Socknitters Forum

[Viola]

Started this for any pet related themes we have going, as suggested in the “Free Yarn” thread.

I’ll start with a new one…

Gandalf…my needing extra care and lots of meds (FeLV) … cat is very laid back but he can get up to mischief. We got up this morning to discover out 8 foot palm tree was just a one foot stump! The top part was well chewed and the tell-tale spit up of green close by.

I should have predicted this. For the last week he had been pawing and trying to chew the top leaves and, since it was bent over, he could reach just a few. I guess he decided to remedy that while we slept and chewed through the thick stem (which must have bounced up quite dramatically when it broke!) and feast on the top.

When he was a teething kitten he did the same thing but with a much smaller palm tree and we came down to him dragging the top part around the house. I did think this big one was safe.

Ah well… I doubt either end will regrow but we’ll give it a go.

[Daniele]

I send my sympathies for the leukemia cat. I just lost Edsel Ford and still have his three littermates, one of whom is already diagnosed (Bentley). I thought sure we'd lost him when he fell off the top of the lightpost and broke his jaw - two surgeries should have kicked him good, but he recovered and is up to his old tricks. He seems okay, but with leukemia, it can be unpredictable. You just have to love 'em while you have them with you. Beemer, the other brother, has started licking rocks and metal, and that's usually a sign that there's a blood issue, like anemia. We just have to watch and wait.
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SK Rescue Site
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[Viola]

That's interesting you mention the licking rocks etc ... (pica?) Gandalf has always licked rocks, ate dirt and tried to desperately get outside (indoor cat) to get some quick chomps of grass before we chase him back in. We've tried giving him cat grass but he tends to go overboard and then spit it up. The meds seem to work well though and we seem to have it down to a minimal dose now to maintain him.

The other two cats (not litter mates) seem immune but we have had them started on yearly immunizations to make sure.

Such is life but I don't think I've ever gone long without a cat in the house... seems wrong somehow.

[tracyknits]

Does Gandalf like to run the palm fronds through his teeth? I've had cats do that with tough, fibrous plants (I think it's kitty dental floss).

My cats in Tennessee happily polished off (outright ATE it) a begonia when I wasn't paying attention (the first day). I was tempted to buy one occasionally for them as a special snack.

I get cat grass regularly for my crew - I get the occasional recreational barf, but I figure that's one of the big reasons I buy paper towels

Still waiting to see if Glow Boy starts to regain weight. It's hard to tell and I should stop staring at him so hard; he's only been home a week (although *I* wouldn't have any trouble gaining a couple pounds in a week - maybe a pancake breakfast or two )

Tracy
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REVISED 2011 Knitting Resolution: 6 "big projects" - shawls and/or sweaters ('cause I'm just too distracted by other patterns to do only VLT patterns this year!)

[Viola]

No Tracy, he definitely eats the greens but I figure the thick bark chewing is getting his teeth cleaner. He does has gum issues but brushing his teeth was not working (couldn't get the knack of it and ...well yuck!) so I buy hard dry food and treats once in awhile for that.

Hope Glow Boy gets his weight back... that's one thing this cat could do quickly! I should have mentioned this guy when I helped with the Bulimia study! Occassionally he tries to eat his and the other two's food.

Yup, paper towels to the rescue!

[WolfWalker]

Someone dumped a Maine Coon kitty at my house about 2 months ago, and she was very pregnant. We were remaking our back porch, closing it in, replacing the door and such, and this beautiful cat showed up and made herself quite at home on my porch. We even installed a flap door just for her. Well, we finally finished the porch just in time for her to give birth.

I took them all to the vet this morning because the kittens are having a slight issue with upper respiratory infections. Mom got very upset during the ride there, if she could have she would have squished herself right through the carrier door! Once we got to the vet and into an exam room, I let all 6 out of their carriers. The kittens had a blast running around the exam room while Mom was sitting up in the big window. Vet says the kittens are all good, just a very small bug so they're all on antibiotics now. Mom tested negative for leukemia/aids/heartworm.

Two of the kittens will be leaving here on April 24th, to go to their furever home in Virginia. The other 3.......we'll be keeping. Then Mom will be taken back to the vet for spaying. Once she's fully recovered from that we'll try to see if she'll be ok with my other inside kitties. Hopefully it'll all work out!

Debra in NC

[Viola]

Wow. I can't imagine that many cats in a car at once but I guess kittens are easier. We sometimes take our three together and each get its own handler (the son or daughter who 'owns' it) along. Its an interesting ride.

You're going to have a houseful! Good luck with all the treatments. They've reduced the meds on our FeLV cat once more and we'll retest his blood again in a few weeks. Its amazing what they can do for them since I lost my first cat to that many years ago.

[appaloosa]

What a great story Wolfwalker! With a great happy ending too. I had visions of all the little kitties running around the room at the vet's! I am glad that they are all okay. Viola, hope that the tests come back okay too.
I know how it is... With our two boys and the horses, we have our share of trips to the vet's or bring him out here at the farm. But, you know, no matter what they say... they are sooooo totally worth it. Could not live without them.
lou
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Appaloosa

May you always run with the wind at your back and good friends by your side.

[Viola]

...trying to picture getting the horses in the car for the vet visit

[silfert]

"Hey, Doc. There's a Shetland pony here to see you."

"Whatsa matter?"

"He's a little horse."

*facepalm*

[appaloosa]

With great difficulty! *snort* We try to get them in tail first!!! The appaloosa is the most difficult...
Cute horsey joke, Audrey!
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Appaloosa

May you always run with the wind at your back and good friends by your side.

[BusyJ]

Update on my Katie..... she is continuing her Laser treatments and doing very well. She is more active and getting up much faster than she has in quite awhile. I guess she was in pain that we were not aware of. Just thought it was because she was getting older, which she is. (She will be 11 June 6. That is OLD for a St. Bernard.)

Glad the kittie is doing better, Vi.

Tracy, still sending good vibes to Kleenex.

Judy
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[Daniele]

I had to quick add something about the upper respiratory issues - did you have the cats tested for herpes and/or calici virus? Both are highly contagious and any new owner will have to accomodate the illness, or decline if they have other cats in the household. Neither virus ever goes away. I keep my tribe in remission pretty much most of the time with daily doses of L-lysine. I get a flare-up every season change that's pretty mild, and a bigger recurrence when anyone gets unduly stressed. This is the nature of the herpes virus. Antibiotics don't help except with secondary infections like pneumonia. Calici is more serious and needs a vet's attention asap. And many vets are pretty clueless about these retro-viruses, so it can be frustrating for the owners. There is quite a bit of good information online, and support groups as well. Fingers crossed!
_________________
SK Rescue Site
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SKCafe

[tracyknits]

Wow Wolfwalker - you are going to need to point us to some photos! I have friends with MC cats - boy, they sure get BIG I always feel like it's a big "ooph" when one of my 10-11 pounds uses my abdomen as a trampoline in the middle of the night, but it's a whole 'nother situation with a Maine Coon!

Kleenex update: I called the radiotherapy clinic today and had a nice chat with them about what is normal versus not normal following treatment. Kleenex has just slowed down to the point that he's a bit lethargic and depressed and while he is eating some, he is most certainly NOT regaining weight. I have two friends whose kitties have had the radio-iodine treatment and in both their cases, their cats just bounced back and started visibly regaining weight almost immediately. So...in my oh-so-worry-wart way, I've really been a bit freaked. As I'd hoped, for the most part I just need to CHILL. OUT. Kleenex's behavior is normal at this point. Some cats (not all, but enough for it to be well within normal) don't go from their super-charged, over active state to well BELOW normal. I had thought he went from hyperactive to normal, but cats who have really high T4 levels (like Kleenex....or worse) will just dump the dead thyroid cells like crazy for several weeks and it takes awhile for their normal cells to get going again. So...Kleenex is currently on the hypothyroid scale for all intents and purposes. It will become a concern if he stays this way after another couple of weeks or if he stops eating (if he stops eating enough to maintain, I have to get him to the vet IMMEDIATELY because he has NO reserves right now).

I'll be stopping at the pet store again for kitten food and I found a website that lists the calories for almost every cat/kitten food to be found (funnily enough, its a site on pet OBESITY lol). I've highlighted the ones with the highest calories that I know I can find at my local store and I'll get 6 - 8 kinds to try tonight and then can restock tomorrow depending on how he does. Fortunately, while he doesn't exactly GOBBLE them like he did before, he is still willing to consume quite a lot of cat treats (at just under 2 calories each). Since I'm now armed with the info that it takes 200-300 calories to MAINTAIN his current weight, I have some targets. And yeah...I know that feeding him a big pile of cat treats is about the equivalent of trying to plump up a human on deep fried twinkes or some other nutritionally suspect item, but.....at this point I care almost exclusively about calories. I'll deal with the nutritional aspects when his appetite begins to bounce back.

And...personal mini rant here - it just FIGURES that the manufacturer of TWO of his favorite foods decided to reformulate at this critical time! What the heck were they thinking? And of course, in both cases, this has resulted in a much less palatable (for my brood) food item which means I'd have been shopping for a new food ANYway I suppose.

The funny bit? The woman at the clinic said "you know, we DID notice that Kleenex is a very "sensitive" cat while he was here." This means of course....unwilling to eat when he's not feeling like the King of the Jungle as well as apt to think that Something Bad is going to happen if Mom (aka, ME) continues to act odd and consequently....not eat.

Tracy
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REVISED 2011 Knitting Resolution: 6 "big projects" - shawls and/or sweaters ('cause I'm just too distracted by other patterns to do only VLT patterns this year!)

[Viola]

That’s interesting Dani…. It took years and a specialist to (hopefully) get the diagnosis right. The meds seem to keep him stable and avoiding undue stresses is important but can be difficult … we have no big trips planned so that should help.

Tracy, I’m amazed you know other owners with the same treatment…I would have thought it was unusual. My guy loves the pet treats too and when he was sick it was all we could get him to eat. I had phoned to see why he couldn’t just live on those but, you’re right, its missing important nutrients. Hope poor Kleenex gets the spring back in his step soon.