Tell some stories about the cats in your life. v.2

[cathairetic]

Today I was late to rise and saw that I had Charlotte and Marlowe at my feet and Linnet at my side. Cecil was under the bed, as usual. So Charlotte did not do the ultrasonic whine at Linnet which is a big step forward for them...

APolaris, Duchess does eat, doesn't she? She obviously is taking a lot of time to adjust when faced with new things. Remind me how you came to have her. Does she have a troubled past? Gee, that sounds like a soap opera. Does she sleep with you?

[No_Name]

We have two cats, an orange one we call Tijger (Tiger in English) and a white one we call Blacky (hehe). Blacky thinks he's a dog though, which is probably because he was playing with the dog all the time when he was a kitten. He also chases Tijger all the time.

Tijger is a pure 'psychocat' as I like to call him. He's pretty agressive. When you pet him, he just tries to bite and scratch and everything. He also likes to whack Blacky on the head, but I can't really blame him. I would go crazy too if someone was chasing me the entire day...

[cathairetic]

I finally broke down and took Marlowe to the vet 2 months early for an exam and his senior wellness tests. The doctor was worried because even though his weight is steady he looks so thin. When they tried to take blood Marlowe had a panic attack and almost wheezed himself unconscious. So he stayed there overnight; they got his blood and did x-rays to see what was going on.

His heart is enlarged and his lungs look liked a road-map by a crazy person. I had a tentative diagnosis of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. I took him to a vet cardiologist and she confirmed the cardiomyopathy but said it wasn't critical yet. She thought the crazy breathing episode was due to a lung infection because while Marlowe is on Lasix, it didn't remove water as it would if he were in heart failure. That's one good thing.

He is also on a heart med and Plavix, a blood thinner. I count his respirations for one minute every day to see if he is stressed enough to double the Lasix. Not yet so far. He has an appointment to see the vet internist on the 21st but if he has any emergencies I can take him to the emergency clinic that opens at four pm and he will see the internist in the morning.

On Thursday the 17th he goes back to our vet for an exam and a kidney profile. And, yes, this is costing a fortune but we will do anything to make sure he has a good quality of life. He is still chasing Cecil, if not so violently and he and Charlotte still romp around the house. He is not fond of Linnet, but tolerates her as long as she doesn't get right in his face.

Honestly, the cat stories here are beginning to sound like a soap opera!

[cathairetic]

Update on Marlowe: He is now on Plavix, the nastiest tasting pill ever since I have to cut it into quarters and this leaves two surfaces with no protective coating; a blood pressure medication, Lasix and an antibiotic for the lung infection. They must all be working because he is as mean and aggressive as ever. He is totally fed up with doctors. They have to sedate him to do anything. As his regular vet once commented to me: "We are trying to win the war but Marlowe wins the battles!" Marlowe is all teeth and claws when they try to handle him. I wrap him up totally in a towel with his mouth visible and then I pop in the pills. He has taken to hiding from me. I really have to be crafty to get hold of him.

[bellatrix93]

Originally Posted by cathairetic

Update on Marlowe: He is now on Plavix, the nastiest tasting pill ever since I have to cut it into quarters and this leaves two surfaces with no protective coating; a blood pressure medication, Lasix and an antibiotic for the lung infection. They must all be working because he is as mean and aggressive as ever. He is totally fed up with doctors. They have to sedate him to do anything. As his regular vet once commented to me: "We are trying to win the war but Marlowe wins the battles!" Marlowe is all teeth and claws when they try to handle him. I wrap him up totally in a towel with his mouth visible and then I pop in the pills. He has taken to hiding from me. I really have to be crafty to get hold of him.

He sounds like a really sweet cat! . I hope he is better now. How old is he?
Pills can be a pain really. We had to give our kitten an antibiotic a few months ago (he had diarrhea) and he kept spitting it back like a hundred times before he swallowed it. The worst thing is that he didn't get any better after the antibiotic, .

[cathairetic]

Mr. Marlowe is now on just Enalopril. This is not only for blood pressure but it is supposed to keep his cardiomyopathy from progressing. He had a clot on his heart valve when I first took him to the cardiologist but it dissappeared with the Plavix (MEOWERRRRR! FFFT! FFFT! SNARL! I KEEL YOU WITH MY SHIVS!) He takes Enalopril once a day and I just face the cursing and claws and get it down him. I back him up in my lap. He actually jumps up to take his pill, knowing he will get treats afterward. I take him to the local vet for an injection of a long-lasting antibiotic. In two weeks he will be x-rayed again (Good luck, Dr. Keith) to see if the lung infection is gone. He no longer wheezes or makes noises when he sleeps and his respirations are pretty much normal. I stopped giving him Plavix and Lasix. We'll just have to see what the cardiologist says about the Plavix.

I don't know how old Marlow is. We adopted him when the emergency vet called the SPCA people at midnight in July of 2003 to go down there and get a cat to donate blood to my cat OEdipuss who was trying to bleed out his life. Marlowe was the cat they chose and he saved OEdipuss's life! So we couldn't let him go back to jail. I suspect he was pretty old and unadoptable which is why they picked him. He was certainly sentenced to death. The SPCA man just left him with us and didn't charge us anything. He could be 13, he could be 18.

Marlowe loves me intensely and is very jealous of me. Mine was the first face he saw when I lifted him out of the SPCA carrier. At first he would attack anyone (except me)who tried to pet him for more than a few seconds. He never, ever purred. But then, a few years ago, he became a lover-boy and now he purrs readily. I was so shocked the first time he purred, I couldn't believe it. I think he must have bitten or attacked someone and that was why he was thrown away to the SPCA.

I never give up on a cat.

[bellatrix93]

Is there any way you can prevent a cat from jumping all over the surfaces in the house? One day we found him on the cooker, (thank God, nothing was on it), another day on the kitchen sink, and another on the top of the wardrobe. Also one day we found him limping very badly, and we assumed he jumped from somewhere very high. He only thinks of how to get up, but not how to get down. It can be annoying, because he pushes things over; he broke things the day he got on the wardrobe (yes, it's very messy up there, .. my fault, but..). And he may decide he wants to jump on the cooker when it's on, .
We have to watch him around the clock, or close the doors to the rooms, but we don't want to make him feel bad by not allowing him anywhere with us.
He is very lovely, but very crazy, too, .

[Mundungus Fletc]

Originally Posted by bellatrix93

Is there any way you can prevent a cat from jumping all over the surfaces in the house?

My Cat (Riddle because he's a tom and has nine lives) is a little devil at jumping on the kitchen work surfaces. I have some pads that squeal when he lands on them (causing him to leap away) but the moment I put them away he's back to normal - when I'm around a wave of a water pistol will see him off (Even when he jumps off he gets a squirt to remind him)

I doubt he would jump on the cooker when it's on - cats are very aware of their own safety.

[cathairetic]

There are all kinds of alarm systems that will keep cats (and dogs) from jumping on furniture... or cookers, or work surfaces. Some are pressure related and others are motion detectors. You might also try stack some empty drink cans on surfaces. The racket they make when falling is usually enough to get a cat to leave and you can hear it in another room. Cats hate the smell of citrus. I wonder if some orange oil would keep them off of things? You can get it in the spice section under flavourings.

[bellatrix93]

Originally Posted by Mundungus Fletc

My Cat (Riddle because he's a tom and has nine lives) is a little devil at jumping on the kitchen work surfaces.

Ours is Moony. I guess they are living up to their namesakes! He's got some teeth...

I have some pads that squeal when he lands on them (causing him to leap away) but the moment I put them away he's back to normal - when I'm around a wave of a water pistol will see him off (Even when he jumps off he gets a squirt to remind him)

I tried the water spray when he was young, but it didn't seem to bother him. Maybe he needs a big water gun, not a spray. The pads seem really useful, I hope I can find them at the store.

Originally Posted by cathairetic

There are all kinds of alarm systems that will keep cats (and dogs) from jumping on furniture... or cookers, or work surfaces. Some are pressure related and others are motion detectors. You might also try stack some empty drink cans on surfaces. The racket they make when falling is usually enough to get a cat to leave and you can hear it in another room. Cats hate the smell of citrus. I wonder if some orange oil would keep them off of things? You can get it in the spice section under flavourings.

I like the idea of the cans. I'll definitely try that. I doubt the orange oil would affect him, though. I think I caught him once chewing an orange skin,

[Goddess_Clio]

This morning my cat decided to wake me up by climbing to the top of his 5 foot tall cat tree next to my bed, launching himself out of it and landing on my stomach before rocketing after his brother into the living room.

Originally Posted by Mundungus Fletc

My Cat (Riddle because he's a tom and has nine lives) is a little devil at jumping on the kitchen work surfaces.

What a great name!

I have some pads that squeal when he lands on them (causing him to leap away) but the moment I put them away he's back to normal - when I'm around a wave of a water pistol will see him off (Even when he jumps off he gets a squirt to remind him)

You might try figuring out what he's jumping up there for in the first place. Is he up there just looking around? Is he after food left on the counter? Do you know if he's up there when you're not in the kitchen? Does he just want to be near you when you're in the kitchen?

Personally, I'd try putting a cat tree in the kitchen to see if that satiates his desire to be up high and in the kitchen. You could also try clicker training him not to jump up on the counter because as soon as you forget to turn on that alarm or reset the cans on the counter he'll just be up there again. And, yes, you can train a cat - what you'd have to do is train him to do something in place of jumping up on the counter. For example, if he wants to jump up you tell him to jump into his cat tree instead of on the counter or train him to sit on a rug by the door instead of jumping up on the counter. Or even just train him to jump off the counter if you find him up there (like training a dog not to bark, first you have to train him to bark on command, then train him to be quiet on command) Squirting him with water doesn't make him not want to jump on the counter, it just makes him not like the water bottle so much.

My two boys are trained to give me high fives, touch their noses to my finger and jump up and down from a stool. I've been working on 'sit' and jumping through a hoop. I also trained one of my cats to accept his asthma inhaler which was the absolute best thing I've ever done training my cats! He doesn't fight at all when the mask is held over his face and he even greets me on my kitchen counter (he's allowed on my counters ) when I get home from work so he can get his medicine because he only gets dinner after he gets his medicine Clicker training is amazing! All you need is a clicker (mine cost like $1.50) and a scrumptious treat (I use chicken or turkey baby food) to do basic stuff.

If you'd like to see a video of me clicker training my cat with his inhaler, message me your email address and i'll send it to you

The website Karen Pryor Clicker Training asks you to create a username and password and stuff but it's free and they don't email you junk mail or sell your email address to junk mailers or anything. Once you sign up you have access to full length articles on clicker training all kinds of animals.

[LittleLottie]

I have a 14 year old cat, just called 'Kitty Girl' she is quite frail and I am thinking getting a little senile ..can Cats get this? She actually forgets she has been fed and comes begging for her meal just after the food is put down. I have to take her to it and show her, then she starts eating. However she can still jump up onto the window sill and pretty much else she wishes too. I have placed furniture and various items for getting down again because I do not want her hurting herself. She is much loved.

[Goddess_Clio]

Tomorrow is my babiez birfday!

Four years old already! How time flies...

[cathairetic]

Originally Posted by LIttleLottie

I have a 14 year old cat, just called 'Kitty Girl' she is quite frail and I am thinking getting a little senile ..can Cats get this? She actually forgets she has been fed and comes begging for her meal just after the food is put down. I have to take her to it and show her, then she starts eating. However she can still jump up onto the window sill and pretty much else she wishes too. I have placed furniture and various items for getting down again because I do not want her hurting herself. She is much loved.

14 is getting up there in age but most of my cats have lived to be much older, one was 22 when she died. Does your cat wander around at night and yowl? Sometimes they do that because they are losing their sight or hearing and they want reassurance that you are there. Best advice is 'take her to the vet for a check-up!'

[LittleLottie]

Thanks Cathairetic. Yes, she does yowl of an evening at times. And I do call her and soon she is settled at the bottom of the bed

She gets her regular check up every year, and .....well......just seems a frail old thing. We take good care of her and we do hope she is with us for a lot more years.

It is quite amazing, the range of longevity in our Pets. And I think more so these days. Good Vets and loving owners of course, but also the tenacity of our pets too perhaps?

[cathairetic]

My 14-year-old cat Marlowe is on a b/p medication and a blood-thinner, both for his cardiomyopathy. He also takes an antibiotic right now to clear up his lung infection, which I think is gone but he has to finish all the medicine. I do make sure the cats teeth are cleaned at least once a year and that they have regular visits to the vet. This costs a fortune for four cats so we won't be going on a world tour any time soon.

My cat Esme went blind before she died. Her blood pressure spiked and her retinas detached. As my younger cats age I am making sure that their blood pressure is monitored and will put them on medication so that doesn't happen to them. Esme knew where everything was in the house but just the same to lose your sight is horrible.

The cats are also on Revolution which prevents fleas,ticks, heart worms, various other worms, ear mites, etc. If you can afford it, it is a good thing.

Keep up the good work and Kitty girl will live to be an old lady.

[TWZRD]

LittleLottie, although I do think a cat can become senile, I wouldn't be too quick to panic about your cat pretending to not know where her food is. My cat does that all the time -- he just likes company when he eats! He seems to have a pretty bad case of separation anxiety, and has always liked to know where we are, especially if he's occupied in eating. Even when he first showed up as a stray and lived outside full time, he would leave his food and follow us the to house door if we didn't stay and watch him eat.
Another possibility; Kitty Girl may feel that she is vulnerable to attack when she has food, and feels safe with someone she trusts near. I would speculate that especially if she's starting to be infirm -- losing her hearing or sight or just can't move as fast -- then she may want extra "protection".
But Cathairetic is right, if she has big changes in behavior, a visit to the vet is a good thing. I had a cat that died of what we think was a brain tumor, and she acted quite strange at the end, but in that case there was nothing to do. Still, I felt better knowing I didn't leave some simple problem untreated. I doubt that your Kitty Girl has anything quite that serious, however.

PS Great picture, Goddess Clio. Thanks for posting it.

[ashleysnape]

My pet is a white persian cat named holly, She likes to squeeze into tight boxes and annoy me by running and hiding under the bed when she knows i am going to sleep. then when i am sleeping, she will meow loudly for me to open the door to let her out. that said, i love my cat!

[cathairetic]

Bad news. My cat Marlowe is in active heart failure because of his cardiomyopathy. He is now on an experimental drug to try and stop this and in addition to the other three drugs he is on I now must inject him daily with a stong form of anticoagulant because he formed a clot in a ventricle and we need to disolve it quickly. If Marlowe was acting sick and miserable I would not go to these efforts but he acts as if nothing is wrong at all and has a good quality of life so he and I will soldier on for the moment. He is around 14 years 6 months old at this time.

[cathairetic]

Marlowe experienced heart failure on Friday morning. My husband and I took him to the cardiologist where he ended up in an oxygen chamber for several hours. His meds have doubled. He is so funny. Before I could get him to the vet he was playing and chasing around the house with the other cats and he is not supposed to do that. It didn't matter to him that he might die. Anyway, he is stable so I hope this doesn't happen again anytime soon. It was a frightening thing for me. My husband came home right away when I called him.