Big Orange Kitty is doing better now. His tail has survived the ordeal. I'm very glad we got him to the vet when we did. He's such a beautiful cat and his whiskers and tail are his best features. I would hate for him to lose either one. He is amazingly good natured about getting treated and taking his medicine. I can give him a pill without much trouble and he mostly didn't mind as looking at his tail. He didn't want anyone to touch it, but he would just try to get away, not bite or scratch.
On the down side he is amazingly persistent when he wants in or out of something. We call him "the kitty to whom no door is barred." We have an Ikea bed with storage underneath and he insists on opening the drawers so he can hide inside. His ability to slip out of his e-collar is impressive. We have had trouble sleeping all week because we keep waking up to check on him or because we heard him trying to scratch.
Beorn took him to the vet today. No more stitches or collar, just another week inside with the antibiotics.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Cat Update
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Crazy Weekends and Cats
Beorn and I stayed with Grandma with weekend so my father could have a weekend away with his wife. This meant we weren't at home much all weekend and the cats were stuck inside. When we got home, exhausted from sleeping on someone else's bed and being woken by strange dogs at 5 AM, we discovered that Big Orange Cat was acting strange. He had been feeling down for a week or so but we had assumed that is was digestive trouble from a hairball and would work itself out. A downward facing tail and complaining when we tried to touch his back end indicated something more serious.
Luckily, we live in a university town with an all night veterinary teaching hospital. We called after his wound started seeping something foul and they said bring him in. Mind you, late night vet care is not cheap, but it was fast and efficient.
It turns out he had been bitten three times on the tail. The bites had become infected, so the vets had to cut off the dead tissue and stitch up what was left. Sunday night they told us he could lose his tail, we would just have to wait and see.
Tonight I brought him back in for a checkup and they said it looked better than expected. I am grateful because a kitty without a tail is basically disabled and he was already running away when they bit him. He is a very large kitty, but not very brave. His mild temperament means he's a good patient though, he takes his pills and tolerates warm compresses very well.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Caterday Photos
The Princess
BOK (aka Big Orange Kitty)
Here are some bonus photos from last spring at our old house...
(There are little girls under those big umbrellas.)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Neighbors
Ok, so my previous blog post was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ignacio, who is apprently a neighbor, came to offer a gallon of milk for the cats. Earlier we let the cats out for the first time at the new place and BOC (Big Orange Cat) immediately disappeared. He is very skittish when it comes to new places, so we were concerned. Beorn started cursing himself and the cat alternately since he still hasn't recovered from the loss of his favorite cat, almost two years ago.
So when BOC disappeared I spent a 1/2 hour wandering around the neighborhood yelling "BOC, here kitty kitty!" and similar things. When that didn't work I drove to the hardware store to get a maglite. I figured he was hiding and if I got a really powerful flashlight, I would be able to find him by his eye-shine. (I used to have a job that involved night hikes with large noisy groups of elementary school students. It's pretty cool if you can ID and animal just based on the size and color of their reflective eyes.)
By the time I got back home BOC had made it back inside, but apparently our entire neighborhood had heard me calling for him. Ignacio's gallon of milk expired yesterday, so he didn't feel it was fit for human consumption. It was very nice of him to bring it by, especially since I would have just drunk it, if I wasn't lactose intolerant. I almost told him that, but I think it would have been rude, so I thanked him and took the milk. The cats just looked at it confusedly. It's skim and they prefer pure butter.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Friday Cat Blogging
Lately my blog has been a downer, but there are two things to look forward to here:
1. I think I have figured out how the whole full post vs. summary thing works, so that now when you click on the text that says "full post" it actually takes you to the full post and if there is no "full post" it doesn't show up. Make sense?
2. Cats are so great.
Isn't our couch ugly? We got it for free from freecycle and it's really comfy.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Cat Blogging Friday
I just uploaded my first youtube video. Last weekend I happened to have a camera out when my friend's tiny dog met the neighbor's little black kitty. They didn't seem to be fighting as much as having fun, but we eventually decided to separate them since the dog was accustomed to cats with no claws.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday Cat Blogging
No photos this week. BOK (Big Orange Kitty) had to go to the vet this week because his nictating membranes were showing. Apparently that is a sign of illness. The vet claimed that it usually meant a stomachache and that we should start giving him a bunch of hairball medicine. It's spring and he is shedding a lot. He seems OK other than that. I still worry a little.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Cat Blogging
Drinking: a brazen hussy ala Dr Brazen Hussy
Watching: (sadly, there's nothing on) National Treasure
Playing: The Lord of the Rings Online (we gave up on WOW a few months back, which explains the lack of gaming related posts. Now LORO is in beta, giving us a chance to take up gaming again.)
Cats: super cute
The Princess
BOC (big orange cat)
Type your summary here
Type rest of the post here
