Pet Lovers

[Annabellethecat66]

@Sammycat1  I'm sorry, I didn't know your furbaby died.  

I've had several die, Penelope, Fabio, Annabelle, Jack, Cleopatra (Cleo) .

Now I just have Katie and Bill.  The other's are in my cabinet.  Each is in a wooden box with their names and the date they died and that's all in a velvet bag.

I had them cremated.  The most I had at one was was 3 and they all found me, except Katie and Bill, I picked them.

They are still adjusting to my daughter's mid size dog staying here.  They walk very cautiously.

[sceniccoast]

@Shop Till you Drop 

You can't help but remember with love your Mom & Sweet Babies.  They'll be with you forever.  Try to remember the wonderful times with them.

You're thought of very fondly from all of us.  Take care.

[Shop Till you Drop]

Thank you so much Dear Friends, you all mean the world to me, and when feeling low, I know you are right people to share my grief with, as you all understand, what a broke heart truly feels like...hugs dear ones...

[Sammycat1]

Thursday report:  Greetings Schmoosters!

@Annabellethecat66thank you.  I started the original of this thread 10 years ago when my Schmoo got sick with a rare heart failure. Folks from all over the country cheered him on for nearly three years, when he passed away. He was an exceptional cat and this thread became a lasting community, forged by a common respect and love for him and one another.

@Shop Till you DropWe'll always be with you, good times and not-so-good times. It's cathartic to be able to go someplace where others understand what you're going through. We've got broad shoulders--lean on us!

DH and I are getting older by the minute. This whole business of the gut issues with Frankie has us and the vet temporarily stumped. She is getting us up, with meow cries, almost at 4 a.m. on the dot. (This is after I stay up to give her pain medicine for stomatitis at 1 a.m.) Sometimes it's because she's got gas or something and has to go; others, she wants DH up to feed her by the window where she watches the morning songbirds and bunnies.

The soft stools come and go. Her most excellent vet will figure her out. I always worry that cancer is causing this, but she's maintaining her weight and was cleared by all testing. She's got some increased itching, too. It seems like a combo of food intolerance and existing GI problems, very frustrating to figure out.

In the meantime, she relaxes. This is the best medicine:

[Annabellethecat66]

You know something similar (in that he died because of his heart) with my cat (Jack).  He was the last cat I had before Bill and Katie were adopted.

It was just strange.  He seemed like he was OK then suddenly he was having trouble.  I think it was his breathing.

I'd made an appointment to have him checked out with the vet.  Then on Friday evening he suddenly seemed worse.

So, I  took him to an emergency animal clinic (my regular Vet told me to go there).  I'd never been there before.

They took Jack in a back room and wouldn't let me go in to keep him company.  That upset me.  But then they came out and said they wanted him to stay overnight.  

I said, "No way.  I'll take him to our regular Vet first thing Monday morning" (which was the appointment I'd already made).  So, he came home with me.  He wasn't breathing hard and seemed pretty good.  Oh!  I do remember that they said he had a bladder infection.

He was wild when he came to my house...just showed up one day.  So I had a hard time keeping him in the house.  He would go outside mid-morning, come in for lunch and go back out for a few hours in the evening (weather permitting). 

My development are all 1 acre lots (wooded) and all of the streets are dead ends.  The development is small.  In the evenings and morning neighbors all walk in the street around the neighborhood.  He always stayed pretty much in my yard and loved the woods.

So, on Monday morning he went out to play and I called him in after he'd been out for about 2 hours (time to go to the Vets).

He came running in, just like nothing was wrong.

At the Vets the Dr took him into the back room where they take blood, etc.

My Vet whom I've known for many years, said he'd like to keep Jack overnight just to keep an eye on him.  He said he didn't like the way his heart (first I'd heard about his heart) was beating...didn't sound right.

The next morning, I got a call around 6:00AM telling me to come quickly to the Vets.  They are only about 15 minutes from me.  I went flying down the road.

The Vet came out with Jack and said he was really bad off.  He said Jack was suffering really bad.  He looked terrible!  

I started crying.  He was the last cat left from when my husband was alive.  My husband named him.

The Vet said it was time to help him pass.  I sat there for probably 1/2 hour just holding him and crying.  People came to see the Vet with their animals and he kept that room just for me.

Finally I said he was suffering and I was being selfish.  So the Dr gave him the shot (that's all I remember).  I held him until he died.

I'd already lost Fabio (he was my husband's favorite cat).  We called him Bo.  He was called a van (so I was told) black and white.  He showed up on my back porch matted and a broken front tooth.  He was another one I couldn't keep in the house.  He actually sprayed in the house after I had him neutered.  I had to have all of my carpet (wall to wall) replaced and had to seal the wood underneath the carpet because the urine was so strong.

I'd also lost Annabelle and Penny (Penelope) in a short amount of time.  Except with Penny I said I would not put her to sleep.  We knew she'd died quickly.  I put her in bed with me and was loving her when she died. 

Phew!  So much death in such a short amount of time.

I never intended to get anymore cats.  My friend who is the Vet's nurse came to me and said, "Bring your carriers.  We're going to get you a cat.  You need another cat in your life".

I said, "OK, but I don't want just one.  It must be two because I don't want them to be lonely".

That's how I ended up with Bill and Katie.

Are  you still awake?  Ha!  So that's my story.  People who normally dislike cats, love Bill.  Bill is very much a people person.  He acts like he'll go home with you.

Thank goodness he doesn't try to run out the door.  But...that's how I broke my back.  I was talking to a friend and the front door was open (she was standing in the doorway).

For some reason Bill (who was at the top of the stairs (split foyer) came running down the steps and was almost out the door.  I reached down to grab him and the rug slipped out and I tried to catch myself so I propelled with a lot of force up against the stairs.

I knew immediately it was bad, really bad.  It knocked me out for a few seconds.  My head hit one step and my back the other step.

I kept trying to get in to see my back Dr but as I eventually found out people who work for him had the virus so he had to shut down the entire office.

This was at the height of the virus.  Two weeks later my daughter flew in from Denver to get me to the Drs and she stayed the first time for 1 month.  Then she flew back home and drove here with her dog.  That time she stayed 3 months.  Driving me everywhere.  It was sheer hell because everything was shut down (no getting blood drawn, x-rays, etc.)  Sheer hell.

So, that's my story.  Oh!  When I finally got an MRI done, my vertebra had started healing (the wrong way).

I ended up going to a Dr who specializes in putting cement in vertebra's.  She had to use two size mallots and chisels to chip away  the bone.

It was as terrible as it sounds.

[Sammycat1]

Friday report:   Greetings, Schmoosters!

@Annabellethecat66the way your poor cat Jack died from heart failure is the way most cats die...you don't even know they have heart problems until the either the day they die or very close to it. This happened to our other cat pictured in the earlier post with Schmoo--she died within 2 hours of diagnosis. So Schmoo:  he is one miracle cat.

Now to current events: Frankie's vet believes that she needs a different antibiotic, plus he thinks what's really going on is pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (an unfornuate condition often sparked by the pancreatitis). Basically it means the pancreas can't process the food properly, so we'll need to give Frankie enzymes so that it works. I'm a little nervous about this because the enzymes should be given with the big meals...only Frankie doesn't eat any food for any length of time...she's a "hunt and peck" eater. Another "hold your breath" situation.

But she herself is not concerned. She just had a good drink out of her executive water fountain and has turned in for a "just-after-midday" nap.  One must get one's beauty sleep, after all, to stay "Frankie Strong:"

[sceniccoast]

@Sammycat1 

Another "Frankie" mystery .. just when you've mastered her meds, now another change.  But, we all know, when it comes to your Frankie, you'll do everything & anything within your power to care & comfort her.

Sweet Frankie:  you're one very fortunate kitty to have such loving parents & so many here sending you prayers each day.  We're so thankful your Mom posts all these photos for us to see how you're doing.  I'll bet my 2 sr. girls were napping when you were. 

I hope you felt well enough to chatting with your critter friends?  I wish you & your Mom & Dad a sunfilled, cooler weekend to enjoy.

Sending you comfort hugs, prayers & sweet dreams precious Little Angle Girl.  

[Annabellethecat66]

So Bill has issues with his pancreas.

When it starts acting up we put him on amoxicillin for 1 week and he gets better.

Bill is on prescription cat food too.  He gets the same way that Grumpy cat had.

I watch Bill like a hawk.  Easy to do because he usually follows me around the house.

We are still getting used to not having Luna Lee, the dog here.

I hope your little boy gets better soon.

Bill’s health would improve if he’d drink water...he refuses and it drives me crazy.

[beastielove]

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@NickNack wrote:

@Sammycat1   You said you'd like to see a picture of my Sophie.  I had a pet photographer take some pictures of her and another dog that I had.  This is Sophie.  She was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever had.

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@NickNack 

Am doing "catch up"this morning

on this and a few other threads

that I always post on and just saw

this photo of your beautiful Sophie.

I truly believe that Divine Intervention

meant for your home to be her love

filled forever home just as it meant

for a precious Calico kitty who had

been dumped to make her way under

my Jeep that was in my office's

parking lot one cold rainy December

day in 2001.

I named her Sophie and she filled my

life with her gentle love until the day

I sent her to The Bridge in May 2014

...two weeks shy of her 14th birthday.

---------------------------------

All of my children have paws  =^..^=

[beastielove]

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Caturday Morning Greetings

Wishing @Sammycat1,DH,Kitty Sitter

and all of my dear Schmoo sisters a

very peaceful and chill-laxing day.

Sending out more healing prayers and

pawsitive energy to sweet Frankie and

to all of the other precious furbabies

who are still in need.

         (((((GROUP HUG)))))

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All of my children have paws  =^..^=