Days 146-148: The Zoo

Right now, I feel like LOML and I are zookeepers with the three cats and dog that live with us.  Boris, the oldest cat, is on a special diet for his grain/gluten allergies (shows up like celiac and IBD at the same time) so we're having to make sure he doesn't get the other animals' food.  Julia has asthma which comes with the need for inhalers and a weakened immune system so she's now requiring regular ear drops and washings.  And because it's not safe for her to go under anesthesia, I'm having to learn how to brush her teeth.  Alex, the newest kitten has the same amount of energy as Hammy the squirrel from "Over the Hedge".  He requires at least two 30-minute play sessions per day.  He has to be fed three times per day, and is also super food-motivated so we're constantly having to distract him while the other animals eat.  When he misbehaves, he has to go into time-out.  He tries to get in the shower with us.  And unfortunately for our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, he occasionally goes back to his original roots as a "tree cat" and tries to play with it.  He is an adorable, and sometimes mildly frustrating, ball of energy.  Then there is Odie, the lone dog in the pack who is not thrilled to be out-numbered by cats like this.  When it was him, Julia, and Boris, it was fine because Julia and Boris tend to leave him alone.  They each have their spot and no one bothered the others.  Now, Alex has completely flipped the routine.  He is into everything, and this lack of reserve bothers poor Odie.  It also upsets the other animals that they spend so much time vying for my attention.  When I get into bed, I tend to wake up with Odie under the covers on one side of my feet, Boris above the covers on the other side, and Alex up by my face.  I can't roll over or move because they all want to be near me.  I have no privacy or personal space anymore.  While sometimes I wish I could hide away, I am glad to have all of them.  I hope Alex slows down sometime soon.  And I hope Julia learns that the toothbrushing and the ear cleaning make her feel better.  She doesn't have to like it, just reach the point, like the inhaler, where she tolerates it.