Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Gramto6]

Most of my cats at breakfast 10-28-24.  5-8 are missing, out hunting I guess.

[Mindthinkr]

@Gramto6 That’s a big crowd! They are lucky to have you feed them 😺

[meep.meep]

There's one plate that no one is eating from.  Is that the diet food?

[pinkandsparkly13]

Some of the stray cats at my Aunt's house

[pinkandsparkly13]

Momma. Ha

[fastiller]

Quote

First time posting in this thread.  Loving all the kitty/doggo photos and stories.  Allow me please to add a few of my little guy.  His name is Fuinniúil DC.  Fuinniúil means feisty or energetic in Irish.  DC stands for Demon Child.  He was found in the bushes in front of my neighbor's front door on 07 June.  She couldn't keep him.  He was about a month old at the time.  There was no sign of Mama or other kitties and there's nowhere he could've walked from in the area.  We think he was dumped.  I have more but I'm supposed to be working.  First shot is from the day after Gotcha Day.

 

 

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, fastiller said:

 

BABY KITTY :D! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

[fastiller]

29 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

BABY KITTY :D! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

Every time I see a video of a kitty that age, or scroll past a photo of him from that time, I say to him "Fuinniúil DC, I miss those days when you were that smol!!!"

His head right now us the size his entire body was.  They grow up so fast! Snifff!

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Every time I see a video of a kitty that age, or scroll past a photo of him from that time, I say to him "Fuinniúil DC, I miss those days when you were that smol!!!"

His head right now us the size his entire body was.  They grow up so fast! Snifff!

Awwwwww :').

We adopted our cats when they were already adults, so I have no idea what they looked like when they were kittens and I wish we had, like, a photo or something of them when they were babies. Lily in particular is a big cat, it's hard sometimes to imagine she was ever as small as the kitten in that picture up above :p. 

[Bastet]

20 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

We adopted our cats when they were already adults, so I have no idea what they looked like when they were kittens and I wish we had, like, a photo or something of them when they were babies. Lily in particular is a big cat, it's hard sometimes to imagine she was ever as small as the kitten in that picture up above :p. 

In my entire life with cats, only three of them came to me as kittens (and only two of those as young kittens, the other was six months), the rest were adults, so I always wonder what they looked like as kittens.  Because the only thing in the world even cuter than a cat is a kitten.

Riley is a small cat overall, especially her head and paws, and I'd just love to have seen what a teeny tiny version of her looked like.

[isalicat]

I don't have any info to offer as to where this is, or anything else, but is this not lovely? The spirit of St. Francis is alive and well!

Edited November 16 by isalicat

[graybrown bird]

What a lovely picture of kindness and peace!

[SVNBob]

9 hours ago, isalicat said:

I don't have any info to offer as to where this is, or anything else, but is this not lovely? The spirit of St. Francis is alive and well!

Did a reverse image search and found an Instagram post from earlier this year (a post for International Cat Day) by the photographer that included this picture.  Per him, it's at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria of Foresta, Rieti, Italy, back in 2004.  And the Sanctuary does indeed house a Franciscan order.

[EtheltoTillie]

When I had kittens they were so much fun.  Run around run around run around drop and fall asleep.  Lather rinse repeat.  Hilarious!

Then they grow up so fast and they are fun of another kind. 

I've always adopted adult dogs -- never had a puppy -- but when we had cats they were raised from kittens. 

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Run around run around run around drop and fall asleep. 

We joked that Louise had narcolepsy as a kitten, for all the times she fell asleep in the middle of doing something.  Including eating, so she once fell asleep with her head in her food bowl.  Good thing she wasn't drinking.

[Browncoat]

15 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Including eating, so she once fell asleep with her head in her food bowl. 

My brother did that once, when he was around two.

[Gramto6]

On 11/11/2024 at 4:44 PM, meep.meep said:

There's one plate that no one is eating from.  Is that the diet food?

LOL! The cat that was eating there is very shy and she bolted as soon as I pulled out my phone to take the photo.  She was back just as I left them....

Speaking of kittens, before I had all of my feral cats fixed there were several times when I'd have up to 3 mamas at one time. Each had 3-5 kittens. What was so cute is that all the mamas accepted any of the kittens to nurse. What a riot to watch them all grow. No more  kittens here any more...

Edited November 19 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Annber03]

18 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

What was so cute is that all the mamas accepted any of the kittens to nurse. 

I've heard about how some cats will do that, yeah. It's so sweet when an animal takes in a baby, be it of their own species or sometimes a whole other species entirely, and cares for it as though it were their own baby. 

[Gramto6]

At that point in time all the mamas were littermates themselves so for them to nurse each others kittens probably was not so unusual. They all had the same "family" scent so they let any kitten nurse, they did know their own though when any other cat started nosing around the babies. 

[Absolom]

I used to foster unweaned kittens.  I had two male and two female cats of my own.  The cats who helped raise the foster kitties were the males!  They snuggled the babies to keep them warm, they took them to the food dish to learn to eat, they even plopped them in the litter box when it was time.

[Katrina Kate]

This reminds me of Grandpa Mason and his kittens.

https://www.facebook.com/MasonAndKittens

 

[Moose135]

These two are getting along better and better every day. Well, at least when Jake isn't trying to swallow her head.

[Is Everyone Gone]

I am a mess. My beautiful 19 year old cat has been dealing with kidney disease for about 3 years. We've been giving her fluids and watching her diet, but recently her values have gone up again. I've been a wreck. She's still eating, having fun, being feisty and snotty, so we're going to let her be, but I am so afraid that the end is near.

[Bastet]

28 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

I am a mess. My beautiful 19 year old cat has been dealing with kidney disease for about 3 years. We've been giving her fluids and watching her diet, but recently her values have gone up again. I've been a wreck. She's still eating, having fun, being feisty and snotty, so we're going to let her be, but I am so afraid that the end is near.

I'll post later this week some questions and suggestions, but right now I just want to let you know I'm thinking of you.  The important part is that she feels fine.  She has no idea she has CKD, let alone what stage it is.  She just knows how she feels from day to day, and that's happy and loved.  It's your brain where the turmoil of what ifs and whens goes on.  And you feel an absolute mess when that's happening.  You can't easily and quickly talk yourself out of that.  I know and empathize with what you're feeling.  Hugs.

[Is Everyone Gone]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I'll post later this week some questions and suggestions, but right now I just want to let you know I'm thinking of you.  The important part is that she feels fine.  She has no idea she has CKD, let alone what stage it is.  She just knows how she feels from day to day, and that's happy and loved.  It's your brain where the turmoil of what ifs and whens goes on.  And you feel an absolute mess when that's happening.  You can't easily and quickly talk yourself out of that.  I know and empathize with what you're feeling.  Hugs.

Yeah I'm trying to remain upbeat. I know that for now, she's still happy and a total snot, but the vet's call just made me realize how senior she is and that she does have health problems that are getting worse. She's such a special cat.

[Bastet]

On 11/19/2024 at 7:30 PM, Is Everyone Gone said:

Yeah I'm trying to remain upbeat. I know that for now, she's still happy and a total snot, but the vet's call just made me realize how senior she is and that she does have health problems that are getting worse. She's such a special cat.

What stage is her kidney disease (CKD)? 

Does she eat the prescription (low phosphorus) food or regular food?  If the latter, have you ever tried adding aluminum hydroxide, a phosphorus binder, to her food (if she eats wet food)?  Their phosphorus level tends to be the one that makes them not feel well when it gets into stage 4 numbers.  The Rx food is low phosphorus (that's why it requires a prescription, as the low phosphorus content does not meet regular nutrition standards), but, unfortunately, it's also low in protein.  It's based on research done on rats, and then tested in dogs.  Unlike either of those species, cats are obligate carnivores -- they need lots of protein! 

Now, a low-protein diet (and the junk ingredients those companies shamefully use in their expensive food) causes problems in the long term, not immediately, so in a senior cat many feel it's fine to just go ahead and feed the Rx food in order to get the low phosphorus content that will slow the progression of the CKD, because by the time the protein deficiency would start causing problems, the cat will already have died (either from the CKD or another cause).  But some cats won't eat the Rx food, and there are owners who don't want to feed it (especially if their cat is younger).  So where a cat is eating regular food, the phosphorus binder will reduce the amount of phosphorus they actually take in.  Aluminum hydroxide powder is pretty close to odorless and tasteless, so many cats will allow it to be mixed into their food.

This site is a fantastic repository of information on feline CKD, but because it has so much information, it can be overwhelming.  It's good to start here, process that information, and then go to the Home page and start digging around a little at a time.

(My cat Maddie was only about 9 years old when she was diagnosed with CKD.  I fed a regular canned food that had the lowest phosphorus content of any commercially available [a Solid Gold formula that unfortunately no longer exists] and monitored her hydration, giving her subQ fluids when she needed a little boost.  Her values fluctuated from the high end of normal to stage two, but were most often in the stage one range.  She died seven years later of an unrelated illness, with normal kidney values.)

[Is Everyone Gone]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

What stage is her kidney disease (CKD)? 

Does she eat the prescription (low phosphorus) food or regular food?  If the latter, have you ever tried adding aluminum hydroxide, a phosphorus binder, to her food (if she eats wet food)?  Their phosphorus level tends to be the one that makes them not feel well when it gets into stage 4 numbers.  The Rx food is low phosphorus (that's why it requires a prescription, as the low phosphorus content does not meet regular nutrition standards), but, unfortunately, it's also low in protein.  It's based on research done on rats, and then tested in dogs.  Unlike either of those species, cats are obligate carnivores -- they need lots of protein! 

Now, a low-protein diet (and the junk ingredients those companies shamefully use in their expensive food) causes problems in the long term, not immediately, so in a senior cat many feel it's fine to just go ahead and feed the Rx food in order to get the low phosphorus content that will slow the progression of the CKD, because by the time the protein deficiency would start causing problems, the cat will already have died (either from the CKD or another cause).  But some cats won't eat the Rx food, and there are owners who don't want to feed it (especially if their cat is younger).  So where a cat is eating regular food, the phosphorus binder will reduce the amount of phosphorus they actually take in.  Aluminum hydroxide powder is pretty close to odorless and tasteless, so many cats will allow it to be mixed into their food.

This site is a fantastic repository of information on feline CKD, but because it has so much information, it can be overwhelming.  It's good to start here, process that information, and then go to the Home page and start digging around a little at a time.

(My cat Maddie was only about 9 years old when she was diagnosed with CKD.  I fed a regular canned food that had the lowest phosphorus content of any commercially available [a Solid Gold formula that unfortunately no longer exists] and monitored her hydration, giving her subQ fluids when she needed a little boost.  Her values fluctuated from the high end of normal to stage two, but were most often in the stage one range.  She died seven years later of an unrelated illness, with normal kidney values.)

She's had CKD for about three years. We do feed her kidney food. She won't take the wet food, but does eat the medicated dry food. I don't know what stage she's in, just that her BUM levels have shot up.

She's also a bit cranky and likes rotisserie chicken as a snack which we give her. We figure she's 19 (actually turned 19 in July) and we want her to have a good life in the amount of time she has left. She is a very senior cat.

[Bastet]

33 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

She's had CKD for about three years. We do feed her kidney food. She won't take the wet food, but does eat the medicated dry food. I don't know what stage she's in, just that her BUM levels have shot up.

I wouldn't worry right now, then; the BUN is affected by things other than kidney disease as well, and it can be significantly high at one point and then back down where it usually is by the next test.  So if the creatinine and phosphorus levels did not also shoot up, she's probably still bopping along at a slow progression of the disease.  Stage 3 of CKD can last a long time, and even Stage 4 doesn't necessarily mean the end is near.

Since she's eating dry food, is she a good water drinker?  You may need to increase her subQ fluids, as dehydration is obviously an issue with CKD and it's specifically something that can cause the BUN to go up.  There can be too much of a good thing, so you don't want to give too much, especially at one time, but she may need more the older and farther along in the disease process she gets.  How much do you give her at a time, and how often?

That she's eating well speaks to her still having good time left at her advanced age, especially if she's only three years into CKD.  Just keep an eye on her hydration, and otherwise continue indulging and enjoying her.  (So long as it's not too salty, that rotisserie chicken is a great treat for her -- tasty, has moisture content, and has good protein.)

[Is Everyone Gone]

17 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I wouldn't worry right now, then; the BUN is affected by things other than kidney disease as well, and it can be significantly high at one point and then back down where it usually is by the next test.  So if the creatinine and phosphorus levels did not also shoot up, she's probably still bopping along at a slow progression of the disease.  Stage 3 of CKD can last a long time, and even Stage 4 doesn't necessarily mean the end is near.

Since she's eating dry food, is she a good water drinker?  You may need to increase her subQ fluids, as dehydration is obviously an issue with CKD and it's specifically something that can cause the BUN to go up.  There can be too much of a good thing, so you don't want to give too much, especially at one time, but she may need more the older and farther along in the disease process she gets.  How much do you give her at a time, and how often?

That she's eating well speaks to her still having good time left at her advanced age, especially if she's only three years into CKD.  Just keep an eye on her hydration, and otherwise continue indulging and enjoying her.  (So long as it's not too salty, that rotisserie chicken is a great treat for her -- tasty, has moisture content, and has good protein.)

Yes she drinks tons of water. In the summer when it's hot, we are constantly refilling her water bowls. We give her subc fluids twice a week. 

She's so special. She looks exactly like Puss n Boots in Shrek.

 

[Anela]

I went through orientation at the dog pound in one local city, eight years ago this thanksgiving (the Saturday after), but I could never get over there.  I’m thinking about asking for a refresher, and seeing if I can get over there on my dad’s day off, because they’ve always needed more help during the week.  
 

I got into a bit of an argument with my aunt, this afternoon, after she commented on one of my posts.  Something for a political thread. I see these dogs, and I just what to go and hug all of them.  I can’t afford another one.  One sweety was said to have been abandoned  by their family, and was on the run for weeks.  

[Anela]

My cat George, is at a good weight now.  He’s eating, and in good spirits.  Cutie is still pooping everywhere, but he seems fine otherwise. Except for the constant sniffles.  I’m still trying to get a lysine supplement into him, and dad has been giving them B12 drops, but they’ve stopped drinking the bit of milk with those added.  So, I’m going to have to figure out something else.  

[fairffaxx]

Churu treats come in little tubes & can be squeezed out (like toothpaste) onto a saucer -- then it's easy to stir in a smashed up pill that's been dissolved in warm water, or a dose of liquid meds.  I've never met a cat who didn't love them.

[Mindthinkr]

My 21 year old cat has been at the beginning of stage 3 kidney disease for 3 years. Although she’s good about staying hydrated, I sometimes add a no sodium chicken or beef broth to her wet food as she basically just likes the gravy or her food very wet. 

[Bastet]

Y'all!  Riley never lets anyone else touch her when I'm home, and when I'm gone and someone comes over to feed her, her desperation may after a few days lead her to let them touch her head with one finger for a second.  But my friend who's feeding her during my Thanksgiving vacation emailed me to report that on day one, Riley first let her pet her chin and then later got on the bed with her and they spent 20 minutes with Riley getting petted while purring and getting petted.  My friend will stay longer tomorrow (she had to get home to start cooking).  Unreal!  It's such a relief; for the first year, I don't have to feel guilty that Riley has no interaction for over 72 hours.

[Mindthinkr]

21 hours ago, Bastet said:

Y'all!  Riley never lets anyone else touch her when I'm home, and when I'm gone and someone comes over to feed her, her desperation may after a few days lead her to let them touch her head with one finger for a second.  But my friend who's feeding her during my Thanksgiving vacation emailed me to report that on day one, Riley first let her pet her chin and then later got on the bed with her and they spent 20 minutes with Riley getting petted while purring and getting petted.  My friend will stay longer tomorrow (she had to get home to start cooking).  Unreal!  It's such a relief; for the first year, I don't have to feel guilty that Riley has no interaction for over 72 hours.

I’m so happy for you. What a relief. It’s hard to leave our anti-social-ish cats to travel. You having someone that they like, who truly cares about them, it makes them worth their weight in gold. Enjoy the rest of your vacation! 

Edited November 29 by Mindthinkr
Poor grammar

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

You having someone that they like, who truly cares about them, it makes them worth their weight in gold.

Exactly.  I have everyone whose kitties I take care of telling me what a game-changer it is to be able to go away knowing the cats will be not just safe but happy and loved, and that's how it was when my parents/my friend took care of my other cats.  But with Riley I felt guilty that she didn't have that daily "yay, I'm getting cuddles" time.  Now she's suddenly figured out it's a good thing.  She wasn't as cuddly today, but they did hang out on my bed for an hour, with occasional petting and lots of purring.

[Browncoat]

There is a pet food brand in New Zealand called "Prey."  I may or may not have laughed out loud when I saw it.  So perfect.

[peacheslatour]

On 11/15/2024 at 5:13 PM, Annber03 said:

Awwwwww :').

We adopted our cats when they were already adults, so I have no idea what they looked like when they were kittens and I wish we had, like, a photo or something of them when they were babies. Lily in particular is a big cat, it's hard sometimes to imagine she was ever as small as the kitten in that picture up above :p. 

We got Elizabeth when she was only 8 weeks old. Their first vet who looked at her said 12 weeks but our vet, the one who recognized that she was probably Maine c**** put her at 8 weeks because of  her teeth.

Here her mane is really coming in.

 

[Gramto6]

My late Baby Boo (avatar) was a good part Maine C**** . You can't see it too well in that photo.

Mama Millie, the OG of all my feral community, who now lives indoors looks like she may have some in her too. The other day she was annoyed because I was doing a lot of walking in the house and not making a lap available for her so she picked a box I was getting ready to use to sit in to get back at me!!

 

Edited December 6 by Gramto6

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

My late Baby Boo (avatar) was a good part Maine C**** . You can't see it too well in that photo.

Mama Millie, the OG of all my feral community, who now lives indoors looks like she may have some in her too. The other day she was annoyed because I was doing a lot of walking in the house and not making a lap available for her so she picked a box I was getting ready to use to sit in to get back at me!!

 

What a beauty! Haha! I just noticed the filter, I have to remember to call her a Maine Cookie. 😆

[Gramto6]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

What a beauty! Haha! I just noticed the filter, I have to remember to call her a Maine Cookie. 😆

That's a great substitution!! 

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We got Elizabeth when she was only 8 weeks old. Their first vet who looked at her said 12 weeks but our vet, the one who recognized that she was probably Maine c**** put her at 8 weeks because of  her teeth.

Here her mane is really coming in.

 

Such pretty fur! I want to pet her!

4 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

My late Baby Boo (avatar) was a good part Maine C**** . You can't see it too well in that photo.

Mama Millie, the OG of all my feral community, who now lives indoors looks like she may have some in her too. The other day she was annoyed because I was doing a lot of walking in the house and not making a lap available for her so she picked a box I was getting ready to use to sit in to get back at me!!

 

LOL, that is one hell of glare she's giving there :p! "Um, excuse me, Mom, you are not paying enough attention to me, how dare you?" 

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

 

LOL, that is one hell of glare she's giving there :p! "Um, excuse me, Mom, you are not paying enough attention to me, how dare you?" 

Yeah, she was not happy with me then.  It was her lap time (she does have me fairly well trained) and I had the audacity to be doing something other than sitting down and holding her!!

[peacheslatour]

18 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Yeah, she was not happy with me then.  It was her lap time (she does have me fairly well trained) and I had the audacity to be doing something other than sitting down and holding her!!

Elizabeth has two designated lap times. One precisely at 4 PM the other is as soon as my husband goes to bed while I stay up. She stays for around 15 minutes and then she's done.

[Annber03]

Our cat Lily is big on lap time, too. Once my mom is home for the evening, the moment she sits down, even if she's only planning to sit for a few moments before doing something, boom. Lily is immediately up on her lap or trying to get on her lap. And when she does sit on my mom's lap, my mom often has to physically move her to get up, otherwise she'll be happy to just sit there as long as possible :p. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 12/6/2024 at 1:48 PM, Gramto6 said:

My late Baby Boo (avatar) was a good part Maine C**** . You can't see it too well in that photo.

Mama Millie, the OG of all my feral community, who now lives indoors looks like she may have some in her too. The other day she was annoyed because I was doing a lot of walking in the house and not making a lap available for her so she picked a box I was getting ready to use to sit in to get back at me!!

 

If it fits I sits.  This sort of photo is a fave in the Reddit jigawpuzzlecats community. 

Very pretty cat. 

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Elizabeth has two designated lap times. One precisely at 4 PM the other is as soon as my husband goes to bed while I stay up. She stays for around 15 minutes and then she's done.

My dog Trixie is too big to be a lap dog but she has specific times for sleeping in different places. She rotates from office to sofa to our bed. 

[bosawks]

Just a couple of pics that didn’t make the Holiday Card for some reason or other….