Comic Book Plus Forum
All And Everything => General Discussion => Topic started by: John C on July 02, 2009, 04:52:19 PM
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Pff. My bedroom has a waist-high "divider" down the middle of books I don't have space for. My living room is packed with things that my sister (between places of her own) can't fit in her bedroom. And I have the Frankenstein's lab of computers running this way and that throughout the house until I can consolidate data. That's not to mention all the clothes and sundries that should be in closets, but aren't, since the entire house only has one tiny closet.
I'd love to have my house only be as messy as your "messy" attic...
(I'd also love it if my cat could make it to the litter box more regularly, but at nearly twenty years old, I guess I should just be happy that he makes any effort at all.)
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Whoa, now there's a picture!
Love your cat John, they sadly don't live forever.
-Yoc
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I wonder how affordable fire insurance would be, in any case. My local comic book shop wasn't able to afford anything other than liability, and they lost a hell of a lot last month when the apartment above the shop burnt out. (Mostly water and smoke damage.) Nobody was hurt, thank goodness. And, amazingly, almost all their small collection of Gold and Silver survived unharmed thanks to lucky positioning and being bagged.
They lost a hell of a lot of books, but it was mostly from their bulk storage rooms. And through a combination of luck, hard work, and help from the community they were back up and running across the street without missing a single Wednesday! I don't know that I could do that.
I love how the community pitched it, a LOT of customers (including me) went down to spend a few hours stripping bags off books and sorting them undamaged, quarter bin, or trash. How the water behaved was fascinating; you could get unharmed books back to back with destroyed sacks of pulp.
Slightly off topic, but the mention of fire insurance brought it to mind.
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Whoa, now there's a picture!
Love your cat John, they sadly don't live as forever.
As we drift off-topic (already!?), yeah, he's a great cat who I've had since he fit in the palm of my hand. He's still running strong and affectionate, so I don't have a problem with an occasional mistake. I assume there's probably some stain I haven't cleaned in the back corner.
What I DO mind is that it happens often and subtly enough that I'm becoming desensitized to the smell, which means avoiding having guests in the house who obviously have not, but that's hardly his fault. (That "Nature's Miracle" line is amazing stuff...but only when you can find the right spot on the carpet to clean.)
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Funny thing - my Mom just called me and in our talk she mentioned catching the cat sitting on the toilet with that determined look they get when they are 'in a meeting'. She said nothing was left behind but the surprise of catching it there was hysterical. :)
Yeah, off topic pretty fast eh?
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My wife's dad was his best friend and frequent companion as he lived with us. He passed away 11 years ago when my son was 16. My son's cat Chance, who we rescued from a paper bag on the side of the road while riding bikes, was a very great comfort to him during that time. Chance would be sitting in his lap while he allowed himself boisterous laughter at the Golden Girls. So he is saddened when one of the GG pass away because they helped him through a very rough time for him. Further off topic but this group is easy to talk with.
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Pet visits at a senior's home are the highlight of any day my sister tells me. She works in one.
-Yoc
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This has drifted far off topic, but who cares?
When our family dog passed away in my late teens, my Mom refused to let us have another pet. She simply could not stand the idea of losing another one. Moms, of course, always win when they really put their foot down. She died of cancer a couple years later. The day after the funeral, my Dad, my Sister, and I went to the pound. I didn't realize until quite a bit later that we never actually discussed the matter; we just knew that getting another dog was the small silver lining to a very, very dark cloud. I think that Babe kept us alive and sane. (That's not a name we ever would have picked, but a friend of the family used it while we were still discussing matters and it stuck.) Then as time went on, my sister went to college, my dad remarried, and I went into the Air Force. At that point, my Grandfather had just passed away and my Grandmother took Babe. That little furball helped my family a lot through some very bad times; I still miss her. She died about 4 years ago, my Grandmother passed away about a year later.
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Great story Eric.
Damn, got some dust in my eyes. *cough*
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This has been a fun sharing thread
Not a living but a large stuffed bear was given by my wife to an elderly man who was homebound. Several thought it was silly. The old man named it PAL. When his wife would say she had to leave for awhile to go to the store or somewhere she asked if he would be OK. He would respond that Pal and I will be fine. When he passed away she had the bear until she passed away not long after then it was given to my son.
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Looks like I managed to split and move my first topic Yoc.
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Good stuff Narf. And your story managed to blow dust into my eyes as well.
*cough*
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My first dog was a mutt named Baron. My older brother would tell a story of how a salesman came to the house and while he was shmoozing my parents, he bent over to pick me up (I was a baby at the time) to say how cute I was and Baron barked and growled until he left. He was a very sweet dog that I never saw growl. He died when I was about 10. Our next dog was Lady, a pure bred Golden Retriever. She was the biggest coward! She was afraid of a paper bag rustling, leaves blowing, etc. We'd take her for a walk and she'd get too scared.
The dog I have now is Cosmo, a Cocker Spaniel with a bit of bear mixed in. He will eat ANYTHING! His best trick is eating a bunch of my daughters crayons so his poo has such beautiful colors! He loves paper towels, markers, pencils, computer mice, it's great! I love him and he's very affectionate but sometimes, bang! Right to the moon!
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I might mention Spooky, the cat whom we had for a little over 10 years. She was a stray loping into our yard and I just couldn't see letting her starve, so I set out a dish of milk. The cat made a beeline for it, and thus began a relationship that ended with her moving into the house shortly thereafter. Spooky, so called because she was a tortoiseshell cat colored orange and black (later orange and brown), turned out to be a boon companion to both myself and Mom, especially to Mom when I left to look for and find work in a larger city. When that petered out and I came home, after about a year Mom developed pancreatic cancer and was bedridden for the last few months of her life. Spooky, concerned, showed her love for Mom as best she could, and Mom remarked she had never been so loved by an animal. After Mom's passing, I brought the cat with me to a larger city. But Spooky, who'd been used to kicking around the neighborhood in a small town, couldn't understand why she was kept inside all the time. Finally, she got out and got picked up by the animal control. By the time I found out where she was, she'd been euthanized. I couldn't make it in to work or do any transcription that day. Both employers understood. I'll probably never have another pet like her and I think a few issues of CAT-MAN I've uploaded here still have a pic of her at the end.
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Wow, so sorry to hear that Darkmark. :'(
Some people see them as just animals but anyone that's had a pet knows that they have their own personalities and how much we care for them. It's truly a loss.
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I Must confess that DM's story brought a lump to my throat :(, I think I prefer the company of my cats to people most of the time.
Not quite as much a dog person, but I have a soft spot for the one that I owe my life to.
-Nigel
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Funny thing - my Mom just called me and in our talk she mentioned catching the cat sitting on the toilet with that determined look they get when they are 'in a meeting'. She said nothing was left behind but the surprise of catching it there was hysterical. :)
Yeah, off topic pretty fast eh?
We had a cat that lived to be 24 yrs old, She often used the toliet and even flushed it most of the time, thats no bull either.
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My Connie is at the moment imprisoned in the laundry. Being banned from any area with carpet due to her habit off making a mess to get attention she rarely gets in the house these days. She is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks so is allowed in the laundry when they occur. She practically broke the door down when the thunder started this evening. She did knock the internal sliding door of its rail very early yesterday morning, door was shut but she just went straight through it as soon as I opened the door to let her in. Some idiot let some rockets of over our house at 1am, it was not even new years eve yet. I had birds going in all directions, but had to round Connie up first. She is getting old now, would have loved to have had her as a puppy, she would have been cute.
(http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/7331/conniea.jpg)
The newest 4 footed pet is Jimmy a juvenile delinquent who was no longer wanted at his previous home. A friend thought I needed a cat to replace the one I lost a while back. No I did not, but he got to stay anyway.
(http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7405/jimmyp.jpg)
Jimmy has this habit of getting rid of the bell on his collar, I ran out of bells and resorted to a ribboned bell from a choc rabbit when this photo was taken. He has since got rid of it and is in silent mode at the moment.
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It's great to see you back, Aussie. Will you be back at the old...er..."pub" anytime soon?
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One of our dogs has dicovered that she can get out of the fence. We are going to have to put a stake in the ground and give her a cable and collar. She is not going to like it but have to keep her and others safe.
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Connie likes to dig holes, fortunately not usually under the fence. The last time I fell in one of her 2 minute craters I had her fav digging area concreted, she does not dig where I walk now. Yard is pretty big, there are plenty of places she can dig and I would never notice, or fall in it. I tried to bribe her once to dig up the vegie patch, but she was too smart for that, preferred to dig where she was not meant to, and never when she knew she was being watched. I did have an escape artist stay with me years ago in between homes, a Jack Russell Foxy cross, it took extreme measures to convince him my fence was not something he should be eating. His previous owner had given up trying to keep him in her yard and was going to have him put down. I volunteered to be his warden while she found him a new home. Strangely enough his new home had no fences, it was up bush in a shack, he loved it up there.
It's great to see you back, Aussie. Will you be back at the old...er..."pub" anytime soon?
I drop in now and then.
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Don't know if I mentioned it before but my older (12) dog had a stroke last year, he had made a good recovery but began losing weight. Weight loss was a good thing in his case, he'd weighed over 130 pounds and this was probably what brought on the stroke. He still weighed 115 last time he went to the Vet, but the weight seems to have been redistibuted somehow.
Anyway he'd begun to mope around and seemed to be a bit dulled in his senses.
The vet took some blood and found his blood sugar was less than one third normal. She then poured Karo Corn Syrup down his gullet and within minutes he perked up.
Now whenever he acts listless I soak a piece of cornbread in Karo syrup and feed it to him. He generally perks up instantly.
My Nephew's Yorky died recently at 16. My nephew has bought fine matched pure bred Yorky puppies for his mom and brother and they plan to start raising Yorkys.
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Interesting.
I know a guy that has to give insulin needles everyday to an older cat. I bet that cat runs and hides everytime he sees him now. hehe
-Yoc
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We (wife, son, and I) share our home with 4 cats and a hound.
We've had as many as 8 cats but now figure 4 is about the limit to keep up with and give attention to.
I've had Tiny since he was 1 day old. We safe-housed his mother and littermates.
Tiny isn't tiny anymore. He's a large gray cat, extremely affectionate, loves to sit in my lap, and is currently our oldest cat.
Mitzi is 2nd oldest, a black & orange tabby, very petite, and somewhat timid.
Priss is approx. a year old, a fat Birman with somewhat snooty Persian personality.
Butterscotch is white and orange male, very sweet, less than a year old.
Beth is our no-good, food-stealing, bark-crazy hound -- but my wife really loves her. <grin>
Surprisingly all the cats love Beth too. Tiny even grooms Beth and 'makes biscuits' (kneads) on her -- probably because I don't like Tiny kneading me.
Pets are great companions.
We also feed the birds around our house. During the recent snows we've had cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, tufted titmice, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, flickers, and downy woodpeckers.
Best,
Bob S.
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I've had cats that 'make biscuits' (kneads) and wondered what their thinking was behind it.
Thanks for sharing Bob,
-Yoc
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I've had cats that 'make biscuits' (kneads) and wondered what their thinking was behind it.
Thanks for sharing Bob,
-Yoc
I think nursing kittens do the kneading on their mama cat.
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I Must confess that DM's story brought a lump to my throat :(, I think I prefer the company of my cats to people most of the time.
Not quite as much a dog person, but I have a soft spot for the one that I owe my life to.
-Nigel
I also prefer the company of my cats to that of (most) people most of the time.
Generally cats are pretty laid back.
Our cats seem most content with our company when we just lounge around, catnapping, doing nothing.
Various of the cats often just lay around in our bed for hours during the day.
Please do tell us the story of the dog you owe your life to.!
Best,
Bob
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The newest 4 footed pet is Jimmy a juvenile delinquent who was no longer wanted at his previous home. A friend thought I needed a cat to replace the one I lost a while back. No I did not, but he got to stay anyway.
(http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7405/jimmyp.jpg)
Jimmy has this habit of getting rid of the bell on his collar, I ran out of bells and resorted to a ribboned bell from a choc rabbit when this photo was taken. He has since got rid of it and is in silent mode at the moment.
Jimmy is a beautiful cat, or maybe he'd prefer to be called very handsome.
Cats are sensitive to what we say about them.
We had a long-haired chihuahua, Bonnie, who now lives with my wife's mother. Bonnie never got pad training and would / will pee on any and every rug in the house.
Anyway when Bonnie goes to the doggie beauty parlor, she always leaves with ribbons on her ears. The ribbons are always soon gone, and Bonnie often complains to me about the poor treatment she has received.
Take care!
Bob
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I've had cats that 'make biscuits' (kneads) and wondered what their thinking was behind it.
Thanks for sharing Bob,
-Yoc
I think nursing kittens do the kneading on their mama cat.
My adult Mau has never gotten over his urge to nurse and seems to think my wooly shirt is his mama. This is especially disturbing if I'm wearing the shirt when he tries to nurse.
When feeling rejected he finds a blanket or throw and wads it up and starts nursing. Its cute but pathetic at the same time.
He's a very sweet natured and gentle tom, and while unaltered he seems to have never fully matured, he has never sprayed or shown more than a kittens interest in our female cats.
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Animals have a lot of the same "illnesses" as humans. He probably has not mentally matured beyond a certain point just some some kids.
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My sister has a cat that 'sucks it's thumb' cap. Sorta the same thing as your tom.
Cute to see it.
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We have a male and female both large mix breed rescues. The male loves to chase a ball. The female will chase it just to keep it from him. She will get it first and have it in her mouth right and front of him and he will continue to sniff all over the yard looking forward. We are not sure if he know she has and playing a game or really really dumb.
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When our dog was a pup he had quite a collection of toys, and made the mistake of stealing some of our older cats toys. She then went on a campaign of stealing his toys one by one whenever he was out of the room and hiding them. He was paranoid then, afraid to leave the toys lest they magically disappear and whenever he wanted to go to another room he'd carry as many toys as he could then rush back to get the others and frantically count them.
Finally they made a truce and had an exchange of hostages, one by one returning each others toys.
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Now that is a CUTE story!
:)
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My old Plot Bear Hound once showed up with about a dozen stuffed animals which looked like puppies. I looked out one day and he had carefully arranged them in a straight line across the front yard.
He then marched back at forth like an officer inspecting troops on a parade ground. when he saw that one was out of line he growled at it a batted it into line with his paw. He then got to the end of the line , crouched down, and looked down the line to be sure it was perfectly straight then settled in at the end of the line with his head held up as if proud of his troops.
My mom said he must be having a yard sale.
I later found he had roamed the neighborhood and stolen all those stuffed animals from the neighbors kids, so I had to round them up and give them back. He was very disapointed.
When he got older I had to keep him chained up all the time except when I drove him to the lake for a swim and a run.
Plots are the most agressive of all hunting dogs, and his line were especially bred to hunt jaguars and man eating bears on the Japanese islands. They are less dangerous than pit bulls but unfortunately he was half pitbull, with muscles like Batmans costume and teeth like a lion.
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We get some of the neatest stories here. Keep em up I love reading them.
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My sister just got three new kittens. She found an abandoned/lost box on the side of the road that held several dead cats also that had been run over and she took home the survivors. I might take one or two of them off her. I've always been a dog person so this would be my first cat. I'm excited.
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When it comes to pets remember as far as dogs are concerned the human is the master and as for cats they are the master. They will soon train you. Thanks for the rescue. Our pets are rescues.
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That makes sense. Cats always seemed foreign to me whenever I'm at other people's homes, so it'll be a learning experience if I take one in.
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We got a couple yellow lab puppies last summer for the girls (or rather Grandmother got them some puppies). There a lot of fun. And hey, they make me get out and walk/jog at least 2-3 miles a day. At least until I developed plantar faciitis over the last month. >:(
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Good exercise bad for the feet too bad. Who walks the dogs now
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The wife and (sometimes) the kids, but they are just not going to get there everyday walks since the wife works and the kids have a lot of activities besides school. I tried to go a mile on Sunday, and it was pretty painful. I'm following the doctors training regimen of stretching 3 times a day and icing it, and kind of resting it. It does feel like it's getting better, but I know I need to rest it for a month from walking/jogging.
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Plantar facitis is tough. Good luck with it
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Yeah, I need to do cardio to keep the weight off (although I could go back to watching what I eat, but who wants to do that when there are girl scout cookies in the house? ;))
I did the elliptical and the bike last Friday. No pain on the bike, but a little ache on the elliptical. But that was before I got my heel cups. Hopefully that'll help, because I burn a lot of calories on the elliptical.
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What kind of girl scout cookies? Now you got thin mints on my mind
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Sling volunteers to help you lose weight by taking the thin mint cookies off your hands
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My dog Cosmo keeps the house clean by eating EVERYTHING. I think he's part bear...
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Yummy bear steaks. Just Kidding
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What kind of girl scout cookies? Now you got thin mints on my mind
Thin Mints. Tagalongs. Do-si-do.
Mmmmmmm. I'm getting hungry.
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My dog Cosmo keeps the house clean by eating EVERYTHING. I think he's part bear...
So would my labs if we let them. Currently they're just cleaning the yard of poopcicles when they get hungry.
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Cosmo likes to eat crayons so his poop is a rainbow of colors!
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Feed your dogs rubber-bands and the turds come out with handles.
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Or Zip-Loc bags and they'll be pre packaged.
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Is that more efficient than a pooper scooper sky?
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An old George Carlin routine.
I only steal from the best!
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oh..I'm sorry to hear that.
I'm actually a pet lover and I empathize your story.
Pets amuse us, make us laugh, improve our moral. Pets need love, companionship and attention no different than the rest of us.
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Feed your dogs rubber-bands and the turds come out with handles.
Our young lab eats enough stringy things that at least once or twice a month some one has to go pull it out of her, sometimes up to about 18 inches worth of whatever partially poop covered thing it is. She looks very sad and pitiful when it happens and she has to come over to you.
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You gotta really love your pet to take such care
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I am lucky that I can't go outside without help during the winter to I haven't had to deal with it since last November or so.
If the weather keeps up in another week or so I should be outside with the dogs a few hours a day, cutting into my online time even more until I get a battery for the laptop Dad just passed down to me when he got a new one. Most of the time will probably be spent tossing a ball or a frisbee for the young lab and just making sure the older dog, a springer gets enough time being petted he doesn't start snapping at her because of being a grumpy, old, jealous 11-12 year old springer with sore hips that still wonders why we got this yellow monster.
I would say the dogs rate rather high with us. After all most people yell at the dogs to get off the furniture, we yell to get off the floor and up onto the furniture with us. :)
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I enjoy it when my dog lays on my lap. Our dog is a Cocker Spaniel and doesn't shed so we don't have that problem. He doesn't need to go outside to run around. He'll just suddenly decide it's time to tear ass through the house. We try to go outside with him but our backyard is fenced and not a lot of room. Front yard is open but with all the bears around I'm afraid he's going to think he's tougher than he is and become a chew toy.
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Our lab won't settle down for the night until she has spent at least 15 minutes curled up in the chair with my wife. We bought a chair and a half for her before she had her first knee surgery just because of the dogs always sitting on her left side. Some nights abbey will hop up onto me and lay part on me, part on the arm rest before she goes over to my wife, but unless she does the short little nap with my wife the night will turn into her whining and going up and down the stairs. It also has to be after I have finished eating anything too, as she sits there waiting thinking she is going to get something from the plate or bowl but never does. She MIGHT get to lick it afterwards, but not often as the older dog normally takes that privilege if offered.
Abbey is about 70lbs but feels like a ton when she bumps into you on her way to the door or when she wants to be petted.
That running around are what we call the zooms. We had one lab I used to call my pain in the ass as when she was younger and would get them in the house she would run around and use me, who would normally be kneeling over a couch arm (bad hips, most comfortable way to use the computer) and use my rear to launch her self on the return trip around the house.
We don't have any bears, but have been some coyotes in the area.
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No matter what time of night I get the dogs and bring them into my room to sleep, Sparty always immediately rolls over on to his back and has to have his belly rubbed before going to sleep. It's kind of cute (but a little annoying if I'm realllly sleepy). And Holly has to be petted, too, or she feels left out.
Our dogs, from last football season
(http://i44.tinypic.com/350ugqt.jpg)
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Those are cute dogs Jedi!
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Awww, that's sweet! ;D
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gotta luv em
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Thank.
Hopefully they are our good luck charm this weekend at the Final Four.
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Wouldn't want to leave the thread here with anyone thinking I'm catless. Some months ago, probably not as long as a year, I went to the Animal Shelter to find a new cat. The felines there all wanted an owner (read: somebody to get them out of those cages before they were put down) but the one who sold me was an orange tabby who put his head up against the bars to nudge my hand. I went home, got my cat cage, and went back to purchase said tabby. He was nervous as heck for the first day and hid under the bed, with me trying to coax him out and leaving dishes of water and food near it. After the Shelter people reassured me he was just nervous, I waited, and he came out. At first I considered calling him Flashman, but, since he looks like the cartoon cat Jaune Tom from GAY PURR-EE, that's the name I gave him. Jaune is quite affectionate and a great companion now. No cat will replace Spooky, but he's good in his own right.
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No cat will replace Topples for my wife. While visiting my family in PA someone dropped of a kitten barely weaned. It was so small it tripped over larger clumps of grass hence the name Topples by my sister. We brought him home and my wife loved him and she does not like cats usually. Topples only lived for two years before I found him dead in the yard do not know how. She frequently says no cat will replace my Topples and she does not want to try. We still have two cats in the house.
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Well we back to four cats now.
A friend had kept his late wifes Manx cat and not realized that the Manx had not been fixed.
The Manx got out and had a litter, which my friend couldn't care for.
Anyway I offered to take one, but its sibling escaped from the carrier and hid under my toolshed for a week. I finally caught it and the kittens are so attached to each other I decided to keep both.
The one I'd picked takes after its mom, but unfortunately suffers from an all too common birth defect of Manx and other tail less cats.
When born her lower spine had not fully formed and she had a severe incontinence problem. The vet said there was not enough nerve and muscle tissue to allow proper control.
Luckily after a couple of months her stub tail began to develop, and she has gained some control. She no longer makes much of a mess, her feces are now solid and easy to pick up with a tissue without leaving residue, and she seems to do most of her pooping while asleep, I'd already gotten her acustomed to laying down only where I'd placed folded towels for her use.
She has also begun trying to use the litter box, with some success.
Apparently the muscles of a cats tail are a necessary part of their ability to use the litter box when they want to.
Otherwise the feces just build up till internal pressures force them out. Rather than having nothing to hold them in, the lack of muscle control means they can't release when they should. This can lead to irritations and infections that are often fatal to kittens.
With any luck her plumbing will sort itself out by the time she is one year old, and as the situation stands she seldom makes a real mess.
We do have to clean her bottom once a day and wipe with baby wipes every so often. If any reddness shows we apply a vet approved diaper rash ointment.
Due to her spine problem when we first got her she was only about half as long as her head and legs would indicate she should be. She weighs about 2/3 as much as her sister that has a tale and is normally porportioned.
As her spine has straightened out she has gotten a bit longer, which is a good sign that she should begin to develop normally now.
I've considered making her several sets of granny panties by cutting the toe off old white socks and cutting leg holes.
I decided not to since this might increase the diaper rash problem, but now that she has improved I figure to make a couple of pairs of undies for her to wear when roaming around the house and when sitting on a convenient lap.
As is I got a pack of baby blankies and let her sit on my lap on one of these. This pleases her no end, shes such a lovable little character and very gregarious.
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Bless your kitty's heart!!! ;D
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Captain Audio the patron saint of needy kitties.
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An update on the tiny Manx.
She has developed her own martial art form.
When her sis gets the upper hand in there daily contests the Manx has begun streaking away, spinning and charging back. When she gets within range she leaps, turns 180 degrees in mid air and gives her sis a flying stink face.
After knocking her off balance she then mule kicks sis under the chin and knocks her a flip, then streaks way for another run.
Little Manx was trying to use the litter box again last night, and I think she is at least able to urinate voluntarily sometimes now. She hasn't left any wet spots as she had been.
With any luck she'll finally develop her elimination faculty in coming months.
All the cats are doing fine.
The dog is healthier now than he has been in the last year. He's getting around much better now since he lost a bit of weight.
Just got through brushing him for his trip to the dog groomers tomorrow.
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I've got a mix of American and Canadian cats at my house. My wife, MrsCharlie, is from Ontario and brought her cats when we got married and moved Stateside. Since then we have adopted two American kitties from the local vets when we heard the alternative was for them to be put to sleep. Coincidentally the Canadian kitties have shorter, stubbier tails.
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The wife and I lost one of our cats this past week.
He was a sweet little tuxedo cat. We named him Belly because when he was a little kitten he was so fat his belly literally dragged the ground. Of course he grew up to be a very skinny cat but we kept the name just the same. He was very friendly to everyone. Perhaps too friendly.
He didn't show up one day for feeding and then staggered in the next day bleeding from the mouth, and obviously severely injured. It's believed that he was either hit by a car (perhaps on purpose as he was very street savvy about cars) or some unscrupulous person may have purposely beaten him (we've had problems in the past).
The wife and I took turns comforting him in his last hours. Our other cats were pretty freaked when he finally passed away.
He'll be greatly missed around here.
Joe
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Joe,
A very sad story, particularly with the suspicion of cruelty involved. My best wishes to your family. I know the passing of my former pets (schnauzers) have each left a mark in my memory. Sounds like Belly was a cool character.
-builderboy
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Condolences, it may be "just" an animal to some but they become friends and family.
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Last week we had a scare. Our cat did not return at night. He usually does not go far and bangs the screen door to get in after only being out an hour or two at a time. We called for him several times before going to bed. The next morning he was not at the door waiting. When I got in the car to go to work there he was. He had snuck in the car when I was using the power outlet to inflate my bike tires. It was a cool night so he was fine.
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Last week we had a scare. Our cat did not return at night. He usually does not go far and bangs the screen door to get in after only being out an hour or two at a time. We called for him several times before going to bed. The next morning he was not at the door waiting. When I got in the car to go to work there he was. He had snuck in the car when I was using the power outlet to inflate my bike tires. It was a cool night so he was fine.
We had a similar scare a couple of years ago. One of our little female cats, Cottonball Johnson, who is normally a house cat because of poor eyesight (due to a bad case of conjunctivitis she suffered from as a kitten that left her cornea's scarred), became frightened by some fireworks that they were shooting off at the ballpark nearby on the Fourth of July night and then snuck outside in an apparent attempt to "get away from the bad noise".
The wife and I didn't realize that she was missing until the next day. We then spent much of the next week frantically looking around the neighborhood for her. Phoenix in July is hot-very hot! All days are over 100 degrees and are often over 110 degrees so we knew every day she was still missing made it that much less likely that we would ever get her back again (especially with her poor eyesight and lack of street smarts).
After two weeks had gone by with no sight of her we had pretty much given up hope. Then one night, about three and a half weeks after she disappeared, I was out on the front porch feeding some of the cats when I heard a very plaintive meow and looked around to see which of the cats was making the noise. I nearly dropped the food container I was holding when I turned full around to find myself gazing at a very skinny, bedraggled and just plain pitiful looking Cottonball meowing up at me for help!
I scooped her up and ran inside with her to show the little missus and after much hoopla we gave her some much needed water and food which she, normally a very dainty eater, ate like there was no tomorrow! Over the next several weeks we managed to fatten her back up to her normal weight and she got her own coat cleaned up and back into shape to the point where she was back to being the pretty little princess she had been before.
I've no idea how she managed to survive for as long as she did outside but we're just thankful she did and that she was able to find her way back to us!
Best
Joe
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Truth is stranger than fiction but nice when it turns out right
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We took the tiny Manx to the vet for her Spa day.
We have her groomed and her bottom shaved once every six weeks.
Keeping the fur cut close around her bottom and the backs of her hind legs makes it easier to clean her up when she has one of her frequent accidents.
She is doing fine, but still weighes only a ounce more than two pounds.
Her legs are growing much faster than the rest of her. She looks like her spine is only about 2/3rds as long as it should be. Doesn't hinder her any, she is fast as lightning, especially at bath time.
Once I catch her she doesn't struggle and fight like she used to. She is getting used to having her hind quarters bathed. Still acts very put out by the process though.
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Our old dog passed away in his sleep this afternoon. No suffering, he just went to sleep with his head on a nice soft throw pillow and never woke up.
He had been off his feed for several weeks but for the past week he had steadily improved, regained most of his appetite, got around better than he had for years, and seemed fine. He was very nearly 13 years old.
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Sorry for your loss. Glad he went easy
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My condolences on the passing of your your beloved pet. As with Narf I am very glad that his passing was an easy one and that he had managed a "last hurrah" revival in his final days.
Best
Joe
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Our black lab Shadow died in the night. My son took it pretty hard. He was a really sweet dog. He was a rescue that had been dropped off at a stable. They worried about him around the horses and put a notice asking for someone to take him. My son got him. He has been with us about seven years. I think he had a heart attack or something about a week ago. He was not himself. No energy, he would not even go get his ball that he loved to chase. I guess it really does not matter why but sadly he is gone. He seemed to never have any pain and always seemed pleasant until the end.
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So sorry to hear that Narf, my condolences to your family on this, I've been there a few times.
Below is a picture of our cat who ripped his right paw somehow, it was not bit by the way, that was last week that that happened.
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/787/cat022111.jpg) (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/cat022111.jpg/)
So in the last two weeks his hospital stays have cost about $750, but we love him very much.
Geo
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We had Shadow to the vet last week for his shots. He had a sore paw and my son and the vet thought he may just have been lathargic because of leg pain. He was scheduled to go back to the vet this morning but did not make it through the night. Probably for the best. Could have spent a lot of money with the same results. We do love 'em and they can be costly. Take care of your little one Geo looks like a sweety.
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We had Shadow to the vet last week for his shots. He had a sore paw and my son and the vet thought he may just have been lathargic because of leg pain. He was scheduled to go back to the vet this morning but did not make it through the night. Probably for the best. Could have spent a lot of money with the same results. We do love 'em and they can be costly. Take care of your little one Geo looks like a sweety.
Our old dog never had any health problems till the contaminated dog food ingrediants from China caused so many pet deaths in the US. Theres a possibility of a unknown or rare disease striking older dogs, like humans disease takes the very old and very young while not having much visible effect on younger pets.
On a lighter note I took the Mau to the vet for some blood tests. He had been looking run down and off his feed, probably upset because his big bubba had passed on.
By the time his appointment came due he had already snapped out of his funk, partly because I took to feeding him in my bedroom away from the other cats for several days. Still at his age, about 8 I think, the blood tests were more for my peace of mind than anything else. They tell me he is in perfect health.
When the nurse was drawing blood from a vein inside his leg she slipped and messed up. When she tried again the Mau suddenly twisted around and did one of those break dancing moves spining about till he was suddenly standing upright with fore paws in a kung fu stance and began throwning round house and rapid fire side kicks like Bruce Lee. I'd seen him stand upright before but nothing like this. He was even leaping up and front kicking and bobbing and weaving like a kung fu or cat fu exhibition.
I finally tackled him and got him under control so they could try again on the other leg. It took me and two nurses to hold him down till I soothed and talked to him to calm him down, then he lay quite and let them take blood. No one at the vet office had ever seen a cat that strong. I'd never heard of a cat kick fighting like that.
Also they examined him closely and found as I'd suspected that he has no visible testicles, if he has 'em they have never dropped and are unlikely to at his age. I do remember the old story about Bruce Lee being able to draw his testicles inside so he wasn't vulnerable to a blow to the crotch, I wonder if the Mau might have done something of the sort because of the fight with the nurses and them poking around near his crotch with needles.
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You could have won big on Funniest Videos if you had taped that ;D Our other dog has not been eating as much since Shadow passed. My son has been taking more time with her and she seems to be coming out of it. She is very happy when we are out there with her.
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An update on the Manx kitten that others might find useful.
The little kitten figured this out for herself. She had occasionally been found sleeping in the litter box, so long at the litter was still clean. Then lately she has taken to digging clean cat litter out of the box or tearing a small opening in the bags and making herself a bed of cat litter. Now she likes to sleep on the cat litter so that when she has a movement in her sleep she can immediatly bury it when she discovers it on waking up.
This has cut down on the little messes considerably.
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Amazing the way they think
An update on the Manx kitten that others might find useful.
The little kitten figured this out for herself. She had occasionally been found sleeping in the litter box, so long at the litter was still clean. Then lately she has taken to digging clean cat litter out of the box or tearing a small opening in the bags and making herself a bed of cat litter. Now she likes to sleep on the cat litter so that when she has a movement in her sleep she can immediatly bury it when she discovers it on waking up.
This has cut down on the little messes considerably.
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Took the Mau in for a check up and treatment for what may be a urinary tract infection.
A couple of days ago I found him sitting on a towel in a pose like he was trying to urinate and found a small pink stain when he moved. He'd never gone outside the box since the day he came here as a very tiny kitten. He repeated this behavior several times a day, sometimes leaving a pink stain and sometimes not.
I've mentioned that he has no visible sign of testicles but had not been neutered. I had thought he might finally be going through the process of maturity at this late date.
These cats are said to be late bloomers the males often not becoming sexually mature till the age of 5 1/2 to 6 years old and some males never mature. This Mau is now pushing nine years old.
The vet did a very through examination of his private parts, you never saw a cat more confused, but he did not put up a struggle. In the waiting room while he was in the carrier it was more like the opening scene of Jurrasic Park.
The vet says his equipment doesn't have the little spiky protrusions that appear on any intact male. She was unable to force his equipment out of the protective covering. He's definitely non functional down stairs.
While I'd thought about breeding him to a female Mau I'm okay with his never maturing. I hate to have an animal fixed but in todays world theres not much of an option.
As it is the Mau still looks like a very young adult despite his size and is the most gentle and caring cat I've ever seen. If no complications turn up I expect his condition will result in a long active and happy life with few if any health problems (knock on wood).
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I just thought I'd mention that all of our cats are doing fine after a tough Summer here in Phoenix.
We set a couple new records. The hottest (average daily temperature) August on record (beating out last year which was then the hottest August on record) and the most days of 110 degrees or above (again beating out last year's record).
We lost a few trees, bushes and plants (not even heroic watering could save them) and there were some tough days for the Lil Missus, the felines and me but we survived another one.
Whew!
Joe
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Glad to hear all is well Cap and Joe. TN had a long streak of hot days. I fixed it so our dog could get under the crawlspace where it was a little cooler. She made it OK. We had a stray cat adopt us a few months ago. Been around so much we had him fixed. He is the most loving cat we have had in a long time. Too bad my wife will not allow another inside animal. He seems happy outside but loves lovin.
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Well I'd not planned on getting another dog, but a relative is serving in the military and his step father is very ill so I offered to take in his dog while he is away.
The dog is a medium size rock mouthed Shar Pe. Ugliest dog I've seen close up.
He's an extremely gentle and well behaved old dog. Probably not as sad as he looks.
I'm told this dog has never made a sound of any kind.
Probably a legacy of their having been palace gaurdian dogs.
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Good luck with the new canine member of your family, Cap, even if it is only on a temporary basis.
Best
Joe
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Good for you helping out Cap
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Well the Shar Pei is doing fine, and seems to be happy with the large back yard here.
The poor fellow has a skin condition called elephant skin that often strikes Shar Pei.
His skin began to improve since moving him here, the heat and insects where he used to live must have made the condition worse.
I obtained a powerful medicated shampoo thats said to deal with the problem.
To give him the best bath possible and be sure all the residue of the shampoo was rinsed off I put him in the bath tub and used the shower head on its flexible hose.
It was not easy to get him in the tub. He didn't resist but I found he is twice as heavy as he looks. It was like wrestling a pot bellied stove into a small space without a dolly.
The cats seem to sense how gentle this dog is. The deaf white cat did not hear us coming so the dog nudged her with his nose to get her to move out of the way. She was not the least bit scared.
Before he got here he spent a few days with another relative that has a very old female cat, they say the two acted like the best of buddies.
That old cat is something special. A grand niece found her after the cat had been mauled anf nursed it back to health. One eye had looked to have been destroyed.
After about six months the damaged eye opened and by some miracle the eye had regenerated and the cat seems to have perfect vision now. The cat now has a home in the country and since regaining her sight she has become a hunter of small game, especially rabbits.
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Glad to hear all is going well. Our youngest cat has been getting upper respiratory infections. We are trying ot keep him inside more but he likes to get out and roam at night even though he has been fixed. We can not get him to use a litter box. So we have to let him out even though we would prefer making him strictly inside
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My family is losing a sweet friend tomorrow. Bushy only weighs 5.5 pounds. She hardly eats. She can not control her bowels. Adam had her treated $350 awhile back but it did not do the job. It kept her around this long. She may last awhile longer but it is better now before she starts to suffer. It is like she knows and is ready. She has not gone outside in years but went out for awhile today. One last fling.
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Sorry to hear about this, Narf.
She looks like a real sweetie.
Joe
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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.
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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.
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Our normally most aggressive cat is sluggish the day after his flea treatments.
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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.
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Hope all is well
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Condolences good to know she did nor suffer
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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
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Oh, pets. I suppose this thread could use a booster of sorts. Maybe this set of pictures of pets acting like humans (http://www.ranker.com/list/50-animals-sitting-like-people/danielle-dauenhauer). The cuteness factor gets amped up.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Well loved and well taken care of
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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!
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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.
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My condolences on the passing of your dog. Pets become a part of the family, and it's hard to lose one.
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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.
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I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences. It hurts to lose a friend.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Thanks for your words, Panther. Mr. Cakes was in the prime of his life, and loved and respected.