Michael kills Satan, God kills Michael, and God beats up Sam and Dean. Are you with me so far? Meanwhile Jack is absorbing tons of power along the way from God/ Chuck, so much so that God/ Chuck ends up without any power and is made human again, Jack becomes the new God and repopulates the world, and works in harmony with Amara.

Jack as the new God is his signature jean jacket, now white.

The last episode brings the show full circle. I'd say if you only want to watch one episode of these last 7, watch this one. Season 15 Episode 20 "Carry On". Dean gets to keep the dog, there's pie, the Winchester's dads journal is brought out, an old vamp from the first season is brought back. Sam and Dean do their vamp nest hunting routine and Dean quietly gets impaled and dies leaving Sam to "carry on". Dean goes to heaven where he's reunited with Bobby and we see time pass very quickly on earth. Sam has a son named Dean, but does he marry Eileen?! We don't know. Then Sam dies and is reunited with Dean in heaven.

Doggo named Miracle and Dean.

That's pretty much all of it in a nutshell. There's a lot of development in Dean's character leading up to his death, he becomes more sensitive and really gets in touch with his emotions. He's not just comedy relief with hard edges anymore, and Sam gets the family he always wanted. 

You can see my thoughts on the other seasons 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8, 9&10, 11& 12 , 13, 14, and 15 (the first part).

When my husband Andrew began working from home at the end of March, he was home with our cats ALL the time. (I'm so jealous.) He heard our little Ginger scream-meowing in the early afternoon one day, and thought that she's just meowing because he's home, but then it started to become a daily occurrence. He felt that something was wrong with her. I took her to the vet and she still has some health problems and was prescribed special food (that she will only eat if I mix it with her regular food, because she's a stinker!) Both our cats Ginger and Vicktor are about 18 or 19 ~ we aren't sure because Ginger was a stray and Vicktor was abandoned. They are super seniors now and we are concerned for their health. 

Synchronized lap sitting.

Ginger's meowing has become more frequent and louder. I call it her "cat-hartic wailing". It happens in the early afternoon, while she eats, and in the middle of the night. Did I mention I haven't slept in years?! I think this might also have to do with her not being able to hear how loud she is too. We also noticed Ginger doesn't respond to her name anymore and will walk around the house meowing at nothing. She just wanders about lost when she's not sleeping. We're convinced she has kitty dementia or feline cognitive dysfunction and is loosing her hearing. She can sense vibrations and sits in between the kitchen and living room so she doesn't miss any of the action in the house. 

Ginger looking sad.

How do you know if your kitty has dementia? Here are some of the signs...

Spatial Disorientation- They will wander around a familiar place confused. They might forget where the litter box is or their water.

Sleeping Pattern Changes- They might be up at hours they normally sleep and vice versa. They might be sleeping longer and deeper when they are asleep.

Appetite Changes- Either they are not interested in food or they visit their bowl when feeding time is over.

Increased Irritability- They might swat at you or be aggressive when they never were before.

Unusual Vocalizations- They start making loud yowling sounds, often at night.

Decreased Grooming- Not interested in cleaning themselves.

Decreased Responsiveness- Not responding to their name, or the sound of a can opener, etc.

Add extra places for them to nap, it can be as simple as a box and towel.

So how can you help makes cats with dementia more comfortable? (because it's not something that can be necessarily diagnosed and treated.)

Avoid Changes to their Environment- Don't move their food bowl or furniture, add a new pet or move. Keep rearranging to a minimum.

Routine- Keep on schedule for feeding times so they don't get confused.

Ramps- Add ramps if they suffer from arthritis so they can get to their favorite perch.

Play- Keep their mind active with toys.

Rest- Create additional resting spaces and warm spots, or just put down an extra box and blanket in a corner.

If They Have Accidents- Consider making the litter trays bigger or more shallow or adding a ramp.

Give them a Space Away- Give them a space they can escape from loud sounds, kids, and other pets.

Always talk to your vet about options. They might recommend vitamin E for brain function or anti-anxiety meds. After what I went through a few years ago, I really think this is borrowed time with her. We are very lucky to have her this long. Please be gentle and hug and kiss your cats. Don't forget, YOU are their world.

My curiosity got the best of me when I saw Netflix made a movie called #cats_the_mewvie. It's not my style to care about Instagram celebrities, but this movie is about celebrity cats, so of course, I'm in!

The movie ~ or should I say mewvie ~ is a documentary interviewing famous cats and their owners, but also talking to social media experts and how cats have become the "happy" part of the internet.

It shows Mike, Lil Bub's owner, who I met in real life and he's a super cool guy. He talks about how Bub is an inspiration ~ or should I say inspurration ~ with her determination and challenges. She was only supposed to live a couple of months, but ended up living seven years! She was the first cat born with her rare disease, and she was studied to help doctors learn more about how it also effects people born with it. Her meet and greets and merchandise helped raise a lot of money for disabled cats too! How great is that?! Cats can be more than just models for cute pictures, they can have a purpose too ~ or should I say purrpose? Good job Bub, R.I.P.

I cherish this picture so much, it lives on my desktop at work.

The movie spends a lot of time with the catsofinstagram creators, who are kind of annoying. They keep saying how "weird" their cat Pudge is. Yes, THAT Pudge, the famous cat. Of course, Pudge is well known because she's owned by the creators of catsofinstagram, and they are constantly promoting her, and the latest cat trends. (Which quite honestly I don't understand "cat trends", cats are cats.) I found it odd the way they talked about Pudge, I guess I just have a special bond with my cats, and I don't think they are weird at all. I get my cats and they get me. Maybe Pudge doesn't want to be in the spotlight.

Adorable Pudge.

Other experts on famous cats they spoke with were the curator from the Museum of the Moving Image and how he organized an exhibition in 2015 called How Cats Took Over the Internet. I wish I could have been there for that! The movie also recognizes the "meme librarian" from tumblr that works for the page Boys with Beards and Cats, and that literally is all that's on her page, bearded guys with cats. They quickly talk to the creator of the Infinite Cat Project, how viral cat memes took over the internet in 2004, the lol speak of cats, the editor for the Animal section on Buzzfeed, a talent agent for "pet influencers", and the kittenlady. I adore the kitten lady because she's all about educating people on cats and kittens. I've been following her for a long time ~ or should I say fur a long time? She even writes books!

The movie delves into the social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram too. YouTube was created to transcends language with videos that can be taken with your phone. In 2010 Instagram was launched and cat owners now have a time to shine and show off their cats. Cat owners are relatable, and people are excited about posting their cats. It's as simple as that. All cats are beautiful, but of course their owners think they are extra special and can breakthrough to become the world's most popular cat, but it's not that simple. It's kind of sad and what Mike says at the end of the movie makes sense. So many cat owners want to make their cats famous, but is it good for the cat? Not always. Now we are in the next generation of Instagram cats and it seems your cat has to have a quirk to make it stand out since there are so many cats online. You need to have a defined brand and it takes a ton of time to photograph cats and edit the pictures. It has become work.

They interview owners that seem almost desperate to make their cats famous, like fatcathercules (who is a cute chonky boi) and RuPaws Drag Race. I'm sure after this movie, the publicity ~ or should I say purrplicity ~ should help!

Fat Cat Hercules and his 27 lbs.

Some of the other cats featured are Nala, Oscar & Klaus, Suki the Adventure Cat, Monty Happiness, Homer the Blind Wonder Cat, benbencatcat, Atchoum, Nathan the Beach Cat and more! So if you want to watch cats, or see who own's the famous ones, it's a great movie.

I firmly believe cats connect people. They bring joy and happiness by their cuteness, purrsonality and independence. If you win over a cat, you're good people.

(I'm sorry I couldn't find a trailer for it.)