Archive through September 28, 2002
TV ClubHouse: Archive: Cats (ARCHIVE):
Archive through September 28, 2002
Avery | Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 01:27 pm     LMAO Kimi, did ya get the part of my post that said I am sooooo not a pet person? I managed for 82 years without one and now that I have 3 you wish for me to add another?? oh my, lol, that is one of my best laughs today darling. I thought that all you lovely cat people would come rushing in and tell me your cats all have Hoppers too and then tell me exactly what to do. Why does my pet my first experience with a pet have to be an odd one!! The cat is actually pretty happy/preoccupied right now, cause I think there is a squirrel or a whole community of them suddenly lose in my attic today! I am waiting for my son to come by and check it out. I swear I can already foresee that tonight I am going to be giving Elvis, Georgia and Belle neckrubs because all that they have done all day is pace the floors looking way way up! Pets, I swear, if you knew me, ya never would have thunk it!! Off to look for a new Hopper! Avery |
Webkitty | Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 04:00 pm     Geez Poco, First I cried so hard at your story of Poco that my dinner is all knotted up in a ball in my stomach, and then I see that picture of Popper, and now I am laughing so hard MY kitties think I'm nuts! What a ride! Glad to see the cat lovers of tvch finding there way here to this thread {{kitty hugs to all}} MsAvery, I've had cats all my life and I thought I had heard it all but your story took the cake! I hope you find another hopper soon. (hope your kitty doesn't want to adopt one of those squirrels!) I can't post pics of my two on this webtv, but we are going on vacation soon and I might have access to a "real" computer and if I do I will post some. This should be an adventure. We are driving from Forida to New England and back with the "kids". They have never been on a major road trip before and it should be fun, fun, fun (or not) "P" will be ok, he's mellow, but China is half Siamese and she yowls her head off just going to the vet. kitty downers are being packed as a last resort "P" is overweight, and is on a strict exersize program. He must run and jump up at the laser light pen for at least 15 minutes twice a day. (its hysterical!) And no more snacking on kibbles 24/7. ................................................ "Everthing a cat is and does physically is to me beautiful, lovely, stimulating, soothing, attractive and an enchantment." ~Paul Gallico~ from "An Honourable Cat" ................................................ "And that's only half of their magical powers" ~webkitty~ |
Poco | Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 07:47 pm     Webkitty: I'm sorry I made you cry and I'm happy that I made you laugh. Cats have that power over us, huh? For all they give us, they don't ask for much in return.....food, water, a little lovin', Cool Whip, a Catnip Video and a purple, fuzzy mouse.... that's all! LOL |
Webkitty | Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 08:03 pm     Poco, don't be sorry! That was a lovely tribute to your Poco, I wish I could do somthing like that for my babies that have gone before me. (I know your pain, that's why it effected me so) But, if Popper isn't the ticket to help heal a broken heart I don't know what is! And I can't believe what a natural she is with props and the camera, she otta be in pictures!! LOL! My two have those little mousies everwhere, there must be 10 of them tucked away in corners all over the house. Oh, if you can find one of those laser beam pens, they are great fun too. My vet suggested it for exersize for my pudgy one. He said they were safe, just make sure you don't shine the beam directly in the cats eyes. Gotta go, time for bed, I'm getting the ~furry eyeball~ if you know what I mean. They won't go up to bed until I do and they want to go now! LOl! Night all, and take care  |
Poco | Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 07:11 pm     Please.....any of you who have been touched by the generosity and kindness of Moondance --- she needs to hear from you. Sadly, she lost her dear kitty Sasha (who slept with Moon every night) just yesterday. Moon is racked with sorrow. She has been a large presence on this board and kind to everyone and I think it is time we gave a little back to her. Please eMail her with your support during this most painful time. She needs our love now. |
Halfunit | Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 08:06 pm     Will do, and thanks for letting us know. {{{{{{{{ Moon }}}}}}}} |
Rolandcat | Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 01:58 pm     Avery, I have had cats all my life and now have two. I have NEVER known a cat to have a bug for a friend. The longest my kids would keep a plaything alive was about an hour. Poor little moles...one of my many cats would bring one in and let it go in a small corner, only to bat it to see it run before she would pounce on it. After getting tired of that, then go for "the usual" kill would occur. So in reading about your cat and a bug for a friend, I was LMAO!!!. i am going to pass on that to all my cat loving friends. Good luck finding another "friend" for your cat. |
Djgirl5235 | Monday, September 16, 2002 - 07:05 am     I have two myself, (click on my profile for a pic), and they have never adopted anything!!! I have some funny stories about them, but this is one of the funniest that's happened in awhile. My male cat - Doyle (the grey & white one) LOVES hair elastics, and if I leave them lying around on a table, they will be confiscated and tossed around the house. Well, Saturday, my SO & I were sitting on the couch watching TV, and Doyle was sitting on my SO's lap. I had an elastic in my hand and was flicking it back and forth, totally oblivious to the fact that Doyle was intently watching the entire thing. He pounced and got his teeth around the elastic, and caught me so off guard that I didn't even think, and tightened my grip on it, only to let go once I realized what I was doing, and the elastic sprang back and got him on the nose. He was fine, but every time I try to get him to play with them now from my hand, he meows at the elastic and then looks up at me, and then looks down at the floor... Kind of to say "I'm not falling for that one again - put it down there where I can make sure that it's safe!"... I tell ya, the two of them have us howling most of the time!!! Nice to have all these catlovers out there!!! |
Curiouscat | Saturday, September 21, 2002 - 06:37 am     I just came here since the BB discussion board is down and found this cat thread. I am wondering if Babyruth has found out if her kitty, Jessie, has intestinal lymphoma or not? My Burmese cat, Coco, was diagnosed with nasal lymphoma in May 2000 and after two years of chemotherapy and great quality of life he has come out of remission (the cancer is active again.) We are trying to get the cancer back into remission again, but it is very difficult the second time around ... we will be lucky if he has another six months. Coco is feeling very well at this time, knock on wood, and I'm cherishing every moment with him. I found the Big Brother Fan Club over two years ago when BB1 aired and it helped to take my mind off the tribulations of trying to keep Coco from losing his battle with cancer. Now this summer I am again thankful for this distraction and enjoy the online community here. I will pop back to this thread later to see if Babyruth replies. I usually do not post much but I felt the need to reach out when I read her message posted September 9th. If I can somehow help someone else in any way by sharing what I've learned and Coco has experienced that would be nice. XOXOX to everyone and their fur babies |
Nancy | Saturday, September 21, 2002 - 11:28 am     i brought my cat roo to have her annual check up--she weight 8.5 (down a lb from last year!) and needs her teeth cleaned--poor kitty was sooo stressed she either bit or dug her claw into me(not really sure which it happened so fast) but thees a definite puncture wound--trying to get away from the vet(shots!) |
Halfunit | Sunday, September 22, 2002 - 08:30 am      |
Twiggyish | Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 09:25 am     This is soooo cute! Just pass your mouse over the kitty. (Be sure to check out his ears) OH and pass your mouse above his head, back and forth, he plays with it! http://www.broenink-art.nl/maukie.swf |
Nancy | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 05:40 am     Took my kitty to the vets for her dental cleaning--they did some blood work on her and she MIGHT have the start of some kidney disease..Her creatine and bun are slightly high--but the vet said it could be from fasting (because of anestheisa) causing dehydration)--so they will re-check in 4 weeks--if so he 'think' we probably caught it early enough to make a difference-- Moonie? or anyone else any ideas thought on kitty food to help her along? i know there's stuff out there and it should be non-phosphurus...(she's not into dry food very much).. thanks! |
Mystery | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 10:24 am     Nancy, when I read your earlier post about your cat's weight loss I thought of kidney disease, too; weight loss and lots of water-drinking were our first clues that our cat, then 16, had kidney problems. He was always a thin cat (has been eating CD cat food most of his life after an early urinary tract problem) but he was down to 7.5 pounds when the vet saw him. The vet said that it was kidney failure and put him on the kidney-friendly CD for older cats (wish we had known about that earlier; it seems like he could have been on it when he was around 12 or so) and put him on steroids for his appetite. The vet told us that within six months we would probably have to start hydrating him (inserting a needle under his skin to give him water). Well, it's been almost 3 years since the diagnosis and our cat's still hanging in there, still on the steroids but without any hydrating. He's due for another checkup in a few weeks but it's been a year since he was last in. As I said, the vet said it was kidney failure back in 1999. At his exam last year a visiting vet told us that his kidneys were small because he was old, but that there wasn't any catastrophic failure, and it seems that she was right. One thing that we did that I think helped was to buy one of those circulating water dishes for him. He really does need to drink a ton of water every day and we think he's been drinking more since we got it (that was almost immediately after his diagnosis). About a year and a half ago he did have a scary seizure while he was sitting on my lap on the couch (he rolled right off me and somersaulted across the floor a few times, and for about a minute one of his "arms" seemed paralyzed) but as far as I can tell he hasn't had another, and I work at home, so I see him a lot. Another symptom he has, though I'm not sure if it's the unfiltered chemicals running around in his brain or just his advanced age of 19, is that he gets confused a lot and can walk away from me and sit down in the next room and start crying because he's alone. He always perks right up though when one of us taps him on the shoulder (he's gone pretty deaf) and reminds him that he's not alone in the universe! Sorry about the length of this. I wish you and your cat good luck and wanted you to know that there's at least one cat out here still going strong with poorly functioning kidneys. |
Nancy | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 10:45 am     mystery thanks--what is CD Cat food? is that the brand name? |
Mystery | Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 10:58 am     CD is a brand made by Hill's, that I assume is like Science Diet, but you buy it at the vet's. I'm sure Science Diet makes one that's just the same. We've had our cat on it since 1983 because it had low ash, and at the time it was one of the few that did. He likes it so we've just kept him on it. I think that the k/d version he's on now has less protein in it because protein is harder for older cats to process. And just so you won't be disappointed.... giving your cat steroids does NOT mean that she will be more willing/able to help you move furniture around! |
Babyruth | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 10:29 am     Curiouscat, I just wandered in here and found your message today! I'm sorry I didn't see it and respond sooner. Thanks so much for thinking of me and Jessie and for wanting to help. (((((Curiouscat))))) As it turns out, Jessie has chronic renal failure as well as the previously diagnosed hyperthyroidism, and the wild guess of intestinal lymphoma made by one vet was incorrect. Jessie is 12 or 13 (I adopted her as a stray teenage kitty) and has always been healthy indoor cat who only saw the vet for shots. A few months ago, when Jessie started losing weight, I became concerned and took her to a new vet: a Specialty Cat Clinic (and a much shorter drive for my carsick prone kitty). The new vet drew some labs and it was discovered (as I had suspected) that Jessie's thyroid was very overactive, a common condition in older cats. Three forms of treatment were offered: one, surgical removal of the thyroid gland. Two, radioactive iodine therapy. Three, medicine--tapazole, a medicine used to counter the thyroid gland. According to that vet, the surgery and iodine radiation treatment are most effective, but can't be used if there is hidden underlying kidney disease. Too risky for the kidneys. Kidney disease can be easily hidden when the thyroid is overactive, because the thyroid increases the overall metabolism and makes the kidneys work harder than normal, and thus seem normal when they may not be. So, we started Jessie on the tapazole to get the thyroid back down towards normal, then after two weeks we would recheck labs to see how the kidney values looked. (they were currently ok). If ok, we would do either the surgery or iodine treatment. 2 weeks went by and all thyroid and kidney labs were rechecked and normal, but we continued with the tapazole, were told not to worry about the quarter pound weight loss since the prior visit, and were told to come back in one month. I was worried after only 2 more weeks, however, because Jessie seemed to be losing more weight rather than regaining, and was drinking more water and peeing more. I took her back to the vet (2 weeks ahead of recommended schedule) and found she had lost almost a whole pound in the 4 weeks since we started the tapazole! The vet drew more bloodwork and said she'd call me the next day when the results came in. I asked her how come Jessie was still losing so much weight (and more rapidly) when the labwork indicated the thyroid was back to normal? Could her kidneys be having problems despite the recent normal kidney labs? I told the vet that Jessie had been drinking more and peeing more than before. The vet had no answer, then finally shrugged her shoulders and said, "intestinal lymphoma, maybe?". That's why I posted what I did, looking for information on that. The next day, I waited for the vet to call with the lab results, and by 4 PM (near closing) had not heard anything, so I called. The vet technician said the vet was not in that day (WTF??), but the technician found my labs and read the results to me. She also told me the vet would call me about them the next morning. Well, the thyroid level was good, but the kidney values (BUN, creat) were sky high!! I realized the need for immediate treatment and took Jessie to the ER vet, who looked at the lab results and agreed. She was immediately started on IV fluids to try to rehydrate and flush the kidneys. I told him the whole history and treatment. He said he's seen this happen a lot: "tapazole kitties", where the tapazole sometimes goes too far and damages more than just the thyroid, and worsens kidney problems, thus the elevated labs and the increased weight loss, thirst and peeing. He said he hates tapazole, that it's like chemo. He said to not give any more to Jessie. He agreed that the other vet should have called me or had someone call, because these labs were so high. I wondered to myself how come the specialty cat vet didn't recognize this common complication of tapazole and instead, when presented with the same classic symptoms of renal failure, shrugged her shoulders and guessed "lymphoma?". Grrrrr. The next morning, I transferred Jessie to her original (non-specialty) vet's hospital, where she was kept for three days and given IV fluids and monitored. It was hoped her labwork would normalize, showing she had only a short term (acute, reversible) rather than chronic kidney problem. But Jessie's labs only improved slightly, meaning they were not going to return to normal. He confirmed what the ER doc told me: this was an unfortunate but not uncommon effect of tapazole, that could have worsened any prior kidney weaknesses or problems. The vet gave me a bag of fluids for adminstration under the skin with a needle (150 cc every other day), to help maintain hydration and assist the kidneys. He also gave me some Iams/Eukanuba canned kidney diet. We were to follow up in 2 weeks for bloodwork (sooner of needed). He cuddled Jessie and talked to her during the visit, something the "specialty cat vet" never did. I brought Jessie home and for the first 2 days she was tired and not very hungry, but was thirsty and peed a lot. I gave her the fluids as directed, and by the fourth day, she had perked up and regained her appetite and was back to her usual talkative, engaging self. Two weeks have gone by, and although she'll only eat the special kidney food in the mornings when she is most hungry, I feed her normal canned food of whatever flavor she likes, the rest of the time. I feed her as much as she'll eat, about 4-6 times a day. Like her Mom, she doesn't like leftovers for two days straight, and so I try a variety of flavors to keep her eating. Our other cat, Angie, is only too happy to finish whatever Jessie doesn't want. BTW, both cats have always just self-fed on dry food and maintained a healthy, normal weight. Three days ago we went back to the good vet for the 2 weeks checkup, and the labwork confirmed for once and for all that the kidneys were not improving. But they weren't getting worse, either, thanks to the home fluid treatments. She has only a small amount of functioning kidney left. She doesn't need to go back unless I notice changes in her eating, drinking, peeing, comfort or behavior. On the positive side, Jessie has regained almost a pound and her appetite is still good, and her coat is back to being shiny and thick rather than dry, thin and dull. She's still in great spirits, and seems to feel well. She's always insisted she is the boss of me, and nothing has changed. I don't know how much longer things will stay like this, but the vet was encouraging and said that many cats can be maintained like this for quite a while (a few years). As long as she's happy and feeling good, that's fine with me. Oh, and that "specialty cat vet" finally called last week (one full week after the labwork with the very bad results was done) and left a message on my machine that said, "I just found your labwork results on my desk and noticed nobody had called you. I don't know how that happened, but I'm calling now. I want to talk with you about the results. The thyroid is good, but the kidney values are a little high, and Jessie may need to change her diet." Yes, I am composing a letter. Sorry, everyone, to have taken up so much space with this uncharacteristically huge post, but I thought sharing this story might help someone else. I did a lot of reading and self educating on the web, and want to post a particularly good link on chronic renal failure in cats: Feline CRF |
Fanny | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 02:08 pm     Babyruth!!! I'm not going to spend much time thinking about what I wanna say and composing it, so you're going to be on the end of a "stream of consciousness" rambling... My kitty, Tootsie, is 19. She also has an overactive thyroid with accompanying kidneys that aren't in the greatest of shape. I considered the radioactive treatment and surgery for about 2.5 seconds...before discarding both. There is no way I'd be able to give Toots pills but my vet saved the day (and Tootsie's life actually). I have Toots on Methimazole (I think that's spelled right) for her thyroid. What is so cool is that it's in a gel form and is absorbed into her bloodstream by me rubbing the gel in the inside of her ear!!!! My vet gets the meds from a "compounding pharmacy." I have more thoughts to share but am going to get this posted and then go to the 'net to look at tapazole vs. methimazole. Best wishes to you and Jess. |
Twiggyish | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 02:23 pm     Babyruth, If that happened to a human, you could sue. I'm not sure what can be done at this point. My thoughts are with your dear kitty. |
Fanny | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 03:09 pm     Ack...tapazole and methimazole are one and the same. But Toots tolerates it ok, and I am aware of the tremendous balancing act between thyroid and kidneys. We have a terrific vet. I'm sorry Jessie didn't do well on tapazole. It's awful that when you are in desperate need of timely and accurate information/diagnoses that you vet (ex-vet) messed up so badly. I totally understand your anger and frustration. Here's my point....for those whose kitties are on tapazole/methimazole and who are tolerating it, you don't need to pill them. You can get the gel form. It's been wonderful. Giving Toots her meds (a once-a-day occurrence) is a complete non-event. Hugs and lots of low-protein kisses to Jessie. And thanks for the link. It's great. |
Curiouscat | Friday, September 27, 2002 - 07:12 pm     Babyruth, I'm glad you came back to this thread to update us about Jessie. I have mixed emotions about what you and your fur baby have gone through these past few weeks - anger and frustration over that "special" clinic's lack of professionalism - sadness with the chronic renal failure diagnosis - and happiness that treatment is going well for Jessie. I noticed a couple other people have experience with what Jessie has and it is so helpful to share/compare notes. It is good to have a support system when you are going through health problems so you don't feel so alone. I found a Yahoo group for feline lymphoma ... maybe there is one for chronic renal failure. Here's one: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FelineCRF/ I have had experience with giving my baby boy, Coco, daily sub-q fluids as well when he first went through chemotherapy induction two years ago. He had a lack of appetite from chemo treatments nauseating and sometimes making him vomit. The oncology technician taught the very nervous me (needles, yikes) how to give the fluids. It really made a difference and I think he pulled through because of it. If anyone ever has to do this for their kitty, don't be afraid, if I can do it, anyone can All the best to Babyruth, Jessie and all the other cat lovers and their babies! ***Purrs and hugs*** |
Halfunit | Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 08:58 am     Just to reiterate what Curious said... My oldest receives 10 units of insulin every twelve hours. My vet took the time to teach me how to do this so that Kitty doesn't even feel it. Since we give her a treat after the injection, she just thinks that we manipulate the skin on her neck twice a day and she gets a treat for it. It's to the point that if I forget or am running behind, SHE lets ME know that it's time for her medicine! So YES - you CAN use needles and your babies don't have to know!!!! |
Resortgirl | Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 09:05 am     WE have two cats Bernice and Smudge. I wanted to share a picture of Smudge posing with my sons Bearded Dragon "Goofy" They actually play together.
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Mystery | Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 09:06 am     Thanks to the posters who talked about giving their cats shots. Our cat is great about taking pills (we've always held him like a baby by tipping him over on his back, and it's very easy to push a pill down his throat) but I've been dreading the time when we have to give him subcutaneous fluids. |
Weinermr | Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 09:10 am     Mystery, it's not so bad. Our cat has been getting both a daily 1/4 pill of Tapazole and fluids subcutaneously every other day or so for a couple years now. She is very good about it all, and it really helps her. Even if you are not used to using IV bags and needles, if you are taught properly it's very easy to do. There is very little risk of hurting the cat, and certainly not yourself. Cute pic RG!  |
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