crazy cat lady Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Cat Lady in the CanyonCat Lady in the Canyon

I was in the middle of responding to an email from a client when the demanding yowl from downstairs broke my concentration. “Lex?” Again, another loud, urgent yowl. I ran downstairs to find Lexington standing in the middle of my bedroom looking disoriented. He looked up at me and cried. I picked him up and he continued to cry as he looked aimlessly around the room. I put him down so I could pick up the phone to dial my vet. His back legs splayed outward and he stumbled. We rushed to the vet’s office. I suspected a blood sugar “crash” and was right.

Lexington’s blood sugar dropped to a very low level of 26 (normal range for a diabetic cat is between 100-200; non-diabetic, 80-100). He stayed at the vet for the rest of the day. When I picked him up at 5:00 his blood sugar was 70 and he was alert, chirping, and happy to see me. Two weeks prior Lex’s blood sugar level was 408. My vet shook his head at the drastic drop and thought that Lex could very well be in remission. There were new marching orders—no more insulin injections, and a follow-up blood sugar check in two days.

This morning I took Lexington to the vet for his follow-up blood sugar check. A few minutes after he was taken back to the exam room, Johnna came out with Lex in his carrier in one hand, a thumbs-up on the other, and a big smile. “His blood sugar level is 115–he’s in remission,” she announced. “Yay! Oh my gosh! Hallelujah!” I said, jumping up and down and clapping. I was over-the-moon with joy; no more insulin, no more needles, no more worry. Lexington was healthy again. I was one very happy cat lady—and maybe just a little crazy. I finally stopped the pogo stick routine.

There is a chance that the diabetes could return, but as Johnna said, “Keep doing what you are doing,” which is the grain-free, low carbohydrate meat-based protein diet, minimal grain-free kibble, and the easy part, providing lots of love.

I’ve been told and have read that having two cats is “normal” but having three or more, well, that’s just crazy (who makes up this stuff?).

The Urban Dictionary defines a crazy cat lady as, “a woman, usually middle-aged or older, who lives alone with no husband or boyfriend, and fills the empty lonely void in her life with as many cats as she can collect in one place. Said homes are usually very stinky and the aforementioned woman may also very likely be white trash.” And I’ve been called a crazy cat lady. Seriously?

I will be the first to admit that based on urban beliefs and at a glance, it doesn’t look good. I’ve had cats throughout my entire adult life–sometimes 3 at a time, have been single more than not and other than a few exceptions, have lived alone. There have been lonely times, but never ongoing empty lonely voids, and I’m a neat freak. And yes, I’m white but not trashy. Well, there were those days back in the 80s when tight spandex dresses, really big hair and chunky plastic earrings might have sent the wrong message.

Still, I say my crazy cat lady status is questionable.