The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

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charliechaplinfan
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I've heard that parrots only take to one person, and are very protective of that person and can be quite grumpy with others. Tortoises go to sleep for some of the year.

Elephants live a long time but who's got room for one of them :lol:
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Garbomaniac
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by Garbomaniac »

Ha! Now, that's funny!

I had a parrot once for about three weeks. It got so everytime I'd leave the room he would squawk and squawk. I finally returned him to the pet shop. I felt bad, but I found out a young girl of ten had wanted it, so he was going to call her to see if she were still interested. I never followed up on that (guilt). So, yes they become very dependent in a short time, and you must have the time and patience for them. They should all be owned by retired people who stay home and never travel. :lol:
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

You'd have to retire pretty early to not predecease the parrot. Don't they pine for their owners, like a partner.

Seems the pets that live the longest all have something not condusive to adapting to the lives of busy people. No wonder cats and dogs are so well loved.

As for Fred, hubby is feeding him by a syringe, he's such a baby, he lets him,I feel I'm the pessimist, especially after what has happened and hubby knows this and is the optomist, he just wills him to eat again. I think we both know but hubby wants him at home. He's still got a good purr on him, so I'm playing it cool. Maybe God/fate will step in and decide it either way.

Not wanting to bring the thread down to sad levels again, has anyone here got unusual pets. I always said that if Iwon the lottery, I'd buy a place with some land and keep some goats and donkeys. I don't even know if they are compatible but I've always thought they have great personalities. Also I'd like some ducks, I love ducks, noisy little things but so cute.
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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Hi CCF, I just stumbled across this thread. While I'm sorry to hear about Fred, I do want to let you know that there are a lot of things you can do for your cat's condition.

Fred should be on a low protein food. Obviously you are aware of this, but you might not know that several different companies make these foods allowing you to find one that Fred might enjoy more than another. Finding something that they want to eat is the key. Another thing is to make sure you're using wet food, as it will help them to absorb the water they need. A good trick is to heat it in the microwave and mix it with water making a gruel that will hydrate them even more. Finally, you should know that there are additives you can mix with their food that will help their bodies to process the meal. Ask your doctor about RenaKare and Epakitin.

Fred should also be on medication for his heart. As the body attempts to function normally, the heart can become overtaxed or strained. My doctor recommended Enalapril. Remember that stress can also play a factor in his heart condition, so keep him calm and in an area where he feels secure.

Dealing with dehydration is the biggest problem, but the best thing you can do for Fred is to give him an IV of Sodium Chloride yourself. You do not need to hit a vein, all you are doing is placing saline under the skin. Ask your doctor or nurse to show you how it's done. Depending on his condition, Fred might need this once a week, or every two days. Hydrating him yourself is much cheaper than having it done and will definitely help his quality of life.

Talk to your doctor about all these options. I am not a doctor, but I have had lots of experience with sick pets. Much of what you can do will depend on Fred's condition and the acuteness of his renal failure. Good luck with your kitty. My 19 year old has had this problem for two years and is still kicking.
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moira finnie
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by moira finnie »

Mr. Arkadin wrote:. I am not a doctor, but I have had lots of experience with sick pets. Much of what you can do will depend on Fred's condition and the acuteness of his renal failure. Good luck with your kitty. My 19 year old has had this problem for two years and is still kicking.
Holy cats, Arkadin. You may not think you're a doctor, but I'd doff my hat to anyone who manages to keep a kitty alive and relatively happy to the grand old age of 19. You have my respect and awe! Best wishes to your teenage feline too.
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by jdb1 »

Veterinary technology has made wonderful strides over the past decade: my dear late departed Rocky the Cat made it to 18, and quite spry he was, too. He, as well, had to go on to a low-protein diet in his last few years. Hill's Science Diet makes specialized foods for dogs and cats to cover many such variables. Rocky was on the one called "k/d" for kidney health. Alison, I believe you have Hill's products in the UK.

Hey, Mr. A -- I take Enalapril (for blood pressure). If I can make it to the feline equivalent of 19, I'll be thrilled!
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

Thank you for your advice, I'm in awe of what you know Mr Arkadin. Fred has been on Hills Diet for a few years but has always favoured the dry food, before this we had problems getting wet food in him. These days I'm around an awful lot more and can monitor what and when he is eating.

The rehydration seems to work, it's difficult to know for starters how much to put into him, we keep pulling his skin to see how elastic it is. He has attempted a few bits of food and he favours the tasty pouches. I will look out for the low protein diet.

Fred has had complications in his life, I dread to add up how much he has cost us and he's never had a plan because we never really knew how old he was. He has a thyroid problem and requires medication, felimazole which aggravates the kidneys, so his dose has been cut down. In doing so it puts more pressure on his heart. He's a happy cat and as long as that remains he stays comfortable. He also has problems with crystals in his urine and requires a special prescription diet from Hills.

There are boxes all over the house as I pack up our belongings and there has been the recent sadness, I think he does feel a certain amount of stress because he's always around. I try to take comfort that although we will be going somewhere new, all the things he's fimiliar with and that mean home to him will still be there.

We spent a nice morning together Fred and I, he wandered around the house with me meowing for attention and purring when he got it.

I feel like we are more in control of his illness. When I suggested to the vets about hydrating him myself, they seemed to dismiss it, saying it wasn't possible to do that to a cat. Well, they don't know Fred.
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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Thank you for the kind words guys, but Mrs. A is the true Cat-Whisperer of our zoo, err--I mean home.

Judith is right about Enalapril (also about Hills KD). It's also used for circulation problems as well. I can't stress enough how important it is. I watched one of my cats have a heart attack and die in my arms when medication could have prevented such a situation.

As for food, offer Fred some of this:

http://tiny.cc/1iHTy

This stuff looks and smells so good that I'd consider eating it (and I'm a vegetarian!).

I read that Fred eats a special food for crystals, has your doctor not advised you to change his food?
charliechaplinfan wrote: When I suggested to the vets about hydrating him myself, they seemed to dismiss it, saying it wasn't possible to do that to a cat.
Get another vet. You can do this yourself and it's not difficult once you learn how. It's usually a two person job (one keeps the cat still and pets him, the other works the needle), but it can be done in around 15 minutes and it will make him feel much better and restore his appetite.
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

He does have a special diet for his crystals, it's made by Hills and is called Special diet, he has this one week in four, besides that they usually have Hills Dry Diet for senior cats. Today I've blended the food with water. I rang the vets to see what was the best food to get into him and they said any cat food. I reckoned this was better than anything, also it's quite rich and he doesn't need a lot of it, we have to do it together. I'm a little worried that he isn't attempting to feed himself but none of it comes back ot goes straight through him, I think this is quite strange but he's always been a stubborn old boy with food.

I'll consider changing vets, I'll see how it goes when he goes to the vets next week.

I have Claude too, he's a glutton if you let him. He was here first and Fred takes a very subservient role to him, Claude eats first and has all he wants before Fred will attempt to feed. Fred won't eat at all with Claude around these days. Claude is getting on a little now and it's impossible to make them feed in seperate areas. I don't know how you would do this if the cat you want to get the nutrition won't eat straight away, Fred's always liked to snack, so this is how Claude has got portly and I haven't the heart to shut Claude out all day.

I've always worried far more about my cats than the kids. I've never been so picky over their diet or watched them so closely.
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Mr. Arkadin
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

charliechaplinfan wrote: I rang the vets to see what was the best food to get into him and they said any cat food.
That is alarming. I don't mean to sound harsh or scare you, but see someone else immediately!

There are a lot of long articles on the web, but here is a very quick layman's assessment:
http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-kidney-disease.htm

Pay attention to that last paragraph:

In conventional medicine, there are drugs that can minimize anemia, and phosphate binders to prevent phosphorus precipitates from further damaging the kidneys. However, these may not be palatable, and may cause adverse reactions. They are also of little or no value unless the cat is eating a restricted protein/low phosphorus diet exclusively. It may also be important to supplement potassium in the food.

I can tell you that most tests cannot detect renal failure until the kidneys are 75% destroyed. The Heska test allows much earlier detection. Find out if your doctor used this test:

http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/erd_heska.html

This means your cat's kidneys are functioning at 25% or less. This makes their diet very important and if you are giving them a rich food, it might be doing more harm than good.
it's impossible to make them feed in seperate areas. I don't know how you would do this if the cat you want to get the nutrition won't eat straight away, Fred's always liked to snack, so this is how Claude has got portly and I haven't the heart to shut Claude out all day.


I have several cats that eat different food. Some are nibblers--some are hogs and I feed each of them separately. The easiest way to do this is to find an area where they are comfy and feed them in the same place. You don't have to isolate them all day. Hector, the old man, has taken over my back bedroom and my work area where the computer is. As he is also a nibbler, this lets me keep an eye on him (and his food) while I work or browse the web. I feed the gobblers in different rooms.

Sorry, if all this comes off a bit authoritarian, but I am a big time animal lover and hate seeing vets (or any well paid professional) not doing their job.
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I hate the vets full stop, I'd do anything to send Chris.

He had a comprehensive blood test three weeks ago, this showed that his thyroid was being managed too well and this was destroying the kidneys, from what they said the kind of damage that the medication might have made may possibly renew. Fred has picked up more since eating normal cat food but I will be asking the questions about what diet, I do know it's a difficult balancing act. I don't mind paying more and feeding him seperately and sitting over him whilst he eats.

When it comes down to it Fred is slow in the uptake, he always has been, that's why it's so hard to introduce anything to him.
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Birdy
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by Birdy »

Meg's new trick is to put her toy mouse in bed with me for a nice surprise when I wake up in the morning.

I guess it's better than the decapitated mouse Whisper leaves at the front door!

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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by silentscreen »

Birdy wrote:Meg's new trick is to put her toy mouse in bed with me for a nice surprise when I wake up in the morning.

I guess it's better than the decapitated mouse Whisper leaves at the front door!

Birdy

That's Whisper's trophy. She wants you to know that she works for her keep! I have a friend whose cat used to line the heads up on her patio. He was gung-ho! Those mousers are characters! 8)

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charliechaplinfan
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I used to get back legs and tails lined up or dropped in front of the fridge. It was always the girl cat who did it, the boys have never brought anything. I would bet my life that Fred has never caught a thing in his life but my girl cat used to catch enough for each of them. Why do cats have to torment their prey so much though, that's a real cruel side to them?
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Birdy
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Re: The Domestic CAT: Feline at its finest!

Post by Birdy »

I know. I just cannot believe that my sweet 'babies' are actually predators. And Nazis about it, to boot. I try to stay in denial.

Whisper has an interesting story. She showed up at my brother's, 120 miles from here, pregnant and injured. They nursed her back to health, air-conditioned the garage while she was nursing, found homes for the babies, got her fixed. Whisper could not get along with my brother's other cats so moved 50 miles north with our mom.

A couple of years later, Mom and Dad moved to their retirement farm, another 50 miles north , and they brought Whisper with them. She lived there a year until Mom found her with a baby bluebird in her mouth. That ended that relationship.

Whisper then moved another 20 miles north to live with us. The first time my dad visited, she wouldn't speak to him. (She used to follow him around.) She seems pretty happy now, although she's getting old. I offered for her to be an indoor cat but she said 'No thank you'. (I don't do in-and-out; you're in or your out.)

Whisper was named that by my brother because she talks but I think they should have named her 'Whiner'.

B
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