Monday, February 27, 2006

Myla and the rabbit.


Well I let Bri on the bed the other afternoon for some exercise, and she ended up peeing on it (she's also been destructive in her cage.. hum.. feeling more at home is she?) so then I put her in the living room where there is a rug for her to run on. We had all six cats staring at her, it was a little off-putting. So tonight I brought her down stairs to play with Myla. Myla liked Bri in a "mmmm yummy rabbit" sort of way.. so I put her back in the cage with some food while I let Bri work off some energy.

Well turns out Bri REALLY likes the taste of live wires. Chewed right down to the copper faster than I could stop her!

So I put Bri back, and hung out with Myla. She's not been as quick to eat over the past day, so I was hoping I'd have kittens by now. Not yet. She is so uncomfortable that she has to squat when she sits, and she keeps rolling over. The kittens are the most active I have ever felt. Tonight I THINK she had a contraction, but after 15 more minutes or so there was nothing else.. so I put her back in her cage and now I really have to go to bed.

zzzzz

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Bri the little escape artist


I was cleaning Bri's cage this morning, and I was just about done so I put her in the cage while I went to get her veggies.. SOMEHOW she jumped or climbed out of the top of the cage.. She was a little freaked once she got there, so I rescued her :) it was cute.

She has been sneezing and pulling fur off in front of her eye. I noticed a piece of dust hanging on to her eye, so I carefully removed it, and there was about an inch of this piece of... dust.. IN her eye.. no wonder she's been scratching her eye.

Looks like she wants out of the cage again. She's so cute!

No kittens as of last night. Myla is SOO uncomfortable too. Poor thing.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Introducing...



This is Myla, My foster mom



And this is Brianna my new bunny! :)


I met Bri on Tuesday, and she was still there today, and I just had to have her. I had to run to the store to get supplies.. which was not fun, but she's so cute and sweet. She's 10 weeks at this point. Which would make her birthday around December 15th.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Yes, Myla, you are a pretty kitty


This mom is such a riot. She so wants to be patted and have her belly rubbed, but she can't stand the static in the air. She was getting ever so grumpy with me, so I got up, got a wet face cloth to pat her with.

She is very much in need of a bath. I'm scared to do it since she is so far along, but I just might. Only problem is I'd have to bring her upstairs to do it, and that wouldn't go over well at all.

I trimmed her nails. Her front ones were recently done, but no one nabbed the back ones, cause they were about three times as long as they should have been. She didn't like the position she was in the first go-round with the trimmer, but she quickly adjusted her big fat belly into a better position and it went very well. I cleaned her ears too, they were a MESS! She was so grumpy having them cleaned, but I'm sure she felt better getting some of that debris out of them.

Several weeks ago, I bought a kit for scrap-booking for kitties. It's just a little brag book, but it was cute and I couldn't resist. So I had to go through all of my photos to find some good ones of the kids. I don't have them organized well at all, so I had to go through ALL of them. I found forty great shots, which is going to be way too many for the little book, but I couldn't resist. I'm sure I've got other brag books around here somewhere for the leftovers :) Maybe I'll even print duplicates..

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

*burries head in hands*


I swear.. My kitties are conspiring against me to drive me insane. I'm thinking I need to go back to work just to get away from their cruel feline games.

Em is still having issues eating. She eats three bites and walks away, I call her back , she eats three bites and walks away. She is sitting right NEXT to the plate with the food and she is pawing at my leg begging for food!! Tonight she actually ate two and a half cans of Fancy Feast!! Of course, it took almost two hours. Making sure she gets enough to eat is probably why her weight is fluctuating so much.

At least I have ordered a grinder.. Raw diet is on the way!!

Hubby came into the room with a bit of kitty vomit. Wanted to know what I thought it was that some mysterious kitty who ingested long black hair (OLLIE!) had vomited. Turned out to be insulation. Yes.. the pink stuff they put in the ceilings of basements.. the stuff that can't possibly taste interesting.. he ate it. Hum.. wonder if this has anything to do with his not eating well!! *grrr* His teeth were looking better, and I didn't put any baking soda on it yesterday (bad mommy) and today they were a bit more inflamed. I don't really want to put him on antibiotics, but I have a feeling I'm not going to have a choice. I'll keep brushing them with the soda / peroxide mix I've been doing that has been helping, and see what happens. If it gets better and when I stop they get worse, I'll start the AB's.

I do have a new foster mom. Quite pregnant, large belly. Myla (I think) is her name. Very chubby money cat.. I was told she had a distemper shot about a month ago while she was pregnant and no one knew.. There is concern the babies will be healthy.. They also think she won't deliver for about a week. Ugh.. I want kittens NOW!! :)

I'm considering setting up the old computer in the room so I can set up a webcam to watch her.. that would be fun.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

*tearing hair out*


Ok, so Ollie didn't have a BM in 24 hours, in fact it was closer to 48, and that was AFTER I force fed him (which was NOT pretty) I've been brushing his teeth daily with baking soda and peroxide (I keep waiting for him to vomit, but he doesn't) I think he knows it is helping and doesn't fight me - which is nice. I let him out of isolation after the BM, since it looked normal except the fact that it was orange due to the pumpkin I forced him. So he's out for a couple of hours when BOOM, the power goes out for 36 hours. Yes.. no power, no heat, no water, no internet access for 36 hours!! it was so frustrating. Especially since it was below freezing out side, and at the end the house was only 46 degrees. If it hadn't come on soon, I was considering evacuating the kids, but had no idea where I would bring them. Oh well.. doesn't matter at this point. I know that if worse comes to worse we'll just live in the car. Something we can do for a few days.. Not that I'd have to as I know I have friends I could "impose" on.

So, for a day and a half, the last thing I could really focus on was what was going on with the kids. I just wanted to make sure the had enough food on board to keep their temps up. When the power came back up, you can bet I turned them all up to 75!! :)

The freezer seemed okay, but the ice cream was melted. The fridge seemed ok too, but the whipped cream was solid (canned version) I tried testing Em's BG's this morning to see if the insulin was working. We only had a drop of 50 points in four hours. Not good, but then I remembered she was on junk food for the past few days, so that MIGHT have something to do with it. I'll keep testing her AM sugars, and will do a curve in a couple of days to make sure that she gets back on keel.

She's currently frustrating me too. She has been begging me all day for treats and food. I wouldn't due to the high BGs. So now I've feed her, I have to keep pointing out the food to her. One time she even left the food to nibble on a piece of debris on the floor! Grrr.. eat the good food you silly kitty.

I swear they know that raw is eventually coming, and they are just going to be annoying till it does. I don't believe I am going to find anyone to grind for me, so I have to get off my duff and order a grinder. Hubby agreed to grind for me. (cause frankly the whole thing just gives me the willies). I can buy ground meat on line, but the cost of shipping just doesn't make it worth it to me. That and one of the most popular meats at this place (and the name of the site says it all) is rabbit, and I just can't do that. To me that is akin to feeding ground cat to a dog. Yea yea yea.. the rabbits lead a good life up until, but I can't.

So I need to get Em's weight again.. need to get back on board with her sugars, need to make sure Ollie's teeth are okay, and I NEED to buy a grinder..

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Ollie update


I gave him five ounces of water and food. He ate and drank about an ounce each. No output at this point... but I won't be worried about that until the morning (my cats seem to be on an AM elimination schedule)

I went in earlier to see him, and he just ignored me. Sent the husband in to see him a bit ago, and he jumped right up on him, and was very happy to see him. I came in to chat with the hubby, and give Ollie some treats (cause I wasn't happy about the one-ounce meal) which he ate, but not too happily. He then went and hid under the futon. At least his tongue is a bit pinker..

Obviously Ollie has absolutely no use for me. He is SOOO daddy's kitty. Hopefully, he can get him to eat some more, cause with out input, there is no out put.

Ollie again


I swear that boy gets sick when others are sick JUST to get attention. Last time we had issues at the house, he started vomiting and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him..

He's been off even with his teeth being inflamed, so I just took his temp, and he didn't even growl at me.. yup.. something is wrong. 99.7 Should be 101.. so he's a little low. Pale, but not excessively so I don't think. So I've shut him off in a room with some food, water, and litter.. He probably won't eat just cause he's shut in a room :( but hopefully, he will and make a nice stool for me, and I can relax. If he's sick, I want a bit more evidence. There is nothing dramatic so I'm not going to worry about delaying a bit.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

bad dreams


I had a bad dream last night, that involved two different co-workers from two different past jobs, a previous job of mine, and flaming debris falling from the sky right before a major down pour. It was more disturbing than frightening. I woke up, and there were a few kitties on the bed, then there were a few more. Usually I have several on the bed, scattered through out, some by the foot, some on the other side, Muffin on DH's pillow.. but this morning, they were all up at the head of the bed with me.

I'm sorry, you can't ever convince me that cats don't know what we are feeling. Sometimes they don't give a da**, but they know.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Eat Emmy, Eat!! We can't have a skinny Emmy.


Well I swear Em has Alzheimer's. I give her food, she gets very excited. Eats about a quarter of it, realizes she has to wash her face, or her paw or be somewhere else at that moment, so she gives up and walks away. I tap the dish, and she comes running back as if to say FOOD! oh yes, I like food.. eats some more, stops, I tap the dish, she eats more. She leaves, I tap again, she says 'hun what?" so I put the bowl in front of her and she eats happily again. No wonder she's losing weight, she is losing her mind!

She went back down to 13lbs 7 oz. So I started paying attention to her eating habits. She looks a bit better today but I haven't weighed her. I did a curve on her yesterday. Went from low 300's to 150. Still a little wiggle room in there, but since I'll probably be changing her diet in the next week or so, I'm just going to let her sit at 3 units for a while.

as for Ollie, I started putting peroxide on his teeth, which didn't help that much, so this morning I put baking soda and peroxide on them, and they almost look back to normal. Got to love baking soda for killing germs. I once was chewing baking soda gum when I went into the dentist. They wanted to do a scraping and show me the bacteria on my teeth, but they couldn't find any. Love the baking soda. No idea why they keep taking it out of dental products. (scope once made a baking soda mouth wash I loved)

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Okay Ollie, you have reason to be grumpy


I have been giving him "happy pills" that we got from a holistic vet, over the past couple of days due to his excessive grump, and today I realized that the small teeth right behind the canines are totally inflamed. Well yes, a sore mouth is reason to be grumpy (not that he really NEEDED a reason)

I do have to get the kids into the vet for vx and check ups, so I should get on the stick and make the appointment. Technically Jack and Twee don't need to go, but I'm considering bringing them in anyway. Jack has been showing signs of UTI again - so we put him on s/d as previously recommended - and Twee is just being herself, but she wheezes and sneezes and snores, so I wouldn't mind if he listened to her chest again... but do I REALLY want to bring all six cats in on one day?? Seriously, the answer to that is NO FREAKING WAY, but its cheaper on me - since I only get charged one office visit - and I like getting it all out of the way.

Ive been reading up on feline diabetes, raw diets, and now FIP again. My brain is absolutely fried. One website I went to implied that vaccines caused the FIP. I read it twice and realized they were saying basically that it lowered the immune system and allowed the FIP to take hold. I don't think I like either option. Yes, I'll admit, some vets are totally and utterly over vaccinating (the all mighty dollar is pretty powerful) but to say vaccinating your pet could cause FIP seems totally irresponsible in my mind. FIP is a mutation. An anomaly. And I KNOW way too many vets take the FIP route cause its easy. The only way to definitely find out if a cat has FIP is after it has succumbed to FIP. I know of a cat who had an underdeveloped brain. It was diagnosed as such - and was so cute as it stumbled while it walked , not sad and pathetic as you would think. the cat was put up for adoption as such (okay so it was a kitten) and the new owners took it to a different vet, who immediately said it was FIP and put it down. Well it wasn't. I also know of a vet who took one blood test for a cat that was showing very vague symptoms, and declared it FIP, and so the owner went back to the breeder to get another kitten. She brought that one in as well, and he put that one to sleep too. The cat looked and acted healthy. I could have hit him.. (but I worked for him at the time so I couldn't) He also believes FIP is contagious, which it is not. It only seems that way due to the genetic make up of catteries.

Old information on this subject is highly out dated. Most info on the web is more than five years old. its frustrating... and incredibly sad. But I'm ranting again.. so I'm going to toddle off to bed.

Friday, February 10, 2006

flash of light


The other day, the hubby and I were in the kitchen putting things away, when something shiny caught some light and made a flash on the wall. Em got SO excited. Flashes of lights have always been one of her favorite toys. So I dug out the laser we bought her, and it didn't work. She knew what it was and asked that it be turned on. So I opened up the battery compartment, and changed the order of the batteries, and it came on. Oh, she was thrilled. It is so funny to watch this log slam the floor with her paws going after flashes of light.

Em doesn't like to play with others, so when some of the other cats tried to get involved, she gave up. I ran them off on to the other side of the room (by flashing the light that way) and then walked Em over to the rug - cause watching her try to scramble on hardwood was hard to watch. We played a bit longer, but then she got tired. We used to play this game for hours. Even got her to play Jeanie in a bottle, but having her come up and rub the flashlight or laser three times to turn it back on. She's old, she's out of shape, but it was so nice to see her play.

She's also put some weight back on. - did I mention this? 13lbs 3 oz to 13/13. Very exciting. I need to do another curve on her. Neither one of us likes it, but she needs it.

I am contemplating another food change. I started feeding them all Felidae several years ago. Jack particularly loved it, and would chew through the bag to get to it. Recently they haven't been eating as well, and since Jack and Eli now need to be on special food, and Em needs to be on a low carb food, I'm actually considering going to a "raw" diet. Ground up chicken with supplements. I need to find someone who will grind it for me, cause I have a hard time touching raw meat, let along grinding bones. We have a couple of butchers in the area, I'm sure they would be glad to do it for me if I ask. Also going to feed Innova Evo for when doing the raw isn't convenient. I got a sample pack and gave them all some. They all liked it. Jack a little too much, cause he's not eating the other stuff now.

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

The advantage of multiple cats.


Em: Mom.. this food is gross! I wouldn't eat it yesterday, I won't eat it this morning.. it's GROOOOSSSSS!!

Jack: Food? I like food..

Muffin: Yup... she definitely said food.. let's check it out

Jack: Muhead mof myou *crunch crunch crunch*

Muffin: Get out of the way you hog.. give me!!


Em: Hey, that's mine *pulls out of way with paw and eats*

Monday, February 6, 2006

confused - what's new


I'm doing a curve on Em, and the numbers are so wonky. Yes, she's eaten a little since I started, but I wouldn't think it would have that effect on her. I'll do another one Wednesday but every two hours. It's looking like I'm going to have to go up on her insulin... but what I also can't figure out is why she is vomiting if she's not eating every 8 hours or so. I thought maybe cause her sugars were low, but they aren't getting that low.

Maybe she's still on the recovery stage of things, and I just have to deal with this for another week or two.. *hopefully, not that long*

We fed her before we went out yesterday. I gave her the pills - capsules -then immediately gave her food. She licked around the outside of the pile. I went to check on her before we actually left, maybe 10 minutes after I gave her the pills, and she hurled up the little she had eaten and the pills. I had given them to her yesterday without incident, so I don't think the pills are making her upset. However, one cool thing I noticed is they were halfway digested.. so that is a pretty quick absorption.

She also seems hungry all the time. She has put on about 5 ounces and doesn't look so thin in the gut anymore. So do I feed her and let her put back on the weight, and risk spoiling her so she won't ever go back to scheduled feedings, or do I work hard at getting her regulated.. or somewhere in between??

Friday, February 3, 2006

possible breakthrough?


Well Em ate most of her breakfast this morning. I put down a 3.2 oz can for her, and there was about .6 oz of it left. Her AM sugars were around 330. Tested at 12:30 and she was 228. Didn't give her anything to eat all day, and boy was she hungry at dinner time. She did vomit a little bile at about 4:30 ~ 5:00. Woofed down an entire can at dinner, and we are going to offer her a bit more. PM sugars were in the 300s again.. I can live with this if she keeps eating well... definitely need to get her on a regular food though. the group at felinediabetes.com recommend a high protein low carb no grain diet, which fancy feast provides. Will have to get her some.

Thursday, February 2, 2006

break through


Okay then. Who knows if it was the stimulant (probably not) or the force feeding, or if it was just time, but last night we had a break through. Em went to the bathroom and had a cow patty BM. Much better than the water stuff she had for two days. I heard a cat whining, so I immediately jumped out of bed, but she was just standing there - must have been someone in another room. I went to the bathroom to see what she did. She followed me looking absolutely chipper. I offered her some food and she dug right in. I was sure she was going to eat the whole thing, but she stopped after a few minutes, came up to see me, then went back down for a few more bites. YAY!!

From the description of what happened this morning when the hubby fed her she's not back to her ol self quite yet, but it is a dramatic improvement!!

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

dinner update


I went to the pet food store and got LOTS of samples of food. Went to the grocery store, got her some clam chowder. Forgot the baby food. Did get deli turkey. Food was not of interest, neither was the chowder, but the turkey did get a chew or two. I could get her to eat more if I held it upwards so she had to look up to see it. This is how I usually feed her treats. Got her to eat about two and a half slices. Did a bg which was in the 300's.. although the reading I've been doing says that my glucometer might not be accurate. The fructosamine that was done which measures the average BG for the past week or two (although dr said 3 weeks) was in the 500's Hum. What to think. I know she was with out insulin for a while, and my glucometer said she was in the 300's. *shrug* from what I've read it is accurate when the blood sugars are in a more normal range. I'm considering getting a second glucometer. Which is sad cause I have a second one, I just listed it on ebay! although it needs new batteries and new strips. Might be cheaper to find a different one on ebay than it would be to get that one up and running... especially since I didn't like it much in the first place. Em is not a fan of bleeding, and this one required more blood than she was willing to give.

Sooooo she ate the turkey, she ate some treats.. but not much else, so I ended up force feeding her half a can of I/D. Something gentle for upset tummies. Hopefully she'll keep it down all night. I also started her on an appetite stimulant. I wasn't a big fan of that either.. but we'll see.

*crosses fingers that in the morning this will all be but a fleeting memory*

I had to share


I found this when doing some more reading on diabetic cats....
Chuckles was a 9 year old "sweet" kitty whose work on earth was completed in November, 2005 when he graduated to Heaven.

cat walking across your keyboard a problem?


A more high-tech solution is PawSense ($20), available from BitBoost
Systems (www.bitboost.com). The PawSense computer program recognizes
the patterns of a cat walking across the keyboard. The program
prevents further input once it launches, puts up a screen-saver and
has the computer emit a noise to annoy the cat into walking away.

Ok, this just amuses me to no end..


Anyway. Let's see. Em is still getting excited over treats, and ate more this morning than she has in the past couple of days. We offered her wet food again, and she turned her nose up at it. Dry food works for her, but she stops after only a few bites. I'm considering forcing her again. I hate doing that. It stresses her. I am also considering getting her human food that might tempt her... but would that do more harm than good? If I spoil her on human food, will I ever get her back on cat food. *considers that since I'm doing quite a few updates per day I have probably told you all this already - if so I'm sorry*
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