[narfstar]

Thanks Joe. She was sweet to my son but very skitish from everyone else. Her personality has changed lately.
She has been more loving to everyone which makes it harder. She is acting different in other ways it looks like her mind is starting to go. My appointment is at 10Am today.

[Captain Audio]

My condolences.
I thought I was going to lose little bit this week. She got a bit dehydrated and just wanted to lay around in the window, but she has perked up and is taking food and water regularly now.
It may have been a reaction to her flea treatment.
All the cats had fleas and the first preparation I tried on them had no effect. The second treatment was a expensive brand I knew had worked in the past.
This is strong stuff so for little bit I had to get a special pack for cats under 7 lb. She weighs about 6 on a good day, and may have lost a half pound or more due to her sick spell.

[narfstar]

Our normally most aggressive cat is sluggish the day after his flea treatments.

[Captain Audio]

Well something out of the ordinary seems to be going on with little bit.
She never had any sign of a tail , only a tiny bump, but now it looks like a stub tail might be forming.
I'm a bit worried that this might be a tumor under the skin, but its remotely possibly that she has vertebrae there that were sort of turned under and are now somehow shifted into the normal position.

I've tried to clean the area for a closer examination but though it doesn't bother her the rag shows some blood. She seems fine, so I'm going to leave well enough alone and be more gentle when I give her baths. If the blood continues to show I'll take her to the vet.

[narfstar]

Hope all is well

[Captain Audio]

Lil Bit has disappeared.
I went to bed early in the evening and got up at 1 AM and she was no where to be found.
There's no way she could get out of the house and she has never shown any interest in getting out.
I've looked everywhere for her.
The other cats including her very protective sister don't seem upset in any way, so she may just be pulling a Garbo.
She's done this a couple of times but was always easy to find.
Theres no blood or other mess on her bedding. Water bowl still had water and food bowl still had some food in it.

[josemas]

Please keep us updated, Cap.

We had a scare with one of felines this week.  Gray Britches got into and ate something she shouldn't have and it was touch and go for a couple of days whether or not she was going to survive it.  She went into hiding, away from us and the other cats.  On the third day she was back, waiting to be fed and loved on.  Whew!

It's amazing how attached we can get to the little furries.

Best

Joe

[Captain Audio]

Many years ago my eldest brother who despised cats took my sister's cat off to the next county and put it out. About ten days later I looked out the front door near midnight and saw the cat racing towards the house. She had a bad wound in her side but it was not bleeding. I fed her about a half pound of ground round and she ate it all in one sitting then curled up and slept.
Years later my brother tried this again. He took the same cat about 100 miles away and set it out near some dumpsters. Unknown to him my next door neighbor was traveling on the same road and saw him put the cat out. He stopped and the cat recognized him and jumped in the car. My neighbor brought the cat home and told me what happened. My brother drove up shortly afterward and looked like he had seen a ghost when the cat appeared. After that the cat would put the head and entrails of every rat it killed into my brother shoes, hiding them deep in the toe so he wouldn't notice till he went to put his shoes on.
Later on the cat and my brother became great friends. She had earned his respect.
This cat lived to be around 24 years old and acted as foster mom to my massive Plot Bear hound who loved her more than anything except me. She taught him how to fight like a cat, and he could knock a Rotweiler cold with one crafty swat of his huge paw.

[Captain Audio]

Lil Bit has passed away.
I found her inside a padded folding chair not three feet from her bed.
She had crawled between the cushions and from the look of things she passed over peacefully. No mess where she lay. The body showed no signs of suffering. She was well hydrated and had eaten well the last few days.
I suspect a growth or internal hemorrhage, no blood showing on the body. Body cool and flexible fur neat.
Wrapped her in her favorite clean bedding ,I'll bury her tomorrow.

[narfstar]

Condolences good to know she did nor suffer

[josemas]

Sorry to hear about Lil Bit's passing.  It sounds as if she went peacefully though.

I very much enjoyed the story of your sister's cat too.

Best

Joe

[Coleoptere]

Oh, pets. I suppose this thread could use a booster of sorts. Maybe this set of pictures of pets acting like humans. The cuteness factor gets amped up.

[narfstar]

cool stuff
We have an ASPCS no kill facility. My wife and I volunteered to help out walking dogs. It is hard work and they need more volunteers. We really liked one of the dogs and thought about bringing him home. His name was Hudini and they said it was with cause. We changed our minds.

[Captain Audio]

Got a new dog. Actually I've had her about 18 months. The Neighbor's small kids found her near dead from an old collar put on too tight as a puppy and getting tighter as she grew.
According to someone they spoke to the dog had been running loose in the neighborhood for three months after being abandoned. Their parents wouldn't let them keep her so I took her in.
We thought she was an medium sized adult but when I took her to the vet they said she was about six months old. She kept growing and growing, now around 100 pounds or more and very tall. Solid white, wolflike and with very pale eyes like a Siberian husky. A real beauty.

Strong as a horse I've seen her dragging a seven foot long a foot thick with her teeth.

[Captain Audio]

Everyone should check the recent recall lists of dog food and cat food containing toxic levels of vitamin D. If you have a stock pile of pet food for the winter months make sure to check the sell by dates and compare them to the lists.
More brands have been added, 8 or more now.
If worse comes to worst prepare meals for your pets using fresh meat or fish till the situation is straightened out.

[Captain Audio]

Had a scare with my ancient Egyptian Mau last week. He lost all balance and was unable to walk.
He improved some and after taking him to the vet he is almost recovered, walking normally and jumping and climbing though not quiet as actively as before.
The vet did full blood tests and said he was amazed at how great a shape this 20+ year old cat is in. His internal organs are working like those of a young adult with no deterioration of kidney or thyroid as would otherwise be expected in a cat his age.
He prescribed a antihistamine known to alleviate the symptoms of Vestibular disease . A ten day course of treatment is usually all it takes for a cat to get over this sort of spell.
The Mau is doing fine and needs only one more dose to finish the treatment. His appetite is greatly improved and he seems to have gained a few ounces.
Hopefully there will be no setbacks but the fact that he responded to the medication indicates the problem is not due to some life threatening illness or tumor.

[narfstar]

Well loved and well taken care of

[The Australian Panther]

Narfstar, Thanks for the tip about Pet food. It's always worthwhile also to read the list of ingredients, especially for processed food you eat yourself.
I have two dogs, both small Terriers. My  Jack Russel, the size of a medium cat has killed two snakes for me. I feed them dry dog pellets once a day. I live in the country so I can get dogfood in larger quantities which is made for the consumption of working dogs or greyhounds. One of these lasts me most of a year. I give them meat bones about once a month for their teeth, and a can of meat dog food about once a month also. When I worm them I crush the tablet in sardines. Goes down a treat. The fact that you are an animal lover tells me a lot about you.

Cheers!                 

[Drahken]

One of my 2 dogs died last week. No warning. Was fine saturday, sunday morning he could barely move, sunday afternoon he was gone. It wasn't entirely unexpected due to his age (I've had him 14yrs, and he was already full grown when I adopted him, so his true age remains a mystery), but it was still quite a surprise since there wasn't a steady decline or anything.

[crashryan]

My condolences on the passing of your dog. Pets become a part of the family, and it's hard to lose one.

[Captain Audio]

Older dogs especially large breeds are more likely to simply shut down without previous signs of illness when their time comes. 14 yrs is longer than most large dogs live.
My large dogs have all simply laid down on their bed or carpet with a throw pillow or favorite stuffed toy under their head and drifted off into their well earned afterlife quietly with no fuss.

[Andrew999]

I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences. It hurts to lose a friend.

[Captain Audio]

The Mau had a bit of a setback but is pulling through.
He began vomiting violently with convulsions so bad he flipped end over end and writhed  around on the floor like a snake.
He'd lost a lot of weight then he was sick last year and had gained back a few ounces but had lost all that again before he had this episode. My sister told me later he had done this once before.

I fed him Cats sip a artificial mothers milk for kittens and encouraged him to eat more. His strength and energy level are not bad for a 22 year old cat. The Mau has a estimated/average life span of 24 years.
An online vet I consulted said he might have "thrown a clot" whatever that means.

To try to get his weight back a bit I searched for a source of his favorite food which is hard to find in stores locally. I ordered 5 12 packs from Chewy.com.
I'm surrounded by bags and cartons of foods I've tried on him, but which he didn't care for, some he wouldn't touch at all. Thats okay though the two youngest cats will eat anything so none will go to waste.

His balance seems okay, only occasionally rocky, but I'll try to get some more of the pills the vet gave him last time.

[lyons]

My cat, Mr. Cakes, has died.  He was poisoned, and I am in mourning. The Bible says to lay up treasures in heaven and not on earth - Mr. Cakes, I will see you in heaven.

[The Australian Panther]

Not a nice way to go, I can understand you being upset. Was Mr Cakes of advanced age? Had he had a good life?
I feel for you!