RIP, Mr. Spock

I knew it was coming, but I still wasn't prepared. A few weeks ago, Mr. Spock had a stroke and I thought he wouldn't make it. He just laid there on his side and couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. I called the vet and we decided to just keep him comfortable and that he probably wouldn't make it through the night. But he did, and he even improved. He was up eating and getting on the couch to sleep, not back to where he was, but he was happy. But finally his kidneys couldn't keep up. Within the week, he began to be extremely thirsty, so thirsty he couldn't get enough water, even with the fluids we gave him. His legs began to get weak and he hardly had any energy and couldn't or wouldn't eat. He never liked going to the vet and didn't really like strangers coming over, so I had hoped he would die a peaceful death at home, surrounded by his family. At first I thought it would be that way, but it he began to snore and I was afraid he might start struggling to breath and didn't want that for him. He was pretty out of it when we took him, so he wasn't upset when we went to the vet's office. My husband and I got to be there with him at the end and that mattered a lot to us. We miss him so much--he has been a part of our life for over 16 years! I am glad that he isn't suffering and I know it was time to go. That helps me cope with it, but doesn't keep me from being sad or missing him. I have been taking care of him for 3½ years with his kidney disease and had been with him almost 24 hours a day (except when my husband stayed with him when for short periods of time) for that last 2 weeks, so I really feel lost without him. The picture I shared looks just like I remember him--bright eyes, beautiful shiny black coat and just looking like he loves you! He had already lost a good bit of weight in this photo (he used to weigh 18½ lbs!) and naturally he lost a whole lot more as his kidney disease progressed. It is always hard to lose each one, always so sad. If there is a kitty heaven, I know he is reunited with Sweet Pea, Bilbo & Elvis now!

Mr. Spock has been sick!

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Spock was sooo sick. We think he had another stroke and I didn't think he was going to make it. He got really off balance, then later that night was just lying on his side. He wouldn't get up to eat, drink or even to go to the bathroom. He didn't even pick up his head, just laid there looking straight ahead. I called his vet and she felt the same as me, so I just laid in the floor with him on a soft blanket so I could be with him. (I am still paying for that with my back!!) So, for 2 days I didn't think he would pull through. The only thing that gave me hope is that he began to eat the next day. Not much, but a little. And he would let me feed him water from a syringe. He wouldn't get up for it and wouldn't drink from a bowl if I brought it, but he would drink from the syringe. That was a week ago this Monday and now he is starting to get around. He improved a little every day. One of his back legs is still week and he still stumbles around, but he is getting around pretty good today. And when he is in a deep sleep, he kicks and moves his paws around and I have to watch him because he wants to sleep on the couch and sometimes tries to slide off. (He fell off last night and it didn't even wake him.) I am so scared he is going to injure himself! He continues to amaze me...I watched him closely to make sure he wasn't in any pain. Yesterday I was singing along to Christmas songs and he climbed into my lap. I may not be the best singer, but he appreciates it!

I guess now is a good time to tell you about his kidney disease too. A few years ago he began to lose weight. At one time he weighed 18.5 lbs and I always tried to get him to lose weight. But when he started to lose, I worried! He takes benazapril and prednisone (or prednisilone, a liquid form) every night. The prednisone is partly for his arthritis, partly to prevent another stroke and it helps with his appetite. He has actually done well considering we found out that he had CKD in June 2009. This year I started giving him IV fluids every night and that has helped him a lot. I found a great website with a lot of info about CKD:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

Sometimes he gets aggravated when I give him fluids and there have even been a handful of times he got too upset and I just skipped a night. (I believe only 3 times) I have my husband help me. I screwed an eye hook in the ceiling above the bed and hang the fluids there. The higher they are, the quicker they will flow. I'd put him on the bed and my husband would start the fluids once I had the needle in and turn them off when he got the right amount. I really don't think i could do it without him! After a while, Mr. Spock didn't even want to come in the bedroom and certainly didn't want to get on the bed. So now, I give them to him in the living room and my husband just holds them up high. I wait until Mr. Spock is relaxed. Instead of picking him up and putting him where I want him, I let him get relaxed and go to him and that seems to work better. And I try to stay calm and relaxed. That was hard in the beginning because, as you can imagine, I really didn't want to stick him with that big needle. Sometimes it seems like a needle isn't sharp and doesn't want to go in. the other night there were 2 in a row like that. If they don't go in, I just toss it and get a new one.

I am paying $15 per bag of fluids at the vet's office. I get them every 9 days and that adds up! I found I can get them for $5 per bag at Dr. Fosters & Smith (online) along with other supplies. I haven't ordered yet since I just bought a bag yesterday, but it should still be cheaper even with shipping. Some people said they got them at CVS, etc. for $30 per case but I can't find anyone who sells them. Maybe if you are in another state (I'm in Alabama), you will have better luck.

Mr. Spock does have sores on his tongue now so sometimes he doesn't want to drink. I have some small syringes without needles and I squirt a little water on his tongue and that seems to get him started drinking. I can tell when he is having a problem drinking because he will stand over the water bowl and paw at it or just lie beside it. Before I gave him fluids, I tried everyting to get fluids in him--wet cat food, broth, feeding him the juice off canned cat food or tuna, etc. I even squirted water in his mouth from the syringe through the day, sometimes up to 75 times a day! So the IV fluids were a blessing to me and him both!!

If you find out your kitty has CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), sometimes called  CRF (Chronic Renal Failure), that doesn't mean the end is near! Discuss treatment options with your vet...do reasearch online or at the library, talk to other pet owners that have been through the same thing. I am certainly no expert, but would be glad to answer any questions if you are going through the same thing. I know it is scary to find out, but it has been 3½ years since we found out and he is still hanging in there. Yes, he is skinny and he does have problems sometimes, but he still enjoys his life. He still likes to eat, get petted, snuggle under my sweater and curl up with his kitty brothers.I know I can't keep him forever, but as long as he is happy and not in pain, I will do what I can for him. I will even sing for him!!

R.I.P. Cricket

Yesterday was a sad day...I had to say good-bye to Cricket. We found out about 6 months ago that she had leukemia. Although she had lost so much weight, she still seemed to have mostly good days. She liked to eat canned food (3 times a day!), come inside to be petted, she even caught a bird not too long ago. (sorry little birdie!) Even the night before, she stayed in and snuggled with me a long time and enjoyed getting petted. I was a little worried that she didn't eat much, but didn't notice anything else. Yesterday morning she didn't come to eat and I found her lying behind my neighbor's bushes. She answered me when I called but I could barely hear her, she was so weak. She didn't get up and I could tell she was in pain when I picked her up. So I knew it was time to let her go. I am glad I was able to be with her until the end and hope that I made things a little easier for her. I sure will miss her squeaky little meow. She was a fixture on my porch, always there to greet me. RIP little girl!

My kitty stopped eating!

A few days ago, Strawberry got sick. He threw up his breakfast and then after that, he just didn't feel well at all.  He wouldn't eat the rest of the day. The next morning he licked some juice from some canned food, but nothing else. When he wouldn't even eat his snacks, I knew something was wrong. He never turns down a snack! Also I noticed his belly was really swollen, but it wasn't hard and he didn't seem like it was painful if I mashed it, he didn't have a fever. I called the vet's office and she was already gone, so I made an appointment for the next morning. Later that night, my husband called me at my studio to say he was throwing up again. I called the vet and she had me give him some hairball remedy (in case it was a hairball and to give him a little nutrients since he wasn't eating. I worried myself to death over him all night! He did eat just a little the next morning, but I took him on to the vet. The problem was he was very constipated. The vet said they won't eat if they are that constipated. She gave him some Lactulose before we left and sent me home with a bottle. So, $71 later (yes, that lactulose cost almost $50!), Strawberry was already feeling better by the time we got home. A couple of days later, and he is feeling good again. I will definitely be holding on to that liquid gold just in case of emergencies! I don't guess I realized how sick being constipated can make a kitty!

Sookie

Here's Sookie...she's about years old and is mostly outside.  She used to come in a lot in the winter, but since all my inside cats got really sick with an upper respiratory infection one year, she hasn't been back in. Its kind of sad, but I've been trying to introduce her to Rusty so she can come in my studio and stay...if she wants to! I found Sookie in Wal-mart parking lot one fall, just sitting there in a buggy! I looked around and saw some people watching and asked why she was there. They said she was under some cars and they were afraid she'd get run over. I still don't know if they actually just dropped her off, but I really don't think so. But she was just sitting there like she was waiting on someone. She was so sweet, just let me hold her while I put my groceries in the truck and went home with me. I was afraid my husband might not be too happy to see me bringing home another cat, but all he said was how pretty she was. (whew!) What a sweet girl she is--I feel like maybe she got lost from someones car in the parking lot because she was healthy and not underweight, just kind of small because she was young. I did try to find her owners, but no one came looking for her. That's okay, though. I'm sure she feels like this is her home by now!

Luke

 This is Luke. He's about 4 and lives outside only. He did stay in when he first came so he could get healthy, but he didn't care for it. He has been acting like he wants to come in with Cricket when she eats, so the other night and I brought him in and he wasn't too happy about it. He couldnt' get out quickly enough! He came here as a stray with another brown tabby that I assumed was his brother. They came one year and I was never able to catch his brother (I called him Owen--Luke & Owen, get it?) The left and Luke came back without Owen. He was so, so skinny and sickly. After a little TLC, he got healthy. He's pretty chubby and its funny to see him running around in the yard in the mornings chasing leaves or bugs or whatever he sees to play with, then running halfway up a tree. My husband said he looks like a football running around. ;) He is pretty shy too. He won't come up to you, but he will let you walk up to him and pet him and even hold him. He likes it, he just isn't too sure about coming right up to you. He seems to be taking caring of Cricket lately too. I notice a lot of times when she is sleeping, he is sitting up beside her like he is protecting her. One day I will show some before and after pictures of my kitties. I am always amazed when I find one of what they looked like when they first came! I guess part of the reason poor old Luke wasn't feeling good in the first place was that pellet in his leg! I had completely forgotten that. He must have been running when he got shot because it was on the inside of his back thigh. The vet removed it when she was neutering him. I have had pellets removed from 2 cats (Luke, plus another that my cousin adopted) and another cat, Elvis, who is no longer with it was shot too. The vet thought with a BB, but it could have been a pellet since we've had 2 others shot with a pellet after that. I can't believe someone would do that and hopefully they have moved on since then.

Little Bit

This is Little Bit. She is 4 yrs old and lives outside. She's pretty shy most of the time and usually won't let you pet her or pick her up, but every few days or so she comes up to you and meows softly (it sounds like a whisper), which means she wants to be held and petted. She'll let you hold her like a baby and pet her for a few minutes, then she is good for about a week! She got her name because she was so tiny when she came here...now she has gotten pretty big and she has the prettiest coat that looks like velvet. She was sickly when she came too. She had some kind of upper respiratory problem that she just couldn't get over. I kept her in a crate in a separate room from Rusty while I gave her antibiotics for a few weeks and she just wouldn't get better. Since she couldn't get well, the vet ran some tests to be sure she didn't have anything more serious (thankfully she didn't!) and changed her antibiotics and that did the trick. She's been healthy since. Even though I don't get to hold or pet her often, I still enjoy seeing her on the porch and she likes to hang out with us while we work in the yard.

C.J.

This is C.J. He is 6 years old and an outside only cat, although he does run in occasionally for a visit. I would have loved for him to live inside, but he had other plans. He is  BIG BOY. He looks like a giant next to my other cats outside. I haven't weighed him lately, but I'm pretty sure he's over 20 lbs. He's not fat, just a big cat. And he has the squeakiest little meow for a big boy. He started hanging around the empty lots behind my house. I'm not sure if he was dropped off there, wandered her or what. But eventually he ventured into my backyard, then on to my porch where he stays most of the time. When people stop by, they always comment about how pretty he is or how big he is. I thought he was a big, grown cat when he came. But I guess he was pretty young and he has grown a lot. The vet couldn't believe the weights were right because he grew so much from one visit to the next. I love seeing him hanging out on the porch, he almost looks like a part of the decor out there!

Cricket

This is Cricket, about 7 years old, outside only. She showed up about 6 years ago with 3 kittens. I never was able to catch her kittens and they just stopped coming back. I got her fixed and she had a bad uti so she stayed at the vet's office for 2 weeks because I was going to be out of town. Last year she injured her foot--had a cut all the way to the bone. The vet thought one of her toes would have to be removed, but after staying at the vet for a few days, it started healing. She stayed inside for 2 weeks and she wasn't happy about it! ;) A few months ago I noticed she was losing weight so took her for a checkup and found out she has leukemia. She had some swollen lymph nodes so she is on prednisilone daily. We started at a high dose, but is now down to .5 cc per day and they seems to be keeping that in check for now, but she continues to lose weight. I let her in to eat as often as she wants (always morning and night and sometimes in the middle of the day.) You'd never know by looking at her that she can eat a whole can of food by herself. I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us and I've never dealt with this before. Its hard to see her losing weight and some days I can tell she doesn't feel well. If there comes a time I feel like she is suffering or it is time to let her go, I feel like I will know. Right now she still enjoys getting petting, stretching and sharpening her claws on tree trunks and, surprising as it is, even hunting. I really don't know how old she is, I just guessed she was about a year old when she showed up, but now I think maybe she is older. These days, Cricket pretty much gets whatever she wants to make her happy. I tried the homemade food with her, but she won't eat it and I just want her to eat whatever she will now.

Dill

This is Dill...he is 11 years old and is mostly likely a litter mate to Sissy. I can't say for sure, but they showed up at the same time and were the same size, stuck together like littermates, so that's what I assumed. Dill has an interesting catnapping story (not about a nap, but being stolen away from us, then coming back home!) After I'd had him for a couple of months, he disappeared. I asked all around the neighborhood and no one said they had seen him. He and Sissy were both outside, but after he disappeared, I worried about Sissy and brought her inside. A few months later we were working on our house and had the floor out of the laundry room. We looked down and there was Dill! I said to my husband, "Look!!" He wanted to know if it was Strawberry (they do have similar markings and I have mistaken them for each other at a glance). I told him, "No, that's Dill!" I know he doubted me, but I knew it was him. I proved it to them too--I have pictures from when he first came as proof, but I didn't need pics! (Also had one of their kids tell me they took him, but I will leave it at that...) We were glad to have him home though. I tried letting him be inside, but he is a sprayer. He sprays everything whether he is inside or out. He did enjoy coming inside, but now he doesn't mind being outside and he rules the porch. haha! Being outside, he has had his share of scuffles, but all my cats are fixed and if a stray comes up or gets dropped off, they are either fixed and kept here or off to the no-kill rescue, so fights aren't too common around here anymore. He has a viral disease in one eye that flares up every year. Last year it was so bad, I really thought he would lose his eye. I know he couldn't see out of it and it looked horrible. We tried so many different medicines, but finally found a combination of herbs and medications that cleared it up. It was expensive, but now we know how to treat it if it starts back again. He is my friendliest cat..he is the only one that will let anyone pet him. I'm sure that's how he got kitty-napped! Besides that time, he rarely leaves the yard. Once when he was sick, he disappeared for a couple of days. I know if Dill doesn't show up within a few minutes of going outside, I better start looking!!

Rusty

This is Rusty...he is 7 years old and is an indoor only cat. He has issues (lots of them), so he can't go outside anymore. When he first showed up here, he was fine outside. But sometime after he'd been here for maybe a couple of years, he disappeared for about a week. When he came back, I caught him on the porch late at night trying to eat. He was so skinny..but I couldn't catch him. After about another week, I was able to catch him. I set up the kennel on the porch and kept checking outside for him so when I saw him out there, maybe I could lure him in the kennel with food. After a few tries, I woke my husband at 5 am one morning to help me catch him and we set him up in my studio. I thought is was just temporary, until he was well, but I realized he had so many issues, he'd have to stay inside. He has a terrible urinary tract infection, was really skinny and had pulled out his hair so badly that you could see his skin, which was raw and bleeding. Over the years, we have figured out he has flea allergies, food allergies and IBS. Now that he is on a homemade food diet, he is better. His diarrhea is much better, but he does still have some problems with skin allergies. I have to keep a close eye on him and if he seems itchy, he gets some prednisone and, if needed, treated for fleas. I hate to give him prednisone, but I also hate to see him itchy. As if all the other stuff wasn't enough, he also has stomatitis. He has no teeth from his fangs back on one side and a fang missing on one side, so sometimes he has that Elvis smirk! Right now we are working on screening in the porch so he can enjoy going outside and hopefully keep his allergies in check. I am considering bringing another kitty (Sookie) in with him as a companion, but haven't had much luck with that. We will try harder after the porch is screened in. He's a pretty good "studio cat", he doesn't really bother anything or jump on things much. He does like to sit right in front of my computer screen while I'm typing, just like he's doing right now, but I just look around him and give him a scratch now & then and we're both happy!

Hadley

This is Hadley...she is my youngest kitty, a little over  2½ years old. She's really livened things up around here! The first time I saw her, she was at the neighbors' house across the road. They had a grown cat and she was following him around everywhere, crying constantly. I figured she was hungry and no one was home, so I talked their their grandma next door and she said the little kitten wasn't theirs. We stayed out there a while trying to catch her. It was stormy and lightning....I would have stayed longer trying to catch her, but my neighbor wanted to go inside. ;) So I left her with a can of food. The next day she was at my next door neighbor's house, sitting on top of his tire! I was worried about her getting run over, so after asking his permission, I spent about an hour trying to coax her from under his house with a can of food. I was pretty sure where she came from--just up the road there was a guy that had a lot of cats and she was about the size of some kittens up there. So I carried her up there in the sprinkling rain and she never complained at all, just purred and let me carry her. The man said she wasn't his and wouldn't even open the door to talk to me or look at her. So I carried her home with me, again in the rain, and she just purred and stared up at me with those big eyes of hers. I tried to find her a home, but secretly I knew she was mine after the way she looked at me! By the time I got her home, my hands were black from holding her. I tried to wash her off and let her eat (she was so hungry!). I took her to the vet to get checked out and she was fine. I just couldn't let the little tiny thing outside, so she stayed inside with us.

She is young and healthy, so no real problems. She was SO happy and energetic, she did something to her shoulder. We knew something was wrong when she wouldn't get up and play, just laid around. Usually she's pounce on our feet if we moved at all. The vet said she over-extended her shoulder. There were no broken bones, but we had to keep her still. Imagine keeping a healthy, energetic kitten still! I had to keep her in a kennel for a few days. She really wanted to play and tried, but couldn't put weight down on that front leg. She healed in a hurry and got back to wrestling with Pumpkin. By the way, she & Pumpkin are the best of friends!

She is a little smartie--she has learned how to shake (or give me 5) and to beg. Such a fun kitty!

Pumpkin

This is Pumpkin....he is 6 years old and he is an indoor only cat. We rescued him from the side of the road in a patch of briars and trash. My husband spotted him and I fed him water and canned food every day for a week making sure he didn't belong to the house nearest where he was hiding or that his mommy cat wasn't hiding somewhere near. He was so scared I had to use a drop trap to catch him. I was afraid if I tried too hard to catch him, he might run into the street. Once I got my hands on him, he was calm and purred as soon as you picked him up. I had to take him to the vet to be checked out before he came in the house. They bathed him and got MOST of the dirt and grease off him. His foot had been broken and healed so he looks like 2 of his back toes are shorter than the other. It doesn't seem to bother him. His eyes are a little crossed and quiver, but that doesn't affect his site and I think its pretty cute. He loves all my cats, even Sissy who doesn't care too much for him! When one of the kitties doesn't feel well, he will snuggle up to them. When Mr. Spock was really sick he laid right behind him the whole time. I knew Mr. Spock was feeling better when Pumpkin decided to get up and leave Mr. Spock to himself for a while! He definitely isn't a lap cat. I would love for him to snuggle in my lap one day, but after about 3 or 4 months old, he stopped sitting in my lap. The only way to hold him is to stand up or put a basket in your lap and put him in it. And he might sleep on my feet. That is as close to snuggling with him as I can get!

A lot of times when people see that he is solid white with blue eyes, they want to know if he is deaf....no, he isn't deaf. He hears just fine. But it is more common for white cats to be deaf and even more likely if they have blue eyes (or one blue eye). I have had 2 solid white cats and neither were deaf. I had a friend in college whose grandma has a solid white cat that was deaf. I SO wanted to pet that cat, but he would only let her grandma pet him!!

When Pumpkin was less than a year old, he swallowed a string. I saw it hanging out of his mouth, but he has already swallowed some. I took him to the vet and she gave him peroxide to make him throw up. He didn't throw up and I brought him home. Later that night he started to throw up blood, a good bit of it. I called the ER vet and had to take him right away during a tornado watch!! They said he had a reaction to the peroxide, but I suspect he had too much because he got several doses. (This is not my regular vet that treated him.) He had x-rays to make sure he didn't have problems from the string. We stayed isolated from the others for 6 days because he was so sick. I honestly didn't think he would make it. I had to force feed him and he took medication to help his the lining of his stomach. When he finally pooped after a week, string & all, he started to feel better and eat on his own. His regular vet took really good care of him and checked on him regularly. He even stayed the day there for them to observe him and partially so I could sleep! He hasn't had any problems from that since. They think maybe he was sensitive to the peroxide. I don't know, but hopefully we won't run into that problem again. I am extra, extra, EXTRA careful about keeping things put away he could eat. He is bad about that. He is part of the reason I started wanting my art studio separate from my house, so I wouldn't constantly worry about what he could get into. All my paint, etc. are non-toxic, but I sew and am paranoid about dropping a pin, needle, string, etc. I guess i have Pumpkin to thank for my studio!!!

Sissy

This is Sissy. She's an indoor only cat and she's about 11 years old. She was dropped off at my neighbor's house, along with her brother, Dill. My neighbor had these two teeny tiny kittens dropped off and asked me if I wanted them. I said no, since I already had one outside. (That's funny to think of now!) I kept seeing them over there and finally told him I'd take them. Dill came up missing, but was returned a few months later (I'll tell you more on that when I introduce you to him). I was so scared of her getting lost/taken, I didn't know which at the time, that I brought her inside. She is a loner as far as socializing with my other cats. She doesn't really care for any them, I don't think. She won't come around when I have company either, but she loves attention from me or my husband! She's talkative, especially if you are trying to lie in bed or talk on the phone! Until a couple of years ago, she was the only girl kitty in the house. Maybe that is why she has kept to herself! Besides being very sensitive to fleas, Sissy has been a very healthy cat. She has lots of energy and loves to run and jump. She used to be a champion jumper, but she's calmed down a little since she's older. I don't think anyone would ever guess her age IF she'd come out and let them see her!!

Strawberry

This is Strawberry....He's an indoor only cat and he's almost 16 years old, but doesn't act his age! After we moved to a tiny apartment, Mr. Spock was still young and he cried all night long at the bedroom door. I suggested getting a friend for him so he'd stop crying. Guess what--they BOTH cried at the bedroom door. LOL! But it didn't last long. When I started looking for a friend for him, I thought it would be cool to have a solid white cat since Mr. Spock is solid black. But when I went to a barn to check out some kittens, I saw Strawberry peek out with his little gray nose patch and I thought he was adorable! I sat there forever with a string trying to entice him to come out. So glad I did--he has been my constant companion since. He is like a puppy dog, sticking right with me. When I'm sick, he won't leave my side except to eat or go to the bathroom, then he's right back. He will do the same for my husband. I call him our little nurse. He has stomatitis, a condition that affects his gums (I will tell you more about that later). I used to have his teeth cleaned regularly, but it never helped for long. He ended up getting teeth pulled a few times until the last time, he lost them all except his 4 canines. He still eats just fine. He only has wet food that I make, but he still loves his snacks when he can talk me into them. He insists on sleeping in the bedroom every single night, right beside me and usually with his chin resting on my arm for a while! He takes his prednisilone every night for his gums so he's a little "chubby", but has lost weight since changing to homemade food. He has a piece of elastic that he loves to play with. He used to gather up ponytail holders and put them in his water bowl before I realized cats could eat them, and before I had cats that actually WOULD eat them! Then one day he drug out a piece of elastic from my sewing supplies. I looped and tied it and he'd fetch it. He has had the same piece of elastic for years and he isn't very interested in a new piece, he wants the old one! He'll bring it to me, meowing the whole time and drop it for me, then I throw it, he runs after it and brings it back....over & over & over. And usually its when I'm busy (on the phone, cooking supper, etc). He will also bring it to the bedroom door and cry when he wants in. He has a certain meow when he has his elastic that I always recognize. I've taught him one trick--he will "wave" for his snack. Now sometimes when I'm eating or even just when he's hungry, he will wave at me.  I thought I imagined it at first, but realized he uses that sign to tell me he's hungry!

Mr. Spock

This is my oldest cat, Mr. Spock. He's an indoor only cat and he's getting close to 17! He was my first cat that lived inside and I've had him around almost as long as my husband! (We'd only been dating about 6 months when Mr. Spock came along.) A girl at the Nursing Home where I worked brought this huge kitten to work with her and he was so pretty. I asked her about him and she had 4 more to give away, so she brought him to me the next day. He wasn't too friendly, but it didn't take long being inside to warm up to us. Now he loves to sit in your lap, snuggle under the covers with you and especially rubbing his head on your bare feet! He used to be really big, 18½ lbs. at one time! A few years ago he started to lose weight. I had been trying to get him to lose for a long time, but when he finally started to lose, I worried. I took him to the vet and they did bloodwork and found out he has Chronic Kidney Disease (Chronic Renal Failure). When I found out, I thought he just had a few months. The vet said, "he may have a good 6 months or year left." So I was prepared to lose him in the next few months, but he must be one tough kitty. That was in June, 2009.  He also had a terrible inner ear infection, or we think so. I found him hiding behind the fridge and he was so wobbly, he could barely walk. One vet said over the phone it sounded like a stroke. We took him to the emergency vet and they said it was an inner ear infection. He did improve, but our regular vet says she isn't convinced he didn't have a stroke. He's had that happen a few times since, but not in over a year. I have been giving him fluids every day for a few months and that helps him a lot. Last fall, his vet said she didn't expect him to make it until Christmas and here we are a year later and he is doing okay. Not perfect by any means, but happy, eating, getting his fluids and enjoying the attention. I feel lucky to have had him around for so long! I will share what info I have about his kidney disease and some links to info about giving fluids, etc.

By the way, Mr. Spock is the boss of our house. He always has been and no matter how old he gets or how much more energy the others have, he keeps them in line!

Cat food recipe

I think one of the most important things I did for my cats was to start making their food. I thought about it and researched it for a long time and finally a friend told me about a website, www.catinfo.org. I probably read over the part about making cat food 20 times before I decided to do it. I wanted to be sure my cats would eat it, so at first I used boneless chicken (or deboned it myself) and put it in the grinder. To start with, I gradually switched them over to canned food only. It took a while--you would think they would be happy to just get canned food, but after a few times, they really want their dry food back! After they were only eating canned food, I started mixing the homemade food in and gradually cut back the canned food. It still took some time. I sprinkled FortiFlora on top until they decided they liked it. Now that's all they eat unless I accidentally run out of homemade food. Then they eat canned food while I'm making more. A couple of my kitties were pretty overweight. Hadley wasn't even 2 years old and she had gotten so big and I was really worried about her! I have been making this food for them for less than a year now and they have both slimmed down so much and they all seem healthier. One had chronic ear problems that have gone away and he had a limp, probably partly due to being overweight and that has practically disappeared. He is almost 16 and he is playful now and chases his favorite toy frequently! Another was diagnosed with IBS and his diarrhea never completely went away until I changed him to this food. One cat has CKD (CRF) so I am happy knowing he is getting extra water in his food instead of eating dry food.

So below is the recipe I used. This was taken from http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood. Please, please read over the article carefully and several times. I did and I still refer back to it. The website is kind of wordy and hard to follow when you are making the food, so I condensed it below so it can be printed to look at while you prepare the food. But there is much more detailed info there. There is information there about using ground rabbit meat but the recipe differs a little.  She also discusses different grinders. I use something like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203011283/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=meat+grinder&storeId=10051

I think mine is a Buffalo brand, but it looks just like it. My husband is pretty handy and he added a motor and pulley and it goes really fast. I tried using something like this to start with:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100646834/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=meat+grinder&storeId=10051 But wasn't happy with it at all--it was slow and I kept having to take it apart to clean it. I think I only ever got 2 recipes out of it. The one I use now will go for a while before you have to clean it out. I made 11 recipes (33 lbs) and never had to clean it out and only had to stop twice when it got "stuck". I just turned it off, removed the pulley and turned it by hand a few times to move the bones through. I will post a pic and see if my handy husband can give some tips on building your own grinder set up. Mine will definitely have a permanent space in my kitchen when we remodel!

Just a few more tips...I make one recipe at a time. I tried to double it once and its really too much to mix in a big bowl. Cook the chicken 3 lbs. at a time. That way you can save the drippings from each one and do one recipe at a time. While I am preparing one recipe that I just cooked, I have another cooking in the oven. It took me several hours to make enough food for about a month, but I prefer to get as much done at once as I can. I'd make more at a time if I had a bigger freezer!

Okay, so here is the recipe. Read the article and check with your vet to make sure it is okay for your cat(s). My vet suggested adding the vitamin D for my cat with Chronic Kidney Disease. Your vet can help you decide what is best for your kitty. I think the most important is to at least get your kitties on canned food instead of dry food!

Cat food
1 recipe= enough for one cat for 10-14 days
Most cats eat 6-8 oz. per day

3 pounds of poultry thigh meat/bones/skin1 cup filtered water (or more if your cat will eat it with more water)
2 eggs - use the yolk raw but lightly cook the white
5000 mg fish oil (if your cat does not like fish, it is ok to use only 2,000 mg) use caps, not oil, from smaller fish like anchovies or sardines if possible
400 IU (268 mg) Vitamin E (powdered E in capsules is the easiest to use)
400 IU Vitamin D (this is something my vet suggested since one of my cats has kidney disease and she says its okay for the others. She said 500 IU, but all I could find was 400 IU)
50 mg Vitamin B-complex (capsules or tablets)
2,000 mg taurine (use powdered - either in capsules or loose)

3/4 tsp Morton Lite salt with iodine (For people living outside of the United States who cannot source Morton Lite Salt with iodine, use 1/2 tsp of regular salt with iodine.)
Liver - 4 ounces of chicken livers per 3 lb of meat/bones/skin.
Fiber - A cat's natural diet is extremely low in fiber. Contrary to popular belief, the hair and feathers of their prey is not a source of fiber. Fiber only comes from plant material - not other animals. The only source of fiber for a cat in the wild is the miniscule amount in the gut tract of their herbivorous/omnivorous prey or the plants that they may eat. Since cats don't generally chow down on much plant material, this is also a negligible source of fiber. (only if necessary) If you want to use psyllium, add 2 tsp if using psyllium husk powder. If using whole psyllium husks, use 4 tsp. If using any fiber source, be sure to add more water to the this recipe (I don't add this to my recipe)
　
If you aren't using a grinder and including the bones, add NOW brand Bonemeal Powder 3 pounds of boneless meat and skin, then the amount of bone meal (NOW brand linked below) to use is 2 1/3 tablespoons. That is 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon....or....7 level teaspoons. (1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons)
All bonemeal powders aren't the same and this is the one her recipe is based on, so I recommend sticking with this one.

Instructions:If using capsules, open them and add the powder to the water. If using tablets, dissolve the tablets in the water. Dissolve the fish oil capsules in the water for ~10 minutes and then, once they are somewhat dissolved, make sure that all of the oil is liberated from the capsule by squeezing the capsules with your fingers within the water. Using warm water helps dissolve them faster. It is fine to leave the capsules in the water. They are gelatin (a protein) and most cats readily eat them.
　
Note that for this preparation, a grinder (for use with bones) is not needed but a food processor is.
Bake chicken or turkey thighs & liver at 350 degrees) leaving ~50% of the thigh meat raw. (The time needed varies depending on how thick the thighs are.) Use a big pan to make cooking easier and save all the drippings to add to your recipe. Remove from the oven and put in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Remove some of the raw meat from the bone for chunking. Cut the meat into chunks for dental health.... as much as you have the patience for. I do skip this step sometimes and don't do a lot because one of my kitties only has 4 teeth! But if yours have all their teeth, I think you should go for it! Chunks should be about 1/2" cubes or smaller at first, then larger (the size of your thumb) after your cat is used to chewing on them.
Run the meaty bones and non-chunked meat and skin through the grinder using a plate with 4 mm holes
Run the liver through the grinder along with the meat and bones. If you decide to add eggs, run them through the grinder. This way, they will be broken up and more evenly dispersed through the food. (Some cats don't like the taste of egg.) The ground meat/bones/skin/liver/eggs plus the fat drippings from the baking pan and the chunks of meat are then placed in the refrigerator while the supplements are mixed up.
Mix up the supplement slurry:
Combine the warmed water, egg yolks (if you did not cook the whole egg), vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B-complex, taurine, and fish oil, lite salt. If you didn't use bones, add the bone meal now too.
It takes about 15 minutes for the capsules to dissolve and I use my hand to make sure that all of the oil is squeezed out of each capsule. It is ok to leave the capsules in the water. Most cats eat them, mine always do.Remember to add the Lite salt if using only chicken/turkey thighs. See the original article if you decide to use rabbit meat instead of chicken or turkey. This is an important source of iodine since the thyroid gland is not included when using only chicken/turkey parts.

After all of the supplements are dissolved and thoroughly mixed together, stir in the psyllium - if using this ingredient. (Be sure to add the psyllium last otherwise it tends to clump.) I have never used psyllium and have never had problems without it.
Pour the supplement slurry into the meat/bones/skin/liver/egg mixture. Mix very well then portion into containers and freeze.
Ideally, the food should only be in the refrigerator (in a completely thawed state) for 48 - 72 hours so keep that in mind when choosing your container size. The average cat eats about 4-6 ounces per day. When I was first starting to feed raw, I used baby food jars so there would be no waste during the transition. I then quickly graduated to larger plastic containers that hold 1-1.5 pounds. People with just one or two cats need to pick the container size that works for them.
Some suggest heating the food in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, just until warm but not cooked. Others recommend warming in a bowl of hot water. My cats can't wait to eat in the mornings and just eat it cold. If its still partially frozen, I thaw it in a sink full of hot water while I'm getting the breakfast and coffee ready.
Watch your cat to make sure that he is consuming both the chunks and the ground-up portion. Otherwise, he will be eating an unbalanced diet. And....if you have a kitten, train him to eat chunks of meat early in life!
One trick that you might try is to serve a full meal of 100% chunks - when your cat pretty hungry in order to get him used to chewing on meat chunks. Hunger goes a long way when trying to get a cat to embrace any new food - as long as your cat has a healthy, non-painful mouth. You can also try sprinkling the chunks of meat in Parmesan cheese or FortiFlora. I also sprinkled FortiFlora on their food until they got used to it to encourage them to eat it, but I don't need to do that anymore.
　
　　

All about my cats!



Hadley

I decided to blog about something I do every day, take care of my cats! Right now I have 14 , but that could change at any minute. My oldest cat is almost 17 & my youngest is a little over 2. Most of them are older and have been here a while. I'll tell you more about each one later, but this is the crew right now:
Mr. Spock (going on 17)
Strawberry (16)
Sissy (11)
Pumpkin (6)
Hadley (2)
Rusty (8)
Dill (11)
C.J. (6)
Luke (5)
Cricket (8)
Sookie (3)
Poncho (4)
Little Bit (4)
Smokey (2)

I prepare the food for my cats inside. They are so much healthier since I decided to do this! Some have issues, especially the older ones and I'll tell you about that later too, plus I'll share my cat food recipe that was approved by our vet and anything else I learn along the way. I know the internet can be a great way to get information about your cats. Not to replace the care of a vet, but sometimes to ease your mind and sometimes to help figure out what to discuss with your vet. I once rescued a little one day old kitten. A few times in the middle of the night I searched the internet for stuff and it helped a lot. Some things I never would have known you had to do for a newborn kitten, so I always say the internet helped save him!

I always love to talk about my cats and love it when I find someone interested. My family probably gets tired of hearing about them, so this way I have another place to talk about them. ha! I am also an artist--I design doll patterns (www.thecatspyjamaspatterns.com), dolls & paintings (www.thecatspyjamas.com) and jewelry (www.tcpstyle.com). I do some photography on the side (www.denisewhitephotography.com) but my favorite subjects are always my cats. We are remodeling a house next to our home for my art studio. (Of course I have a cat living in my studio too!) I may get busy with all my other projects, but as often as I can, I will add to this blog. I can always think of a cat story or tell something that has happened with them lately! If you have any suggestions, questions or topic you'd like for me to talk about, let me know. If its something I don't know about, I'm sure I'll enjoy doing the research when I can!