Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[EighteenTwelve]

@MargeGunderson I'm sorry.  I'm glad Kitty Gunderson the Elder had such a good last weekend. 

[walnutqueen]

I am so very sorry for your loss, @MargeGunderson.

[DeLurker]

@MargeGunderson - non-creepy hugs from the DeLurker household. 

[DeLurker]

My daughter too Kook out for his walk last night.  I sent her a text midway telling her to keep an eye on the light because I did not want her to be out too long as it is starting to get dark pretty quick instead of the lingering dusk that we were used to from summer.  She said she would try, but apparently Kook was determined to sniff every blade of grass and shrubbery (we watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail to an unhealthy degree).

When they got home it became apparent that some coke bags must have been tossed out of a passing car and dusted each of those blades of grass and each leaf of the shrubbery - my dog was absolutely manic!  Pouncing to attack his bed, immediately reversing to attack his tennis ball, CAT!, rush upstairs, rush downstairs, wash, rinse, repeat...this went on for about 25 minutes.  Sir Robin was not happy about this.  He's about 2 yrs 8 months, so young still but he's always been pretty chill - probably the Great Pyrenees genes.

The GP genes have been making their presence known the last few mornings.  During the hotter weeks of summer, I've only been taking him out back on his leash to go to the bathroom because it is so hot, he'll dig down into the dirt to find cooler sand to lay in and give himself a dust bath leaving me with a filthy 85 lb dog who hates baths and can only stay out in the Texas heat for 5 minutes top.  Since the temps have started to cool down a bit, he's been getting to go out back just to hang out and to chase the squirrels.  This is the routine when he wants to go out:

Kook gently paws at the door to signal he wants to go out

I come to the door and tell him to sit

Kook pretends he does not hear me

I leave

Repeat step 1 & 2

Kook stares at me for a minute, sidles to family room (he'll sit there but it doesn't count to me)

I leave

Repeat 1 & 2

Kook stares at me for a minute, takes a step back, considers trying the family room routine again, sloooooly lowers his tush to the ground but then slides his front paws down so he's laying down and not in a "sit".

I open door but he doesn't get to rush out until I signal he can get up.

[DeLurker]

Curious development.  I heard a pawing at the door and went to go let him in, but no Kook and I couldn't see him out back.  So I went to the front door just in case and there he is ready to come inside!

 Somehow our back gate didn't get closed - it is getting warped and more challenging, so I suspect maybe the lawn guy on Monday did not get it quite right when he was here, but he usually is super careful.  Since GP tend to roam, I've been really worried about Kook getting loose since we live near a short distance away from a major thoroughfare and we cross it with him all the time on our walks to get to the good stuff like the dog park and longer outings.  I've got to get my fence replaced soon, so I think I'll talk to my neighbor's about the wrought iron fence they have just across the front of the backyard enclosure and see if it has a better track record of not getting all warped and out of kilter like the wood ones do.

[Mindthinkr]

2 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Curious development.  I heard a pawing at the door and went to go let him in, but no Kook and I couldn't see him out back.  So I went to the front door just in case and there he is ready to come inside!

 Somehow our back gate didn't get closed - it is getting warped and more challenging, so I suspect maybe the lawn guy on Monday did not get it quite right when he was here, but he usually is super careful.  Since GP tend to roam, I've been really worried about Kook getting loose since we live near a short distance away from a major thoroughfare and we cross it with him all the time on our walks to get to the good stuff like the dog park and longer outings.  I've got to get my fence replaced soon, so I think I'll talk to my neighbor's about the wrought iron fence they have just across the front of the backyard enclosure and see if it has a better track record of not getting all warped and out of kilter like the wood ones do.

Kook did come back, right? 

[Bastet]

58 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Kook did come back, right? 

He was at the front door.

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

He was at the front door.

Hit me in the head with a 2 X 4! You wrote that originally. I’m out of sorts with the symphony of chainsaws going on outside. I can’t hear myself think lol. Sorry. 

[DeLurker]

Not to worry.  I would have been in full melt down if he had gone missing.

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

Hit me in the head with a 2 X 4! You wrote that originally. I’m out of sorts with the symphony of chainsaws going on outside. I can’t hear myself think lol. Sorry. 

I read @DeLurker's post three times thinking she was awfully calm about her missing dog.

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

I read @DeLurker's post three times thinking she was awfully calm about her missing dog.

Mea Culpa

[theredhead77]

The cat-cat was playing with one of his favorite motorized toys that flips a string around.. He caught the string and the next thing I know he chewed off a part of it and I am pretty sure he swallowed it. Off to the vet! Before every trip one of them does something that costs me a lot of money at the vet. /sigh

[Mindthinkr]

2 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

The cat-cat was playing with one of his favorite motorized toys that flips a string around.. He caught the string and the next thing I know he chewed off a part of it and I am pretty sure he swallowed it. Off to the vet! Before every trip one of them does something that costs me a lot of money at the vet. /sigh

Hope it turns out ok and the missing part was just lost (as in under a couch or chair). Best wishes. 

[theredhead77]

1 minute ago, Mindthinkr said:

Hope it turns out ok and the missing part was just lost (as in under a couch or chair). Best wishes. 

Thanks. I've been looking around. Thankfully the piece isn't that large and it's pretty slippery. I know it's dangerous and I'm keeping a close eye on him. I think he ate the ribbon off other cat toy a few months ago.  I just cut ALL the ribbons and strings off everything and put the other toy away.

[Bastet]

Riley once swallowed an eight-inch piece of stretchy ribbon!  It was folded in half, so four inches, but I still have no idea how she got that down whole.  Thankfully, I came in just after she did it, so I was able to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide and get it right back up intact.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Bastet

[DeLurker]

3 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I read @DeLurker's post three times thinking she was awfully calm about her missing dog.

Theoretically true because when he was potentially roaming the mean streets, I wasn’t aware.  I thought he was in the backyard which is enclosed and we always minutes altogether.  Quite a few of my neighbors are home during the day and spend a lot of time out gardening.  If they saw Kook loose they would bring him home since they know he is never out without me.

[AgentRXS]

5 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

The cat-cat was playing with one of his favorite motorized toys that flips a string around.. He caught the string and the next thing I know he chewed off a part of it and I am pretty sure he swallowed it. Off to the vet! Before every trip one of them does something that costs me a lot of money at the vet. /sigh

When my cat Milo was a teenage kitten, he ate half of an untied shoestring and I couldn't get him to throw it up. I had to get his stomach pumped and had to be mindful from then on to put all my sneakers away in my closet and shut the door behind me until he matured. My sympathies to you and cat-cat.

[isalicat]

My Louis cat, who is at least 12 years old, is still trying to eat the shoestrings on my exercise tennies pretty much every day (fortunately without success so far) so apparently they don't all outgrow this. I assume the shoestrings evoke mousy tails or something similar?

[ABay]

Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assissi. The girl cat got catnip and extra ear rubs.

This is my St. Francis story: When I was in grade school, my mother and grandmother both worked at a home for the aged (as they used to call them) run by Franciscan nuns. Out front was a statue of St. Francis with a bird on his hand and dog sitting at his feet. At least, I thought it was a dog. It wasn't until I was in college that I figured out it was probably the Wolf of Gubbio. In my defense, my family were Methodists and Lutherans, so I didn't hear saints' stories growing up, and the statue was a very doggy-like wolf. 

[theredhead77]

22 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

The cat-cat was playing with one of his favorite motorized toys that flips a string around.. He caught the string and the next thing I know he chewed off a part of it and I am pretty sure he swallowed it. Off to the vet! Before every trip one of them does something that costs me a lot of money at the vet. /sigh

Plot twist! I called the vet when I got home this afternoon and since I wasn't sure which kitty ate it they gave me symptoms to watch for. 10 minutes after I hung up the kitten-cat was pawing at the hallway wall, trying to bury his poop that had... the string! Yay! And with that I realized how much string had been chewed off that toy over who knows how long. I have to go under the presumption that it was either hidden or pooped out since I have no idea when it was chewed off and they aren't exhibiting any symptoms.

40 minutes ago, ABay said:

Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assissi. The girl cat got catnip and extra ear rubs.

This is my St. Francis story: When I was in grade school, my mother and grandmother both worked at a home for the aged (as they used to call them) run by Franciscan nuns. Out front was a statue of St. Francis with a bird on his hand and dog sitting at his feet. At least, I thought it was a dog. It wasn't until I was in college that I figured out it was probably the Wolf of Gubbio. In my defense, my family were Methodists and Lutherans, so I didn't hear saints' stories growing up, and the statue was a very doggy-like wolf. 

Technically you weren't wrong - a wolf is part of the dog family

[MargeGunderson]

1 hour ago, ABay said:

Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assissi. The girl cat got catnip and extra ear rubs.

This is my St. Francis story: When I was in grade school, my mother and grandmother both worked at a home for the aged (as they used to call them) run by Franciscan nuns. Out front was a statue of St. Francis with a bird on his hand and dog sitting at his feet. At least, I thought it was a dog. It wasn't until I was in college that I figured out it was probably the Wolf of Gubbio. In my defense, my family were Methodists and Lutherans, so I didn't hear saints' stories growing up, and the statue was a very doggy-like wolf. 

Oh, this probably explains why the church near me is having their annual blessing of the pets this Sunday!

@theredhead77 and @DeLurker, glad to here both pets are ok!

[Mindthinkr]

I’m tickled for everyone who’s pets are doing well. 

My daugter threw me a loop. She has gotten a new service pet (mind you she is willing but I’d never go there)

[AgentRXS]

@Mindthinkr Squee!! Always wanted a pet pig! So jealous!

[Mindthinkr]

What a difference a day makes. 

This morning my daughter took the piglet out to put her into a coop next to the chickens. She went mental and wiggled out of her arms and then took off like a bat out of hell. She and the kids spent 3 hours trying to catch her or herd her into her pen. Sadly she hit the woods at the speed of light and now they can’t find her. They are broken hearted. 

[KnoxForPres]

4 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

What a difference a day makes. 

This morning my daughter took the piglet out to put her into a coop next to the chickens. She went mental and wiggled out of her arms and then took off like a bat out of hell. She and the kids spent 3 hours trying to catch her or herd her into her pen. Sadly she hit the woods at the speed of light and now they can’t find her. They are broken hearted. 

Oh no- that is so sad!  I hope they get her back. I was zooming in and and really enjoying looking at her and then read this which made me broken hearted as well. 

Come home sweet pig. 

[JTMacc99]

My friend Peter had a pot bellied pig for many years. At one point the pig got loose and was in various farmer’s fields. His direct quote about trying to capture it, “I’m waging a battle of wits against the pig. And I’m losing.”

He of course got it back. I’m sure she will surface soon enough. Silly pig. 

[AgentRXS]

@Mindthinkr Sorry to hear. Hope the piglet makes it home safe and sound!

[DeLurker]

Hope the pig comes home.

I spent the afternoon under strict supervision and stink eye from Catty Face.  Last night I neglected to give them their nightly ration of “fine dining” - a couple tablespoons of canned prescription dog food (digestive) mixed with some pumpkin purée (currently Trader Joe’s Organic).  Catty Face gets his straight and Kook’s gets mixed into his dry food.

[Mindthinkr]

The piglet made it back home. It got curious about the chicken pen (probably searching for food) and my daughter and grandson caught her. She’s now safely ensconced in her own pen. She described how they captured her. It was comical. I’m grateful that they had a happy ending. 

[DeLurker]

Thanks for the update - I was quite worried about the piglet! 

[Mindthinkr]

There she is in her pen. She likes to dig but I think it’s called rooting. 

[JTMacc99]

Told you she would resurface. Pass along my battle of wits with a pig story. Don’t underestimate how clever and playful they can be. 

[AgentRXS]

Foster update: About a week ago, Amira went to her new foster home and met her long-lost twin. They soon became inseperable and today they were adopted together! ❤

ETA:Their first furrever home photo. So cute.

Edited October 7, 2018 by AgentRXS

[bilgistic]

Wonderful!

[walnutqueen]

9 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Foster update: About a week ago, Amira went to her new foster home and met her long-lost twin. They soon became inseperable and today they were adopted together! ❤

ETA:Their first furrever home photo. So cute.

Purrfection!

[ratgirlagogo]

On 10/6/2018 at 9:21 AM, Mindthinkr said:

She described how they captured her. It was comical.

Was grease involved?

[Mindthinkr]

5 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Was grease involved?

Nope, but a net was lol. She’s been safely in her pen since then. I’ll post another photo later. 

[deemac]

When you're too dog tired to care what's in your face....

[Mindthinkr]

My daughter did always love playing in the dirt when she was younger lol! 

[tiftgirl]

Seven years ago today the sweetest soul I have ever known crossed the Bridge.  If he could have surgically attached himself to me he would have been over the moon.  He was happiest when he could touch me and his momma (Shana) at the same time. He just radiated love and sweetness.  Even in his last few minutes as sick as he was (he had liver failure, pancreatitis, and was septic) he tried to raise his little paw to pet my face.

I still miss him.

[MargeGunderson]

@tiftgirl, what a sweet little face! 

[isalicat]

Opinions needed! I moved to the central California beach area about 6 years ago and brought our gigantic tom with (who unhappily went back and forth from the beach to our other home in the mountains twice a year - he loved both locations but hated that car trip every time). That cat never had fleas that I could find on him, but once a year or so I would treat him with the stuff from the vet that goes between their shoulder blades, at the base of the cat's neck. The last couple of years of his life (made it to 20! and yes, I miss him every single day) I stopped doing that - we moved to the beach full time and I still never saw a flea on him.

Fast forward another two years and now we have sweet Louis the orange king of cats and he all of the sudden became infested about 3 months ago (I had not even thought about it and previous visits to the vet, including being boarded 5 months ago had found no fleas). Finally got that handled with a vet visit and they crammed this pill (chopped into quarters and coated with cat food) down his throat but it necessitated putting him in a purrito and the vet tech who did this was obviously extremely used to it and super assertive. They gave me a prescription for the pills and now its a month later and I am supposed to get this stuff down him. So I put a pill in the mortar and turned it into powder and thought maybe I could sneak a little per meal into his canned food. Huh. I am putting in like a tiny pinch in each serving and he still can tell something is in the food and won't eat it, and this is a cat who pretty never skips the opportunity to eat. So I can either try the purrito (I am super doubtful about this), take Louis to the vet and have the tech dose him (she volunteered to do it anytime) or find something else to forestall future fleas.

Is there some reason not to go back to the stuff between the cat's shoulder blades? Is this considered more harmful to the cat? (Like I'm not also entirely suspicious about the cat regularly eating something that makes fleas uninterested - what does this do to the cat?) What do you all think?

[Bastet]

It has been a bad year for fleas in CA; a lot of vets/owners found that Frontline (topical) wasn't working anymore, but Revolution (topical) was.  Some had to reach for the Comfortis (pill).  Chester (one of my parents' cats) got fleas something fierce this summer, and then Bandit picked up a mild case from him; Revolution worked for both of them.  Because I go back and forth and Chester was so infested I could have wound up bringing fleas home with me, I gave Riley one dose of Frontline (it's what I had left over, and I wasn't going to go buy Revolution for something I probably didn't need in the first place).  She never had any fleas that I could see.

Other than that instance, though, I never do preventatives - I only treat if I see evidence of fleas.  (Knocking on wood, that has only happened once, with Baxter.)  One month's dose was enough to eradicate them, and then I treated the following month as well just to be good and sure.  (This was with Frontline.)

If the fleas are gone after the first month's dose, and you're now going to be treating to make sure they stay that way, you could try Revolution for month two instead of the pill.  Or go ahead and put yourselves through the purrito process (if you can't just hold him without getting clawed/him getting away from you) for one more pill, hoping you won't have to give any more after that (at least not this year; they're less plentiful in the cooler months).  You could try a pill pocket to hide it in rather than having to actually pill him, but if he can sniff out little bits of ground-up pill in his food, I suspect he'll sniff the pill pocket, laugh at you, and walk away. 

If you go the pill route, I'd definitely try it at home, because that's a shorter period of stress than hauling him to the vet.  But if you just can't get it down and the tech offered, you know you have that option.

They make pill holders/dispensers to help get them into the back of the cat's mouth, but I've always just used my fingers, so I can't give any feedback on whether those help.

If you're taking a poll, in your shoes - assuming the fleas seem to be gone, and you are making good and sure rather than still killing active fleas - I'd probably try one more pill, since I knew it was effective on this cat/flea combo, but if I just couldn't get him to swallow it, I'd see how Revolution worked rather than taking him in. 

Good luck!

Edited October 11, 2018 by Bastet

[DeLurker]

My cats have never been able to resist tuna.  Would mixing a bit of the powderizec dust with some canned tuna & liquid (I only buy it in water, so don’t know if the oil might mask it better) work?

I use Revolution on my cat but because we live in Texas, fleas are an ongoing concern even though he doesn’t go outside.  He does like to go on car rides though and travels by car with me when we go visit family in Florida.

[Bastet]

Heartworm in cats is extremely rare in California; I know in my area, there were fewer than twenty cases over the course of ten years.  But, yes, I believe they still do the test before writing the prescription (which Revolution requires), just in case.

[KnoxForPres]

On 10/7/2018 at 2:40 PM, AgentRXS said:

Foster update: About a week ago, Amira went to her new foster home and met her long-lost twin. They soon became inseperable and today they were adopted together! ❤

ETA:Their first furrever home photo. So cute.

I love cats and have always been a single owner car when I had one. I didn’t realize they bonded like this and am so thankful the awesome lady took both!

What about little gray deciding Red Baron box is a good bed. I know we’d get along just from that. 

[ABay]

Oooh! Oooh! I have knowledge about pilling cats! My vet gave me a pill shooter and showed me how to pry open the little darling's mouth. I tell you, friends, it changed my life. Here's a picture of the device.

To get the mouth open, put your hand over the cat's head, one thumb behind one canine, your forefinger behind the other and gently pull. Yes, the cat will not be happy and will squirm but once you get the technique down, it's really easy. Sometimes my aim is off and the girl cat cough up the pill later, but most of the time it works. Of course, this only works if you can get hold of your cat. Boy cat...this was not an option.

Edited October 11, 2018 by ABay

[HazelEyes4325]

1 hour ago, ABay said:

Oooh! Oooh! I have knowledge about pilling cats! My vet gave me a pill shooter and showed me how to pry open the little darling's mouth. I tell you, friends, it changed my life. Here's a picture of the device.

 

 

I must get this thing!  It is next to impossible to give my cat medicine.  The last time I had to do it (about 2 days ago), I ended up having to dissolve it in cat food liquid, which she wouldn't drink (she normally loves it), so I had to get a syringe and shoot it into her mouth.  Needless to say, my couch now smells like tuna juice.

[EighteenTwelve]

The only time I had to give Snip liquid medicine, I had figured out that if I scritch her under the chin for long enough, she absolutely has to yawn afterward.  So I scritched her under the chin until she yawned and then squirted the medicine into the middle of the yawn.  And for some reason it actually worked.

[walnutqueen]

Y'all need me.   The Mother of Invention and Kitty (OK, Animal) Medication Administrator Supreme.  I've done it all, and continue to do so, with almost all the pet meds (twice daily injections included!).  Yet all my mad skillz will not enable my disabled arms to hold my Babalu kitty for his necessary blood sugar stick.  My vet needs to elicit the assistance of TWO techs to accomplish that feat (on the regular, sadly) - and they all tell me Babalu is FREAKISHLY strong!!!  

Yuppers.  I've wrangled much larger & more determined cats, but this little 15 +/- pounder  has become my personal bete noire.  In my poverty-stricken dotage, no less.  But since he's totally saved my life - through the insufferable losses of every one of his "brothers" before, I am determined to keep him by my side.  

If that means we end up living in a van down by the river - Oh Well ... :-)