Saturday morning

It's about 730 in the morning on Saturday and we are all here in bed.  Zero seems confused. Like he doesn't know what he feels like doing. He lays down for a minute but the stands up again and wobbles on his back legs, turns around walks a few steps on top of me, then comes back and lays down again.
I worry about him every day but he still eats well, loves his snuggles and purrs to show me he is happy. Keep it up, little man.

Day after Christmas

So today I realized that Zero now is developing some weakness in his hind legs. when he jumps down of the bed he looks as if he slipping and sliding and he seems to be having difficulty standing up. Other than that he is the same loveable, purring, happy cat. I looked up the weakness in the hind legs and they do say that it's a sign of the drive form of FIP. it's interesting I cannot find any information on the disease changing from wet to dry FIP, but it seems that that is what happened with Zero. He has no symptoms of wet FIP anymore but now after reducing his steroid medication it seems that he is developing dry FIP symptoms. I'm going to return his steroid medication to the usual today.

He's a little fun-loving man

Zero, after that last post, has been an active and loving little guy (Maybe a little extra attention goes a long way). I have found him rolling on his back asking for belly rubs more times than I can count and I'm always happy to oblige.

Yesterday he was fascinated with the pin that seals the air hole on my yoga ball. I took a video of him playing with it.

I will try and post that this afternoon.


I showed it to his vets and they were smiling and pleased.

It's almost Christmas

As I'm sitting here by the Christmas tree, with Zero on my lap as I knit and savor my early Saturday morning coffee, I think back to this week and how Zero chased the ribbon as I was wrapping gifts. He was like a little kitten (well, he is a little kitten) pouncing on the ribbon.

I'm also thinking about the purrs he has given me this week. They seem endless.

But then I think about how my worry began yesterday.

In the morning I fed him his usual. Zero eats and eats. Even if he just ate, he will eat again.
No worries.

Later, just after 2pm, when I came home from work, I fed them again, per usual.

Zero has been getting extra treats, like a small bowl with a teaspoon of Fancy Feast with warm water added so I know he is getting enough fluids. Well, after eating his dry food, and then his wet treat, he went to visit the litter box and upon his return to the kitchen, he threw up his food.
All of it.
I felt so bad for the little guy and this set on my worrying about "is he loosing weight again?"

I'm crossing my fingers and toes that he just ate too fast and is still at the peak of his health for now. His
mood seems to be the same. He is purring as I write.


Merry Christmas everyone!
And Merry Christmas, Zero!

Well yesterday was Hana's big day! 

She spent an hour and a half in the car, bounding down the highway (at times crawling through traffic), to reach her new family.

Hana took the ride pretty well, staying in the carrying case, balanced on my lap, half in-half out as I stroked her fur and whispered to her. During the trip a few times she began to pant (I thought she was experiencing stress) and I pulled her inside my coat to curl up. Then, with only 20 minutes left in the ride, Hana experienced car sickness. She vomited a tiny little bit onto my coat and I just stroked her and helped her get back into the carrier where she wanted to go.

All in all, Hana arrived and had a great first introduction. We we were welcomed into her new home by  her new parents and helped her become acclimated as we talked about any last bits of information.

Her new mom and dad are lovely. I know she will have a great life. Plus, her new sister is being picked up today so she will have  a new sibling!

Here are some photos from the trip.

As for Zero, he has been doing well every day. I know I haven't been keeping up with posting every day but Zero is an amazing little man and I spend lots of time with him on my lap which hinders uploading photos and writing blog posts!


Zero has gained a "healthy" amount of weight back and doesn't exhibit any of his previous symptoms such as heavy, labored breathing, bloating or signs of distress and discomfort.

He is behaving as he did before the diagnosis.

So with noting more to report, here are some updated photos of Zero.



He loves cuddling with his older brother.

Zero is so handsome! 

Gorri and Zero cuddled up. 

Zero is excited for Christmas.. (or at least I think he is!)

This one goes out to Hana

Our pretty little girl.

She has found a home for the holidays! 

(sniff, sniff) I am tearfully happy that she will be with her new mother and father on December 15th!

These two have been such a big part of our lives since we encountered each other all the way back on the windy day in May. (We never did see that movie, but I don't remember anymore what it was).

It's been a long and wonderful journey and now Hana is moving forward. Her new mother sounds like and Angel and said the same of Hana. I think they were meant for each other. 

Her and her husband are here in South Korea with the military and will be taking Hana back to the USA when they are finish with their duty. ALSO, they have always wanted a black kitty named "Sunny" and they plan to adopt a black kitten as soon as they find one from the rescue network. 

Hana will forever have a black kitty in her life and Zero can pass knowing that his sister found her forever home. 

Zero is still amazing me and seems to be doing better every day! Now, he is up and about playing and prancing. Jumping onto the kitchen table and swatting at my yarn as I knit. 

He is amazing and I can see him staying with us for a long time. As one reader, (my only reader?), Julie said, he was meant to live out his days, however many he has left, with us. I can't pass up Hana's chance at the perfect life. 

So, without further ado... 

Congratulations to Hana!!!

Here are a few gems from the birthday party

Christmas ornaments

So Jay thought of an idea. We take a photograph that we have of each cat we've rescued and put it ion an ornament. Hang them on our tree forever! I love it!

I'd love this if it were a photograph somehow. 

These are some ideas that I've had but am not sure how to implement either. If I could print photos onto super thin paper I could apply them to bulbs using some sort of paper mache.

Maybe I will knit some bulbs and use a mini frame, then apply it to the knitted ball.

Cats love yarn!

More from Parker's last day

Zero at the top of the cat train

Here is an interesting and informative article about FIP.

http://hpathy.com/veterinary-homeopathy/feline-infectious-peritonitis-fip/

A moment to remember

Here is Zero on October 14. Just a few weeks before we found out about the FIP.

He was lazing in the sun, in between our balcony and living room. Enjoying life.

Zero is really loving life right now. I seem to have a hard time getting anything done lately because Zero just loves sitting on my lap and curling up into a ball; and I love letting him.

Laze on Zero, laze on...

Can't a man just have a cave to himself?

This week we brought out our big, thick comforter. The temperatures have dropped and I was freezing but now I am warm and toasty! And so is Zero.

He has been loving sleeping and nesting under the comforter. It's his own little man cave.

Can you see him? It's hard to photograph him when he is nestled up in his man cave but he is there 75% of the day now. And when he isn't there, he is eating and eating and eating. 

It makes me happy to see him eat so much. 

His "Man Cave"

I have to say how surprised I am at how well Zero is doing. I really thought I was going to loose him a lot quicker by the initial progression of this disease. I thought, days, maybe weeks. 

Now Zero is changing my mind a little.
He is gaining some weight (I hope it's not water weight) and hardly seems to be struggling to breathe anymore. It's only when I have to snatch him up to give him his pill that I notice a little labor in his breath afterwards. 

So here's to Zero meeting the real Christmas. Even though our mini-Christmas was fun! 

Maybe it's one of those "good days"

I don't know, but I'm not going to question it.

Zero has been putting on weight (or so it seems) and just loving life. The life he has now. Sitting on my lap as I knit or read, curled up in a ball.

We were busy all weekend with and without him.

Here is what he did...

some of this... 

and a lot of this.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. 

I am Thankful for my family and friends and all the support that I receive in helping the cats and kittens here in Korea. 

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do this work and I am thankful for my time with Zero and Gorri and Biya and Hana. 

So on that note, I am going to go and spend some time with them. 

Have a wonderful feast! 

Reasons I love Zero: Part Deux

• Zero. First of all he has such a great name.    I love the fact that at one time he had no eyes to see with and we found it fitting to call him Zero (we have had too many Blackys in our foster care).

• He has the cutest hair coming off of his ears that is longer than the rest, like a Bobcat. 

                    What do you think?

• The way he loves to roll around on tile, the bathroom or balcony. 

He is still doing this. I just saw him walk into the bathroom an hour ago, throw himself on the floor and roll on his back, from side to side.  It is so dang cute! 

• The way he chases the washcloth when I am washing the floor. 

He loves to watch me clean. When I wash the floor he tries to jump on my hand as it swishes to and fro. 

(To be continued...)

Monday rolls around again, has it only been a week?

So it's been a week since our prognosis changed from pneumonia to FIP.

As I sit and write, Zero is lazing on my lap. He is breathing heavy, but seems relaxed enough. I think the little guy is tired.

I'm torn by not knowing what to do and I wish he could tell me. I've tried asking him, sometimes he looks up at me and I can see that he is still there. Other times he looks at me as if the spirit inside him has left.

Amidst Zero's FIP... Parker is heading to his new home!

Today we reluctantly left Zero for a few hours to take Parker to his new family!

He loved the car ride.

First, he read a book.

Then he took over driving for a little bit.

Christmas came early... I'm not complaining.

So I decieded that I wanted Zero to get a chance to experience Christmas.

I have always shared Christmas with my cats and spoiled them as you would a chubby, sweet baby. Each cat has a stocking that gets filled with catnip, a new toy, some yummy treats and whatever else that particular cat enjoys sans a live mouse.

I thought it a shame that Zero might pass over the Rainbow Bridge and not know the spoils of Christmas.

Well, not on my watch.

Friday night I came home bursting with excitement as I had just stopped at the vet for the weekends supplies.

Catnip, check.
New toy, check.
Tasty treats, check.

We are ready to roll.

I even got a can of special fancy feast for part two of the weekend, but you will read about that in a bit..
First, Christmas.

Reasons why I love Zero...

Cats are lovable.

I know this.

Cats or kittens that are rescues I find to be all the more lovable.

I've learned this.

There are so many reasons that I love Zero, I thought I wanted to let them be known. (I shouldn't be selfish with my love, or reasons for loving him, so here goes...)

• He has never been, not one day in his life, scared of the vacuum. 

It may sound silly, but living with a household of cats who scatter and act as if the world has ended each time I try to pick up their hair from the floor with the "loud, scary machine", it's refreshing to meet a cat who is able to sit in one place as you vacuum around them, watching with curiosity and interest, not fear. 

• His little tail reminds me of a bunny's tail.

It is so cute and I swear it is getting cuter. It's just a nub. A smaller nub than Gorri's tail (and his name means tail in Korean!) and it sort of curls up. The hair seems to have a cowlick so that it feathers around in a circle at the end. I love his tail.

• Zero drinking water.

When Zero couldn't see at all, before his little eye rose from the unknown, I would put a few pieces of food into his water dish so that his mouth would hit the food first. Too many times Zero had not known what level the water was at and got a good face dunking, walking away sneezing and disgruntled. Eventually, Zero learned a method of drinking water on his own and even though he can see today, he still dips his little paw into the cup or water bowl to test the level of he water, a few times, until he is confident. It is so cute to watch. 

• Zero running.

Zero runs like a little horse. He trots across the floor as a horse would. I remember the first time I noticed it, it seemed as if he was skipping, with diagonal legs moving in unison. 

I wish I could see him do this again. I haven't seen him move quickly in days. 

• He was always the most welcoming to a new cat.

When Callie came, Zero was first to cuddle up to her and invite her to join in on the bed. 

Just look at them together...

(larger photo coming soon)

More tomorrow.... 

What to do if these are the last few days..

I know that I have lots of creative, funny and loving readers. I need some answers to a question. 

Here goes... 

What would you do with your kitty if you knew you only had a few days left with them?

(and I just covered trying catnip for the first time)...   <Never giving his sister catnip again.. catnip = psycho Hana..> 

Please.. I'd love ten to twenty good ideas that I can do for,

with or to  (hahahaha) Zero before we have to say goodbye~

His time has been too short and I want him to go out having had the fullest life possible..

Thanks ..


From Zero and I.. 

So... Share ideas here! 

Day 2: Celebrating Zero

(Zero and Hana curled up today. He's using her as a pillow.)

So today is Wednesday. It was Monday night when we were told that Zero didn't simply have pneumonia. Wow... I didn't think pneumonia was simple until I was met with FIP.

So today Zero seemed to be himself. I was on the phone with my mom and telling her how well I thought he was doing. How if I didn't know, I might not know.

But then this evening, I noticed how skinny he seemed to be getting while I was petting him. Just after dinner I lay down next to him on the bed, he was snuggling with Biya (to my surprise Biya was being a lovely lady). I can feel his spine and vertebrate more than usual. More than I ever remember. 

At least he was happy with Biya! Aren't they cute?

But then I noticed that it seemed that his breathing was becoming a little deeper than earlier in the day.

I was a little late giving him the pill from the vet, maybe this would subside after the pill has taken affect? Whatever affect it was supposed to have?

I hate to see him seemingly not feeling well.

Now, since it's only been 2 days, I guess I'm going to have to face a certain reality sooner than I had hoped.

I love this little guy too much to see him suffer.

Hope tonight is a good night and tomorrow is a better day.

I'm thinking of maybe popping into the vet for a quick weight check and to see if there is another accumulation of fluid.

Paws crossed for tomorrow to be a good day!

Zero, I love you.

Day one past "diagnosis" ...

As I watch Zero prancing around the house it's hard to imagine that he isn't feeling well or that he won't be here much longer.

My emotions range from "I can't take this" to "It must've been something I did not do to protect him" to "I'm lucky to have been able to spend this time with him, no matter how long".

Usually it's one of the first two. Every now and then that little rational side of me that is able to put emotions aside reaches through and helps me realize that Zero and I were blessed to have each other. I'm rarely able to put emotions aside in any areas of my life. I am who I am.

Today I'm just sad. Thinking of all the sweet memories we have together; seeing the love he and his sister have, as I write they sit side by side licking each other with their sweet, little tongues.

I worry that the medicine that the doctor gave might make him sicker quicker. Maybe it's best to go natural?

I can't stop telling him how much I love him and taking new photos or video of him. This is normal right?

This afternoon Zero was playing and following all the other cats around and watching them. He wanted to follow the other two cats up to the top of the bookshelf so I gently put him up there. Zero kept looking at the photos as if thinking "Will they put a photo of me up here one day?"He was so full of energy I was pleased and contented.

Zero, Zero, Zero. This post is all about Zero.

This has been a tough few days.
Zero came down with an illness that we really began noticing Saturday night. The little guy was breathing heavily and rapidly. He hadn't moved over a period of 2 hours and my concern shot through the roof.

We took him to a vet that was open (our usual was closed already) and he was given a vague diagnosis of pneumonia. The vet administered 2 shots, one anti-biotic and one for his seriously high fever.

Zero seemed to stabilize a little but continued to breathe deeply and it seemed to be a struggle.

I laid with him all day on Sunday petting him and watching his breathing. He would look at me with his one eye as if he was saying "thank-you" and then lick my fingers. We were really bonding though out this but I was sure he was on the up and up. I suffered from pneumonia myself about 2 years ago and remember how every part of me hurt and how difficult it was to breathe. Also that it took a very long time, into 2 months, for me to recover my strength.

Parker is here.. but Parker is leaving..

Here is Hana today, looking so pretty and hoping for a forever home with a family who really loves her and can give her their everything! Isn't she the sweetest?

 Another Glamour Shot fo Hana. She has the prettiest belly.

But there is someone else we need to welcome to this blog today. 

His name is Parker. Last Sunday we went for a walk in the park and saw some bunnies.

Then we saw some kitties eyeing those bunnies up for dinner. (Bunnies are too fast, good for the bunnies, bad for the starving kitties). Well, one particular kitty came away from the colony and didn't seem to have a care in the world, other than to play with the twig my husband had picked up. 

After a minute of play, he just reached down and picked up the kitten. 

So ... here he is. "Parker" from the park. 

A first.

Today Zero fell asleep in my arms. The kind of sleep where a kitten burry's their head in your arm and wraps their paw around it. Yea, that kind of sleep.

I knew I was going no where for a while.

He's so cute.

Then he woke up. I love this little man.. 

So does Gorri.. 

Hana and Zero are getting bigger and more lovable daily it seems. These two kittens have someone coming to meet them next week to see if they are a good match for a forever home. PAWS CROSSED!

I will hate to say "goodbye" but we can't rescue any other kittens until Zero and Hana find a home. Our house is too crowded. I have spotted a few kittens in the neighborhood and I'd love to try and grab one or two before the cold weather sets in for good.

In the meanwhile...
Here are some updated photos of Zero and Hana!

We look like angels sleeping... 

"I'm cute!"

"Even from a different angle"

"Or looking like this!'

"Or this... "

"And aren't I handsome? "

"Goodnight! "