17 May 2008: Hi all! This is Rudy again. Mommy says I did such a great job last time that I could write my own diary again. This week has been very noisy! There is a man in the basement putting up walls and banging with a hammer. Us cats do not like all this racket!! Doesn't he know we are supposed to sleep for at least 20 hours per day??

Before I talk about how wonderful and cute I am, I have to post about my adorable sister, Princess Pixie. Pixie got spayed last week and she had a big, big scare at the vets because her heart rate dropped dangerously low. She had to get a special shot to get her going right again. Mommy was very nervous and I was too but Pixie is totally fine now. She was sleepy for a few days but now she's been playing with me and we have been watching the birds and chipmunks out the window. You can see our pictures by going to the Photo Gallery and choosing the 6+ months button. Mommy is making me more photo pages to show me growing up!

See how big I'm getting in my new photos!!! Mommy and Daddy say I am beautiful and have the biggest most beautiful eyes in the world. Thats because I have many guardian angels who love me and pray for me.

Well Moki doesn't like me. Mommy says I shouldn't say that. No matter how hard I've tried to convince Moki that I won't eat her, she doesn't believe me. I told her if I wanted fur in my mouth I'd just groom my big floofy tail! I would never eat a cute little hamster. Anyway, Mommy said Moki is just scared of everything so she went and adopted two little baby boy hamsters for me and they are very friendly and don't think I'm gonna eat them. Mommy will take pictures of them soon.

I have been perfecting my bunny hop that I do when I get the kitten crazies. Pixie rolls her eyes at me when I do it but I think she's jealous because she can't do the bunny hop. Mommy says I get more lovey by the day. I just love everyone and I am very excited to see them! If one of my housecats come into the room I run up to them very excited and give them rubbies. I am always happy and purring and I love to sit on Mommy and Daddy's lap and get hugs. Well thats all for now! I love you all!!!

20 April 2008: Hi all! This is Rudy! Mommy has been busy so I've decided to do my own diary this time! I am a big boy now - about 6lbs and Pixie is only 4.5lbs! She is a dainty little girl and doesn't like to rough and tumble with a big guy like me.

My eyes are the coolest eyes in the world now! They are so big and green - I can see the whole universe now!! I dont even have to get my eyes scrubbed anymore cuz there is no more eye gook! Sometimes I get eyedrops to keep my eyes moist. I dont like that much but I try to put up with it cuz Mommy says its good for me.

Aunt Linda sent me and Pixie an awesome cat toy that we can sit on and it has little toys that we can bop around. Thanks, Aunt Linda!! We love you!!

I had my own pet Gerbil named Ger-Oobal that I loved to sit and watch run in her wheel. She used to sit up and watch me back when I sat near her glass house. A few weeks ago she fell asleep and never woke up. Mommy says she must have been really tired from all that running in the wheel and had to go sleep in Heaven. I miss my Ger-Oobal a lot and kept looking in her glass house, but she never came back. Mommy knew I was sad so she bought me a new little critter that she named Decaf White Mocha, "Moki" for short. Moki is much smaller than my beloved Ger-Oobal and is a bit scared of me, but she just got here yesterday so I have to give her time to adjust. I like to look at her, she is really cute with a neat racing stripe down her back. You can see pix of her on my photo gallery, I told Mommy she should be on there too.

Thank you all so much for signing my guestbook and for caring about me! I never could have gotten thru all this without the love and prayers of all of you. Mommy even said my head looks normal now and not too big like when I was a tiny kitten. I guess I can get smarter but not have a huge brain in my head, which is a good thing!! I was worried my head might get bigger but its just perfect the way it is. Mommy and Daddy kiss me all the time and I've learned to sit up on my back legs and ask for hugs and kisses now all by myself!!

25 February 2008: Rudy had his post-surgery check up this weekend and he is doing great! His eye scarring from the scratching of his fur has healed up and is pretty much gone. Our little guy now has upper eyelids! Yay! He looks terrific and he is in super duper play mode now. A kitten has to make up for lost time, right? I could barely get pix of him because he will not sit still at all.

Rudy's left eye is slightly red and irritated so he has to have Tobrimycin drops 2x per day. Once he is completely healed and the fur around his eyes grows back, he is going to look awesome! Dr. Willis seemed very happy with his progress. Rudy doesn't have to wear the cone anymore, either, which he is very happy about. Rudy goes back for another check up in two weeks.

I myself had oral surgery last week and Rudy and Pixie were wonderful little kitten nurses to their mommy. They cuddled up in bed with me and watched the Lifetime movie channel for four days straight. Now thats love!

10 February 2008: Rudy had his eye and neuter surgery yesterday and everything went just fine. He was admitted at 8:30 a.m. and we picked him up (in the snow!) at 6:30 pm. His eyes look really good! He has four tiny stitches above each eye. The fur above his eyes has been shaved, and his whiskers trimmed to keep the area clean. Rudy has to wear the very fashionable "cone" collar to prevent him from pawing at his eyes. He is not enjoying the collar too much but he should only need it for two weeks. On 23 February the stitches will be removed.

Visually, it is hard for me to tell exactly what Dr. Willis did during the surgery. His paperwork reads as follows: "Rudy had surgery to remove part of the eyelid tissue that was rolling inward onto both eyes." Right now his eyes are a bit puffy so its hard to tell how it really looks.

This morning his eyes were a bit gooky and stuck shut, so I had to moisten them with warm water and then he was able to open them and I could clean them. Dr. Willis said this is normal and I will need to keep his eyes very clean. He is still getting the Genteal gel drops 4x per day, and he will get a small dose of oral Metcam for four days.

Everyone at the veterinary hospital absolutely fell in love with Rudy. How could they not? He truly is a lovebug. Dr. Willis said even as they were giving him an IV into his little leg, he was purring and doing happy paws. She thinks he is the cutest and sweetest little guy ever.

Rudy is very happy and purring and doing happy paws. He slept next to my head all nite. His personality is amazing, he is so loving and happy ALL the time. Even this morning when I had to soak his eyes, he was so good and just sat there and purred. His happiness never fades. He truly is very special.

I will post another update in a day or two. New photos of Rudy post-surgery are in the Photo Gallery. Big thanks to everyone who sent well wishes and prayers to our baby!

30 January 2008: We took Rudy to see his regular vet Dr. Pederson today for a check up. Dr Pederson also has never seen a cat or kitten with upper eyelid entropion. Rudy is quite unique! The main reason for his check up was to see if both of Rudy's testicles had descended so that next week when he gets his eye surgery, he can be neutered at the same time. Rudy didn't appreciate the groping of his parts, but was glad to hear that he can have his neuter surgery at the same time as his eye surgery, and not have to go to the hospital twice. Rudy weighs 4lbs! He is a hunk of furry purrs!


12 January 2008: Rudy was examed by Dr. Willis, a veterinary opthamologist today. Dr. Willis works at the Veterinary Emergency & Referral clinic in Waltham, MA. Dr. Willis was super nice and very gentle with Rudy. After a lengthy exam, she told us that Rudy was born with something called upper eyelid entropion. Here is a definition of entropion:

Entropion is a hereditary condition in which the eyelids roll inward which causes the eyelashes to contact the surface of the eye. This condition usually involves both eyes and is quite painful. In addition to conjunctivitis, partial or complete loss of vision can result if left untreated. Squinting and tearing are the most common signs. Persians and Himalayans seem to be at increased risk. Surgical correction involves removal of a narrow strip of skin and muscle from the eyelid. Stitches are then used to avert the eyelid so that it lies in a normal position.

Due to this, Rudy's fur above his eyes is constantly poking and scratching his eyes, which has caused considerable scratching of his eyes which could lead to ulcers. I'm sure we all know that if we have an eyelash in our eye, it is extremely annoying and painful. Imagine what poor little Rudy must feel like! It is amazing that he is such a happy, loving, kitten when he has to deal with such discomfort on a constant basis.

Dr. Willis advised that the best thing to do would be to perform surgery on Rudy on 9 February to fix his upper eyelids. During this surgery, she will neuter him and also take an x-ray of Rudy's skull to see if there is anything else "different" going on with Rudy. Dr. Willis has never performed surgery on upper eyelids, but has done many on the lower. She has confidence that she can do this and will alleviate the fur poking into Rudy's eyes. This may not be a permanent solution, as Rudy is just a baby guy and has lots of growing to do. So he may need surgery again when he is older. We'll cross that bridge then, right now we just want him to be comfy and not have further damage to his eyes.

I have to say that Rudy is an extremely loving, happy, cuddly, playful kitten. He acts totally normal, just like every other kitten. What is truly exceptional about him is the way he can make you smile. There is no way you can be with Rudy and not have a smile on your face. He is so incredibly cute and endearing. We have fallen completely and utterly in love with him. I truly feel bad for anyone that didn't adopt Rudy, because they have no idea what they have missed. I have owned cats my entire life and Rudy is the cutest, happiest kitten ever. We are completely blessed and honored to have him as part of our family.