My Blog
Dear Snakes and Mice
Dear Snakes and Mice,
Mom and Dad said that we are moving in with you soon. They said that they put in an offer on the house where you are living and that we will be moving in with you in approximately 5-6 weeks. This is your warning. It is a fair warning, with plenty of time for you to heed the warning, we highly recommend that you move out. We know you enjoy the ocean view and lots of space, but we are taking over. You may see us and think we look sweet, but when we see you, we will not think you LOOK sweet, we will think you TASTE sweet, and we will get you. Your only consolation is that there are no snakes and mice where we live now, and therefore, we are inexperienced hunters, but rest assured, we will figure it out. It will not be a quick meeting between us and you. We will play with you for hours and hours, to the point that most humans will have sympathy for you, then we will play some more. Maybe you will learn your lesson and escape, or maybe not. Heed our warning, lil snakes and mice, we are the Cat Heads, and we are moving in!!!
Louie, Melvink, TYK, and Kiddo
My tail popped!
Ready for a moment of EWWWW??? I'll be gentle. Louie here. I have had a bump on my tail for a few months and Mom took me to the vet a while ago, and he said it's a benign cyst. The worst thing that might happen is it could pop and get infected and I could get sick from it. Well we'll spare you the details, but it popped! Mom has been putting some povodone iodine on it and sometimes holds it with a warm, wet paper towel to draw out the "stuff". So far, it has not caused me any health troubles! I am feeling fine, but beware, if you pick me up, watch where you put your hands!
We have been gone
Hi pals! Sorry we've been so out of touch! We've been having lots of fun. Ya see, our Daddy is a firefighter in California, so he's been real super busy for months, but he got to come home for a few days this week! So Mom took some time off work and we all got to be together! They were gone a lot, they took the dumb dogs to the cabin, but at least we got to see Daddy for a while! We had a lot of fun. Mostly we just sit on top of some boxes cuz the puppy can't reach us up here, but Mom made it into a jungle gym for us and we love it! Anyway, Daddy's had to go back to work now, so we're gonna try to catch up with you all again! Hope you've all had a fun week!
The Cat Heads
FIRES and PUPPIES
Oh boy, do we hate fire! For a real good reason. Apparently there's a fire burning real close to Mom and Dad's cabin. We never get to go there but Mom takes the dumb dogs out there every weekend, and we love it, cuz then we get the whole house to ourselves! We wish Mom was home, but we'd rather she was gone that have the dumb dogs home. But now because of the fire, the dumb dogs are staying home! What a frustration this is for us Cat Heads! And our Dad is out fighting the fires so Mom has to take care of the dumb dogs and it takes up all her time and the only attention we get is pets after the puppy attacks us. Oh boy, do we hate fire! And puppies! We don't know how much danger the cabin is in. The fire is less than a mile away and coming towards us, but it's spreading real slow. We really hope it doesn't burn down because we want the dumb dogs to spend LOTS of time there! Plus, things have been so weird around here... Mom has boxes of stuff all over the place, some that are full of stuff from the Cat House, others that are full of stuff from the cabin. We thought she brought the cabin stuff home so it won't burn, but why the boxes at the Cat House? There are rumors going around here that in a couple months we're going to be moving closer to some cat named Kitty Man. We've met Kitty Man here on MCS but never face to face. We are real nervous cats lately. The puppy has turned our lives upside down as it is, but we NEED the fire to stop so the dumb dogs will go to the cabin, and we want to understand what's up with all the boxes! Darn it, a Cat Head needs to know! Poor Melvink hardly ever comes downstairs anymore, she's just too confused and PO'ed at the puppy. Even TYK, who is the most tolerant cat in the world, is frustrated. I, the Queen of the Cat Heads, am the only one strong enough to stand my ground against the puppy. I let the puppy know who is boss and SHE is afraid ME, it's just too bad I don't have claws or I'd really put her in her place. Now if I can fight off a puppy, I can surely fight off a forest fire. Someone get me a good pair of boots and a hose! I've gotta get the Cat Heads livelihood back!
Meow,
Louie
Kiddo: Stupid Puppy
Look! I am trying SO hard to get over my addiction to Pipe Cleaners. I have been attending PCA (Pipe Cleaners Anonymous) meetings for a while. I was doing better. Now I am cured. The stupid puppy stole my pipe cleaner, and now it is gross. ICK! Puppy slobbers! That's why I am cured. Now my favorite pipe cleaner stinks like a stupid puppy. I don't like the puppy. He nips at my bum.
a new PUPPY!
OK, so it's bad enough that we Cat Heads have to deal with a 120 pound Golden Retriever dog in our house. But now Mom and Dad had the nerve to go adopt a BABY dog! Yeah, can you believe it? We're real confused by it so far. It's kind of a like a shrunken down version of Olie- it's about our size. Maybe it's previous owner left it in the dryer for too long. But it apparently came out of the laundry full of energy too. It just rattles around all over the place, all awkward and hitting its head on everything. Kiddo tried to sniff it a few times, but it was so full of pi** and vinegar, it just kept rattling on! TYK even tried to play with it, but he couldn't understand the strange games that this mutant was playing. As for me (Louie) and Melvink? Well, we just disappeared. We went upstairs and waited by the bedroom door until Mom would let us in there, out of the disaster path this creature was causing. We are shocked by the presence of this thing. Wasn't our protest over Olie enough? Mom must think we're made of rubber and we'll just be flexible and adapt to whatever she throws at us. Well I protest! Hmph. Puppies smell funny anyway.
Olie and Ember
Kiddo: My obsession with pipe cleaners
Boy, I sure have been in trouble lately! Mom has this craft basket, and I am absolutely obsessed with it. It's her fault. She has several packages of pipe cleaners in there that I just CANNOT resist, she knows I cannot resist them, so if she honestly expects me to stay out of them, she should not have them! She thinks hiding them is good enough, but what she doesn't realize is that I always know where they are, and I will find a way to get to them. She keeps them in a basket with a lid that I can flip up. So she put a heavy book on top, but I knocked it off. So she put 2 heavy books on top, so I knocked the entire pile onto the floor, where I proceeded to mutilate the entire contents, and specifically, dragged the pipe cleaners all over the house. I have done this several times over the past couple years. She picks it back up, puts it back on the shelf, and I knock it down again. A couple weeks ago, I knocked the basket upside down into a cardboard box. I dug in and found the pipe cleaners and dragged them all over. Mom gave up on making the craft box nice, so instead, she left it upside down in the box, closed the box, and piled lots of books on top of it. I still got into it and dragged them all over the house. So she piled MORE books on top, it did not stop me. MORE books, I cannot be stopped! And MORE books AGAIN, and STILL, pipe cleaners all over the house! Mom thinks I am facing a pipe cleaner addiction and she recommended PCA- Pipe Cleaners Anonymous. Everyday she comes home and finds the pipe cleaners all over the place. She picked them back up again last night and put them in their packages and made the craft box nice, one more time, and the pipe cleaners are at the bottom of the box. The craft box is in a cardboard box, with books on top of it, then the box is closed with more books on top of that. She thinks she's pretty sly, but I can still get into it. And I will. The mistake she keeps making is that she lets me watch her hide it. DUH, Mom! If you show me what you're up to, I will find a way to still get in there! She thinks I'm using magic, but really, it's just kitty intuition. She let me keep 2 pipe cleaners to appease me, and maybe keep me out of the box. It will not work. I will get in there again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.....
Louie's trip to the vet
(also posted in Forum)
So we went to the vet, and it was mostly good news! He said that the lump is a benign cyst (sigh of relief!). It has the potential to “fester” (sorry- I think that’s a gross word!) and ooze and possibly cause an infection, but otherwise, it’s not anything to worry about- keep an eye on it, and keep it clean if it starts to seem like it will open up. The only way to get rid of it would be to operate, but he didn’t think it was worth it to put her through sedation for just that, but if she was ever being sedated for another reason, it should be removed at the same time. He was not in the least concerned that it could be cancer.
So he went on and found a reason to sedate her! He took a look at her back teeth, they were kinda brown and she had a pink line above them where they meet her gums. He said they use a scale of 1 to 5 to measure how bad of a situation a pet’s dental issues are, 1 meaning keep up the brushing, 5 meaning it’s critical to get a professional cleaning. He put her at a 3.5 to 4. She is almost 11 years old and I’ve never brushed her teeth. Apparently this type of problem can lead to kidney or heart issues later in life- caused by an infection- I can’t regurgitate the word the vet used- but some sort of infection that can get into the body resulting from tooth decay and lead to bigger health problems. So he recommended a professional cleaning, and if we do it, we’ll get the cyst removed at the same time. I walked out with an estimate for $500 for this work, and am undecided on when/if this will happen. I’m sure I WANT to have it done, but that’s a lot of money! If you could share any experience you have along these lines, I would appreciate it… talk me into it, or tell me it’s OK to hold off for a while… ??? Most of the cost is the sedation. The cyst removal was line itemed for $58, and the cleaning was about that also.
FYI- he said that generally pets under 3-4 years old don’t typically face such dental problems. Getting into the 5-7 range, you should be keeping a close eye on it. Older than that, you definitely need to be paying attention. Young or old, he recommended daily or weekly brushing (whatever you can do- anything is better than nothing!). Apparently there are several different ways to do this, in his experience, the easiest is some sort of gauze pad with a pet dental cleaner on it that you just fold over your finger, and let the cat bite you. Just kidding- the cat’s not supposed to bite- but this sounds challenging to me- but is important. I’m going to give it a shot with the younger Cat Heads.
Sorry for rambling, but while we were there, we also discussed her dandruff and clumping issues. He DID relate it back to her diet, which really surprised me, since this has only been happening for the past couple years and I’ve always fed her the same thing. But great news! I don’t have to go spending a hundred bucks on a bag of food, instead, he gave me a supplement called Omega 3. It’s supposed to be good for their skin and coat, has essential oils, and “good” fat- the omega 3 or whatever it is you get out of salmon that’s supposed to be so good for you. It comes in a capsule that you poke a hole in, then empty the contents (it’s oily) onto the food. It’s good for all of them, including the dog. 10 bucks for a bottle of 60 capsules… not so bad! He also said to let her eat all the grass she wants, even though she ends up puking it up. It’s her desire to get fiber. He didn’t give me any supplements for this, but they do exist, but he said I could make up some tasty oats or something and add it to her food, then maybe she won’t so strongly crave grass.
So, in general, all is well with my little Missy Lu-Ass!! Woo hoo!!
Louie's Lump- I'm WORRIED!!
Hi pals. I'm very worried about Louie. She has a big lump on her tail, and I don't know what it is! Of course I automatically think the worst. It's about marble sized, and it's hard. It's very close to her rear end, but it's actually in her tail. I hold her every single day and can't believe I never noticed it, but her Dad said that he noticed it at least a month ago. Now that I've noticed it, it seems huge and I feel awful about not noticing it. It doesn't seem to hurt her if I touch it, and her behavior seems to be normal.
I did recently post in the Forums about some concerns I have with her- she has dandruff and has been developing clumps in her fur. I had kind of decided this was related to allergies of some sort. I don't know if there's any possibility these issues are related to the lump, but in case there is, I wanted to note it.
Have you ever seen cats with lumps like this? Are they generally benign tumors? I've seen this in dogs, but not so familiar with it in cats. Louie is almost 11 years old. She's been my baby forever and she's never had any real health concerns, so this has me freaked out. I am calling the vet as soon as they open, but until I can get her in, I was hoping maybe some of you can share what you might know. Thanks!
(Forgive my cross post- I put this in the Forums too, hoping I might get more answers)
Quick update: I called the vet and they are getting her in this afternoon. I also did some research and found that this can be anything from a cyst or swollen gland to a cancerous tumor. Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for my LuAss (that's her nickname).
I love my Daddy
Kiddo here. I wanted to tell you all how great my Daddy is. Ya see, I've known him for a couple years now, but I've never once tried very hard to be friends with him. He's nice to me and makes sure I'm fed and safe, but we never really bonded. But then Mom and I had a chat. She told me that Daddy is a fireman for the State of California and that he's going back to work now, and he'll be gone a whole lot and he'll miss us all, so I should try to spend some time with him. So I took her advice. The other day, I walked up to him, I put my two front feet on his leg, and I gave him a good sniff in the face, and gave him my inquisitive look. Then I reached up and touched his face. Mom loves when I do this because I don't use my claws when I'm on her lap. Dad kinda flinched, but I hung in there, and touched the corner of his mouth. He smiled! So I climbed on up and laid on his belly, facing him, and we had a nice little chat! He used words, and I just kept looking at him, cocking my head one way or the other to let him know I was listening. It was great! And I've sat on his lap twice more since then! I'm so happy that after all this time, me and Daddy are developing a relationship! I'm still a Momma's boy, but am real happy that now I can hang with Dad when Mom's not home.
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