Animals we share our lives with

[WyndChym]

I am so sorry for your loss, Buckeye.

 

[kcowan]

The one thing she would not patiently wait for was a head scratch from my husband. When she strolled into her "parking" space beside his chair (she hated to be held or sit in your lap), she'd give him about 5 seconds to reach down and scratch her head. If he didn't move fast enough she would reach up and tap him on the arm. She had him well-trained!

Sorry for your loss, Buckeye. She was a darling.

We have 2 boys that we got as kittens in 1997. The brothers are now 15! They both have similar tasks that they have delegated to their servants. One sits in DW's lap for his pets. The other goes to our bed at night and expects me to come in and pet him. If it is time, he comes to the LR to herd me in.

One has arthritis in his left rear leg and so his leaps onto furniture have become less artful. A sure sign of age.

 

[Texas Proud]

I had to put my shelter kitty, Abby, to sleep today. She stopped eating completely on Saturday and drinking on Sunday morning. The vet took one look in her mouth this morning and saw sores so she knew Abby had kidney failure. I think Abby was about 9 old but it's hard to say since she was brought to the shelter as a stray. We have had her 4.5 years and she lived in FL and OH.

The vet offered to do tests if I wanted but it was obvious Abby wasn't going to get well. They quoted two blood tests, urine test, and the exam for $133 which I thought was very reasonable. There was no pressure. I asked the vet if the tests would tell her anything material she didn't already know and she said "no" so the decision was made. The final cost was $65.

It came on very suddenly. Friday she was fine but she didn't eat her dinner. Saturday she didn't eat at all but was still drinking. She took her last pee Sunday morning and had no interest in eating or drinking and was sleeping with her head held up off the floor. Heartbreaking. I knew it was serious. Her breath was awful.

I taught her how to shake and lay down for a treat which she learned in just a couple of days. Smart kitty. Here are two pictures of her from better days.

So sorry to hear about your cat... and she looks almost like our rescue cat...

 

[Buckeye]

Sorry for your loss, Buckeye. She was a darling.

The other goes to our bed at night and expects me to come in and pet him. If it is time, he comes to the LR to herd me in.

I have never seen a cat do this bedtime herding thing before but Abby did it to my husband! About 10:40 - 11 pm she would decide it was time for him to go to bed and she was very persistent. It was really funny to watch. We really miss her.

 

[Buckeye]

So sorry to hear about your cat... and she looks almost like our rescue cat...

The tabby markings on the head, back and tail and white on the legs and belly is something I started to notice once we had Abby. Seems like I see those markings on kitties in commercials and pet food packaging. I love the "cowboys herding cats" commercial and there is a cat with these markings near the end of the video riding on the horse with the cowboy. We really miss her.

I made a video of her doing her shake trick and now realize I should have taken more videos of her. I never thought we would lose her so soon. My last two cats lived to 15 and 20 years old. You just never know about tomorrow and that applies to everything and everybody we love.

 

[Purron]

Yes, I'm pretty sure we will be shelter shopping again. I have said before I'm going to stay pet free and enjoy my freedom but then I start missing something soft and fuzzy that purrs. It takes about 30 days.

So sorry you lost your beloved kitty. Happy to hear a needy cat may find a home with you in the future. That will be one lucky kitty for sure!

Purrs and headbumps,

Purron

 

[grasshopper]

Cats you gotta love them.

 

[Ally]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've had several kitties pass away from kidney disease. I know it breaks your heart.

 

[Buckeye]

Cats you gotta love them.

View attachment 14562

I'm so jealous!

So, what's the title of the book? Do I see the "d" word?

 

[Buckeye]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've had several kitties pass away from kidney disease. I know it breaks your heart.

I think it's been so hard because her passing was unexpeced and happened so fast. Everything seems to be fine Friday morning and she's gone Monday morning. Unless she got into something (and we have no idea what it would have been), she must have been in a physical decline that we did not see. I was very sad when my 20-year old cat had to be put to sleep but that was a long process.

 

[grasshopper]

I'm so jealous!

So, what's the title of the book? Do I see the "d" word?

WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell's

This is Smokey visiting my African Spurred tortoise, while in for the winter.

 

[cj]

Grashopper - a sign of a true cat home - towels on every chair! We have towels and blankets on pretty much everything!!

Here's my Kizzy, who fetched when she was little, then stopped for a while. She just started to do it again. She's so smart!!

Kizzy 2012 - one year old and still fetching! - YouTube

 

[simple girl]

Grashopper - a sign of a true cat home - towels on every chair! We have towels and blankets on pretty much everything!!

Here's my Kizzy, who fetched when she was little, then stopped for a while. She just started to do it again. She's so smart!!

Kizzy 2012 - one year old and still fetching! - YouTube

So cute!!!! We had a cat that would fetch. Never got old, at least not for us! He would get so tired he'd bring the paper back and lay there panting. So fun!

 

[Purron]

Grashopper - a sign of a true cat home - towels on every chair! We have towels and blankets on pretty much everything!!

Here's my Kizzy, who fetched when she was little, then stopped for a while. She just started to do it again. She's so smart!!

Good girl Kizzy

 

[Purron]

Cats you gotta love them.

View attachment 14562

There has never been any living creature I've seen who can be more comfortable than a well cared for cat

 

[kcowan]

Kizzy's last fetch is like our cats' first fetches. Playing soccer is what they do with just about anything.

 

[Nemo2]

Kizzy's last fetch is like our cats' first fetches. Playing soccer is what they do with just about anything.

Here's one of Magic cat, (a combo of 'Black Magic' & 'The Magic Kingdom'), playing 'tinfoil ball tennis' atop a portable wardrobe......circa 1985. (Unfortunately Magic ran out of spells and left us in 2005.)

 

[cj]

Nemo - love the outstretched paw!! Gorgeous kitty.

 

[Nemo2]

Nemo - love the outstretched paw!! Gorgeous kitty.

When we moved into a larger place in Riyadh, with stairs and a landing, as soon as I brought out the tinfoil ball he'd run upstairs and then swat it in mid-air through the railings.

 

[Texas Proud]

Grashopper - a sign of a true cat home - towels on every chair! We have towels and blankets on pretty much everything!!

Here's my Kizzy, who fetched when she was little, then stopped for a while. She just started to do it again. She's so smart!!

Kizzy 2012 - one year old and still fetching! - YouTube

Nice video.... our young cat will fetch at times... we have a plastic ball with a noise maker inside... like the video, she is not that great at getting the ball back to us... at times, she is half way back and drops the ball to get back to petting faster At other times, she will look at us like 'not now'...

 

[Nodak]

I had a couple of cats that would fetch. There is one drawback to training them to do that. They would leave dead mice, rabbits and other wildlife on my front step if the cats were out at night.

 

[Purron]

Big bird in our backyard.

 

[Purron]

Update on big bird: Think this is a red tailed hawk. Since I took these photos, she's killed and eaten a squirrel and a small rabbit. She’s been in our back yard all day today. Pretty sure she's a girl since she's so big - about 2' tall - and female since girl red tails tend to be much larger than the boys. Thinking she may have a nest with babies in our yard. Our usual menagerie of squirrels, birds, ground hogs, chipmunks and other critters have taken cover. Our bird bath and bird feeder are understandably underutilized.

I’ve already advised DH to be cautious during the next lawn mowing. Might be a good time for him to pull out that old motorcycle helmet…

 

[simple girl]

Update on big bird: Think this is a red tailed hawk. Since I took these photos, she's killed and eaten a squirrel and a small rabbit. She’s been in our back yard all day today. Pretty sure she's a girl since she's so big - about 2' tall - and female since girl red tails tend to be much larger than the boys. Thinking she may have a nest with babies in our yard. Our usual menagerie of squirrels, birds, ground hogs, chipmunks and other critters have taken cover. Our bird bath and bird feeder are understandably underutilized.

I’ve already advised DH to be cautious during the next lawn mowing. Might be a good time for him to pull out that old motorcycle helmet…

It's really cool looking. I trust none of your kitties go outdoors, or will be while the hawk is around...?

 

[Purron]

This is just too strange. While I was providing the last update, DH came in and said "you gotta see this". I think it's safe to assume our bird bath is now off limits to all other birds...