Pay it forward

Sigh. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow. I feel like I'm not gonna get any real answers, so I suppose I'm just calling because I don't know what else to do with Peter. We have changed his food a few times now, and things haven't gotten better. He just had a bout of diarrhea and puking, poor kitty. This has nothing to do with the recall, by the way... He's been on dry food pretty much for the last couple of months, and he's eating prescription food, which is unaffected. The last time I went to the vet to buy him more dry food, I picked up 6 cans of the Science Diet prescription w/d wet food. Peter LOVES wet food and really misses not having it, but I swear, it goes right through him!

He looks so skinny it makes me sad. I leave him dry food 24/7, and he eats just enough to sustain himself. My friend Alex stopped by the other day, and agreed that he looks pretty skinny. It breaks my heart. He and Elvis were always a bit on the "round" side, so seeing Peter not look the same kills me.

I met my hairdresser's cat today, 'cause I went to her house for a trim. More on that in a minute. Her cat is a gorgeous black and white boy... named "Boy"... LOL He's very affectionate and talkative. I just loved him. And I could tell he liked me too, since he showed me by head-butting my face and caressing me with his tail. :o) But I was truly stunned when I learned his age: 14! This cat does not look 14! He was the picture of health! Super-soft coat, bright eyes, healthy weight. I became a little sad that Peter isn't that weight anymore, and it frustrates me that my vet hasn't found an answer as to why he's having issues with food and his insides. When he uses his litter box, I swear it smells like he's decaying on the inside! I would love to get another opinion and maybe find out once and for all what's going on with him, but there's no money to do that.

Back to my hairdresser. The last time I went to the salon for a trim (January), she and I were chatting, and I mentioned that I still hadn't gotten a job. She whispered to me that she could cut my hair in her house for a flat $60, no tip, and that she was only extending that offer to me, since we know each other so long. My hair has gotten mighty out of shape, and I really feel that I need to look my best when I'm trying to get a job, so I'm trying to keep these things up. So she and I arranged for me to go to her house in Brooklyn today, and I silently figured $60 was worth spending, since a trim from her usually lasts me two months, maybe a little more.

She moved to the Park Slope area of Brooklyn in the fall, and I can see why she's happy where she is now. She's a half a block away from the subway, and it's about 25 minutes to Soho, to the salon where she works. She's got everything she needs within footsteps of her apartment, and I began to miss "borough living." :o) But I still don't miss the rents. She pays a lot more than I do a month. You pay for conveniences. But her apartment is lovely, and perfect for one person. It gets a lot of light and has nice things like an exposed brick wall (in the bedroom) and hardwood floors.

We chatted about things as she worked her magic, and although we both shared astonishment that I can't seem to get hired anywhere, we agreed that things must (and will) turn around. I told her about my blessed friends and family and how much they've helped, and that's when she told me she was trimming my hair for free (!!!)... She believes in "paying it forward," where you repay the good deeds you have received by doing good things for other, unrelated people.

Sigh. I hope to be able to "pay it forward" too... soon.