Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Mindthinkr]

Speaking of how our furry friends are doing...

@MargeGunderson How is Kitty Gunderson the Elder doing? 

[MargeGunderson]

5 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Speaking of how our furry friends are doing...

@MargeGunderson How is Kitty Gunderson the Elder doing? 

Aw, thanks for asking! She's doing surprisingly well these days. Even though we discontinued the laser treatment (in the end it wasn't really helping her), she seems to be getting around pretty well. She hates the heat we've been having but refuses to use the Coolaroo bed we got her. (That bed will be donated to our next door neighbor who is bringing home a french bulldog puppy in a few weeks!)

In just over a month she will be 22 - I can't believe how fortunate we are to still have her, and for her to be in good health for her age. She's requested the stinkiest can of Fancy Feast I can find.

[Mindthinkr]

5 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

Aw, thanks for asking! She's doing surprisingly well these days. Even though we discontinued the laser treatment (in the end it wasn't really helping her), she seems to be getting around pretty well. She hates the heat we've been having but refuses to use the Coolaroo bed we got her. (That bed will be donated to our next door neighbor who is bringing home a french bulldog puppy in a few weeks!)

In just over a month she will be 22 - I can't believe how fortunate we are to still have her, and for her to be in good health for her age. She's requested the stinkiest can of Fancy Feast I can find.

The Fancy Feast Fish and Shrimp is pretty stinky to me. Anyway glad to hear that things are going well. Purrs to them from the Mindthinkr kitties. 

[bilgistic]

Speaking of torturing our cats with completely normal things they overreact to, I clipped Little Girl's front nails the other night and she once again acted like I was definitely trying to kill her this time for certain.

I have to get her booty situated between my legs and encircle her body upright with my left arm, then hold her paws with my left hand while clipping with my right hand. If she would just sit still, it would take literally a minute. But no, miss drama queen has to squirm and fight and act like I'm taking the source of her strength like cutting Samson's hair.

Her nails get really sharp because we have two cardboard scratchers the girls use and she climbs the side of the cat tree by her claws instead of using the tiers to get to the top. It's all fun and games until she impatiently scales the back of my legs while waiting for food to be dished out, and I end up with two-foot-long gashes. So, yes, child, you have to get your nails clipped!

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

Aw, thanks for asking! She's doing surprisingly well these days. Even though we discontinued the laser treatment (in the end it wasn't really helping her), she seems to be getting around pretty well. She hates the heat we've been having but refuses to use the Coolaroo bed we got her. (That bed will be donated to our next door neighbor who is bringing home a french bulldog puppy in a few weeks!)

In just over a month she will be 22 - I can't believe how fortunate we are to still have her, and for her to be in good health for her age. She's requested the stinkiest can of Fancy Feast I can find.

We must celebrate with you and Kitty Gunderson the Elder next month!

My niece posted this on Instagram today. It's one of their seven(!!) cats' birthdays. I think this is Patrick.

[theredhead77]

One of the "chores" I don't mind doing at my parents house is cutting the claws of my kitty Boo. He hates it and since he's older his back claws are thick! I bought my parents new clippers (their other clippers are older than me and I'm 41) but they refuse to use them. Poor kitty gets litter caked into his little toes and fur and when I clip his back claws the thick sheaths shed revealing his normal claw. I know at the end of it he's happy but damn it takes 3 days to get all his claws, even when I purrito him.

[MargeGunderson]

This remindsme that it’s The Elder’s spa weekend. I have to spread it out over 3 days because she gets so mad. 1 day for nails (hers are so thick), one for wiping her down, and the last for brushing her. I think I need to add a recovery day for me. You’d think I was torturing her. 

Edited July 19, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[bosawks]

If you squint you can make out the well camouflaged Alli.

[theredhead77]

I keep forgetting to pick up the kitten-cats favorite ball toys before bed and every time I forget (or can't find it) it's TIME!TO!PLAY!ON!HOOMAN!AT!3AM! 

[ABay]

One of my friends is moving and one of her cats made a run for it while the movers were loading the truck. My friend is beyond distraught. This is a very skittish indoor cat and although it's still in the neighborhood--my friend saw her at the end of the driveway this morning)--she took off when my friend opened the door.  The final move is scheduled for Friday.  I don't know what will happen if she can't get hold of the cat by then.

[MargeGunderson]

21 hours ago, ABay said:

One of my friends is moving and one of her cats made a run for it while the movers were loading the truck. My friend is beyond distraught. This is a very skittish indoor cat and although it's still in the neighborhood--my friend saw her at the end of the driveway this morning)--she took off when my friend opened the door.  The final move is scheduled for Friday.  I don't know what will happen if she can't get hold of the cat by then.

One of my cats escaped several years ago. We put out a box with her favorite snuggle blanket and some food and water at the back door. Like your friend, we also saw our cat in the neighborhood, and almost caught her but she ran off. She came waltzing back a few days later a couple of days later. I still remember how upset my husband and I were. Fingers crossed for your friend.

Edited July 25, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[ratgirlagogo]

3 hours ago, ABay said:

One of my friends is moving and one of her cats made a run for it while the movers were loading the truck. My friend is beyond distraught. This is a very skittish indoor cat and although it's still in the neighborhood--my friend saw her at the end of the driveway this morning)--she took off when my friend opened the door.  The final move is scheduled for Friday.  I don't know what will happen if she can't get hold of the cat by then.

Is the cat microchipped?

[isalicat]

If that happened to me (indoor cat runs away during move) I would basically be sitting on my front or back steps pretty much continuously calling for the cat (who is probably quite nearby) or just sitting there, hoping the wind would blow my scent towards the cat and he/she would come around to investigate. And this is why you lock your cats in the bathroom (with all the appropriate comforts of course) during a move and only let them out to get them into their carriers or whatever to be transported to the new home. All my cats deeply resented any disruption of their homes and I once had one escape from her carrier inside the car without me knowing (we were transporting tons of stuff, I was 8-1/2 months pregnant and had two other cats on board) and then when we opened the car door at our first stop, she made a run for it! Fortunately she only got as far as a few feet, got scared and dashed back under the car and we were able to coax her out and get her back into the car. I probably would have just stayed at that rest stop for the remainder of time if that is what it took to get my beautiful Kali back.

[MargeGunderson]

Kitty Gunderson the Elder is enjoying the temporary break in the heat and humidity

 

[bilgistic]

What a sweetheart!

On 7/24/2018 at 2:57 PM, ABay said:

One of my friends is moving and one of her cats made a run for it while the movers were loading the truck. My friend is beyond distraught. This is a very skittish indoor cat and although it's still in the neighborhood--my friend saw her at the end of the driveway this morning)--she took off when my friend opened the door.  The final move is scheduled for Friday.  I don't know what will happen if she can't get hold of the cat by then.

Did she find the kitty, please, oh, please?

[ABay]

No and she's devastated. She has to vacate her house by 10 tomorrow morning and there's been no sign of the cat since she appeared in the driveway and disappeared again around dawn on Tuesday. My friend has been up and down  her street and adjoining ones, spoken to neighbors, left info with shelters...while still having to deal with a hundred other issues involving the house closing and the weather. She has another cat she has to drive across 5 states and settle into a new home. She was in tears when I spoke to her earlier.

I feel helpless and irrationally angry at the cat, and I'm on the verge of tears myself.

[Bastet]

Is there a neighbor who can continue to look for the cat after your friend leaves?  It seems to go one of two ways - the cat just shows back up and meows at the door, or you find her/him hiding somewhere (usually fairly close by, although some are found a surprising distance away).  You rarely hear about a lost cat responding to being called for and just running up to the owner who is canvassing the streets.  So if your friend isn't going to be there, I hope someone who will can continue the search, and continue spreading the word to other neighbors to be on the lookout for a cat hiding in their garage, in their bushes, under their car, etc.

If someone is moving into the house right away, has she been able to tell them about the missing cat, and ask them if she can leave behind a trap (baited with something that smells familiar, since it's a cat who's not normally outdoors - e.g. a blanket the cat naps on)?

I'd be going out of my mind in her situation; my sympathies to her!  Baxter got out once (well, they both did [pushed out a window screen], but as soon as I came home in the wee hours, Maddie was meowing at the door to get in, while he was nowhere to be found) and it took me about two hours to locate him (next door, hiding in a bush; my flashlight caught the reflection off his eyes).  Just in those two hours, I was about to hyperventilate. 

[ratgirlagogo]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

You rarely hear about a lost cat responding to being called for and just running up to the owner who is canvassing the streets.

Yes, this is why I asked about the microchipping (I assume it's not chipped?). Maybe a year and a half ago our indoor cat Nadji ran out the front door to greet Mr Rat when he was coming home from work at 2 or 3 in the morning.  She is solid black, ALWAYS runs between your legs, and  can only make a puny mouse-sized mew - long story short it was dark,he wasn't paying attention,and  he didn't realize she had run out onto the porch and locked the door behind him.  I was asleep.  Next morning I got up for work, opened the cat food cans - Chandu ran up, but no Nadji.  Blah blah blah, we realized she had gotten out somehow, put out food on the porch, walked around calling her, made up flyers and posted them around the neighborhood, called the local vets, posted things on online and on Facebook.  Nada.  Five weeks (!) later I was coming back from a deli two blocks from the apt. and saw Nadji in a driveway.  I put down the bags and started calling her and she hesitated, and then ran away.  Two days later we got a call from a vet's office because somebody had found her, and of course wanted to keep her because she is ADORABLE  and the vet scanned for a chip - a chip she only had because we adopted her from the ASPCA. We wouldn't have thought to chip her ourselves.   WHEW.  I don't think she ever ventured more than a couple of blocks from apartment but if she hadn't been chipped I don't think we ever would have gotten her back.  I never thought much about chipping before that, but I would advise EVERYONE to get their pet chipped now, even if they're indoor pets.

[theredhead77]

I am beyond devastated for your friend @ABay. I second the suggestion of leaving things with her scent with the neighbors and hopefully she can communicate to the new owners. I think I'd get myself into a legal mess and refuse to leave until I found my kitty.

All this talk (and a friend rescuing an unchipped runaway dog from the freeway) prompted me to finally register the cat-cats microchip only to find out it was registered to the bitch who abandoned him! The company said they have to reach out to the previous owners and if there is no response they'll transfer the info. FUCK THAT! What if the bitch was all I've been looking for my cat (the shelter had records of all the times they called with no response and that I rescued him when he was on the euthanasia list)

I've had the cat-cat for nearly 3 years. I called the ASPCA shelter where I adopted him from, they sent me his rabies certificate with his chip number. I sent it to the chip company and said he's MY CAT, change it over immediately (ok, I was more polite and formal than that). 3 hours later I got a response they transferred the info.

[bilgistic]

My cats getting out is pretty much my worst nightmare. My girls are microchipped but Bilgisticat and his older "sister" weren't because it wasn't common way back then.

@ABay, I really hope your friend's cat has an epiphany tonight and realizes that home is the place where food is easy to come by and that's where her people are. May her internal kitty compass guide her home.

[Cpink]

I'd strongly suggest she leave the door standing open, if possible. Its common for kitties to stay nearby and want to come inside, but be afraid of being out in the open. If they see a clear path to run in, they'll often make a break for it. Wishing her luck.

[ABay]

Thank you for all the well wishes. The cat hasn't come back and my friend has had to leave the house but one of the neighbors is going to keep the carrier (the cat often sleeps in it) and some other stuff in case the cat reappears. Thank god for good neighhbors. I didn't ask about the microchip because my friend is already stressed beyond belief and blaming herself and I don't want to ask her something that could come across as accusatory.

I will be hugging my own cat a lot this weekend.

Anyone got any cute cat or dog pictures? I could use a lift. Alli must be doing something photogenic.

[Mindthinkr]

Sorry I don’t know how to turn that right side up. The kitties babysitter sent me this photo of baby boy as I was away camping this week. He gets into this (my grandmother’s) rocking chair covered in multiple blankets and refuses to leave it unless he hears thunder. Then he goes under my bed! Chicken little. 

[bosawks]

3 hours ago, ABay said:

Thank you for all the well wishes. The cat hasn't come back and my friend has had to leave the house but one of the neighbors is going to keep the carrier (the cat often sleeps in it) and some other stuff in case the cat reappears. Thank god for good neighhbors. I didn't ask about the microchip because my friend is already stressed beyond belief and blaming herself and I don't want to ask her something that could come across as accusatory.

I will be hugging my own cat a lot this weekend.

Anyone got any cute cat or dog pictures? I could use a lift. Alli must be doing something photogenic.

Alli is very accommodating for her public during their time of need :-)

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, ABay said:

I didn't ask about the microchip because my friend is already stressed beyond belief and blaming herself and I don't want to ask her something that could come across as accusatory.

If it comes up in conversation that the cat is not chipped, you may want to suggest she ask the neighbor who is keeping an eye out to take some of the flyers (this is assuming she made flyers, of course) to nearby vet offices -- if someone finds and captures the cat, they may take her there to be scanned for a chip (I know you said she left info with the local shelters, some people avoid shelters, at least initially, and thus head to a vet's office for scanning).  That way, even though the scan wouldn't find anything, the staff would recognize the cat from the flyer and would have your friend's contact info that way.

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

unless he hears thunder. Then he goes under my bed! Chicken little. 

Maddie did not like noises from above, either.  She was incredibly chill, but three things scared her (and sent her under the bed) -- thunder, fireworks, and a plane flying over while she was outside.  And with the first two, she would wait 20 minutes past the last thunderclap/explosion to make sure it was truly over before coming out.  And you could set your watch by those 20 minutes; it took me a while to notice the pattern, and then it was plain as day.

[AgentRXS]

7 hours ago, ABay said:

Anyone got any cute cat or dog pictures? I could use a lift.

I have 4 for you!

The 1st one is of Mr. Pennywise, my former parking lot cat at my job. I shared him like crazy on social media and he is now in a foster to adopt home. He's FIV positive, but that was no issue to his foster. He's loving the indoor life. Look at how he's looking at his new mama with such adoration.<3

The 2nd pic is of my former foster Adam (my avatar is his kitten pic) doing his best Al Bundy impression (his mom just sent me that photo recently).

The 3rd & 4th  pic are of Queen of the County Animal Care Parking Lot Ms. Orange Nutmeg Buttercup sitting on her carrier throne and looking regal.

Edited July 28, 2018 by AgentRXS

[DeLurker]

Kook & Catty Face.  They’ve been more snuggly since we callously went on vacation for a week without them. 

 

[Bastet]

I'm knocking on wood, but the problems I recently mentioned Chester (one of my parents' cats, pictured below) dealing with seem, at this point of diagnostics, to "just" be a progression of his IBD.  There's still a possibility it has changed from the benign kind to that caused by small cell lymphoma (that can happen with time, and he's had this for the entire five years they've had him [he was adopted from the shelter as an owner surrender at age eight]), but it's also possible it has just progressed to the point a raw diet is no longer enough to keep symptoms at bay and adding steroid therapy will be enough.  We'll see how this plays out a while before doing another colonoscopy/biopsy to see if there is now cancer. 

But, for now, he is eating very well on his own (without the appetite stimulant we gave him when he got sick) and has put back on 1/2 pound in the two weeks since we put him on the steroid.  He has another pound to go to hit the low end of his normal.  But he feels great, and his poops are normal.  His wonky liver value (the ALT, for those familiar with blood tests) is still a little high (so we're giving Denamarin - a supplement I really like for its cost/benefit analysis), but almost back to normal, so that is almost certainly a secondary effect rather than a separate issue.  There are no signs of any other separate issue after extensive blood work, an x-ray, and an ultrasound, so things look positive.

He's always been such a healthy little guy other than the IBD; if he had someone else's guts, he'd probably live to be 20.  And, compared to many cats with IBD, he has been lucky - other than this recent incident, he's had some diarrhea and cramping (and, yes, we can tell without him speaking), but no vomiting, lack of appetite, dehydration, or just all-around not feeling well.  I hope it all works out.

[bilgistic]

I'm loving the pictures!!

I took a video of the girls snoozing last night because they were cuddled together and Little Mama was very cutely snoring. I can't get it to upload to anything shareable (I'm not starting a YouTube channel), so just imagine it.

Here's a picture from last week..."Futon Furiends Furever" (sorry).

Little Girl left, Little Mama right

[theredhead77]

The kitties have been very good and let me sleep all night during the week but come Friday night, that will be a big 'ol NOPE! And then the kitten-cat woke me up at 7:15, basically scolding me for being late to work. All week they were sleeping when I left for work but NOPE! Today the day I can sleep in I'm getting in trouble when I don't have to be anywhere.

[bosawks]

Alli find’s this dog very confusing.

Cat sitting....

Edited July 28, 2018 by bosawks

[ABay]

You all have the cutest cat or dog in the world.

@AgentRXS, loved that second photo!

@Bastet, Chester's nose blaze makes me think of Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou.  

[bilgistic]

"Did someone ask for photos of us??"

[Anela]

I can't upload anything else. I'll see if I can link later on. 

[Jaded]

[DeLurker]

@Jaded - His name is Captain, right?  He still looks like a kitten!

[Jaded]

5 hours ago, DeLurker said:

@Jaded - His name is Captain, right?  He still looks like a kitten!

Yes, that's his name. He still gives really good kitten face. I've had him since Feb of 16' and the shelter estimated he was 3 then so if that was true he's at least 5. I get jealous because his black/dark brown fur can really make him look smaller in some pics. I wish my dark colored clothing did that for me. 

[MargeGunderson]

The Kitties Gunderson’s Sunday morning:

 

 

[Mindthinkr]

These deer aren’t pets per se but they raid my feeder daily and seem to like hanging out here. This is Mama. 

That’s her fawn. I saw her this morning but she had two fawns with her. Between them and the squirrels I go through a lot of sunflower seeds. I used to feed peanuts but my neighbors got mad because the crows like to drop them in their birdbaths to soften their shells up and it leaves reside and turns to scum. It’s illegal to feed the deer ears of corn or apples...well the law probably covers everything. I’m not feeding them on purpose; I’m trying to feed the cardinals and Bluebirds. 

[bilgistic]

I love all of your sweet babies! I see such unique and wonderful personalities!

[EighteenTwelve]

This, if it works, is a four-year-old picture.  Lily is the orange one and Snip is the tortoiseshell.

[DeLurker]

Catty Face has been a PITA when it is time to go to bed lately and last night was the worst.  He goes upstairs to go to sleep when I do.  He strongly prefers if the dog comes up at the same time so we can all sleep in the same room.  Often the Kook will stay up later because my son is still up and sometimes, especially when it is hotter, because it is cooler to sleep on the tiled floor downstairs than the carpet upstairs.

Usually the cat just waits at the top of the landing for the dog or sleeps there so he can see the dog at the bottom of the stairs.  He'll usually meow sadly a few times trying to get Kook to come up, but that doesn't last very long.  He's gotten worse about it since we went on vacation and the pets stayed at home.  But last night when it lasted for a much longer time - probably 30 minutes of pretty constant meowing.  Luckily it is not too loud.  Normally when it has gone on for 5-10 minutes I'll go get the dog to make the cat stop.  Last night I tried to see how long it would take before he just gave up or when downstairs to be with the Kook.  At 30 minutes I gave up and shut my bedroom door so he couldn't get out and the Kook couldn't get in.  That lead to 15 minutes of the zoomies, but he eventually settled down and went to sleep.

[MargeGunderson]

@DeLurker I love the relationship between Catty Face and Kook! Especially since it's the cat who wants the dog, when it's usually the other way around. 

[Bastet]

This is a crappy picture my mom took with her cell phone, but it is illustrative of what Chester does all the time -- Bandit was sprawled out in the bay window, and Chester jumped up there, plopped his tiny body in between Bandit and the window, and settled in. 

 

[ginger90]

28 minutes ago, Bastet said:

This is a crappy picture my mom took with her cell phone, but it is illustrative of what Chester does all the time -- Bandit was sprawled out in the bay window, and Chester jumped up there, plopped his tiny body in between Bandit and the window, and settled in. 

 

Chester, meet Chester!

[bilgistic]

Sunbeam thief!

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Sunbeam thief!

Yep; Chester loves the sun.  But he also just likes to horn in on anything Bandit is enjoying.  If Bandit is in someone's lap, Chester may go sit on another person's lap, or may may jump up and fit himself in there, too.  I brought over a bed for Bandit to sleep in out in the garage (he's not banished there; he asks to go out there a lot for a nap on the car), and this promptly happened, even though Chester used to just go out there to use the litter box and then come back in the house:

 

[Bastet]

It started early, too; when Chester first joined the family, Bandit was miffed, and took to the bedroom.  I think this was about day three (but, to Chester's credit, he always stayed down at the bottom of the other side like this, until Bandit was ready to hang out - it's just that once he got the green light, he never respected another boundary again):

 

I guess I should post a picture of my own cat, huh?  (I hope whomever asked for pics still wants some; I could be here all night, but I'll stop now.)  Riley likes bay windows too:

 

[Mindthinkr]

@Bastet I love the kitty pictures and hearing the tales. Keep them coming. Riley is a scene stealer (or sunbeam stealer). 

[theredhead77]

@Bastet that sounds like the kitten-cat invading the cat-cats space. True, the kitten-cat was here first but he has to bully his way into whatever the cat-cat is doing.