Welcome Home, Baby Boy Kittens

Five days ago, we welcomed two little bundles of furry chaos to our household.  If you're keeping track, that brings us to an even four; two girls, two boys.

We wanted to get another boy cat after having to put Apollo down in January.  I've always read males tend to be more loving and good-natured than females.  It made sense to me because my girls have always been slightly more standoffish.  Apollo would happily snuggle and enjoyed being carried around. The girls don't like to be picked up and accept love on their terms.  They are lovely cats, but they have boundaries.  Apollo had no boundaries. 

My husband and I started talking about getting another cat.  We were concerned about how the girls would react and decided we should get two kittens.  If they were shunned by the girls, the kittens would at least have each other. 

This has turned out to be a wise decision.  As expected, the girls are not entirely pleased with the new living arrangements.  Molly is tolerating it better than Emma, but the boys are sweet and I'm confident the noses currently bent out of shape will straighten over the next couple of weeks.  

On the right is Jack, named after Jack Bauer on 24. He is about 3 months old with fairly common tabby coloring, but more gray than brown. On the left is Ralphie, named after the little boy in The Christmas Story. About 2 months old, Ralphie has beautiful black spots on his sides that make me think of a wild cat.

Adopted from Pet Helpers, in Charleston County.    

Woman Eats Cat Hair

OK...I'm a cat lover, but I think this might be crossing a line. A random cat hair getting into your mouth via your peanut butter sandwich or while the cat rubs your face with his chin is a universal cat owner experience.

But you spit it back out.

By Kevin Dooley from Chander, AZ, USA (Cat hair forest) [CC-BY-2.0

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Saying Goodbye

On Sunday, we were forced to say goodbye to Apollo...Little Dude...Buddy. For 19 years, Apollo and I traveled down my bumpy road together. No matter what I did, where I went, or how I got there, Apollo was right there.

I sure didn't make it easy for him. We moved more times than I can count, including a move from Wisconsin to Florida and back and his final move with us to South Carolina a year and a half ago. He actually spent 2-3 months in Florida without me in the apartment I shared with my then boyfriend. We were taking a break...I was going back to Wisconsin for one school semester and "I'll take the best care of him until you get back." I wanted to believe it, but soon learned that was not what was happening. I flew down to rescue my fur baby and move us back to Wisconsin.

One time, he got out of the house through a window screen that wasn't secured during a home remodel. The neighbor kids brought Molly to the door. "Is this your cat?" But where was Apollo? We lived close to a train track on a busy road. I thought I might have a heart attack on the front lawn, imagining the possible scenarios. Fortunately, he hadn't gone far and with a few treats, I lured him out from underneath the front porch. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life.

When I met my husband, Apollo spent a few months living with Nana and Bumpa. My husband had been allergic as a kid and the only pet he'd ever had was a parakeet. He wasn't a huge cat fan, so to wear him down slowly, we started him with Molly. She wasn't as demanding of attention...more the typical standoffish cat...and it seemed she would be an easier transition for my husband to make.

During the one or two months Apollo was with my parents, he turned my cat-hating father into an Apollo lover. Many times in the years that followed, my dad asked if he could have Apollo back. It didn't take long for him to win my husband over either. Two anti-cat men came to the other side, all because of one small, gray, ball of fur.

Apollo loved everyone.  He always came out to see guests, let people pick him up, and settled on many of their laps. If I'd let him, he would have slept under the covers every night, flat against my stomach with his head on my arm. He would have spent every day rubbing his face on my chin.

When Apollo was diagnosed with chronic renal failure a few years ago, I was heartbroken. He went on a kidney diet and all was well for a while. After about a year, he started throwing up more frequently than was normal. If the food wasn't staying in his system, it wasn't doing its job. The vet started him on IV fluids and a Pepcid to settle his stomach. I was petrified at the thought of having to stick him with a needle, but he sat patiently. Even when I would accidentally poke the needle right back out and fluid would run all over the floor, he didn't budge or protest. Some days I cried about it, but he took it all in stride.

Again, this worked for a while, but he eventually started spitting out the Pepcid or retching intentionally to expel the pill from his stomach. He started to protest - loudly - when it was time to get fluid. He threw up even more frequently and refused to eat the kidney diet. I felt even worse about putting him through it. I stopped giving him Pepcid and on the vet's recommendation that eating SOMETHING was better than eating NOTHING, Apollo went back to eating his favorite canned food. He still got fluids, but we were getting less structured about it. Neither my husband or I wanted to force this on him. We imagined it was uncomfortable and painful and it broke our hearts every time.

Several months ago, when he started peeing outside the litter box, I knew we had trouble. He was getting to the box, but wasn't getting himself all the way in.  We have a two box system...a smaller box with litter located inside a larger box to help control litter tracking. Soon, I was moping up the larger box about three times a week. In the last month or so, I was cleaning it every day.

By now, our 15 pound cat had dwindled down to about 8 pounds. The vomiting continued and it got to a point where if I wasn't cleaning up the litter box, I was cleaning vomit. The stress of the situation made me terribly short tempered and angry. I knew he couldn't help it, but I also knew what the end result would be and it was beating me down a little bit further every day. It was a cycle...I found a mess, I cleaned up a mess. I was angry and frustrated and I would get upset with myself because I was angry.

On Sunday, I came home from work to find my husband on the floor with Apollo.  The cat couldn't walk...couldn't keep his back legs underneath himself.  He would try and then he would stumble, fall, and cry out. We had reached the point where we could no longer look the other way. Of the various signs that the end might be near, Apollo was exhibiting nearly half of them. How much more could we expect him to endure simply because we couldn't bear to part with him? He was 19 years old...surely he couldn't be expected to bounce back.

Even still, taking Apollo to the vet for this last time was more difficult than anything I've ever done. Even though I'd been subconsciously preparing myself for the last year, I was still not ready. I felt the same pain as I had when my dad died unexpectedly several years ago. For almost 20 years, this cat had been attached to my hip. He'd loved me unconditionally. He cast no judgement when I did something stupid. He forgave me even when I didn't feel like I should forgive myself.

Finally, my dad got what he wanted all these years.  I imagine Apollo is curled up in Dad's lap, having a nap. Take good care of him for me, Daddy.    

Pets Need Preventative Care

According to a recent survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association, released in their 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, there were 74.1 million pet cats in the United States at the end of 2011.

This is great news, but many of these cats aren't receiving regular veterinary care. About 27% only went to the veterinarian when they were sick and another (9.6%) have never seen the inside of a veterinary office.

In this economy, I understand having to control expenses and a routine trip to the veterinarian is a $100 bill you may not be able to part with. Think of the bigger picture though. A young, healthy cat only needs to visit the vet once a year. Wouldn't you rather pay the $100 to keep Fluffy healthy instead of spending $1,000 when something goes wrong? You can be sure a major illness is not going to plan itself around your budget.

You go to the dentist for cleanings to prevent teeth loss. You take your children for shots before they start school to prevent them from bringing something home with them. Make sure your furry family members are protected too.    

No Outdoor Cat, Example 7

A killer is on the loose in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Eight cats have been killed in the past few weeks. Authorities have found that at least the most recent victim had been hit in the head.

I'm a little disheartened that either the media or the authorities are down-playing this.  Are the deaths of these cats only important in relation to the fact that the killer may move on to humans?  Certainly we don't want that either, but these killings are unacceptable on their own.

Third Annual Pet Food Drive Starts Sunday at Petco Stores Nationwide

Third Annual Pet Food Drive Starts Sunday at Petco Stores Nationwide

What happens to families who can't afford to feed their pets?  Maybe someone just lost a job.  Maybe a medical crisis has made money tight.  Some pet owners will surrender their pet to the local shelter.  Others will sacrifice their own meal to make sure their cat eats.  I've done this...two of my cats are on prescription diets for medical conditions and when money was tight, I've gone on Ramen noodle diets so the cats could be fed.

Between now and November 11th, make sure you stop in at Petco and lend a hand.  For each bag or can of food you purchase for your cat, donate one to the food drive. This year's goal is 500,000 pounds of pet food.   Together, we can do anything.

Senior Pet Wellness Month

September is senior pet wellness month.  It's September 18th, but better late than never, right?

Please remember to make an appointment with your senior cat's veterinarian for a check-up.  Based on the estimate of one cat year being roughly the same as 7 human years, if your cat is ten years old, she's a senior.

Cats being notorious for hiding illness or pain, you may not realize something is wrong until its too late to do anything about it. 

Molly is gonna HATE me for this but...

Post kitty ER stay when she was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.