A week or so ago we noticed Tokaji had a swollen lip and seemed to have a sore mouth when eating. After inspection we noted a little puncture hole in the lip/gum area. Naturally we thought he'd either bit himself while playing or eating, or Winston had bit him. So we decided to take him in for a vet visit to be safe. Turns out our little Toker has top fangs that are too long so they poke into his gums. The vet informed me that while it isn't exactly a common thing, it isn't anything a cat dentist couldn't solve. That's right. A cat dentist. I'd never really considered dentistry as a veterinary specialty, but they are out there. Turns out that there is at least one in Atlanta, so I took him in for a consult today. There are several options to choose from.


1) Pull the tooth
2) orthodontics and
3) crown reduction

We've chosen the crown reduction which is essentially grinding down the tooth as far as it needs to go and putting some bonding on it to shape things out again. If the grinding reaches the pulp cavity they will need to also do root canals. He goes in for the procedure on Monday morning and the dentist assures me it won't be painful. It's a full anesthetic procedure, so our little guy will be blissfully unaware of his teeth until waking up.

Pet Dentistry Resources

Pet Dentistry
Cat Dental Care
Feline Dentistry

Here is a funny (manipulated) image of Tokaji done by DB. He isn't nearly as "trailer kitty" as this image would imply, he looks much more like a vampire. Lil' Toker has fangs that would make Dracula jealous. We'll get back to you with some before and after photos of the real deal.

One of the ways that Tokaji is very similar to our dearly departed Minus is his love of a (Dr. Seuss) "Thing" doll DRE* has. He carries it around with him like it is his baby (if you would carry a baby by its face), rarely is he far from it. He loves it so much that it has become quite torn up and smelly. DRE* sewed the face back together to get a few more miles out of it. After spending a bit of time on Ebay I found some replacements. They weren't that easy to come by, as they originally were released in boxes of Cocoa Puffs, but they were quite inexpensive (about $12 total). We are saving the new "Things" until Christmas, when Santa will make Tokaji's dreams come true. Below is a pic of what they start out like and what they end up as.

DRE*'s brother bill Photoshopped pics of da boys for the holidays.

As some of you might know, DRE* and I have been expecting a new baby for several months now. The day finally arrived and we flew out to Sacramento to pick him up. Our bundle of joy is a 2 pound Singapura named Tokaji (after the Hungarian dessert wine). Many more pics to come...

We're currently considering (S & T) names for our upcoming bundle of joy (kitten) that will be arriving in September. It has been an arduous process to say the least, because we want to find the *perfect name. T.S. Eliot wrote a poem on the subject.

"The Naming of Cats" by T.S Eliot from "The Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats"

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey--
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter--
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover-- But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

I'd like to thank everyone for their caring and well wishes during a difficult time. It has been a rough couple of weeks since Minus passed away, but the support of friends and family has helped us immensely in this time of sadness.

We received the autopsy report and, as expected, it was Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) that took Minus from us. FIP is an incurable virus that is nearly 100% fatal for kittens and elderly cats.

In an effort to shift our grief into more positive memories, we'll be putting together a Minus tribute page with all of his best pics in his (and our) happiest times.

For those of you who might not have heard, our kitten, Minus, passed away last Wednesday.

Since the cats are our children his passing was a serious blow to our little family unit.

We have posted a blog entry here.

Please feel free to leave any sympathy thoughts you might have as a comment on the entry. It would mean the world to DRE* and I.

Minus arrived last night from California. He is a real gem. I thought that he'd be freaked out from the flight, but I was totally wrong. He immediately seemed right at home and is playful and sweet. Winston is another story, he has some adjustment/jealousy issues, but I'm sure that will fade quickly when he realizes Minus is here to stay and a total sweetheart. Plus, Winston will always be my number one. Minus is DRE* first kitty and I know he'll end up being spoiled incessantly. Considering what a shutterbug DRE* is (3000+ pictures in the last year), I figure her blog focus will switch from food to become the Temple of Minus;)

DRE* and Shawn would like to announce the arrival of our newest addition! The stork (a.k.a. Delta Cargo) will be delivering our new bundle of joy on Thursday night. He was born on July 3, 2004 in Fagervoll Cattery in Sacramento, California to Atel and Minling (see their pictures on the cattery's website). He is a purebred Singapura, neutered male, who is 4 1/2 months old. He is a very sweet and people-oriented little guy with quite an interesting background. He was born "Minella" and sold as a breeder female, but he turned out to be a male with no testicles - at least not where these are suppose to be. So, long story short, "Minella" is now "Minus", and fully vaccinated, dewormed and fixed. Shawn and I have yet to give him a name, but Winston is very much looking forward to having a little brother! Please help us as we welcome our bundle of joy into our home!

Here are two pictures of our beautiful boy at two weeks and at sixteen weeks old.

DRE* and I came across an article yesterday about a cat show at Gwinnett Civic Center and decided to attend. It was a first for both of us and kind of cool (to a cat person). There were quite a few strange folks there, but a lot of awesome cats. DRE* has come over to the cat side and has been (not-quite-so) secretly yearning for a companion to Winston. She's trying to find all sorts of reasons why NOT to do it, but when you see these kitties it is hard not to want one.

Here are the breeds in the running:

Singapura
Havana Brown
Ocicat
Tonkinese
Abyssinian