Pets

Today, Bodie turns a whopping 14 years old. We took him into our home in January 2023 from Taylor’s parents, and these two years have been filled with nothing but love, paw prints on my face at 3 a.m., and many servings of sous-vide fine meats. Today, he’s getting steak tips.

First off, he’s doing great considering his hyperthyroidism. He was diagnosed about two years ago, and typically cats have a life expectancy of 1–3 years after diagnosis. But as you can see from the photos, he’s looking mighty healthy. Just like in everything else he does, I know he’ll far outlive expectations.

These days, he has many hobbies:

• Going outside. He’s loving the California sun — and the blessed lack of mosquitoes. He enjoys it so much that he tries to sneak out now. He succeeded once, and the taste of freedom hooked him. He loves rummaging through bushes, rolling in the dirt, and getting pets from everyone in the neighborhood.
• Sous-vide or pressure-cooked chicken and beef. With hyperthyroidism, he needs an ample supply of food. Cats can’t have seasoning or oils, and while they can eat raw meat, we prefer cooking it to reduce the risk of bacteria in store-bought cuts. That rules out the skillet (too sticky), and while boiling works, would you eat boiled meat? If he’s not getting wet food, he needs all the moisture he can get from what he eats. So now I sous-vide the meats, or Taylor pressure-cooks them.
• ** Heating pads.** It gets cold here at night, so we set out a heating blanket for him on low with a timer. Or he’ll just sleep on one of us — whichever’s closer.
• Cat wheel. We got it for Mallory to exercise on, but neither of them really used it for that. Bodie does love kneading it, though!
• Obsessing over shoes. I’d rather not get into this one...
• Screaming in the middle of the night. He doesn’t want to come to you — he wants you to come to him. Whether he’s bored, hungry, or lonely, you can count on a raspy meow echoing through the darkness.

Bodie scream

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All in all, he lives a good life, despite the odds. He has arthritis in his paws, so he buckles every now and then. He sits and watches the world with calm detachment, occasionally blessing it with a slow blink. He’s taught me the virtues of patience, the joy of companionship, and the beauty of routines that don’t need any words.

I look forward to many more moments curled up in sunlight, many more screams at the bottom of the stairs for food, and — hopefully — no more surprise escapes.

Happy 14th Birthday, Bodie. 🍊