Veterinary Wisdom® Café

Oscar watches TV

I guess I'm on a roll with sharing about my own pets!

I just had to share this with you. A couple weeks ago, my husband and I were watching a show on TV about Yellowstone National Park. (We both really enjoy documentaries and this one was quite good - from the BBC.)

Most of the time, our cats don't even notice television. I'm surprised actually that they don't notice it more. But for some reason, this documentary caught the attention of our grumpy grey, Oscar! I think it was the birds flitting across the screen, and the sounds of them chirping and singing that got him.

I was able to catch a couple of pictures of him watching intently! It was very funny to see him so interested in the TV! He stood up on the stand to try and get a better view. He didn't try to "get" the birds, but was just interested in watching. His attention was captivated for several minutes.

Do your pets watch TV? What catches their attention most?

--Tammy

Benjamin P. Cat

Ben is the third of our boys. He is Mike's cat. Mike rescued him and Miss Girl about a year before we combined our households. Ben is a very sweet boy, a black and white tuxedo cat.

He and our late Miss Girl had been together their whole lives, but we don't know if they were siblings. They definitely didn't look anything alike, but that can happen. Ben loved Miss Girl, and he seemed to be her protector. They were in a horribly abusive situation when Mike rescued them. It took Ben a while to become a great cat - he was not a very good boy at first, but he has become a very lovey, sweet cat! He always looked out for Miss G. And he and Henry have become very close buddies. When Henry disappeared after his balcony dive, Ben was very visibly upset. He was so happy when Henry returned home!

Ben likes to "herd" his humans. He is pretty mouthy and usually lets us know in pretty clear terms what he wants. He LOVES to spend time on the balcony (he is still allowed since he has not tried to jump to the railing like Henry. You can see him curled in the rocking chair on the balcony left.) He also loves to go into the bathroom with his humans. He sees this as his own personal captive audience time. He wants the pets, but he also really likes drinking from the bathroom sink!

Ben also loves naptime. He tries to convince us pretty frequently that we need naps. I don't know how he knows, but he seems to have "nap-dar" and meet us in the bedroom if we plan on napping! He will curl up with either of us and stay for the length of the nap.

Ben doesn't purr very much. We think, unfortunately, that he and Miss Girl may have been punished for purring. Neither of them purred, and both started learning to after being with us for a bit. Ben does what we call "purrgling" now. He gets going with a good purr, but then it chokes him up. It's very sweet, and just a little funny! :)

Ben is a great cat now. He is the same age as our Henry - about eight years old. He has adjusted to all the changes he's experienced since he came into our lives. I really hate to think about the few years before that when his life was very unpleasant. I'm so glad that Mike found him and Miss Girl. We were able to give her a good home for a time, and Ben a longer time. (We miss our Miss G greatly. I think Ben does too, although it is hard to tell with kitties!)

--Tammy

Henry Penry

Henry is our second of three cats that I'll tell you about. Henry was my other cat from before I married my husband. He is the friendliest cat - and he loves Mike! Henry has a lot of nicknames. I call him Henry Penry often. He is Henny, Hen Pen, Hanky, and other silly names!

Henry has given us a couple of scares since we moved to Oregon. He got really ill about a month after we got here. I honestly didn't think he would make it - he was so still and non-responsive for several days. I grieved that weekend, while still trying to medicate and force-feed him. It was a very scary time. He pulled through and has gone back to his "normal" self. He had one more incident that started similarly, but thankfully, it wasn't the same thing and with a round of antibiotics he was fine.

Henry is also the cat who dove off of our third story balcony and went missing for about 28 hours. I grieved for him during that time too, as I was not very hopeful he would come home. We live backing up to a State Park, which is very wild. Henry is not a very smart boy, and he has never lived outside, so I was very worried for his safety.

He was found by our apartment manager's wife and their dog. He had hidden under a car, and their dog, Notch found him! I was SO happy, and Henry's buddy cat Ben was super happy as well. He has been great since being back from his adventure. He isn't allowed out on the balcony now, as I am pretty sure he would try getting up on the railing again!

Henry is a very silly boy. He is about 8 years old, but still acts like a kitten much of the time. He has just found his voice, and he talks a lot now - actually, he squeaks a lot. He also chirps when he's wild and playful. He loves to play, and often takes over when another cat is trying to play. He LOVES Ben and they cuddle a lot. Henry's favorite place to be is "on". He needs to be ON my lap, sleeps ON me, etc. He is very much my cat, but he really loves Mike too.

I was very surprised at our trip across the country when we moved. Henry did the best of all the cats. He wanted to be watching out the car windows, and he talked a lot. He seemed happy, not stressed out! Henry entertains us, and is just all around a sweet cat!

--Tammy

Oscar, the grumpy grey

I've talked about our cats here in the past, but I don't think I've ever properly introduced them to you. So, I thought I would write one post about each of our boys.

Oscar is our oldest cat. He has been with me since kittenhood, and he will turn 14 this May. He is a grouch, and I wonder sometimes if I jinxed him by calling him Oscar. His name suits him. He is the least social with the other boys too. He's my boy though. Loves to cuddle, often sleeps on my head, and purrs very loudly.

He doesn't act like an old man, even though he is getting up there. He loves to spin out on our tiled kitchen floor. He gets traction on a rug and goes spinning through the kitchen. Our downstairs neighbors must wonder what that racket is! He loves to play, most often with something simple, rather than "real" cat toys. His current favorite is a piece of strapping plastic from a Christmas box.

He HATES belly rubs. His fuzzy belly is quite enticing, so I keep trying, but he bites almost immediately. He teases us by laying on his back with his belly showing all the time! (See the photo on the left. Wouldn't you try to pet that belly?!) He misses our cat tree (which we had to leave behind when we moved.) His favorite places to hang out are in his cat cubes, or on the back of the couch. The cushion is permanently squished down from where he sleeps!

Oscar is a very smart cat, which often gets him in trouble. We have implemented no cat food out over night to prevent his brother, Henry, from gorging and vomiting. Oscar is NOT happy about this. He finds ways to wake us up through the night... His favorite thing is to get ahold of cabinet doors and bang them shut again. He has also gotten up on the counter a couple times and knocked stuff off! He's learning that it doesn't help, just gets him in trouble and actually delays breakfast in the morning!

Oscar was my cat before I met my husband. He loves Mike though. He talks to Mike a lot - telling him what he wants - usually asking for breakfast! Oscar looks forward to the sunny days here in grey Oregon. He likes to find a sunbeam and enjoy the warmth. He also likes to go outside on occasion - on a leash - and enjoy the grass. We don't take him out very often, but he loves it when we do! Our other boys don't like the leash so they don't get to go on these excursions.

--Tammy

Breathing Easier

I've certainly had cats on my mind lately and I've got some great news! I just finished reading an article about a possible cure for feline asthma in one of the latest online veterinary journals (AAHA NewStat 10/28/09). Apparently, 1%-5% of all cats suffer from feline asthma (that translates into 4.1 million cats!) This can be a very serious disease and is potentially fatal so it's good to hear about the progress they're making.

The funding for this research comes from the Morris Animal Foundation. They provide essential funding to veterinary schools all over the country for the advancement of animal medicine. This latest study conducted by Carol Reinero, DVM, DACVM, PhD looks to be quite promising.

Have any of you had cats afflicted with feline asthma? If so, how did it affect your relationships with them and their quality of life? Once again, I ask you cat lovers to send us your thoughts!

--Dana

Kitty drama!

We had a very scary kitty drama take place at our house this week.

As you may remember, we recently relocated to Oregon with our three felines in tow. We, and they, have adjusted well, and really love our new home.

 
We live in a third story apartment and we have a lovely balcony that looks out on Devil's Lake State Park. The cats have really enjoyed being able to "go outside" by being out on the balcony. We've been pretty cautious about letting them out - usually only when we were out there. I was worried that one of them would decide to jump on the railing and fall to the ground.

Well, my worry happened on Tuesday night. The sliding door was open and we weren't watching the cats. (In fact, we had kind of forgotten that the door was open... dumb humans!) We heard a vicious thump and I jumped up to see if I could figure out what had happened. I realized then that the door was open and my heart sunk. I just knew that Henry had done exactly what I'd feared. (I also knew if it happened it would be Henry who did it.)

He had indeed jumped and fallen. It was after dark, of course, so we couldn't see anything. We scoured the area under and behind our apartment for him, with no luck. We finally had to give up for the night since we had NO light, and my husband had fallen on the wet grass while searching.

I did everything we "should" do in this situation the next day. I called the local humane society. They aren't in our town, but in another town about 20 miles from us. They were wonderful - taking all the details and suggesting to call the local animal clinic in our town as well. (there is only one!) I made posters to put up around our apartment complex, and I walked all over several times during the day calling for him. No luck. I was just beside myself and cried much of the day. My poor Henry!

We went to bed last night with no sign of our boy. At about 11:45 p.m. there was a knock on our door. Our apartment manager's wife was at the door and said, "I think I found your cat!". And indeed, she had! Actually, it was her dog that found Henry. She had taken the dog out fo a quick walk before bed, and he was sniffing around a car, and she realized there was a cat. She saw him and thought it looked like Henry. They helped me to get Henry out - he was (of course) right in the middle of the car, so we couldn't reach him. A broom poking him got him close enough that I could get ahold of him!

We examined him closely when we got him inside. He appears to be all in one piece with no wounds, broken limbs, etc. He was starving, and ate right away, happily, and purring! Ben, Henry's best buddy was SO happy to see him. Our Oscar grump wasn't so happy - more freaked out, but that's how he normally reacts to unusual circumstances.

He is sleepy today - finding comfy places to curl up. He isn't jumping quite like normal, so we'll watch him closely and take him to the vet tomorrow if he seems worse or still "off". He is wanting pets, and treats, and pretty much acting like himself though! We're SO happy to have him home. I am off now to bring treats to both humans and the dog who helped find him! (Chocolates for humans, and dog treats for the dog!)

Have you ever had a cat jump and/or fall from a high distance? It is not something I ever want to go through again. I can guarantee that we'll be much more careful while we live in this apartment!

--Tammy

Kitty bellies

I thought, for a Friday, I would share some cute pictures of our kitties! They have adjusted well since our move and I've captured lots of kitty cuteness on camera!

First up - our tuxedo boy, Ben. Lately, he's decided that showing us his uber-fuzzy belly is the way to go. I keep catching him in poses such as this. Ultra-relaxed! Ben is the only one of our boys who actually LIKES to have his belly rubbed. He seems to really love Oregon. We have a balcony where the boys can come outside (with adult supervision!) and he loves sitting and watching all the birds fly by. He also LOVES the ocean breezes we get. We promised him he would be able to smell the ocean, and our place does not disappoint!

Next up - our grumpy grey - Oscar. I worried about him making the trip and adjusting. He's our old boy (13 this summer) but he's done really well over-all. He hisses a bit more than he used to, but it's usually "talking-back" at Mike or I when he's in trouble. I think he's gotten grumpier with age! (I may have jinxed him by naming him Oscar!) Oscar loves sitting in the window sill (which has a wider ledge than our old house). He chatters at the hummingbirds. He also likes to show off his fuzzy belly, howeve, he does NOT like pets. He bites if you try to rub the belly. He loves hanging out in the sun by the sliding glass door.

And last, but not least, is our sweet Henry. Three weeks ago today, he scared us by getting very sick. We found a vet nearby (about a 40 minute drive south on Highway 101) and got him in. Thankfully, we did! He was really ill - had a liver issue and we thought he wasn't going to make it through the weekend. The medicines the vet prescribed have worked though, and Henry is back to his normal goofy, sweet self. We'll have another check-up soon to be sure his issues are resolved. For now, he still gets a couple pills every morning - and takes them like a trooper! He likes playing with our bedroom door here, and has locked himself (or others) in several times - prompting us to close this door when we leave! Henry shows off his belly too, but more often, he's curled up pretzel-style!

Hope you have enjoyed this little update about our kitty family! We sure do love our boys and are so happy they have transitioned smoothly in our big adventure of a move! We love Oregon too!

--Tammy

Moving... with cats!

Well, as you know, I have relocated to the Oregon coast. I have now been an Oregon resident for one week (plus a couple days). Two weeks ago today, we had movers, cleaners, and carpet cleaners at our house! We hired a rental truck and the movers packed it for us. (Thank goodness we had their help! We would not have gotten everything in there that they were able to. As it was, we had to leave some stuff behind... including our giant "cat tree"!)

Through all of this moving process, one of our biggest worries has been the cats. We had to make a very hard decision regarding our Miss Girl. (We did euthanize her. I'll go into that in another post. It was the best and hardest decision.) We also had to figure out how to get our three boys (Ben, Oscar, and Henry) safely to Oregon, with a minimum of stress for humans and cats!

The trip usually takes about 20 hours by car. With a moving van, towed vehicle, follow-behind vehicle, four humans, and three cats, it took about 30 hours total. We did the drive in three days, with scheduled evening stops. We made reservations before leaving in hotels that accepted pets. (Super 8 motels are good about accepting pets for a small amount extra.) With those reservations made, we then proceeded to figure out how to crate them for the trip.

We have three soft-sided carriers for the cats, but they aren't very big. They wouldn't allow them much room to wiggle. For such a long drive, we knew we needed another plan. I looked into buying larger, dog crates, but they were VERY expensive, so I fell back to an idea I'd heard somewhere along the line. Laundry baskets, and bungee cords. It worked - cheap, effective, and easy to use. Also - we will use the baskets for other purposes now rather than just having to find storage space for the expensive crates!

Here's what I did: Hunted down some cheap laundry baskets. Target worked great for this! They had their "dorm" life stuff on sale, and the baskets I found were only about $2 each. They were also smaller than most laundry baskets. I bought 6 baskets, and several bungees. By putting two baskets together and using a bungee (or two for our Houdini cat, Oscar) we were able to have the cats safely in the car - each with their own space. They could stand, turn around, etc. And each set up wound up costing only about $9 total (instead of the $80 or $90 each a crate would have been!) **I wouldn't recommend this laundry basket method if your animal will be spending any amount of time where escaping from the baskets could be a problem. They ARE NOT fool proof ways to contain an animal. It worked for us to carry them safely from car to motel, and back. (All three cats fit in the backseat of our car - a Hyundai. Henry and Ben are pictured - Oscar hadn't gotten loaded up yet!)

The cats were amazingly quiet for the whole trip. Henry is just about the only one that "sang" very much and it wasn't all that much! Once we headed out on the first day of the trip, they settled down and slept in their baskets. After about 2 hours of driving, we decided to see how they did out of the baskets. My friend Andrea (who came along for the trip, as well as Mike's dad) and I undid the bungees with all the car doors closed! The cats came out a bit to kind of see what was what. Then each of them found a comfy place to curl up. Ben chose to stay in his now open basket.  Oscar liked the floor of the car. Henry roamed around the most, but usually wound up in the lap of whoever was the passenger. Ben also decided that he loved Andrea and spent a lot of time cuddling with her! We had a portalbe litter box, and water and food available, but they didn't eat or poo until we were stopped in a motel.

It was truly an amazingly easy trip. I worried so much about how the cats would do... needlessly it seems! They have continued to adjust in our new place, and are doing well! They LOVE being able to go out on our balcony with us.

So... travelling with these cats wasn't so bad. In fact, it was kind of pleasant to have a fuzzy buddy to curl up in your lap while riding!

And just for your enjoyment - a shot taken from our balcony and one of the nearby shore. We look over Devil's Lake State Park, and it's about 1/2 a mile to the shore from our place!

--Tammy

Remembering my pets

Yesterday was National Pet Memorial Day. I don't post over the weekends, but thought I would post some photos and stories here about my own pets who have died. I have lost several animals over my life, and I miss them all!

First off is my poodle from childhood - Beau-Beau. He was a small poodle that I had from age 2 through about 13. My dad made the decision to have him euthanized because he couldn't get around at all anymore. I remember that the decision was SO hard for him. He took Beau to the vet alone. He is a softie about animals! I don't have a great picture of Beau, but this is me holding him, probably not too long after we got him! 

We got another dog not long after Beau-Beau died. My dad rescued Little One from a puppy mill. She was about 7 years old and had never learned to play! She was a standard chihuahua and she LOVED my dad! She eventually learned to play with me, and she loved us all. She was very untrusting of strangers, and very scared of everything. She got cancer and we had to euthanize her at about 14 years old. We feel like we gave her a good life for at least half of her years!

Since then, I have had (and lost) a number of cats. Lissy was my first kitten. She was a nut job of a cat. She had some serious underlying health issues, and I had to euthanize her at about age 7. Her nickname was Pissy Lissy or Beasty. (she is on the left)

Bear was a sweet cat that I adopted to help out a friend. He was an outdoor cat who I loved very much - he always met me at the door, no matter what time I got home. He talked a lot! He got a fast-growing tumor in his mouth. His euthanasia was one of the hardest events ever. A veterinarian friend came to the house and euthanized him. Bear knew that we were helping him - he was so calm. He was a sweet boy right to the end. I miss Bear the most I think.

We currently have four cats - Miss Girl, Ben, Henry, and Oscar. The first three are all 7, and Oscar is 11. I hope they will all be with us for quite some time yet!

Did you do anything special yesterday to memorialize your pets?

Kitty Update

You may remember, a few weeks ago, I wrote about a sad weekend at my house. We took my Luna cat to friends for a trial run at them keeping her!

Things are actually going quite well. Luna has stayed with them, and is starting to fit in OK with their two boy cats. (Fezzig and Angus). For the first couple of weeks, Luna wasn't eating. (This is strange, because she is a big girl who likes her food!) They took her to the vet last week when she started having a cough. There is nothing wrong (thankfully) but they gave her an anti-emetic and said it might help with her appetite. Well... as soon as they walked in the door from the appointment, she headed for food!

I'm guessing that now she will really start to adjust and learn to play with the boys!

At our end of things, Miss Girl is adjusting to not having Luna around tormenting her! She has figured out that she can play without the "big, black menace" jumping out at her! She has also learned that SHE can come in the bathroom with me now since Luna isn't there! Miss G LOVES bathroom time and now she gets double - with me and with Mike!

All in all, the sadness of giving up a kitty has worked out for good. Luna is with friends who love her, and I can still see her! Miss Girl still has to put up with our boys, but she's OK with them. There is WAY less hissing and fussing now! Now I just have to remember to take a ClayPaws® print with me next time I visit Luna so I can have a paw print to keep!