Comments | pcw_rcw: Dusty, Cinders and Soot

pcw_rcw

Dusty, Cinders and Soot

Nov 26, 2007 06:48

A number of people on our flist know that we have three cats [littermates, 11 years old], two males and a female; named Dusty, Cinders and Soot. The two males are grey and look a lot alike [they have been mistaken as being Russian Blues] and seemingly are close genetically in other ways as well, as they both developed diabetes about five years ago ( Read more... )

winter, cats

Comments 9

fidelioscabinet November 26 2007, 14:36:50 UTC

Yikes! Cat-wrestling for drugs--so upsetting for all parties, and yet you feel like a complete wretch if you don't do it.

I was in Kansas City over Thanksgiving. It snowed, but it did not stick.

pcw_rcw November 27 2007, 08:18:34 UTC

Soot is being relatively cooperative [for a cat, you understand]. We put her in the bathroom so she can't hide from us, get everything ready, and then drop a very large towel on top of her. We then wrap her up firmly and Richard holds her while I quickly give her the oral meds. Afterward, we give her the soft food with the other two drugs sprinkled on it, which she seems to like a lot and which she hopefully views as a treat worth going through the other for--that's the idea, anyway.

It's surprising that it snowed in Kansas City at all so early in the winter--that's pretty far south of us here.

cassandraterra November 26 2007, 14:44:16 UTC

That reminds me to give Daisy her Pepsid, but she didn't throw up this morning so I think it really was due to her pigging out.

It is so hard for cats to understand us. These are the times I really wish I could talk to them and they could talk to us. It would even be worth it to have them yell at us and tell us we're stupid and they are superior, ya know?

We got snow too and it sticked. Not an inch, but a good dusting.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat woes. I was lucky as our older cat (now my parent's cat) hasn't had any major issues and he's about 18/19. *hugs* *hugs* *hugs*

pcw_rcw November 27 2007, 08:31:15 UTC

Cinders, one of the grey males, periodically gets the vomiting thing. We have to give him the hairball stuff that comes in a tube and Pepsid for [presumably] a possible upset stomach. The trick is to not let the cat get dehydrated. Sounds like you've been doing all the right things and that Daisy is on the mend. *hugs* back!

(The comment has been removed)

pcw_rcw November 27 2007, 09:29:27 UTC

Well, we're lucky to have the sort of income that allows us to pay rather significant vet bills--many people, of course, are not so fortunate. The effort of taking care of the cats--yes, for sure, that's a given--it's one of the responsibilities that one takes on when one has pets. Mind you, there's a point beyond which we won't go [something we've decided over the years with previous cats]. Not because we're unwilling to pay the bills or care for the cats, but because there comes a time when the pet [not understanding why you're doing what you're doing to them] clearly experiences the treatment as a form of torture. If it's a matter of just prolonging their life [and the quality of life is poor even with treatment], rather than providing a cure or such like, we'll bite the bullet and have them put mercifully down. That's another responsibility of pet ownership--deciding when enough is enough and not keeping a pet alive just because we can't stand the thought of them dying ( ... )

kalimac November 27 2007, 05:14:55 UTC

Fortunate to have cats who will take their medicine. Here's hoping it will keep them healthy for long to come.

pcw_rcw November 27 2007, 09:52:49 UTC

Thanks for the good wishes. Soot has been taking her medicine, but she certainly hasn't been very happy about it! We see that you have a black cat as well [at least we're assuming so from your userpic]. We were surprised to learn that, even in this day and age, a significant number of people still think that black cats are unlucky and so avoid having them as pets. Except for the fact that she is invisible in the dark, Soot--our most 'normal' cat [not health-wise obviously]--is the most affectionate of the three and the fact that she is black is irrelevant. People can be so irrational, sometimes.

seaspume November 28 2007, 04:10:14 UTC

Sorry to hear about Soot. It's stuff like this that's makes me glad I can't have dogs where I live.

pcw_rcw November 29 2007, 08:17:23 UTC

Thanks for the kind words about Soot. Did you ever meet these latest three cats? Probably not. You need to buy a place if you decide to keep dogs again--rental properties are far more apt to allow cats, rather than dogs.

The weather is presumably still balmy down there where you are, we suppose. The temperatures here have been going down into the teens [oF] at night now. Colder weather yet to come; not to mention more snow. *sigh*