I'm ok

Hey everycat,

My good friend (and Awesome Footy Finals Fever Competition winner) Huffle Mawson stopped by the other day and asked me how I was going. Thanks Huffle.

You know what? I'm doing ok. I'm still taking the anti-inflammatory meds for my bladder, but I'm tapering off those now. I'm still taking things pretty easy, and I have a checkup with Dr Gareth on Friday, but I'm eating and drinking well... and my *ahem* number ones seem to be coming out ok.

But you know what else? Baby Alex couldn't handle the fact that I was getting all the attention, so he arranged for one of his little sticky baby friends to give him bronchiolitis. He's on the mend too, but he's had a nasty cough and wheeze. Kate said that she needs a holiday.

I can't think why.

Cheers,
--Pabs

A Pablo health update

Hey everycat.

So I've been home for a week now.

And although I'm getting better, I'm still not feeling the best.

I've really been off my food; both the new urinary diet and my old crunchies.

Kate took me back to the V-E-T today. Dr Gareth is awesome. He's the one who unblocked my... um, man parts... in the middle of the night a week or so ago. He looked after me so well. Today, he gave me some more meds to make sure that my bladder continues to improve. He weighed me... I've lost 700g in a week, which is too much too fast.

So they're just gonna keep an eye on me and see how I go over the weekend. I guess I'll just take it easy.

Hope you have a good weekend, wherever you are.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Pablo is home!

Message from Kate: After a day of good #1 output, Pablo was allowed to come home this afternoon... a day sooner than the v-e-t thought! I've tried to maintain Pabsy's dignity in these photos of him resting by the heater (not too much of a view of his shaved bits). Check out his purple smiley face bandage on his front leg. Very un-Pabs.

He has to be closely monitored for a few days to make sure he doesn't have another blockage, he's now on a special urinary diet and we have to help him lose a kilo, encourage him to drink more water and exercise more. This is going to be tough... it's hard to make Pablo do anything he doesn't want to do. But we'll try!

It's great to have him home. Thanks, everycat, for your good wishes and support!

Cheers,
--Kate :)

Pablo is sick!

Pabsy in happier times (that's his leopard tail toy in the foreground)

Message from Kate: Hi blogging buddies. Our dear friend Pablo is in hospital today, recovering from emergency surgery for a life-threatening urethral blockage.

Just before bedtime last night (10pm-ish) I noticed him taking a long time to do his business in his litter tray, then leaving before he'd done anything. Then he wandered around the house, meowing and hissing, before flopping on his side in an armchair. He was meowing and growling low, obviously in pain. So while I stayed at home with baby Alex, Nick rushed him to the emergency vet, and they assessed him and decided to perform surgery there and then (at midnight!) to unblock his urethra. The vet said that we did the right thing to bring him, that the blockage could have been fatal if left untreated. Pabs came through the surgery well, it seems like it was a protein blockage.

Today, they did an ultrasound on his bladder, because he wasn't producing as much urine as they would have liked. Thankfully, it was all clear, so they're now just keeping him under observation for the next few days. We miss him around the house... every little noise, every movement I see from the corner of my eye, I think they're all him. Please join with me in praying for his speedy recovery. I know we haven't been able to blog or visit blogs much since baby Alex's arrival, but we still feel like we're part of the CB family... and we could use your support!

With thanks,
--Kate
(PS The Collingwood Magpies won last weekend's AFL Grand Final rematch by 50-something points! Which, I believe, makes Huffle Mawson the winner of Pablo's AWESOME Footy Finals Competition. But I'll let Pabs announce that when he's back on deck.)

Pablo's AWESOME Footy Finals Fever Competition - Redux

Oh. My. D-O-G!

For only the third time in the 116-year history of the Australian Football League (and its predecessor, the Victorian Football League), last Saturday's Grand Final was... a DRAW. In a tough encounter, both the Saint Kilda Saints and the Collingwood Magpies scored 68 points each.

And you know what? Unlike every other major sporting competition I've ever heard of, according to the AFL rules, there's no overtime in the Grand Final. No tiebreaker.

They have a replay.

For reals.

It's like having TWO Christmases!

So, my AWESOME Footy Finals Fever Competition has been extended. Same rules, same teams (see last week's post for more info). Get your tips in by 2.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time this Saturday. (By the way, tips recorded last week DON'T count for this week... you hafta enter your tip on this post.)

Cheers,
--Pabs

Pablo's AWESOME Footy Finals Fever Competition - be quick!

Well everycat, it's springtime Down Under.

And in springtime, a young mancat's thoughts turn to... FOOTY!

Tomorrow is the Australian Football League's Grand Final for 2010.

This year, the Saint Kilda Saints and the Collingwood Magpies will face off to see who will be this year's champion.

And YOU can be a winner too! Just join in my AWESOME Footy Finals Fever Competition.

From now until game time, 2.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time tomorrow (25 September), every blogging animal of the non-human variety can enter their tip for who will win the game, and predict the winning points margin. To enter, just post your prediction, with your name, in the comments of this post. Like this:

Pablo, Saint Kilda Saints by 999 points (an exaggeration).

Feel free to add a little cheer for your team, but these will not affect the outcome of the contest. The winner will be the blogger who guesses the winning team with the closest points margin to the actual final points margin of the game. In the event of a tie, the blogger who posted their tip first will win. One entry per blogging household. And I can change these rules whenever I want (but I'm not likely to).

A $40 (Australian dollars) donation to the Hobart Cat Centre (my local) will also be made in the winner's name... and I might even send you a little something! Past winners of this AWESOME annual competition include The Island Cats, our dear friend Luxie and Daisy the Curly Cat.

A hint from Pablo: in general, most AFL matches are decided by under 30 points, but it's not unheard of to have a points margin of 100 points or more. In last year's Grand Final, the Geelong Cats beat the Saint Kilda Saints by 12 points. The Saints haven't won the flag since 1966. The Magpies have lost MANY Grand Finals over the years. They last won in 1990, but have been the strongest team by far this year.

Last time Saint Kilda and Collingwood met in a Grand Final (in 1966!) the Saints won by just one point! If you're interested in studying the teams' form, or keeping up with the score during game time, you can visit the AFL's website. Otherwise, just make your bestest guess!

Start tipping... NOW!

Cheers,
--Pabs

I am the MASTER

...of anti-socialness.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Take THAT!!!

...and THAT!

...and THAT!

...and THAT!

Man, I am so TOUGH.

Cheers,

--Pabs

When Grandma comes to stay...

...her coat's the place to be.

Happy Friday, everycat!

Cheers,
--Pabs

A World Cat for World Cat Day

Happy World Cat Day, everycat!

In honour of World Cat Day, I have a World Cat to introduce to y'all:
This World Cat lives on the island of Corsica, off the south-east coast of France. My Uncle Herb took this photo on his recent world trip. This kitty lives in Pigna, a small artisan village in the hills in the north-west of the island.

Corsican kitty, because you live on an island and because your claws are so awesome looking (and because it's World Cat Day), I'm gonna ask my friends Wally, Ernie and Zoey (The Island Cats) if you can become a member of the Island Cat Club. It's a pretty cool club: no dues, no meetings and only 3 rules you have to meet...
1. you have to be a cat
2. you have to live on an island
3. you have to be spoiled rotten.

Most of you know that I live on an island at the bottom of the world called Tasmania. Apparently it's the 26th largest island in the world. And Corsica is the 84th largest.

I guess you can't win them all, Corsican kitty.

Cheers,
--Pabs

HPSTR KTTY

[props to Uncle Simon and his rad iPhone]

Cheers,
--Pabs

Honorary Oregonians

A little while ago (well, a few months ago, actually), my super friends Phoebe and Joey at the Pablo Fan Club bestowed a great honour on me. They made me an Honorary Oregonian!

Here's my Official Honorary Oregonian t-shirt.

And, if you look closely, you can see that Phoebe and Joey gave it their Paw of Approval before sending it to me.

Uh... what do you mean it's not for me?

Oh. Maybe we can share the honour. I don't do clothes, anyway.

Happy Fourth of July, Americats!

Cheers,
--Pabs

Fazzy Friday

This time last year, Kate and her mum went on a BIG overseas trip to the UK and Europe.

The highlight of their trip?

...meeting Miss Faz and her human Christine on a sunny Wimbledon morning. (It was before Birks came on the scene.)

Can you believe that was a year ago, Faz? Hope that Christine has a great time at The Championships!

Cheers,
--Pabs

I've been FRAMED

Portrait...

...AND landscape.

Cheers,
--Pabs

P.S. Just wanted to wish the Socceroos, the Australian football team, best of luck in their first game in the FIFA World Cup. We play Germany in the early hours of tomorrow morning, Australian time. Go Socceroos!

Thoughtful Thursday

Know what I'm thinking about?

Sunshines.

I miss them.

And it's not even winter!

Yet.

Cheers,
--Pabs

We're a little bit late

...but we know it's still Sunday 23 May in the States. So...
Happy birthday ML! Thanks for keeping the Cat Blogosphere running. We love it, and we love you!

Cheers,
--Pabs

Five months on...

...and this guy:

finally weighs more than this guy:

...but the latter guy still has sharper claws.

So there.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Cute boys with cats?

You be the judge: Cute Boys with Cats.

Happy Friday, everycat!

Cheers,
--Pabs

I love my chair

Boy, do I LOVE my chair.

Yep. Love that chair.

Cheers,
--Pabs

It was only a matter of time...

...before I was immortalised in edible art.

My good friends Miranda, Phebe and Lizey made these for Kate. Not only do they look great, Kate tells me that they tasted AMAZING.

My favourite one is the one with three eyes.

Hope everyone has a great Easter and gets lots of yummy, species-appropriate treats.

Cheers,
--Pabs