h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm glad Lua is enjoying her food. When Fluffy was ill, we filled a bowl with all her favourite eats each night. Sod the health issues, she had time to work through all her favourites such as cucumber, cheese, salmon, pumpkin seeds etc etc. She was a gourmand hamster! Not too unhealthy though, her fav treat was always cucumber. One day we even found out she liked orange, which was strange!

Cats are such wonderful creatures

Cassie likes to get into the dishwasher, if the door is left open, and check the dishs for anything interesting. So I now have to double check that I've closed the door, then open it again to make sure she hadn't already sneaked in on the bottom rack whilst I was stacking the top rack!

I am glad Lua is enjoing her food, az.

No way! This cat is cranky-on-wheels!

And I wouldn't have her any other way. As Roadkill said - she has CHARACTER. In spades.

I still have to tell the story about when Lua once looked after me. It's a good story. Will think about it and tell it soon.



az

sorry, that last posting of mine was to pheloxi

az

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/getfuzzy-20040202.html

My Benjamin doesn't eat people-food. He does like me to offer him the dregs of my cereal bowl, and once at a few pieces of popcorn, and some chips like there was no tomorrow, but won't touch them now.

He is on a maintenance diet for crystals in his urinary tract. I have tried giving him a "treat" no and again, of a little wet food which he loves, but every time, he starts having the pee problems, again. I haven't found anything else that he is okay on even for a treat. One time I had to give him the pills for his pee prob. (kitty-kat Prozac) I had the most horrifying experience. I think I must have used the same prescription twice before without having a mishap, but this time, I popped the pill down his throat, and within seconds, he was screaming and foaming at the mouth..... I was horrified.

I thought he was choking, but since he was making sound, I knew he wasn't. I immediately called the vet. Apparently, this perticular prescription is really foul-tasting and bitter. If you don't get it down their gullet quite fast enough or far enough, and it hits their tongue, the result is an immediate effort from the cat to get rid of the taste and get rid of it now.

From then on, I would take a little piece of bread and squish it up ontil it is doughy. Then I make it into a bowl-shape. Without touching the pill myself, I put the pill into the middle and mould the dough around the pill. It helps if I have someone to help me with that process. If he smells the pills on my fingers, I am sunk. I can't even let him hear the pill bottle rattle!

Then, I prise open his jaws and shove the little ball of dough as far down his throat as I can, clamp him mouth shut, and rub his throat until I am sure he has swallowed it.

The alternative is a cream that you have to spread on the inside of his ear. 1) it didn't work and 2) he wouldn't clean his ears, so he had all this old gummy ointment in his ears that I had to clean out for him, a process which he hated and fought claw and tooth.

Hi Az i use hill as part of cats diet normaly how they are fed by parents and dureing first 16 -18 weeks tends to dictate diet for rest of life>personal expearience <400+ cats<.As for keeping them to one propriotry brand no i also use iams a canadian one forget name at moment dog equiv(canovel).But also mix in cheap buiscuits.

You can feed cat on fresh food and treat as human needing special diet, if needed for hairball and such several natural remidys can be found , shallots grown in small pots ,along woth varios other grasses that cats love to nibble on will save some of your house plants getting chewed at the edges.I hate useing whiskas as due to bulk manufacturing and them changeing rescipe upset stomach on reg basis.

Feeding rice at kitten stage helps a lot ,when needed to put on bland diet later in life as rice can be flavoured with stock.Most cats do tend to develope paunch at age of 8/9 so Lua isnt unusual,wasnt she a street cat once ,the likeing for human food not unuseall , Henry love to try every thing ,eats of my finger very daintily,Lua might benifit in a diet of fish lean meat, with small amount of normal food.


I often hide bits of "good food" for henry round the flat and leave a bowl of "cheaper" food biscuits down at all time ,resulting behaviour
amuseing at time specialy when he wakes up and sees me eating,he then darts round all his hideing places checking them out.
oops to long a post

Mud hooks cats ears get a old jumper cut of sleeve to a size that will slip over cats head a smallest then if you slip over cat then wrap up in towel you can give pill or do ears,also availble in states are tubes for geting pills to back of throat

Excellent idea!

Maybe wrapping him in one of those when I am not at home will prevent him from running out of the house when my mother opens the door...

In more conducive weather, he lurks with intent by the door for my mother to come in and out. She says "He was by me in a flash!" she says. In fact, she takes so long to get in or out the door, and leaves the door open wide enough to let an entire herd of sloths out (or in, rather, as we don't have any in the house).

Mudhooks,

I once tried to give one of my cats a pill - will never try it again! I'm told if you want it to slide down the throat neatly then slather it in a bit of soft butter and - whoops - down it goes. This has never been MY experience! I always find the favouritist food they like and then mush up the pill in that and hope they will swallow the drugs and food at the same time. Which works for all my cats except Azar who very sneakily can SMELL any food tampering and then will not touch the stuff. Aaaargh.

Meanwhile, I could buy the CD anti-crystal-forming prescription food in a tin, but it is quite a bit more expensive than the already horrendously expensive dry food. As I say, I am lucky the boys love their 'biscuits' and gobble it up no problem. It's only Lua who is extra fussy about her food. But she happily ate her paté laced with antibiotics two weeks ago. Thank gawd!



az

Okay, it's an oldie, but it's still funny:


How to Give a Cat a Pill

1. Pick up the cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom and throw away soggy pill.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call partner in from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore growls emitted by cat. Get partner to hold cat's head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in a large towel and get partner to lie on cat with cat's head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of a drinking straw, force cat's mouth open with pencil and blow down straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans, drink a beer to take away the taste. Apply Band-aid to partner's forearm and remove blood from the carpet with soap and water.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbour's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck, so as to leave the head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check date of last tetanus shot. Apply whisky compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Ring fire brigade to retrieve the f***ing cat from tree across the road. Apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little bastard's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of the dining table. Find heavy pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of raw fish. Be rough about it. Hold head vertical and pour 2 pints of water down cat's throat to wash down pill.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get partner to drive you to Casualty, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill from your eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order a new table.

15. Arrange for RSPCA to collect the mutant cat from hell and ring local pet shop to see whether they have any hamsters.



How to Give a Dog a Pill


1. Wrap pill in bacon. Feed to dog.




az

Only cat owners will apprciate that i cannot understand why more medications are not given as enimas, might be slightly easier,Glaxo nb

that is hilarious. I'm afraid I leave pill adminstering to the vet, who nearly lost a finger last time!

On the enema/suppository front, the vet won't take Cassie's temperature as she almost got the finger she missed when being given her worming pill! So I think anything given via that route would have to be done under anaesthetic

How to give your cat a bath

Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed. That somehow they "lick" themselves clean. Well contrary to this popular belief, cats do NOT have some enzyme in their saliva that resembles Tide (with or without
bleach).

Cats, like their nemesis, the dog .... do get dirty and have a variety of odors... from smelling like the outhouse where you camped last year to the same odor as your dog's breath. (Remember... your dog will try to eat anything.)

Now we all know that cats HATE water. And we know that giving the cat a sedative to ease this process of a bath is out of the question.

So, the best approach is both sneaky and direct. Remember now, this is not the dumb dog who can be led to tub with lies and a trail of Kibbles and Bits.

Although your cat has the advantage of smarts, quickness and total lack of concern for you .... you have the advantage of size, strength, and the ability to wear protective garments.

1. First .... dress for the occasion. A 4-ply rubber wet suit is suggested, along with a helmet, face mask and welders gloves.

2. A Bathtub with a glass enclosure is preferred to the one with a shower curtain. A frenzied cat can shred one of these in about 3.5 seconds.

3. Have the Kitty Bubbles and towel in the enclosed bathtub area before hand. No ... blow drying the cat after the bath is not suggested.

4. Draw the water, making it a little warmer than needed as you still need to find the cat. Position everything strategically in the shower, so you can reach it even if you are face down or prone in the tub.

5. Find your cat. Use the element of surprise. Pick the cat up, nonchalantly as if you were simply carrying him/her to the supper dish. No need to worry about the cat noticing your strange attire . the cat barely notices you anyway.

6. Once you and the cat are inside the bathroom .... speed is essential. In one single liquid motion .shut the door to the bathroom, step into the shower, close the sliding doors, and drop the cat into the water. While the cat is still in a state of shock . locate the Kitty Bubbles and squirt whatever part of him is above the water line. You have just begun the wildest 45 seconds of your life. Remember that cats have no handles and add the fact that he now has soapy fur. His state of shock has worn off and he's madder than hell.

7. As best, you can, wearing welder's gloves, try to field his body as he catapults through the air toward the ceiling. If possible, give another squirt of Kitty Bubbles with his body now fully exposed.

8. During the 5 seconds you are able to hold onto him, rub vigorously. No need to worry about rinsing. As he slides down the glass enclosure into the tub, he will fall back into the water, rinsing himself in the process.

9. Only attempt the lather and rinse process about 3 times. The cat will realize the lack of traction on the glass by then and will use the next attempt on the first available part of you.

10. Next, the cat must be dried. No...this is NOT the easiest part. By this stage, you are worn out and the cat has just become semi-permanently affixed to your right leg. We suggest here that you drain the tub and in full view of
your cat . reach for the bottle of Kitty Bubbles.

11. If you have done step 10 correctly, the cat will be off your leg and hanging precariously from your helmet. Although this view of the cat is most disgusting, he will be in a much better position for wrapping the towel around him.

12. Be sure cat is firmly wrapped in towel before opening tub enclosure. Open bathroom door .... put towel wrapped cat on floor and step back quickly. Into tub, if possible, and do not open enclosure until all you can see is the
shredded towel.

13. In about 2 hours .... it will be safe to exit the bathroom. Your cat will be sitting out there somewhere looking like a small hedgehog while plotting revenge. But he does smell better?????

Mudhooks,

I've never considered bathing the cats and what I can never figure out is why their breath smells like cat food and their fur always smells fresh and clean, even though they are obviously covered in cat spit.

az

Well Az it to do with the glands in the base of the tail the one they keep licking, it scented ,dont forget thats where perfume comes from?





not that i,m saying that when you run out of perfume you dab a cats bum behind each ear,

No just kidding a lot of cats like birds cleanse by rolling in dust,bad breat is more to do with teeth decaying,whilst the tounge is used more asa a comb than cleanser even after bath cats lick them self clean.
must dash town centre ugh saterday morning double ugh ugh.

...and here was me just about to rub a cat's bum behind each ear.

That's a hard post to follow but just wanted to say that I too have read through the 100 posts I missed -- thereby earning friend points -- and wanted to add my 2 cents' worth to say I think this is the decision I would have made, too, Az.

I well remember having a cat with cancer a few years ago and going nuts trying to figure out how long to medicate him, when to put him down, etc. (No question of surgery; it was a blood cancer.) Friends said I would know when it was the right time. Well, I never did! Agonized over cutting short good days for him vs. prolonging pain. Whew. Always tough.

Lua is very lucky to have such a loving friend and caretaker. Remember that.

http://www.unknownwriter.com/photos/Hat_Cats/kitty_kermit.jpg

hi Big Red,

Well, I think making the decision not to operate was the hardest part. And I guess I had to go through all the ups and downs and worrying and crying and second-guessing to arrive at it (and it really meant a lot not to have to go through all that alone - thanks again everyone )

Now that I have made the decision and have accepted it as the best of a bad choice I have switched back to my usual Capricorn 'practical take care of things' mode. Which includes spoiling Lua constantly. At least now I can look at her without bursting into tears.

I know I'll end up going through it again once the cancer gets worse and when I have to decide to have her put down, but I'm not there yet. Am getting a crash course in carpe diem from Lua these days. I think it's good for both of us.



Mudhooks,

That photo is sooooooo undignified!

az