Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[ABay]

So sweet!

Girl cat had her way overdue check up Thursday and was declared UTI-free. Woo! Poor baby couldn't quite hold it until we got to the office so they got the sample from the carrier. Then she got a spa day as they washed her off. Now she has a clean and fluffy butt.

In bird news, there are now 2 hawks visiting my yard and dining on pigeons. And yet the pigeons come. Feathers everywhere.

Pantry moths have invaded the house. It isn't too bad, just a couple a day and has been that way for a long time (they're annoying but not dangerous). I've put up a couple of traps, vacuumed and cleaned around the seed as much as I could, and just finished hauling everything out of the food cupboard to scour it. Most of my food is already in airtight containers because of ant problems in past years. In conclusion, fuck Wagner and their sunflower seeds.

Edited February 10, 2019 by ABay

[theredhead77]

What a sweet kitty, Mountainair! Growing up every kitty I had was a gray, male tabby. They were so patient with hyper childhood me.

[DeLurker]

Just got done giving my big floofy dog a bath at the new pet place that opened up recently.  They have grooming by appointment and two self-wash stations.  For $12, you get a station, hot & cold water, shampoo & conditioner if you want it (I brought my own), endless towels (!) and a dryer.  As an added bonus, you don't have to clean up the place after and you don't have to wash the towels.

Since Kook is a practitioner of passive resistance when it comes to baths, he was not thrilled.  I, on the other hand, was quite pleased not to have to bend down to wash the dog and to be able to wash him in an environment designed for washing dogs.

It did take me a fair amount of time - probably 75-85 minutes, but I was new to this kind of set up and did not want to turn the water nor the air up too high on Kook since he is already stressed out when getting a bath.  The only potential issue was when I was getting him ready to get out of the tub.  I unhooked him from the tether that keeps dogs secure when being washed and was putting back on his regular collar.  He decided he should start to walk out of the tub, meaning to walk over and down the ramp.  He's tall enough to where he could probably do it without problem, but I did not want to chance it.

[DeLurker]

Got an email from about a food recall PetSmart where I buy Kook's prescription dog food from Hill's.

Voluntary Canned Dog Food Recall: United States

None of the cans that we bought were on the list, but just in case anyone else buys the prescription food...

[bilgistic]

Little Mama was VERY naughty last night. I came home from work and she uncharacteristically ran out the door into the building hallway (thank god my apartment is inside the building!). I threw all my stuff down and ran after her. Of course, she decided to run up and down the stairs to the top floor and down the halls. She also howled at the top of her lungs...at 10:15. One of my neighbors poked her head out when she finally slowed down and I told her what was going on and apologized. She finally stopped at the door directly above mine and let me grab her. She got a very stern lecture once we got back home. She and Little Girl didn't immediately get dinner. No perceived rewards for that stunt!

I'm just so, so glad my apartment is inside a building. I can't imagine how heartbroken I would be if she got out into the outside world. She's microchipped, but still. Little Girl would be inconsolable, too. This is how they are cuddling right now.

Edited February 22, 2019 by bilgistic

[bosawks]

I missed National Pet Day and will have to take a certain someone to PetSmart to appease.

She’s a grudge holder, all evidence to the contrary.....

[Moose135]

Fuck, fuck, fuck...

The problem with dogs is they don't live forever. These fuzzy little things come into your life, and find a way into your heart, and much too soon they leave us.

We had to let Denali go today.  She had been having some difficulty breathing, wheezing and panting with little exertion, resulting in a couple of trips to the vet in the past week and a half.  On Tuesday, the vet found a significant amount of fluid in her lungs, so much that he didn't know how she was standing and walking on her own, but she's always been a fighter, a tough little girl.  From tests, it looked like lymphoma. She was going on 11 years old, and has had a few health challenges that she fought through, and GF didn't want to put her through any more treatments that could maybe give her a couple of months, if that.  We brought her home and made her comfortable, and even spoiled her a little more than usual, knowing we only had a week or two left with her.  She kept fighting through it all, trying her best to carry on as usual.  It's been raining most of the week, but Thursday afternoon the sun came out for a while.  GF had to be in the office, so I was home with her, and we sat on the front porch for about an hour - being out in the sun was one of her favorite things.  This morning, her breathing was more labored, and she didn't eat breakfast, and we knew it was time.  We brought her to the vet this afternoon, and got to hold her close until the end.

Denali was the sweetest, loving-est, friendliest, toughest little pup I've ever known.  She wasn't in my life all that long in the scheme of things, but we fell in love with one another from the first time we met.  I will miss her forever.

Next to cookies, she loved car rides most of all!

This morning, with some of her favorite toys.

[formerlyfreedom]

@Moose135, my deepest sympathies...

[ABay]

@Moose135, I'm so sorry.

[ebk57]

@Moose135 I'm so so sorry to read this.  I'm glad you got to have her in your life as long as you did and I'm sure she was glad, too.  

[annzeepark914]

@Moose135: I am so sad about your losing Denali.  Whew - it's so wrenching being at the vet's the final time (was there with our Maine C*** cat 2 years ago).  They're our "kids" and I can tell by the photos that she enjoyed her life and certainly loved you.  Take care.

[bilgistic]

Noooo. I'm crying for you, @Moose135. I'm so, so sorry.

[AgentRXS]

@Moose135 I am so sorry for you and the GF! Rest easy sweet Denali. 

[walnutqueen]

@Moose135 - I am so very sorry for your loss.  Denali will be missed around here, too.

[smittykins]

I am so sorry, @Moose135. (((HUGS)))

[raven]

@Moose135 - I am so sorry for your loss.  Denali is so happy in the pics you always posted and was obviously much loved.

[emma675]

MOOSE135, Denali had a wonderful life and you could see her happiness in every picture you shared. My deepest sympathies to you and your gf.

Edited February 23, 2019 by emma675d

[bosawks]

Sorry for your loss @Moose135.

I lie to myself constantly that Alli will live forever much like I did about my previous dog, Max.

Pets are so perfect that they have to have the one imperfection of mortality.

[MargeGunderson]

Oh @Moose135, I’m so sorry for your loss. Denali was a beauty, and her sweet personality and happiness was evident in your picture. I hope your happy memories od Denali will be some comfort to you at this difficult time.

[Jaded]

So sorry for your loss @Moose135 and your gf's too. It was clear from pictures that Denali was a well loved and taken care of companion who gave the same in return. 

I always get kinda nervous when I see so many notifications from this thread in my email because it's usually good news, bad news or something in between. 

[Bastet]

My condolences, @Moose135, and especially to your girlfriend on the loss of Denali.  I'm glad she had such a loving owner - and then the loving owner got a boyfriend who takes great pictures, so Denali is quite thoroughly and beautifully memorialized for posterity.

[Mindthinkr]

@Moose135 I’m so sorry to hear about Denali 😢 The Mindthinkr kitties send their purrs of sympathy. 

[isalicat]

So sorry, Moose135! Enjoying Denali from your pictures was a great joy and she will be missed from afar. Crying now 😞

[theredhead77]

@Moose135 I am so sorry. 😞

[smeds]

@Moose135 I am so sorry about Denali. Thank you for sharing her pictures with us.  I rarely post here, but I lurk to see pictures of her.  She always looked so happy and loved in her pictures that it never failed to bring a smile to my face.  She was clearly a very loved and happy dog.

[theredhead77]

If you haven't seen the new Pixar short Kitbull you need to. But don't do it at work and make sure you have a box of tissue. I lasted 15 seconds before I started crying and was ugly crying by the end (it is a happy ending).

Edit to add feelings:

It makes me so angry that movies like this even have to be made to bring awareness to animal cruelty. When I was a kid my grandparents neighbors had a beautiful dog (not sure what kind but it was a big dog) that they kept locked in a cage, outdoors with very little interaction. 30+ years later I still remember how upset that made me. People who abuse and neglect animals should rot in prison and then in hell.

Edited February 28, 2019 by theredhead77

[walnutqueen]

People who abuse animals are at the top of my "kill if I'm dying" list.

[theredhead77]

My kitties give this 8 paws up! It's available on Amazon but Chewy shipped way faster.

https://www.chewy.com/snugglycat-ripple-rug-cat-activity/dp/149935

[bilgistic]

My girls would probably love that! Maybe for their adoptiversary in October if I have a job by then that pays more. Please god.

[Mindthinkr]

Happy Fat Tuesday to all my furry and feathered friends. 

(Sorry I couldn’t turn the picture around. I have the tech skills of a guppy) 

[Sandman87]

Fun facts about the purring deadbeats:

• Catsby has the most gigantic claws I've ever seen on a cat. No wonder he's not really afraid of anything.
• Calypso's black & white coat pattern continues into her mouth, where it's black & pink.

They've finally decided that it's ok to share a chair. Only took 10 months.

Catsby has appointed himself the official guard cat for our property. Here he's telling another cat to go away.

[bosawks]

Spring is coming, Alli can feel it!

[raven]

6 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Spring is coming, Alli can feel it!

We should all share Alli's bliss.

Her doggie toes look like people fingers 😊

[BuyMoreAndSave]

My cat that I grew up with was euthanized today. She was such a sweet cat and loving towards everyone. She was almost 15 so that's pretty long for a cat. We also had a second cat who was her littermate and we got them both as kittens, but she died a few years ago. They both died of the same thing -- they had some kind of autoimmune disease that appeared later in life and eventually went into kidney failure. I don't talk to my mom anymore so I hadn't seen the cat in about 3 1/2 years either so I didn't get to say goodbye or anything.

Anyway this is one reason why I will never own a pet again (except my MIL's conure who will probably live forever but it's not my choice to have her). It's all well and good when you're having fun times with them, but then they die.

Edited March 13, 2019 by BuyMoreAndSave

[isalicat]

So sorry about your childhood cat, Buymoreandsave....its hard to hear right now but in my opinion the great joy and privilege of having an animal companion far outweighs the inevitable sorrow as their lives are so much shorter than ours. When my tom, Mister Oh, had to be euthanized a couple of years ago (he was 20! and we found him on our mountain property at age 6 months), I was devastated as he saw me through a lot of things including major surgery and the recovery from that with love and purrs and snuggling that was irreplaceable. Nonetheless after 6 months I realized I could not imagine living without a cat in my home so we were able to be adopted by a shelter cat who is currently snoring on my office couch and is already an older guy so I certainly won't have 20 years with this one.

I'm old so I have had a number of cats now (and grew up with a lovely doggie) and its never easy to give them the gift of a peaceful passing but taking on that responsibility is also part of a life with pets and can be experienced with gratitude as well as sadness.

[Mindthinkr]

@BuyMoreAndSave 

My condolences and purrs from the Mindthinkr kitties. 

[BuyMoreAndSave]

5 hours ago, isalicat said:

So sorry about your childhood cat, Buymoreandsave....its hard to hear right now but in my opinion the great joy and privilege of having an animal companion far outweighs the inevitable sorrow as their lives are so much shorter than ours. When my tom, Mister Oh, had to be euthanized a couple of years ago (he was 20! and we found him on our mountain property at age 6 months), I was devastated as he saw me through a lot of things including major surgery and the recovery from that with love and purrs and snuggling that was irreplaceable. Nonetheless after 6 months I realized I could not imagine living without a cat in my home so we were able to be adopted by a shelter cat who is currently snoring on my office couch and is already an older guy so I certainly won't have 20 years with this one.

I'm old so I have had a number of cats now (and grew up with a lovely doggie) and its never easy to give them the gift of a peaceful passing but taking on that responsibility is also part of a life with pets and can be experienced with gratitude as well as sadness.

1 minute ago, Mindthinkr said:

@BuyMoreAndSave 

My condolences and purrs from the Mindthinkr kitties. 

Thanks guys ❤️

[Moose135]

I'm so sorry, @BuyMoreAndSave.  I know how hard it is to lose a furry friend.

Some good news on the pet front - GF knows a number of local Aussie breeders, and several have told her when she's ready, they'll have a puppy for her.  One friend has just offered a 1-year-old Aussie - he came from a litter her dog sired, and the owner is looking to return him, as they are having some difficulties (I think they just didn't realize the energy Aussies have.)  He's housebroken and crate trained, and she's heard from a few people that he has an amazingly friendly personality.  We should be able to meet him in about two weeks, so we'll see how it goes.

[theredhead77]

The cat-cat was sneezing a lot yesterday. I know cats don't normally sneeze so this is mildly concerning and I'll be calling the vet tomorrow if it continues. They did determine my sweet CA boy is allergic to GA so I figure that's what it is.

I was looking at switching their cat food from Purina Cat-Naturals to something else to help with their weight management and the kitten-cats skin allergies (the vet wants to put him on Royal Canin $$$$$ food that I can't afford) I started reading the reviews for Blue Buffalo. Holy shit! So many kitties got sick and died within a week of eating their food. How is this not all over the news??

[AgentRXS]

I use Crave. My picky girls love it! : https://www.cravepetfoods.com/pet-food/dry-cat/chicken

[theredhead77]

16 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

I use Crave. My picky girls love it! : https://www.cravepetfoods.com/pet-food/dry-cat/chicken

I was looking at Crave. Is it made in the USA or Canada? That's one of my big things

[AgentRXS]

5 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I was looking at Crave. Is it made in the USA or Canada? That's one of my big things 

It is owned by Mars Pet Care, with a US based PO Box, but there is a also a Canadian address listed on the bag as well. So I'm not sure. 

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

It is owned by Mars Pet Care, with a US based PO Box, but there is a also a Canadian address listed on the bag as well. So I'm not sure. 

Thanks! I was trying to find it on the bag at Target, and on their website. I only buy cat food / treats from companies that manufacturer in the US or Canada. I was on my phone when I responded first. Now that I'm at a computer it looks like it is made in the US. They also make Royal Canin 

[walnutqueen]

3 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I use Crave. My picky girls love it! : https://www.cravepetfoods.com/pet-food/dry-cat/chicken

My Babalu is on a prescription diet, but I feed Purina Cat Naturals to my semi-ferals.  Nighttime cat bowls get regular cat chow or whatever's cheap, 'cause the possum and raccoons hoover that shit up!).  They also get "treats" of the good stuff when it's on sale at Grocery outlet.  They loved the EVO, and are now working their way through a couple of bags of Crave.  Some prefer the cheaper stuff, and some go straight for the high end food.

[theredhead77]

On 3/14/2019 at 9:33 AM, theredhead77 said:

The cat-cat was sneezing a lot yesterday. I know cats don't normally sneeze so this is mildly concerning and I'll be calling the vet tomorrow if it continues. They did determine my sweet CA boy is allergic to GA so I figure that's what it is.

Official diagnosis: allergic to Georgia! (Vet said he's healthy)

[Bastet]

Hills has expanded the recall of some of its dog food (for elevated levels of Vitamin D, announced at the end of January); the updated list of affected products is here.

[Moose135]

Say hello to Jake!  He's a year-old Australian Shepherd - his birthday was this past Saturday - and we brought him home last night.  GF has a good friend who breeds Aussies, and had promised her a puppy from her next litter, in about 3 months.  Jake was from an earlier litter and went to an owner about an hour away. They ended up returning him, I think they just didn't realize how much energy a young (or even older) Aussie has - they have a couple of older Labs, so they're experienced pet parents, but Aussies can be a handful, always a ball of energy.

He's a big lovable mush, a snugglebug, something Denali wasn't.  We're working on getting used to each other, he's been through a bunch in the past few weeks going from home to home.  He does know some basic commands, and we're having to break him of climbing on furniture and the bed.  He's also a "counter surfer" which we knew since his grandfather (owned by our breeder friend) is also one, and apparently it's genetic.

He's a good size and structure for a show dog, but the asymmetrical markings on his head would keep him out of confirmation trials - that's what you would see if you were watching the Westminster Dog Show, where dogs are judges on how they conform to the breed standards.  He can still compete in agility and obedience trials, which we will probably do once he is a little older.

We're really looking forward to how things go with him.  So far, we haven't seen or heard of any negatives that might arise.  Right now, he's sleeping on the floor next to me. He really is a sweetheart!

[Mindthinkr]

Oh Moose, Jake is handsome. Perfect confirmation or not. I hope that he gives years of joy to you and your Lady friend. Agility? Lol...who’s going to train who. With all that energy? A counter surfer? I’ve never heard of a dog who does that, but I know people who let their cats up on the kitchen counter and table. That’s  a peeve of mine. Best wishes to your new extended family. Purrs from the Mindthinkr kitties. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by Mindthinkr
Punctuation

[Moose135]

Just now, Mindthinkr said:

A counter surfer? I’ve never heard of a dog who does that but I know people who let their cats up on the kitchen counter and table and that’s a peeve of mine.

He doesn't actually climb on the counter, but will stick his nose up to see what's there, and if there's any food near the edge, he'll try to grab it.

[theredhead77]

7 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I know people who let their cats up on the kitchen counter and table.

Cat is gonna cat so I wipe down the counters before I cook. I remove the kitten-cat when he jumps up but I turn around and he's back up there.

@Moose135 Jake is a floofy floof who just needs all the snuggles (and the bed!!!). I wanna boop his widdle node and give him all the cuddles!