From Cheryl: I have a question that maybe you or someone has an answer for.
Me: looking at the 38th anniversary of my 29th birthday. Wheelchair & oxygen dependent. SWF looking for my glasses in a one bedroom apartment.
Cat: Simon Shorthair. He’s a big ginger boy who thinks he’s a dog. He doesn’t like boxes or bags, just the crinkley brown paper that comes from Chewy. He was a stray found at McDonald’s (that’s a hint to the issue), neutered but you can’t hear him purr.
Issue: If you guessed weight at the first hint, you’d be right. He’s about 8yo, 22#, tall, long and muscular (mostly). Vet wants him down to 16# by next January-yeah 2019.
Problem: Exercise. He doesn’t play. I’ve already cut his food down to ~1 Tbsp wet and ~1/4-1/2 cups per day. Feather teasers will be chased for 3 catches and on the 3rd he lays down with it and won’t go at it again unless you bop him in the nose with it. Red dot, pretty much the same. 3 strikes and out.
He’d never run on those new treadmills even though he’s semi-reactive to food.
I tried to get him to use stairs by putting a treat on each of the 4 steps. He just went along side and pawed them right in his kisser!
Sorry this is so long but please help me!
I’m hoping that others have helpful advice for you, Cheryl. The only thing I can think of is, since Simon will chase the feather teaser or run after the laser three times before flopping down, rather than trying to turn it into extended exercise/play sessions, maybe try to have multiple play sessions through the day – so that it all kind of adds up. (I’m sure you’ve thought of that, but just wanted to suggest it just in case!)
So how about it – who’s got good advice to help Simon shape up and slim down? Please chime in!
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From Shailynn: My friends senior kitty, Meshoo, is in end stage kidney disease. The vet put her on an expensive low protein electrolyte food that Meshoo doesn’t like. So she’s not eating much. Is there something else she could try?
She is taking her pills nicely though. She’s still using litter fine and doesn’t look to be in pain.
Edited to add: Miss Meshoo passed over the Rainbow Bridge today. She was in her sunny spot. I will miss this girl so much (she was mine before I moved and my friend was awesome and kept her so she didn’t have to be rehomed). I’ll be getting her ashes and was going to make a diamond/gem keepsake. Has anyone done this? I’ve found a few places online.
From Karen: I have a question for the community: can anyone recommend a good quality renal food? My senior kitty just got diagnosed with kidney disease. Luckily, he’s not very picky about food.
Sandy said: In my experience with late stage kidney disease, my cat wouldn’t eat prescription food any longer. I used this food list to try to find canned food with lower protein and phosphorus to provide some possible options. Your friend should discuss Meshoo’s appetite with her vet to see what he or she recommends, but I did spend a lot of time using this food list and reading Tanya’s CRF website and found it extremely helpful. Sending good wishes to Meshoo!
Carolyn said: I don’t know if this would be appropriate in your case, but my vet suggested aluminum hydroxide. Most liquid formulas (for humans) have ingredients that aren’t cat friendly, but thrivingpets.com has a powder version that is tasteless. You just sprinkle it on their regular food. My vet recommended a much lower dose than the website, so you’d definitely want to run it by your vet. The only downside is that it can cause constipation. Sending good wishes to Meshoo and her human.
I know nothin’ about end stage kidney disease, so thank you to Sandy and Carolyn for helping out. (And if you guys have additional thoughts/advice, please speak up!)
Shailynn, I’m so sorry to hear about Meshoo.
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Do you have any plans to let the cats back outdoors, or do you think the screened in porch will keep them happy enough? It seems to me that they have adapted well to posh indoor living.
Fred’s been working on getting the cat fence up – it’s slow going because first it was cold, and then lately it’s been raining a lot. He’s hoping to get it done soon – Archie is turning into a bit of a pain about wanting to go out (he’s always scratching at the door), and Kara’s been pacing a lot. It’s worse on warm, sunny days, of course. The plan is to let them in the back yard during the day and then lock them in (with access to the screened porch) at night. Hopefully that’ll keep them happy.
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Regarding the comment that cats in the wild don’t eat corn. I live on a farm that grows sweet corn for sale as corn on the cob. Every cat I have loves it. They’ll get up on the counter, strip an ear and chew all the kernels off it, just leaving the cob. If I cut the kernels off the cob, they love it even more. This isn’t the same as dried corn that’s used in pet food, but I swear my cats will go after fresh corn and totally ignore meat if I left it out. One cat also loves raw green beans. I don’t feed these things to them regularly, they get a no-grain dry food and split a can of wet food every day. The coyotes around here also eat sweet corn and will devour a watermelon if they find one that’s split.
and
Awww, you made me think about my Midnight, who we loved for 17 years.
She was an indoor/outdoor tortie who adored corn on the cob. She’d drag corncobs home from the neighbors’ trash, and our kids always left a row of kernels on the cob for her when we ate corn.
Cats are such little weirdos. Tubby used to eat broccoli!
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It’s always great to see Jake, especially with his smile. His anti-camera stance is unfortunate, though. My theory is that the digital camera creates some sort of interference with his loon receptors that results in a feline version of nails on chalkboard. No wonder he runs – those are delicately tuned loons, after all.
That sounds about right to me!
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One year ago to this day, you said that you were hanging up your paintbrush for ten years.
So how’s that going?
I hate hate HATE HATE painting. The stupid foster room closet is now painted, and I hope that I’m not required to do more painting any time soon. I declared to Fred that in the future, any painting that needs doing will be done by someone who is not me, but I’m not sure he agrees with me.
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Randomly: would anyone on here get it / murder me if I named a black floofy cat “Dust Puppy”?
I had to look it up – this Wikipedia link was helpful – and I think that would be an adorable name!
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Carolyn: Next up is getting my kitten a sibling. The sister idea didn’t work out, but I’ve been approved to adopt a sweet 18 month old male (as soon as his runny eye clears up.) Wish me luck on the introductions, and if anyone has any good names for a set of step-brothers (one orange, one black and white – but not a tuxie) I’m all ears.
TURNER AND HOOCH. Jesse Pinkman and Walter White! Simon and Garfunkel! Batman and Robin! Starsky and Hutch! Okay, I’m having too much fun.
Carolyn pointed out that I’ve used most of those names, which is TRUE, but they’re good names! Okay, I know you guys love naming kittens, so speak up with your excellent names, dudes.
(Wayne and Garth!)
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So, did the previous owners leave you with any poop colored rooms? I suspect that once they tried that paint they decided not to use it but were too cheap to throw it out.
and
What was the name of color on that paint can so the rest of us don’t make your mistake??
Well, as it turns out, that paint – which I thought was left behind by the previous owners – was actually the paint used by the guys who built the screened porch. And it isn’t NEARLY that dark on the back of the house! Here’s a picture of the side of the screened porch (taken through the window, because I was too lazy to get shoes on and go outside).
See? Perfectly lovely! Here’s a reminder of what it looked like on the walls of the closet:
HORRIFYING.
I don’t see a paint name on the can, though here’s a picture of the label:
(Now you’re going to tell me that the problem is that I tried to use exterior paint on an interior closet, and I ask you: do you think I know the first thing about painting? It should be obvious that I do not.)
I sent Fred off to Lowe’s to pick out paint for the closet, telling him to choose something in the light gray color range, and he did a good job. The color he chose is Comet Dust.
I got it painted last weekend, and the closet is all put together. Though you will be unable to tell from this next picture (the closet shows up as greenish, likely because I had the closet light turned on), no one looking at that room will ever notice that the closet isn’t the same color as the room, so I’m happy.
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Love the beach picture in your room. One you took I believe. Gorgeous.
Yep, I took that sunrise picture at Myrtle Beach in 2016, and it’s my favorite (so far) of all my sunrise pictures. And considering that I’ve taken hundreds of them, that’s saying something!
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Has Frankie been maintaining his bromance with Stefan/Archie/Dewey (I think those were his Amigos)?
Back when we first got Frankie and he and Dewey were becoming buddies, Stefan played a little too vigorously with Dewey (as is his way). Dewey squealed, and Frankie ran over and gave Stefan the ol’ one-two, and Stefan has been a little nervous about Frankie ever since. Frankie and Dewey were buddies, and then they weren’t for reasons I am unsure of, and now they seem to be buddies again. They’re not constantly together, but usually in the evenings when we’re watching TV, I glance over to the back living room, and see them tussling.
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When are there going to be kittens?? I love the Perms but I too have a house full of insolent, lazy, so-and-so’s and need some kitteny cuteness!
There’s a scene at the beginning of the 1980s Vietnam-based series China Beach where nurse Colleen McMurphy (the fabulous Dana Delaney) is on the beach. She watches the sun rise and then settles on the sand with a book. A while later we hear the sounds of helicopters. She sighs, walks back to the hospital, puts on her operating gown (?), and faces the door. There’s a pause, and then the doors blow open in a blast of air and sound, and organized chaos ensues.
I’ve got my operating gown on and I’m waiting for the doors to blow open.
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I brought in all-new bedroom furniture yesterday, and the bed is really, really high. Once the cat-spection was completed, and they started getting used to the new space, the bed got a 4 cats up (on the bed, that is). The 5th one was my old man, who has always slept on the bed but is too arthritic to manage the high bed. Does anyone have a set of pet stairs that they like and would recommend? I need about 25″.
Would something like this 3-level cat perch work? I bought that (I think) when Miz Poo was getting old and creaky, and put it next to my bed. She used it pretty often, and we still have it, it’s held up well (and comes in different colors). On the down side, it WILL get barfed upon, and carpeted surfaces are always more work to clean than wooden surfaces.
How about it, y’all? Got stairs that you’d recommend? Please share!
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Sneaking up on Jake to take his picture. Poor, unsuspecting Loon.
Maxi, with attitude.
Is a rough life for an Archie.
“Ma’am, we’ve had reports of people floating down here.”
So. Much. STRESS.
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Previously
2017: “LADY! STOP WATCHING ME! GET A LIFE! MIND YER OWN BEESWAX!”
2016: “Hey, lady, I think I felt the baby kick. HA HA HA SUCKER!”
2015: Toby, meerkatting.
2014: No entry.
2013: No entry.
2012: My seedshake brings all the boids to the yard.
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: And then he darted out the front door of the carrier. Because why would it occur to me to check to be sure that the front door was closed? THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE, STUPID.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.