A clean kitchen

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Donna

Raven on kitchen counter Raven and I have a slightly different opinion about why I cleaned the kitchen. I wanted it to be clean for food preparation purposes. She thought the freshly cleaned counter was a nice spot to take a nap, especially with the little bit of warmth coming from the dishwasher below the counter.

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Raven finally gets to go in the backyard

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Donna

Raven in the yardFinally, I got to go outside! The last time mom tried taking me outside, the neighbor cat Foxy jumped over the fence and mom had to rush me inside. Foxy played with my dad and stole all my outside time.

But this time it was a quiet, sunny day and Foxy was nowhere to be seen. I got to walk around my yard, sniff everything, and enjoy some sunshine. Mom took a little video of me. The background noise is our neighbor’s pool equipment. It’s just on the other side of the fence from my log. I think my log should be moved to a quieter location!  It was fun to get outside, but after about 10 minutes I wanted to go back inside. Maybe next time I’ll stay out a little longer.

Posted in Cat antics | 4 Comments

Saturday PhotoHunt – Scoop

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Donna

Raven held by dadI love when dad scoops me up and holds me. Sometimes I cuddle up in his arms, other times I flop over his arm like a limp noodle. This time something out the front window caught my eye so I must go investigate.

Smokey on newspaperOur second photo is Smokey “scooping” her dad to the morning paper. It seems every cat has a talent for laying on whatever you’re interested in reading. The common explanation for this is that kitty knows you’re interested in the paper and they can get your attention if they lay on it. Whatever the reason, Smokey cherished getting tummy rubs from her dad.

Aren’t you glad we didn’t use the obvious cat house “scoop” photo. But remember, cats love a clean litter box, so scoop frequently!

This week’s PhotoHunt Scoop starts here.

Posted in Blogging Fun | 10 Comments

Saturday PhotoHunt – Zap

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Donna

Raven watching FoxyRemember my photo from a couple weeks ago: Reflect. Some of you commented that our eyes looked like lasers. Well, I wish I really did have laser eyes so I could ZAP that pesky neighbor cat Foxy who always comes to play with my dad in the back yard. I should be the one outside with dad, but no, Foxy comes over and I have to stay inside. It’s not fair!

Cats eyes reflecting

This week’s PhotoHunt starts here.

Posted in Blogging Fun | 7 Comments

Eddie Bear “Supermoon”

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Donna

Eddie Bear catWhen there’s a full moon I call it an “Eddie Bear Moon” because our cat Ed departed for Spirit World under a full moon. Ed’s official Indulged Furries name was Edward Lionheart. He joined our family when I found him sick and abandoned under my car. He had a hard start in life and always tried to be so brave, but was usually afraid of his own shadow. Most days we called him Eddie Bear because he was a big bundle of fur who just wanted to sleep on his momma and be loved, like a living teddy bear. Eddie Bear had a great personality and entertained us with his antics, including the ability to flatten himself and get comfy.

The moon will officially become full Saturday, May 5 at 11:35 p.m. EDT.  Since this month’s full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth, it will also be the year’s biggest. It will be bigger and brighter than a typical full moon.

Enjoy Saturday’s Supermoon. I’ll be remembering wonderful memories of my Eddie bear.
Learn what makes a big full moon a true 'supermoon' in this SPACE.com infographic.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Posted in Blogging Fun, Random musings | 1 Comment

Bella a three-legged llama gets a prosthetic leg

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Donna

Bella, a llama, was recently fitted with a prosthetic leg. She broke her hind leg stepping in a gopher hole, and after two years of trying to get it to heal, she reinjured it. Her owner and vet decided to ampute the leg and get Bella a prosthesis.

It took three tries to make a leg that worked for Bella. She wears her leg for 6-8 hours each day and is doing very will with it.

It always amazes me how well animals adapt to a “disability”. Our cat Sammi thrived after her front leg was amputated. I’ve seen dogs, a cow, and now a llama with a prosthetic leg. I think it’s fantastic that owers are dedicated to the health and welfare of their pets (or farm animals) and we are able to adapt technology designed for humans to our animal companions.

Here’s a short video of Bella with her new leg.
 

Posted in Animals in the news, Pet Health | 1 Comment

Knowing what’s normal for your pet can save their life

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Donna

Bentley our Golden RetrieverA few days ago I wrote about almost taking Raven to the vet to have a perfectly healthy tooth looked at. I later realized her tooth was fine and cancelled our appointment.

But I’ve also been in the situation where suspecting something was wrong and taking my pet in for a check-up turned out to be a life-saving decision. This happened a few years ago, but it’s an excellent example of how being familiar with your pet’s normal behaviors and being proactive can save your pet’s life.

Bentley was panting a lot. Summer was coming and it was getting warmer, but not so warm that he should be panting all the time. He was panting for no reason – while just lying around the house, or he’d wake up and start panting. This didn’t seem right, so I took him to the vet. The vet could feel something in Bentley’s abdomen, and an x-ray showed an abnormal mass. The vet was concerned, so we got the soonest appointment with the radiologist for an ultrasound. Bentley had a large mass on or near his spleen. The vet was very concerned that this large mass could rupture and Bentley could bleed to death! Two days later Bentley was scheduled for surgery.

The mass turned out to be a non-cancerous overgrowth of his spleen. Bentley’s spleen was twice as large as normal and was taking up so much space that it was interfering with his breathing. After surgery, Bentley recovered very quickly and without any complications. Within a few weeks the only evidence that something had been wrong was a shaved belly.

Our situation shows how important it was that I knew Bentley’s normal behaviors and I trusted my instincts that something was wrong. I didn’t hestitate to get my vet’s advice as soon as possible, even though Bentley didn’t seem to be “sick”. By being observant and proactive, we probably saved Bentley’s life.

Here are my thoughts for being a great advocate for your pet’s  health:

  • Know what’s normal for your pet.
  • Trust your instincts when you think something is wrong.
  • Be proactive.
  • Have a skilled vet who you trust, literally, with your pet’s life (thanks Dr. C).
  • Have a good relationship with your vet.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask your vet for advice, even if you think you’ll look foolish (this is why you want a good relationship with your vet).
Posted in Cat health, Pet Health | 1 Comment

Saturday PhotoHunt – texture (learning about a cat’s tongue)

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Donna

Sammi's cat tongueAnyone who’s been licked by a cat knows their tongue can be very rough. A cat’s tongue is an amazing structure that serves many purposes. The center of the tongue is rough due to the backwards-facing spines called papillae. The spines are stiff because they contain keratin, the same substance that makes up hair, fingernails, and claws.

The texture on a cat’s tongue makes it a perfect tool for eating and grooming.  The spines help cats in the wild lick meat off a bone. For Sammi, they help her lick canned food off a plate! During grooming, the spines act like a comb and help a cat smooth their fur. But since the barbs face backwards, it also means they ingest a lot of fur. This can be a problem for long-haired cats who then get hairballs.  Yesterday was National Hairball Awareness day and you can learn about the seriousness of hairballs from Raven.

Surprisingly, the barbs on a cat’s tongue aren’t very important for drinking. The tip of a cat’s tongue is smooth because it doesn’t have barbs. Cats drink by dipping just the tip of their tongue into liquid and quickly pulling it up into their mouth, so the barbs don’t matter much.

Different cats have different roughness to their tongue. Sammi had a very soft tongue while Raven’s tongue is much rougher.

This week’s PhotoHunt “Texture” starts here.

Posted in Blogging Fun, Cat health | 11 Comments

Hairball Awareness Day – April 27

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Donna

RavenApril 27th is Hairball Awareness Day.  We’ve been preparing for this day for several weeks, because I can produce some mighty hairballs. Last August I was hacking up so many big hairballs that mom started keeping track on a calendar. At the worst point, I had 5 big hairballs in 3 weeks. One was scary because after I regurgitated the hairball I rolled onto my side then hunched down on the floor for about 15 minutes breathing very quickly and shallowly! Mom was worried because she’s never seen a kitty react to a hairball like that. Mom decided she had to get serious about brushing me to try to prevent hairballs.

Beginning in March, Mom started brushing me more often. She knew I’d start shedding more with the warm weather and she didn’t want a repeat of last year’s hairball nightmare. Every few days mom grooms me and gets out a small clump of fur. That means the fur isn’t going into my tummy to create a hairball. It’s April 25th and I haven’t had a hairball yet.

Hairballs are more than just annoying, they’re unhealthy. Here’s an informative article by a vet describing how hairballs form and how a cat with hairballs might seem sick, and how to treat and prevent hairballs.

I have lots of grooming tools that help me keep my fur shiny, tangle-free, and prevent hairballs. Mom is really good at brushing me gently so I enjoy my grooming time.

  1. Good quality slicker brushes that have gentle wire bristles.
  2. The Zoom Groom rubber grooming brush
  3. A wide-toothed comb where the tines rotate in the holder.
  4. A flea comb
  5. A natural boar-bristle finishing brush

grooming toolsThe purple thing is a Zoom Groom. It works by gently grasping the loose fur and by static attraction between the rubber and fur. At first I didn’t like it, but now I enjoy being ZoomGroomed – gently! Mom uses that first, then the wide-toothed comb and slicker brush to get the loosened fur off. The flea comb gets the last strands of fur. The natural boar bristle brush is for my head, cheeks and chin. One of the best things about boar bristle is that it doesn’t create static. What girl wants static in their fur?!

Posted in Cat health | 2 Comments

Being an observant and proactive pet owner.

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Donna
Raven biting my eyeglasses

Raven enjoys biting on my eyeglasses

I read an interesting blog post the other day by Dr. Plotnick, a vet who specializes in feline veterinary medicine. His blog, “Cat Man Do” is a mix of veterinary information and other personal experiences. A recent post, It’s snot what you think… or maybe it is reminded me of a recent experience I had with Raven.

Raven has a broken upper canine tooth. We adopted her that way so we don’t know when, or how, she did it. Every few months I take a peek in her mouth to check on her teeth and gums. She has a few tiny red areas on her gums, so I like to keep an eye on them to make sure they’re not getting too inflammed.

The last time I checked her teeth it looked like she had broken another tooth. She had a stumpy little tooth in her upper jaw and it didn’t look right to me, so I called the vet to make an appointment to have him look at it. Her mouth didn’t seem to be bothering her at all, which seemed odd if her tooth was broken. So a couple days later I took another look in her mouth.  After looking at some photos on vet web sites and my cat health books, I realized her tooth wasn’t broken. It was a normal, healthy, small premolar behind her upper canine tooth.

I called the vet to cancel the appointment and admitted my mistake. No broken tooth, just an over-protective mom. 

After having multiple cats and a dog who have all had serious health issues, I’m a firm believer in dealing with a potential issue as soon as possible. That gives us the best chance to catch things early and have good treatment options. And after nearly 15 years, my relationship with the vet is one where I wouldn’t be embarassed by taking Raven in to have a perfectly healthy tooth looked at. He knows that I put my pet’s health above everything, including my ego. And had I taken her in to have her healthy tooth looked at, he would just tell me everything is fine and I’d laugh and say thanks for taking a look at it for me.

Posted in Cat health | 4 Comments