not everything in life is happy

And you can not win them all.

Sadly I got the call today.  Poor Spooky (aka Beatrice) was euthanized this morning.  It kills me a little because the last time I saw her she was so happy and robust.  Now she hadn't eaten well since last Tuesday and had been vomiting, so I'm sure she was no longer...

well lets just not go there.

I am pretty sure I knew this was coming as much as I wanted to deny it.  Friday I saw a rare snow rainbow.  It was really quite interesting, because it was snowing to my right, but not to the left, and while it was faint, it was there.  This is not my image..

"Borrowed" from http://www.bettina.se/

Thank you darlin for gracing my days and letting me pat your belly..

 I didn't want to use her given name on this blog, because she was owner surrendered and I wasn't sure if the owner would be looking for information on her or not.  My blog has been linked by the shelter in the past, and I figured a bit of anonymity (yea, but I used pictures, so I probably was a bit silly in this) might not be a bad thing.  But I couldn't seem to call her anything other then Spooky off this blog (as much as I wanted to, I didn't think that was an appropriate name for her cause she was anything but spooky.. *smile*)

She came to me with a file half a ream thick.  Despite her outward appearance and wonderful demeanor she came with history.  I'm sure the stress of being given up was the straw..

*sigh*

and just to add a little smile to this sad morning.. When I did a search for "snow rainbow" to find an image, I found this.  No, seriously, this... 

This puts an end to the 2011 fostering season.. and thus begins Kitten Watch 2012.  Any bets when the first kittens come in?  (I'll mention there is probably a foot of snow out there)

Foster Free

It really is quite odd not to have another cat to look after with Beatrice stuck at "Sleep Away Camp".  I mean I foster most of the spring, all summer and all fall, and usually right through the new year (as I did this year) and then I generally take care of my husband's aunt's cat "Boots"

Boots is unimpressed at my attempt to .. well do anything actually.

Unfortunately she is not doing well.  Neither is her husband for that matter, and this year they aren't going to Florida.  Well I'm sure Boots doesn't mind one little bit, but my heart goes out to the entire family every time I think of them.

Then there was pet sitting for a former foster of mine and his sister.  I have great photos of them somewhere, but the search feature on my blog says "oh no you don't!"   I have sat for them twice, but not in a while..

Teddy from his stint as a weather cat

There have been a few other diabetic cats that I have taken in during the winter months.  Another adult kitty who I fostered for a while to help him settle.  Licorice's fur was a mess and once I got him groomed he looked pretty sad.  He became settled, and better groomed, and he went back to the shelter, mostly because he didn't really bond with me (or my husband) at all and seemed very lonely.  Unfortunately the shelter got a major ringworm outbreak and he became a part of the casualties of trying to manage that.  It was not a popular decision, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

*sigh*  this post is becoming quite a downer isn't it??

Well I did get new picts of Brianna and (new)Duncan.  Seems they are doing quite well.  Sadly their older brother is having some issues that were most likely brought to the surface of the stress of his housemate and the addition of two new whippersnappers.  The Peoples are committed to making everyone happy - which is oh so wonderful to hear.   Older brother is under a vet's care and seems to be doing better, and I suspect we'll have a happy harmonious household (apparently I am a fan of alliteration) soon.

She says "The kittens are great and growing! Playful but also snugly :)"

:)  don't we all love snugly?

(new)Duncan's bedroom eyes (and look at those ears!!)

Sleepy boy

Oh how I just want to kiss her forehead..

I also had to share this..

I could not stop laughing, because I had the exact same thing happen at my house.  I originally bought a magnetic cat door when Em was diagnosed with cancer.  I wanted her to have a place to eat that the other cats couldn't get to.  (it worked except Em was too slow, and the other cats would be able to put their nose on her tail and follow her in.  One day every single cat was in there with her)  well it took a lot of abuse and so when Ollie was diagnosed with cancer, I thought I would replace it.  He won't eat if he is locked up, but I was hopeful that he'd be willing to go into a closed up room if he could do it on his own.  Well the door I bought was not well constructed and Muffin and Jack (my dish washer and garbage disposal) sat there and worked on it and got through it several times.  So we made a few modifications and one day I heard a loud noise and rushed to see Muffin with her own version of the above.  Well that went back to the store the next day.  I would have replaced it, but Ollie wasn't all that willing to go through a small hole with the cancer on his leg.

wow.. this is a bummer of a post isn't it?  Here, here's another kitten..

Extended sleep away camp

I know very little other then she's still not eating so the vet wouldn't let her go.

You should see the pile of cat toys at the foot of my bed.  I think The Crew is trying to distract me.  Fleurp just brought in a mouse, and yesterday both Jack and Twee brought toys in at the same time, then dropped them at the same time.  They are both noisy toy carriers (meow meow meow meow meow) and it just made me laugh.

Anyway.  Here's hoping that Beatrice is doing well.  Maybe even working her charm on the staff of the clinic so maybe one will adopt her and give her a home..

hey, you never know, stranger things have happened..

Sleep away camp for Beatrice

I don't know quite what I was expecting, and I guess on some level I was expecting her to have to spend the night, but I am sad that she's not home.

The vet she went to wanted to keep her over night to run a series of tests including an xray and blood work.  Beatrice has a history of pancreatitis, so they are being cautious.

They are also talking about switching insulin, which I must say I'm a little happy about.  I'm not all that comfortable with Lantus in cats.  As Jamie so kindly told us, Lantus is a much longer insulin then I'm used to.  I could wrap my brain around giving insulin that lasts for 24 hours, but that isn't quite how it works in cats (from what I've understood about what I've read)  There is a bit of a 12 hour curve (meaning the cat's blood sugars will drop over six hours then rise the next six) in cats and so they (people with lots of experience with Lantus in cats) recommend injecting every 12 hours not every 24, and I still don't quite understand what they mean by the "shed" of insulin that the cat pulls from (hence  my saying I feel like I'm injecting today for the cat to use tomorrow)

I don't know for sure they are going to change, as I got second hand information, so we are going to cross that bridge when we get to it.  I'm picking her up tomorrow if all goes well.

No kittens at the shelter :(  I guess with having so few cats in general I knew I was crazy for even hoping.  But I could use a little kitten snuggle right about now.  Muffin is trying to convince me she is a kitten, and that makes me smile.

I also learned that the shelter recently started a new program for dogs.  You may have seen similar programs on TV - I know I have.  It is where they bring puppies into the jail to work with the inmates to help them learn basic social skills for a few weeks.  The first batch of puppies went in around Thanksgiving and just went up for adoption.  I couldn't help but be so happy for the puppies, the shelter and the inmates.  It is very similar to what I do fostering kittens.  The inmates do write ups for the pups.  One even knitted her pup a sweater!! 

So an easy Friday night sitting here listening to the wind buffeting the house, hanging out with the crew and reading my new book.  I got Simon's Cat "in Kitten Chaos" for Christmas, and I can't wait to read it.  I just hope it doesn't give me kitten fever.

Snow day

well the weather outside is frightful.. I had an appointment this morning about an hour away on the highway, and I had to drive 30-40 MPH to feel comfortable.  I saw four people off the road, and I can't tell you the number of snow washes I had to drive over and had to pray each time that my little car would make it and not get stuck on it.

So I got home around noon.  I should be at work, but when I called in to tell them how atrocious it is out there, no one answered the phone, so I'm not going in.

Which is nice, but it also is a problem.

Beatrice in front of the litter box box she likes to sit on

I have been avoiding blogging about Beatrice because I was so hoping I was being alarmist and it would work itself out.  But she stopped eating... well not exactly stopped, but in comparison, it is stopped.  She will have a few bites, but then wanders off.  Tuesday night she vomited several times (all liquid) and Wednesday she vomited once.  Last night she vomited once as well.  I called the shelter and they are about to go home for the day thanks to Jack Frost.. so she's got an appointment tomorrow.
Not that you would know it to spend any time with her.

Belly scritches please!!

No no, she's not dancing, just rolling over. She totally prefers to give you back to pat after you pat the front...

She licked me

I spent some time with Beatrice last night.  I got her to play a bit with a feather, and she had a little bit of fun with a crocheted mouse.  She's not really a player - she is definitely more a "purr-er".  My husband came down after I had been there for a while.  She had jumped up on top of the litter box box and was laying there purring.  He went over, and she turned up the volume.  It was so funny, it was like a little kid when you ask them to be even louder when they are being loud..

and yes, she licked me in a "your ok" kind of way.  A few little licks while I was giving her snuggles.. I think she thinks I'm OK..

but she wasn't thrilled with the raw I tried to sneak into her food.  I don't much like the fact that cats aren't very open minded after they are a few months old.  You have such a short window to introduce so much into their lives so they'll be cool with it when they are adults.  Ah well. It helps them survive, so I can't complain too much.

Beatrice

I think she likes the new room.  She's still not quite as confident as I might like in a cat.  She hides under the couch a lot, but she does come right out when I enter the room.  Lately she's been sleeping on the couch when I walk in, but she immediately jumps down.  I keep telling her she doesn't have to, but she does.

She likes to sit just out of reach - as you can see in the video.  She likes to make you work for it.. lol.  She also likes to jump up on the litter box box (the top is padded) and pose.

She has recovered from the URI quite nicely.  She's eating well. I haven't weighed her since I moved her into the basement.  I spent several hours cleaning that room from the kits and was just so glad to move her down there that I forgot to bring the scale down, and I only ever remember when I'm in the basement.  One of these days I'll turn around and run back upstairs to get it, but it hasn't happened yet.

I believe I've already explained I have a lot of experience with diabetic cats, but all of it was with "old school" insulin, and she's on Lantus which is quite different and I feel like such a newbie.  Basically the injection you give today will be used tomorrow or even later... at least that is what I think it is like.  Feel free to correct me if you have a better quick definition

She's currently on half of a unit 0.5 which is basically a tear drop size amount of insulin and she's throwing some wacky numbers.  With the old insulin I would think she is going into rebound (aka she got too much insulin and instead of going too low her body is pumping out extra glucose to compensate)   Fortunately I have some people who are very experienced with this type of insulin trying to help me make sense of it all and they are quite encouraging. 

*sigh*  Jack is giving me bedroom eyes.. so it's time to give him some one on one time.. oh the sacrifices I make for that boy.. (oh yea, such a hardship on me to love this boy)

Murray and Mack went home

I stopped in the shelter today to get some more food for Beatrice.  Duncan and Clair were in a cat room waiting for a home.  Yea for Murray and Mack.  May they have a wonderful life.
I went to the shelter in search of a particular flavor of Fancy Feast cat food.  It is lower in carbs and plant based ingredients. Cats can't properly digest plant based ingredients and diabetic cats often have dramatically lower blood sugar levels when they eat foods that have little to none of them in it. Well despite having a plethora of food, they didn't have any of the particular flavor I feed.  I was so happy to see the shelves full of large cans of food, but alas none of the one I need, so I'm off to the store here in a bit to get some more.

Speaking of cats and food, I just found this on Twitter, and thought it a very interesting read...http://the-scientist.com/2012/01/01/cat-cravings/

Now that the kittens are off, I'll be highlighting Beatrice a bit more.  Hopefully someone will take a liking to her and we can get her a new home.  If not, then I hope we can get her off insulin so she can go back to the shelter and find a new home there.

Thank goodness

Step one down...

Beatrice

I reported back to the shelter on Bea's health issues and her not eating well, and they advised me to force feed her and if she wasn't eating on her own in the AM to bring her in.

Last night I force fed her.  She's so good that she lets me, but she doesn't like it and she tires of it easily.  I got a few ounces in her, but I could tell it was depressing her. I tried new foods, but only gave her a bit so I didn't waste the whole can (we got the left overs ~The Crew)  I had tried warming the food, and I tried stinky food, but I didn't try out and out seafood.  All we had in the house was a can of clams.  That wasn't appreciated (but we oh so appreciated those left overs!!! ~The Crew) and so we went out and got straight up tuna fish (want Want WANT!!!!) and that got her eating on her own.  She ended up eating about half of the can.

Her weight was 11lbs 6 oz but this morning was 11lbs 8, so we are holding off on taking her in.  She was very snuffily last night, so I am going to assume this is a case of she just couldn't smell the food and she wasn't going to just take my word for it that it was food. 

Fingers crossed her nose clears up and she starts eating well on her own again.  Her blood sugars are running in the 300 area, and we are holding off on insulin until she gets well.  It is a far better option to leave her high for a long period of time then to risk it going too low for even a moment.  Hypoglycemia can kill, hyperglycemia does damage but it takes a long time.

A Name!!

Well I have settled on what I will call this beautiful girl kitty.. Beatrice!!  :) Which I shall pronounce Be-AH-trice. I think it fits her wonderfully and it honors my internet crush  (I've come to accept the fact that Wendy is going to think I'm looney)

Well Beatrice isn't doing so well.  You wouldn't know it to look at her. She is happy and purrs louder then a motorboat.  She makes biscuits while standing and is perfectly content flomping over and letting you rub her belly.  She also wants out of the room she is in (next week once the kittens go back she'll move down there - it will be better then the office)

but

She's not eating. She came to me eating dry food and a scoop of canned as a treat for being tested.  Well I don't do dry so we just gave her the canned, and she loved it.  Then after a few cans she slowed down and wasn't eating as much, then barely at all.  I tried a few other types of canned food which garnered more interest - but wasn't eaten enthusiastically.  Turkey which was inhaled on Christmas day was also ignored - which I then knew we had a problem.  I tried meat baby food - also a no go.  She wants to eat.  She sniffs everything I offer her, but because she is snuffily, I am assuming she can't smell it as food (I even tried warming it up and offering really smelly stuff too)  I force fed her last night.  She was nice enough about it, but I could tell it wore her out.  This morning I tried a few new foods, even offered dry (I have it for the kittens since I can't control what they will eat in their new home, I like to prepare them for anything).  Still no interest.  So emailed the shelter, and if she isn't eating tonight I am to force feed her again and bring her there in the AM so the vet can check her out. 

She's lost about a quarter pound last time I weighed her (hey, maybe I should go get her a quarter pounder.. ha ha ha) and with her history of pancreatisis, I'm just not going to risk it.

"Sweetness"

Yes, I'm funny, and no, that isn't the name I've settled for her yet.

I finally worked through the mountain of paperwork (aka her vet records) and it seems she was diagnosed with diabetes a little over a year ago.  There is a history of her being treated (and some history of her not treating the kitty)  I was saddened to read the continued choice of high carb food despite the ultrasound vet suggesting a diet more in lines with the most current recommendations.

So I've been able to stop editing myself when thinking about her past, and gave some credit to her previous owner.  I don't always succeed in the "don't judge people unless you have walked a mile in their shoes".. (and I'm seriously working on that - not only in my own thoughts, but how I project, which I've come to realize can come off a lot more judgmental then I even considered meaning.. ) 

Well anyway.  Enough of her past.  *big deep cleansing breath*  I'm sure Sweetness is happy that her previous owner chose to surrender her instead of putting her down, so we are just going to focus on that she is here now and let everything else go.

I think she approves.

Her sugars were a little too high for my tastes on 1.5u of insulin, so we have gone back to two.  She stopped eating the food she had, so I bough a few choices for her, she has lost a smidge of weight, but I fear that was more because she wasn't eating well, so I'll officially report on her weight in a few days.

I did want to share my trip to the shelter on Christmas Eve.  I had to stop in and I was amazed to see there were only about 20 cats up for adoption.  There were a few more waiting to go on the adoption floor, but it was so nice to see it so empty.  There was one little calico who called to me wanting attention, so I went to give it to her.  She couldn't get enough, and it saddened me to leave her there.  I know the staff and volunteers would be in to care for them, but there would be no foot traffic for her, or any of the others, to get attention and lovins from.  I'm so going to have to make it a point to go in sometime this week and love on her again... although considering what a communicator she is, I doubt she'll be there for long.

"Not Sugarbutt"

I keep throwing names at her, so far we haven't settled on one.

I weighed her this afternoon, 12lbs 3 oz.. which was cute..She probably is meant to be 9lbs.. She has started hanging out on the chairs in the room she is in.  She purrs quite loudly and loves head butting and rolling around while getting attention.  Think she's happy to be here?

I gave her the 2 units as prescribed, and we were getting some low numbers, so I gave her 1 unit of insulin, and it sent her pretty high, so I'm settling on 1.5 units and we'll see what happens.

Diabetes care has progressed quite a bit since the 80's :) When I first started treating Em in the 90s, we were taught an old school method.  We gave her a "high fiber" diet (cause that works wonders for dogs) and blindly shot insulin and sent her to the vet to be tested and have a "curve" (where they test the blood sugar levels every two hours to see how the insulin works through out the day)  Em totally balked at the high fiber diet (it gave her major diarrhea) and so we left her on the dry food that came out of a big huge bag that we bought at the supermarket that we fed her and the other kitties at the time. After a few years I wanted to learn more about feline nutrition, and I talked to people at pet stores, and they convinced me that a "premium dry food" was the way to go, and so we started feeding Felidae.  Well two of my kitties became blocked with urinary crystals while eating it (I am NOT saying Felidae did it, but I do believe that dry food in general was the cause)  So I did more reading, and learned that a canned diet would be good for urinary crystals, and at the time Em was losing weight so we put her on a canned diet and fed her separately so she wouldn't be harassed out of her food by the younger cats, we had Jack and Eli on urinary canned food, and the rest on Felidae.  Em had even more issues, and at that point I joined the message board for diabetic kitties and learned from a vet who actually studies feline nutrition that ALL dry food is basically unhealthy for cats and that feeding a high protein, low plant based ingredient raw diet would help Em with her diabetes AND Jack and Eli with their crystals, so I gave it a shot.  Em's insulin need went from 7u twice a day to 1u.  there were days when she almost didn't need insulin and I was so excited that she might be going into remission.  Unfortunately she stopped eating raw, and went on to a low plant based ingredient canned food (Fancy Feast Turkey and Giblets in loaf form) and her insulin need settled between 1-2u until the cancer showed up.  (at which point I fed her anything and everything she wanted and let the blood sugars fall where they would)

How did I know her insulin need dropped so dramatically?  We learned to home test her blood sugars. They learned that a human glucometer would work quite nicely to test a cat's blood, and we use a lancet to poke her ear and get drops of blood that way.  Em hated to bleed.  Most of the fosters I've had after her bleed nicely.  "Not Sugarbutt" has apparently learned that after she gets tested she eats.  Cause food that is completely ignored becomes inhaled right after I finish testing.

If you are interested, there are a lot of videos of people testing their kitties. Here is a great of of Buddy showing you how it is done  I don't know Buddy or his adorable owner.

Home testing has some great advantages.  You don't have "white coat syndrome".  Stressed out cats tend to throw higher bgs in general (not every cat, but a lot).  You don't have to make an appointment, you have immediate feed back. It saves a lot of time.  Money not so much because test strips are expensive, and once you get the feel of testing you get a little test happy because having the info is so incredibly helpful in keeping you sane.  It is also very helpful if you suspect a hypo (giving too much insulin and blood sugar levels go too low which can be deadly) and helping you navigate it (know when blood sugars start rising and the kitty is no longer in danger) but then again if it saves you a trip to the ER that will buy you a LOT of test strips :)

One other thing about diabetic cats, their owners are incredibly in touch and in tune with their cats.  Getting a diagnoses of diabetes in a cat isn't anything I would wish on anyone, but those of us willing to walk that road with the kitty come to realize it does create an incredibly special bond. The kitties come to realize that the injection makes them feel better, and well... While I will admit the regimented schedual of shots every 12 hours is annoying, it is so worth it..

(So anyone want a pretty black and white purr machine that needs injections every 12 hours?)

Trying to be Thankful Thursday

Mom, why is this door closed?

Well darlins, because we have yet another new visitor.  She's nine years old and she was surrendered by a vet tech three days ago because she is diabetic.

Harrumph!

You put it much nicer then I could.  But the woman apparently has a baby, and the kitty apparently kept them up at night meowing (but mom we haven't heard a peep out of her in the 24 hours she has been here).  I have her vet records, and she has quite the medical history with pancreatitis and diarrhea. (she has had a lot of vet visits including an ultrasound) But she has also been eating carb heavy low quality foods. So she came home with me with just some low carb canned foods and a glucometer.. we'll see what we can do.  Her starting BG was in the 300s, I just got it and it was 174. Hopefully with less stress and some good quality food we can get those even lower.

She is freaked.  She wants to be loving, but she would really rather be hiding right now.  But she lets me test her BGs, which is awesome.  She's a little "enthusiastic" in her litter box digging and covering.

There are way too many diabetic cats waiting for homes on the diabetic kitty message board I hang out on (well I used to, and I started back since bringing her home) so I doubt I'll find her a good home unless I can get her off insulin.  *sigh*   This is the one bit that bugs me most.. when people give up "perfectly wonderful" pets because of health or behavioral issues. If the people who own and love them don't want to put up with a cat's issues, what makes them think anyone else will either??

Yes yes yes, there are rare gems of the human race who do take them in, but it is very rare, and once again there are just WAY TOO MANY... wait.. don't yell.. *deep breath*... there are just way too many cats out there needing homes.

Hopefully our little Sugarbutt (not her real name, I want to change it as the name she has ... well I think she needs something different) will find one of those blessed souls who needs her to fill a spot in their life.

Now.. introducing..

ANYTHING but "Sugarbutt" please..

She is a bit overweight.  She has almost no scruff to speak off because of it.  What is really unique about her is that her nose and her paw pads are black. I am so used to noses and paw pads on white to be pink..  She found a spot to hide last night that took us 10 minutes to find her (in one small room that was highly impressive) and then she found out she could open the closet door and is now spending most of her time in there - which I'm NOT happy about, but *shrug* that is what she wants - and at least it is easy enough to get her out when I need to test her.