Varmit update
Apr. 29th, 2006 12:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenayaThe wildlife has been pretty quiet (if you discount the screech skunks outside right now.) We've got about three skunks who hang about, including one little scrawny guy who begs for peanuts. Cutiepie the raccoon came by a couple of nights ago, and I've seen one or two of last year's litter on occasion.
For cats, Scooter had lost some weight while we were on holiday but is gaining it back. Reggie is good, sweet and affectionate and the epitome of squeezy luv. We've been better about slipping the glucosamine in his food and he seems to be limping less and spending a few hours each morning in the courtyard enjoying the spring flowers and warmth.
Brindle is a different matter. We left him locked in the house with the other kitties for the 11 days we were in Vancouver. Two days before we were due back, we got an email from the kitty sitter, stating that Brindle had got out through a window. She got him back in and made sure the windows were shut. The next day, he'd opened the window again and got out. "He's on my list," she says. She got him in again and this time duct taped the window shut. He's a very smart and determined cat. So, since then we've kept up on his flea meds and had him on anti-itch pills. Unfortunately, he just kept getting scabbier and his ears got this nasty fungal/bacterial infection inside of them. So, back to the vets for a steroid shot, antibiotics pills and ointment, and orders to clean his ears once a day. Mom took him to the vets and apparently, he wasn't cooperative. He was backing down two vet techs armed with towels and they had to use the leaded x-ray gaunlets to hold him down to clean his ears. I wasn't at all thrilled with the task of cleaning his ears daily, but suprisingly, he's been fairly good for us. We wrap him in a towel and he growls a bit, but no biting or scratching.
It's a week later and he is much improved. The vets feel it's a food allergy so we're supposed to only feed him things like rabbit, duck, venison and lamb. He's been somewhat compliant, but tonight he nipped my leg because he was frustrated at his missing favorites. I can't imagine how we can keep him on his diet for 3 months! Anyway, he's turning into a very expensive kitty. He's on a steroid high right now and quite the cuddler, wanting to sleep in my arms. What a sweety he is.
For cats, Scooter had lost some weight while we were on holiday but is gaining it back. Reggie is good, sweet and affectionate and the epitome of squeezy luv. We've been better about slipping the glucosamine in his food and he seems to be limping less and spending a few hours each morning in the courtyard enjoying the spring flowers and warmth.
Brindle is a different matter. We left him locked in the house with the other kitties for the 11 days we were in Vancouver. Two days before we were due back, we got an email from the kitty sitter, stating that Brindle had got out through a window. She got him back in and made sure the windows were shut. The next day, he'd opened the window again and got out. "He's on my list," she says. She got him in again and this time duct taped the window shut. He's a very smart and determined cat. So, since then we've kept up on his flea meds and had him on anti-itch pills. Unfortunately, he just kept getting scabbier and his ears got this nasty fungal/bacterial infection inside of them. So, back to the vets for a steroid shot, antibiotics pills and ointment, and orders to clean his ears once a day. Mom took him to the vets and apparently, he wasn't cooperative. He was backing down two vet techs armed with towels and they had to use the leaded x-ray gaunlets to hold him down to clean his ears. I wasn't at all thrilled with the task of cleaning his ears daily, but suprisingly, he's been fairly good for us. We wrap him in a towel and he growls a bit, but no biting or scratching.
It's a week later and he is much improved. The vets feel it's a food allergy so we're supposed to only feed him things like rabbit, duck, venison and lamb. He's been somewhat compliant, but tonight he nipped my leg because he was frustrated at his missing favorites. I can't imagine how we can keep him on his diet for 3 months! Anyway, he's turning into a very expensive kitty. He's on a steroid high right now and quite the cuddler, wanting to sleep in my arms. What a sweety he is.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-29 03:48 pm (UTC)Good luck on medicating him, poor thing. And, on keeping him on the diet.
I'm having to medicate Cloud, one of my cats now, poor thing. Fortunately, he's so stupid that he seems to forget what's going on until it's too late.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-30 04:13 pm (UTC)Oh dear, Brindle - naughty boy! Gooood luck with all the medicating - I do pretty badly at that, so I'm lucky that I haven't had to do it often to my kids. I remember one particular occasion with the Pepto Bismol-pink liquid antibiotic you give with the eyedropper, when Wheelz managed to sneeze or something and the stuff flew all over the bathroom. I later discovered it took the color out of the toilet seat cover and the bath rug where it landed. He was choking on something in the middle of the night last night, so I had to get up and stroke his throat until whatever it was went down. He came up on the bed and lay on my head and purred so loud you would have sworn he was an idling car. I presume it's his way of saying 'thanks, mom!'
(no subject)
Date: 2006-05-01 11:01 pm (UTC)Hope you can some to Lily's in a couple of weeks time?