Blog - Tuxedo Cat

July 10, 2015

Farewell Beloved Neo

This post is long overdue but I’ve been so overwhelmed with life, work, travel, and sorrow to put to words the loss of my dearly beloved tuxedo cat, Neo who we said good-bye in the beginning of May.

Neo was our first cat together. In 2008, when we lived in NJ, I responded to an email from an animal activist and friend from Philadelphia who was looking for a home for him. Neo did the right thing by following an AR activist home in his West Philly neighborhood!

Neo tested positive for feline leukemia virus (FeLV+) and was given only 6 months to 2 years to live. We took him in thinking that he wouldn’t have very long but we’d give him a good quality of life in his remaining time. Also, many vets and animal shelters euthanize cats upon diagnosis as it is considered “untreatable” and it can be passed onto other cats through sharing water/food dishes, grooming, and exchanging bodily fluids. It cannot be passed onto humans or dogs though. I figured anyone who would have the heart to take in a cat like Neo probably has other cats that don’t have FeLV and cannot take on the risk of exposing them to this virus.
Neo was originally named “Nico” and being fans of The Matrix and realizing his special meaning to us as “the one” – we re-named him Neo. To this day, he remains the only cat we have re-named.

We were like scared, first-time parents when we picked Neo up. He was malodorous from his time on the streets and reeked badly when we brought him home. We did the rare thing for those with cats and bathed him together in our sink to get rid of the stench. From that day forward, he was very clean and had no problems with grooming until his final days.
Neo tolerated the introduction of several other cats into our home in his time with us: Parker (another tuxedo cat who died after only a few weeks with us), Pilgrim (our first cat in Ithaca and Neo’s adored best friend), Gatsby (an orange tabby who died 9 months young), Julia (our torbie who was Neo’s arch enemy – always competing over lap space but in the end helped to groom him when he couldn’t take care of himself), Takei (our cherished grey tabby who died only 4 months before Neo), and Mac (our long-haired orange & white kitty who loved playing with Neo).
Neo was a quiet, dignified cat that only meowed when necessary. He had elegance about him and a deep emotional side that not everyone recognized or understood. He appeared visibly bothered when he witnessed Gatsby’s passing.
When Takei died and we had a “kitty wake” for him so all the cats could understand he was gone, Neo was the only cat that stayed by his body. He sat next to him for hours and even gave his ear a few licks.
When we’d go away for a few days, he seemed upset upon our return and would run around the house frenzied, almost like he was telling us he was unhappy that we had left him for so long.

He was a wonderful and affectionate lap cat who loved to be under the covers at night cuddled in bed with me. Even though he was great at letting us clip his nails, he had a distinctive walk you could hear from the next room: a click and clack of his nails on the hardwood floors as he came closer.

When he felt warm and trusting, he would roll over and show his white belly and would lick my forehead and face. He also had an almost inaudible purr, thus earning him the nickname “soft purr” in our home. You would have to press your head against his body to hear its endearing charm.
For most of his life, Neo was relatively healthy despite his FeLV status. He had to have some teeth removed at one point and the year before he died he had to have a splenectomy due to a cancerous tumor they found on his spleen. He really perked up after that up until he developed another cancerous lymphoma. His appetite kept decreasing and the vet found a large, walnut sized tumor on his stomach and pancreas that could be seen protruding from his belly if you looked closely. We started chemotherapy for him, like we had with Pilgrim and Takei previously, and he was unresponsive to treatment from the beginning. He continued to decline in health, appetite, and weight and in his last few days, even stopped grooming himself. For the first time, I syringe fed a cat, hoping to help his weight and survival, but nothing worked. He began hiding under the bed and wouldn’t eat or drink. He couldn’t even make it to the litter box and become incontinent, which we knew was a bad sign. In his last evening with us, I slept on a sleeping bag on the floor next to the bed so I could see him, reach out to him, and let him know he wasn’t alone.

We made the painful decision to euthanize him on May 7th, 2015. Luckily it was much less traumatic of an experience than Takei’s recent euthanasia on my birthday in January. Neo didn’t have the energy to fight us as we took him to the vet and I held him and kissed him right before and after the vet gave him the shots that would end his life and put him to rest. He was an angel and a gentle cat until the very last minute.
There are not enough words to put into writing what Neo has meant to me over the past 7 years with us. He outlived his life expectancy filling our home and souls with love and enduring friendship. He has been my best friend, my affectionate “cat-husband,” my comfort, and my inspiration. If it wasn’t for Neo, we would not have decided to rescue other FeLV+ cats, thus giving them a chance at life, companionship, and forever homes when so few would. He essentially helped to save so many, even if he didn’t realize it. He was part of the namesake and vision for Tuxedo Cat Bed and Breakfast. Neo was everything to me and is sorely missed. He will forever remain “the one.”

January 31, 2015

Goodbye Takei

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On Tuesday, January 27, 2015 our sweet Takei lost his fight against cancer.

After a failed and traumatizing attempt to feed him his daily dose of chemotherapy on Monday, his decline accelerated. His breathing, ever more labored, showed us he was truly suffering. By Tuesday he had also begun expressing his pain with despondent meows. It was obvious he wouldn’t survive. That evening we made the difficult decision to euthanize him.

Like most cats infected with feline leukemia, his life was short. But we nearly didn’t adopt him at all (we were already caring for three cats), which would have almost assuredly resulted in his destruction at the shelter. And for a cat with the disease, his three and a half years with us is on the upper end of most expected FeLV+ life spans. So while we mourn his loss, we’re also thankful to have had the time with him that we did.

All cats—all animals—have personalities, but in our house Takei’s was particularly outsized. The playfulness you see from his kitten years stayed with him up until the last week of his life.

Of the seven cats we’ve cared for over the years he’s one of only two who have enjoyed playing fetch (the other was Gatsby).

For two years Takei was easily the most energetic cat we had. None of the other cats could really keep up with him and we felt bad that he didn’t have a proper playmate. That changed in the summer of 2013 when we adopted Mac. Takei finally had a buddy who could play as hard as he did and they became inseparable friends.

Takei was exceptionally vocal in our household. Like many cats he meowed proudly before delivering us a toy he had “caught”. He was a persistent nighttime howler. He had favorite toys and would cry for help if they were out of reach.

Cats are known for hiding their illnesses until the bitter end, but even so Takei was remarkably resilient. Towards his last days he was still precariously balancing himself on handrails. While Takei’s appetite was weakened it was notably stronger than Pilgrim’s when he was undergoing chemotherapy (Pilgrim ultimately needed an appetite stimulant). He had stopped being particularly playful in his last week but still maintained his lifelong feeding time aggression, biting and swatting at Julia as we prepared food for them.

It hasn’t been easy saying goodbye, but he was an amazing cat whose presence around the house will never be forgotten.

January 25, 2015

Takei Has Cancer

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Prologue

September 14, 2014: We’re walking around Fall Creek enjoying PorchFest, eventually stopping to watch and listen to popular local group The Gunpoets along with what seems like most of the PorchFest attendees. At their performance we run into Dr. Rassnick, the Colonial Veterinary Hospital oncologist that took care of Pilgrim when he was dealing with lymphoma. We make some small talk and as we leave each other, Dr. Rassnick gives us a standard friendly farewell: “Hope to see you soon!” We can’t help but let him know that we can’t exactly share the sentiment.

Today

I should’ve written this a while ago, but it’s enough work just dealing with the situation.

On Sunday November 9, 2014 we noticed Takei was having difficulty breathing. We had been through something similar with Pilgrim when his shallow breathing was symptomatic of a mass in his chest. It was unfortunately not a surprise then, when the doctor informed us Takei had a mass in his chest. Like Pilgrim, fluid build-up from the tumor was making it difficult for him to breathe. Also like Pilgrim, the immediate course of action was to drain as much fluid as they could, keep him in an oxygen tank overnight for observation, and make plans to see Dr. Rassnick.

For a couple months the prognosis was as positive as Pilgrim’s: the mass was shrinking, Takei was moderately active and playful, and his appetite was fairly strong. The worst part of the treatment, I frequently joked, was the damage being done to our bank accounts.

Unfortunately the good news ended when Amber took Takei for his regular treatment this week. Takei’s tumor has gotten larger, which basically means the chemo is no longer effective. He’s down to a 1 in 10 chance of survival.

Text message delivering the bad news about Takei — Worst text message ever

For now we’re continuing his long-shot treatment, but we are of course realistic and pragmatic. He isn’t likely to be with us much longer, so we’re taking every opportunity we have to spend time with him and make sure he’s comfortable. And while right now he’s weak and lethargic, every time I look at him I still remember the energetic, fetch-playing, perpetually baby-faced cat we’ve been lucky to have with us for over 3 years.

January 12, 2015

Yeast-Raised Doughnuts

duc Desserts, Recipes doughnuts

This is a guest blog post by Mr. Tuxedo Cat

I love doughnuts. One of the great joys of my childhood was helping my mom pick out the dozen rings of fried goodness we were going to bring home to the family from Dunkin’ Donuts. In time I came to learn the pleasures of even higher quality, more artisanal doughnuts, including vegan ones at Voodoo, Pepples and Dun-Well (sorry Vegan Treats, Babycakes, Sweet Freedom and other purveyors of baked doughnuts; your stuff is generally great but a doughnut is meant to be fried).

Unfortunately, Ithaca, New York isn’t home to any vegan doughnut shops or even a Whole Foods (which actually makes pretty good ones). We were on our own. And while frying can be quite the hassle, my love for this toroidal confection made it worth the effort. For years I tried various recipes: the vegan yeast-raised in Lara Ferroni’s excellent book, vegan crullers and other doughnut varieties from bloggers all over the internet, and the chocolate-filled beignets from the outstanding Vedge cookbook.

Fried dough is always good, but none of these recipes produced the moist, chewy texture that a true doughnut should have. That all changed when my brother and sister-in-law, residents of Georgia and huge fans of Atlanta’s Sublime Doughnuts, gifted me a signed copy of Sublime owner Kamal Grant’s new book. Aside from some of the glazes, there isn’t anything vegan in this book. But for once I took a chance and tried to veganize a recipe on my own. Here’s the result:

Recipe

Adapted from Homemade Doughnuts: Techniques and Recipes for Making Sublime Doughnuts in Your Home Kitchen by Kamal Grant

Tools

Kitchen scale (more on this below)
Stand mixer (you can try to mix by hand, but it’s hard work)
For traditional doughnut shapes, 3-inch and 1-inch cutters (I have this but you can use a cup or anything else that’s round)
Something to roll on, like a non-stick rolling mat or a floured cloth
Rolling pin
Heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) or deep fryer
Fry thermometer if you’re frying in a pot

Ingredients

Everything here is measured by weight (mass, actually, but let’s not get pedantic). This is mostly because that’s how the original recipe was presented, but also because baking by weight produces much more consistent results. You don’t have to worry about how tightly you’re packing the flour or bother with different measuring cups and spoons. For stuff that gets mixed together you can just stick a bowl on the scale and re-tare it for each ingredient. Digital kitchen scales are not expensive and you’ll get a lot of use out of one.

818 g all-purpose flour
112 g sugar
7 g baking powder
14 g salt
42 g instant yeast
454 g non-dairy milk (I’ve used a blend of almond milk and coconut milk to best approximate the fattiness of whole milk)
84 g coconut oil or non-dairy butter
2 eggs’ worth of egg replacer (I used Ener-G)
Canola or peanut oil for frying (enough to fill your pot about 2 inches)
A glaze (here’s a basic one, but you can find all kinds like strawberry, chocolate, maple, etc.; the book this recipe is adapted from has a ton of delicious glazes)

Instructions

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl
Measure the wet ingredients into a stand mixer bowl
Dump the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients
With the paddle attachment, run the mixer at low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated (roughly a minute)
Using the dough hook, run the mixer at medium speed until the gluten in the dough is well-developed (about 10-12 minutes). Perform the windowpane test to determine whether you’ve achieved full gluten development.
Ball up the dough and leave it alone for 5 minutes on a floured surface
Roll out the dough to about 2 cm (0.75″) thickness. Let the dough sit another 5 minutes
Use cutters or tear off pieces of dough to shape as you please (round doughnut holes, twists, etc.). Place each doughnut on a floured cookie sheet or baking mat
Wait for your doughnuts to proof.There are a number of techniques for doing this, but the bottom line is they should be hanging out in a warm and moist environment. On a hot and humid summer day I don’t have to do anything special: they’ll proof in several minutes just sitting out. Otherwise I like to very briefly heat up the oven (so it hits about 90º F) and shut it off, fill a shallow baking dish with boiling water and stick that in the oven along with whatever I’m proofing. You end up with a warm box with a lot of moisture.You use the finger dent test to determine when the doughnuts have proofed. Basically, if the dough springs back immediately when you poke it, it’s not ready. If it recovers its shape slowly, it’s proofed. And apparently if it stays indented, you’ve allowed it to overproof. I believe you can pound the dough down and re-roll it if this happens, but I gotta be honest: it’s never happened to me.
While you’re proofing, heat the oil up to 370º F
Once your doughnuts are proofed and the oil is hot, place 2 or 3 doughnuts (depending on the size of your pot) into the oil at a time. I use a metal spatula to gently scrape it up and into the pot, but I still don’t have this down perfectly and thus end up deforming the doughnut. Thankfully the imperfections aren’t noticeable once the doughnut is fried. Let them fry for about 90 seconds and then flip and allow 90 seconds on the other side.Pay close attention to the oil temperature! When you drop the dough in, the oil temperature will drop significantly. I crank the burner on high to compensate. But you don’t want the oil too hot either or they’ll brown too fast on the outside.
When the doughnuts are golden brown, pull them out of the oil and place them on a cooling rack. I like to line the rack with a paper towel to help absorb some of the oil.
Yeah, I taste tested early
After the doughnuts have cooled for a couple minutes, dip ’em in the glaze
Serve as quickly as possible. They’re OK within 12 hours or so, but you can’t beat a fresh doughnut

That last point is something I’ll continue to work on as I tweak this recipe. Lecithin is supposed to help lock in moisture, which helps the doughnut survive longer. I want to play around with adding some of that to the dough. You should also let the doughnuts sit out uncovered, as they do in doughnut shops, especially if they’re still warm. Otherwise they’ll steam up a closed container and get soggy.

I also want to try my hand at cake doughnuts, often referred to as “old-fashioned”. A lot of people seem to think that cake doughnuts are baked, but they’re not. Like any real doughnut they are fried, but the batter is just of a more cake-like consistency. I’ve always preferred the yeast-raised doughnut, but variety is the spice of life. There’s always room in my stomach for a good cinnamon sugar cake doughnut.

There you have it. Let us know how well this recipe works out for you and please share the effect of any tweaks you make.

March 23, 2014

Go Green or Go Home! St. Patrick’s Day 2014

Tuxedo Cat Desserts, Dinner, Holiday Foods Bailey's Irish cream, Brooklyn Farmhouse, carrots, colcannon, Crooked Carrot, FatFree Vegan Kitchen, Gardein, Irish, Oh She Glows, potatoes, romanesco cauliflower, Soylent Green, St. Patrick's Day

“There are only two kinds of people in the world. The Irish and those who wish they were.”
– Irish Saying

While I know that St. Patrick’s Day is a mostly Irish-American phenomenon, it was something I’ve enjoyed celebrating in a very green way from my childhood until now. When I was in grade school, my mom would temporarily dye my hair bright green with food coloring and send me to class decked out in all green clothes as well. My teachers got a kick out of this and would show me around to different classrooms so everyone else could see my green garb from head to toe. This all stopped one year when it took 3 weeks for the green to wash out of my very platinum blonde hair! Yikes.

Nowadays, I’m lucky if I remember to wear any green on St. Paddy’s Day, but I definitely get my green food and viewing on! This year we dined on colcannon patties, Gardein Turk’y Cutlets with gravy, roasted romanesco cauliflower via Brooklyn Farmhouse, Crooked Carrot’s spicy escabeche, and veganized Bailey’s Irish Cream from Oh She Glows!
I think the colcannon patties were the big hit with Mr. Tuxedo Cat. I used this recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen for colcannon puffs and flattened and fried them on my cast iron skillet to save time. This was a great way to get a lot of kale and potatoes into our meal in a fun medium.

I was delighted to find the romanesco cauliflower at our local co-op, which is a green colored veggie that looks like little Christmas trees. Perfect for our green-themed dinner!
While pickled carrots are probably not the most traditional Irish meal, I found it made a great addition to the flavor profile for the evening.

As a big fan of Gardein’s products, I was glad that I had some Turk’y Cutlets with gravy leftover in the freezer from a big sale I was lucky to hit around Christmas time. These went perfect with everything else.
A couple of years ago a friend made a vegan Irish Cream for us, but I’m not sure what recipe was used. A quick search online landed me the easy-to-make and very delicious recipe from Oh She Glows. I don’t even like coffee or whiskey, but this hit the spot and was like a divine dessert after supper.
We ended the night with a viewing of the campy Soylent Green: The miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world! It doesn’t get more green than that.

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