Nario and Fedele.

Well I gave a water only bath to my new little black kitten with the stubby tail to get rid of the flea dander on him, and while doing so I saw a single flea run across his chest.  Considering all the debris on him, one isn't bad.  I mean seriously, look at the bath water..

Unfortunately the shelter didn't have anything additional for them.  They were given revolution two days ago.  The capstar there is the dog size and to dose a kitten they are looking at dust and that isn't something they wanted to do.  At this point I can go out and try to find cat capstar or hope the revolution takes care of that last remaining live flea before anything else happens.  I'm going with the later and keeping a good eye on them.  The last thing I want is The Crew to get fleas again.

While I was there I saw Fedele and Nario out being held.  A really nice couple was there who wanted two boy kitties.  All the other kitties up for adoption were girls so they had gone outback and brought them out to be seen.  They were smitten and ended up adopting them.  After all these years I have started having a harder and harder time meeting the people who adopt my kittens because I prefer to imagine the homes they went in instead of knowing the reality.  I know all too well that people have different views on how to care for cats and while I personally don't think they are right, I've come to accept the fact that just because they are what I would call ideal doesn't make them wrong or bad cat owners.   But I do like to believe they are adopted by good owners and are loved, and that is much much easier if I don't know the particulars.

Fortunately this couple was pretty much all I could hope to ask for in adopters.  A nice well established couple, who younger kids but not so young they won't understand the proper treatment of kitties.  (Nario is going to LOVE them) She has had several cats who lived to 18 years of age.  He wants to build cat trees for the kitties.. (I mean seriously, could it get much better??) Indoor only, was open to the fact that cats are carnivores, going to set them up in one room to help them get settled into the house.. and she promised to send pictures!!

and oddly enough they live in the town my mom works in, so they have met and know her! lol.  talk about your small world.

I am assuming she is reading this.. to see all the photos I have posted of "Martin or Marty" and "Jack" click here

Be aware..

Years ago I worked as a receptionist at a veterinarian office.  While working there I got a few sit downs with a Merial representative and listened to the sales pitch and the pros of the product (and received samples) and listened to the how and why of that they distribute ONLY to vets.

Also while working there I saw too many cats rushed in by fretful owners because they were having serious reaction to OTC flea products.  I watched the kitties suffer, I watched the owners suffer, I saw the bill when all was said and done..

Not to mention the counterfeit Frontline mess.

So I would always tell people to buy their flea and heart worm products from the vet.  The makers of these products guarantee them but ONLY if you buy them from a vet.  If you try to save a few bucks and end up with heart worms, the company will not pay for the treatment, but will if you have a history of buying them through your vet. Also vets have promotions that often make it similar in cost (buy so many get some free etc)

Then I started seeing Frontline at the local mega pet stores.  This was after I stopped working for the vet, and I thought I heard that Merial was now selling directly to them, so I changed my recommendations slightly in that people really should stay away from OTC products like Hartz..

but now I see on the VIN that Merial still says they don't sell to these OTC places..

The article that I read at the VIN website is very interesting.  I too was always told that Merial does monitor vets for redistribution, but according to the article they don't really.  While I can understand the reasoning discussed, I fear that it simply opens the door (or keeps the door open might be more accurate) to more counterfeit products entering the system and putting our pets at risk.  If Merial and Bayer really want to keep control over their product and their name, why are they not suing these companies that sell it with out the company's OK? If reselling a product isn't illegal, then why don't they put stickers or stamps on the products with the name of the vet they were shipped to so they could see first hand who was selling to secondary markets??  I'm guessing because they don't really care.. the product is being sold and that's more profit for them.

I have been very lucky in that I haven't needed to treat for years.  The last time I did I did buy flea products on the internet simply because Jack needs Advantage (his fur is so fine, and a large dose of Frontline isn't able to protect him, but a regular dose of Advantage does) and no one locally sells the large dog Advantage (most sell Advantage II which has ingredients I'm not OK with putting on my cat not to mention you can't purchase the large dog size and split it among your cats like you can Advantage and Frontline Plus since the ingredients are the same.  The shelters have been doing this for years, and even the Merial rep said it was recommended for larger cats to use the small dog size vial - something you can ONLY do with these two products.. all other dog flea products are TOXIC to cats.. )

Many people buy these safer products from the secondary market and have no problems.  If you choose to be aware they did not come directly from the manufacturer. That counterfeit products are out there, and that if you have problems the makers of these products only stand behind them if you bought them directly from a vet.

When I need to buy more Advantage, I'm going to find a vet who does mail order.. and not some big fancy website that says they are vets or can sell it to me (especially if they have a limit of product they will sell at one time)  Fortunately my vet sells Frontline, and I prefer to support his business when I can.

Edited to add that I kept reading the 13 part series VIN did on this, and apparently Bayer who makes Advantage does sell directly to retail outlets.. good to know!

In the news, Fleas..

Have you heard the news? there is a new flea product on the market designed specifically for cats, and it is called Assurity.

According to this news article on The VPN it has been out for a while.  I would suggest you read the Comments, because while this seems like such a good idea, apparently it isn't.  All the comments I read were from people who used the product and it had some major side effects, from mopey cats to hair falling out.

And I also saw that Novartis also released new products.. Parastar for dogs and EasySpot for cats are species-specific formulations of fipronil, a flea and tick adulticide.  I couldn't find any reviews on it, probably because it isn't out yet. 

Too many new flea and tick products have come on the market and had major side effects.  Yes, we all hate fleas, but you need to be aware of the risks of the products you are using, and those risks really aren't well known until they have been out on the market for a while.  It is sad to think of other cats and dogs being test subjects, and it is sad to think better them then me... but I think I'll stick with the flea meds I know then risk the ones I don't...

PSA - Flea products

When I used to work at the vet's office (as a receptionist) I saw a few cases of toxic reactions to flea products.  Watching these kitty suffer is not pretty, and it was one of the worst things I had to deal with knowing it should not have happened.  I am constantly telling people to NEVER buy flea products over the counter.  I'm even leery of Frontline and Advantage being sold over the counter, because until recently the makers of the products wouldn't allow it, so I had to wonder how that product got there, and because of known cases of counterfeit products it scared me. 

Today on Twitter I saw this video.. it made me think, it made me tear up.  It reminded me that not everyone knows of the dangers of flea products.  They are touted as safe and the side effects are rarely talked about (even with the very safe Frontline and Advantage, there is the risk of a cat having a reaction)

So adding to my crusade to talk about and get people thinking about cat food/nutrition and vaccines, lets just throw in flea products..

The more you know...




I just found another blog talking about the same thing, but she has more videos.. http://thewobblycat.blogspot.com

So what makes you get on your soapbox?

Meet the newbies

The fluffies.  The gray is the girl, we named her Cordillia.  The black and white is the boy, we named him Spike.  (yes, I'm watching the Angel TV show on NetFlix right now)

The short haired kittens.  They don't yet have names.  Sadly the one you think would be the girl is actually the boy.  He is so beautiful, I almost want to give him a girl name anyway.  He'll probably end up being Angel.

I let them meet the other fosters on Friday.  It was touchy from the start since Zander really wasn't interested in new kitties... but once he realized he could play with them, he was much more interested.  I took a really long eight minute video.  I didn't want to overwhelm the blog so I uploaded it to YouTube. It is absolutely adorable..

Unfortunately though they are an absolute mess.  They were COVERED in flea dirt.  I didn't see it as heavily on the short haired kittens, but much more so on the fluffies.  So they got a bath today.  ALL of them were so bad they dripped red.  It was absolutely disgusting, and while I was lucky enough there were no live fleas, there was an extremely strong odor of cigarette smoke.  Poor babies had a very rough start of life.

This is the water from JUST Spike.  Truth be told, he wasn't even finished being rinsed off at this point either.  Figured it would be better to drain the water and rinse him under the running water. Each of them still smell pretty strongly and had some remaining visible flea dirt, so they'll be getting at least one more bath in the next day or two.

New fosters

Well, I packed up the kittens yesterday and brought them into the shelter. :( I hate saying goodbye. I know it is necessary for me to go on enjoying kittens, but I still don't like it. I know how much turmoil they are going to face before they find their new furever homes.. *sigh* Just part of their little lives..


So now I have two moms and two new borns. Last Thursday I stopped in for some food and left with this






Mom and her just born baby girl with the most unique coloring. Wednesday when I dropped off the kittens, I was asked to either pick them back up or take another foster as they didn't have any cages. Well I ended up taking another mom with her just born kitten. Mom is white with orange - but a bright almost koolaid colored orange, and her daughter is a tortie. This mom is /was kinda out of it, and after I set them up in the kitten room (mom one in the cage mom two in a large dog carrier) she proceeded to lose her kitten in some towels. Fortunately the kitten knows what it is doing, so I think they have a shot.

I did some very brief intros last night, a little hissing, but a NO stopped it. I did some more brief intros again this morning.. it went pretty well, but after a few minutes there was some more hissing, so I said NO and separated them out.. But they did break bread together.. although each had her own plate... but eating near each other is a great sign. I'm sure once mom number two has a few more days to get over her labor and she stops bleeding we might have a real good shot of getting these two to get along. It will be good for both of them, as they both really miss having full time attention. and it will be good for their kits because they'll have someone to play with and learn from

*fingers crossed that this works out*

Speaking of fosters, *sigh* they brought fleas into the house. I hate fleas. I've picked three of them off me so far. I've seen one on two of the cats, so I think we got things at the begining stages. I think Mom One brought them into the house. Mom two is infested, but she was treated, so hers will be dying off soon.

well it is official

The kitten is now a member of the family. I adopted her on Sunday. Her official name is going to be "Kit N. Kaboodle" we'll call her kit or kitten..

she was rather sleepy yesterday. I was getting very concerned - yes I'm paranoid. later on in the evening we had some play time, so I felt better, but then she curled right back up and went to sleep. We are still dealing with fleas, so I sprayed her with some frontline (which she hated and thought I was evil for applying to her) so hopefully that will be the end of that. I have dewormer and her last distemper to give her, but I'm going to wait a day or so. Also have to get her neutered but I think that can wait a bit.

We have a bit of discord in the house, and I can't seem to figure it out. I know Tweedle is looking for someone to cuddle up to since Em's death and no one really wants to. Its so sad. She keeps trying with Muffin, and Muff only wants to cuddle with me (weither I like it or not) She tries with Ollie too. Sometimes Ollie is ok with it, sometimes not. *sigh* I was hoping Kit and she would get along, but they seem to be avoiding each other.

Gave Jack a bath yesterday. His fur is so fine he can't clean the flea dirt off himself very well. The water that ran off him was black. I feel horrid. I really need to do something about these fleas. I kept putting it off thinking that once it got cold they would just go away - which is what usually happens if I have fleas this late in the year, but they are still hanging on. I'm not really seeing fleas, just the dirt. and just on Jack and Kit. Muff is clean, so is Eli. Ollie had a speck or two on him from time to time, but he is always getting into things, so I am never sure if it is flea dirt or just dirt. Twee sometimes does, most time doesn't.. but I really need to get off my duff and just treat everyone and be done with this. Problem is my vet doesn't sell the larger sizes of advantage, and I hate the idea of spending $10 a cat to treat, when if i could find the larger size it would be about $10 to treat everyone.

Kittens are so good at scaring you

I went in to take care of the kittens, I sat down in front of the cage and gathered up all my supplies. I make sure I have everything I need before I open up the cage so I don't have to leave the room while they are free. It took me a few minutes, and the kittens were scrambling to be let out. I opened up the cage door, and everyone tumbled out except the little boy with the blue collar. He just laid there, not moving. he was way in the back of the cage.. not easy to reach, so I poked him with the litter scoop. still didn't move, but I did see him breathe. I freaked out and called in the hubby.. and blue proceeded to start twitching.. I bravely reached in and picked him up, and he woke right up and started scrambling to be put down.. guess he was just having a really good dream.

I got some advantage for them, so fleas shall be history! boy, I hate fleas.

these guys are starting to be really cute. Even though they still all act the same, they all now want to sit in my lap. :) it's fun..

and more fleas

I looked down at a kitten tonight and saw a black speck. I picked it off and it was a flea.. *shudder* I hate fleas. I saw one other, so I'm going to jaunt down to the shelter tomorrow and get some meds for them. I found one on my kitten clothes when I left the kitten room, so I should probably get something to treat the house as well.. man I hate fleas.

I put ribbon collars around the boys necks. Very loose.. I hope they don't come off. I've got blue, red, and burgundy.. the girls are easy to tell apart.. the big one and the little one, so I didn't scrounge for more ribbons. Ennui is so cute. She no longer wants KMR though.. so I've taken to feeding her the juice that is in the cat food... she very much likes that. They are quite cute.. like using me for a jungle gym. :)

Oh the fun of owning a diabetic cat

We increased emerald's insulin to 5.5 units tonight. I looked at her and thought she looked a little scraggly.. so for the fun of it I did a reading.. it was down to 40!! Didn't I panic? I offered her some regular cat food, and she ate a bit of it. So I decided she needed a little extra help, and put some honey on her gums. an hour later it was up to 52.. I gave her a little more honey.. she's acting fine, she just looks a little scraggly.. well and she doesn't much like the honey so back down to 5 units we go.. maybe we'll increase the amount of the DM she's getting. We are trying to go slowly with it to make sure it doesn't upset her digestive system..

kinda glad I got her a full vial of test strips now..

when searching to make sure that honey was ok to use, I came across http://www.felinediabetes.com/ Don't read the diary unless you have a big box of tissues with you.

Got some flea meds for the kitties.. so they should be flea free by tomorrow.. yea!

Also made an appointment with the vet for the muppets on Thursday. They'll come home with me afterwards and I'll bring them back to the shelter on Saturday for adoption. Wasabi is gaining a little weight despite not appearing to eat much.. Man, these kitties need to find their owners..

well... we have fleas.. again

Somehow my own kitties now have fleas. It's not bad.. a smidge of dander, and one or two darting around.. but its enough to make me run out and get some front line for them. I HATE fleas.

I started to do a blood glucose curve on Em. It was in the 400's before breakfast and her insulin.. then a couple of hours later it was down to the 200's. It's supposed to be around 100. It was in the 300's when she went in to the clinic for the curve, so it was stress, but it's not as low as it should be, so we'll be increasing her insulin a bit - as recommended.

Muffin is also having a reaction to her acne. It's extremely mild, I hadn't even noticed she had any - and I was looking (but not searching) her lip puffed up again.. doing a search for swollen lip on google, I found it can be a reaction to acne, so I cleaned off her nice white sparkling chin with peroxide and found a bit of black dander. Will have to talk to the vet about that too. He is so going to regret hiring me.. but hey.. he knew my kitties had health issues before he hired me.. so he can't complain now.

The orphans are still flea free. Ate up a STORM today.. normally they have one can per feeding, and there is some left over, today they had FOUR cans.. and then they cleaned off my plate of ranch dressing.. it was cute.. Nanoo stood in the dish to get a better angle at cleaning it off. I read down there for a while and ended up with a couple of kitties in my lap. :)

I then went upstairs, and the muppets weren't crazed out of their gourd.. I fed them, and they left half the food down.. quite odd. I sat in there reading.. Gonzo and peanut couldn't figure out why I was staring at this thing, and did their best to distract me, it was ever so cute. Peanut laid down on my chest and let me pat his belly. I REALLY love that kitten....

I say that as Jack jumps into my lap and starts purring. Yes Jack.. I still love you most of all.. and no.. you shouldn't be disappointed because I didn't do a blood glucose test on you.. ask em.. she wasn't too thrilled about it.. (but when she was done.. jack was right there wanting his.. he's such a strange little boy - and I love him so)

Fleas

I was down playing with the kittens last night, when I realized they had fleas.. yes.. the dreaded flea. oh how I hate them. I emailed the shelter asking them to send some supplies over, including something for the fleas, something for the mites, something for the coccidia, and something to deworm the muppets cause they hadn't been dewormed. Well, my message fell into a computer that wasn't going to be accessed till later in the day, so I had to run over to the shelter on my lunch break. I felt like I was shopping.. I left there with quite a bit of drugs.

I went to deworm the Muppets first.. they took it rather well I must say.. although the promise of food afterwards I'm sure had a lot to do with it. I know they aren't starving, cause there is always dry food left over, but if you listen to them, they'd tell you they suffer from hunger so. While they are still on the small side, they are getting so big.. :(

The orphans got a bit more done to them.. and I have to tell you it was NOT easy.. but it was way easier than I thought it was going to be. First, it was a cc of albon, then a cleaning of the ears - and MAN were they dirty.. despite being cleaned the other day. then the medicating of the ears, then a dunk in the bucket, a good scrubbing with flea shampoo.. then the sitting and waiting while the fleas either die or jump off and land on your face.. then the rinse.. oh how not fun is the rinse.. let me tell you! then the drying.. the picking off of fleas.. the searching for any that might be still alive.. took me almost two hours to do seven kittens. I do have to say though that despite the initial bad start, Nanoo took it really well. She is starting to remind me of my first kitty, Tigger.. he too was mostly feral, hated to be picked up in the beginning.. you could appease him by rubbing his chin.. *sigh* I miss that kitty.

I took Emerald to the vets today for a B/G curve.. (blood glucose). Sadly her glucose was quite high. We talked about increasing her insulin.. we talked about a different diet (which we are going to try) and we also talked about doing another curve at home before increasing her insulin since stress can cause high readings.. and she was totally stressed out all day. It was so funny once I got her home, though.. she went right to the food bowl and sat down.. as if to say, okay.. I had to go through all of that, now give me something good to eat.

which is EXACTLY what Muffin said to me yesterday after I took her out on a little ride to "Nana"'s house. I had to go fix something on my parent's computer, and I wanted to see how well Muffin traveled.. so I took her along. While I wouldn't say she travels badly, I wouldn't say she takes it all that well either. Not like Jack. He loves to travel.. mostly cause he likes to be with us I think.. but that's fine by me :D

I was thinking Muffin wouldn't forgive me very quickly for inflicting the trip on her, but within a few moments (okay well after dinner) she was her same ol self.. until this morning when I caught her up on the table she KNOWS she's not supposed to be on.. splayed out trying to take up as much room as possible. I yelled at her to get down, she refused.. I yelled again.. no reaction.. I actually had to walk up to her and boink her on the nose for her to move.. talk about your stubborn kitties.. Guess we won't be taking her out anytime soon.