Speed Update: 14K, Ravenous Cat

NaNoWriMo
I'm in the neighborhood of 14,000 words. Why don't I know for sure? I've been writing in longhand -- in pencil -- and typing it when I get a chance. Yeah, I know. Not very efficient. Unfortunately, I developed this ritual in grad school and old habits are hard to break.

Feline News
The temporarily anorexic cat is now back to his old self and eating everything in sight, including any minuscule crumb he can find on the floor. Here's hoping this continues, especially while he's vacationing with a relative over Thanksgiving.

Cat Food Taste-Testing: WV Experiment Station

Oh what a fun week it’s been, but now that things are looking up, I can finally laugh about it a little.

Monday morning the elder cat showed no interest in his food. That is hugely out of character. Even when he’s been sick in the past, he’s managed to eat.

A vet visit and more than $80 worth of blood tests later, nothing abnormal could be found. Yet he still lacked interest in his food. I was told how important it was to keep him eating something each day.

Which led to this mess…

…because he seemed interested in new kinds of food and would at least try a few bites of each. And I tried various presentations – a flat plate, a small bowl, the usual food bowl, and – his favorite – directly on the living room rug.

The break-through came last night when I got him to eat about 8 Greenies and 60 tiny balls of Science Diet Light (big bag on left) – but only by doling out 5-6 pieces at a time on the rug.

This morning he ate almost 1/8 cup of the Science Diet in his regular food dish. How do I know 1/8 cup? Because I measured it before and after he ate!

And remember I have another cat, so one of the greatest challenges is keeping her from gobbling down all of his food. Good times.

Thank goodness it seems to be resolving itself.

Embarrassing Conversation Habit

Since I seem to be one of the only never-married, childless mid-30-something women in the area, I'm always struggling to find some way to relate to my acquaintances when they discuss their families.

I've noticed a startling habit from which I absolutely MUST break myself.

Fictional example:

Acquaintance - "Now that little Bobby is mobile, he just won't stay out of the kitchen cabinets."

Me - "Oh yeah, when L was a kitten she went through a phase where she was breaking into the cabinets all the time. She was also a terror when it came to houseplants."

**panic**

OMG...what did I just say? I just equated my tabby to her toddler?!

I know how awful it is the second it leaves my mouth, but there's no taking it back. Even throwing in "not that kittens compare to toddlers, of course" along with some nervous laughter doesn't make it much better.

So, yeah, this is something I have to work on, or become even more reclusive to avoid such opportunities for embarrassment.