...OF THE WEEK

FREAK ...

One of my cats is going bald. He is pulling his fur out HIMSELF, biting it off in big chunks - proving that he really is as stupid as he looks. Then he spends the night hacking up the fur in what appear to be slimy fur turds that keep my husband and I on full alert, lest he gets any on us while we're sleeping.

Right now he's just naked of fur from the waist down. But I'm imagining he'll look a little like the famous naked mole rat, pictured here, that made the news recently for its ability not to feel pain.

I called the vet, and he wants us to give our cat steroid injections - supposedly to treat an allergy that makes him want to bite his own fur off. But I wonder if the treatment will just make him appear freakier - a hairless cat with an enormous neck who gets irrationally angry and can't get it up. Plus, he will never be able to play professional sports again.

Outside of being seemingly repulsed by his own fur, he seems to be fine, however. He plays and purrs and is generally the same pain in the ass he's always been. He's just a little colder.

In the meantime, the other cats, and my husband and I, can't stop making fun of this poor, balding animal. He's black (or was black before he pulled his fur out) so we've nicknamed him SHAFT for the bald black bad-ass on TV. Our friends come over to point and laugh, since even a balding cat seems more interesting than this year's Super Bowl game.

If it continues, we may even have to start buying him sweaters to wear - breaking our rule about dressing up animals.

CONVERSATION ...

Me: I really wish my friend Annette could afford to come visit. I miss her, and we always have so much fun.

Husband: Well, I'll pay for her to fly over, if both of you will do me.

Me: Wow, honey. You are one generous man.

Husband: Hell, I'll even do it if you guys just do each other and let me take pictures.

Me: How did I get so lucky to have a husband who cares so much about my friends?

Husband: I don't know, but you should worship me accordingly.

BLOGGY ...

A big thanks to Veronica over at Sleepless Nights for awarding me with my first ever blog award - the Make My Day award pictured here.

I'm new to this whole award thing, but am told that proper blogging etiquette means I have to pass it on. So I would like to give it to my friend Joe at Hey Joe, and to Miss J over at Dead Girls Don't Dance.

Joe gets it just because these kind of things annoy him, and Joe is fun to annoy. I can also trust him to tell me when my blog sucks - which is a good trait to have in a friend. So this flowery, Make My Day award is for you, dickface. No need to thank me, really.

Miss J gets it because she always make me feel good about myself, and I also think that she is a kick-ass blogger but just needs to drag her significant other away from the computer so she can post more. So I'm hoping this will serve as encouragement to her, because I like her rants, and want to see more of them.

Also, while we are on the subject of blogging, I have recently changed the way I do my blogroll. It was getting so long and unmanageable, I just felt it was too overwhelming for a reader to use to find other blogs. I won't bore you with the details, but if you give a shit, you can learn more about what I did by clicking here, or on "Looking for a good time?" on the left.

SHOE ...

Are you as ready for Spring as I am? If so, then it is time to put all those brown and black winter shoes and boots away and get some new, fun Spring shoes to put some spring in your step.

Yellow is the new color this season - used to pop neutrals or to wear with other bright primary colors to add some fun and sun. You'll see a lot of yellow shoes this spring, but none which have quite as much personality as this fun pump called Chip by Betsy Johnson. Johnson is known for her whimsical style, and these polka-dot beauties are just that.

At $189 they are a bit pricey. But they are also truly unique and stylish as you won't see any other designer doing something quite like this. And if you use coupon code SHOES201 by the end of February, you'll get more than $25 off. Check them out at shoes.com.

Also, a little insider tip for your thrifty shoe buyers out there - Steve Madden has a lot of fantastic shoes on clearance right now - marked down an additional 30 percent from already discounted prices, and still available in quite a few sizes. If you are looking for a shoe fix, but don't have a lot of money to feed your addiction, check his clearance selection out here.

Comments

[Veronica]

You deserved the award! And I love your reasonings for passing it on.

Now as for the cat, could you just shave him? Then you would have a naked cold cat, but there would be no more slimy hairball puke. Good trade off I think.

[Miss J]

Thank you, I think. SUCKING UP?!? Yecchh! I certainly don't mean to come across that way, but you really do make me laugh.

In other news, I too have a crazy cat who keeps ripping out all the fur she can reach. Her tail, hind legs and her poor little butt are almost completely bald, and she looks awful. I've started hosing her down with anti-itch spray on a daily basis. I'll let you know if it works.

[tigerlilly]

Hye Cookie! We had a cat a few years ago that did the exact same thing--it was hideous, and she was miserable. Totally nude from the waist down. She was a cross between Mr Bigglesworth on Austin Powers and the fussy thing on the Fancy Feast commercials. lol
It was an allergy of some sort, and she basically pulled her fur out to get to the itch, complete with slimy hairball puke--so nice to step in in the middle of the night on your way to the toilet!
The steroids cleared it right up, as long as they were in use.

Congrats on your award, and I think it's great that you pass it on. Some of my favourite blogs were found via yours.

[HeyJoe]

You suck

[Marie]

I thought Steve Madden was a football guy?

[lceel]

I like the way the husband thinks. Man after my own heart. (*at this point, respondent does passable Tim Allen imitation*) aarrr, aarrr, aaarrr

[Buzzardbilly]

I agree with Miss J. It's really common for older kitties to develop allergies. Our old cat also had the nekkid from the stomach back look. But, her hair never really grew back with the meds. She did stop itching and pulling and hacking up the gift of slime though and that's worth it.

Catnip will help her get over becoming ineligible for pro sports. ;)

[Buzzardbilly]

Oh, and congratulations!

[moooooog35]

Repulsion to my own fur is why I shaved my balls.

That, and it was required for my vasectomy...

...so I'm guessing the doctor was more repulsed than me.

[Law School Hot Mama]

My sort of friend's cat did that as well and needed Prozac. I think the cat went crazy from having to live with him . . . .

[zoe]

bald cats are just not so snuggly. we had a cat that did that once...steroids helped but made her bitchy. love those shoes and your hubby is a perv.

[loulou]

after we moved house my collie chewed bald patches. It broke my heart. I was told it was stress due to the move and advised to rub vicks vapour rub on her fur t stop her shewing. It worked, it's all grown back!

[Daisy]

This is why I don't have cats, or, a husband.

[Jess]

I got this pair of $80 Steve Madden shoes http://www.stevemadden.com/DENISSE-BRIGHT-MULTI for $30 including shipping and I love them!

[Citronella]

I've just received the pair of red shoes I had been dreaming of for a while and wouldn't have found if you hadn't attracted my attention to Steve Madden sales. They are delicious (and very comfortable). So I thought I'd stop by and say thanks!