Caregiver's cats behaving badly.

Dorianne, sending catnip vibes for Bruce =^..^=

For such clever animals cats can be amazingly stupid.

LAY OFF THE DAM' LIQUORICE, BRUCIE!

You spotted it quickly, and acute pancreatitis should resolve, no? I hope to goodness he bounces right back.

My Sweeney managed to get a grass seed wedged under her third eyelid, the moron. The removal, the suturing her eye shut so that she couldn't worry at the wound, the re-opening and follow up care... her theoretical health care budget was so overspent I'm surprised I didn't get a call from the bank. The vet scratched the top of her head [PURR PURR] and said fondly: "well she is a very tough little cat :)." And a very good contributor to his pension plan, don't tell me. Fume.

Thanks Gershun. Luckily I switched to those little dental floss sticks awhile ago. I know they're not quite as good as old school floss, but I am more inclined to floss regularly this way!

Every penny is worth it for the joy this little guy gives me, to be honest.  He's still cheaper than therapy, I bet!  It's just....being Canadian, health care bills are still something of an oddity to me. ;-) 

I do get seriously mad at people who take on pets, only to give up on them when they can't find a way to pay the medical bills.  Ok, some bills are crazy expensive, and I understand sometimes people have to make a very, very difficult choice.  But some people can't even pay for spaying and neutering, or vaccinations, or medications an animal might need.  Like, sorry, but if you can't pay even those basic bills, you can't afford a pet.  Period. 

I'm glad our vet will let you visit your pet as often as you like, and is open late. Bruce is probably scared, sleeping overnight in a kennel, without me, but at least he knows I'm not abandoning him there. I left him with the most unwashed ("smells like home") items I could find for bedding, too, lol. The raggedy sweater coat I've worn all winter, the afghan that gets dragged all over the apartment, and the pillow and pillowcase from my bed (the one he was sleeping on just this morning!). I was going to take him the fancy cat bed that he never uses, but what would've been the point of that?  Just like a cat - a pile of my dirty socks would have pleased him more!

Oh Dorianne, I hope your Bruce will be alright. About four mths. ago one of my cats was ill and they suspected pancreatitis in his case. Turned out it wasn't but his white blood cell count is low and we need to bring him in periodically to have his blood checked. He seems healthy and fine right now but I guess if he were to catch a germ or something like that he would not be able to fight the infection off and he could get very sick.

I'm waiting for my Hubs to come back in March and we'll take him in again. I hear ya about the costs involved. We've spent a pretty penny too. But it's all worth it if he recovers. One thing the vet told us is to be very careful when you discard dental floss cause it can get caught in a cat's intestines and cause pancreatitis which can be fatal. Other things you should watch out for is raisins and mushrooms. Those are toxic to cats too. I wish Bruce the very best.:)

So this morning....something went wrong with Bruce. I dunno what but after breakfast, he was sitting up on the window ledge....and there was a little foam coming out of his mouth! And he kept doing this thing with his tongue like he had peanut butter stuck in his mouth.

First thing I did was take him to the sink and use the sprayer in his mouth. He didn't really appreciate this! Afterwards, he hopped up on the treehouse and....usually he will lick all the water off his fur, but he would give it one lick and then give up. I knew something was wrong. Mama instincts kicked in.  I called the vet and asked if I could bring him in.

Lordie, trying to work that around getting mom to dialysis in time! Weighing the scales...throw mom in a cab or let my kitten possibly die of some kind of poisoning??? (Mom has a habit of dropping her meds out and not noticing, or finding them all - I was terrified he'd eaten a pill, or several.)  Anyway, they said I could drop him off and then come back after I dropped mom off.

After I hung up, I noticed this brownish splotch on my hand, where I'd been holding his mouth open. It took me a few minutes of smelling it to realize it was black licorice! He'd been trying to eat mom's licorice! So I thought that's all it was. Which still wasn't so good - licorice can be poisonous to cats.

As the vet pointed out. Licorice poisoning could kill a cat very swiftly and they needed to check his blood. Well, the little biter needed sedation so they could draw blood. Then it turned out he has acute pancreatitis! What! I didn't even know what that was. Apparently it means sudden onset inflammation of the pancreas.  And apparently he is in pain, too, which....just breaks my heart, poor little guy.  He never let on that he's in pain.  Everything was normal this morning - I woke up with him on my pillow above my head, nearly suffocating me with his tail draped over my nose and mouth.  Same as usual!

So he has to stay at the vet overnight tonight with an IV. I have been boo-hooing all day. Won't really know what the prognosis is till he's been on the IV 24 hours. From what I read, it could be a single acute case, or it could end up being a chronic problem. If it's a chronic problem, it could lead to diabetes. They don't even really know what causes it, but I'll probably have to be like a hawk on monitoring his diet....and he is the kinda fellow who will steal meatballs off your plate if you turn your back. (He loves meatballs....sometimes I call him Meatball.)

I went and visited him twice already today. Took him some nice bedding and spent an hour with him at suppertime. (The vet is open till 8.)

I think he'll be ok, even if he does end up with a chronic health problem. But MAN I was freaking out earlier. And this week is exactly one year since I had to put my beloved George down (cancer). After I left the vet I was literally crying and praying, "Please don't take him from me, please don't take him from me!" Over and over again. And I'm not a praying person. It seemed so unfair.

I miss him.  I'm exhausted and heartsick.

Edit:  This just cost me $650.  So with his first exams, shots, de-worming, neutering, and hernia repair, this "free" kitten has cost me $1350 so far, and he's not quite 6 months old!  Sigh.  I mean, I wouldn't do it any other way, but jeez. 

Same as I say, Dorianne; there are some strange people on this site..... lol

It is very weird catching up on this thread sometimes.

Edit:  I mean that it the best sense, lol.

Got to thinkin' Send....I'll bet you can get any kinda poop or pee at the zoo.I know they sell elephant dung here at ours~

All the birds and squirrels get along well here Send...They've been friends for Many years.
MsMadge,I knew a lady that went to the hospital and while she was out of her room,getting a medical test,a man went into her room and cut up her night gown and peed all over the toilet.When the lady saw what happened while she was gone,she marched down to the nurse's station and demanded to know who had done it and she found out it was a man that thought it was his wife's room and the hospital had to pay for a new night gown....Maybe the NH will pay for some new panties when the Panty thief strikes again..

What is the difference between wolf poop and wolf urine?
Can I just get a real wolf puppy?

Thanks Veronica and Cwillie.  I have just finished cleaning the porch and sliding door screen.
Before Cwillie posted, I imagined Veronica was going to send me off to Alaska looking for wolves.
We have coyote nearby though.

My neighbors have used cat litter, maybe that will work?

Or, I know, it i s time to get a C A T. !

I have to think on this, because I am attached to the squirrely squirrel.  There are also cat diseases.

When was it that life used to be simple?

I don't know how Luckylu does all this, feeding t h e squirrels and birds.

MsMadge,
For that kind of predator, lock up the real panties.
Cut a huge hole in the older panties, place them where they can be stolen in the drawer.

Or, buy the entire facility new underpants for everyone. The senior center volunteers may donate, but be sure they are new.

Will it keep other residents out of mom's room ?
One in particular is a panty thief

Predator Pee – 100% Pure Wolf Urine – 12oz Squeeze Bottle $26.00 & FREE Shipping on amaz*n. Also available in a spray bottle.

 Send, I don't know how much it costs but I do know where you can get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gee, thanks Veronica. Is that expensive?
Do I buy it by the weight?
Thank goodness hubs has lost weight to only 139 lbs. from 155 lbs.
Another worry.

I think you can buy wolf poop and that keeps everything away. Might work on husbands too!!!

Can't believe I said that.  Well, the cats, dogs, squirrels all do it that way.
Guess I am needing more professional squirrel advice.

That too is a good idea, since dH NEVER comes out of the bathroom!

Wait up....he's not in there now, and I must go.

.

What! No... did I just read that now you're the one who is going to have to pee outside?

Before I answer Lucky, I checked which thread I am on.
Do not want to encourage dH to pee outside-he will start doing it all the time, thinking it is ok or expected.
That was a good idea though, doing it directly from the source.  Does anyone think it will discourage the squirrel ?

Guess this is just one more thing that I will have to do myself. humpf.

When I acquired my 15 year old cat, caregiving was the last thing on my mind. I live in the area that caught the worst of Hurricane Katrina. This cat of my heart belonged to my daughter originally. After Hurricane Ivan the cat had run away. (The summers of 2004-2005 were the worst weather in recent memory!)
The cat was gone 13 months and then he reappeared. We were living in the yard, no electricity, no water, no flushing toilets, nothing but misery. Little did I know this cat would become my darling.

When my mother talks to me on the telephone this cat has a tizzy. He hates the sound of my mom’s voice. He likes my MIL.

But the elderly crippled up person he knows best is ME. I’ve been disabled since 2013 and looks like it’s only going to get worse. This cat lays next to me and sleeps, he’s gentle around my lower back. So his dance card is filled, he did fall for me and still loves my daughter but I’m his favorite!

When my DH and I watch Netflix the cat hangs out with us. His preferred shows are ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Borgias’.

Yes I’m one of those cat people who understands why the Egyptians mummified their cats!!!

Boy Send,Your'e a professional squirrel pee cleaner and I never knew.Maybe you could make some good money this way,going around your neighborhood offering your service.....
And can't your dH just pee on things,so you don't have to collect it and you just direct him on what and when?

Luckylu,
Being careful, wearing gloves, disinfectant bottle of cleaner sprayed before wiping up the urine, discarding in plastic bag immediately, removing table from porch, it was already destined for the trash. Yes, I am sure it was the squirrel!

Since this behavior is territorial marking, should I start collecting hub' s urine?  EEEEWWWWW, gross, I know.  Lol.

Once owned a chocolate brown-spotted Dalmation with fear aggression.  She came that way from the humane society, and I was required to take a strenuous difficult dog class to qualify for the privilege of owning her, being 7th on the prospective doggy parent's list.
Taking her to the vets, she attacked the ceramic Dalmation statue at the front door entrance, breaking it.  When I met my hubs, he started helping me walk her.  She had pulled me over and I fell,  later, two Rottweiler dogs jumped out a car window to attack her.  

Thanks for the advice on doggy diapers for the squirrel. Very fun, thinking about it.
Projecting down that road of reality, after the squirrel has attacked my arm and who knows what else, I appear at Urgent Care for the scratches, rips, tears, punctures to my skin, a rabies shot, and leave the overly crowded clinic with what else......But the F L U !!!!

I sincerely love all you brats!

FF, I had a Siamese some years ago who would swat a resin cat statue I had in the backyard. It was very funny!

Buster is trying to dig under the fence to our next door neighbors yard. They have 2 dogs. I’m wondering if one is female and in heat or if he wants to play. We put metal stakes in the spot hoping that stops it.

Chloe is doing so much better now that Bella has gone back to daughters! She is going outside and on her pad more often. I think having the mean dog..lol gone is helping. We may get through this alive!!

Amazon carries doggie diapers
Just order xtra xtra tiny

We should call Petsmart and see if they have 'em and how much they are for Send,MsMadge~

Time for squirrel diapers

R i t a t o u i l l e, the visiting squirrel, is peeing on our porch furniture. Have tried moving her feeding station to the back yard, where dH scares her all the time, as he is hanging out in his shed noisily.
Sad.

I have this toy stuffed Mountain Dog, about the size of a medium size teddy bear. The toy dog sits on a small chair in my office.

Well, for some reason my newly adopted cat Rosie [12 years old] decided the toy dog should be face down on the floor each and every day. I haven't seen her do this, but I can just imagine her giving that toy a huge whack sending him flying :P

Bet she feels good afterwards :)