THOUGHT VOMIT

Some recent moments with my Mirri ❤️❤️ happy birthday/adoptaverasary, nemaš pojma koliko si mi pomogla sa tvojom pažnjom i nežnosti ovih par godina 🥰 (at Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkBTnU0LhIuS0JqUf-KRWx8geht5u5VhdKqYfQ0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today is @spatheandspadix's birthday!! This is one of the only pictures of us together in existence, bonus appearance from @yoibomb. If you're in Pittsburgh you should DEFINITELY come to the Polish Hills courts tonight at 7 pm. There will be cool punk, delicious baked goods, and a variety of appalachian ghouls in attendance. Not to be missed! Visual documentation of our friendship by @em_atropa ✨ (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjvuAUirNT5Xqf8u0J_YZenhoFYoFLPJlxLXdE0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Parker ❤️ We said goodbye to this sweet silly old man this weekend. Fifteen years is a pretty good run for any dog and I feel lucky to have been able to be around in the last couple years. He was already an old man by the time I met him, and only cared for three things: 1) food, 2) jamming himself into your lap/armpit for snuggles with no regard for your personal comfort, and 3) sleeping. Over the last 6-8 months, though, he began declining more noticeably. Back in april, he stopped being able to go up the front steps. By june, he was already struggling to walk without dragging his feet as pug myelopathy increasingly led to weakness and lack of co-ordination in his rear legs. We mostly managed ok, I'd sometimes have to balance him while he was going outside and he needed a diaper indoors due to incontinence, but after he had a stroke in early july, it was clear we wouldn't have much time left. In the last month, he went from mostly being able to sniff the hedges (since he was totally deaf and mostly blind, this was his favorite thing!) and stumble along in the back yard, to being unable to even stand up unless I held him... Once the weather changed a few weeks ago, his wheezing went from normal brachycephalic dog breathing, to sounding like he was gasping for every breath. He was trembling almost all the time and would cry almost anytime he was awake but couldn't see me. We knew it was time. That didn't make it any easier. The last few months have been one painful stressful thing after another, and sometimes I feel like I should've noticed earlier how much weight he had lost, but I hope he knows I did the best I could for him over the last 7-8 months. Love you, Parker Pug. (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjQLFEsroAJFzPw-73qFOQU8yGJlDS5-y8oL840/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Three months ago, I had zero intentions of adopting another cat. I called multiple rescues, made posts on my rarely used social media, even created a nextdoor account because I was so sure someone would come forward. I delayed naming her for two weeks because I didn't want to get attached. Well, two weeks ago I got the call at 3am, after crying hysterically and barely sleeping, that she survived the surgery. We flipped the coin, after the vet saying very frankly that she might not even make it to anesthesia, and we won. It is now two weeks later and she's back to her bright, friendly, hyperactive teenage self. The huge incision on her abdomen is mostly healed (95%) and she's back in the general population at home, allowed to be cone free under supervision. She still chooses to snuggle with me while I'm working or rewatching X-Files in the evening. It's almost like nothing happened, and she probably doesn't remember that she was dying that tuesday night, but I'm lying if I don't admit this was another emotional beating when I'm already bruised and weary. I'm really lucky--I was able to afford the extremely expensive surgery and I work from home so I can care for her while she's recovering. And, she's alive! I just wish it hadn't happened at all... now I need to start asking the questions of what happened, so it doesn't happen to others. This is the hard part. Thanks if you checked in with me at any point or even just saw these posts. I feel like I really only post online when I'm extreme distress, lol... I'll try to post about happy stuff too. My life is mostly boring and I've been exhausted for like 2 years straight but there have been moments of incredible joy. Bringing Burek back home was one of those. 💖 (at Regent Square) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjEaKy8tQjppKboZsTG8253EE_mih-EHlKhtlI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Very weak and anemic but home since thursday night and alive :') She hates the cone, hates the medication, hates being in the crate, hates not being able to clean herself, hates that she can't run around and jump and play. The incision on her abdomen is huge and she's got a long recovery ahead of her, but I'm very proud of this tough little pastry for fighting as hard as she did and beating the odds ❤️ There are still a lot of questions remaining with why she wound up on death's door (I do have all the hospital records and will be investigating this to hopefully correct the failure of procedure... I just don't want anyone else to go through the horror I saw on tuesday) but I'm just immensely endlessly grateful we found her when we did. (at Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CinSXnWLBHTe2sHtUwWhA0ANYX2apYfThir7Ps0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

UPDATE**** (all pics and vids are from the last 2.5 months since this absolute hellion walked into my life), also content warning for an animal being in severe pain and distress • Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who messaged and responded last night, and thought of my little fighter ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Burek survived the emergency surgery and as of this morning was very affectionate with the post operative doctor so hopefully she's back to her normal self soon.. • Details are still very weird but she had a severe hemorrhage last night after her routine spay 5 days ago. It's hard to say exactly why this happened but I guess I'll find out more in the coming days. Right now I'm still in a shock over how quickly things went south last night--I couldn't find her for a few hours, then sadly thought maybe she got outside (it's happened before, though never more than a few minutes) and hoped she'd be home soon. Around 10:30, I found her and, overjoyed, picked her up for a hug. At this point, it turned into a nightmare. She urinated on herself, went limp with her limbs bending strangely, started screaming, and began drooling. Something was very obviously wrong (I thought maybe a seizure?) so we got her to the emergency vet as soon as we could. They admitted her immediately and told me she was severely hemorrhaging and only had a 50/50 chance of surviving a surgery... well, I decided to flip the coin and got the call around 4 am that she'd survived. • I still don't know how to process any of this. It was so sudden. My face hurts from crying. I barely slept. I called in sick for this morning. I'm so, so proud my tough little girl made it but witnessing her screaming in pain last night completely shattered my heart. I don't know what to say. • Please hug your loved ones, furry and otherwise, extra extra hard today for me... https://www.instagram.com/p/CifbfIlL9adT5zfAlqNZKOo7ej38ErFk5T2_100/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Having the worst time right now. Please think your best thoughts for this little Burek and that she makes it through the surgery tonight. https://www.instagram.com/p/CieYEdjsm0D_vQmn-k9WQge-5Jcy2g7VcbkK7Y0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It's been another stressful miserable summer with too many things going on. I'm sleep deprived and stretched thin, unable to be my normal self or present for others in the best way I know how. Most of the worst stresses are behind me now (I hope) but I'm very, very tired of existing in this way. I desperately crave a few months of calm, so I can recuperate and pull myself together and maybe finally feel some semblance of healing from the last few years of turmoil in literally every part of my life... • Today on my birthday I got to have a nice, calm, low-key breezy summer afternoon with my younger sister, whom I haven't seen except through a screen in almost 3 years. At least one little part of me healed today. 🧋 (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch8mY-bNHR4uO3q9I1Q_ujpMVHJTMTAJLcJq0A0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I'm late as usual to the party but since it was international cat day yesterday, I should probably post some kitty updates!! • we've named her Burek, google it if you don't know what that is! 🥧 • she is now over 6 lbs / 2.75 kg, having been less than 4 lbs / 1.75 kg at her first vet appointment 6 weeks ago ⚖️ • her spay is scheduled for early september and I'm desperately hoping it calms her down because I've been regularly woken up before 6 am to her claws sinking into my feet 🤪 • when she grows up, I'm sending her to join a pro wrestling promotion because this little noodle of a cat keeps beating up on Seamus and Mirri and I need better story lines than 'much larger cat gets his ass kicked every single night because he doesn't know how to fight back' • she likes chewing on/eating paper and cardboard, which is kind of a problem since I just moved my remaining furniture and boxed belongings last week, so if anyone has suggestions on how to gently curb/redirect this behavior while I'm unpacking, I'm all ears... (at Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChDmXY_rLxuQJkI0-EHrYT4es2HRi1VkS77j1c0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Covid // kitty updates: • the covid fatigue is REAL, but I've also had no appetite and no coffee for two days so maybe that's affected me too? I'm so frickin tired but otherwise the coughing and runny nose have largely subsided, and nobody else seems to have come up positive due to contact with me. I'm going to remain isolated the full 10 days and get tested before ending isolation but, so far so good～ • as-yet-unnamed kitten is a 4-5 month old torbie female, under 4 pounds, completely healthy except for being hungry, and still VERY active and loud and affectionate :) Based on her health and people-loving behavior, and the fact that nobody credible has claimed her, she was most likely dumped. I'm still reaching out to rescues and checking missing pet sites and groups, just to be absolutely sure, but otherwise it may be time to think of a name that isn't just 'baby kitty' or 'mala maca'... (at Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfm38c7L37FbxL2JOYprHuDvfW9ey4WeCRLzqo0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

ATTN: Pittsburgh!!!! Especially anyone in Wilkinsburg/Edgewood/Regent Square-- • This very thin striped tabby kitten just walked into my front door and basically jumped into my arms. Seems like a female but squirming made it hard to tell, I'm guessing somewhere around 6 months old? Thin enough that I could feel the ribs and spine but very clean/groomed and VERY affectionate so I think this kitten belongs to someone. Seemed wary of the other cats and very vocal. We're gonna take em to the pet hospital tomorrow to see if they're chipped and we'll be making posts on local/neighborhood groups but figured I'd post here too! I haven't seen posters anywhere for this particular cat but maybe someone else has? Any info, please message me!! (at Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfX4SuBtork2rj2Lvo6-z_hjEOSkeTui02NWxs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=