Rest in Peace Kitty. You were loved and will be missed.
Adopted November 2005 - June 28, 2012
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Showing posts with label Cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cats. Show all posts
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Stray Cat
Say, "Hello" to Alex, our stray cat.
He showed up in mid-July looking emaciated and scared. His hunger over-ruled his fear, so he came back to get the food I put out for him. Within a few days, I'd won his trust, and he let me pet him. Before long, he was spending his days on our deck and hanging out with us when we were in the yard. He fattened up on the food we put out for him, while I posted an ad in the Daily Herald and Craigslist for a lost cat, as well as posting signs in the neighborhood, but all callers were looking for other cats, not Alex.
The little guy has grown on me, so I decided to check into some low-cost options for getting him immunizations to keep him healthy and neutering him so he's not populating up the neighborhood (I recommend Spay USA or Spay Illinois if you live in the state.) So Alex's big day was on Tuesday. I was thinking we'd bring him into the house for a couple days while he recuperated and then he'd be back outside. Come to find out that a recently neutered tom cat needs 14 days of recuperation - no running or jumping (are they kidding? Keep a cat from jumping?) Sigh....
So I brought him home and set him up in bathroom/laundry room and hoped for the best. After the grogginess wore off, Alex Let It Be Known that his preferred lifestyle is as an Outside Cat. He paced back and forth between the doors, meowing for what seemed like Hours. On. End. We ignore him, and it's slowly getting better (it's only day 3.) Today, we introduced our existing house cats to Alex. Well, they already knew him having seen him on their deck for the past 3 months, but it was a whole different story having him on their turf....inside the house. A few hisses, one swat, and things are going swell. Everyone is ignoring everyone else and I think we'll get through this. HOWEVER, I'm still looking for a good home for him, so if you know anyone who loves cats and would like to have this wonderful tiger tabby boy who is kid-friendly, and one cool cat, please let me know.
He showed up in mid-July looking emaciated and scared. His hunger over-ruled his fear, so he came back to get the food I put out for him. Within a few days, I'd won his trust, and he let me pet him. Before long, he was spending his days on our deck and hanging out with us when we were in the yard. He fattened up on the food we put out for him, while I posted an ad in the Daily Herald and Craigslist for a lost cat, as well as posting signs in the neighborhood, but all callers were looking for other cats, not Alex.
The little guy has grown on me, so I decided to check into some low-cost options for getting him immunizations to keep him healthy and neutering him so he's not populating up the neighborhood (I recommend Spay USA or Spay Illinois if you live in the state.) So Alex's big day was on Tuesday. I was thinking we'd bring him into the house for a couple days while he recuperated and then he'd be back outside. Come to find out that a recently neutered tom cat needs 14 days of recuperation - no running or jumping (are they kidding? Keep a cat from jumping?) Sigh....
So I brought him home and set him up in bathroom/laundry room and hoped for the best. After the grogginess wore off, Alex Let It Be Known that his preferred lifestyle is as an Outside Cat. He paced back and forth between the doors, meowing for what seemed like Hours. On. End. We ignore him, and it's slowly getting better (it's only day 3.) Today, we introduced our existing house cats to Alex. Well, they already knew him having seen him on their deck for the past 3 months, but it was a whole different story having him on their turf....inside the house. A few hisses, one swat, and things are going swell. Everyone is ignoring everyone else and I think we'll get through this. HOWEVER, I'm still looking for a good home for him, so if you know anyone who loves cats and would like to have this wonderful tiger tabby boy who is kid-friendly, and one cool cat, please let me know.
Alex seems to be adjusting a bit too well, don't you think?
Friday, November 13, 2009
My Cat On Drugs
I don't know what it is about cat nip that drives cats crazy. My cats are nutso when I rub it on one of their toys. I couldn't find one the other night, so I just dumped some dried cat nip into a little plastic basket of the kids' and Milo was all over that. Mike and I were just cracking up as he tried so hard to get every last little crumb. The container's size would not deter him.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
In My Spare Time
For several years I've volunteered at a local no-kill animal shelter. I love all the animals, but my passion is cats. Shortly after I started to volunteer at the shelter, I fell in love with the often forgotten "FIV Cats". These are cats who, in general, live a normal life, but who unfortunately have contracted the feline version of HIV. FIV is not contagious to anyone else except cats, and most likely all these cats got it from being "outside" cats. They need daily meds, but other than that are, like I said, normal cats. The shelter where I volunteer offers FIV cats as "permanent foster" (meaning you are the "pet owner", but they pay for and provide the meds.) I haven't been into the shelter in a couple of months, but was happy to have a reason to stop in there yesterday to take some photos of a few of the newer FIV kitties, as well as spend some time socializing and petting the gang.
OK, this guy isn't new, but he's just special to me. One of the side effects of volunteering at an animal shelter is you have your favorites, one or two that just melt your heart. Tiny Tommy (I just call him Tommy) is "my" cat. Isn't he magnificent?
This big boy with the chipmunk cheeks is Frat. He's a total love bug, friendly and would do well in a home with lottsa love and attention! I can't even imagine what cruel person would "dump" (illegally leave in some manner on the shelter property) this cat on a frigid night. He nearly froze to death before he was found confined in his cat carrier.
Did I mention that Frat is a polydactyl?
Cottonball has been around for a while, but what a camera hog! And the camera loves him too! Cottonball was found as a stray.
Campanelle is another lover boy. Soooo friendly, and a total lap cat hiding in a big tom's body.
This is the most I've ever seen of Big Smokey. And I used the zoom lens at that. He's not too keen on people; not sure why, don't know his story, but he was humanely trapped as a stray by a good samaritan.
This is one of the newer FIV cats, Santa. I'm betting he arrived in late December. I don't know what his story is, but he's missing his left ear. Super friendly cat, though, and would quietly wait for me to come pay him some attention!
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Niko, a beautiful, friendly long-haired kitty. Unfortunately he gets picked on by the other cats, perhaps due to his gentle nature. He was found surrounded by a pack of dogs, but calm as could be. A kind stranger heard the barking and rescued Niko. He was extremely matted, dirty, and had a cold so he was probably lost for some time.
OK, this guy isn't new, but he's just special to me. One of the side effects of volunteering at an animal shelter is you have your favorites, one or two that just melt your heart. Tiny Tommy (I just call him Tommy) is "my" cat. Isn't he magnificent?
This big boy with the chipmunk cheeks is Frat. He's a total love bug, friendly and would do well in a home with lottsa love and attention! I can't even imagine what cruel person would "dump" (illegally leave in some manner on the shelter property) this cat on a frigid night. He nearly froze to death before he was found confined in his cat carrier.
Did I mention that Frat is a polydactyl?
Cottonball has been around for a while, but what a camera hog! And the camera loves him too! Cottonball was found as a stray.
Campanelle is another lover boy. Soooo friendly, and a total lap cat hiding in a big tom's body.
This is the most I've ever seen of Big Smokey. And I used the zoom lens at that. He's not too keen on people; not sure why, don't know his story, but he was humanely trapped as a stray by a good samaritan.
This is one of the newer FIV cats, Santa. I'm betting he arrived in late December. I don't know what his story is, but he's missing his left ear. Super friendly cat, though, and would quietly wait for me to come pay him some attention!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I Can Has Cheezburger
This is another post dedicated to a website that I love to check out from time to time. Since I love cats, I find it hysterical. If you're not into cats, the site owners also have a dog version called I has a hot dog, and I put a few of those at the bottom.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Public Service Announcement For Cat Owners
If you own a cat, you may already know this, but just in case you don't tuck this nugget of information away for future reference.
If your cat suddenly starts peeing all over your house, there's a problem, and I'm not just talking about the smell and cleaning you're going to have to do with a pet odor eliminator. Your cat isn't being spiteful; cats have an innate desire to cover their urine, et al, so if they're doing their thing outside of the box it's because "somethin' ain't right". Usually it's something as easily treated as a UTI. Neutered males are more prone to them, but females get them too. I had two females (one for 15 years, the other for 17 years), and only once did one of them get a UTI, so while a common thing for a cat, not all cats get them. So besides urinating outside of their box, some other symptoms of a UTI are that the cat will sometimes start crying out in pain, spend a lot of time in and out of their box, and lick their genital region. It's just as painful for a cat as it is for a human to have a UTI, and if left untreated, can create all kinds of problems for your feline.
That being said, our cat Keats didn't pee all over the house. To his credit he just camped out right outside the litter box to save himself the trouble of having to keep walking back to it. When I saw that on Friday night, I knew something was up; no cat hangs out right by their litter box when they have a whole house in which to roam. When he didn't move after I put food in his bowl, I knew there was trouble. This is a cat that never misses a meal. Ever. When I picked him up and placed him on his feet, he started walking funny, started licking himself, and was hanging out in the box quite frequently. I figured he had a UTI, so I called the vet first thing Saturday morning. I was able to bring him in immediately, and a good thing too. Turns out he had a blocked urethra (not so common) and couldn't pee at all......toxic and deadly if left alone for more than a day or two.
Poor Keats. He had to be sedated and catheterized for a couple days, received fluid therapy and meds. And humiliation of all humiliations, a cone was placed upon his head so he couldn't chew off the cath. He still managed to disconnect the thing on Sunday, cone head and all. Since he recovered fairly quickly, he was able to come home a day early on Monday, and seems to be piddling just fine in his box. But I also have to give him meds twice daily for the next 7 days, we're scheduled to go out of town before the end of his meds, and he doesn't travel well (he'd have to be tranquilized; trips to the vet are traumatic enough, let alone a 7 hour drive....and then what happens if he has a relapse while we're there...blablabla) ....UNLESS I can find a trustworthy person who can either house/cat sit OR come check on him at least twice a day over a holiday weekend, scoop his box daily to make sure he's peeing, give him four pills a day, and rush him to the vet any time of day or night if he gets another blockage. Know anyone like that? Cause I don't think I do. If you're the praying kind, please pray for an answer to show up. I really don't want to stay behind while my family goes off for the weekend without me.
Anyway, nugget of information: Cats don't pee outside of the box for no reason at all. It's surprising how many people surrender their cats to the shelter where I volunteer because their cat isn't using the box. In almost every case I've heard of, the surrendered cat has an untreated UTI, which the shelter treats, and the UTI and litter box problem are gone. If only people would think to seek medical attention when their pets start acting oddly. If only....
If your cat suddenly starts peeing all over your house, there's a problem, and I'm not just talking about the smell and cleaning you're going to have to do with a pet odor eliminator. Your cat isn't being spiteful; cats have an innate desire to cover their urine, et al, so if they're doing their thing outside of the box it's because "somethin' ain't right". Usually it's something as easily treated as a UTI. Neutered males are more prone to them, but females get them too. I had two females (one for 15 years, the other for 17 years), and only once did one of them get a UTI, so while a common thing for a cat, not all cats get them. So besides urinating outside of their box, some other symptoms of a UTI are that the cat will sometimes start crying out in pain, spend a lot of time in and out of their box, and lick their genital region. It's just as painful for a cat as it is for a human to have a UTI, and if left untreated, can create all kinds of problems for your feline.
That being said, our cat Keats didn't pee all over the house. To his credit he just camped out right outside the litter box to save himself the trouble of having to keep walking back to it. When I saw that on Friday night, I knew something was up; no cat hangs out right by their litter box when they have a whole house in which to roam. When he didn't move after I put food in his bowl, I knew there was trouble. This is a cat that never misses a meal. Ever. When I picked him up and placed him on his feet, he started walking funny, started licking himself, and was hanging out in the box quite frequently. I figured he had a UTI, so I called the vet first thing Saturday morning. I was able to bring him in immediately, and a good thing too. Turns out he had a blocked urethra (not so common) and couldn't pee at all......toxic and deadly if left alone for more than a day or two.
Poor Keats. He had to be sedated and catheterized for a couple days, received fluid therapy and meds. And humiliation of all humiliations, a cone was placed upon his head so he couldn't chew off the cath. He still managed to disconnect the thing on Sunday, cone head and all. Since he recovered fairly quickly, he was able to come home a day early on Monday, and seems to be piddling just fine in his box. But I also have to give him meds twice daily for the next 7 days, we're scheduled to go out of town before the end of his meds, and he doesn't travel well (he'd have to be tranquilized; trips to the vet are traumatic enough, let alone a 7 hour drive....and then what happens if he has a relapse while we're there...blablabla) ....UNLESS I can find a trustworthy person who can either house/cat sit OR come check on him at least twice a day over a holiday weekend, scoop his box daily to make sure he's peeing, give him four pills a day, and rush him to the vet any time of day or night if he gets another blockage. Know anyone like that? Cause I don't think I do. If you're the praying kind, please pray for an answer to show up. I really don't want to stay behind while my family goes off for the weekend without me.
Anyway, nugget of information: Cats don't pee outside of the box for no reason at all. It's surprising how many people surrender their cats to the shelter where I volunteer because their cat isn't using the box. In almost every case I've heard of, the surrendered cat has an untreated UTI, which the shelter treats, and the UTI and litter box problem are gone. If only people would think to seek medical attention when their pets start acting oddly. If only....
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