A Day Without Cats on the Innernet

No way! This is Bow, before he went over the Rainbow Bridge.



Luf, Us

Bow Doing Mancat Many Chrissymouse's Ago

Bow luffed to lie under the Chrissymouse Tree. This is a pictor frum many Chrissymouse's ago.



Luf, Us

Guilt

Maw is feeling guilty about helping send Bow over the bridge. I guess your Moms have felt the same way? Maw is trying to get past this.

Bow was cremated the same day as his euthanasia, and Maw picked up a lovely wooden box the next day with "Bow" inscribed on it. And they gave her "The Bridge", and a lovely tribute to Bow's cremation. It was so quickly taken care of and very nicely done.

But she still feels guilty.

Luf, Us

Various Items in Our Lives

Weather is a bit wacky right now. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be around 70, but then dropping into the 50s on Saturday. So Maw plans on raking up the last of the oak leaves that dropped from the trees in December. We might watch her. We might not.

G.T. received his allergy shot yesterday. He was like, "What?" Then he slept. Then he puked this morning.

Annie is now on a steroid pill every other day, so we'll see how her hacking is going with her asthma. Paw says she is acting weird. It's probably because she is on steroids now. She's also eating more. Than normal. Which, when a poodin is Annie's size, they might be classified as obese?

Bow is hanging in there. We appreciate all the purrs and purrayers for him. We don't estimate his remaining time to be long. He is a couple of months from the age of 19. Bless his heart.

Orinch #2 appeared again this morning. Where did Orinch #1 go? These crazy Orinch poodins. And we haven't seen Bob in a while. Bob was not a regular visitor anyway, and we figure that Bob has a permanent home somewhere around here.

Luf, Us

Wordy Wednesday

Bow is getting a bit more rickety in his walking. Monday he could barely walk, and was walking with a couple of his feet turned under. So now we are giving him sub-q fluids daily and gave him a dexamethasone shot yesterday to sort of boost him up a bit. He is still getting up and moving around and using his litter boxes. Maw moved his favorite food and water dish next to his bed so he doesn't have to go to the kitchen if he doesn't want to go.

Orinch #2 was here this morning. Haven't seen him around in a couple of weeks.

Luf, Us

Love Blog

Cal from The Real Cats gave us this award. He has IBD just like Bow has.



We would like to pass this lufferly award on to efurrybody in the Cat Blogosphere Land!

Luf, Us

Monday Noos

It is raining today. The cats don't like to go outside into their enclosure when it is raining because they get wet. And there might be some heavy storms this afternoon. Anyway, the poodins are sleeping quite a bit. Y'all know how that goes.

Maw went shopping this weekend and picked up a few new fabrics for beds. Check out our fabric selections by clicking on Dorf's picture in the upper left corner of the blog.

Luf, Us

Wordless Wednesday

Luf, Us

Bow's Diagnosis

Bow's BUN and Creatinine levels are getting higher now with his kidney failure. His phosphorous levels are higher, and so we have now stopped his Calcitriol intake because it can only be given when certain readings are still fairly normal. He also has some blood in his urine, so he is back on auntie-bye-otiks for awhile. And now he is getting a Vitamin B12 shot weekly sub-q in addition to his regular sub-q fluids. We're trying him back on the original appetite stimulant to see how he handles it for awhile. Just trying different things to get his wobbliness reduced.

So that is where we are.

Luf, Us

Bow and the V-E-T

Yestday, Mr. Bow wented to da V-E-T to haf hist bloodwork and urinalysis dun and to look at his seniorly condishon. He ist moving fairly poorly an hast to sit down fur awhile when walkin crost da rums. His blood pressure is a leedle bit higher dan wuz normal fur him. An da V-E-T ist concerned about his wobbliness while walkin. So we find owt today how his bloodwork and urinalysis looks.

Luf, Us

Werdless Wednesday

Luf, Us

Photo Hunt #43

This week's photo hunter theme is glass. This is an older picture of Bow looking through the back door glass.



Luf, Us

Photo Hunt #41

The Photo Hunt theme this week is metal.



This is a picture of Bow in our old enclosure last summer. Notice the metal of the enclosure wire, the metal sawhorses that were our perches, the metal edging in the grass, the white metal downspout directly above Bow's right ear, and the metal eye-hook with metal cable above Bow's left ear holding the enclosure securely to the ground.


Luf, Us

Wordy Wednesday

Well, we thought we were going to have to build an Ark yesterday and climb aboard, but today the sun is shining and the water is moving on. Thankfully.

In other noos, we didn't get to post yesterday because Maw watched a sticky little bean all day. And Friday she is gonna watch him and his twin sister. So we won't be able to get on the pooter then either!!! That sux.

G.T. had his checkup and had his toofies cleaned yesterday. He has a few FORLs forming, but nothing to freak out about our new v-e-t says. She said if she started pulling FORLs out of every cat she saw in her practice, then all of the middle-aged cats she sees would be toofless by now.

Bow saw the new v-e-t last week and had his bloods stolen, and also his pee stolen. He had some blood in his pee and his bloods are showing that he is now in chronic renal failure, so he is getting flooids now. The v-e-t mixes up vitamin B and potassium with Ringer's Lactate so that the flooids are a little more of a boost. So Bow got flooids for 3 days in a row and now he is every other day, then we will try to reduce it more. He is also on a aunty-by-otik in addition to increasing his pred for awhile. The good noos is that he isn't howling as much, and his appetite has improved. Let's hope he puts some of the 2.5lbs back on that he has lost since December. And he is definitely NOT diabetic. He had no sugar in his urine, and his blood sugar levels were AOK.

Grey Update: Grey pooped a LOT on Monday. He had been having tiny bits of diarrhea and even with an enema he only had a tiny bit of diarrhea. But then he started going on his own on Monday, and he went, and then he went again, and then he went again, and then he went again, and then he went one more time. Good ol' solid huge chunks that made him growl acuz they were so big. Now he is eating VERY WELL. And he actually stretches his back legs!!!! Whooop!!! Whooop!!! ::::::Kitty dance ::::::

Ok, we gotta take a nap now.

Luf, Us

Tuesday Noosday

Bow went in last week to have some more blood work done. His blood glucose level was down to 164 from 245 so he was doing much better since we had stopped his massive treats intake and took him off the prednisolone and put him on Budesonide. Problem was, he was a bit dehydrated and he had lost 1.25 lbs. over 3 weeks. The pred increases appetite and water consumption. So we also had the fructosamine test run which tells us the number of blood glucose molecules linked to protein molecules in the blood. The test provides information on the average blood glucose level for the past 3 weeks in humans, usually over 1-2 weeks in felines. This reading was back in the normal range. So Bow received some sub-q fluids for his dehydration and we have put him back on the pred so that his appetite returns. Then he'll go back in for another blood test in 1 month. He turns 18 in one month.

Sally and Smokey will be going in for a checkup this afternoon, and then staying overnight at the V-E-T in preparation for their dentals and vaccinations tomorrow. They are way overdue. Everything got off schedule when Dorf kept having to have dental extractions.

We board the poodins overnight who are getting surgery. We don't attempt to take up food or water here at the Forty Paws because it makes for a grumpy bunch of 10 cats and no one gets any sleep.

We'll let you know how Grey is doing once we hear some noos.

Luf, Us

Varyeeous Items ov Inchrest

First off, we are SO HAPPY that Mao has gone home to his fambly. And, we are also happy that Annie has been spotted twice by her beans! This is SUCH GOOD NOOS!

Ok, last week, we wanted to show you the weird chair diapers that Maw put on the dining ruum chairs. But NO, she had to show you the Al Qaeda kitty. So, here are the chair diapers. See, Maw had the dining ruum chairs re-upholstered back in November because the old seats had gotten a bit kitty-clawed if you know what we mean. So she picked out this loverly fabric that she thought went with the drapes and the wall color in the dining ruum and kitchen, etc. And she looked up a re-upholstererererer dude on Angie's List. So this dude did a great job and put the welts on and efurrryting was fantastic. So Maw brought the seats home and started screwing them back on the chairs. Gatsbi immediately jumped on the first one and proceeded to claw the holy crap out of it. Maw is like, "ACK!" Obviously, the fabric she so carefully chose was not as kitty proof as the original fabric!!! So, Maw took the seat off and thought about it for a long time. She considered just throwing towels over the chairs, but she already does that with the kitchen chairs, and we pull those off all the time. So, she went out and bought this butt-ugly corduroy fabric, and wrapped it around the chair cushions and staple gunned it in place. So when company comes over, she is gonna take the diapers off temporarily. Good thing for her that company doesn't come over very often....

In udder noos, yestday was clippy claws day here at da Forty Paws. Datz also da day dat Bow & Gatsbi git wayyed on da baby scales. Well, as you know, Gatsbi has bin on a D-I-E-T for about a yeer. When she was on the prescription R/D, Maw & Paw called it the bulimia D-I-E-T because when she would eat too much, she would yak it back out. Well, it was an effective D-I-E-T because she lost 3 lbs. But Maw & Paw got tired of cleaning up yak, because all of us yakked R/D when we ate too much of it. It sorta expands in the belly with water intake. So, Maw switched to W/D. And now Gatsbi isn't yakking it all the time, but she has gained back 1 lb. So, Maw has to talk to da V-E-T today when she takes Bow in for his ol' geezur check-up. Bow will be 18 in March and he needs to have some blood taken and see how he's doing.

Ok, we've talked enuf fur now.

Luf, Us

Meow Like a Pirate Day

'Aye, Bow har. Ye kin call me Iron Thor. Argh! Ware's me tuna jooce?

Your Pirate Name Is...

Iron Thor

What's Your Pirate Name?

Mancat Monday

Here is Bow in his favorite spot. In the cat enclosure, lying on the ground. He loves to stay out there almost around the clock, coming in only during the hottest part of the day. Unfortunately, we had to take the cat enclosure down yesterday because we are having new windows installed. The cat enclosure is pretty much rotted away and needs to be rebuilt. Let's hope the cats don't drive us nuts before we can get it rebuilt! They already miss it, and are sitting by the window that held the cat flap and looking longingly into the backyard.

Dorfie Update: He is doing much better, and is trying to escape from his convalescence prison. He tries to lick his sweater off when I take his e-collar off. He is scheduled to get the feeding tube and bandage and sweater off this Thursday as long as he continues to eat on his own. I've started mixing in his favorite food which is Gatsbi's R/D with the a/d since he has developed really gooey squirts from the a/d and the antibiotics. I soak the R/D overnight and then mash it up with the a/d. He is eating that very well (from a spoon).

Thanks for your continued support for Dorfie and all of your well wishes for his improvement! It helps tremendously!

Luf, Us & Maw

Seven Random Facts About Me (Bow)

Lookie guys!! Karen Jo featured Bow yesterday for a Kitty Limerick!!!


One-Eyed-Jack tagged me, Bow, to play the Seven Random Facts meme. Actually, Jack tagged the rest of us here at the Forty Paws who weren't tagged.

You know the rules.

Seven Random Facts About Me:

1) I'm Top Cat. Don't get confused about this. I'm the oldest, I've been here the longest. I'll smack any poodin who thinks otherwise.

2) I'm usually in hiding so that Maw can't give me my Prednisolone. I hate taking my medicine, but I also hate yakking when I don't take it.

3) I love sitting in the cat enclosure. I used to be an indoor/outdoor cat for the first 10 years of my life, so I really love being outside, but then Davy was killed and we can only go into the cat cage now.

4) Back when I used to go outside, I came home one night in the middle of the night and Maw let me in. I was covered in used motor oil. Maw never did find out how that happened, but I had to go to the V-E-T where they Gooped me 3 times to get it all out of my furs. Yuck.

5) I have a bee-bee pellet in my back from when I used to go outside. Maw figures some mean kids used me as target practice in the field behind our house.

6) I love love love my heated cat cup. I was perfectly happy with it before Gatsbi and Jenny discovered it. I also love the outside temperature to be in the 80's. That's a nice, comfy temperature for me. Yup.

7) I have told Maw a gazillion times if not ninetytwo eleven that we can have NO MORE CATS. I told her that after Jenny. I told her that after Annie. I told her that after Gatsbi. I told her that after Dorf & G.T. I told her that after the 4 fosters. Does she listen? Now she's feeding that Orinch thing. A Man Cat can only handle so much you know.

My tagees: Any poodin who hasn't played yet.

Luf, Bow

War of the Heated Cat Beds

Now most of you know that here at the Forty Paws we have lots of beds. We have the hammocks that I make, we have 5 tall cat trees, we have conventional hooded cat beds, and we have a heated cat cup that we bought a few years ago for Bow since he is getting along in years and his joints are a bit painful and arthritic.

For months no other cat figured out that this bed was a cozy 102F. Only Bow knew its therapeutic effects. Until a couple of weeks ago. By some chance, Gatsbi discovered the heated bed. Gatsbi seeks out any heat generating source. She lies less than a foot in front of the space heater. She lies in sunspots coming in through windows. So, Gatsbi found Bow's heated cat cup and commandeered it for her own.

Not wanting to leave Bow out in the cold, we purchased a second heated cat cup. And the very day that I unpacked it and plugged it in, Jenny discovered it. Jenny NEVER slept in the first heated cat bed. NEVER. So now we have Gatsbi in one heated cat cup and Jenny in the other. And Bow left out in the cold with no heated bed.

What's a Maw to do?



Note: This is a cat model. This cat is not one of the Forty Paws.