A Memorial to a Really Good Monday

Some weeks Mondays just stink! But not today. Today was a really good Monday. This post is to remind myself that some Mondays are really good.

*I felt really good on my run this morning.

*I finally found cute Christmas headbands!

*I purchased some fun gifts.

*I got to eat Chick-fil-A with Elisabeth while we watched the final episode of season 1 of Doctor Who. 

*Midway through the episode, Patches came and sat on me! She stayed there for over an hour!

*We ate warm chocolate chip cookies for snack this evening.

*It's Christmas time!

What I Learned in November: The Cat Edition

November always is a special month for me. I celebrate my birthday. We have the luxury of a whole week off for Thanksgiving. We end the month by beginning the Advent and Christmas season.

Even with the expected fun and joy and challenges (finding the right present at the right price on Black Friday or Cyber Monday), I have learned new things this month.

*Even though the production of the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker only changes minimally, I enjoy watching my ballerinas dance in it every time. This month Hannah danced in her fifth (I think) production, and Abigail and Elisabeth danced in their third, and I still loved watching them dance. 

I grew up with cats and we have had cats for over ten years now. I thought I knew most everything I needed to know about cats, so I was surprised to learn a few things this month about my feline friends.

*Cats have ACLs. I never thought about whether or not my cats had ACLs, but I learned this month that indeed they do because I learned that

*Cats can tear their ACLs. When Patches started limping, I thought maybe her arthritis was acting up or that she'd injured herself. So I brought her to the vet, who informed me that Patches had torn her ACL! I asked about her prognosis and treatment options and learned that

*Cats can have surgery to repair their ACLs, and our clinic has a vet on staff that performs such surgeries. The surgery costs only a tiny fraction of human ACL surgery, so we decided to schedule her for surgery the Monday after Nutcracker. The surgery was successful, and Patches was able to come home after only one night at the vet. Then I learned

Patches before her surgery.

*I baby injured pets. Patches could barely walk and would even growl at her injured leg! I carried her to the litter box for the first few days and generally catered to our pitiful kitty. When she did start walking, she limped around pitifully in circles. Poor kitty! Fortunately

Patches after we brought her home.

*Cats heal amazingly quickly. In less than a week she was walking with a much smaller limp, and now she is barely limping at all! She is jumping on and off beds and is back to her sweet self (except for the shaved leg!).

I am thankful for skilled veterinarians who were able to help Patches live a longer and happier life! And I am thankful for a husband who was willing to pay for cat ACL surgery!