Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[FlyingEgret]

So cute!

[Mindthinkr]

Good news. Dr Rebecca (our new vet, mind you heavily screened) gave me a free bag of Purina Rx Diet food for my baby boy. Well, now they could care less about their wet food and fight to get the diet stuff! Who knew dieting could be so easy. I expected them to turn their noses up at it. Lol...the jokes on me. After I spend the dosh to buy the next bag they probably will!! 

@Bastet Glad things are working out with Riley and he wasn't ill. Good luck with his dentistry. 

@AgentRXS Diamond and Ella are adorable. Love them holding paws (or the kitty equivalent) 

Had a baby Female Cardinal trapped in my garage when I got home this afternoon. I had stupidly left the door open when I went to the horse barn.  She was disoriented, scared and calling out for her mama as she wasn't much of a flyer yet. I (on second try as I didn't want to scare the wee thing to death) finally was able to shoo her out into the great outdoors much to my relief. I wouldn't have closed the door fencing her in. 

[bilgistic]

Look at my perfect little dancer's feet in semi-third position.

[DeLurker]

Spooning

[DeLurker]

My Mom's cat - doesn't really like anyone but her.  Has reluctantly begun to let me pet her this summer or scratch behind her ears. She isn't friendly with my intruding pets nor excited about having a dog of her own.

Any idea what kind of cat she might be?  I just assume everything is a domestic short of long hair unless they are Siamese. Her legs are actually short .

 

[AgentRXS]

@DeLurker Looks like a Main Coon mixed with a Muchkin. She's adorable...look at that prissy little attitude!

[bilgistic]

2 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Spooning

Oh, my heart! How did you not lay in the floor with them and become the biggest spoon??

[Mindthinkr]

 

The good (ish) this cheeky girl and others that are now feeding at my yard. 

The bad. That pack of wild dogs came back during daylight hours (at my daughters) and caught their pumpkin tabby and bit his ear off. That's two cats with permanent damage. A literal crying shame. 

We are actually too wary to let the 9 yr old grandson go out and play in the fields alone lest they corner him. It's getting scary. 

[walnutqueen]

51 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

 

The good (ish) this cheeky girl and others that are now feeding at my yard. 

The bad. That pack of wild dogs came back during daylight hours (at my daughters) and caught their pumpkin tabby and bit his ear off. That's two cats with permanent damage. A literal crying shame. 

We are actually too wary to let the 9 yr old grandson go out and play in the fields alone lest they corner him. It's getting scary. 

Adorable deer.  Such lovely creatures!

Maybe it is time for your daughter's cats to transition to strictly indoor?  

To be honest, I have worried about this with my own backyard ferals.  I am a firm believer in keeping all cats indoors; yet these ones were born in the wild and were just barely trapped & spay/neutered as kittens to be re-released, as I knew I couldn't take in another half dozen kitties while the last of my senior cats were draining my retirement funds with their vet bills.   Thankfully, they all seem to stick very close to home - i.e. my back yard, where no predators can reach them.  Also thankfully, the resident raccoons, possums and even skunks don't ever fight with or attack them.  I do worry about the ones who don't let me come near them (basically 4 out of 6), should they ever need veterinary care, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.  So far, the only 2 who needed emergency care were the ones I could pet & catch (and sadly, poor Uncle Big Boy was so sick with sudden end-stage leukemia he needed to be euthanized last December).  :-(

That said, after the first attack, I'd never let those kitties out of my sight again ...

Oh, who am I kidding?  I'd probably be sleeping with the chickens.  ;-D

[Mindthinkr]

@walnutqueen

My SIL is highly allergic to cats so bringing them into the house is not an option. He rarely (MAYBE once a year) comes into my house for a visit but becomes miserable after literally 5 minutes. He does take an allergy pill but he still is uncomfortable. They did begin to lock them into their garage (very big) at night with a litter box but did not expect the pack to show up during daylight hours. I'm sure those poor cats are even too scared to leave it. 

My cats used to be able to use a cat flap and have nonrestrictive entry to and from my last place, but we lived on an island with no predators. My vet has warned me, as have many others, that there are coyotes where I now reside. Mine have turned into indoor kitties. They aren't so young that this has become too much of a bother with them whining at doors, scratching and acting out. I think they are just grateful to have room to roam. They had previously been confined to one room while awaiting the closing of the new place. I also spend extra time playing with them to keep their boredom at bay. They love to chase a laser pointer and I have a dangling toy my big boy hates. It's the bell. He will do about anything to silence that bell. 

They haven't replaced their chicken brood. I think it's a mixture of being heartbroken, not having found a permanent solution to the feral dog problem and cost. They are working on eradicating the dogs. After this daylight raid they can't let their youngest son out to play alone lest they appear and attack him. 

I'm sorry for blethering on too much about this issue. I'll retreat quietly now. Thanks for everyone's support. 

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

@walnutqueen

My SIL is highly allergic to cats so bringing them into the house is not an option. He rarely (MAYBE once a year) comes into my house for a visit but becomes miserable after literally 5 minutes. He does take an allergy pill but he still is uncomfortable. They did begin to lock them into their garage (very big) at night with a litter box but did not expect the pack to show up during daylight hours. I'm sure those poor cats are even too scared to leave it. 

What about a catio with chain link fencing instead of chicken wire? It wouldn't be very attractive, but the kitties could be "outside" while being safe from the wild dogs.

[Mindthinkr]

6 hours ago, bilgistic said:

What about a catio with chain link fencing instead of chicken wire? It wouldn't be very attractive, but the kitties could be "outside" while being safe from the wild dogs.

I'll mention that to them. I think I remember seeing some previously on this thread. My SIL is handy with tools and building...hmm. Thanks Bilgistic, you've gotten the wheels in my brain turning. 

[bilgistic]

Thanks for putting these clean towels here for me!

[Bastet]

Ha!  I built a shelf into my laundry room to turn wasted space between the wall and the dryer into a table for folding (and then the hamper slides right underneath it), but sometimes, especially with towels for some reason, I instead haul the pile into my bedroom so I can fold while watching TV, using the bed as my "table."  Riley must assist, of course, so I have to distract her with toys to avoid that exact same scenario.

[bilgistic]

He had to knead the pile first to make sure it was the perfect loftiness before he planted himself there. It was so cute that I couldn't disturb him.

[slf]

Has anyone had any experience with kidney failure in a cat? My 6 year old Bella was diagnosed with kidney failure yesterday and she's at the animal ER now on fluids. They say she still isn't eating tho and it's been about six days now. Her liver is still okay so far. I'm trying to realistically assess her needs, odds, etc. She's so young, it was a shock to hear that diagnosis (even the vet). Has anyone had this happen to their cat? 

[bilgistic]

2 hours ago, slf said:

Has anyone had any experience with kidney failure in a cat? My 6 year old Bella was diagnosed with kidney failure yesterday and she's at the animal ER now on fluids. They say she still isn't eating tho and it's been about six days now. Her liver is still okay so far. I'm trying to realistically assess her needs, odds, etc. She's so young, it was a shock to hear that diagnosis (even the vet). Has anyone had this happen to their cat? 

Find out a realistic prognosis from the vet. Find out about home care versus vet care. If it's not total failure, you can administer subcutaneous fluids at home for maintenance once she's released.

Cats need to eat to avoid liver disease, and kidney disease kitties need wet food and moisture. The vet can try an appetite stimulant. There are two--mirtazapine and cyproheptadine. I personally wouldn't use mirtazapine; it can cause seratonin syndrome wherein cats have a "bad high". I've seen it in Bilgisticat the one time I gave it to him, and it was rough on both of us.

Here are a couple of articles. The first one is very in-depth and informative; the second is more of an overview.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/08/06/kidney-disease-in-cats.aspx

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/kidneydisease.cfm

Bilgisticat has early CKD, but it's secondary to his other issues. It's a matter of balancing quality of life against the meds and needle pokes and vet visits. Cats are amazingly resilient, loving and forgiving.

I'd like to know what else the vet says. PM me if you'd like. I know of a CKD private Facebook support group. I belong to one for B-cat's other health issues, and the members have helped save his life with their advice.

Take a deep breath. Gather your thoughts. Make notes and take them to the vet. You can do this for her.

Edited August 6, 2017 by bilgistic

[JTMacc99]

3 hours ago, slf said:

Has anyone had any experience with kidney failure in a cat? My 6 year old Bella was diagnosed with kidney failure yesterday and she's at the animal ER now on fluids. They say she still isn't eating tho and it's been about six days now. Her liver is still okay so far. I'm trying to realistically assess her needs, odds, etc. She's so young, it was a shock to hear that diagnosis (even the vet). Has anyone had this happen to their cat? 

My Carl had kidney failure at the age of 14. 

[Bastet]

I'm sorry to hear about Bella, @slf.  Acute renal failure, also called acute kidney injury, is generally a complication of something else; have they found an underlying condition? 

Chronic renal failure (now called chronic kidney disease) is common in cats, and in some ways easier to deal with.  (Then again, acute is easier if you can find and easily treat the primary condition; then, poof -- kidney problems gone.)  You got some good info on that above, and this owner-to-owner site is a tremendous source of information.  (There is a section there on acute failure, too.)

I will be wishing Bella, and you, the best; please keep us posted as you are comfortable.  I second the suggestion to familiarize yourself with the disease(s) - it's very easy to overwhelm yourself doing this, so at this point just learn enough to ask questions - and then sit down with your vet and  ask your questions.  It generally helps to write them down, and then write down the answers (or have your vet answer them in writing).  It can be good to bring someone with you, for a second set of ears.

[bosawks]

Vacation!  And, bonus, Alli let me come too...

[slf]

Thanks for all the great advice and well wishes for Bella. Her vet and the ER believe the renal failure was brought on by an infection, they said there was bacteria in her kidney. The ER released her just a few hours ago; she's doing much better. She still hadn't eaten anything by the time I picked her up but I was able to tempt her with some treats when we got home and she's showing interest in wet food now, so fingers crossed. She'll be going to her regular vet tomorrow for follow-up treatment.

I really do appreciate the advice, I was freaking out as none of my others cats has ever had a really serious medical condition or died younger than 17 so this is a completely new (and unpleasant) experience for me. I've been reading the recommended sites and have learned a lot. I feel better equipped to handle this and am more optimistic.

[bilgistic]

Good to hear, @slf!

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, slf said:

Thanks for all the great advice and well wishes for Bella. Her vet and the ER believe the renal failure was brought on by an infection, they said there was bacteria in her kidney.

As odd as it sounds, I'm quite relieved to hear this!  Of all the usual suspects behind acute renal failure, if you have to go through it, that's the one you want -- some intensive therapy, antibiotics, and lots of TLC, and this becomes a bad memory with no lingering effects. 

I'm so pleased to hear she's showing interest in food now that she's home.  With a sick kitty, all dietary rules fly out the window for the time they're ill, so anything she'll eat is great; you definitely don't want hepatic lipidosis to set in and create a whole new problem.  Baby food - e.g. the Beech Nut formulas that are nothing but chicken/chicken broth or turkey/turkey broth - is often tempting to cats whose appetite is temporarily poor.  Same with "people food" treats -- poached chicken breast, some tuna, salmon or shrimp, etc.  Sometimes just warming up their regular food helps (it makes the smell stronger, which is tempting).  Or crumbling up treats (especially Temptations, which are basically kitty crack) on top of canned/raw food.  Raw chicken liver is a favorite of many, and it's quite healthy as a bonus.

I'm so glad to hear things are heading in the right direction, and look forward to progress reports!  I hope you two get some good sleep tonight.

[AgentRXS]

[JTMacc99]

HAHAHA! That is exactly how it would go down in my house. 

[Mindthinkr]

[slf]

I took Bella to her follow-up visit today. She's staying with them for the next 2-3 days to get more antibiotics and IV fluids. The vet is optimistic, tho, and after that we'll start her on antibiotics at home for the next four weeks. She was in a great mood, even though it was storming (thunder scares her to death), and the vet office is so in love with her they even contacted a local animal support group that will sponsor a pet and cover their medical costs since there were a couple of meds I couldn't afford (as the bill from the animal ER nearly wiped me out). So, all in all, I think it's going well enough given the situation. 

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

I'm so pleased to hear she's showing interest in food now that she's home.  With a sick kitty, all dietary rules fly out the window for the time they're ill, so anything she'll eat is great; you definitely don't want hepatic lipidosis to set in and create a whole new problem.  Baby food - e.g. the Beech Nut formulas that are nothing but chicken/chicken broth or turkey/turkey broth - is often tempting to cats whose appetite is temporarily poor.  Same with "people food" treats -- poached chicken breast, some tuna, salmon or shrimp, etc.  Sometimes just warming up their regular food helps (it makes the smell stronger, which is tempting).  Or crumbling up treats (especially Temptations, which are basically kitty crack) on top of canned/raw food.  Raw chicken liver is a favorite of many, and it's quite healthy as a bonus.

Thanks for these suggestions! She was showing a lot of interest in the wet food but wasn't really eating much of it so I'm going to try some of this when I bring her home again. (Especially the one about crumbling up some Temptations treats on top of canned food. A few years ago I bought one of those 16 oz. containers of the Seafood Medley flavor and she found it on the table, somehow got the top opened, and basically gorged herself. She loves those.)

58 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

That's true of Bella but man Amber would have a lot to say. Are orange cats required to yell so much or is it just mine?

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, slf said:

She was showing a lot of interest in the wet food but wasn't really eating much of it

That may indicate nausea (wanting to eat, but then turning away or eating very little, especially if you see her licking her lips), which would make perfect sense for her condition, so hopefully with some more IV fluid therapy to flush her system (basically, getting rid of the backlog of toxins that built up in her blood when her kidneys couldn't do their job), that won't be an issue.  But you can also give anti-nausea medications (Cerenia and/or Ondansetron - they work on different receptors in the brain, so giving both is sometimes the answer), so keep that in mind as something you might want to ask the vet about when it's time for her to come home, depending on how she's been eating for them.

LOL at her breaking into the Temptations treats and going to town.  Kitty crack, I tell you.

Quote

So, all in all, I think it's going well enough given the situation. 

It really does, and I'm so happy for you!  I think that she was in a great mood despite the circumstances is a terrific sign - she must feel so much better already. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Bastet

[Mindthinkr]

@slf That was wonderful that your vets office was able to find a support group to help with vet and med costs. How kind of them.  Sounds as tho things are progressing nicely and Bella should be home screaming at you to feed her in no time, especially with the addition of Temptations! 

[riley702]

On 8/7/2017 at 1:45 PM, slf said:

That's true of Bella but man Amber would have a lot to say. Are orange cats required to yell so much or is it just mine?

My brother and SIL have an orange cat named Pip, and boy is she a character! And ornery - she'll flop in front of you as though asking for a belly rub, but if you reach down, she'll grab you with her paws and bite you. And if you just walk away, she'll jump up and nip at the back of your leg. We think she thinks the bites are affectionate, but she bites a little hard for love bites.

Edited August 10, 2017 by riley702

[riley702]

I've had a bad weekend. :( Came home from work Saturday evening and Swiffer didn't come out to greet me and wouldn't eat when I gave them their nightly canned food. Found a puddle of puke that was entirely saliva/mucus. About 11:00 pm, Swiffer suddenly started hissing, growling and moaning in pain. Immediate flashback to when ShuShu (RIP) had a stroke. She growled when I tried to feel her belly and continued to moan and tried to hide under the bed. Her eyes were hugely dilated, which is a sign of pain. I loaded her up and drove her to the emergency animal hospital near the airport with her moaning and crying the whole time. Official diagnosis was gastritis. The vet said that with dogs, it's pretty much them eating something that didn't agree with them, but for cats, the causes are not as clear. We got blood work to rule out problems with liver, kidneys, and pancreas; and x-rays to rule out a bowel blockage or foreign body. Everything checked out, so she got a shot to stop the cramping and nausea (she was constantly licking her lips and the vet said that's a classic sign of nausea.). We stopped there, as we were closing in on my limit of $500 on the credit card. She was feeling better by the time I checked out at 3:00 am and slept all the way home even though she normally hates being in a car. I called in to work since I cannot function on 2-3 hours of sleep. She seemed a bit subdued yesterday and I tried to get her to eat bland stuff like yogurt, cottage cheese, and canned food with rice in it. She had a few mouthfuls and has used the litter box. She slept on top of the bed last night, curled up behind my leg, so I took that as a good sign. Her appetite still isn't back to normal, but she is eating. She is taking it easy on the cat tree looking out the window (it's cool enough that the windows are open), so I think she's on the mend now, but she scared the crap out of me.

[Bastet]

Yikes!  Sorry to hear that, @riley702. 

This sounds like another situation where it being the acute form of a condition is the best-case scenario -- acute gastritis tends to come and go quickly (within two or three days).  It's awful while it's here, but then it's gone and it's like it never happened.   And you usually don't find out what caused it, which on the one hand is annoying, but on the other is oodles better than an underlying condition that's going to cause the inflammation and its resulting symptoms to be chronic.

I hope that's the case for Swiffer, and indeed it sounds like she's on the mend.  This certainly didn't do your health any favors, so I hope you both get some good rest and feel better!

Oh, and your vet probably told you this, but don't worry about how much she eats over the next couple of days as this resolves; just let her eat however much she feels good enough to eat.  In fact, some vets tell you to withhold food and give only water for 48 hours, so as to let that inflammation settle down without any new irritation (but I'm always uncomfortable with the complete absence of food for even just a couple of days if it can be avoided). 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Bastet

[riley702]

Yes, I had an adrenaline crash headache yesterday, which I slept off.

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I love Adam, too!

2 hours ago, slf said:

That's true of Bella but man Amber would have a lot to say. Are orange cats required to yell so much or is it just mine?

Bilgisticat (orange tabby) never shuts up. Never. On the rare occasion I talk on the phone, he thinks I'm taking to him and carries on a conversation in the background. He was even worse at a kitten, as if that was possible. I've never encountered or had another cat as vocal as he is.

[JTMacc99]

2 hours ago, slf said:

That's true of Bella but man Amber would have a lot to say. Are orange cats required to yell so much or is it just mine?

Carl's brother Lenny was Orange. He was a noisy bugger. So maybe!

But I have to be honest, I'm sure Luna would open the text and just ignore it. Lenny? He'd definitely ignore it. He'd just wait until 3:00 AM to send me a text about what he wanted to talk about. And Carl would have would have texted back right away with a thumbs up emoji and then probably the ZZZ one. 

[EighteenTwelve]

Lily is orange and doesn't have a whole lot to say, unless I've been away on vacation for more than four days. Then I get 20 minutes of lecture. For the first five minutes I have to not laugh at her, because she hasn't warmed up her vocal cords and she sounds like they've rusted.

[Bastet]

I don't know how it is with dogs, but cats with excess stomach acid are generally given famotidine (Pepcid AC) rather than Mylanta, because of the latter's magnesium content (meaning it should not be used on cats with CKD, and it's unnecessary stress on healthy kidneys since there's an option more friendly to feline physiology).  The dosage is almost always 2.5 mg, but how often it should be given is per the vet's recommendation; they'll often have you try it every other day to see if that works, and increase if not (some cats with CKD or pancreatitis get it twice a day, because it's just that bad a problem for them). 

Hopefully none of the pTV recovering kitties need it; it's pretty yucky tasting.  (I believe there's an injectable form, but that's not exactly fun, either.)

[slf]

@riley702 I'm so sorry you and Swiffer had such a rough weekend. I'm glad to hear she's improving, tho. I'll keep you both in my thoughts.

[riley702]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

Bilgisticat (orange tabby) never shuts up. Never. On the rare occasion I talk on the phone, he thinks I'm taking to him and carries on a conversation in the background. He was even worse at a kitten, as if that was possible. I've never encountered or had another cat as vocal as he is.

Ha ha! No, cats don't understand phones. Lucy thinks I must be talking to her and she chats right back.

[walnutqueen]

50 minutes ago, Bastet said:

(I believe there's an injectable form, but that's not exactly fun, either.)

Yes, I used the injectable famotidine some years ago, as my little guy couldn't stand the oral option.

[theredhead77]

On 8/6/2017 at 7:08 AM, slf said:

Has anyone had any experience with kidney failure in a cat? My 6 year old Bella was diagnosed with kidney failure yesterday and she's at the animal ER now on fluids. They say she still isn't eating tho and it's been about six days now. Her liver is still okay so far. I'm trying to realistically assess her needs, odds, etc. She's so young, it was a shock to hear that diagnosis (even the vet). Has anyone had this happen to their cat? 

My kitty had kidney failure and my parents were thinking about sending him to kitty heaven if his quality of life wouldn't be good. I went to the vet with my  BFF who also knew kitty since his kittenhood. We both agreed he had some serious fight left in him and I convinced my parents to do the fluid route. He lived another 2.5 years of a happy, pain-free (except for the fluid needle) life.

[theredhead77]

5 hours ago, slf said:

That's true of Bella but man Amber would have a lot to say. Are orange cats required to yell so much or is it just mine?

I have two orange boys and both are talkers. The kitten-cat will go sit on my bed and then meow like his is injured until I come back and pet him. The cat-cat will sit in the kitchen or living room and meow incessantly until I go pick him up.

The kitten-cat has also decided that the hours between 4 and 5:30am  is time to play fetch. He'll bring me a toy, push it under my hand and then paw at me until I wake up to throw it.

[slf]

41 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

My kitty had kidney failure and my parents were thinking about sending him to kitty heaven if his quality of life wouldn't be good. I went to the vet with my  BFF who also knew kitty since his kittenhood. We both agreed he had some serious fight left in him and I convinced my parents to do the fluid route. He lived another 2.5 years of a happy, pain-free (except for the fluid needle) life.

Aw, I'm happy to hear that! 

34 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I have two orange boys and both are talkers. The kitten-cat will go sit on my bed and then meow like his is injured until I come back and pet him. The cat-cat will sit in the kitchen or living room and meow incessantly until I go pick him up.

The kitten-cat has also decided that the hours between 4 and 5:30am  is time to play fetch. He'll bring me a toy, push it under my hand and then paw at me until I wake up to throw it.

LOL, orange kittens are so dramatic. Your boys sound adorable (a cat that plays fetch!).

Sadly it was several years into my cat-ownership that I learned cats are naturally nocturnal. Supposedly you can curb their nighttime activities but I've had no luck. Amber in particular loves to tear through the house like it's the Indy 500 at least three times a week; she ends each run by bounding onto my bed and bellowing in my face. 

[JTMacc99]

2 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I am working on not thinking less of you for having a Carl, instead of a Squiggy. I mean seriously? 

Go right ahead. Heh.

Because I'm definitely thinking less of you for looking at my avatar, hearing me say my cats were named Lenny and Carl, and not placing how great that was. 

When I first discovered TWoP many moons ago, I remembered seeing @David T. Cole say that they spoke fluid Simpsons at TWoP headquarters.  I knew I had found my people. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by JTMacc99

[Mindthinkr]

My daughter has an orange cat. (Now known as the one eared kitty). He's not very vocal but he will head butt (Glaswegian kiss) you in a minute and if he wants to be picked up, petted, or sit on your lap he's not above a bite to let you know that he wants it, and he wants it now. 

[CoderLady]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

I don't know how it is with dogs, but cats with excess stomach acid are generally given famotidine (Pepcid AC) rather than Mylanta, because of the latter's magnesium content (meaning it should not be used on cats with CKD, and it's unnecessary stress on healthy kidneys since there's an option more friendly to feline physiology).  The dosage is almost always 2.5 mg, but how often it should be given is per the vet's recommendation; they'll often have you try it every other day to see if that works, and increase if not (some cats with CKD or pancreatitis get it twice a day, because it's just that bad a problem for them). 

Hopefully none of the pTV recovering kitties need it; it's pretty yucky tasting.  (I believe there's an injectable form, but that's not exactly fun, either.)

If you're willing to pay a bit more and there's a compounding veterinary pharmacy in your area, you can get famotidine in liquid form which I find easier to get into a cat. They'll even flavor it for you. My 20-year-old lady has gone through hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism (she got over-radiated) and has CKD but through all that she kicks my ass handily when I try to pill her and always manages to spit the damn thing out. With liquid, most if not all gets swallowed and I don't have to wrestle her fragile little body so much.   

[Bastet]

21 minutes ago, CoderLady said:

My 20-year-old lady has gone through hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism (she got over-radiated)

That happened to Baxter, too.  For the first two or three years, he was easily regulated on the meds (and he was really easy to give pills to - just put them in a Pill Pocket treat and he'd gobble them up, even a big, stinky Baytril), but then we couldn't keep his T4 in range without constantly tinkering with the dose, so I did the radioiodine therapy.  And, of course, given his propensity for all manner of ailments, he was among the percentage who went hypothyroid.  Thankfully, he did fine on those meds.

Famotidine also dissolves very easily, so you can dissolve it in water and give it that way for cats who take liquids better than pills, without the cost of compounding, but it still tastes awful.  As you said, with the compounding, they can make it (allegedly) taste like chicken, tuna, etc.  My friend had to do that with her cat's medicine once he got really old, as he suddenly refused to take a pill and it was like what you're describing - not fair to wrestle the frail old man.

I've been smiling at all the Chatty Cathy Cat stories.  Maddie talked a lot and had a remarkable repertoire of sounds.  Riley only talks under certain circumstances, so she only has a couple of different meows. 

Edited August 8, 2017 by Bastet

[CoderLady]

I also had the pharmacy compound levothyroxine into a transdermal cream since Gracie won't touch Pill Pockets, and the only thing I've managed to successfully hide pills in is bits of $24.99 per pound raw ahi. Not the optimal solution. We have a nightly ritual of her getting her ears cleaned with a soft gauze pad, a rice-grain sized amount of cream rubbed into the inside of one of her ears, then her getting served a dish containing an assortment of her favorite treats. She looks forward to it. Too bad not all medications can be administered transdermally but it's probably for the best -- unlike humans, there aren't a lot of places on a cat where you can apply a medication directly to the skin.

[JTMacc99]

22 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Haha, I know of this Lenny and Carl. Just for me, there is no Lenny without a Squiggy.

Understood. Squiggy would have been a terrible name for Carl. If anything, Lenny was the Squiggy.

Carl was definitely a Carl. He deserved an ordinary, slightly dignified name. The kind of name that makes you think of a buddy who was there for you through thick and thin. Definitely not a Squiggy. 

Luna has turned out to be good name for Luna. Very easy to stretch into lunatic, which can be apt for her antics.

[theredhead77]

17 hours ago, slf said:

Sadly it was several years into my cat-ownership that I learned cats are naturally nocturnal. Supposedly you can curb their nighttime activities but I've had no luck. Amber in particular loves to tear through the house like it's the Indy 500 at least three times a week; she ends each run by bounding onto my bed and bellowing in my face. 

A long session with a laser pointer before you go to bed does wonders. I've been known to wake the kitten-cat up before bed just to play so he'll sleep through the night. It works most nights.