Two cats at eighty

19th September 11

Kanga and Roo have just reached the age of fifteen in solar reckoning, which apparently makes them eighty years old in comparison with humans. With each year that passes from now on, they will count four more cat years. Well, of course we hope they reach their century or more, as long as they are happy enough to be alive.
Kanga is the one with health problems, needing two insulin
injections a day for her diabetes. That doesn't cause
her any problem, but allergies and maybe a polyp in her nose
certainly do. She constantly snorts and snuffles and sneezes,
leaving rather a mess behind her. If only she could learn to
use a hanky!

She loves to spend the night on our bed, too, like here. We
couldn't possibly turn such a good companion away,
despite the noise and the spray of snot,
and as long as she lies on a towel, we can keep things
hygienic enough!
Her various ailments certainly make her
depressed at times, but generally
she seems happy. Happy enough to pose
for a photo, anyway!
Here is Roo lying on the balcony to get some fresh air. She is healthy
enough, though she has difficulty jumping these days. Maybe it's
rheumatism. It doesn't trouble her much though: unlike a human with
the same complaint, she doesn't have to struggle through the pain to complete
her daily tasks - she just doesn't bother to do what she can't do, or waits
for one of us to hoist her up!

She has a bit of a psychological problem, however - she's not
so happy that her sister wants to spend so much time in our bedroom,
which she regards as her territory. And of course as a normal cat
who moves in silence, she can't understand Kanga's noises. Interestingly
when I happen to sneeze now, she looks at me curiously. Is there something
that Kanga and I share, but from which she is excluded?
Now Roo wants to be let indoors again - no time
for nonsense like posing for a photograph!