Thunder Drama - Hairball

Thunder had a hairball this morning.  At least it wasn't a big one.  Most cats just vomit it up, and they are done with it.  That's not the way of Thunder.

First he wants attention-lots of it.  That isn't all that unusual, so it doesn't guarantee that a hairball is brewing, but there is no hairball that he doesn't go through this stage.

The bigger the hairball, the more demanding he is.  This morning's hairball was small.  He just wanted me to pet him and cried when I left.  The big ones seem to come at night.  That is when he will wake me up with purring, ramming my face, biting my nose.  When he purrs, he trembles.  Those days, I know for sure the hairball is coming.  This could go on for an hour.  It was a problem when I still worked.

With a bad hairball, he starts to cry, emphatically--and then, it is done.  Today's hairball was mild, so he didn't cry.  I am so glad.  It tears my heart to pieces when I hear that cry.

After he expels the unwelcome pile for fur, it isn't over, yet.  Next, he need comforting.  I have to pet him and console him.  He is relentless in his demands.  The bad hairballs usually end up with him trembling in my arms, purring and purring.  After about a half hour, he gets hungry, and it is over.

I always feel bad when one occurs, and I'm not home for him.  That is one more reason that I had to retire.

Thunder--High Maintenance Cat

This week, Kevin has been away babysitting.  Though it means that I have to spend extra time taking care of his horse, it also means I'm not spending time with Kevin.  Consequently, I am spending a lot more time at home with Thunder.

I thought he would start taking me for granted and not be as demanding, but I was wrong.  Aside from his time during deep naps--a necessity for all cats--he is more demanding.  He wants to spend all his waking hours with me--and prefers to spend his sleeping hours with me, too.  He is simply attached to me most of the time.  If he is sunning himself, he wants me to sun with him.  He wants to play, he wants to watch DVDs on his electric afghan with me, (Maggie likes that, too,) he wants to cuddle and on and on and on...

He wants me to sit with him when he eats.  He wants me to feed him pieces of dry cat food--one piece at a time.  He doesn't want me to clean, cook, eat my meals and he hates the computer.

He is sleeping with me nearly all night instead of just part of the night.  He is waking me up at night because he wants pets.  He is chasing Maggie away from me.

Of course, I just love all this.  I can't get enough of Thunder time.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised this happened.  He has always been such a dependant cat--not independent like most other cats.

I hope he can adjust back when Kevin is back in my life.