Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[bosawks]

Someone is not happy that I am not taking a snow day......

[JTMacc99]

That's a pretty judgmental look right there. 

[bosawks]

9 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

That's a pretty judgmental look right there. 

Apparently I suck.

[DeLurker]

I suffered from the cat's judgmental glares yesterday since I took him to a vet appointment.  He was super-pissed at me and went into hiding for a few hours upon getting home.  He finally came and curled up on my lap last night, but he was tucked up tight which isn't his normal sprawl over me.

[Jaded]

Captain is at the vet again. ?

A couple days ago he started staying in the litter box for 5 min or more each time and licking down yonder a lot. My friend came and got him earlier this morning. Since I knew what to look for it was caught earlier this time. I feel so bad for him though.

[DeLurker]

Good thoughts to you and Captain @Jaded

[Bastet]

I'm keeping a good thought for Captain.  Did they do the PU surgery on him when he was in before? 

[FlyingEgret]

Best wishes Captain!

[raven]

Good thoughts for Captain!

[bosawks]

Forgiven!

[isalicat]

Just wanted to thank everyone here who offered such good advice about Louis (my 10 year old tom, who adopted us 2-1/2 months ago) and his "digestive issues". I was definitely feeding him too much so have now cut back to two small Fancy Feast cans a day and I portion them out in 1/3 can servings whenever he asks for food (I work from home so the meals are distributed throughout the day) and no more people food of any kind. And so he has stopped throwing up! Its endlessly interesting to me the difference between cats....my previous tom could and did eat pretty much anything and was particularly fond of chicken and pork chops (I would give him some without any spices of course whenever we had it, even if meant cooking a separate portion). This new guy apparently just doesn't digest anything that is not a "pate" and needs to be made to eat more slowly. So it shall be!

[Bastet]

20 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Its endlessly interesting to me the difference between cats

Previous cats of mine have all eaten around 200 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight (which is a typical recommendation), so when I finally got Riley eating, that's how much I fed her.  She filled out nicely -- and then kept on going right to, as my mom called it, "pleasantly plump."  Oops; it worked for every other cat.  So I cut back to about 180 calories, and she's the perfect size.

[riley702]

Off to see how many calories are in those cans of Fancy Feast...

65 calories in the can they just split. They also have free-grazing dry food that has 436 cal/cup. I estimate they eat close to 1/3 cup each per day. That's roughly 180 calories, maybe a bit more. Thanks, Bastet!

Edited March 16, 2017 by riley702

[Bastet]

No problem.  Calorie count can vary wildly from food to food, so it's not helpful when you go looking for feeding guidelines and just find, "Feed a can per day" or "feed 1/2 cup per day."  You checked your cat food's calorie count and found out you're feeding a nice, healthy number of calories per day.  Someone on another forum recently did the same thing and found out she was feeding her poor cat about 400 calories per day!

[ABay]

Just dropped by to see if there was an update on Captain.

Congrats with Louis, @isalicat!

[bosawks]

Happy Patrick's Day!!!

Slainte everyone!

[Maharincess]

I guess I've been incredibly lucky with my cats.  They've all eaten the food I buy with no problem and aside from routine visits the only time my cats have had to go to the vet is to be spayed (I don't do boy cats). I've had cats for over 40 years and can honestly say I've never counted one calorie in the cat food I buy.  I've had big cats but none have ever been fat.  I buy the food, pour it in the bowl and they eat it along with their wet food 3 times a week. 

I keep the dry food bowl full and my cat eats it when she's hungry. I've never had feeding times or anything like that. When the bowl gets low, I fill it back up. 

I feel like a bad cat mom for not counting calories and buying expensive food.  My cats have always been indoor, healthy cats and they've all lived long lives so I'm doing something right. 

Edited March 18, 2017 by Maharincess

[raven]

Why does Briskly sit next to me??  I will give her the side eye and then she will go away.  Right??

[shanndee]

Wow. I feel so silly for not exploring this board properly. I do a fair bit of TV talk but never thought to venture further. Silly me!

I have a question for my fellow cat enthusiasts:

Hubby and I fostered, then adopted a young female that had been hit by a car in October. She had to have a front leg amputated due to a horrible infection. She also had a really bad case of mastitis (she had had kittens 8 weeks earlier). It is unclear if the severity of the mastitis was the result of "just" late treatment or it was complicated from the leg infection.

Long story short (I know, too late!) she has recovered really well, is super active, eats well, and is always getting into mischief...but the mastitis still lingers. The SPCA vet told us it takes a "long time" to clear and nothing I find on the 'net answers my questions. I don't really want to go to our new vet to be told to just keep an eye on it.

So, one mammary gland continues to be swollen. Well, more like it is just loose skin now. It is soft, she has no pain, she allows us to touch it but has started to refuse to sit for the warm compresses (hasn't let us do that for months now). 

Should I take het to the vet, or is this loose skin/swelling simply a permanent part of her?

Thanks!

[Maharincess]

We've decided we're getting a puppy. I'm still going to go through the rescue to get it but I need a puppy.  The rescue is working on it now and I get first choice of any new puppies they get.  I do feel bad about not rescuing an older dog again though.  All of my dogs except for one have been older rescues but not this time. 

My first dog as an adult was my border collie Harley. I had him trained so well, he was fully potty trained, giving high fives and sitting/staying on command by the time he was 12 weeks old. All I had to do was snap my fingers and point and he would run to where I pointed and sit down. I knew how he would react to any situation.  Thats hard with an older dog.  I think I'm trying to make myself feel less guilty over not rescuing.  

I hope I didn't offend anybody with my above comment about cat feeding.  I wasn't criticizing or making fun of anybody.   Like I said, I guess I've just been very lucky with my cats. 

[FlyingEgret]

1 hour ago, Maharincess said:

We've decided we're getting a puppy. I'm still going to go through the rescue to get it but I need a puppy.  The rescue is working on it now and I get first choice of any new puppies they get.  I do feel bad about not rescuing an older dog again though.  All of my dogs except for one have been older rescues but not this time. 

My first dog as an adult was my border collie Harley. I had him trained so well, he was fully potty trained, giving high fives and sitting/staying on command by the time he was 12 weeks old. All I had to do was snap my fingers and point and he would run to where I pointed and sit down. I knew how he would react to any situation.  Thats hard with an older dog.  I think I'm trying to make myself feel less guilty over not rescuing.  

I hope I didn't offend anybody with my above comment about cat feeding.  I wasn't criticizing or making fun of anybody.   Like I said, I guess I've just been very lucky with my cats. 

Good luck puppy hunting!  You have obviously given this a lot of thought and I am of the belief that you will be drawn to the animal who needs you most and who you need most.

As for the cat food, I have also always done what you described above.  And while logical, silly me didn't even consider that different types of food have different calorie counts.  My two cats split two cans per day and have continual access to a bowl of dry food.  Luckily they do not have a weight problem, but if that changes in the future I know exactly where to start looking.  I love all the info that this forum has to offer.

And thanks to everyone for the support shown to Selena and me.  Tomorrow will mark the 1 month mark since her diagnosis.  She is still acting normal, getting in trouble, and enjoying a high quality life full of tuna and treats. :)

[JTMacc99]

6 hours ago, shanndee said:

Should I take het to the vet, or is this loose skin/swelling simply a permanent part of her?

It sounds like she's healthy and behaving normally, so the vet very well may tell you it is what it is. But if you think it's not getting better the way you thought it would, then a visit to the vet couldn't hurt anything but your wallet. 

[DeLurker]

@Maharincess - congrats on deciding one new pup!  I know you've been thinking about it for a bit. Did you decide against going with the breeder you used before ?  

Not lobbying against a rescue, but I know you've got some limitations you are dealing with so maybe knowing more about the parents may be helpful. 

[Maharincess]

The breeder I got my Harley from is still in business. I researched breeders for a year before I got him (she also knows my brother) and they're the best in the business.  The rescue will let me choose from any puppies they get in but they don't get a lot of puppies. My brother and I are going to the breeder next week to talk to her. I'll have some options and I'll decide which way I want to go.  

I never rush into anything when it comes to getting a new pet. People get frustrated with me because it can take me a year to figure out what I want to do. 

I wouldn't get a puppy if L wasn't local now. I could easily train and take care of a puppy by myself but I believe in a lot of socialization with puppies and I wouldn't be able to take him too many places on my own. When we had Harley we took him everywhere we could when he was a puppy. Even if it was just me sitting on a bench outside the grocery store while L shopped. I wanted him to be around as many people and dogs as possible in his young years.  It worked. He loved every person and every animal he ever met.  There was one person he didn't like though. We had a friend of a friend paint our old house. He was a really nice guy but his wife was the biggest bitch I'd ever met.  I can get along with anybody but I didn't like her at all.  She came over one day when he was painting and I couldn't get rid of her. Harley had never met her before and when he walked in the house, she reached down to pet him and he snapped at her hand.  I don't know if he got a vibe from her but he had never done it before and never did it after. 

We've been talking about rescuing an older dog vs getting a puppy for months now. Now that we've made the final decision I'm SOOO excited!!  Now, knowing me,  it'll take me another 9 months to pick him out.  I'll definitely post pictures when I get him. 

@FlyingEgret, I'm sorry for being so selfish!  I didn't read back through the thread before I posted.  I'm happy Selena is feeling better.  I'm so sorry I didn't see your post before now. Sending good thoughts to you and Selena.  

Edited March 20, 2017 by Maharincess

[JTMacc99]

Here's what you do while 20+ inches of snow are piling up outside:

  

And this is what you do when you get the sense your human is about to get up to make dinner:

By the way, Luna (cat) is about 7 months old now, and weighing in at around 7 pounds. Apparently 7 pounds is the weight at which curtain rods can no longer support cats. Just in case anybody was curious.  4-6 pounds, no issues. 7 pounds: issues. Crashing, breaking, pulling out of the drywall type issues.  

Edited March 20, 2017 by JTMacc99

[ari333]

I love to feed the wild animals here. My neighbor said that I have them trained. I said, "No; they have me trained."

[Maharincess]

@ari333,  I have a big rafter of turkeys that live on my property. Every night around 4:30 they come to my door to be fed. When I'm outside they follow me everywhere I go. If I go out the door they run to me but if anybody else does they run away.  They even eat out of my hands.  I've been out on my scooter before with 24 turkeys running behind me.  We also have foxes, coyotes and a lot of deer up here.  Any time we have fruits or vegetables that are starting to turn bad, I throw them outside for my critters.  I love living in the boonies. 

Edited March 20, 2017 by Maharincess

[ari333]

20 minutes ago, Maharincess said:

@ari333,  I have a big rafter of turkeys that live on my property. Every night around 4:30 they come to my door to be fed. When I'm outside they follow me everywhere I go. If I go out the door they run to me but if anybody else does they run away.  They even eat out of my hands.  I've been out on my scooter before with 24 turkeys running behind me.  We also have foxes, coyotes and a lot of deer up here.  Any time we have fruits or vegetables that are starting to turn bad, I throw them outside for my critters.  I love living in the boonies. 

We are technically in the city, but there are woods and creeks and so many wild animals. I simply cannot resist feeding them and watching them. There are bunnies, ducks, deer, raccoons, squirrels (my favorite) all kinds of different colored beautiful birds.. I'd swear those squirrels interact with humans.

[raven]

22 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Dammit! Which one is Briskly???

oops, sorry @stewedsquash!  Briskly is the black dog - she is my boss's dog.  Tai is my dog (with the red harness).  Tai loves people but can take or leave (usually leave) other animals.  Briskly is always friendly to everyone but gave up trying to be pals with Tai a while ago; the last couple of weeks though she's tried to get close again, it's cute.  She gives up pretty quickly.

[Bastet]

On 3/19/2017 at 10:41 AM, shanndee said:

Long story short (I know, too late!) she has recovered really well, is super active, eats well, and is always getting into mischief...but the mastitis still lingers. The SPCA vet told us it takes a "long time" to clear and nothing I find on the 'net answers my questions. I don't really want to go to our new vet to be told to just keep an eye on it.

Mastitis is one of the seemingly few cat issues on which I have nothing beyond common knowledge.  Was it always just the one gland, or were others affected and they've gone back to normal, while this one has lingered?  At any rate, I'd normally say this is something to email the vet about, but you say it's a new vet, so that may not be feasible -- she or he may not be willing to answer a question about a new animal without an examination.  But it doesn't hurt to ask. 

On 3/19/2017 at 3:59 PM, Maharincess said:

We've decided we're getting a puppy. I'm still going to go through the rescue to get it but I need a puppy.  The rescue is working on it now and I get first choice of any new puppies they get.  I do feel bad about not rescuing an older dog again though.  All of my dogs except for one have been older rescues but not this time. 

 

Oh, how fun - I can't wait to hear (and see) who you wind up with.  I've almost always adopted older cats, but I've had a couple of kittens in my day; I understand that twinge of guilt when you don't opt for an adult, but you're still giving a homeless pet a home, and potentially saving a life.  Plus, with a larger dog, and with your situation, there are some good reasons for getting a puppy so you can be the one training from the beginning.

13 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

And this is what you do when you get the sense your human is about to get up to make dinner:

By the way, Luna (cat) is about 7 months old now, and weighing in at around 7 pounds. Apparently 7 pounds is the weight at which curtain rods can no longer support cats. Just in case anybody was curious.  4-6 pounds, no issues. 7 pounds: issues. Crashing, breaking, pulling out of the drywall type issues.  

Re. the picture I deleted for space, but of course - cats know when you are getting ready to get up, and promptly climb upon you accordingly.  And then look at you like, "Look how adorable I am cuddling with you; how could you possibly disturb me?"

Re. the curtain rods, good to know, heh.  Maybe you'll have to use toggle bolts when you reinstall in order to withstand Luna?  "There's no expansion anchor that can hold me!"  She could become a spokescat and earn her keep.

I've never had a cat climb the curtains.  I've had one climb the side of a brick fireplace all the way up to the ceiling, though (as a kitten).  And then look at me as if to ask, "Now what?"  I don't know, Goofball, this was your idea.  This is the same cat who enjoyed climbing trees, but felt the process of getting back down was too cumbersome -- the lumberjack took too much time, the walk down the trunk only worked for a few steps before the shape of the claws was no match for gravity -- so she'd simply walk out on a low branch and let go. 

Edited March 21, 2017 by Bastet

[JTMacc99]

30 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I've never had a cat climb the curtains.  I've had one climb the side of a brick fireplace all the way up to the ceiling, though (as a kitten).  And then look at me as if to ask, "Now what?"  I don't know, Goofball, this was your idea.

Luna has a thing about going up high and walking around. But now that's she's filling out, the curtains don't support her.  I put a better anchor in the one she ripped out. Gotta work with her, not against her. 

[theredhead77]

I made one of my cats an Instagram but I quit posting once I got the second cat (felt bad for the other one).

I present the adventures of Schrodinger the cAT-AT (be sure to read the captions)

Edited March 21, 2017 by theredhead77

[shanndee]

On 3/19/2017 at 5:32 PM, JTMacc99 said:

It sounds like she's healthy and behaving normally, so the vet very well may tell you it is what it is. But if you think it's not getting better the way you thought it would, then a visit to the vet couldn't hurt anything but your wallet. 

Yes, I feel like she is healthy...its just that I have always had neutered male cats, so something like mastitis is completely out of my experience. I am a bit of a worrier, so as soon as payday comes around again I'll probably pay the bill for the peace of mind.

On 3/20/2017 at 7:07 PM, Bastet said:

Mastitis is one of the seemingly few cat issues on which I have nothing beyond common knowledge.  Was it always just the one gland, or were others affected and they've gone back to normal, while this one has lingered?  At any rate, I'd normally say this is something to email the vet about, but you say it's a new vet, so that may not be feasible -- she or he may not be willing to answer a question about a new animal without an examination.  But it doesn't hurt to ask. 

 

It was always just the one gland, but it was a very bad infection. The whole gland was hard and hot to the touch. It is now soft and body temperature. I feel like she is fine...after all, I've seen a lot of spayed females with loose skin along their mammary glands. It is just that my lack of experience with this makes me uncertain. A co-worker also suggested that she could have still had some milk in her glands when she was spayed. So I guess a visit to the vet is in order just to be sure.

Thank you both! :) 

[riley702]

Keep us posted! I'm curious, too.

[Maharincess]

I was in Border Collie heaven today. I saw doggies of all shapes, sizes and ages, from 4 day old puppies to great grandma doggies and I had to stop and love on each and every single one.  My favorites were the older (5 to 10 weeks) puppies.  I went in and sat down and instantly had puppies crawling all over me, I was so happy that my brother said my face was lit up like a Christmas tree I had tears rolling down my face. 

I picked out about 17 puppies that I wanted,  I narrowed it down to 4 boys.  I could have chosen an older puppy that's ready to go now but I wanted a little more time. The ones I picked out range from 4 days to 2 weeks. I'm leaning towards one who is 2 weeks tomorrow.  He has the greatest markings and as soon as I picked him up he peed all over me. My brother said he marked me for when I come back. I'm going back in a month when they're older so I can see more of  their personalities then I'll make my choice. 

Heading to the pet store in the morning for puppy supplies. My list is a mile long already and I'm not done yet.  I love shopping for puppy supplies. 

@shanndee, I hope your baby girl is ok.  I second Riley, please keep us posted.  As long as she's eating, drinking and behaving normally, well normal and cats don't belong in the same sentence, I wouldn't worry too much. 

Best part of all?  I walked the whole ranch with just my walker!  We took the wheelchair but didn't even take it out of the truck. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by Maharincess
Because a period makes a lot of difference.

[JTMacc99]

That is so exciting. Puppies!

In my home we ask ourselves, where will the most foot traffic occur during the next 20 minutes as people are moving around getting ready and out the door to various schools and jobs.  And when we find it, we do this:

Edited March 23, 2017 by JTMacc99

[Jaded]

Sorry I haven't updated recently. I'm so depressed over this whole situation with Captain. He's still at the vet and they've been trying to figure out how to resolve his crystal/blockage issues since the particular problem he is having wouldn't be solved by that surgery where they turn the male parts into female ones. It's a complicated situation which I'm still confused about. The vet did a procedure earlier this week where she put a stent in to try and fix his urinary issues. She said she's not sure what else to try if this doesn't work. They said they were going to keep the catheter in a few days after the procedure to allow healing and etc....

I received Captain last Feb. a couple months after my Mom died in late 2015 from family I invited back into my life. He's helped me get through the grief over loosing my Mom and other issues that have been occurring stemming from the aforementioned family. This includes using Captain's situation to try and get me to speak to my long estranged father who I refer to AH/Asshole which has made me so very angry and frustrated. It's all been making me so low and I've been doing a lot of thinking in regards to my Mom, my Nana and happier times. I've cried more this week then I have in a year or so. I don't want to loose him. I'm tired of loosing people I love. This all hurts it just really hurts. There's only so much pretending a person can do to try and convince themselves it doesn't.

[DeLurker]

3 hours ago, Jaded said:

There's only so much pretending a person can do to try and convince themselves it doesn't.

There's no benefit in pretending something doesn't hurt when it does.  And while not everyone appreciates how much a pet can give and add to your life, there's a lot of us who do.  Your worries and stress over Captain don't make you weak - opening your heart to another makes you stronger.  You and your Captain have our best thoughts coming towards you.

Edited March 23, 2017 by DeLurker

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Jaded said:

Sorry I haven't updated recently. I'm so depressed over this whole situation with Captain. He's still at the vet and they've been trying to figure out how to resolve his crystal/blockage issues since the particular problem he is having wouldn't be solved by that surgery where they turn the male parts into female ones. It's a complicated situation which I'm still confused about. The vet did a procedure earlier this week where she put a stent in to try and fix his urinary issues. She said she's not sure what else to try if this doesn't work. They said they were going to keep the catheter in a few days after the procedure to allow healing and etc....

I received Captain last Feb. a couple months after my Mom died in late 2015 from family I invited back into my life. He's helped me get through the grief over loosing my Mom and other issues that have been occurring stemming from the aforementioned family. This includes using Captain's situation to try and get me to speak to my long estranged father who I refer to AH/Asshole which has made me so very angry and frustrated. It's all been making me so low and I've been doing a lot of thinking in regards to my Mom, my Nana and happier times. I've cried more this week then I have in a year or so. I don't want to loose him. I'm tired of loosing people I love. This all hurts it just really hurts. There's only so much pretending a person can do to try and convince themselves it doesn't.

I've been wondering a lot about Captain; I'm so sorry to hear he's proving to be such a complicated case.  I've never heard of an instance where the PU surgery won't solve the blockage issue, so I can imagine how frustrating this is for you (and for your vet, too).  There are Yahoo Groups (and probably Facebook groups, if you use that) for owners of pets with all kinds of chronic medical conditions; you may want to see if there's one for owners of cats with urinary blockages, because then you could post about Captain's complicated situation and see if anyone else's cat was the same way and what their vet wound up doing.  Then you could talk to your vet about whether or not that would be a good option in Captain's particular case.

As DeLurker said, there's no good in pretending this doesn't hurt like hell.  Wallow while you need to, and let us know any time you need a virtual shoulder to cry on.  You're going through a lot right now, and it's miserable.  I will be hoping the very best for Captain, and you.

[ari333]

((((Jaded)))))

[ABay]

Captain and you have been on my mind, @Jaded, and I'm very sorry to hear he isn't responding as well as one hoped. The grief and frustration of your current situation is hard to bear. We've all been there; don't hesitate to lean on us. 

[riley702]

16 hours ago, Maharincess said:

He has the greatest markings and as soon as I picked him up he peed all over me. My brother said he marked me for when I come back.

[theredhead77]

9 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

That is so exciting. Puppies!

In my home we ask ourselves, where will the most foot traffic occur during the next 20 minutes as people are moving around getting ready and out the door to various schools and jobs.  And when we find it, we do this:

How else is he supposed to get kittypets? 

[JTMacc99]

@theredhead77 she goes for the loving at 4:30 AM, when it's convenient for her.

It's possible she picked that spot because it was nice and warm as the much larger roadblock shaped like a Labrador retriever had just been removed from the same spot. 

[theredhead77]

15 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

@theredhead77 she goes for the loving at 4:30 AM, when it's convenient for her.

May I introduce you to how cats work?

[Maharincess]

@JTMacc99, that's how my Kaylee was. She would sprawl out on the kitchen floor and she was so big that it was hard to maneuver around her. She had the perfect knack for lying right in the way, no matter what I needed in the kitchen, she was lying in front of it. 

@Jaded, you brought tears to my eyes.  I'm so sorry you're feeling such turmoil, I wish I could help you.  Please feel free to vent here any time you need to, the people here are so great and they've all helped me in so many ways. Sending good thoughts to you and your baby. 

[Treehugger]

@Jaded, I'm sending you and your little buddy, Captain, lots of hugs and well wishes.  You've been through a lot of upheaval with losing your mom and your nana.  There's no need to pretend that everything is fine when you're now worried about Captain.  Try to remember that you've got friends here who are thinking of you and hoping for the best, and please keep reaching out.

[DeLurker]

Well, took my first feline fecal sample today.  The cat's vet appointment was last week, but they sent me home with a handy dandy specimen jar to collect a fresh sample at my convenience. 

In case you are wondering, the best time to collect a fresh sample is as soon as you clean the litter box and put in new litter - at least with my cat.  He has the immediate need to christen new litter.

When I feed my dog, the first thing he will do is pick out a kibble or two, back away from the bowl, drop the kibble to the ground and then eat them one at a time.  After that he just eats from the bowl.  Why?

[Jaded]

Thank you every one for responding yesterday it was greatly appreciated. I was in need of some sympathy and encouragement.  

Ironically Captain came home in the early evening last night and is acting more like his cute self was before all of this started. When he got let out of the carrier he hopped up on the recliner and onto my chest while purring like a motorboat. He's been playing with his catnip filled mice and running up and down the hall spazzing out. When he came home previously he never wanted to play and never really went back to acting like himself.  Obviously now I realize that was due to his issues still bothering him. He's licked his man bits a few times so far that I've seen. The last time he was home until he went back to the vet again he was licking down there just about every other time I'd see him.                   

The vet said he needs to play more preferably daily because that somehow helps to prevent the urethral strictures from settling and forming again. I was scared he had been traumatized due to everything (especially the procedures) so his behavior so far since he's been home has been a relief. Here's to hoping the stent does what it's supposed to do.

Edited March 24, 2017 by Jaded

[DeLurker]

@Jaded!  Happy dance!

I am so glad to hear he is home and acting like his normal self again!