How to outsmart a cat...?

[bootneck02]

... try the camera, it will work, maybe?

or

Oh so cruel to a poor pussy Mr Mucks

 

[darcy]

How goes it with yourself and your kitty, TCat?

 

[Taffycat]

Hey there Darcy... well, the kitty cats have been keeping us busy. When we consulted with Mr Vet about Rupert's eye-drops, he said that using one of the gel meds would not be too effective in this instance. Instead, he advised a shot, which would be helpful. The eye problem still has not cleared completely, but there has been an improvement.

Meanwhile, one of our other cats suffered a really bad nosebleed - which happened a few days after my back became painful. There was a bit of sneezing, which made us look to see what the reason might be... oh my goodness, there was blood pouring from his little nose. Not just a little spatter, but a considerable amount.

Being a Saturday, our regular Vet was closed, so we rang an emergency vet who said we could take Casper in right away. My husband had to do so alone (I still couldn't get into the car at that time.)

The bleeding had pretty much ceased on getting to the surgery, but the vet checked him over, declared him to be otherwise fit and healthy, then he administered a shot, which he said would help with coagulation. He talked about giving Casper an X-Ray, but suggested that it should happen on Monday.

What we didn't realise at the time, is that the emergency vet was supposed to tell us to take Casper back to our own, usual vet, asap, and not make further appointments with himself! (He was aware that we were not his clients and that the treatment was on an emergency basis.) Anyway, when hubby took Casper back for the Monday appointment, the vet began to mess about, administering flea and worm treatments! In fact, all of our cats are "indoor" cats, so they are totally flea and worm-free; however, the vet would not listen and went ahead anyway with the unnecessary treatments. (This is not me being in denial, or houseproud, btw; but our own vet regularly sees our furry family, and in any case, we naturally watch out for any "unwanted visitors" as you can probably imagine.) He then said that Casper should return for an X-Ray next day.

Long story short, hubby took Casper back to our regular vet later that same day. He told us that Casper did not need an X-Ray - in fact, he used a very fine instrument, with which he was able to examine Casper's nasal cavities. There wasn't even any need to sedate him - hubby said Casper was very unconcerned and clearly the procedure didn't hurt him or distress him.

The bleeding had been due to a capilliary breaking - Casper has had sinus problems for years. (It is thought that he might have had un-treated cat-flu at some point, before we adopted him, which has left him with this problem.)

Poor lad - but happily, the condition seems to have settled, with no further bleeds and he is his normal happy self.

Graham - our oldest cat, wasn't going to be left out of all this excitement though... he too, happens to have problems with his sinuses. He started to make some very Donald Duck-like noises after a sneezing episode, which concerned us. So yeah, you've guessed it... another trip to see Mr Vet! This time, he needed to rule out the possibility of there being a polyp or tumour which might be lurking, so he carried out an investigative procedure. This required sedation, because it was a little more invasive than Casper's had been.

It revealed a lot of inflammation - but happily, no tumours/polyps. So Mr. vet administered a shot of long-acting anti-inflammatory meds. It lasts for 5 weeks, so in that time, it is hoped that the condition will settle down. Already there has been a noticeable improvement, but it is likely to be a little slow.

As for me...? Well I am relieved to say that my back has pretty much returned to "normal" again. Just an occasional twinge to remind me to be careful! So Yay!

Oh-oh... Ollie has been attempting to eat my wastepaper basket! Maybe not a good idea, because we don't need a dental mishap on top of everything else... Cats keep us busy, don't they?

I hope that you and yours are all in good health..?

 

[muckshifter]

... I'd change the pets out for Goldfish.

 

[Taffycat]

... I'd change the pets out for Goldfish.

Ah but one's lap becomes so damp when one tries to cuddle them!

 

[Anon_F]

After the summer holidays are over we are going to get a golden oldie from the orphange.
Dog sitting for my sister in September so as soon as the dog goes the cat comes.
Local charity/vets sorts all the meds out if needed.

 

[darcy]

Blimey, TCat!, ~ 'tis like a house of cards there by you, what with one kitty after the other "getting in on the action", so to speak (!).
I am happy to hear foremost, though, that your back is feeling somewhat more doable.

All things considered, things seem to have settled down somewhat in your household ( finally! ), = Rupert with some improvement due to the shot ; Casper with his sinus woes [ it is* most frightening the amount of blood that can come out from the nose, ~ even in us humans! ]; and Graham with his inflammation. I am most glad to hear no tumours/polyps, ~ a great relief, I am sure.

Ollie seems to have reckoned you have had enough on your hands, and remains ok .
I had to Lol as to possible dental mishap, though,,,,~ our Tasha becomes totally frantic when finally wrestled into her carrier, and tends to clench the front bars of the carrier with her teeth. When I turn around in my car seat and see her doing that, I say to her, " now, Tasha, what do I always tell you about that?, ~ 'mommy' and 'daddy' cannot afford any dental work for you, so kindly settle down! ". [ I worry most when we come to a stop, or start, as that would rock the carrier whilst her teeth are engaged on the front bars ].

And with these emergency vet situations, ~ they always seem to go overboard on what is truly required. It maddens me to hear that he proceeded with unnecessary treatments. I would have stayed his hand most firmly and scooped up my cat and left the exam room. It is obscene how some simply want to empty our purses for non-emergency and unnecessary treatments.

Well,,, in the end, it seems the situation/s are in hand for the most part, and I hope that *all* of you continue to improve

As for me, ~ I am as doable as can be expected w/my assorted medical woes { many thanks for enquiring }, ~ and our 2 kitties are doing quite well for the mo . We are waiting for the 2F temps that are coming down from the arctic, to flee in a day or two. 'Tis crazy weather we are having here(!).

 

[Taffycat]

Yes @darcy our little buddies certainly do their very best to keep us on our toes - they sometimes do their best to actually get "under" our toes too! I suspect a plot. Leave a tail casually lying around in a place where you just know it will meet a human foot... cue a bloodcurdling yowl and an offended glare (even though the appendage was, in reality, barely touched!) End result, apologetic humans, much petting and an obligatory cat-treat, or snack ... yeah, they know how to play us!

Your mention of having to cat-wrangle Tasha into her carrier, reminded me of some of the rodeos we used to have. Cats are so strong, aren't they? Bendy too. Once those paws are braced, it is pretty hard to shift them. Do you have a "front" loading carrier? We always had the biggest battles with those, but then we switched to the top-loading kind, which has made life a whole lot easier. (In fact, Rupert actually jumped-in voluntarily last time!" Also, our old carriers tended to be rather dark inside, which I don't think the cats liked. Our current baskets give them an all-round view which they seem to appreciate. Once inside, they tend not to go crazy any more, but will usually settle quite quickly and happily gaze around at the passing scenery.

I can imagine your concern when your kitty-cat decides to hang-on with her teeth, that would worry me too.

Actually, I agree with you, regarding the way some vets will take advantage of a situation. If I had been present, I would have argued against the unnecessary treatments and hopefully, would have prevented them from being administered at all. But poor hubby cannot move around very quickly, his mobility is somewhat restricted due to long-standing health problems - so I feel that it was doubly bad of that vet to take advantage of the situation as he did. (We have since heard about another emergency vet, whom our regular vet is associated with; so if misfortune should - heaven forbid - strike when our own vet is unavailable, we will seek assistance from them.)

Aww, I am sorry to hear that you have medical woes Darcy, and sincerely hope that they do not compromise your day-to-day life too much.

Oh my goodness, 2F temps..? Brrrrrrrrr! Although here in the UK, some areas have had overnight snow and forecasters predict a drop in temperature over the coming week. It certainly has been a very odd winter, weatherwise.

Stay cosy and take care.

 

[nivrip]

The way to outsmart a cat is to approach from this angle

It will never know you're coming.

 

[Becky]

As for me...? Well I am relieved to say that my back has pretty much returned to "normal" again. Just an occasional twinge to remind me to be careful! So Yay!

Crikey sounds like the cats have been keeping you very busy! Glad to hear your back is doing better though

 

[Taffycat]

Crikey sounds like the cats have been keeping you very busy! Glad to hear your back is doing better though

Thank you @Becky, it was a huge relief when my back muscles eventually "settled-down" again.

But... we had another cat emergency yesterday - Sunday - when poor Rupert became very distressed because he could not wee properly! These things always tend to happen quite suddenly, and of course, it had to be on a weekend again.

This time, we took him to be examined at the V.E.T.S. out-of-hours service (recommended by our own vet.) They were very efficient, but also very kind and gentle when handling Rupert, which we appreciated.... as did he! His "plumbing" was soon sorted-out with some medication - and he was one happy cat again by evening.

He was then checked-over again today, by our own vet, and the meds were topped-up. Actually, the particular med that has been prescribed, is a big hit with him. It's a liquid and the appropriate dose is loaded into a syringe which can either be squirted onto food, or offered to the cat. We tried the latter and he seemed to love the taste! Little junkie!

 

[darcy]

Lol, TCat,, ~ our Charlotte is 100% guilty of plopping her rather rubenesque self direct in our path and will not move, causing us humans to contort most inconveniently. Tasha, whose tail has been stepped on only once in nigh on 7 years, will wait until the last mo to move, but will still give the softest mew even though not even nudged to move! { a most delicate creature, that one,, }

We have front loading carriers, TCat; they have slots all around on the upper 1/4, so they are not in darkness. The least resistant way to place Tasha in the carrier is to stand the carrier on its end { so it stands vertically } and attempt [ emphasis on 'attempt' ] to drop her directly in. This worked several times in the beginning, but no longer, as she spreads her hind feet, clamping each on either side of said carrier, and insertion is nigh on impossible, but we persist (!). Charlotte will only hiss when picked up to be placed in carrier; ~ she has learned it is inevitable.

I reckon we could go on and on w/our kitty tales, TCat!

And,, as you say, ~ 'tis never a bad idea to seek a 2nd source. It may be better, it may be worse, but you will at least have knowledge of both, and one may have better approach/es to certain areas of care than the other.
I am glad to hear Rupert's most recent woe has been sorted w/kind and gentle handling

Aye,, Mother Nature is in a tizzy, ~ we are @ mo at 23F with a bit of snow and sleet, ~ though tomorrow to reach 55F w/pouring rain.

Stay well , and regards from Tasha and Charlotte ~

 

[bootneck02]

Sorry to hear about your bad back TC you have all my sympathy I know how debilitating it can be as I suffer as well, hope it all settles down soon for you.

 

[Becky]

But... we had another cat emergency yesterday

Fingers crossed this is the last of their health issues! Glad to hear Rupert is doing better.

her rather rubenesque self

Haha love this description! Once, my step-dad referred to my Mum as being 'Rubenesque'... boy was he in trouble!!

 

[Taffycat]

@darcy Your girls are lovely, and very pretty! They both look extremely huggable.

Ahh, that is such a good idea - to up-end the cat carriers when "loading" them in. Although I can imagine those paws bracing themselves on the edge lol.

I reckon we could go on and on w/our kitty tales, TCat!

Yes indeed - there are never many dull moments when there are cats in the household!

Sorry to hear about your bad back TC you have all my sympathy I know how debilitating it can be as I suffer as well, hope it all settles down soon for you.

Thank you @bootneck02, much appreciated. It is now feeling very much better, I'm pleased to say.

Fingers crossed this is the last of their health issues! Glad to hear Rupert is doing better.

Oh yes! I certainly hope that we are (albeit slowly) "getting there" - at least their appetites are good, so we take that as being a very good sign of getting back to normal.

 

[darcy]

* * *

Haha love this description! Once, my step-dad referred to my Mum as being 'Rubenesque'... boy was he in trouble!!

Lol, Becky ,~ though that 'form'/'shape' was most preferred!

Well, TCat, ~ I am most glad things seem to have settled down to a doable point for the mo
You and yours stay well!

 

[Becky]

Lol, Becky ,~ though that 'form'/'shape' was most preferred!

I don't think he meant it in a positive way though, which is why he was in trouble!

 

[darcy]

I don't think he meant it in a positive way though, which is why he was in trouble!

lol, ~ I understand completely!

 

[Becky]

How are all the cats @Taffycat? No more issues I hope!