kitty companiona

kitty companiona

Monday, August 27, 2012

Kitty Woes

About two weeks ago we had an outbreak of illness in the feral cat population in our neighborhood.  Several died of what I believe may have been distemper.  After reading on the net that distemper is very infectious and could possible be brought indoor on our shoes and clothing, we decided to get all the indoor kitties brought up-to-date on their shots.

Penny and Isobel are good till October, but Deiter, Tipper and Reggie were due for theirs.  We decided to take all three at once.  That would mean needing two carriers.  We shopped around and decided on a soft sided one.  They loved it!  Here Penny has it all to herself.....until someone else comes and climbs on top and starts swatting at her.


We left them play in it for a few days so when we packed them in for the vet visit they wouldn't be suspicious.  Reggie likes to pick on Tippy so Reg and Deiter rode in the new carrier and Tippy had the old one to herself.

On the way, Reggie laid a stinky egg in the carrier.  We tried to clean him off when we got to the vet's, but with his long hair it was impossible to do a good job.


Needless to say, They got their shots and we were out of there to avoid further embarrassment.  We brought Reg into the bathroom and put him in the tub,  Zip, for some reason, had things to do elsewhere (chicken!).  With one hand I held Reggie in a vice grip and with the other I held the sprayer and pointed it at the appropriate spot.  And I escaped with only minor injuries.


When the vet examined Tipper, he said she looked fine.  Since then she has become more lethargic and withdrawn.  She's ten years old, but that's not old for a cat. We know that Reggie and Penny are very forceful cat personalities and sometimes have tried to intimidate her.  She doesn't like the  younger guys and is afraid they will push their way in and get the first bites of kitty treats.

Apparently they have been more aggressive with her than we knew about because she's been hiding upstairs and not coming down to eat unless we go and get her and bring her down to the food bowl.  Not a good situation!

   
We have now put her in Zip's bedroom with her own food, water and cat box to try to reduce her stress level.  It seems to be working.  She has Zip's company all night long and I go up and sit and talk and play with her several times a day.  She seems a lot happier and more active.

So what else have I been doing?  Not much!

August 1 I rejoined Weight Watchers for the ???th time.  After almost a month, I must admit that I feel better and have lost a bit.  But it takes a lot of TIME.  I guess if I weren't so OCDish, and didn't plan my every meal down to the breadcrumb, I could do it in half the time.  So instead of working on my handcrafts, I'm cooking healthy low-fat meals.  Three times a day.


I did start a new sweater, but made a mistake and will have to rip out.  I'm not sure I liked what I was doing anyhow.  I got out my big flower basket rug, thinking I would do some hooking, but hated every color I'd picked to use in it.  Back to square one!

I've been trying to psych myself into exercise, but so far, no go!  Deter has been using the treadmill more than I have.  I like his routine, though I think for myself, I would need to add a pillow.



We've been making lots of trips to produce stands since the start of the healthy craze.
I will close with this picture of the lovely flowers at one of the farms.


 I love the riot of colors at this time of year.

Hope you are all having an enjoyable summer!

9 comments:

  1. Hi Pat!
    I am so happy to see your post! My the kitties all look so healthy and content! Even little Tipper who I'm sure is loving her special care! You and Zip really know how to zero in on "cat issues" and figure out what to do!
    Your meals look and sound delicious! I had such good intentions to lose about 10 lbs this summer as I have a 40 year class reunion coming up in Sept. Well.... I don't know what happened but I've actually gained 5 lbs. without even trying...... exercise is a problem with me too! Hope you and Zip are enjoying the end of summer days.....
    Big Hugs!!!
    Cathy G

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  2. Great post ...that meal looks yummy ...well done on your healthy eating ...I so need to follow your example.
    Had to smile over the smelly deposit ...when we moved up here 7 years ago a friend...who is not a cat lover ... offered to drive our felines up here.Buffy made a very smelly deposit half an hour in to the 8 hr drive. By the time they arrived it was every where over her fur and it too was an eventful bath xx

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  3. I'm glad you're looking out for pretty Tipper. If I don't eat fast enough, Harley tries to horn in on my food, too.

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  4. Pat ~
    Good to hear from you and glad all is well except for the kitty issues. I hope everyone decides to get along.
    I wish I could make myself exercise but I'll use every excuse in the book not to!
    Beautiful flowers.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  5. Pat, you always take such good care of your cats. They really look healthy.

    Bathing an adult cat is quite a challenge and you're pretty brave. That scratch looks nasty. I hope that it doesn't get infected.

    Some of my barn Kittens have a respiratory illness that they caught from an older kitten that nursed on their mothers and sneezed in the milk bowl and slept in their beds and they have had watery eyes and stuffy noses and they were given antibiotic by the vet. Every day I wash their eyes and put drops in their eyes. Some have shown a remarkable improvement and are playing and wrestling and being a nuisance when I fork the hay to feed the animals. There are 9 surviving kittens from two litters born on July 3rd. That is unusual for our barn cats to give birth so so many. They are a blended family as the are cared for by the two mothers.

    That garden is so lovely and colorful. I need to tame my flower beds. I won't have time as it's getting dark so early already.

    Good for you for eating well. the food looks so yummy. I love soup and now I have the perfect pot to make some.

    I can't stick with exercise either but I have to walk a lot with my barn work.

    Take care, Big hugs. JB

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  6. my 19 year old kitty had a UTI I called asking for the meds because I was sure that is what it was. Nope I had to go in. He listen to what I said and listened to her heart. yep I was right what! no blood no nothing a shot and 3 pills 100.00
    glad to hear your older kitty is better.
    Cathy

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  7. Glad to see the kitties again! So good the care you give them, I hate the wrong kind of "deposits!", but they never fail to show up! So glad you're doing well with the WW, bless you both!

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  8. Hi Pat, so nice to see your post :-) I can sympathize, vet trips are NOT fun, I usually have a big glass of wine when I return home from one - LOL!!! Glad all the cats are healthy, I'm sure Tipper will gain her confidence back again after some focused attention from you and Zip.

    Bravo on the healthy eating, all your efforts will pay off and of course seeing a little bit of results always help the stick-to-it-ness!!! Keep up the good work :-)

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  9. Hi Pat,
    Soooooo glad that you're back!!! What a nice surprise when I checked your blog and found two new postings - you rock girl! Take care of those cute kitties & nothing but the best on your newly energized healthy eating routine - wish I could send you some sushi in exchange for those yummy looking strawberries :)
    Hugs, Jill

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