Our Animals

[black bart]

Clothespeg...

Yes...I know where I'd put it if only it wasn't a she Hamster!

Actually that's excellent advice...the Hamster may live yet.

[TwistedSister]

Update for those who care.
Traded in canned cat food for dry food and one can of another flavor canned cat food.

Let Oliver in with Max for dinner time, Max turned nose up to canned food again.
Gave both the dry food from vet. Max saw Oliver eating it, so he also did.

Pee spots in box so I let Max out to join the rest of us.

Receptionist at vet gave me some names of food that I can buy at Petco or a local petshop which is rated very high for helping with the Urinary problem and alot cheaper in cost. (She's a sweetheart who always helps me out when I need helping)
Cost isn't really a big issue, but I would have to have both cats on the same food so I don't have to try to separate them during dinner. So a less exspensive food is good.

[Tigger_the_Wing]

If you try bacon's idea, make sure that you buy special cartons of milk designed for cats - the last thing you need on top of a dodgy bladder is a dodgy digestive system! Cats like milk, but it can give them the runs and/or skin problems.

Does Max like chicken? Most cats like birds. Perhaps you could boil a chicken and give him the flavoured water to try (in a separate dish to his fresh water, of course). First of all, cool it in the fridge so that the fat separates and solidifies so that you can remove it.

[TwistedSister]

I wasn't planning on giving him milk at all.
I know it can cause problems.

I was thinking about the chicken broth thing, I have several bowls in the freezer I was thinking about putting out for him.
The more he drinks, the better.

Max doesn't eat or like anything except dry food and crumbs he finds on the floor from Mr. TS's after dinner munchies.
He's an odd cat, but hopefully we can manage.

He's about 5 years old and never had this problem before. Our other cat Oliver, is older and no problem and Felix doesn't have any issues either.
Go figure.

[bacon]

If you try bacon's idea, make sure that you buy special cartons of milk designed for cats - the last thing you need on top of a dodgy bladder is a dodgy digestive system! Cats like milk, but it can give them the runs and/or skin problems.

Does Max like chicken? Most cats like birds. Perhaps you could boil a chicken and give him the flavoured water to try (in a separate dish to his fresh water, of course). First of all, cool it in the fridge so that the fat separates and solidifies so that you can remove it.

Ah yes, so true. I used to give my cats a little bit of that special milk mixed with water to prevent the digestive problems.
The chicken broth idea is great!

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

Will you kick me when this stuff comes up? I can't keep up with the dang notifications I get, between venganza and fecesbook, and work, and fambly and all... I just had to go through 260-odd emails this morning, and there'll be another 200 by tomorrow. stupid bloody world full of people...argh.

Anyway, it''s not odd for a cat to develop something later rather than sooner - Squeekie and Elvis didn't get their digestive problems until they were 8 or so years old, and I think all the ones that have had urinary problems over the years developed them later in life. You just have to be more stubborn than Max, Twisty. We've occasionally had to syringe-feed some kinda vet-food to one or another of the cats for a while to sort of jump-start them to eating it. Sometimes a flavor enhancer will work, putting some kind of groovy gravy on top of or mixed in with the recommended chow can get them eating it, but not always.

Pee spots in box so I let Max out to join the rest of us.

Little bitty spots can mean he's trying to pee more than he actually needs to. We use micropeeing as an indicator of urinary track infections (the cat feels like s/he has to pee when s/he really doesn't) but it can also indicate partial blockage (need to pee a lot but can only get a little out) like that caused by crystals. We also had a circumstance where Harry had a tumor growing in his bladder that took up a lot of the space and made him pee a lot of little pees.

I assume you have several bowls of water out for them that you change at least once or twice daily - have you thought about getting them a fountain? We have two of these:

They seem to get a lot more action than the other dozen bowls we have for them. Sometimes splishy water will encourage a cat to drink more than s/he might otherwise. Peete will come to drink out of the faucet every time we turn it on, and Dood sticks her head under the flow from the fountain, but that might just be because she's old and senile. They also like to drink out of places that they shouldn't, like pans on the stove or glasses in the sink. You might try leaving some surprise water around for Max to discover.

[TwistedSister]

Sorry ET, I deleted your email address by mistook.

Vet did suggest a fountain, but I won't have a chance to get to the petshop until Saturday.
Where I am also going to look for the low ash food my Vet's receptionist suggested. (she also has a ton of cats)

Max is able to pee alot, like I mentioned earlier when he peed all over my drafting table, but that would mean scaring him with the cat carrier.
He also is licking himself alot (down there).
The tranks are supposed to relax him enough so he pees.

Both vets that saw him didn't think knocking him out to put a cathetar (spl?) was necessary at this time.
I wanted them to, just to make sure he didn't block, but because he is peeing they wouldn't do it.

Seems like this morning he decided he doesn't really like the new $$ dry food I bought from the vet, so I had to put some water on it to get him interested in it.
Dang cat weighs 14 pounds and NOW he decides not to eat!

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

14 whole pounds?

here's Romeow, about 22 lbs


Smudge, about 18 lbs


Pez, about 19 or 20 lbs


Elvis, about 17 or 18 lbs


And Harley, probably 23 lbs - he's a friggin moose


edited to fix the stoopid

[TwistedSister]

Damn! You sure do grow 'em big up there!
Do you have wheels on your cat carriers???

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

No, just a big guy to carry them.

[TwistedSister]

[bacon]

Such cute kitties, ET! All these pictures make me miss my little guys.

I can't complain though, because this weekend, if everything works out well, I will be helping a friend by taking in her dog. I'm very excited, it's been a long time since I've had a dog.

[TwistedSister]

That should be in the Good News Thread Bacon.

That's one lucky pooch!

I saw a little black puppy at the vet's the other day, made me go "Awhh"

[pieces o'nine]

here's Romeow, about 22 lbs

That's a fine figure of a cat, ET!

Dom thee Danger Catte is getting there. It's slow, but he's applying himself.
Here he was back in his "salad days"...

[Tigger_the_Wing]

Amber is so much healthier and loves life so much more after we slimmed her down to her current, ideal, 20kg from the 30kg she weighed when we got her.

Here she was a few minutes ago laying claim to my Pokémon hat…