I present this year's Easter lamb cake. I tried using a new decorating tip, meant for cupcakes, and am not pleased with the look. It looks more like a dog to me.
And of course, the epic 2011 Benny lamb cake disaster.
Find more Easter fun posts here.
I received the most adorable Christmas gift from my adult stepdaughter--these custom socks! I love that she included Benny on the socks too.
This photo isn't perfect quality but I've kept it because I love how in-step the boys are. Ringo loved to follow Benny around. Benny was coming into the home office where I've been working, and of course Ringo had to see where Benny was going. This was in May 2020.
For 19 years, every time we put out the Christmas tree, Benny would run and chew on the (fake) branches. No amount of distraction worked; he HAD to chew on them. Even at age 19 he still ran and chewed on those branches.
I admit I missed that when we set up the tree this year.
These are from 2019. We miss you, Benny boy.
When Benny died, I asked the vet if she could save us a bit of his fur. I never did this with Tucker and I regretted it. Weeks go by, and I never heard from the vet, so I'd assumed she'd forgotten. Imagine my surprise when they called and said they had both fur and paw prints images!
I wanted to do something special with them, but needed inspiration. . . .
Last week, while browsing in my favorite thrift store, I found a clear plastic ornament that had potential. I added glitter, ribbon, and a bow on the outside. On the inside, I added bits of fur and carefully inserted the paw print.
I like how it turned out. It will hang on the tree next to Tucker's special ornament.
 |
| Back |
 |
| Front |
This photo is from October 2019, when Benny was 19 and still looking quite good. He's sitting on a Trader Joe's soft-sided cooler bag. It's a favorite photo of mine. He was almost always in the kitchen or nearby.
We sure miss this sweet boy, but we also know how blessed we were to have him in our lives for so long.
Facebook can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to showing your memories. It recently shared this 2014 photo of Benny.
Benny used to "fold himself up" when napping, and it sure was cute. I can't remember the last time he'd done that. At least a year, maybe more?
There were other things he'd stopped doing as he'd gotten old---he didn't climb the stairs up to the bedroom anymore (probably too painful), he didn't want to sit on laps (same), and he no longer wanted to see what you were eating (he used to try and grab Jim's hand with his paw).
Despite being sad and missing him, I also am content. I have no regrets with anything related to his care. Even the timing of his passing was right. And that is something to celebrate. He lived a long, happy life.
We lost our Tucker in July of 2014. He was a needy boy, and would often watch me eat at the kitchen table. Right after his death, Benny took over that role.
Now that Benny is gone, Lucy has taken over this role. Cats always seem to know what we need.
The time has come for our Benny to end his journey on this earth. A couple of days ago he seemed "quieter" to me, but when I saw he could no longer lift his legs to get into the litter box, we knew it was time.
We had wanted to have an in-home vet come to the house, but sadly the vet I'd called a few weeks ago is unavailable until the 14th. We are NOT waiting that long, so I called our regular vet and she kindly offered to come in tomorrow morning (she works part time).
This is likely the last photo I'll ever take of him. I was sitting next to him last night. I will miss those eyes, pleading for more pets.
We'll sure miss our sweet boy. I'll do a tribute post later.
We are excited to announce that Benny has turned 20! We had cake, ice cream, Temptations treats, and turkey baby food.
Sadie: Don't forget about ME, mom! I turned 12 yesterday.
Of course not. I bought you a catnip banana, just for you.
Sadie: Yeah!
Ringo and Benny cuddling together just warms my heart.
We're crossing our fingers, toes, and paws that he remains stable through the weekend. His official 20th birthday is on Sunday. We plan to buy another cake and celebrate this milestone should it happen. We sure appreciate your love and support of our Benny.
We are closely monitoring Benny, and so far, he remains stable and is eating decently. He's getting TONS of pets, hugs, and kisses.
A year ago, I bought him a heated bed. It's one of the best things I've done, as he's pretty much sat on it since I bought it. I'm glad it can bring him some comfort to his old joints.
For those of you who don't know, you can buy cartons of special milk for cats. It has the lactose removed and some added vitamins/supplements. The brand we buy is Catsip.
So Benny got a cat milk treat as part of his bucket list. He remains stable and is eating decently. I'm happy that he's still eating canned food, so I can add in the phosphorus binder and a little Miralax.
One of Benny's favorite treats is my homemade frosting, so I made him a batch last night.
I have some other bucket list items on the list for him. Plus, of course, as many kisses and pets as he can stand!
I bought a small birthday cake and added candles for Benny's birthday. It's bittersweet because we are pretty sure he won't make it until his actual birthday. But, he had a few licks of frosting and I ate the cake in honor of him.
We love you, sweet guy.
I'm sorry to say that I have sad news. Benny went to the vet for some blood work yesterday, and the news is not good. His kidney values have deceased quite a bit since his last appointment (8 weeks ago) and his SDMA went from 25 to 40. He's also anemic (new) and has a heart issue (something he's had for years).
I told the vet that I won't pursue any more treatments. He's likely had enough and anything we do would only cause stress and anxiety. Even the vet visit from yesterday was hard on him. Sadly, his next appointment will be his last one.
The vet thinks he may have a couple of weeks left. We'll see if he makes it to age 20 (on the 23rd). We would love it if this happened, but we won't force if it's not meant to be.
In the meantime, we'll love him as much as ever. I'm already planning an early birthday party for him within the next few days.
We appreciate any purrs. Though this news isn't unexpected, it's hit me hard. He's such a sweet boy.
