Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[CrazyDog]

I have no idea why I haven't ventured into this thread before...I love seeing the pictures of everyone's animals!

Despite my username, my SO and I have had multiple cats over the years (at one point, between the kitties we each had when we met, we had 7 cats at once). We've run the gamut in terms of one disease and loss after another. 

We are down to our last two kitties after losing our 17 year old boy at the beginning of July. And now I'm waiting on new blood work results this afternoon for our 13-14 year old fellow.  He has too many things going on to mention (we all know it's never simple!) but we are facing pretty sudden progression of his kidney disease. Hoping we can still have him a bit longer. He's an absolute terror at the vet which makes it harder.

I will have to add this thread to my favorites.

ETA: Update shows actual improvement in his renal values, which is great! We do know he has a mass on his bladder and it is bleeding. We will have to look into surgery to remove it, soon. But I'm much relieved that he's not in the last stage of kidney disease yet. WHEW. Thanks for this thread, I needed to express my nervousness today :)

Edited September 7, 2018 by CrazyDog

[bosawks]

@CrazyDog welcome!  Alli says hi!

[DeLurker]

It is official:  I love my dog beyond all reason.

He's blowing his coat this season big time.  I've had him two years and I knew he shed a lot, but there is nothing that prepared me for this amount of shedding that is happening this season.

I'm vacuuming twice a day for the past week or so, the second daily vacuum is timed to happen right before I take him out to the garage* to comb out his coat.  Each of these sessions takes at least 30 minutes.  I am not sure how long they could go on for because I've gotten too hot before he's run out of fluff.  I have accumulated enough fluff to make a good sized furry snowman.

With the amount of fur loss, technically he should be bald but he really doesn't look any different than normal.  I am grateful he is not a full Great Pyrenees.  I suspect this is nothing compared to what life with a full blooded one would be.  I've got to check the date, but I should be hitting the two year anniversary of adopting him soon.

*De-shedding sessions were taking place on my small patio in the back, but the slightest breeze would disburse the fluff all over the lawn.  A stronger breeze would float it over the fence into my neighbors yards and possibly their pools.

[bilgistic]

My sister reports that Tigger was on the living room couch downstairs this morning. She's somehow scaling the baby gate, getting down the stairs, and then getting up on the couch.

[Bastet]

We need night-vision footage of these baby gate escapades!

[raven]

2 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

My sister reports that Tigger was on the living room couch downstairs this morning. She's somehow scaling the baby gate, getting down the stairs, and then getting up on the couch.

LOL - go Tigger.  A cast can't keep her down.  She is a cutie.   I would think if her leg is stable she should be OK getting around.  If she didn't feel capable, she probably wouldn't attempt it unless she was running away from something, which it doesn't sound like she was doing.  When Tai had her amp done, the vet told me that once her staples were out, she would attempt what she felt capable of, and to just be sure she had a soft landing spot in case she stumbled.  She has never tried to jump on the couch again though since her amp :(

I will defer to all of the cat experts here, however.

[theredhead77]

Cats are gonna cat. If it hurts or they don't want to do something they aren't going to do it. I think Tigger is going to be just fine.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, DeLurker said:

It is official:  I love my dog beyond all reason.

He's blowing his coat this season big time.  I've had him two years and I knew he shed a lot, but there is nothing that prepared me for this amount of shedding that is happening this season.

Denali is doing the same.  Her Mom is combing her out, and is taking her to the groomer next week before we head to the Outer Banks for a week.  Fortunately, I'm back on Long Island, so I'm avoiding much of the tumblefur...

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

We need night-vision footage of these baby gate escapades!

I keep telling my sister to set up a camera!

[ratgirlagogo]

On 9/3/2018 at 8:26 AM, Mindthinkr said:

I’ve grown it both inside (winter or as Christmas presents for other kitties) and outside and never had a problem with other cats or critters...... You might have to grow it up on a surface your cats can’t reach. 

 

On 9/3/2018 at 8:51 PM, JTMacc99 said:

Catnip is insanely easy to grow and once it is established, there will need to be a LOT of cats around to destroy it. Even then, it would grow back. Plus, deer hate it. Bugs hate it

Thank you to everyone who answered my dumb question about growing catnip.  Unfortunately for me and my cats I think that for now at least  I'm stuck.  I might not have mentioned that I'm in Astoria, Queens, NYC - quite bucolic compared to other neighborhoods  I've lived in this city for the past almost 40 years, but a city nonetheless.  I don't plant in a ground garden, which would of course solve many of my problems, I plant in pots on the second floor porch of the two-family house we rent in (we have the top floor).  You all are right, it's a weed, and I never had problems getting it to grow - just problems with cats tearing it up. JTMACC99,  while we don't seem to have many feral cats any more, there are indeed a LOT of indoor/outdoor cats around here.  No deer LOL although we do get animals many wouldn't expect to find in NYC, like raccoons and possums and skunks.

Mindthinkr, while there are some places in the apt that the cats have not so far bothered to explore, the last thing I want to do is inspire them to start climbing up in those places,  It's bad enough keeping the dry food out of their reach in closed cabinets.  I have every expectation they'd figure out how to claw their way up to a hanging pot of catnip in a window (they've accomplished weirder things). 

Edited September 7, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[CrazyDog]

I could use some good thoughts for our older kitty, Elliot. Without going into too many details, he's having surgery tomorrow to remove a mass from his bladder. It's bleeding, and both creating clots that could cause obstructions, and also making him anemic. He is not the best candidate for surgery due to his kidney disease, so it's a bit risky, but it's his best bet to feel better and have some hopefully decent time left. We had a good honest discussion with his vet and the surgeon, and I wouldn't have opted for it if they said no. It's just a tough decision. 

Sigh, it will be a rough day tomorrow, but hopefully we gambled correctly. He's still a feisty boy at the hospital, but he has a wonderful tech who appreciates his unique personality :)

[DeLurker]

Tough call to make - no one ever wants to be in that position.

Good thoughts to all of you.

[Bastet]

Riley (my cat) and I just toasted to Elliot, @CrazyDog.  I've put a cat with kidney disease under anesthesia because the benefits outweighed the risks, and, using the renal-specific protocols and extra careful monitoring, she came through just fine.  Fingers and paws crossed for you!

[bilgistic]

The girls and I send purrs and headbonks to Elliot, @CrazyDog.

[Mindthinkr]

@CrazyDog Kitties Thinkr and I are sending our best purrs and well wishes for Elliot to come through his surgery. We hope that he recovers well and quickly. 

[CrazyDog]

Thank you all! Just got the call, and the surgery went well. The mass was removed and he did fine under anesthesia. He was very close to a full obstruction by a large clot, so it was good we had the surgery done today. We still have to see how his kidney and anemia values do, but I am so relieved he made it through the hard part. Thank you all so much for letting me stress here...I'll have to upload a pic. He's a butthead but quite photogenic :)

ETA: 14 pounds of grump!

Edited September 8, 2018 by CrazyDog

[bilgistic]

Yes, please post a picture. There are never enough cat pictures! I follow several cat accounts on Instagram--brewery cats, bookstore cats, bodega cats, cat accounts that don't start with a "B"...! Must see all the cats!

ETA: Hi, sweetheart! Feel better soon!

Edited September 9, 2018 by bilgistic

[Mountainair]

Well we had to put our sweet Jagermeister down today. His kidney disease was progressing and his health was declining rapidly. We knew it was the right time although I think I will always question myself about that. He was 15 and was our first foray into parenting. He was the best damn dog and while we raised him from a pup he raised us quite a bit as well. We were 18/19 when we got him. Stupid, young, didn't know what we were doing, but Jager helped ground us. The kids are spending the night at my parents house and we had a vet come to our house to do it so he could pass peacefully in our laps at home. I still can't stop crying. Tomorrow we will have to break the news to the kids. In the past four months we have now lost our only two pets (both at the age of 15) and two grandparents. I think I'm done with 2018. My hear seriously can't take anymore pain. 

Here's a favorite picture of Jager:

[Mindthinkr]

@Mountainair I’m very sorry for all your losses. I feel your pain at having to give this news to your children. It’s heartbreaking.  *hugs* 

[NutMeg]

Damn, @Mountainair, that's hard... Sending my sympathy and condolences.  

[AgentRXS]

I am so sorry @Mountainair. Hugs to you.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

Thank you all! Just got the call, and the surgery went well. The mass was removed and he did fine under anesthesia. He was very close to a full obstruction by a large clot, so it was good we had the surgery done today. We still have to see how his kidney and anemia values do, but I am so relieved he made it through the hard part.

Excellent!  The sudden uptick in his kidney values may very well have been "acute on chronic" -- where yes, he has CKD, but the increase wasn't due to a rapid progression of the disease, but a secondary effect of his other problem.  So now that surgery has removed that problem, the kidney values may very well resettle, just like the red blood cell values.

I had a cat who lived her final seven years with CKD, and when she had pancreatitis, the kidney values (especially the BUN, which is affected by numerous things other than kidney problems) shot up.  But then they settled back down once she got through that bout of pancreatitis, and in fact she died (of liver disease, with pancreatitis) with normal kidney values (after diagnosis, thanks to a low-phosphorus [but NOT low-protein] diet, they fluctuated over those seven years between normal, stage one, and occasionally just into stage two).

Continued good thoughts to you and your little grump.

1 hour ago, Mountainair said:

Well we had to put our sweet Jagermeister down today. His kidney disease was progressing and his health was declining rapidly. We knew it was the right time although I think I will always question myself about that. He was 15 and was our first foray into parenting.

My condolences on the loss of Jagermeister.  It's always terrible, but there's something extra about losing the one who was your first pet.

[isalicat]

So sorry about Jagermeister! He is ever running in the fields beyond the Rainbow Bridge now, waiting for you in happiness and health (and yes, your future loved furry companions) forever more.

I came to post a happy link from my neck of the woods for all you doggie lovers:

 

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article218033905.html#storylink=latest_side

 

so much fun!

[bilgistic]

@Mountainair, I'm so sorry about your sweet pupper. I know it's so, so hard. Be easy on yourself. Allow yourself the time and space to grieve. Jagermeister was a part of your family for a long time. We send purrs and headbonks.

[film noire]

5 hours ago, Mountainair said:

Well we had to put our sweet Jagermeister down today. His kidney disease was progressing and his health was declining rapidly. We knew it was the right time although I think I will always question myself about that. He was 15 and was our first foray into parenting. He was the best damn dog and while we raised him from a pup he raised us quite a bit as well. We were 18/19 when we got him. Stupid, young, didn't know what we were doing, but Jager helped ground us. The kids are spending the night at my parents house and we had a vet come to our house to do it so he could pass peacefully in our laps at home. I still can't stop crying. Tomorrow we will have to break the news to the kids. In the past four months we have now lost our only two pets (both at the age of 15) and two grandparents. I think I'm done with 2018. My heart seriously can't take anymore pain. 

Here's a favorite picture of Jager:

Oh my god, the joy in him -- so happy to be in motion! 

Letting them go is brutally hard, but you gave him the best ending possible, cradled in love - and fifteen is a good age for a dog (I'm hoping our sweetie makes it to that)  and you saved him from knowing all kinds of pain no animal wants to know. Healing to you and yours. 

Supposedly, this is an old Native American myth (whatever it is, I love it) that I read online years ago: "When God created the earth, he split the world into two kingdoms, animal and human, and caused a great ravine to grow in the earth between the two domains. At the very last minute -- before the space grew too large to span -- Dog leapt over the chasm, so man would not be so terribly alone."

Edited September 9, 2018 by film noire

[Mountainair]

Thanks everyone! @film noire- that quote was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes!

We buried Jager in our yard next to Mrs. Meowme. I’m dreading telling our oldest- he cried himself to sleep for weeks after she died back in July. Today is not going to be easy but I busied  myself last night by getting out our fall decorations (which the kids have been asking about for a few weeks) and cooking. We are having family over today to eat and watch football so that will help ease some of the pain.

Woke up this morning to a feeling of emptiness but we will have to take it day by day. It has helped to share here so I appreciate all the kind words :)

[DeLurker]

@Mountainair - I am so sorry.  It sounds like this has been a tough year on your family. 

[walnutqueen]

@Mountainair - I am so very sorry for your loss.  Please accept my sincere condolences.

[Mindthinkr]

Baby boy has a funny way of laying on his back. He’s mildly amused and watching me prepare for the storm. “Hey, get that chair out of the way. It’s blocking my view of the bird feeder.”

[Mindthinkr]

Girl cat. Absolutely nonplussed by all the outdoor furniture now being indoors. I’ve mentioned this before but you see it better in this photo. Her top whiskers are black and her bottom ones are gray. 

[bilgistic]

She looks SO MUCH like Little Mama! They both look almost like they could be Burmese.

[Mindthinkr]

8 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

She looks SO MUCH like Little Mama! They both look almost like they could be Burmese.

Believe it or not their mother was a Siamese! Daddy was a neighborhood black tomcat. Good catch. 

[CrazyDog]

@Mountainair, I am so sorry about losing Jager. That is a wonderful photo tribute of him - such sheer joy in his face! 

Those two kitties above are beautiful - I love black kitties, Baby boy looks like an adorable goofball, and she certainly knows how to pose like a queen :)

[roamyn]

On 9/8/2018 at 8:16 PM, Mountainair said:

Well we had to put our sweet Jagermeister down today. His kidney disease was progressing and his health was declining rapidly. We knew it was the right time although I think I will always question myself about that. He was 15 and was our first foray into parenting. He was the best damn dog and while we raised him from a pup he raised us quite a bit as well. We were 18/19 when we got him. Stupid, young, didn't know what we were doing, but Jager helped ground us. The kids are spending the night at my parents house and we had a vet come to our house to do it so he could pass peacefully in our laps at home. I still can't stop crying. Tomorrow we will have to break the news to the kids. In the past four months we have now lost our only two pets (both at the age of 15) and two grandparents. I think I'm done with 2018. My hear seriously can't take anymore pain. 

Here's a favorite picture of Jager:

Is he a Jack Russell?

I know it’s hard to think,but it does get easier.  My thoughts are with you and ur family at this loss.

[DeLurker]

3 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

Baby boy looks like an adorable goofball, and she certainly knows how to pose like a queen :

I was thinking the same thing - that those photos caught the "essence" of each!

[starri]

I think any Cat Parent can relate to this.

[DeLurker]

Sir Robin is in heaven since Kook has finally stooped playing hard to get and will cuddle with him now.  It only took 2 years.

 

 

[harrie]

Love that picture, @DeLurker.

[bilgistic]

24 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Sir Robin is in heaven since Kook has finally stooped playing hard to get and will cuddle with him now.  It only took 2 years.

 

 

They're so cute! My heart!

[Bastet]

Few things make me as instantly happy as seeing inter-species snuggling.

[DeLurker]

Yeah, they do my heart a lot of good too.

[ABay]

Has it really been 2 years?! I remember when you were deciding what to name each of them.

[DeLurker]

Being able to have pets as part of my family again was a huge milestone for me.  They've really been essential to the continued rebuilding of my life foundation and just provide me with so much joy everyday.

[NutMeg]

14 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Sir Robin is in heaven since Kook has finally stooped playing hard to get and will cuddle with him now.  It only took 2 years.

 

 

I love this picture! And they're color coordinated too!

[theredhead77]

Sir Robin has a look of regret in his eyes.

[DeLurker]

Well, Kook is up to 85 lbs of fluff now.  His head probably weighs as much as Sir Robin.

[bilgistic]

The side-eye/"WTF did I get into" cracks me up.

[theredhead77]

37 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Well, Kook is up to 85 lbs of fluff now.  His head probably weighs as much as Sir Robin.

I need to hug the fluffy floofs!!!!!!!

[ABay]

My best friend's beloved lab died today, a year and a few weeks after her other lab. If you have a drink tonight, please raise a glass in memory of Star and Murphy, who were loving and loved, and had the best doggy lives a human could give them.

[bilgistic]

Send your friend gentle hand pats from me and headbonks from the girls.

September is a sucky month for me, too, since Bilgisticat passed last September 9 and his late "older sister" passed September 21, 2015. I miss them so much.