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

Just back from Maria's. The left ear is clear and healing but the right ear still remains blocked, though Maria managed to clean out a bit more of the gack. So, more injections (anti-inflammatory, anti-biotics) and she wants to see Azar again on Friday. Since he wasn't taking his pills easily after the first day I now have one injection to give him on Wednesday as well as keeping up the daily squirty stuff.

This trip Azar decided to pee in the cage and then ALL OVER ME when I took him out of the cage but he was quite calm (albeit somewhat stinky) on the way home.

I just hope the treatment works, though Maria said it might take some time as he obviously has had this problem for quite awhile.


az

Me again.

Today Maria asked a colleague to be there for Azar's appointment as she thought he might need his ears 'vaccuumed out' and she didn't want to do this on her own.

But it turned out that the daily cleaning had loosened the gack in his right ear and they were able to remove the blockage - and it was enormous! Poor guy.

So now, for the next ten days, I have to continue cleaning out his ears with the squirty stuff once a day (ha!) as well as administer anti-biotic drops in his ears twice a day (double ha!) *and* also give him oral anti-biotics, crushed up in malt (yeah right).

Am *seriously* not looking forward to this . . . just doing the once daily ear squirting thing was traumatic enough (for both of us!).




az

shame you could not practise on noggin, thats henrys favorate place for rubbing now,Would it be more fun to administer the medication via one of them power squirt rifles.

Well, it didn't go toooooooo badly this morning. Trapped Azar in the livingroom but then had to chase him around for ages before I could grab him . Then, as I held him down on a comfy chair, Noggin put the drops in. After than we smeared crushed pill in malt on his paw and we kept him trapped in the living room until I saw him lick it all off. I kind of suspect that the previous times we did this and let him run off under the bed he just waited for Sunny to come along and lick off the stuff off him.

But I mean, honestly, what a drama cat. He screamed bl**dy murder the whole time - and it doesn't even hurt! Though I think he was afraid today that grabbing him and picking him up meant another trip to Maria's. So maybe once he gets used to the idea that it's only about putting some drops in his ears and giving him a kiss and a cuddle he'll calm down . . . and pigs will fly . . .

Thing is, he always used to love me picking him up and giving him a cuddle and a bit of a walk around the flat with him in my arms . . . looks like those days are gone. Though at least he still snuggles up at night. So for him BED is still a 'safe place' where nobody does weird things to him.

Just nine and a half more days to go . . .

az

{{So for him BED is still a 'safe place' where nobody does weird things to him.}} That noogins reward for putting the drops in, scraches better

az, having the weird gack out of his ear has GOT to feel better than it did a week ago; he will get better and this can be prevented from happening again -- and he's going to forget about the chasing and screaming...well, maybe, but at least he'll feel better!

How are the trips to the gardens going? Any flash of gray in the shrubbery?

SC

Poor Laddie...

Does anyone know anything about "feline acne"? I know that certain cats are prone to it and that eating from plastic bowls can exacerbate it. Does anyone have any sure-fire methods of getting rid of it? (Feline acne, for the uninitiated, looks sort of like the worst case o blackheads you have ever seen).

Benjamin hasn't had it for a couple of years and the only plastic bowl he has come in contact is one I didn't think he was using (a plastic bowl for excess water beside his food. He has a ceramic one on the edge of the bathtub which he uses I thought exclusively.) However, he has a large area on his left lower lip and a smaller patch on his right lower lip.

Trying to wash his face with soap and water or even acne soap which the vet recommended is not the easiest thing to do with him. I am just wondering if there is something easier and more plesant (THAT will be the day).

My 'New Natural Cat' book says feline acne is a result of shedding, when the body goes into 'clean out mode', and means the organs of excretion are not working at top efficiency and are not handling wastes as they should. They recommend upgrading the cat's diet by removing all chemicals, meat by-products, preservatives, etc.

To clean the area, follow these steps:
1. Clean away any old dried exudation by first using a hot compress and then gently scraping away loose debreis with your fingernail.
2. Wash the area with a solution of 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 teaspoon Betadyne. Rinse *thoroughly*.
3. Apply peroxide with a cotton ball (it will foam on contact)
4. Rinse *thoroughly*.
5. Apply while vinegar solution (3 drops vinegar/1 once water)generously with cotton ball.
Repeat twice a day except skip step 2 after first application.

Now *that* sounds like fun!

Almost as fun as giving Azar eardrops. This morning the little f**ker peed all down the front of my dress while I was holding him down for Noggin to put the drops in.

Meanwhile, still no flashes of grey in the shrubbery.


az

Have to say that this 'Natural Cat' book was sent to me by a friend in Toronto. And although I 'get' and understand where the authors of this book are coming from (doing the utmost to ensure your cat has a natural and normal cat-like existence) some of it does make me cringe a bit.

Like how they believe that if you take a few minutes to explain to your cat what sort of treatment you are about to inflict upon them, then the cat will *understand* and be much more managable.

Ummmm . . .

To me it's a bit of an extreme book in that they recommend only totally natural and holistic remedies . . . but frankly, if my cat has a serious ear infection (and he does), I don't think anti-biotics are a 'bad treatment' method.

And as I said before, there is the laughable diagram about how to wrap a cat in a towel for administering either pills or other treatments. These people have obviously never met Azar.

I really can't imagine that if I took a few moments to explain to Azar what we were about to do - stick a few drops in his ears and then give him crushed pill mixed with malt rubbed on his paw - that he would suddenly go - 'oh, why didn't you say so? Hey, no problem, I'll just leap up on the comfy chair and not pee all over you, okay? Thanks for letting me know.'



az

yes...well...apart from anything else - if your cat has an ear infection and his/her ears are all gunked up how are they supposed to hear you when you explain what you are about to do?!

I am dreadful when it comes to getting Charlie to the vee-ee-tee. I start saying sorry to him before I have even got the carrier out from under the stairs. He always senses something is up when I lock the cat flap, then he hides under things. I make sure I never "catch" him in the bedroom as this really is his sanctuary. I lure him out with treats first.

Good luck for the next few days az... to Azar.

My boy is driving me nuts this morning!

I fed them both their favorite canned food, and gave them their *new*-ish natural food I'm trying out (per a discussion on Ask...) and they seemed very happy. But it's a couple of hours later and Rocket is in his run-like-hell-and-growl bit! I've petted him, talked to him, played with him -- all things that usually stop his griping, but he's still a bit grumpy.

I gave him his *physical* (just a gentle check out, really, and I already did him yesterday, the usual weekly day for it). I THINK it's because he's bored, but we already played and everything. Poor little Missy doesn't get half the attention that that little drama dude gets!

And now he's napping in the window. "What we have here is a fail-yuh to communicate."

SC

How's the new food going, SC? I've always been told that cats should be very gradually changed into any sort of new diet.

Meanwhile, I'm going to take back what I said earlier when I somewhat scoffed at this:

<>

Because I've now tried it. And if I sit in front of Azar while he is 'trapped in the livingroom' hiding under the chair and quaking in his little paws and tell him in a calm voice that it's just the ear drops and it doesn't hurt at all, and he knows it doesn't hurt, and it will all be over and done in just two minutes . . . and then I reach for him . . . he doesn't run away. He still squawks a bit but it seems to actually work better if I talk to him a bit beforehand.

For the first few days I was just doing the anti-biotic ear drops morning and night, with the penicillin/malt smear on the paw, because the thought of ALSO giving Azar a daily ear washing with this other ear cleaning product seemed just too much. But then I called Maria to see if this was okay and she said . . . NO! That the cleaning was just as important and that I should stop thinking about how difficult it is *for me* and think more that Azar actually needs the full treatment.

ishly . . . so, um, I guess she told me. So now we are also doing the mid-day ear cleaning as well.

<> (Lady)

Azar's favourite place to hang out is on one of the bedroom balconies. And his best 'trick' is to hide under the bed when I go looking for him. It's our new king-size bed and Azar seems to know I can't actually grab him when he's under there because it's too wide for me to reach under.

At first I had to 'scare' him out from under the bed by sliding a plastic hanger towards him, but these days he seems to almost accept the inevitable and the minute I move the head of the bed away from the wall he scampers into the living room. Where my accomplice Noggin is waiting, and who immediately closes the living room door. Then Azar starts wailing as if his life is about to end.

But I'm serious. Just taking a minute to talk to him as he sits trembling under the chair really does seem to help! Before he would run all around the living room, hiding here and there while I chased him around before finally grabbing him. But when I take the time to talk to him for awhile he calms down and then lets me pick him up.

Weird, eh?


az

I have patiently explained to Benjamin that when I pick him up I am going to hug and cuddle him and scratch his scalp and rub his tummy and I get exactly the same reaction as when I explain to him that I am about to clip his toenails or check his teeth.... in fact, I might as well be telling him that I about to extract his toenails with a pair of pliers and poke him with sharp sticks for the reaction I get.

The information on cleaning the acne is pretty well what I had done in the past, to no avail. The cause, as my vet explained is from using plastic bowls or plates to feed and water him.

Certainly, it isn't diet as that hasn't changed in several years except for the odd foray into supermarket dried kibble when I run out of the special diet food from the vet.

My ex used to corral him and extraxt the gunk using a toothpick and I would wash his chin with warm water and an acne soap. It didn't seem to work any better or worse than just leaving him be.... well, marginally better, I suppose, but the cure was often more trouble than the problem.

I have taken away the plastic water dish and replaced it with ceramic. Hopefully, this will help.

By the way.... I walked into the house last night and there was a horrific smell.... I honestly wondered if a bear had sh!t in my house.

My mother said that Benjamin had just gotten out of his catbox.

It was, quite honsetly, the most horrifica stench I have ever experienced eminating fom one cat. I cannot think what he could possibly have eaten to cause him to create such an all-pervasive and deadly stink. Cetainly, his "business" doesn't usually make itself very apparent at all usually.

<>

But . . . what reaction is that?

Azar used to adore me picking him up and carrying him around the flat - it was a bit of a game. Until I started stuffing him into the cat cage and taking him out on scary trips to the vet, and later picking him up only to stick gunk in his ears and make him lick other gunk off his leg.



But I have honestly found that if I talk to him a bit before I grab him, then I don't actually have to 'grab him', as such, I can just reach over and pull him towards me. There's less resistance on his part.

Re: the cat acne. Lua had it for years under her chin. I used to scrape it off at times and wash the area, but it never went away.


az

He used to have it all the time, but for the last two year it has been gone.... until now.

az said: "How's the new food going, SC? I've always been told that cats should be very gradually changed into any sort of new diet."

I was adding it gradually; they have just as gradually stopped eating. They LOATHE it; I can't afford to dump it, but am back to Science Diet, gradually (and while I am working currently) and will have to go back to the slightly cheaper Purina Indoor Cat Formula, when I'm not. That they like. I figure the Purina was just as okay for them, as they are both as healthy as they can be.

BTW, I love the subtlety of the name: "Indoor Cat Formula", so much more polite than "fat-tub-of-a-tabby formula."

RE: cat chin acne: Rocket had it when he was a little cat, made his chin all red, puffy, and shiny; now it's all healed, black skin covered with black fur. Didn't really do anything to it, just washed it lightly with a soft damp clean cloth, when he seemed bothered the most by it.

SC

The Natural Cat book says that since raw food doesn't have as strong a taste as cooked foods that at first you might have to mix them half-and-half with canned food, or else enhance the flavour with 'bribe foods' (strong tasting, strong smelling treats) until the cat gets used to the change.

Some bribe food examples given:
- 1/2 jar baby food creamed corn
- 1 lightly cooked chicken liver
- 1 inch piece of sardine in tomato sauce
- 3 to 4 drops tamari soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon baby food lamb (smeared all over the top)

If the Indoor Cat food (yeah, subtle name) is canned then maybe you can use this 50/50?

I've decided that at ages 10 and 12, Azar and Sunny are actually very healthy looking. They both have very shiny coats and bright eyes. So I don't think I'll be changing their food. Though right now they are both on Science Diet RD (diet food) which they seem to enjoy as much as the CD stuff. Which reminds me, must go pick up more RD today . . . adios 38€!


az

This morning we gave Azar his last crushed pill in malt and his last dose of ear-drop antibiotics. But we are going to keep up with the cleaning ear drops for a few more days as we didn't do that at the beginning.

Maria says we don't have to bring him in again as the treatment *should* have worked fine. But we're supposed to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, we are supposed to clean out both Azar's and Sunny's ears with the cleaning drops and some gauze about every three weeks.

After these past ten days once every three weeks will be nuthin.

Do you guys clean your cat's ears regularly? According to Maria this is standard 'cat maintenance' and I feel very remiss for not having done it before.


az

Yup about every six months, always playing with ears when he's sparked out beside me or on lap as love th suede like feel of them, and clip his claws, every month or so, also check teeth every six months or so used to rub them with little finger when first got him never got round to cleaning his teeth, luckly only have to pick u his flea comb and he is on lap waiting to be stroked with it,(have to hide the frontline bottle first though)