Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[bosawks]

Happy birthday Kokuma!

[Demented Daisy]

My Loki memorial tattoo.

[riley702]

A friend recently lost her 16 yr old kitty to cancer. She reports that Chewy.com not only completely refunded her expensive prescription food she'd just bought, they told her to donate the remainder to an animal shelter. Today, she received this from them!

[Sandman87]

Mom's cat hasn't realized yet that her claws are shorter since I trimmed them. Yesterday I heard an odd "vvvvp vvvvp vvvvp" sound coming from the living room. Turned out that she was trying to sharpen her claws on the recliner, but the claws weren't actually touching cloth, so she was just rubbing it really fast. Made me laugh so hard that I forgot to do the "bad kitty!" routine. Didn't seem to bother her at all.

[isalicat]

I'm impressed you trimmed a cat's claws and lived to tell the tale! We have been so lucky as Louis has not tried to sharpen his claws on any furniture at all (which is huge as we have a real leather couch and chairs and we were really worried about getting a new cat who would destroy them) - we got one of those horizontal sisal covered scratching things that sits on the floor, put some cat nip on it the first time and he uses it several times a day and also seems to think its a swell place to sit on from time to time.  Previous tom sharpened his claws outside on fence posts, trees, etc. and used to show off at least once a day (only when he knew one of us was watching) by getting a running start and going straight up one of our scrub oaks as fast and as high as possible and then looking back down from about 10-15 feet with great satisfaction to make sure we were suitably impressed.

[EyewatchTV211]

On 2/16/2017 at 8:42 PM, riley702 said:

A friend recently lost her 16 yr old kitty to cancer. She reports that Chewy.com not only completely refunded her expensive prescription food she'd just bought, they told her to donate the remainder to an animal shelter. Today, she received this from them!

I can attest to the first part of this. I wanted to return or exchange food for a different reason, and the person gave me a refund and told me to donate the food to a shelter. The 2nd part I have not experienced myself yet (thankfully - my girl is only 5), but I read about it somewhere else. 

[Sandman87]

6 hours ago, isalicat said:

I'm impressed you trimmed a cat's claws and lived to tell the tale!

I've worked out an excellent system for doing it:

1. Wait until she's in a mildly playful mood so that she voluntarily reaches her paws out to pat at my hands.
2. Trim whatever claws I can get at while she obligingly holds her paw out for about 30 seconds at a time.
3. Repeat with the other paw. By the time I'm done, I'll have about 2/3 of her claws trimmed.
4. Now rub her belly. She'll automatically roll onto her back and attempt to sink every claw that she has into my hand.
5. Pull my hand back slightly so that the sharp claws, which are currently sunk into my flesh, extend a bit.
6. Use the trimmer to trim the ends of the claws until they're all done.
7. Pull the little sharp claw-ends out of my hand, apply peroxide.

Easy! And no, I'm not kidding. I really do it that way. That's the quickest way to get the job done without dire consequences. The only downside is that I look like I've been in a knife fight for a few days afterward.

[ABay]

The process reminds me of the many steps I need to follow beginning days in advance, to get the boy cat into a carrier.

Speaking of such...both cats have a vet appointment for Thursday and the vet wants me to hide the litter boxes at least 5 hours ahead of time. This makes me uncomfortable, not to mention how the pusses will feel. They've both peed themselves in the carriers before. Don't vets have a way to extract urine for urinalysis?

[Lisin]

4 hours ago, ABay said:

Don't vets have a way to extract urine for urinalysis?

They do, the issue is there needs to be urine there to extract. If the cat pees before the appointment there isn't. That's the issue. They have special litter so you can collect a sample at home too but you'd have to get two and isolate the cats separately so you'd know which sample went with which cat. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, ABay said:

Don't vets have a way to extract urine for urinalysis?

Yes, cystocentesis (needle into the bladder) is the best way to get a sterile sample.  Your vet must be trying to ensure there's urine in the bladder to retrieve by having you take the boxes away -- the theory being if there are no boxes to pee in for five hours prior to the appointment, the cats won't pee anytime in those five hours. 

I've never done that; the odds of the cat happening to pee close enough to the appointment time that there is no urine in the bladder at the time they go to retrieve a sample are pretty low, and on the few times it has happened over the decades, I have simply left the cat there for a few hours and picked her/him back up after they were able to retrieve a sample, or brought the cat back another day.  Since yours are harder to take to the vet, get more stressed out, etc., the vet is likely trying to make sure you don't have to do that. 

So it's your call whether you want to take the boxes away and risk them going to pee during that window, finding the boxes missing, and stressing out, or leave the boxes out and risk someone peeing close enough to appointment time to have an empty bladder.

Edited February 20, 2017 by Bastet

[ABay]

Thanks for the feedback, @Lisin and @Bastet. I've emailed the vet to ask if 4 hours is enough time--that's the time between their normal breakfast and the appointment. I'm worried about them finding exciting new places to pee if the litter boxes are hidden.

Did I ever tell you all what happened with the cat I rescued months ago because my friend fed it in my driveway? She was adopted a few weeks later, before Christmas! I found out because my friend's cat recently died from a long illness and she went to the shelter to find another furry companion. 

[riley702]

6 hours ago, ABay said:

Did I ever tell you all what happened with the cat I rescued months ago because my friend fed it in my driveway? She was adopted a few weeks later, before Christmas! I found out because my friend's cat recently died from a long illness and she went to the shelter to find another furry companion. 

Wait - the same friend who fed a cat in your driveway?

[theredhead77]

Thanks to the lovely posts here I'll give chewy.com another look. 

I have 2 cats, one is almost 2 and one is probably 3-4. I've had the younger one longer and kinda fell into the older one. The younger one I found in my office parking lot when he was a wee thing. The older one had a really hard life - had a home with a sibling, owners moved out of the country, abandoning both cats. The landlord let them out, now they're domesticated outdoor cats. A neighbor takes them to the ASPCA (kill) shelter. Sibling gets adopted, this kitty gets a URI and is put in isolation where he gets medicine and attention maybe once or twice a day. He was finally better and about to move into "gen-pop" but if the URI reoccurred they were going to expedite his euthanasia because they only treat once. If you know anything about cats and URIs, stress brings them on. So I find out about this poor kitty (yes, I know there are many more with his story) and make arrangements to adopt him and he's been with me for about 4 months. He's the most loving, cuddly, gentle, handsome and proud boy I've ever seen. I am so mad at his old owners and at the lady who took them to the shelter. The neighbors were caring for both of them.

Today I bought a new cat toy specifically for the older one since he's never had a new cat toy of his own. I made sure to distract the younger one and spend time with the toy and the older kitty. He was smelling it out but didn't show much interest so I put it down. The younger one runs over, goes bat crap crazy attacking it, flings it into the air and it hits the older one in the face (he's fine). I guess I need to find a different toy for the older one.

[Jaded]

2 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Today I bought a new cat toy specifically for the older one since he's never had a new cat toy of his own. I made sure to distract the younger one and spend time with the toy and the older kitty. He was smelling it out but didn't show much interest so I put it down. The younger one runs over, goes bat crap crazy attacking it, flings it into the air and it hits the older one in the face (he's fine). I guess I need to find a different toy for the older one.

Give the older one a few days and he might get interested in the new toy. I got my cat who I'll say is about 4 (the shelter said he was about 3 a year ago) one of those crinkle tunnels during a lightning deal on Amazon. I made it make a crinkle sound before putting it on the floor for him which resulted in him sniffing the thing,  going "meh" and walking away.  Then about 3 days later I was in my room at night doing stuff online and started to hear a noise I didn't recognize in the den. When I went to investigate it was Captain spazzing around having a ball with the crinkle tunnel which he plays in just about everyday. Now when I hear that noise it makes me laugh.

Edited February 21, 2017 by Jaded

[riley702]

I ordered from Chewy.com in the wee hours of Friday and it was delivered Saturday.

[theredhead77]

32 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Give the older one a few days and he might get interested in the new toy. I got my cat who I'll say is about 4 (the shelter said he was about 3 a year ago) one of those crinkle tunnels during a lightning deal on Amazon. I made it make a crinkle sound before putting it on the floor for him which resulted in him sniffing the thing,  going "meh" and walking away.  Then about 3 days later I was in my room at night doing stuff online and started hear a noise I didn't recognize in the den. When I went to investigate it was Captain spazzing around having a ball with the crinkle tunnel which he plays in just about everyday now. Now when I hear that noise it makes me laugh.

He does play with other toys. My living room is a cat playground. I just want him to have some that I bought for him.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

this kitty gets a URI and is put in isolation where he gets medicine and attention maybe once or twice a day. He was finally better and about to move into "gen-pop" but if the URI reoccurred they were going to expedite his euthanasia because they only treat once. If you know anything about cats and URIs, stress brings them on.

Oh, holy balls.  I am so happy you adopted this cat, but so aggravated by the shelter.  An upper respiratory infection in a cat is virtually always caused by one of four viruses, and the most common culprit is a herpes virus (basically the feline version of HSV-1 in humans, the one the vast majority of us are infected with that causes cold sores upon flare-up) -- a cat coming out of a shelter or other crowded environment is highly likely to carry the virus, and it will flare up during times when the immune system is stressed elsewhere (just as we'll get a cold sore when ill, incredibly stressed out or depressed, etc.), perhaps even leading to a secondary bacterial infection.  Giving the amino acid L-Lysine - again, like in those of us who get cold sores - is often enough to tamp down a flare-up, and there are anti-virals (e.g. Famciclovir) that can be given for more serious cases, and of course antibiotics to treat secondary infections in the worst cases.  In other words, a URI is highly (and cheaply) treatable so long as one keeps on top of it.

My late kitty Maddie was literally wasting away from the effects of a long-untreated URI (originating with the herpes virus) when I adopted her; what the shelter (which was shut down within six months for neglectful conditions) could have easily nipped in the bud had progressed to something that took weeks of intensive therapy.  But shelters - whether because of incompetence, ignorance, or the very best-intentioned use of pitiful resources - often don't treat, and wind up euthanizing.  Had I not happened upon her when I did, she'd have been a sad statistic. 

Bottom line: There's a blood test that can identify which virus is causing a URI.  In a cat who is prone to such infections, it's highly beneficial to learn the underlying virus and thus know what anti-viral to have on hand in case of a "moderate to severe" (as the commercials would say if they were humans) flare-up in order to tamp it down before it gets any worse.

[theredhead77]

Unfortunately ASPCA shelters are at capacity and under funded. The one for my city does more than most. 

Maybe they'd get more donations if their commercials weren't so manipulative.

[DeLurker]

@17wheatthinsI love her name and it seems to fit her given the picture!

@theredhead77 - does the new cat have a his own bed?  Maybe a little space that is solely his while he transitions would be nice.

My morning wake up call - fell asleep on couch watching news after my daughter left for school.  Awoke by big doof bjork bjork bjorking* at a squirrel in the backyard.  He rushes to the low windows in the eating area to further intimidate squirrel, knocks over my ceramic self-watering planter of catnip on the sill and making a big fat mess for me to deal with that can't wait until if have my coffee.

Kook gets a time out (utility room), I clean up broken ceramic pieces, salvage the plant and try to sop of the now muddy soil from the rug and floor.  I do the best I can but the rest will have to wait since I do not have a wet-dry vac.  Then find other pieces of furniture to block off access.

*My daughter and nephew decided the dog barks with an accent that is vaguely Norwegian.

[ABay]

19 hours ago, riley702 said:

Wait - the same friend who fed a cat in your driveway?

The very same.

[Jaded]

Every few months my cat will go like 3 or 4 days where he doesn't really want to eat much and he'll sleep more then usual. It's always weird when he's not in the kitchen when I am trying to get me to give him a can of food even if it's not time. After a few days he'll go back to normal and be fine again for months. The last time it happened was in October. I've had him since last February and this has happened about 4 times.

I'll say to him that I'm going to call the vet the next day after about 3 days and oddly enough he'll start eating again later the same day or the next. The vet says he checks out fine and she doesn't know why he does it.

[theredhead77]

10 hours ago, DeLurker said:

@theredhead77 - does the new cat have a his own bed?  Maybe a little space that is solely his while he transitions would be nice.

I don't do "cat beds" because: cats. He does love the cat condo and squeezes himself into the little cubbies. He also claimed my favorite blanket as his own (he'll suckle and kneed it, only that blanket, nothing else). I have a huge couch (with said blanket), two cat condos, a crinkle tunnel, my bed and he prefers the spot with the blanket. The kitten-cat (younger one) likes to sleep on the AC receiver. The older one been a family member for nearly 4 months. I know he'll be fine, it's my issue. Cat don't care.

[Demented Daisy]

22 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Awoke by big doof bjork bjork bjorking*

 

22 hours ago, DeLurker said:

*My daughter and nephew decided the dog barks with an accent that is vaguely Norwegian.

Shouldn't that be Icelandic?  

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week, try the veal.  ;-)

[ABay]

Well. The girl cat made it until 8 am and then was so desperate, she used a door mat. It was very absorbent, so that's good. Poor thing. Both she and the boy peed all over the vet and the exam table--no problem getting samples!. They both appear to have UTIs again, and her urine is not acidic enough. He got the shot, she'll be getting one xenaquin for 21 days. But not today because she's still hissing at me. I will be self-medicating with sangria.

[Jaded]

12 minutes ago, ABay said:

Both she and the boy peed all over the vet and the exam table--no problem getting samples!. 

If it were me I would have had trouble hiding the fact that I was proud of them for waiting to let all that out there.

My cat is at the vet now and I'm waiting for them to call to say what's wrong. He got really lethargic starting early yesterday and didn't want to get up to eat or go to the bathroom.  

[DeLurker]

Oh dear - good thoughts to you and Captain.

[ABay]

Fingers crossed for you, @Jaded!

[Jaded]

Fell asleep and forgot to come back and update....

 Captain is at the vet's office and will be there until Monday at least. His urethra had become obstructed and he's going to have surgery to clear it. He didn't display the symptoms I've read about until it got to be serious. I feel like such an awful cat parent not realizing this was going on sooner before it got this far. :(

 

I knew something was wrong when he wasn't interested in following me into the kitchen everytime I went in there to try and get me to give him a can of food. He was really lethargic and wanted to stay in his favorite chair sleeping forgoing bathroom visits too.

 

I have no idea how I'm going to pay for the surgery unless they do a payment plan. I'm not seeking help with that just to make that clear. Someone that's been helping me with getting things done since my Mom died talked to her vet and explained my financial situation so she did his vaccinations for a really low price last week. The vet said she'd try to to give me the best break she could in regards to the surgery too. Not sure if there's a correlation between the recent vaccinations and this situation or not.

 

I'll probably have to change his food too. He's a picky eater and the only thing I could get him to eat on a regular basis without turning up his nose is Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. He'll leave the pate kind of food sitting there for hours on end not touching it. He gets a small amount of dry food between his morning feeding and nighttime one. The vet thinks this was caused by his diet. A lot of things I found online say it can be from not getting enough moisture in their food intake and not drinking enough water. My head is hurting from looking up all different kinds of foods, tips and suggestions.

 

For others with cats who love gravy foods have you found adding water to pate options made that kind more attractive to them? I know pate is better but as I mentioned before my cat doesn't like it and now I'm thinking it might be that it's too dry....

[riley702]

If you're already doing FF, have you tried the Exquisite Medleys? The Primavera and Tuscany types have a goodly amount of gravy in them. My kitties think it's crack. <3

[DeLurker]

Have you experimented with the water bowl shape?  My cat doesn't like to drink from a bowl that is too narrow - think rice bowl shaped.  He eats food out of them fine, but for water he much prefers a wider bowl.  In actuality, his water and food bowl are two nice matching rice bowls, but he drinks out of the dog's big water bowl and the dog will always drink the cat's water before resorting to his bowl.

When I did have a wider shallow bowl for him, he drank a lot every day and based on the litter box evidence, he's still fine.

I've read that adding some tuna or clam juice to water might make it more appealing to cats, but never tried it myself.  Sir Robin does get a nightly treat of a teaspoon of tuna, but otherwise he eats dry food.

[isalicat]

As I now have an older male cat I had a long discussion with my vet about food and he said that they used to recommend dry food for cats to help keep their teeth clean but now that has completely changed as it wasn't helping with dental issues and in male cats particularly they were seeing a lot of digestive issues and particularly the problem with urethral obstruction (as the cats were not getting enough fluid). So he said to just give my cat wet food only (its apparently 70% water) and deal with his teeth separately (by brushing or whatever I can manage to get Louis to allow). I've noticed Louis almost never drinks water but he eats 3 tiny cans a day (he loves da fish!) and is peeing at least twice a day significantly. Other cats I have had would only drink water that was running from the faucet and I've heard that if your water is chlorinated cats can smell the chlorine coming up from the water bowl and won't touch it. Also I've found that cats vary widely in what canned foods they will eat on any given day and its almost impossible to predict. Louis will not eat any of the Fancy Feast gravy or grilled type foods whereas my previous tom loved them.

[ABay]

@Jaded, I'm sorry to hear about Captain.

1. You are not a bad cat parent. Cats are notorious for masking illnesses. Everyone who has ever had a cat feels the same way, like they should've known sooner. So you're not alone!

2. The vets I've dealt with have been willing to set up a payment plan.

3. My demon spawn will only eat the "grilled" FF. Pate? No way. The vet has instructed me to get kitten food for the boy, so we'll give that a try. He loves the gravy lovers but only 2 flavors and he just licks up the gravy, then wants another can. They both drink a lot of water from the big stainless steel fountain, which has a filter and is always flowing.

[Bastet]

Male cats are prone to these blockages, and sometimes you see signs of urinary distress -- getting in the box but not producing anything, straining or vocalizing when peeing, peeing only tiny amounts, etc. -- but oftentimes the first sign something is wrong is exactly what you observed: lethargy and just all around disinterest.  Don't beat yourself up, Jaded; he's now getting the help he needs.

Diet is a big factor, yes, and if the blockage was caused by stones/crystals, they'll tell which of two kinds it is, and you may want to adjust for minerals accordingly, but that's pretty hotly debated these days -- they used to just shove the prescription food at you (junk ingredients at gourmet prices), but now many vets are much more focused on moisture content/water intake than mineral composition and urine pH; the best way to keep a urinary tract healthy is to keep it moving (that way, there simply isn't time for excess crystals or mucus plugs to form).

Good luck to Captain!

[Lisin]

31 minutes ago, isalicat said:

I've noticed Louis almost never drinks water

My husband was just telling me he read an article that was about how cats in nature don't really need water because they get it from their food but since we feed them dry food they need to drink water. I don't think this was the specific article, but it does talk about it. I guess that explains why cats are so weird about how they get their water. It's because naturally they don't really need/want it. 

ETA This also isn't the article, but it still has even more info about it. 

[Bastet]

Yeah, cats as a species don't have much of a thirst drive, so they're not looking for water sources in nature, and that is because they get their water from their food. But some individual cats, of course, will love to drink water, even if they're eating raw or canned food (and thus getting appropriate moisture content from their food); I've been fairly lucky with that.  But my friend has a cat who has never had a drop of water pass his lips other than what's in his food -- he won't drink out of a bowl, a fountain, a flower vase, a dripping faucet, a drinking glass, anything.  If he was eating dry food, he'd be a recipe for disaster, but thankfully he loves canned food (to which she adds a little extra water, just in case).

[Jaded]

Thanks everyone for being so nice and supportive about his situation. I'm hoping the vet isn't saying it could be food related to try and push "prescription" food. He came with a small bag of Hills Science Diet which he wouldn't go near at home which would account for his small size when he got brought to me. If it's what he was fed at the shelter he came from he must not have eaten much of it there either.

Captain really doesn't eat much dry food. I can fill his bowl with just a bit of it and that amount will last for days. He loves the FF Gravy Lovers food so much that he'll even lick the bowl clean to where it looks like no food ever was in it. If I have to change his food he will not be a happy camper at all. He doesn't seem to drink a lesser amount of water then other cats I've had but maybe he's one that will require more. I quit looking at all the different foods for awhile and am now getting cross eyed looking up fountains. It's too easy to find so many different foods, fountains and etc. online.  

Edited February 24, 2017 by Jaded

[CoderLady]

12 hours ago, Jaded said:

For others with cats who love gravy foods have you found adding water to pate options made that kind more attractive to them? I know pate is better but as I mentioned before my cat doesn't like it and now I'm thinking it might be that it's too dry....

My cat Eddie will eat any of the morsels in gravy Royal Canin foods but won't touch their pates or any pates for that matter. I don't know how your vet feels about prescription foods besides Hills but Royal Canin also makes foods for cats with digestive or urinary problems. If he/she thinks those work, maybe there's a gravy formula.

Eddie also likes some of the Merrick morsels in gravy foods like their Cowboy Cuisine.

I have three cats who have forced me to buy different foods for each of them, but they all seem to pretty much like the Merrick foods plus any of the dry crunchies, morsels in gravy or crunchy treat foods from Pro Plan. All those are Kitty Crack to them. The two old lady cats (16 and 20) even like the Pro Plan pates.

Try serving the pate in a warmed bowl that has just an extra spoonful of water in the bottom? The tiny extra bit of water might have enough flavor to pass as gravy.

Edited February 24, 2017 by CoderLady

[Bastet]

I took Riley to the vet this afternoon (routine appointment - she needs her anal glands expressed every four months) and said "Oh, no" as soon as I walked in -- I saw the big crate set up in the corner of the waiting room that means they're fostering some kitties in need of homes.  Three senior cats, all Maine Coons, an 11-year-old and her two 10-year-old daughters, in need of a home (together) because their owner died.  It just broke my heart, on general principle and because that's how Riley and her four siblings wound up at the shelter -- their owner died and the family didn't want them.  I told Riley, "It's a good thing I already have you, or Mommy would be going home with three new kitties today."  At least they're not in a shelter.  But finding someone who's prepared to take on three senior cats is a tall order. 

It reminded me how fortunate I am that I have things firmly in place for who will take my cats if something happens to me.

[DeLurker]

Well, met another neighbor earlier this week.  She was out jogging and already at the crosswalk the Kook and I take to get back home.  She had ear buds in and didn't hear us approach.  Before I could stop him, Kook went up to give her butt a proper greeting.  She jumped in response, whipped around and was relieved to see it was an ill mannered goof of a dog.  The cars stopped at the stop light right in front of us were highly amused.

She was so good natured about it after she found out she wasn't being accosted in broad daylight by some creeper.  Good thing Kook is pretty.

[bosawks]

Well, our faux spring has ended but we made the most of it!

[lucindabelle]

 Here is Suzy, the British shorthair (my first and probably last pedigreed  cat, to honor my beloved Lucy who was a mix and is my avatar).

Suzy plays "hard to pet" but when I had a bad, bad throat infection in Janurary and was in bed for a week, she stayed right by me on the pillow. I didn't know she was so caring until then!

[Lisin]

We had major pet drama last night! After that insane Oscar mix up we headed to bed and Murph (our 2 year old pup) jumps off the bed and lands on Zooey (17 year old kitty) snapping both her tibia and fibula so we had a long ER vet night last night where they basically told us that since she's an old cat they can't really do anything but amputate but also they don't actually do that there because that's not an emergency... so she's home and splinted in a giant cast for now and we have to get her in to the regular vet for the surgery. She's fine. More pissed to be in a cast than anything. And we're on 3 hours sleep. Didn't get home until 5ish this morning. Yay.

[DeLurker]

Well the pets and I just got back from our first bike ride of the year.  The cat goes in his carrier and into the big basket in back, the dog goes in his harness and trots along side.  I can't go very fast, but the Kook sets the pace anyway - he needs to go at a moderate pace most of the time because he needs to track squirrels and birds.  When we get closer, it almost comes to a complete stop so he can try to sneak up on them. 

When we get home they both get treats.  Kook is now napping on the slate flooring and Sir Robin is resting quietly. 

@Lisin - Yikes!  I am so sorry for Zooey!  Since I don't know where cat parts are, is that a front or back leg? 

Edited February 27, 2017 by DeLurker

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, Lisin said:

We had major pet drama last night! After that insane Oscar mix up we headed to bed and Murph (our 2 year old pup) jumps off the bed and lands on Zooey (17 year old kitty) snapping both her tibia and fibula so we had a long ER vet night last night where they basically told us that since she's an old cat they can't really do anything but amputate

I'm so sorry to hear about Zooey.  But I'd strongly recommend consulting an orthopedic surgery specialist before deciding on a surgery.  Age isn't going to determine the possible treatments, the condition of the bone is; the bone isn't automatically unable to be surgically repaired just because it's 17 years old.  Amputation may turn out to be the only, or at least the best, option, but an ER vet isn't the most-qualified person to make that decision, nor is a primary care vet (unless there's something glaringly obvious on the x-ray).  Good luck (and get some sleep!).

[Lisin]

It's her back right leg, below the "knee" so she'll have a furry residual limb and it's a clean break which they said in a younger cat would probably heal but since she's old they don't think she has enough calcium deposits for the bones to heal. It's both bones in the lower part of the leg so they can't splint one against the other. I guess normally if you only have one broken it's easier to "set" because the other one is already in the right place, but with this break the leg is basically just flopping there without the splint and they can't get the bones lined up perfectly because the ER vet doesn't do full sedation in the middle of the night (?!?!) ... they basically said "eh, it might heal but take her to your regular vet, we'd recommend amputation" so I was like "ok, well, she's freaked out so can you just do that all now so I don't have to keep putting her in her carrier etc.?" My biggest concern is her comfort, so I don't think I'd do anything other than splint or amputation below the knee as those seem the least invasive/fastest healing unless they could say with certainty she'd only need the one surgery and it sounds like they can't. She's teeny, only 6lbs so all around they think she'd heal fine from the amputation and be as agile as always. She has a heart murmur so they don't want to sedate her too long etc. I just feel so bad for her! She's never been the smartest cat and this is really confusing her!!

ETA: And I just found out that our regular vet is an ortho surgeon so that's good news! 

ETA 2: I just spoke with the ortho surgeon at my vet and he thinks amputation is the best result after reviewing all the x-rays so that's scheduled for Wednesday March 8th. 

[raven]

4 hours ago, Lisin said:

ETA: And I just found out that our regular vet is an ortho surgeon so that's good news! 

That is good news!  It's always nice to have someone you're comfortable with. 

Poor Zooey!  My 14 yr old dog Tai had a rear leg amputated in October (broken, bone was weakened due to cancer).  She is getting around pretty well, though cancer could show up again. 

It is too bad Zooey has to wait until the 8th.  Is she getting around better with the cast?  I have to say, until Tai, I didn't know anything about pet amputees but now I know, they get into just as much trouble and can do almost anything they did with 4 limbs. 

[JTMacc99]

Yeesh. I'm so sorry @Lisin  That's just terrible. 

[Bastet]

Whew; I'm glad you were able to have an orthopedic surgeon weigh in.  That would have been a good thing even if the ER vet had said, "Based on the x-rays, I think amputation is the best treatment," but "She's old; amputate" definitely warranted a specialist's second opinion.  As noted, they do amazingly well on three legs, so although you'll all be a bit unhappy during the recovery period, once that's over life will be back to normal.  Poor Zooey; what a freak accident!

[DeLurker]

My dog has several chew toys that he shreds in pretty short order.  He got a hold of one of the cat's toys about 2 weeks ago - it looks almost exactly like a Peep Bunny (yellow) and is about the same size.  It has a little squeaker thing in it.

He chews it so I hear the little squeak squeak, but he is very careful not to tear it up.  Sometimes he wanders from room to room with it in his mouth.  Quite adorable.

Edited March 1, 2017 by DeLurker
While "wondering" about is something my dog is prone to do, I actually meant wander this time. Oops.

[Lisin]

On 2/27/2017 at 8:03 PM, raven said:

It is too bad Zooey has to wait until the 8th. 

Good news! They moved it up to the 6th, so she only has to wait until Monday. She seems fine with the situation as is though. The leg is wrapped in a giant plush splint that keeps it straight so she can't put any weight on it because it's too long so she just kinda drags it behind her. She's also on pain meds and we're keeping her isolated in our bedroom with the tv on and occasionally I throw our other cat (her daughter actually) in there to cuddle with her. We DIYd a litter box out of a sheet pan from the kitchen lined with puppy piddle pads and then litter and she hasn't missed once which is more than can be said for her normal bathroom habits so I'm pretty proud of her. We're also babying her and giving her more wet food than normal, but she still has an appetite and seems to be enjoying her time in the big fluffy dog bed we have in there. 

She looks way more pathetic in this picture than she really is I promise!!