Re: 10/13 Willie PMPS 87, +3~66
Willie is having a lovely evening. A bit of a food protest going, but it is amazing how he accepts the inevitable... when I leave, the "unacceptable" and "despicable" food disappears... and tonight, I had come to bed but was waiting for Willie to come in from his second outdoor trip (the whining was just too much and I relented) so I could close the pet door. He came in, said hi, got a poke and a treat, and assumed that, because I was in bed for the night, he'd better go ahead and eat the food that was out there. I get up and turn on a light as I head to the kitchen, and he suddenly is completely uninterested in his food bowl.... until the lights are off and I'm back in bed. This boy of mine. *shakes head*
Patty and Anne/Liz-- I still remember Sienne's gentle push to get me to shoot low. Those first times, I was just terrified. I never admitted it then, but I would get so worked up on my drive home, convinced I'd come home to something terrible. But each time, I came home to a furry purry boy that was happy to see me. I'd learned how to read his responses to insulin in those early spot checks, I'd learned how Willie typically responds to different levels of carbs in foods under a variety of different circumstances... I had all the tools to keep him safe, and I was using them. We had hit the point where the only way to keep Willie moving forward was to shoot green... to let my fears force me to stall, skip shots, etc. would mean Willie's health taking a step backwards. You can see Willie's spreadsheet is replete with examples...unless his shed is filled to the brim and slightly overflowing, even one missed shot will have him in the pinks within mere hours. and in some cases, can set him off course in a manner that takes a great deal of time to come back from. There are times where that is unavoidable, but others when I just have to put my big girl pants on and go with it.
Ultimately, our vigilance, our sleep deprivation, and our knowledge and behavior that many outside these boards would describe as borderline obsessive.... all of those things are not only about the moments in which we live them, but they are also preparing you for the moments of shooting green confidently knowing you can keep your cat safe.
