Creature comforts

We make sure there are fluffy beds and nice clean cushy blankies for the kitties, but, as it turns out, the underneath of an old box spring will do fine (as Jax demonstrates here).

Alex loved to get on his back underneath the bed, and drag himself around by pulling on this fibery stuff tacked to the bottom of the box spring. He loved to pull himself to the edge where his head would be sticking out looking at us with a great big teethy grin. There's the hole he left in it. I think he actually got up inside it once. That was one crazy cat. The old mattress set is gone, as of Saturday, and Alex has been gone since July 15, 2007 - almost exactly 3 years. That was also a Sunday when we had to make "the hard decision" as it's called. We'll never forget him.

Really bad acronym

Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, a.k.a. BARF

[LINK]
It relates to raw food that people prepare for their pets. Some people really swear by this. I used to be exposed to a lot of the raw food evangelism when Alex was still with us, a cat with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). I actually did try giving him some raw meat once - which came right back up just like most of the other stuff he ate - there goes that acronym! At least it's relevant to food. I remember seeing one of these gas stations (BAR-F) in New Mexico, and you have to ask "what were they thinking?"

Alex - In Memoriam

Our oldest cat, Alex, is now no longer with us. We have now lost 2 of our 4 cats in the last 3 months. It has been a rough Summer. Alex, as you may know if you read here regularly, had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and had been diagnosed with pancreatitis and soon-to-fail kidneys. He had always had a good appetite and we had the IBD vomiting under control, but during the past month he had lost a pound, then suddenly stopped eating. He was in terrible distress and discomfort all weekend (in spite of his pain medicine he'd already been on for weeks), and had some swelling around his middle and a fever. He was 16 and a half years old! I think that's about 85 in people-years. He had been sick for years, but what a trooper he was!

Alex was named after Alexander the Great, and that was before I knew what a fighter he was, how strong, how determined, how smart, and able to get what he wanted. He was a talker with plenty of charm. Our family-members, who didn't normally like cats, loved Alex because he was so people-oriented and friendly, so they thought of him like a dog. He was completely unshy, and absolutely loved meeting new people. Every time we used to go on trips and leave him in a kennel, they would tell us when we got back how Alex managed to get special treatment -- no extra charge -- they did it willingly. He looked you straight in the eyes and if you leaned toward him he'd give you a strong head-bonk.

I picked him up at the Humane Society in 1991. He was only 8 weeks old and was listed as a "stray". He was definitely "working the room" of potential cat-parents, and we were stumbling over each other to adopt him first! (see his baby pictures at the slide show link at the top) He was so sweet and loving there, then as soon as I got him home, he turned into a screen-climbing, ankle-grabbing, cord-chewing, toe-pouncing, stair-acrobatic Hellbeast. He never relaxed, practically never slept (guess who else was not allowed to sleep?) and didn't mind being squirted with water. In fact, he has actually opened his mouth in anticipation of me squirting him, thinking it was a fun way to get a drink. I had to get my husband to rescue me from him (all the time) when he wouldn't let me walk through the apartment without attacking me like I was a Wildebeest just passing through. Those were his kitten years. (I think he remained a kitten for years... not settled down.)

He was one of those pets who didn't want you to leave him... ever. Those longing looks we got when leaving for work or going somewhere prompted me to bring home another cat (Henry), but we soon found that Alex HATED cats. He never peacefully co-existed with any of the other cats we got. If you are wondering how we ended up with more cats even after knowing about his attitude, well -- that's another story for another day. We would joke that he didn't like his own reflection in the mirror because it was a cat. ;-)

After many years, he did settle down a bit, and became very affectionate with us. He even seemed to pick me as his favorite, and loved to sit in my lap. He'd always ask with a little meow before jumping up. Then he'd just nuzzle, cuddle and gaze at you rather than sleep. He never slept that much anyway. Alex had a personality and a half, and although we are crying over him now, he still brings us a smile under the tears, and he always will.

Click on the Alex label for approximately the last year of posts on him, and the links below are the rest of them (oldest first):

Cat attack

Caffeine Cat Fiend

You Lookin' at me?

Salad and Tummy Troubles

Wyatt Urp needs a bigger tent

Friday the 13th Peek-a-Boo Alex

Love/Hate relationship

King Kong Kat

All the Live Long Day

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at TBIFOC - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - Think about Alex

UPDATED July 15 (see below). Alex has not been well for a few years. He has various problems: inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, and kidneys heading toward failure. We've been very close to losing him several times in the past year and a half, then each time he rallies back a little, staying on the health roller coaster. Click on the Alex label for more details. He's very strong-willed. Lately, even though a lot of his symptoms are under control, he's been on the downward slope. He's lost a pound in the last month, and can't really stand to lose another one. We are trying to do what we can for him to make him comfortable. Sorry for the bummer catblog this week, but my little 16 year old baby has become a serious matter for concern and worry.

UPDATE 1: Friday morning. Alex had completely stopped eating the food he's been on for several months with no problems. We are feeding him another food, and he is vomiting it but at least there is food going in. Maybe he's headed for another rally. Can't tell.
UPDATE 2: Saturday. Alex has stopped eating more than a nibble and isn't drinking much either. He vomits everything. We will hydrate him, give him his meds this morning, but this evening he may need to go to the hospital. It's not looking good for him.
UPDATE 3: Sunday morning. Alex ate nothing since those couple of bites Friday night and was very listless and weak all day yesterday. He managed to use the litter pan (the injected fluids make him have a need to go). This morning he ate a few bites of dry k/d that we bought a long time ago to try for him. Don't know if he will eat any more of that or anything else. We believe that he is in the process of dying.
UPDATE 4: Sunday noon. He ate 60 pieces of dry food (yes, we are counting), so a minor rally. He got a "hungry pill" this morning which may be the reason he ate something, but the same pill didn't help him yesterday. Still on Alexwatch this afternoon. He may make it through the night. Not sure.
UPDATE 5: Sunday night. Alex is gone. See the more recent post for a memorial to him.

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at TBIFOC - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - Alex toe-pad charm

Here's an update on the psycho-cat that we call "Bottlebrush"

Her real name is....

drum roll please!! .....

FLUFFY!!

And here is Alex being the sweet little lap cat.



Had to provide a closeup of the cuteness on the paw-action here. If you were not charmed by the eyes and face, curled paws are the deal-maker.

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Justin's Random Thoughts - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - Sock it to me

We are a little late for Lost Sock Memorial Day, which happened on May 9th, but Alex is still celebrating it by getting cozy in a pile of mixed socks, underwear and T-shirts. It's all men's -- Alex is very macho and wouldn't ever get caught snuggling in women's clothing... unless he thinks nobody's looking.

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival location is at Fire Phil Garner - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - Alex and the Wild Kitty

Alex has a new vet so we got him a whole slew of tests run, just trying to find out more about all the things going on with him. Here he is at the vet. Look at that face!! That's the look that makes us do his bidding... except that he would rather not have endured the 2 days with the IV and wearing this crazy getup all night. Looks like a little Super-hero, doesn't he? That's what we told him.
Alex has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which we knew, and now he's been diagnosed with Pancreatitis. He is also dehydrated. So, even though he doesn't have to wear the silly cape anymore, we have to hydrate him every other day with a sub-Q needle and fluids. We've got pain medicine for him now too, which I'm sure he will appreciate. He has probably been needing that for awhile. Poor little Alex. He is a trooper.

Last week we went to a benefit for Thundering Paws, which is a no-kill shelter and rescue with mostly cats. We donated Duncan's canned food to them, since none of our 3 remaining cats eat that stuff. Marc Gunn played his "Irish Drinking Songs for Cats" set, which is a lot of fun. Marc is obviously as cat-crazed as any of us.
You can hear Wild Kitty, and even get your own copy right here at the link (CD Baby).


Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at When Cats Attack - Cats - Catblogging


PS: And here's one more mention of Duncan being Catmodel of the Week last week. We miss our little D-man.

Catblogging - Alex is filling out his form

Alex would like you all to know that he is doing MUCH better. He hasn't gotten much attention on the blog lately because of Duncan being in a lot worse shape, but Alex has given up a couple of those 9 lives in the past few months and is now coasting along with just a few bumps here and there. Last November, his vet OD'd him on Flagyl and he nearly left us, got over that for the most part, but was still spiraling down with malabsorption and weight loss so that by February we thought we were going to lose him anyway. Then we changed his food (and I guess the B-12 shots helped too) and he has gained nearly 2 lbs! That's a lot for a little guy who was down to 6 lbs. and has weighed as much as 12 lbs. in the past.

Alex is 16 years old, and he's starting to look it, but he's been having some crazy hours, climbing the wall, and being feisty and cantankerous. That's our Alex. Feeling better and looking better too.


He says "take a picture, it lasts longer", so I did. Here's looking at you, Alex. (I am thinking that Alex should have a pair of sunglasses. It would complete his look. What do you think?)


Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at The Scratching Post - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - Alex would like to speak to you

Alex would like your undivided attention immediately. He needs to know if you are planning on feeding him now and cleaning the litter pan. He would rather you didn't try to give him any pills either. Alex has switched to a new prescription food called Royal Canin Intestinal, and he loves it. No measurable weight gained yet, but we are hoping to put a few more ounces on him at least. He loves eating new stuff, but his belly usually disagrees. A couple of the other recent food experiments did not go so well, and he is trying to recover from that. It helps to have a little porch time in the sun.


Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at TacJammer - Cats - Catblogging

Catblogging - Duncan and Alex back to the vet

Another afternoon at the vet for the two sick boys. I haven't put up a progress report for awhile, mainly because there hasn't been any progress to speak of. Duncan below (our heart patient), for the 3rd time in 3 months, needed fluid drained from his lung with a syringe of some kind. Thankfully they do that procedure out of my sight. It's been done on alternating sides each time, so he has some good-sized shaved patches on both of his sides (and now I know that there's no chance that the hair will ever get to grow back). The arrow is pointing to his bare patch that was newly re-shaved today. We call it his "expensive haircut". Duncan is hanging in there, getting 2 shots of lasix, 2 swabbings with ear gel, and a pill to perk up his appetite, every day. He's a sweet kitty getting the shots, but hates the rest of it!

Alex, also, is hanging in there -- but not really doing very well. He has IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and his main ailment is what they call malabsorption. Basically it means that he's losing weight in spite of eating plenty, it just doesn't stick to his bones. So he is starting to remind us of bones. Poor baby. He's becoming a frail little old man-cat (of 16). He's getting some meds daily and weekly: pred, pepcid and B-12, but they aren't helping him as much as I would like. Both of these guys have ailments that aren't curable, so we are just trying to make them as comfortable as possible.


Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Pet's Garden Blog - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - Alex is Sweet 16!

Just turned 16 this week, still looking good for the camera, and he knows it! Alex could eat a whole birthday cake and not gain an ounce... but he can't eat cake, in fact, can't eat very many things without getting sick since he has IBD. He does have plenty of time to go through his various birthday cards and fan letters. Mostly he doesn't read them, he'd rather tear them up.

I think Duncan sent him one of those cards! He really loves his adopted brother. All the other cats are concentrating on the sound of little cans being opened (you can see Henry's tail there. He's got the jump on everybody when it comes to little cans). Now that's true brotherly love.


Health notes on the sick boys: Alex had some bloodwork and it looks like B-12 shots are going to be beneficial to him (cobalamin deficient), and he's about ready for another depo (steroid) shot to help with his belly. Duncan is getting a little checkup late Friday afternoon. He's been feeling a little poorly, not eating very well and breathing hard. I will keep you posted! EDIT Friday evening: Duncan had about 3 ounces of fluid drained from his lung. It wasn't collapsed yet like it did the previous time. He is feeling better tonight after the procedure.

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at enrevanche - Cats - Catblogging -

Catblogging - A few of his favorites things

Jax is oblivious to the fact that there's a HUGE cat on that Meowy Christmas poster behind him. It's like... a 50 foot cat! But who cares when you are surrounded by a few catnip-scented toys? Looks like he's getting very friendly with that little mouse.

On closer examination, it looks like Jax has the longest pinkest tongue you ever saw on a cat, except maybe the one on that poster. His claws are ready should anyone try to escape!
Hmmmm. A little further investigation reveals that the pink stuff belongs completely to that poor mouse... which has since suffered the embarrassing demise of being knocked under the dresser, where it became engulfed by a dust bunny, and since it was half-torn-up already it was put into the trash. Don't worry Jax. You will never lack for toys.

Update on the sick boys: Duncan is holding steady, nothing to report on him this week. Alex is going to the vet on Friday to get tested to see if B-12 might be beneficial for his IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). I've heard some tales that it's been helpful for some of the poor little guys who just keep losing weight. He may be lining up with Duncan here for shots pretty soon. Would anyone out there like a shot? Go to the back of the line.

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Pet's Garden Blog - Cats - Catblogging -

Friday Cat - The People's King

Here's Alex, the little King. He's not the King of the Cats anymore. They have figured out that he's half their size now (or less in some cases), and even though they're too nice to beat him up, they have no problem holding him back with one paw (even Duncan did that!). If cats could snicker...

Alex is still King of the Human Population, where the size of the cat doesn't matter as much, and attitude is more important. Alex got a depo (steroid) injection last week for his tummy, and is getting prednisone pills along with it, so he is also reigning King of the Steroids. He is sleeping a little better (thanks to the drugs). That tummy of his tends to keep him up all night, and if Alex is up... everybody is up.

Duncan update: he got an increase in his meds, and I am managing to pill him once a day for his decreased appetite, so he has been pretty stable. No news on him this week, just hanging in there. Everybody else seems fit as a fiddle... whatever that means.

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Watermark on Sunday - Cats - Catblogging -

Friday Cats - lining up for the vet

Almost the whole gang went to the vet Thursday! 3 cat carriers, kind of a crazy way to do things, for sure. Jax is fine and just needed vaccinations.

Alex needed a checkup. He is recovered from the overdosing but still has major tummy troubles. He's still losing weight, is down to 6.5 lbs. and holding him is like hugging a little bone. Poor little guy. There he is, right in the middle of the stack.

Duncan needed a checkup, some more blood work, and another x-ray after his lung collapsed last week. The lung is functioning again now which is good, but he gave us a scare last Saturday late. He started walking funny like his back legs weren't working, and we were warned that something like that might mean a blood clot so we rushed him to the emergency vet. It turned out alright though, he started walking normally right away, but we were braced for the worst (and still are).

We've had beautiful weather all week, near 80 degrees, so everybody got to enjoy some open window time. Here's Duncan cozying up to Henry, and you can see the big patch that they shaved last week.



Henry has been acting a little pouty and maybe even grumpy, because he's feeling slighted. He knows that Alex and Duncan are getting canned food, and they have to eat it alone... mostly because Henry would just scarf it all down! And he's already what you might call "robust", maybe "hefty", OK, he's fat. He doesn't have a waistline, but he has a pretty face.


Here's Jax soaking up some sunshine and fresh air. We need a wider ledge, it's obvious.

And here's Duncan again, trying to look artistic in his photo.


Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at House of Chaos, and we can sure relate to that "house of chaos" thing here - Cats - Catblogging

Catblogging - Most Favored Neighbor

Here is Claw, the sweetest cat on the block, second only to our own Henry. Must be a tabby thing. He lives next door, actually he lives outside most of the time. His adult parents let the children take care of him, so he doesn't get good care. A few weeks ago, he showed up with a foot that was swelled up bad, he wasn't able to walk on it. There was no blood so we figured maybe it was a bee sting or a cactus needle injury. I carried him to their door, and the kids said "yeah, we know about it", but nobody ever took him to the vet. He gets left out on freeze nights, and 100 degree days. Also he's not neutered, so before long there will be even more kittens on this block where we almost have a colony of roaming cats now. But we love this cat dearly. Originally it was him and his sister, Heart (who has won the Catmodel of the Week banner contest). I have not seen Heart for months, but there is another cat over there now, someone we don't know. I hope that Heart has a good home somewhere -- no idea where she is. Here is sweetie-pie Claw curled up in the feather grass. He is 100% adorable. I need to get him into the CotC gallery. Yes?

Update on the sick boys: Alex is feeling a little better. It hasn't quite been 2 weeks since he was overdosed by the vet, and it's supposed to take that long to get over it. He's still shaky and trembly, but tonight he pounced Henry (who is twice his size and then some) so he must be feeling better. Duncan is hanging in there, not eating very well and losing weight too fast. But he is playing a little, and purring like crazy. Duncan is not really going to get better. Time to go put medicine in his ear.

EDIT Friday night: We took Duncan in to the vet. He was having some problems breathing, like we were told to watch for. He had a lot of fluid in his lungs and other places where isn't supposed to be fluid, plus one lung was collapsed. They siphoned a lot of it out, and the good news is that his current blood work shows that he is not in kidney failure -- the previous readings must have been caused by the extreme dehydration from the medical rescue from his heart failure 3 weeks ago -- so he is not a kidney patient -- but he still has the heart problem. We can give him lasix though, which will help with the fluid buildup, and he feels much better tonight than last night. They shaved a big patch out of his side though, so the other cats will have something to tease him about. (((Duncan)))

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at House of the (Mostly) Black Cats - Cats - Catblogging -

Friday Cats - Update on Alex and Duncan

We've been on a bad roller coaster ride for a couple of weeks with these kitties. Duncan nearly died from heart failure the day after Thanksgiving. His checkup a week later showed that his kidneys are at failure level, so we are just making sure he's eating, he gets a heart med (propanalol) by ear gel (so no more pills) but the lasix for his heart problem had to be stopped because his kidneys need hydration and lasix is a diuretic. If he's not hydrated, he won't eat, so there we are. A dilemna. Can't fix any of it, neither of the problems were caught early. Here he is at the vet where he is NOT happy (and his mom is not too happy either).

He's been in a good mood at home though. He's purring and even playing a little (not too vigorous). We are enjoying every minute that we get to spend with him. Click on the "Duncan" label at the bottom of the post to read about his recent problems.


Alex would like you all to know that, yes, he has felt and looked better. A week after Duncan got sick, this little guy went in the hospital and we thought we were going to lose him! Click on the "Alex" label at the bottom of the post to bring up his recent misadventures. His recovery from the toxic dosing will be slow, around 2 weeks probably, and we can't be sure he will recover 100%. He is eating, and the plumbing is working fine, but the food just doesn't stick to the old bones that well anymore. That's not from the OD, it's his tummy trouble -- and his old age. (sorry Alex, it's true, you are an old dude). He is feeling a little better each day and is starting to meow a lot just like his old self. Like Duncan, he is getting LOTS of TLC, and pretty much anything he wants... except for leftover salad. Alex loves lettuce, and although he's asking "are you going to finish that?", I doubt he would be interested in that olive... not as food anyway.



Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Catymology - Cats - Catblogging -

Friday Cat - Sick and tired

Here is Duncan in a pic taken yesterday. His front legs are shaved because of the IVs they used last week. It's been a rough week. Last Thursday, the 16th, is when his heart problem showed up, he spent that day, night, and next day at the vet. He was sent home with pills, which he has to have, but not only is he not a good pill-taker, they seem to be upsetting his stomach. Anyway, he is throwing up and barely eating. On Monday I took him back to the vet because he had only eaten about 2 tsps. of food in 3 days, and that came back out... so they gave him a shot of Reglan and a tin of Fancy Feast. Not his recommended food, but he needed to eat something, and he actually ate some of it. Friday, he goes back to the vet for a followup, and he may need something more for his tummy. Poor little baby.

Alex went to the vet on the 16th too, he's got chronic tummy troubles so he got some more meds which have made him seem very feeble and lethargic. He's been so meek that he's been allowed to mix with Henry and Duncan. He even allowed Henry to smell his butt. This is like hell freezing over.

In good news, Henry seems to feeling fine, and so is Jax except that he needs a steroid shot Friday for his itchy skin (he licks the hair off, then licks the skin off, then the scabs, etc.). It works for about a month.

EDIT post-vet-visit Friday evening: Well, it's not good news. Duncan's blood work now shows kidney failure as well. This is a lot to deal with, and our main concern right now is getting him to eat enough to sustain him. He is in a good mood, and even a little playful. Mr. B has learned how to give him shots, so he will get his meds that way or smeared on the ear from now on. Less stressful for everyone, and more reliable than pilling. Sorry about having another downer for catblogging. :-(

EDIT Saturday: As if that weren't enough for one week, we have now had to take Alex to the vet in an emergency. He was getting more and more lethargic since his vet visit last week, but his symptoms progressed early this morning to being dizzy, disoriented, he was falling down, and very very weak. He is on IV fluids right now and we don't know anything yet, but their first impulse was that he was having a toxic reaction to one of his new meds. That makes sense to me. Still waiting for news. We will be transporting him to the night/weekend emergency vet very shortly, and we may learn more then. EDIT Saturday afternoon: Looks like we are dealing with metronidazole toxicity. He will be hospitalized all weekend and possibly beyond. EDIT Monday: Alex will be coming home this afternoon, but his recovery could be a long one as he will be dizzy and disoriented for an unknown length of time. We will need to make sure that wherever he is that a fall would bring a soft landing. Roaming loose in the house is off-limits as there are stairs.

Links and Tags: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Scribblings - Cats - Catblogging

Friday Cat - You may take my picture now.

Alex was just so cute in both of these, and they were so similar I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I posted both of them. What a charmer, and the camera loves him.

His little crooked face is so cute. He has a fang (canine tooth) missing on top and the opposite side missing on the bottom, so he's got a Bucky Katt look with an attitude to match. (Alex is not part-Siamese, but I think part of his brain is... maybe it's the spots doing it, but in any case he's got a 'tude) Such a catmodel!

- Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Crazy meezer, where they also have an Alex, and he is a REAL meezer unlike my Alex who is only Siamese in his dreams - Cats - Catblogging -