Friday, November 03, 2006

Back in the saddle.

I knit until my fingertips went kind of numb yesterday, that's always the sign it's time to stop. Bad, bad things happen when I keep knitting after that, including dropped stitches and narcotic use (I'm not sure which is worse). So I'm about halfway up the first sleeve of the Husbeast Gansey, and all the increasing is done so it's a straight knit from here to the end. Well, except for that damn twisted stitch pattern I thought was a good idea. It will look great when it's done, but for now it's just a pain in the butt.

After my fingers went numb, I went out to the office supply store and bought magazine holders and a huge three-ring binder, to try to organize my office. The magazine holders are for the eleventy-hundred knitting magazines in sloppy piles all over the place (I didn't think I had that many magazines until I moved all the ones in the living room into my office to keep the baby out of them), and the binder is for my yarn sample color cards. I started putting the cards in the binder last night, and I'll have to get a photo when it's done. The husbeast was marveling over all the bits of yarn, and he's not easily impressed.




Thanks to everyone who offered kitty advice yesterday. No, I didn't think anyone was callous for pointing out that there wasn't a lot to be done, one way or the other. Once I quit freaking out and thought about it calmly, I came to the same conclusion. I mean, can you imagine trying to splint a cat's tail? Wouldn't THAT go over well?

Turns out that breaks nearer the base of the tail (where it connects to the kitty's body) can cause nerve damage that creates, uh, shall we say, litter box issues. I've watched this kitty like a hawk for the last twenty hours, and she's all right in that respect, so there's really nothing to be done. (Apparently the only things TO do are tail amputation if the break is bad, or putting down the cat if the litter box issues are bad. NOT good choices.)

Her tail is definitely broken, though. The husbeast came home, took one look at the HUGE handful of cat hair on the table (I'd saved it for him to see, so he realized the seriousness of the whole situation) and immediately went to check out the cat. He was raised with cats as a child, I grew up with dogs. (This is why I'm so clueless about cats, and why this poor beast has been trained like a dog.) Anyway, he is convinced the tail is broken and also agreed with you guys - nothing to be done.

So the cat's been coddled and fussed over, and she has enjoyed it immensely - she's spent all the time she can on my lap, getting her face scritched, which is her favorite thing. Her poor little tail droops, and she runs past my office door now because she's afraid of it. But otherwise all is well; she's eating like the furry pig she is, and I just caught her tormenting the baby.

How do people abuse children? I'm upset over hurting my cat by accident.

5 comments:

April said...

In other breaking news ... Lion Brand has come out with a new line of hand painted natural fiber yarns! Wow, how exciting!

Because we all love us some Lion Brand. ;)

TrishJ said...

You know, I've come to the conclusion that acrylic yarn, no matter the quality, sucks. It's stiff and hard and nasty feeling. Lion Brand is worse, but even the good stuff rots.

That's my knitting rant for the day, seeing we're on a Lion Brand discussion.

Hugs to the kitty. My dog had a problem with his back muscles twice and couldn't wag his tail. It hung like a limp rope from his butt for about a week. You don't realize how much they express with their tails until they can't use them!

Sheepish Annie said...

Poor, poor kitty! But I've known a few cats with broken tails and they all were pretty frisky. One was owned by a doctor of family medicine who opted to do the amputation himself. Still the most active animal I've ever known. Keep the kibble and kuddles going his way!

And now I must scoot out to Walmart... I hear they have some purty Lion Brand yarn and I do love me the finer things in life.

Amy Lane said...

I'm terribly glad you're kitty is okay-- and also impressed by your ability to organize...we just moved the bassinet out of our room...it was hard to find because I'd filled it with clothes for the last four months, since the baby moved out of it...

debsnm said...

I have a huge black kitty with the cutest crick in the end of his tail - right now, that's the ONLY thing I like about him - but that's a different story. As for Lion Brand yarn - long story, lots of angst!!