Silly Cat

Best Friends Again

Faith has stopped hissing at Jay, and Jay is feeling much better.  He is now eating his new prescription diet without my having to mix it in with the old food, and is using the litter box normally.  Hooray!  He did have to go back to the vet when I noticed blood in his urine.  It was diagosed as a UTI and he was sent home with antibiotics.  After all my bragging about how easy it was to medicate him, he suddenly decided to spit his pills back out at me.  No hissing and scratching, just refused to swallow until I dropped it on the floor next to his treat and then he gobbled it up like candy.  Silly cat.  

You can really tell how fat Faith is when she's next to Jay.  She has stopped begging me for food all day since we switched her to canned food, though, so hopefully she will lose some weight.  The vet says they eat less of the good stuff because they're getting what they need and no longer have the cravings caused by poor nutrition.  She's on Fancy Feast, since he told me that was the best of the cheaper brands.             

You Are What You Eat

Jay is getting healthier and feistier by the day.  I tried again to give him his subQ fluids and he would have none of it.  My daughter was upset that I attempted it alone this time.  "You wasted a needle."  I was instructed to return them to the vet's office (I'm pretty sure it's illegal to throw them in the trash) and they can give me more if they want me to keep trying.  They've been calling daily for progress reports and seem more concerned with his diet than my success with giving him fluids.  

They sent him home with a prescription food, but warned me that you can't starve a cat into eating.  They'll go into liver failure and die.  He gave the reasons why but the only part I remember is "liver failure and die".  I tried to add water like the vet wanted.  Jay took a look, turned up his nose, and walked away.  I gave it to him without additional water and he took two bites then looked at me as if to say, "You must be joking."  If I mix it with some Friskie's canned cat food he'll eat some of it, but not happily.  The goal is to add more and more of the new food until he's only eating his new diet.

Ironically Faith, who is usually the picky one, is happy to gobble down whatever Jay doesn't eat.  I let her since I was also told that if I try to make her lose weight too fast, that will also cause liver problems and she'll die.  We're hoping that switching her to wet food instead of dry will help her reach a healthier weight.  According to the good doctor, dry food makes cats fat. 

3rd Time Not a Charm



Faith, curled as close to me as she can get.


Tonight when I tried to give Jay his subcutaneous fluids, he jumped as soon as I tried to stick him with the needle.  I didn't manage to get any into him.  My daughter thinks he doesn't need them if he's feeling feisty enough to fight us.  I'm not so sure.  The vet wouldn't have prescribed them just for fun. 

Faith, the other cat, has been hissing at him since he came home.  I've kept her locked in my bedroom, and made her sleep in their cage at night because she acted like she didn't even know him.  She followed him around hissing and spitting, making sure he knew he was not welcome.  I've had to keep them separated, just like when you get a new pet and have to introduce them.  Finally, today, she stopped trying to run him off.  She still hisses occasionally, but only if they happen to cross paths.  She no longer hunts him down.

I didn't think to lock her up before we tried to give him his fluids and she was lurking behind him, watching.  Did that little brat make him nervous?     

SubQ 2nd Attempt

There is a lot of useful information available on the internet about how to administer subcutaneous fluids.  Apparently, the flow last time was perfect.   Jay was just startled because he's not used to it.  You want it to go pretty quickly so the kitty doesn't have to stay still for too long.  Even the most cooperative cat is only going to put up with so much.

My daughter and I attempted administering the fluids again today.  She got the treats and Jay eagerly jumped into my lap.  Once again, he barely reacted to the needle stick.  He only wiggled a little when she turned on the flow.  After a few minutes, I began to feel moisture in my lap.  Then, I noticed liquid on his fur.  What?  I know I got the needle in.  This time I was the one who freaked and disconnected.  I think I managed to get more fluids into my jeans than I did into Jay.

Later, researching on the net, I discovered a blog a man wrote about giving his cat fluids on a daily basis due to kidney disease.  He said this happens on occasion when the needle goes in too far and pushes out the other side of the "tent" of skin.  All you have to do is pull the needle back a little.  Oh...

Here is a very helpful link should anyone finding this post in the future need to do it themselves:  http://weirdstuffwemake.com/weird/stuff/pets/cats/sophia/catjuice.html.  Or if you just want to read about a really cool cat that even went camping with his person.  (I almost wrote owner, but any cat lover knows you do not own a cat.)

We'll try again tomorrow.  

Giving Subcutaneous Fluids to a Feline



A coat rack makes a good IV (or subQ) stand.  


Jay is home!  He is not quite himself, but much better than he was.  I think the vet released him a little earlier because he knew I couldn't afford a huge bill.  He sent him home with liquid pain meds, some muscle relaxant capsules, and a bag of fluid.  I've given him meds before, and had no trouble with the oral prescriptions - just scruff the cat and quickly put it down his throat.  Give him a treat after and he'll even come running when you call, "Time for your medicine!" 

The subcutaneous fluids were a bit of a challenge.  I got a towel for my lap and enlisted my daughter to keep him occupied with treats.  I grabbed the loose skin around his shoulder area like the pet nurse showed me and inserted the needle.  To my surprise, he barely seemed to notice.  When we turned on the drip he freaked out.  He leaped out of my lap and darted across the room. When I located the end of the tube I saw fluid streaming, not dripping, so he must not have liked the sensation of it gushing into him.  The office is closed tomorrow, so I can't ask how to slow it down.  I'll re-read the literature they gave me and / or Google.  I do know that some of the fluid ended up in the right place because my daughter saw a bubble on his shoulder.  Hooray!  I did it right!  We'll try again tomorrow.                

Visiting Hours

Photo taken by my daughter using iPhone.  He really wanted to climb that bookshelf...

Jay wasn't allowed to come home from the hospital today, but we did get to go visit him.  The vet called to let me know he was doing much better today.  "He's headbutting the cage and rubbing up against the side.  I think he would be happy to see you."

Yay!  He must be feeling better.  I waited until my daughter got home from school so we could go together.  We told the receptionist we were there to visit Jay and then noticed a cat lounging on the counter.  Such a friendly, cute little cat it was.  We couldn't resist petting.

I told my daughter she needed to wash her hands since she touched the other cat and she didn't believe me.  Personally, I wash my hands after handling any animal - including my own pets.  I haven't been able to convince my daughter she should do the same.  She asked the receptionist if she needed to wash.  "Always a good idea," she responded. 

We both scrubbed and then headed to the exam room where they had taken Jay.  He had a blue collar around his neck to discourage licking and a catheter connected via a tube to a bag collecting his urine.  The tube was secured to his tail to help stabilize it, but we couldn't let him move around to much, which upset him.  He was very happy to see us at first, but when we didn't let him jump off the examination table to go exploring or let him climb the bookshelves he became annoyed, growling his displeasure.  It's good because that means his condition is improving, but bad because it meant we couldn't stay very long. 

I'm hoping there's not so much blood in his urine tomorrow and the vet lets him come home.      

Cheap Cat Food Costs Big Money

"Mama, Jay's being all quiet in the corner.  He never does that."

Jay is always wanting to be in the center of activity.  If you're washing dishes, he's trying to get in the dishwasher.  If you're doing your hair and makeup, he's on the counter watching.  If you're busy on your laptap, he's in your lap supervising.  He follows my daughter like a puppy.

I went to his isolated corner and picked him up.  He howled in pain.  Oh, no...

The diagnosis?  Urethral obstruction.  He's in the kitty hospital in pain and I'm getting a $1000 bill because I tried to save a few bucks on pet food.

Demented Devil Cat

Aaaw...what an adorable kitty...NOT!!!

My sister came to visit and my sweet, loving Faith turned into a  monster.  I awoke to the sound of hissing and very loud yowls such as you hear when strays are fighting outside.  My sister was hiding in my daughter's bedroom saying, "She tried to kill me," through the closed door.  I've witnessed her hissing and spitting at guests and I've heard stories of her chasing the maintenance men out of my apartment, but I've never seen her behaving quite so badly.

Lord help anyone who tries to break in here.  I've got an attack cat.     

Hey, No Fair!

She lurks in the shadows, watching as I take the bike out the door...or bring in groceries...anything that gives her enough time to appear out of her hiding spot and make a mad dash for the door.  We usually run after her.  She waits until we get almost to her at the bottom of the stairs, then darts around us to run back up and down the back staircase.  Sometimes she takes off down the path to the park.  If she makes it to the woods, we'll never find her.  She hisses and spits at everyone.  No one will take her in if she gets lost.        

Until I had an armful of groceries and couldn't chase her right away.  I slammed the door shut so the other cat wouldn't get out as well and went to the kitchen to put the groceries on the counter.  I heard a scratch and a pitiful, "Mew."  I opened the door to find her sitting there with a confused look on her face.  "That's not how we play this game..." her expression said.  I haven't chased her since.    

The Other One

Meet the other feline that owns me.  Isn't she adorable? 

I haven't had too much trouble with her.  She used to scratch the couch, but the watergun method works very well on her.  I also used to pet her and tell her what a wonderful kitty she was whenever I caught her scratching the post.  She still comes and gets me sometimes so I can watch her scratching where she's supposed to scratch and tell her how wonderful she is.

She used to climb to the top of her kitty condo and then climb the drapes.  I trimmed her nails as short as possible.  She grabbed the drapes, was not able to sink her claws in, slid all the way down to the floor, and sat looking confused.

My daughter and I are the only ones that get to see the sweet face. She cuddles up to me and purrs, she tolerates my daughter, she terrorizes everyone else. When we have company, she fluffs up, hisses, and spits. My daughter goes into the bedroom with her friends. The cat will make a point of going to the bedroom door to growl and hiss, reminding them that she does not want them around.

It's worse when we're not home. She becomes a furry ball of claws and teeth. She chases maintenance men out of my apartment. I had one of my friends stop in and feed the cats while I was on my roadtrip. She howled and hissed at my friend and acted like she was about to attack. My friend said she thought my cat was going to shred her legs to pieces when she walked in. Fortunately, she was all talk and no do, so my friend was able to take care of the kitties.

I have to keep this one.  No one else will take her.




     

        

God Made Him Cute and Lovable so I Wouldn't Kill Him

He's a real cutie, huh?  He's the reason I haven't had a Christmas tree for the last couple of years.  This is why:

We didn't put him in here.  He jumped in himself:

His latest trick is to paw my television screen.  He doesn't put his claws out so he doesn't do any damage, but he does leave smudges.  I tell him no and put him in another room.  It doesn't make him stop.  I thought maybe he was trying to get my attention to tell me he needed food or water.  That does seem to be true sometimes, but it's not always the reason.  He may need something else and he knows that gets my attention but I can't figure out what it is.  I would prefer he find a different method of communicating.

I've tried the watergun method, but he just thinks it's a fun new game.  He stalks the watergun.  He waits until he thinks you're not paying attention and attacks the gun.  He enjoys it!  Retreats briefly when he's sprayed, then comes back for more. 

This is the sme crazy cat that sometimes jumps in the shower and once jumped in the washing machine as it was filling with water.  He didn't panic, just sat in the washer looking at me.  When the water started to get too deep for his comfort, he calmly climbed out.

I don't know what else to try.  Sticky tape, you say?  Tried that when the other one was scratching the couch.  Worked for her.  He pulled it off and played with it.  Foil?  Doesn't bother him a bit.  He'll take the foil off of something on the counter and eat it.  We can't leave any food out, covered or not. 

No, I'm not going to get rid of my cat.  I would like to break him of this habit, though.