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Archive through April 24, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussion ARCHIVES: 2006 Mar. ~ 2006 May: Hairball Haven: Cats (ARCHIVES): Archive through April 24, 2006 users admin

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Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sunshyne4u a private message Print Post    
THX Costa ....Whiskers is a crazy aggressive cat who is terrified of Vets. I was told by his first owner that he bit a vet when getting his first shots as a kitten and the vet slapped him. I got him as a 'give-away' pet since he used to beat up the other family's purebred dog.

He did not have a heart murmur until he was anemic about a year ago. It was felt that it was temporary but we did all the blood work then...twice. Everything was normal.

After being stabbed twice in the neck (he screamed horribly!!) Whiskers is now even more afraid of vets and absolutely FREAKS when he is there. I have no doubt that his heart is beating a mile a minute and any borderline insufficiency is magnified by adrenaline and terror. The Cat Only Clinic has now become multi-species. There was a huge dog barking at them when we went in last time.

I have gone back and forth with what I want to do for him. He is seemingly healthy and very active. It will be over a thousand dollars to do a bunch of testing which will likely show nothing. As a medically trained person I am well aware that the Ultrasound is the only REAL reliable test. I have just been told that they will not do it unless I do all the expensive "screening" tests first. NONE of which will show what I need to know...cardiac function

Whiskers is a very independant cat who prefers to be left alone OR is outside for hours at a time. He sits on me rarely but likes to hang out within eyesight.
**********************

I know exactly what you are going thru with your holiday anxiety, Happymom.

My cats are always housesat but I still worry as others dont know my cat's personalities. Both will SULK for days if they get their noses out of joint. My Booboo has developed arthritis so I always worry that someone will try and pick her up wrong. Then she is basically crippled for a day or two.

Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sunshyne4u a private message Print Post    
Whoops I forgot to add this!!

Costacat---I would like to know how you give your cat the drug. Is it drops in the food? or a pill or injection?

The money needed for drugs isnt an issue for me. It is the hell that poor whiskers will be put thru and Whether I can even physically give him the meds. He is a fighter and I have trouble with my hands/grip.

Rabbitkicking his catnip banana ROTFL My Booboo does that too. With a crazy wild vicious look in her eyes. I have never thought of it but YES it is just like a rabbit kick. LOL

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 10:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
we rarely have to take webpee to the vet, thank God. every time we do, the vet says, "c-section?" and has to unscrew the top and separate it from the bottom of the carrier. the cat wedges himself in and you can't get him out the door. that's after an hour of trying to drag him out from under the bed to get him squished in the door in the first place!
i can't wait (she says sarcastically) until i have to try and get both cats in the large carrier i got to transport them 312 miles to the new house. we are leaving about 10:00 p.m. on thursday, so won't arrive until about 3:00 a.m., but we want to miss the thursday traffic around stockton and sac'to and miss the Good Friday traffic. i am going to make sure the car speakers are all up front and i am going to listen to sirius radio on the laugh station the whole way up. i hope the cats go to sleep or it may be a whole lot of other 'serious' hell of of a trip!


is there no picture of a crying woman in a car in this clip art selection?!!!

Watching2
Member

07-07-2001

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 8:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Watching2 a private message Print Post    
LOL Tabby. You can always take along a pair of earplugs just in case. :-)

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 8:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Sweet kisses for Ivy kitty and many hugs for Mamapors. Mama, I had to make that decision for my boy Julio the Mexican el Gato about 18 months ago, he was 17 years old, and I couldn't believe it when it was happening. I still think of my little friend every day and even though I have two new boys with their own personalities and and love to give, I always remember Julio with so much love that was just for him. You were lucky to have Ivy and I'm sure she knew she was lucky to have you.

Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 1:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sunshyne4u a private message Print Post    
If your cats hate the car, Maybe you can get some Kitty tranquilizers from the vet for the cartrip.

My cats Hated the car and yowled for over an hour straight the first time I travelled with them. Now after a year of travelling, Whiskers curls up in his doughnut and falls asleep. Booboo protests for around five mins then curls up in a location where the heat can blow on her.

Late night is the best time to travel for cats in my opinion. Since it is dark they dont seem to get as upset as when traffic is flying by on either side of the car. I can imagine that the critters get pretty carsick from the motion.

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 2:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
well, the hardest part might be getting the one shy cat into the carrier. it has sat unzipped in my bedroom for 3 full days. bootsie has checked it out, but not webpee. i did buy a really luxurious pad to put in it and i put that on my bed for two nights. webpee hogged the whole thing. this morning i put the pad in the carrier to see if i can lure the cats closer. (sorta like woody allen putting out butter and a lobster-cracker to lure the lobsters out from behind annie hall's fridge).
i think i will have to hide the carrier in the bathroom. then i'll go in the bathroom with the little can of cat treats they like. i'll shake the can and hopefully, they'll come running. i'll have to slam the bathroom door, try to get one cat in the carrier and keep it in while chasing the other cat. phew.
after i get them in the otherwise fully-loaded car, i'll have to empty their litter box and put it in the garage. i have a new one ready to take north. then i'll have to scrub the bathroom floor. after that, i'll do a last check of the house and throw kendall in the back, after he has peed on 27 plants and trees.
another 5 hours and i can reverse the process.
you know what? i just realized last night that webpee has lived here his whole 7 years. bootsie will be 2 tomorrow and webpee will be 7 on tax day. (we picked april 15 when we found him after he was attacked by a dog. the vet estimated 9-10 weeks so we counted back and picked tax day so we could remember it). bootsie really was born on april 14, so we know his true birthday. but anyway, i was a little sad last night, realizing the cats won't ever be in this house again. webpee has gone with us in the motorhome before, but it's been a few years. i hope they aren't too traumatized. me, either, after our trip tonight!
i used to give vito a benadryl before traveling, but i gave one to kendall once and it was like giving him 3 cups of coffee. i'll just try and tire him out tonight by throwing his tennis balls across the yard. hopefully, the cats won't even know he's in the car...yeah, right!

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, April 13, 2006 - 6:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Sunshyne, I know Costacat will show up with the information, but she found these wonderful pockets for giving pills, which I will certainly try out if/when I have to give pills next.. (and with Critter being 17, I suppose we are overdue. She got very very sick after I adopted her from the pound and we literally bled over, or I bled real blood, she bled emotion and bit and scratched, over being pilled, but the poor thing didn't have time to get to know me before she started being poked and prodded, hydrated, pilled, shot, etc.. that was over $1000 worth of work almost 16 years ago but she's not had to have a pill since.

Anyway.. let me google for it since the info may have archived.

Here they are at Petsmart:

Pill Pockets for Cats

They have a couple of sizes for dogs, as well.

Costa did tell us she can use half of one and Costa will take a pill with that.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Friday, April 14, 2006 - 8:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
Tabby, I hope you had good luck with the zoo! Our cats were 3 when we moved from San Diego to Sonoma County. They did just fine in the car (no noise at all) except for the panting when driving through hot LA in Sept., we had no a/c in our car. About 6 weeks after that we moved again. Oreo yelled the entire 1/2 hour drive. It was so incredibly loud and one of the longest half hours of my life. 3 1/2 years after that we moved again, it was about a 30 min. drive. I don't remember any yowling then. I was worried about the cats because they had never lived outside or even been outside since they were teens. They would be living in the garage with a kitty door to the outside world. The vet seemed not concerned at all. Anyway, a couple days after we moved into the new house, they left 2 birds for us at the back door. The birds were laying in exactly the same position facing the same way side by side. They never did that before or since.

Wow Sea, you and Critter sure had a rough start. How are Critter and Angelina getting along these days?

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Friday, April 14, 2006 - 8:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Can hardly wait for Tabbyking, 'Rest of the story'.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Saturday, April 15, 2006 - 12:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
LOL OG...me too!

Hypermom
Member

08-13-2001

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 2:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hypermom a private message Print Post    
My Holly ran away last night, or is lost somewhere. We were sitting outside last night and both she and Samantha were with us. Around 11, we decided to go in and couldn't find her. My DD and I walked around last night looking for her. We all looked this morning. We're in a gated community with about 80 homes, so my DH printed out pictures of her for the guard shack and put some on the community mail boxes also. She's never done this before. I just want to know where she is. Unless she walked through the gates, she has to be here somewhere.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 2:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
(((Hypermom & Holly))) Hope you find your Holly or she finds her way home. Were your doors and windows closed? Is there a POSSIBILITY that she's hiding in the house? Although I'm sure you've probably looked everywhere.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 4:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Hyper, please remember that cats rarely go very far 2,3,4 houses away at the most. They get frightened and hide under the shrubs, won't come when called. So you really need to get down and do a thorough search underneath every piece of greenery around each house.

Nancy
Member

08-01-2000

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 4:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nancy a private message Print Post    
its amazing where cats can disappear too. I used to have a cat(her name was puff because she was mostly all white with a tiger tail)., she disappeared on me one time and i didnt see her for about 4 days(she was an outdoor cat). I found her up the street(about 5 houses). Apparently my cat thought she had two homes, she used to cry to go out around 9pm we'd let her go out--then she's cut thru the school yard next door--walk up about 3 houses and come back onto my street(5 houses up) and that neighbor thinking she was a school cat left alone for the summer--would let her in and feed her --puff would spend the night with them, then come home to me in the morning--too funny LOL

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 5:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Sigh.. Critter and Angelina.. "in your face" with each other. Not friendly.

Hope Holly has returned, too.. I'd go door to door and check if she got shut in someone's garage.

Hypermom
Member

08-13-2001

Monday, April 17, 2006 - 5:55 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hypermom a private message Print Post    
Holly's home!! My DH got up a few minutes ago to hear meowwwwwwwww and pawing on the french door outside on the patio. We think she was trapped in someone's garage that went away Saturday night for Easter. She's eating now. Samantha is staring at her and is either happy or annoyed that she is back. lol

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Monday, April 17, 2006 - 8:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Oh, joy! I just love a happy ending, Hyper.

Prisonerno6
Member

08-31-2002

Monday, April 17, 2006 - 8:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Prisonerno6 a private message Print Post    
YAY for Holly!

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 2:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
Hyper, I'm glad Holly find her way back.

On Saturday I opened the front door to holler for Travis when I felt something and looked down. Miss Dolly was sniffing the porch like she's done a thousand times. When I heard Travis in the backyard, I shut the door and went to the back. Just a minute later, I heard a cat crying real loud so I started looking around my truck to see if the stray that runs around was there. Nothing. I go back through the house to the front door and when I open it, Miss Dolly is nothing but a streak of white flying by. Then I hear Travis telling his friend "let's find the cat." They had heard her also out in the backyard.

She surprised me on two levels. First, I never dreamed it was her because she has never ever been outside and, second, she has never spoken above a dainty little whisper.

Nancy
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 7:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nancy a private message Print Post    
Here is ms. marble she will be 2 in June

Marble kitty link

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 7:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Very pretty kitty, Nancy! Her coat and eyes are gorgeous!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Friday, April 21, 2006 - 7:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Sorry Sunshyne, I've been staying away from this place.

Costa take three different meds (two for his heart, one for his joints).

The diltiazim and the Cosequin (glucosamine) I get in capsule form. I had my pharmacy locate capusles for the diltiazim since the doc had originally prescribed a pill that was a pain to give him.

Those two capsules I give to him in about a quarter of a small can of cat food. Kassie gets the other quarter; a can lasts two days. This is their "dinner." I open the capsules, mix 'em in, and he eats it right up.

His newest pill, the benazopryl, apparently is a nasty tasting thing. He takes half of one. My pet sitter told me about the pill pockets for cats (they come in two flavors -- salmon and chicken). And they work great for a small pill. I put his half a pill in one, and split another one. Kassie gets half of the split one (so she doesn't feel left out!) and I "prime" Costa with the other half. Then I give him the one with his pill in it and he scarfs it down. On occasion (about every coupla weeks) he manages to spit the thing out, but I just grab another pill pocket and give it to him.

I'm (personally) against forcing meds into my cats, so these two options seem to work for Costa. He associates only good things with his "dinner" and gets his medicine at the same time. Both of them are so used to "dinner" that if I don't give it to 'em on time, they let me know. Around 5:30 every night they start to give me the "eye". Like "MOM! It's DINNER TIME! Feed us NOW!"

BTW, I had to go thru all the screening tests first (including bloodwork and x-rays) before they'd do Costa's ultrasound. Nothing else showed anything until then. The first series of tests I ran over a period of about a year (this was when he was 2 or 3). He now gets an annual ultrasound at about $700 each visit. His last ultrasound was when they decided to give him the hypertension drug, the benazopryl. It's expensive, but I actually like seeing how he's doing. And for a long time on the diltiazim alone, his heart disease really wasn't progressing at all.

Sorry for the delay. If you ever have a question and I'm not around (which is likely these days), just PM me. I've been playing in other sandboxes these days so rarely come into here (and when I do, I check only a few threads).

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Monday, April 24, 2006 - 12:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
We were in San Diego for the week. Oreo was boarding at the vet. She died on Friday. I am so sad. I really feared this. They were loving her and carrying her around all week. She wouldn't eat and got very weak. They knew Friday morning that she didn't have long. Even if we had rushed back (9 hour + drive) we wouldn't have made it. They loved her and carried her like a baby. They had an appt and had to put her back in her bed for awhile. They put her on my sweatshirt and the pad that still had Cashmere's fur on it in her soft cozy bed that we bought for her after Cashmere died. Oreo died peacefully in her sleep late in the afternoon. I am glad it was without suffering. I feel so sad that she spent the last few days without us. I feel that she would still be alive if we hadn't gone on vacation or if Cashmere had been there to keep her company. I am just sick that she probably felt so abandoned. I am so sad.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Monday, April 24, 2006 - 2:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
{{{Happymom}}} I just posted my condolences in the "In Memoriam" thread but your post here really made me feel so bad for you that I wanted to give you a hug.