R - E - S - P - E - C - T at the Spa

Oscar and Whitey got their spa day for their teeth and nails on Wednesday.  However, they didn't consider it that.

Reliable reports had Whitey asking for his lawyer all the time he was awake.

However, Oscar made Whitey look happy.   He was sufficiently fractious (their words) they could not sedate him normally, and instead gave him an injection in the rear flank.   This made him recover more slowly, to the point that we were advised when calling to check on them that he may need to kept in a safe room over night.   So +Katherine Derbyshire prepped the downstairs lavatory (she wanted the larger more familiar library, I wanted the smaller safer bathroom), and off we went to check on them in person and hopefully rescue them from the clutches of the vet.

I think Oscar would say evil <expletive> vet.   Oscar's motor skills were iffy, but his lungs were just fine -- upon our arrival in the back treatment room, he gave a hiss worthy of a cat twice his size.    He was in the wrong (larger) carrier, but we decided to let him stay and stuff the larger Whitey into the smaller carrier for the ride home.   Our vet was vaguely disappointed by our decision ... at least he said that he would pay good money to see us transfer Oscar between carriers.

Yea, right.  We didn't need the money, and we are not that stupid.   We know to respect an annoyed cat's personal space.   (Her Emilyness taught us well, many years ago ...)

Whitey, who wasn't in the second carrier yet, went in fine.   He did continue to meow for his lawyer, of course.

We got home, locked up Oscar in his safe room, let Whitey out wobble around, and got everyone an early snack.  Neither cat who went to the spa ate much then or at dinner time, which was no surprise.

Oscar got released on parole at 9 PM, and was wobbly but in moderately good spirits as soon as he was free.  He did want to cuddle, but he also was hissing with the least provocation.

Both boys recovered their appetites the following day.

Saving the best for last ... the blood work for each of them was fine.

Take Three: Oscar at the Vet

A week after the Catzilla brothers went to the vet, it was Oscar's turn.  I took him personally.

He's healthy, has lost a half pound (which vet liked), strongly objected to having his temperature taken (we skipped it again this year), and like Whitey needs his teeth cleaned.

Since Oscar doesn't always handle shots well and, like all the boys, is a strictly indoor cat, we skipped the feline leukemia shot.

We'll bring Whitey and Oscar in together for a spa day.   Oscar will get a basic blood work done while sedated then to make up not taking his temperature.

Birthday Kitten(s)

Lots of small things have been going on, which hopefully we'll get to later in the week, but today is simply:

Happy Birthday Penwiper!

Yes, Fluff for Brains is 3 years old today.  

Also, Oscar is 5 sometime this month, we don't know exactly when.

The Annual Day of Catzilla Torture

Billy and Whitey went in for their annual check up and shots today with Katherine.   As usual, Whitey announced loudly that he wants his lawyer, and as usual the vet loved their weight.

Not usual is that Whitey doesn't seem to be caring for his coat as well the vet would like, which could be a sign of illness.   He also needs his teeth cleaned, so he'll go back in for spa day of teeth and nail care, and also get full blood work done.

Well, we'll tell him it's a spa day.

Photo Weekend Extra: Equal time

No sooner did I save my previous post than Oscar came along and asked how come Fluff for Brains gets all the attention.

Oscar is not amused. 

Once more, with fluff

Just realized we never posted a further update about Penwiper. He had another rough few days, including probiotics to help get his digestion back on track. But we are happy to report that he is now back to his normal self, including viciously attacking and attempting to devour his toys.

(Side note: Billy loves yogurt! But we aren't sure it loves him.)

This picture was actually taken before the whole mess, but I like it.

Penwiper poses, awaits attention. 

Penwiper and The Vet, Paw de Deux

After the Caturday Night Vet visit, Penwiper seemed mostly a quiet normal Sunday, except he wasn't eating.  This wasn't a surprise, given the stuff he was pumped full to make him make him vomit.    (Do that to your stomach and see if you want to eat the following day.)

Unfortunately, he still wasn't eating yesterday (Monday).   So it was back to his regular vet at Kenmore Animal Hospital.  The doctor checked Penwiper out, X-rayed him again, and didn't find anything out of sorts.  For example, the bubbles in his digestive tract looked good.  (The things you clutch at when your cat is sick ...) Home PW came.

Penwiper then hid under a table in the library and didn't even come downstairs for dinner.   Not good.  Also, his purr was AWOL, which is truly rare.  I served a private meal for him, with yummy fish flakes on it, and he didn't touch it.   He did say hello to Katherine in her office late in the evening, and that was it.

PW did wander down for breakfast today, but didn't eat.  We served him privately with more fish flakes on it and he still didn't touch it.   The Tiger Trio riot +Katherine Derbyshire almost caused with the flakes is a different story -- but we now know the flakes are still good though.)   So we made an appointment for now (11:30 AM), although we didn't want to, because we both think half his troubles are caused by packing him up and dragging him off to the vet.

Luckily, he didn't go.  Rather, after he had a slightly more active morning with some purring, we served him brunch and he did eat 4 grams.  A normal meal is 20 grams, but anything is fine at this point.

So it's back to watching, petting, and feeding for now.    All that, and letting PW hide under Katherine's futon while he figures out how his snack is sitting.

Caturday Night's Alright for ... Vet Visits?

Katherine informed me last night (Saturday) that Billy had asked for evening playtime, which the boys had not had in a few days.   We got out the pom-pom wand (mostly for Billy) and the Mylar tassel wand for Oscar and Penwiper, and commenced our normal routine.

The normal routine includes private light playtime for Oscar with the tassel while Billy, no longer young, climbs cat towers chasing the pom-pom.  Then one of us puts PW through his paces.   That includes some serious leaping and climbing, including floor to ceiling sprints to get the tassel off my bookshelf.   He usually fails of course, as with the tassel on the end of a wand & string, the mechanical advantage means a snap of the wrist can move it faster than a cat in his prime leaping up and across several feet.     (But he's close, which means he's good.)

Since Penwiper didn't catch it at all during the last night's session, I slowed down as we finished.   He then did catch it, and as expected he nommed on the toy until I gently pried it away from him.   I gave the wand to Katherine to put away along with the one she used with Billy ...

... and then normal ended when I saw PW was nomming on an end of a single piece of Mylar which had obviously come loose from the tassel.  By end, I mean he was nomming on under half an inch (of a ~ 5" inch tassle), implying the rest was in him.  Sweet Ceiling Cat,  a linear intestinal blockage in the making.  I freaked, especially since by the time I figured out how to turn the halls lights (yes, I wasn't thinking straight, I've lived in this house 6 years) to get a better look, it's ... gone.

I dove for the computer, looked up the issue, and then called A.E.S. Kirkland, the 24x7 vet serving the Eastside.

They said bring him in.   We took him in.

They gave him both an injection and some hydrogen peroxide to try to induce him to vomit, but he didn't.   They then X-rayed him at our request (which didn't show anything, but didn't mean it *wasn't* there).  Finally, they sent us home advising he might still vomit and telling what to look for if he didn't.   We paid (a pretty reasonable amount, given the prompt professional service at midnight on a Saturday), and took him home.

He got out of the carrier, laid down on the comfort of the living room carpet (covered by a training pad) ... and barfed over the side of the pad onto the rug proper.  Then he wandered a few feet to the corner of the room and did it again.   There was no tassel that we could see, but since he emptied his stomach, our concern was (and is) greatly alleviated.

The carpet messes?   Routine.   And I've never wanted to see cat barf so much in my life.  (And Katherine, bless her, is the one who cleaned it up.)

This morning he didn't each much, but he got something in him and a he's slowly returning to normal, including seeking us out and purring.

We'll keep an eye on him, but we think he's okay.

Sunday Afternoon Update:  He's still vomiting most (all?) food, otherwise seems recovering.   We're watching him.

Photo Extra: New Nap Spot!

Billy has a habit of hopping into open dresser drawers, so that's who I thought this was at first. But on closer inspection, all that white identifies this as the other Catzilla brother, Whitey.

The new Whitey Cave

Photo Friday: Mom's Home, Pile On!

+Katherine Derbyshire traveled on business from Sunday through Friday afternoon, and she was indeed missed.  Within minutes of her getting home, she was directed to resume her duties as senior self-heating cat cushion for Oscar and Billy.

Katherine the Self-Heating Cat Cushion

Only Penwiper routinely uses me as a self-heating cat cushion, I guess I am too fidgety for Billy and Oscar.

Photo Friday: Some toys are just classics

I heard a familiar noise from the library this morning. When I went to check, I found Whitey happily attacking his old friend, the turboball. 

The Quiet Hunter attacks

A few minutes after this picture was taken, Whitey was quietly sitting to the left of the turbo ring. Oscar came up along the right side and gave the ball a tentative poke. It started to roll, but Whitey stopped it and glared at Oscar. "My ball! You can't have it!"

Billy loves... garlic?

You wouldn't think so, but I was sautéeing garlic and onions the other night, and there he was, pacing around my feet and making happy Billy noises.

It took me a while, but I finally figured it out.

I make a fair number of dishes where cream is added to finish a preparation of sautéed vegetables. And when I cook with cream, I often give Billy the few drops left in the measuring cup. These dishes usually start with, you guessed it, garlic and onions.

Intelligent cat that he is, he has apparently decided that garlic and onions are a sign that cream (CREAM!!) must be coming soon.

Unfortunately for him, this particular dish went in a different direction, with raisins and pineapple and other good things (for humans), but no cream. I had to let him sniff my hands to convince him not to be such a pest.

Photo Weekend Extra: A Ninja in His Natural Hobbitat

Taken one handed with a camera phone.

Penwiper on A Favorite Downstairs Cat Cushion -- me

Behold the ferocious watch kitty

Penwiper is very ferocious. If he hears a strange noise outside, he'll run to the top of the stairs, growling menacingly.

If someone actually rings the doorbell, though, well...

Penwiper Hiding Under Futon in Back Office

Happy Birthday!

Just a short note ...

It was on this day in 2004 that our senior feline overlords, Whitey and Billy were born.  Happy birthday to our Catzilla Brothers!

Random note ... I just noticed that as of this writing, each Catzilla brother has exactly the same number of posts (156).   What a team.

Photo Weekend Extra: The Longest Cat

Yesterday Billy joined me for watching the The Longest Day, the 1962 movie about D-Day. Here he is lying on my leg:

Billy using the Hobbit as a self-heating Cat Cushion

And then when I got up, he did what he always does -- claim the warm spot for himself:

"You were sitting here, but it's mine now."

Fortunately, he's not big enough to commandeer the entire couch.

Photo Weekend: Penwiper's Nose Redux

In a shocking turn of events, Penwiper got his nose scratched.   Again.   Here it is after it has healed a couple of days.

Penwiper and his scratched nose

Penwiper arrived on my desk just as I captioned the photo.  As I put him in the tower behind my desk (the same one as pictured), I also felt a small scab on the tip of his left ear.    I really wish he didn't annoy his armed housemates so.

It's a cat's world, we just live here

The Pacific Northwest is, apparently, the cat capital of the United States. In Seattle, cats outnumber both dogs and children under 18.

While the Kitten Farm is not in the City of Seattle proper, the Feline Overlords inform me that the area's priorities are where they should be. Or they would, if it weren't for their afternoon naps.

Photo Weekend: Oscar Plays Wii U

We recently got a Wii U, and Oscar decided to join us.   Sort of.

Oscar Snuggling During Wii U Time

Okay, what he really was doing looking for a rub (and rubbing back, hence the blurry head) while Katherine had her hands full.  But he's still a snuggly kitten.

Photo Friday: Littermates 9 Years On

Whitey and Billy don't often nap together, mostly because they each have their own preferred spots around the Kitten Farm West.   But that doesn't mean our Catzilla brothers aren't a handsome pair together.

Photo Weekend Extra: Show Me The Way

As noted, Whitey recently was the first cat in five years to leap to the top of hutch; I dragged the cat tower over to let him down the easy way.

What I didn't mention was that Billy and Penwiper both took the opportunity given by the tower to visit the hutch; this wasn't noteworthy, because a cat tower on the move always draws a crowd.   What is noteworthy is that Penwiper must have learned from the experience -- last night he blasted off to the top of the hutch without help.

Penwiper Does the Hutch on his Own

This was somewhat unexpected but not a complete shock.    Also unexpected was that he didn't wait for a ride down, but instead leaped down to the side table we keep in front of the window for feline bird watching hunting.

Note that dropping 10 pounds 5 feet onto a wooden surface is not a quiet event, even if the 10 pounds knows how to land properly.   I suspect it's enough effort in both directions that Penwiper, like Whitey,  won't do it again soon, although they will each keep the option open.

Update:  I'm wrong, as usual.   Penwiper did it again the following day.