October 17, 2005

• Wow, best of luck with that Koko. Not an easy combination by any means. I had to administer oral medication to one of my cats for about a year. Eventually he learned to "tolerate" the daily ritual [and I do use the word tolerate loosely], although it never failed to put him in a pissy mood afterwards. I employed big thick leather work gloves initially (not only to protect my hands/arms from the flying claws, but the bulky leather also kept me from overhandling him). Eventually, he stopped fighting so fiercely and I was able to "take off the gloves" and perform the deed by myself (starting out required a minimum of two people). He always did his best to avoid me when that time was near however!
• So far the sub-Q (using the vet jargon now) has been a 3-person operation; one to hold, one to inject, and one to soothe. But that requires my mother-in-law to come over every night, which isn't exactly convenient for her.
• Sorry to hear about your mog, sweety.
• Our vet comes to the house, so doesn't have the benefit of a lot of equipment and/or staff that she might have if she were in the office. She tried using something like the Cat Sack on one of our cats once when she needed a blood sample. It just freaked him out, and made him less cooperative. Not sure if that is a common experience, but he is normally the most cooperative cat of the bunch. I can definitely sympathize with what you are going through. Our house is something of a cat's old folk's home. One cat needs insulin injections twice a day; one insulin injections, pills for a thyroid tumor, and liquid for high blood pressure (each twice a day); and one liquid phenobarbitol twice a day, and steroid pills every other day for an inoperable brain tumor. The first 2 cats are absolutely no problem. The third went through a faze of avoiding us when it was time for medication, but now has settled down. The worst part is that the phenobarbitol only comes in cherry flavor, and the cat hates it. The cherry flavoring makes me think there must be a market for low dose phenobarbitol for children, which just seems wrong in my book. But what do I know. Anyway, good luck with it. Hopefully it will get better with time.
• I have a Siamese with a few health problems. I give him 2 or 3 pills with every meal. This was a huge problem for both of us at first (one infected cat bite on my finger), but he got more used to it and I got better. I hold his front paws with one hand and then open his jaws with the same hand I'm holding the pills (practice makes perfect). After shoving the pills in I clamp his jaw shut till he swollows. I've also starting giving him lactated ringers at home. Those are basically saline under the skin and involve sticking a needle in and waiting for 200ml to go in. This was almost impossible to do at first needing one or two people to hold him down, then I got one of those cat bags linked to above and I can adminstrate lactated ringers all alone. Best $30 I ever spent!
• My 16-year old cat has arms of steel wire. She can slip them out of a towel and I swear she's stronger than we are. The absolute only way our vet can do anything with her is for me to hold her on my shoulder. The vet finally decided it's just easier to inject her while she's up there, surveying the world from her position of power. Maybe there's a position you usually hold her when you're petting her, or a room she feels safer in, a piece of furniture or a blanket she loves, etc. One of our cats with Cerebellar Hypoplasia loves a sack we've made for her to ride around in, but a couple of the others would kill us if we tried it. We sort of have a cat rescue/old folks home thing going on ourselves, and what works with one absolutely doesn't always work with another. Major bananas to all of you who do these things for your kitties when so many people would give up. The main thing is, Koko, that you'll find the magic combination that works. And good on you for taking such good care of her.
• I guess you're not allowed to put the antacid in milk or whatever your kitty drinks? I don't know how you go about getting her to open her mouth, but I used to do it by putting a finger and thumb in the back corners of my cat's mouth, behind the back teeth, which got her to open wide to try and eject the fingers. That way you can use your weight to keep her semi-still and have a hand free for the injection. Are you injecting the saline into her scruff? That should be all but painless because they're accustomed to being picked up by that skin. If it's just the stress of the whole situation, then I can't think of much else to do except what you're already doing. Find a time of day when she's fed and mellow, so she's not automatically wired up before you even start. Wear her out with lots of playing. Spoil the crap out of her. I guess, like smt's cat, she'll get used to it eventually. That's no fun for any of you, though, and I imagine a lot of people would have chosen to get rid of their cat rather than go through all this, so I think you're awesome.
• Finding a position she's comfortable in for the injection (without the stress of restraining her) would be ideal, but I'm certain she wouldn't sit still long enough for the full 50 cc's. There's a length of tubing from the syringe to the needle to allow for some movement, but not for her to get up and walk away. It's not so much the initial needle prick, but sitting still while the fluid goes in. The antacid is too strong-tasting to go into food. I've tried the thumb-and-forefinger at the corners, but she clamps her mouth tight and gets "the fear". Ultimately, we'd like to get her to the point where she's administering these medications on her own, so that our tv-watching isn't interrupted. Is there some sort of pamphlet we could give her?
• I once had a cat that required a pill a day. We always administered the pill while sitting on the same chair, in the same place in the house, at the same time every day. Every time the cat swallowed the pill, he got fed his daily dinner - immediately. If the pill didn't go down the hatch for some reason, no dinner was offered. After not very long really, this particular cat began to appear on the pill feeding chair every day around dinner time. And he became pretty good about taking the pill.
• Koko, does your kitty have kidney failure? That's what it sounds like. My boy, Tenzin, died last fall after struggling with the disease. We caught it too late to really be able to help him. Sounds like you guys have caught it early--which is very good. If he has CRF, there's a great Yahoo Group you should join: Feline-CRF-Support. There are some very caring and knowledgeable people in that group. As for giving the medicine, we found that the towel and other attempts at kitty bondage just freaked him out even more. We would just hold him and pet him and talk soothingly and then gently-but-firmly force his mouth open and squirt the medicine in. Aim for the back of the throat. Get a pill shooter for any pills. I know it's upsetting to see your cat so upset, but she will get over it, and she will feel a great deal better for it. Oh--we used to put Tenzin in a cat carrier to give him his sub-q. Helped keep the needle in. You may want to consider a larger gauge needle. They call them kitty harpoons, and I'm sure they are not as comfy as the smaller ones, but the fluid will go in more quickly.
• Yes, it's kidney failure, but there's something else too that's causing chronic vomiting (hence the antacid), and they haven't quite figured out what it is. We're waiting to hear the results from a blood test on her pancreas. They also haven't completely ruled out cancer, because her calcium levels are high (though they've fallen since we first brought her in), although the ultrasound showed no masses.
• The vomitnig could be CRF related? CRF screws up everything. I had to give Tenzin an antacid because the disease gave him ulcers. Definitely check out the CRF group. There are hundreds of members and many of them are very well-informed--they knew more about the symptoms and latest treatments than my vet did.
• Pegs on the scruff. Seriously. I know one cat breeder (we have Abbeys) and she uses some ordinary clothes pages, a couple at a time, on the scruff of the neck. The cats just go limp like they've become kittens again and mum's holding them. Vets have endorsed this to me, so I know it's not just a crazy cat lady thing.
• sorry to hear it Koko. Cats. S'posed to be so good for ya.
• Koko, make sure you are calm when approaching the kitty. Cat's are very good at telling when you are 'up to something' and will get very defensive and freak out. If you play with her and pet her for a while and help her stay calm, it might be easier to slowly introduce the implements of torture during each session. Keep a routine. Do it at the same time everyday, in the same place, and with the same procedure. Eventually she will get used to it, and if everything stays within the routine, it will be easier for her to stay calm. Good luck. Sounds like your kitty is lucky to have such caring humans.
• apis mellifera: What does CRF stand for? rodgerd: Hey, thanks for the tip, I'll try that. Lucky for us, even after we struggle with her, she doesn't run away, and recovers quickly. She's a very easygoing cat, unless you need to give her medicine.
• kitty harpoons *shudders* Seems like your cat is in good hands Koko. Here's to her health!
• worldwidewoogie at 07:44PM UTC:
  The cherry flavoring makes me think there must be a market for low dose phenobarbitol for children, which just seems wrong in my book.
  
  Epilepsy is not particularly uncommon in children, and although there are other less "hardcore" drugs for it now, they're hit-and-miss in terms of effectiveness... so barbiturates are still used in many cases.
• Sorry to hear about your cat's health troubles, Koko. Mine are all in good health now *fingers crossed* but I've been through regular meds with other animals and it's generally trial and error until you find the right trick for your situation/cat/medication. Good luck with trying all the suggestions out!
• 1. lure cat with food to boxl. 2. Put in box with soft cloth for comfort. 3. Drive out to neaby woods. 4. Open door and take box outside. 5. Dump cat and toss empty box. 6. Drive away.
• Troll, begone.
• 1. lure cat with food to boxl. 2. Put in box with soft cloth for comfort. 3. Drive out to neaby woods. 4. Open door and take box outside. 5. Dump cat and toss empty box. 6. Drive away. Since your profile says "Nice guy," I'm assuming that you are attempting to be funny. 1. Turn off computer. 2. Drop in cardboard boxl. 3. Place under car. 4. Drive over box. 5. Get a life.
• crf= chronic renal failure
• I am so sorry. I lost my Ypres last year to renal failure. We did needle hydration for about 6 months before I lost her. But I learned a few tricks. First, get the bag up as high as you can. I used to do Yp on the bathroom floor with the bag at least three feet above-gravity makes the saline go in faster. Make sure the release switch thing is real close to the needle so you don't have to reach up for it. Then I put her back feet on the ground and rested her front paws on my knee so she was elevated. I grabbed the skin between her shoulder blades and slipped the needle in the triangle pouch. Always put the needle in upside down (pointy side below)-right side up tears the skin. I never used a towel. I always put something under her back feet so they didn't slide. Also, the saline itself is cold so after you give her fluids, heat up some clean towels in the dryer and let her nest in them. As far as pilling goes, I sit on the cat, crane its head back and just push the pill in. Do this as fast as you can. Learning how to needle hydrate was one of the hardest things I have ever done. You're great to try it. Just stay calm. If you make a mistake or she gets frightened, wait a while then try again. They get used to it. Oh and don't do it drunk. Much harder.
• Um...this may be totally out there, but for the injection you could try the 'cat in a boot' trick. I've never actually tried this, but apparently when farm folk used to castrate barn cats when there were getting to be too many the method was to put kitty headfirst into a boot. (The wearing kind, not the ones on cars) That means they have to use their front legs to balance on, and you'll only need to deal with the back ones. Giving kitty a shot in the ass should be a little easier, though I wonder how one would get kitty headfirst into a boot to start with. The idea of keeping the front legs out of the equation is a good one though, so maybe you could find an alternative way to get this effect.
• This looks very useful.
• As does this. I like the scruff-grabbing and stretching, but it looks like it takes some practice and Kevlar hands and forearms.
• Ypres was mean as a snake and we used to truss her up in a bondage bag (with muzzle) to draw blood when she went to the vet. One day I decided to weigh her like that in the vet waiting room- gasps all around. Also, hydrating cat in the ass is not so good but the boot thing is fascinating.
• The ass injections are generally intra-muscular, while those in the scruff are subcutaneous. You probably don't want to put saline into the muscle - it'll leach into the blood stream at the right rate under the skin. (My asmatic cat gets shots in different locations, depending on how quickly they need to be absorbed.
• Is there an ass spot with looser skin you could do subcutaneous injections in? Maybe you could reach underneath for some loose gut skin...both my kitties have the post-spay girl gut.
• Nooo, ass hydration bad. Belly drag hydration bad. Much attacking and getting to make the pain for the owner with those methods. Needle in scruffy place better, less pain, natural predetermination toward accepting pain there due to abuse from mother cat. Talking like monkey. Not sure why.
• Thanks for the links. I think we've decided to get the cat sack. The only problem there will be accessing the scruff, but the vet assistant said we could do it on her side too. I also have to say that getting pet insurance was the smartest thing we ever did. The vet bill so far has been $2100, but we'll only have to pay a few hundred of that.
• Lordy. Our cat was diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago and we've been giving her twice daily insulin injections, but after reading this it seems we have it easy. The scruff of the neck appears to have almost no nerves in it at all, plus she has taken to coming to get us when it's time to give her an injection because we feed her along with it.
• Poor the koko's kitty! For what it's worth, whenever I have to wrangle one of my cats, once I've attacked from above (using height advatage), I gently pin them to the ground then kneel astride them - with a bit of practice, you can pin the cat in position with your legs, which frees up at least one hand and keeps the paws and claws against the floor. This is what I do when administering flea lotion / changing collars etc. It might help the two of you get the medicine down her - one does the old 'thigh grip', the other wrestles with the jaws... Good luck, chuck!
• Oh, it also incorporates its own quick release mechanism - you just let go and stand up - thus the angry cat shoots off away from you, rather than having the opprtunity to take revenge.
• So far, her only revenge has been drooling Zantac all over me and sulking in the corner. Now I'm smart and wear an apron and special "medicine sweatpants".
• Medicine Sweatpants is your new superhero name.
• I believe the boot method is only reserved for castrating male cats. I assume it could be use for giving a cat a suppository, but I think there's probably a good reason they're not usually given to cats. Sounds like it might be a good idea to put a bit of tuna juice in the syringe and then insert it from the side to get your cat used to open her mouth and not clamping her jaw. I've had good luck with "phobic" cats doing this. They get better at the meds because they never know what they're going to be getting. Also, with some cats, less restraint is more. Grabbing the scruff and holding the cat firmly on the floor in a crouched position worked for us when we had to give oral meds. Do you think she'd lie still under one of those small plastic milk cartons with all the holes in it? (The ones you get at K-Mart or wherever) You could feed the IV tube through the top and monitor what she's doing. She may not feel quite so restrained and want to fight so bad. No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. ~Leo Dworken
• The boot method works for sheepdogs, too. I had a special "vet sweatshirt" that came out for vet trips, because my cat punctured and tore big ragged holes in it, plus moulted all over it and, when really nervous, left sweaty pawprints everywhere. I never knew cats got sweaty paws until she escaped in a vet waiting room once and left a telltale trail.
• *grumbles* Vets or staff really should show people how to do this properly. On every hinged skull, which you can easily locate on yourself with thumb and fingers, are these bilateral 'spring' points. One just puts the hand over the cat's head and the thumb and index fingers on the two release points on either side where the jaws connect and the lower jaw will swing down, briefly. Working at the speed of light with the other hand, which already has med and dropper ready, juices are plunged, from the corner, down the cat's throat. The cat is then quickly released and praised to high heaven and given a treat. It really is a simple process and I've used it over the decades for cats and dogs. If necessary I've shot stuff down behind the back teeth of stubborn dogs. Can be used for pills as well with other follow-up. No fuss, no muss. I help medicate all my elderly neighbour's cats. /but I will only return to Winnipeg if someone finds my damn lower plate that I lost out there. *gumbles
• You could mix a little heroin with the saline, and soon kitty will be injecting herself, which is good; but also pawning all your possessions and hitting you up for bail, which is bad.
• Ny vet tried the standard spring points with my asthmatic cat, and was blown away by the fact that the cat spat the pill across the room. What works best with this cat is putting him on his back across my lap, poking a finger in the side of his mouth so that he opens wide, tossing a pill down, and hoping I won't find it spat up across the room in the morning. Mostly he swallows it, but I do find little prednisone or aminophylin tabs in strange places on occassion. With him, it's become more difficult over the years Too bad he can't realize that it will make him feel better in time. I try to tell him, but he doesn't listen.
• dxlifer: That's the first thing we tried, and quickly realized that our cat has a serious problem with that method. The last time we brought her in to the vet, he couldn't open her mouth that way, even with two of us holding her. He tried four times and then gave up. She's absolutely terrified of having her head held that way, and we think it may be because they had to hold it that way to take blood from her neck, which was very painful and frightening. And it's not because her mouth is sore or anything, because she'll let us touch her mouth, and shows no other signs of pain. We borrowed the vet's cat sack tonight for the sub-Q, and although we got her in it without a problem, she squirmed around inside so much the needle came out. We'll try it again tomorrow.
• You should really ask your vet about getting Zantac in pill form. Most cats are a lot less resentful of getting medication in pill form as opposed to liquid. This works even better if you purchase a pill-gun or pill pusher.. which enables you to get the pill past your cats tastebuds.
• There's a guy near the bus stop that sells ecstasy, but I don't see how ... oh, never mind. The pill pusher might be a good idea, except there's still the problem of getting her mouth open. Dammitjim, I'm a pet owner, not a veteranarian! (couldn't resist) Hey, dammitjim, I see from your profile you're a vet tech. Any ideas on getting her mouth open (other than the obvious method)?
• The trick I like to use to get a cat's mouth open is to poke my finger or the tip of a pill pusher right behind the canine tooth.. there is a natural gap there and once you get in a bit the cat will usually just naturally open it's mouth. I suppose if you are using a syringe to get the zantac in, then you could try sliding that into the same spot. If that doesn't work then another good method is to scruff the cat and tilt it's chin up using the scruff and then gently pull down on it's bottom jaw using just the tip of one finger. This is not a good idea if your cat is a biter.
• I'm sorry to hear this, Koko. One of my guys is currently very ill and requires oral (liquid) antibiotics, hot facial compresses, and medicated eye drops three times a day. What I've found is that the calmer I am, the calmer he is. I try to roll him in the towel (when I can get him into it) and just hold him for 5-10 minutes, stroking his head and talking quietly to him. Then I do the hot compresses, which seem to really relax him (although it took a few times for him to get used to it). The medicine dropper that came with the antibiotics was too hard to get into his mouth (he also hates to have his mouth messed with), so I use one of those plastic syringes with the long, curvy bit like the dentist will give you if you've had wisdom teeth out. That slips easily into the corner of his mouth (where dammitjim says) without using fingers and I can put the meds in before he realizes what's going on. Then he gets a very tasty treat, like tuna or salmon to cover the nasty taste and to reward him for putting up with the indignity. Good luck and hugs to your kitty.
• Here's a recent picture of Lily, demonstrating the controversial yet effective "mouse therapy".
• She's beautiful. And she doesn't expire for a couple more years, I see.
• That's just the "best before" date. After that she gets naughty and starts stealing mail and making crank phone calls. Last night we had better luck with the cat sack. Mr. Koko held her more securely while I found a better technique with the syringe, leaving one hand free to monitor the needle. Then, going on what my vet suggested to me yesterday, I just inserted the oral syringe with the antacid into the corner of her mouth (without trying to open her jaws) and squirted, and that seemed to do the trick. I was able to do it myself this morning with her wrapped in a towel (I can't get her into the bag by myself, but I can roll her in a towel), and there was much less wrestling and drooling. We're all getting better at this, yay!
• Awww, what a cutie! Good to hear things are going better. Here's to Lily's health!
• I love that look on her face. Hope that she gets better real soon.
• Miss Bad Cat would not cooperate and take her antacid this morning. Also, yesterday she threw up on the cat sack the vet loaned us. I do not think that was an accident.
• Least she could do, after the rodent-on-the-head cruelty! You had it coming, Koko - you can see the poor abused beast scheming in the photo. Beautiful kitty!
• I think a certain recent Duke of Squee would appreciate a beautiful cat like that. Road Trip!
• I somehow think it would be easier to take care of a baby panda. I wonder if the zoo would swap with me?
• They do look quite a bit alike - go for it and see if they notice. You might have an angry Mama on your doorstep tho - that could be a drawback.
• Pfff, nothing that fluffy could possibly get mad.
• *ahem*
• That panda was obviously rabid. Doesn't count.
• While I don't have to administer medicine to my kitty, I do have to...arggghh...swab her damn ass. She is a bit rotund, and has decided that licking her own butt is "too hard". So once a week or so, I have to put her in the tub and swab away with a sponge on her nethers while holding her in place with the other. Then she gets the dreaded sprayer to affect the rinsing. All I can say is thank fucking Christ this cat is relatively docile. Also, today I discovered that if I take the safety mat out of the tub, she's way more at my mercy given the reduction in traction. She's also a very forgiving cat; within about five minutes of freedom after her ass-washing she seems to no longer regard me as The Devil. How is it that I dearly love a big smelly kitty who also gets the '6 am lonelies', which is her loudly going, "Bwow? Bwow? Bwow?" until I wake up and make cranky noises in return so I can go back to sleep? Science cannot explain it.
• Way to go Koko. Not only a most beauteous kitty, but for having mastered the jab and squeeze. *smacks self smartly, to remind to read complete thread first* With extended experience some kitties can be rather intimiditating in their defiance, to say the least. Now, as if in some divine retribution for whatever, I have been washing and drying the dog's 'tummy etc' zone twice a day. Critters, 'eh? Just gotta love them though.
• Wiping a cat's ass!?? I'm laughing and yet shocked and slightly queezy all at the same time!
• Thanks all for the well-wishes and medication advice -- I have good news ... Lily had a blood test the other day, and her levels are back to within normal, so the vet said we can reduce her treatments to once a week, and no Zantac. This is especially good news, since the constant treatments over the past month and a half have made her a very nervous kitty. She's developed a fear of the carpet somehow. We've constructed an elaborate cardboard estate for her (as you can see in these pictures, complete with main house, sprawling lawns and summer cottage), as she seems to enjoy sitting on cardboard. As yet she's shown no inclination towards breakdancing, which is also good news. She's also been eating like a tiny fuzzy horse; when she was hospitalized the second time she was at 4 lbs., and when we weighed her the other day she was 4 lbs. 8.5 oz. At any rate, we seem to be over the hump, and now we just have to keep an eye out for signs of regression. She's never going to completely recover, but hopefully this will be something we can manage over the years without too much hassle, for us or for kitty. One very smart thing we managed to do was to get pet insurance before she got sick. She's currently covered 80% for everything (except routine exams). We've only had to pay a few hundred dollars out of a total bill of almost $2500. If we hadn't had pet insurance, Lil' Snoots would most likely not be alive today, simple as that. So we're very grateful for pet insurance ... however, we got a letter from the insurance company last week informing us that as of January 1, her coverage would be dropping to 50%. This seemed kind of slimy, so we checked the policy, and it does state in the fine print that they can change the coverage at any time, with a minimum 30 days notice. It also mentions that pet insurance is considered property insurance, not health insurance, which might help to explain it. Still, it particularly sucks because we have no choice but to stay with this company; no other company would insure a cat who's already diagnosed with kidney disease. If any monkeys have similar experience with pet insurance, please share your wisdom! Thanky!
• Koko- that is one lovely kitty! You are a good soul to do the cardboard thing for her. Congrats on the success you have had, and best of luck in the future. She's lucky to have you for a mommy. Insurance companies are effing Weasel Collectives.
• Yay Snoots! She luvely! I'm glad she's on the mend. I shall pass the good news onto the girls, if I can distract them from their growing catnip habit. Congrats to all!
• *** UPDATE *** I have good news and bad news. The bad news I already knew about, that my cat Lily has Chronic Renal Failure, which we will have to continue treating for the rest of her life, which probably won't be terribly long. Her condition, it turns out, was caused by vitamin D toxicity from her prescription cat food. Our vet put her on this special diet last year, and her chronic vomiting and kidney failure began shortly after that. Our vet thought that her kidney condition was congenital, so we kept giving her the food. A few months ago, a different vet in Winnipeg discovered the cause for chronic vomiting and death in two dogs. A certain brand of pet food had a toxic level of vitamin D3. The manufacturer was notified, and they pulled the affected batch and fired the company that was supplying the vitamin mix for their pet foods. It was at this point that our vet sent Lily's file to the pet food manufacturer, so that they could determine if their food had caused her problem. The good news is that the pet food manufacturer is not only reimbursing us for all costs incurred related to her condition up to this point, but all future costs as well. All of her treatments and supplies from now on will be free of charge. Although I realize they're trying to head off a class action lawsuit, it's still nice to see a company admit its mistake and attempt to make good. Lily won't recover, but at least her care will be a little easier.
• wow. it's good news that lily's care will be easier.
• What a horrible business for you! Nice to have the horrendous bills taken care of. Got any of that food left? Bet you could sell it for quite a profit to others whose petcare bills are unmanageable!
• What an awful thing to spend all that money on pricy food thinking you're doing the best you can for your poor puss, and then you have problems from it. Best to you and your fur-person.
• Glad there's some good news forthcoming on the sick-kitty front, Koko. Hope things go as well as they can for you and lily.
• Poor Lily! Give 'er a big kiss from me.
• I can understand your angst, since my sweet Whiskers tried to die a couple of weekends ago. He did pull through, more or less, but it'll be a battle to keep him alive. It's hard being a mother cat.
• *hugs Koko and path*
• With 5,000+ monkeys, there must be 10,000+ pets out there, enough to keep a whole thread going on precious critter grief alone. So sad, so very sad. Anyways... My empathy to koko and path. On the dog front, I have an 11-yr-old Great Pyr that has cancer that she lost a leg to last November, a perfect sweetheart on borrowed time. Plus, (and it may surprise you) to learn that I myself am not actually a dog, but have one, named Ralph, who is 14, deaf, sitting beside me right now (as always) and who is fading quickly into the sad, inevitable land of beloved, lost friends. My heart breaks in thinking about losing either of them. On the other hand, (and on my shoulder) is Wicket, the amazon parrot, and (nearby) his friend Sam, the African grey, who will both likely outlive me. The little buggers had better use my social security funds wisely, or I'll haunt them. /rainbow bridge-ishness
• Oh, there was an African Gray that tried to get me to adopt him out of a pet shop some forty years ago. I still regret that I didn't, even though I couldn't have afforded it at the time, but I can still picture him sidling up and telling me that he was my best friend. You're a lucky man, owner of Ralph the dog, to have such companions.
• Oh poor Lil' Snoots..... I'm sorry to hear that koko. I'll make you an official aunty to blackie and brownie and I'll get them to write to you on birthdays and Christmas. Chin up, old girl.
• *snif* Thanks everyone. On the plus side, she's young and feisty. She enjoys chasing me around the kitchen and hollering for more food. On the minus side, she's young and feisty, and doesn't always want to cooperate on needle days.
• Sorry to hear it Apey. Best wishes and that little wiggly-finger-tease thing to Miss Lily. If you need a Jack Russell Terrierist to fall asleep next to her so she wakes up sort of thinking it's a person but then realizes she's pinned under the covers and can't really move and actually it's not all that comfortable after all and jesus that's a heavy dog for being so small, just let me know.
• Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Cat Care Videos Also, an update: Kitty's doing much better these days. A recent blood test showed a normal calcium level, which means we can drop her sub-q treatments down to twice a week (from 3x). We'll test her blood again in another month to see how she's doing, but she might be ok until she gets older (as it's common for older cats to experience kidney problems). She's looking much better these days, and has a healthy appetite and plays much more than she ever did.
• Mine died.
• Oh shit. I'm sorry to hear that, Hank.
• Yeah it is a bummer. 17 and a half years old. but, this is not about me. It's good that Koko's cat is ok.
• Sorry about your moggie, Hank.
• Congrats, Koko. Sorry Hank.
• How bittersweet this thread has become. Like Nestles chocolate morsels. Or like a lollipop coated in aspirin dust. Or sugar mixed with coffee grounds.
• Or Meg Ryan cast as Val Kilmer's dust whore in The Doors.
• Cats and PDBEs
• Hmm...we've had 2 cats now with hyperthyroidism. The vet did tell us it's quite common in older cats. Scary the things in our surroundings.
• Sorry, Hank... One of mine spent all Saturday barfing all over the house.
• Kit, and thus you experienced the utter joy that is cats.
• Hank: So sorry to hear about your kitty. Never gets easier, does it? Kit: Time to start decorating the whole house in cat-vomit-coodinating colors. Martha Stewart should design a whole line of paint and upholstery that goes with that certain hacked-up-kibble hue.
• The puking seems to have stopped. The other one did this a few months back. They must take it turns.