He Lives !

I stopped posting on the Sir Ryder of Cupp blog, because I dreaded I would have to write of his passing. Unbelievably, Ryder is alive, kicking and brilliantly acting the part of a grouchy old man. He still has some bad days health wise but manages to recover. When he is sick, he lies in the bathtub so we refer to it as the hospital. He still has his beautiful coat and moves spryly and loves getting new toys.

This past year, he has used his nursing skills to take care of me. I am a cancer patient now and he is there to console me when I'm having a down day. He took excellent care of his first mommy too.

He continues to bully Shasta and anyone else who strikes his fancy, especially if he is not feeling well.

Award For Excellence

Ryder, in a true display of royal arrogance, gave me that "So?" look and went back to napping when I told him that he had won an award for excellence. However, I am sure that he thanks all his fellow felines at The Zoo for so generously giving him this honor.

To give you all an update on his health, he is doing quite well. He has some bad times but much of the time, he is well enough to really annoy his sister, Shasta. Thank you all for your thoughts and purr-ers.

Royal Mannerisms

People often comment on Ryder's regal bearing. Here he demonstrates the correct form for relaxation. Notice the angle at which the head is held, and the placement of ears to enhance the silhouette. Above all, notice the elegance rendered by the carefully crossed feet. Closed eyes are allowed if everything else is done correctly.

Ryder and Mom Have Disagreement

Ryder says: My mom says that now that I feel a little better I have to clean my room. My room is located under a china cabinet that belonged to my first Mom. I chose this spot because both my moms keep my catnip in a drawer right above my space. I have to have a catnip fix everyday unless I'm real sick.

In my room, I have two sheets of tissue paper about two years old, the bottom half of a gift box acquired at Christmas time, a plastic bag I stole in the night, and some of my favorite toys. I finally got my room just the way I want it and she says I have to clean it up!

Mom says: I have always taken pride in having a clean and tidy house and I find it embarrassing that Ryder has created this mess right in the living room. Besides, now he spends most of his time in his makeshift bed. I think it's time for some housecleaning.

Ryder Sends Thanks For Your Purr-ers

Sir Ryder and all who live with him are grateful for all the purr-ers you've sent to him. It reminds his mom of the old adage "A trouble shared is a trouble halved."

This picture was taken a few minutes ago. His Regalness is waiting by the front door for Shasta to come back in from the sunporch. He's so handsome.

RN Shasta Cares for Ryder

Ryder (black and white cat) was recently diagnosed with liver disease. When he was quite critical recently, I made him a "temporary" bed from a plastic storage box and a blanket. At that point, he was too weak to jump into his favorite chair or on a bed.

Shasta (white cat) makes a point of checking on his condition frequently, as you can see from this photo. In fact, it was her behavior regarding Ryder that convinced us that something was seriously wrong with Ryder.

Their roles have been reversed. Ryder was always nurse to the "beans"; now Shasta is nurse to Ryder.

Ryder Acknowledges Christmas

Each year I have this Charlie Brown Christmas tree on a stand in my little sitting room. Other people laugh at it but I LIKE IT.

Ryder likes it too. He snoops in the gifts to see if there's anything for him (there isn't because I learned long ago that he could find his gifts and opened them as soon as he had located them).

I'm grateful to have this picture because we had just received word from the vet that Ryder has liver disease. We take his health day-to-day and pray for as many good days as the Lord sees fit to give him. He is thirteen but we had hoped to have him until he was thirty...........

A Bad Hair Day

Not only did this cat get the dreaded b-a-t-h but they also had to mess with her "do". Sometimes life gets out of hand. There are more cute cat pictures on this site.