The Oakdale Menagerie - Gilles and Annie's Kitty Page

Annie and I lost our beloved Max (see photos below) at the beginning of November 2005 because of a feline heart problem that's sort of like congestive heart failure --- he was only twelve and a half years old, which was quite a shock to us, and we were heartbroken. Just a few mopey weeks later, though, our kitty vet called to tell us that she'd just examined two little kittens who were looking for a home through Friends of Abandoned Pets in Ottawa, and she said that they were ready for us if we were ready for them, or words to that effect...

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MINNIE (1996-)

Grey and white, cute and cuddly, diabetic and visually impaired.We asked the vet to examine her vision when she seemed to be bumping into stuff outside when we started letting her out. Turns out she has very limited vision (and deteriorating noticeably over time) because of a taurine deficiency. This was likely caused, the kitty ophthalmologist told us for $80, by people feeding her mother table scraps rather than nutritional canned or dry cat food. Deficiency of this element causes diabetes and gradual blindness.

Since the fall of 2003, Minnie gets a shot of insulin every 12 hours.
I still get a kick out of people's reactions when I say that I have to be home at a certain time to "shoot up the cat"...

Min and Max on the couch
--- when she was a slim young thing...

Minnie was pining after we lost Max. Moping, mostly off sleeping by herself, and generally listless. (I realize upon re-reading that last sentence that any objective observer would say that pretty much sums up Minnie's 13 or so years with us, but a properly-trained kitty staff person can sense these things...)
When Tommy and Daisy joined the household, it was as if we'd magically shaved five years off her life - she was clearly infatuated with Tommy from the get-go, playing with him and letting him do his crazy leaps right over her, and all that. Minnie was less enamoured with Daisy at first, but she gradually warmed up to her --- now they sleep together, and Daisy is Minnie's official kitty litter cleaner-upper (Minnie's too lazy to cover her business, and Daisy is the consummate Suzie Q. Housekeeper, so she always goes into the box and makes everything nice and tidy after Minnie is done.)
And all three enjoy each other's company.
And we enjoy all three...

The Cats of Parliament Hill Blog
Annie and I went to visit the cat colony on Parliament Hill early this week, and I took a number of photos. I spoke with Mr. René Chartrand, the main Catman, who told me that there are currently (Jan. 07) 28 cats in the colony. We chatted with him for some time, then gave him a few bucks to help with his $6,600/yr. feline food bill. When I got home, I considered posting the photos I'd taken to my kitties page, but then I remembered that, some months ago, I'd stumbled across this blog by one of the people who take care of the cats on Parliament Hill. Lots of photos and an ongoing, touching story of the bond between these animals and their two-legged devoted assistants who trudge out to Parliament Hill in fair weather and foul to tend to the needs of their feral feline friends.

Gorgeous long-haired marmalade cat --- what a beauty he was, and such a lovely disposition...
Max was involved in an accident one night when he was about a year old - we deduced that he'd been hit by an inline skater. Long story short - Max lost most of his teeth (hence the "Gumby" nickname), and his tongue would often hang out of his mouth when he was resting (see "Embarrassing photo #3 below)...

Max and Peter Collis
(The one and only time in his life that Max sat on
someone's lap for more than 30 seconds)

Buzoff - we're retired!
I uploaded this photo to my site and sent it to all my e-mail friends on Sept. 22, 2003, the day I retired from my "day job" - but the photo was taken "a few years earlier" (as several of my "good friends" pointed out...)

Max wants in ---- NOW!
For a number of years, I did my website work in the spare bedroom upstairs. Max was an outdoor cat, but he also enjoyed being indoors. If I didn't hear him meowing at the back door from upstairs, he'd climb the fence between our place and next door, then jump to the top of the trellis and onto the first-floor roof of the neighbour's house. Then he'd walk to the far corner of the roof, nearest to where he could see the window of the room where I was working. Then he'd get my attention by meowing as loud as he could and as long as he needed to do so. I'd walk over to the window to acknowledge that I was on the way to let him in. We'd meet at the back door.
One fine day in August 2004, I thought it would be cool to have a record of this ritual, so I took a photo of him from the upstairs window while he howled from the roof next door. Then I rushed downstairs to record him on his route back down the trellis, the fence, the roof of our shed and finally the back door.

Management Board:	Minnie, Tommy and Daisy
Staff persons:	Annie and Gilles

Bucky (1974-1992) Boxing Mr. Bucky Contentment Contentment 2	Jake (1990-1995) Snoozin'...
This space reserved for photos of Sooty (1978-1986)	This space reserved for photos of Fermi (1969-1985)