Darkly Colored Felines of Fury

Lynx in Summer
  <HOME>   <BIO>   <CV>   <LIFELINES>

Posts

A White Christmas and TeethDo Cat's Have Tooth Fairies?

Author
Patrick Audley
Location
49.131061-123.193855Steveston#49 11391 - 7th Ave.RichmondBCCA-BCCanadaSmall Earth Icon

Seasons CheerI flew to Vancouver to visit family for the holidays and this time I carted my cat Lana with me. Christmas itself went off without a hitch and was joined with the usual huge turkey dinner, assorted gifts, a few rounds of good wine and general merriment. Though I love getting together with family, travel during the holidays continues to worsen and given my lack of religious lock-down to specific dates has become something I think I shall avoid in the future. A story of teeth, gypsies, blizzards and cheer follows. Well… perhaps not gypsies.

A White ChristmasTravel Nightmare

Westjet 737 landing on a snowy runway.I normally eschew traveling on Air Canada and I have never been more thankful of that choice. I had a very surreal moment when I was in the Calgary airport and overheard an Air Canada minion telling a traveler that no planes were taking off because the runways were closed. I could see this was a tough sell because behind the man, perfectly framed in the huge window facing the tarmac were several Westjet planes taxiing out and in the far distance a plane just lifting off. I can almost imagine the scene in the Air Canada employee lounge hours before where disgruntled workers probably drew straws to see who was going to go out and tell bald-faced lies to weary travelers whose flights have been canceled while all the other airlines somehow managed. I understand why, in most cases, Air Canada just didn’t show up to say anything. My own Westjet flight was half an hour late but Lana (who can travel in the cabin with me) and I made it to snowy Vancouver eventually.

Family Christmas

Traditional tree laden with collected ornaments.My mother has been collecting ornaments and bits for the family Christmas tree since before I was born and it’s always formed a comforting part of the season for us. That and turkey dinner. Lots of turkey. Heaps even. This year was no exception and we had a great dinner with family on Christmas Eve. The next day was followed by gift opening and generally lazing about in post turkey lethargy. We also went to see Bugs Bunny on Broadway at the Vancouver Orpheum – a wonderful fusion of symphony orchestra and Merry Melodies. All together it was a nice and fairly standard Christmas though the addition of huge amounts of snow in Vancouver made it mildly bizarre (as well as adding that little edge to driving as you are surrounded by others with summer tires trying to pretend they can drive normally on ice). I managed to get together with my best-friend, Danielle, too which is always a great time. We’re planning a party trip to Vegas in the Spring – it will be a hoot!

Cat Tooth Fairies

Four molars from a sore kitty's mouth.Lana spent this holiday at the vets being boarded and generally checked out. The checkup revealed very badly inflamed gums and required surgery to extract a few teeth. I’m a little ashamed that I hadn’t peered into her mouth more regularly because I certainly would have seen the very sore gums. *sigh* She had contracted a mycoplasma infection in her gums which thankfully is treatable with antibiotics. We also have a fun new fish-tasting toothbrush game to play that I’m sure will bring hours of … joy… to both of us when she heals up. I picked her up today and she’s perfectly happy and seems in much better spirits now that her mouth isn’t sore. If you’re looking for an excellent cat veterinarian/kennel in Vancouver, I’ve included Cat Care’s information at the bottom of the post.

A Night at the Movies: Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood delivers a great performance.Gran Torino Excellent movie, a clash of cultures and generations.I got a chance to see this with my family last week and it’s on my must see recommmendations list now. The trailers were a little misleading with their portrayal of a typical Eastwood Dirty Harry persona. Eastwood’s character, Walt, is amazing and deep – filled with racism and a product the American Dream (with all that entails, including war) he finds peace at the end of his life by reaching out to a young Hmong boy. Stunning acting and classic cinematography make Eastwoods last film incredible. Go see it. You’ll have tears in your eyes at the end – we all did.My rating: 4.5 stars

Vet’s Info

Small Cute KittenDr.Karen ZutrauenCat Care Veterinary Clinic49.148745-123.136654#100 8980 No.3 Road#100 8980 No.3 RoadRichmondBCCA-BCCanadaSmall Earth Icon+1 (604) 277-8511vetcatsclinic