Our lattice work in our yard is almost complete. It seems to be working. We let the cats out in the afternoon and they are staying in the yard.
The flea problem still hasn’t gone away. We are using Frontline on the cats and Comfortis on Sheila. When the Terminex guy came the second time, he did suspect that with the neighbor’s dogs, we may have a problem until they do something in their own yards. He may have a point.
Mr. Creme went back to the vet last week for a fructosamine test. It came back high and his insulin has been increased from two a day to three a day; two in the morning and one at night. He will go back in two or three weeks for follow up. He’s eating well and getting around well. I think he feels better with the increased insulin.
Lexi also went back to the vet for follow up. She still has diarrhea and congestion. We got some more Fortiflora (probiotic) and some Metronidazole, which is an antibiotic that is used commonly to treat protozoal infections and anaerobic bacterial infections. It also has anti-inflammatory effects in the bowel. Since Lexi has had diarrhea for such a long time, we are only trying to find out something that works, I guess. It’s a liquid and she will take it for ten days.
Lexi seems normal in every other way. She doesn’t lie around listless. She eats, drinks water, wants attention and looks good. She has lost a few ounces though.
Ellie went to the vet to get her senior blood panel done. Everything looks fine. Her white blood cells are up, but the vet thinks it’s due to her neuropathy. She also has lost a few ounces. She gets around fine and eats well.
We are worried about Ellie though because she is so thin. She sleeps in my computer room, but during the day she likes to be outside. We’re feeding her three or four times a day to hopefully keep her weight up. I call her my colicky baby because she is constantly meowing and wanting to sit on my lap while I’m trying to work at the computer. When I wrap her up in a blanket and sit in my rocker and hold her, she falls asleep. I will spend as much time with her as I can because I know we won’t always have her.
She had an asthma attack last night. I gave her a pill. She started coughing and I took her outside for a few minutes where it was cooler. It seemed to help.
Mr. Creme, Lexi and Ellie’s mother, Jezibel, seems to be in good health. She doesn’t have the problems that her “kids” have. I’m glad. She is not on any regular medication, but does have asthma attacks occasionally.
Last week Charlie took Rhody to the vet to get his shots. He has never been to our vet because when we got him last year, they weren’t open on Sundays. I wanted to get him in and checked out before introducing him into our cat household, so I took him to our previous vet. They took care of him through his kitten-hood.
While Charlie was waiting at the vet’s, the receptionist couldn’t help but say, “So, Mr. Bell, you have another one?”
The vet noted that Rhody was a big boy and was mildly surprised that he was only a year old. He passed his physical though.
The “twins”, Jason and Kaci, went to the vet today. It was clinic day and all shots were half price. The twins have reaction to shots so we have to get only one shot per visit. They will have to go back for their feline leukemia shot next time.
We did manage to get away one night to see The Dave Mathews Band in concert. It was every bit as good as we expected. The Cricket Amphitheater is a great venue with excellent sight lines and a superb audio setup. We were just to the right of center stage and toward the back of the main seating area, but there is enough elevation in the outdoor arena that we could see everything that was going on.
The opening act was singer Alan Stone. We didn't know anything about him. Charlie looked up his bio online and it mentioned that he began touring about four years ago and sings R&B/soul. I would have to say that it’s likable music, but not something I'd go out and buy.
The crowd really wanted to get to the Dave Mathews Band. Stone, several times, had to plead for the crowd to get loud, but without much success. The sell-out crowd didn't even start to really fill up the place until Stone was two-thirds of the way through his set.
We had seen the Dave Mathews Band here a few years ago. If anything, the band has gotten even better. He opened with the song "Why I Am," a big hit from his last album, which got everyone on their feet, and they played almost non-stop for the next three hours.
My only complaint was that there was a couple of people who were two rows in front of us who wanted to stand for the whole concert. People asked them to sit down for awhile, but they refused. That got a little tiring not be able to see the stage. I don’t know why some people are so inconsiderate. We paid for our seats too.
But, it was a warm night and we really enjoyed being there. We got home around midnight.
I’m still working at the acupuncture clinic. My back problem is better than it was a year ago, but it still gives me problems. I went to the chiropractor two weeks ago for my monthly visit. My muscles were very sore, but he relaxed them and I felt better.
More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Most cats, when they are Out want to be In, and vice versa, and often simultaneously. ~Louis J. Camuti
We went to the Padres’ baseball game last week. It was nice and warm, even after the sun went down. That is unusual for San Diego. Usually, even if it’s warm during the day here it cools off immediately in the evening. Anyway, I love this warm weather, even with the “high” humidity of 60-80%.
Our Padre season ticket rep, Nick, invited us to stop by and see him before the game. He was renewing for next season. After signing on the dotted line, we received a glass of champagne. (Wait, who got the best part of that deal?)
We also found time to go to the Del Mar horse races. Their season ended on September 6. We usually make at least one race each season. Charlie and I are not big gamblers, but we can manage to put $2-6 on each race. I pick my horse by where it is bred and by its’ name. I do read a little to see how many times it has run and how it did. There were 8 races that day. I played “Comic Kitty”, to place and “Gypsy Kitty” to show in the 1st race. I won $3.40 on “Gypsy Kitty” for showing, coming in 3rd.
“Include the Cat” did not win anything in the 2nd race and neither did “Bacardi Cat Run” in the 3rd race. “You Little Devil” lost for me in the 4th race. “Princess Ash” showed and won $3.00 for me in the 5th. “Cat Meeting” came in 2nd in the 6th race. I won $3.10.
It was the 7th race that was my winner. Charlie and I both bet on “Tilde”. She won and paid us $8.40. But, we also bet on “Awe’ Some Kitten”, me to show and Charlie to place. She came in 2nd. We decided to skip the 8th race, take our winnings and go have dinner. It was a fun day. Charlie actually did better than I did, but he split his winnings with me.
I checked the paper the next day. My horse, which I would have bet on in the 8th race, “Mary Helen’s Storm”, came in 2nd. I would have bet for her to place so there goes my $3.00!
“Tilde”, the winner of the 7th race, was the first horse to win two stakes at Del Mar. She had won a race there on July 20.
I’m hoping that we have found a way to keep our cats in the yard. We thought about making an enclosure within our yard for the cats. The fence would be 7' or 8' high. We received estimates and it was more than we felt we wanted to spend.
But, we like to let our cats outside. It gives us a break and they enjoy being outside. We just don’t want them out of the yard. We started putting 4'2' lattice over each gate. That was enough to discourage the jumpers from leaving the yard.
After seeing that this temporary fix seemed to work, Charlie went to Lowes and bought some wood lattice. He cut it to fit over the gates and the fence in the front. It looks nice. He plans on eventually running it all the way around. It adds a foot to our 6' fence and so far, the cats have no interest in trying to get out.
It’s nice to be able to let them outside and check on them once in awhile to let them know we are watching. They are happy to sleep and watch the birds, butterflies and bees.
I took the bird feeders down after Jonesie and Rhody caught a bird one day. The cats get to stay out until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., summer hours. It’s been so warm, they love the cool concrete patio floor.
We are still dealing with fleas. We have treated the house again and Terminex has treated the yard twice. Each treatment is supposed to last 45 days. I have been using Frontline on the cats and Sheila gets the pill, Comfortis. The topical wasn’t working for her. I read that flea infestation may take up to 2-4 months to rid. We haven’t had this problem in a long time.
Today we combed the cats and it looks like the fleas are decreasing, so we’re hoping that soon they will be back under control. We will definitely treat all year around now.
Mr. Creme is doing fine. He’s eating well. I hope he’s gaining weight. He will go back to the vet for testing on 9/17. He is so sweet. We haven’t been doing a blood glucose test like we had planned. We would like to do it two times a week. The vet discourages it because she has clients who give the test and if blood glucose is up, they increase insulin. That is dangerous because it’s better to have high numbers rather than hypoglycemia (low) levels.
Lexi is doing better. She does not like the grain-free dry food I am giving her, but she eats the wet food well. The good news is, her diarrhea is better. Her congestion is better too. She goes back to the vet on 9/17. The tests at her last appointment were good. Her thyroid meds are working and there doesn’t seem to be any side effects.
Ellie has changed her routine. We notice all changes. We know each one and know when they my not feel well. Ellie now wants to be outside. It could be the warmer days, but although she is eating well, she has lost a few ounces. She used to stay at 9 lbs., and at last weigh she was 8.6 lbs. It’s noticeable that she has lost weight. We plan to take her to the vet on Tuesday to have a senior blood panel done just to make sure she doesn’t have a thyroid problem like her sister, Lexi. Hopefully there will not be any bigger problems with her.
More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_
Our Padre season ticket rep, Nick, invited us to stop by and see him before the game. He was renewing for next season. After signing on the dotted line, we received a glass of champagne. (Wait, who got the best part of that deal?)
We also found time to go to the Del Mar horse races. Their season ended on September 6. We usually make at least one race each season. Charlie and I are not big gamblers, but we can manage to put $2-6 on each race. I pick my horse by where it is bred and by its’ name. I do read a little to see how many times it has run and how it did. There were 8 races that day. I played “Comic Kitty”, to place and “Gypsy Kitty” to show in the 1st race. I won $3.40 on “Gypsy Kitty” for showing, coming in 3rd.
“Include the Cat” did not win anything in the 2nd race and neither did “Bacardi Cat Run” in the 3rd race. “You Little Devil” lost for me in the 4th race. “Princess Ash” showed and won $3.00 for me in the 5th. “Cat Meeting” came in 2nd in the 6th race. I won $3.10.
It was the 7th race that was my winner. Charlie and I both bet on “Tilde”. She won and paid us $8.40. But, we also bet on “Awe’ Some Kitten”, me to show and Charlie to place. She came in 2nd. We decided to skip the 8th race, take our winnings and go have dinner. It was a fun day. Charlie actually did better than I did, but he split his winnings with me.
I checked the paper the next day. My horse, which I would have bet on in the 8th race, “Mary Helen’s Storm”, came in 2nd. I would have bet for her to place so there goes my $3.00!
“Tilde”, the winner of the 7th race, was the first horse to win two stakes at Del Mar. She had won a race there on July 20.
I’m hoping that we have found a way to keep our cats in the yard. We thought about making an enclosure within our yard for the cats. The fence would be 7' or 8' high. We received estimates and it was more than we felt we wanted to spend.
But, we like to let our cats outside. It gives us a break and they enjoy being outside. We just don’t want them out of the yard. We started putting 4'2' lattice over each gate. That was enough to discourage the jumpers from leaving the yard.
After seeing that this temporary fix seemed to work, Charlie went to Lowes and bought some wood lattice. He cut it to fit over the gates and the fence in the front. It looks nice. He plans on eventually running it all the way around. It adds a foot to our 6' fence and so far, the cats have no interest in trying to get out.
It’s nice to be able to let them outside and check on them once in awhile to let them know we are watching. They are happy to sleep and watch the birds, butterflies and bees.
I took the bird feeders down after Jonesie and Rhody caught a bird one day. The cats get to stay out until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., summer hours. It’s been so warm, they love the cool concrete patio floor.
We are still dealing with fleas. We have treated the house again and Terminex has treated the yard twice. Each treatment is supposed to last 45 days. I have been using Frontline on the cats and Sheila gets the pill, Comfortis. The topical wasn’t working for her. I read that flea infestation may take up to 2-4 months to rid. We haven’t had this problem in a long time.
Today we combed the cats and it looks like the fleas are decreasing, so we’re hoping that soon they will be back under control. We will definitely treat all year around now.
Mr. Creme is doing fine. He’s eating well. I hope he’s gaining weight. He will go back to the vet for testing on 9/17. He is so sweet. We haven’t been doing a blood glucose test like we had planned. We would like to do it two times a week. The vet discourages it because she has clients who give the test and if blood glucose is up, they increase insulin. That is dangerous because it’s better to have high numbers rather than hypoglycemia (low) levels.
Lexi is doing better. She does not like the grain-free dry food I am giving her, but she eats the wet food well. The good news is, her diarrhea is better. Her congestion is better too. She goes back to the vet on 9/17. The tests at her last appointment were good. Her thyroid meds are working and there doesn’t seem to be any side effects.
Ellie has changed her routine. We notice all changes. We know each one and know when they my not feel well. Ellie now wants to be outside. It could be the warmer days, but although she is eating well, she has lost a few ounces. She used to stay at 9 lbs., and at last weigh she was 8.6 lbs. It’s noticeable that she has lost weight. We plan to take her to the vet on Tuesday to have a senior blood panel done just to make sure she doesn’t have a thyroid problem like her sister, Lexi. Hopefully there will not be any bigger problems with her.
More later....
TazzyD.... _^..^_
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