KatKwery Playoffs - The Final Four! - Oct. 10

persi & alley

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2008 KatKwery Playoffs
Round 2 – Game 1

Topic: Cat Health

1. Have you ever had to leave any of your cats at the vet overnight? Did you make sure that your cat would receive adequate attention while confined?

2. What would you do if you found out from your doctor that you had cat allergies? I am talking about severe allergies that really make you sick.

3. Are any of your cats overweight? Do you ever weigh your cats? Do you keep a record of their weight other than at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office?

4. Have you ever experienced cat birth? Tell us your personal experience with cat birth or if you are like me, and have never experienced cat birth, tell why or why not you would want to experience it.

5. I take vitamins and you may. But what about your cats, do you give them any kind of nutritional supplement?

6. What if one of your cats became ill and you just felt like you could not afford to take your cat to the vet. What would you do?

7. Have you ever had to give pills to cats? Can you tell us about the experience? If you have never given a pill to a cat, tell us how you would imagine the experience would be.

8. I feed my cats 24/7. How about you? Do you have to feed any of them separately?

9. In the forums I often see posts about ear mites in cats. Do you know what mites look like? Do you know how to check your catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] ears to make sure they do not have mites?

10. There is an article here on TCS entitled “The Healthy Cat: Eight Things You Should Checkâ€. Reading this article will not replace the vet but it would help you in giving your cat kind of a physical. Do you ever give your cats a check up?
 

cocoa cream

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2008 KatKwery Playoffs
Round 2 – Game 1

Topic: Cat Health

1. Have you ever had to leave any of your cats at the vet overnight? Did you make sure that your cat would receive adequate attention while confined? No, I have never had to leave any of the kittens we have now at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s for a whole night. When we had the girls spayed, I almost wish in hindsight that they would have left them there a while longer, though. When I picked them up, the veterinary technician told me they were still a little groggy from the anesthesia. That seemed like an understatement once we got them home…Molly was all wobbly and droopy-looking, and Maggy hissed and growled at us every time we came near her. We administered a little pain medication to them, and left them in their “bedroom†for a while. They slept for a couple hours, and then they seemed to be coming out of their daze. But I wish the veterinarian would have just kept them there overnight if they knew that it would take them so long to come out of their anesthesia.
The cat I had when I was living with my parents had to be kept at the vet for boarding once when we were away on a trip. She was extremely traumatized by the experience, so much so that she wet herself on the way home. She had lost weight because she wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t eat at the kennel, and she was so stressed out. I vowed after that never to board a cat of mine at a kennel again. From then on we always got someone to come check on our cats when we were out of town.

2. What would you do if you found out from your doctor that you had cat allergies? I am talking about severe allergies that really make you sick. Oh dear, I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even imagine that! How horrible! I think I would probably have to ask for some kind of high-powered antihistamine or something to keep my symptoms at bay without forcing me to get rid of my cats. I would have a really hard time if it was so bad that I had to give away my cats. I am so attached to them…they are like my babies! I think Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d probably try every other avenue possible before giving up!

3. Are any of your cats overweight? Do you ever weigh your cats? Do you keep a record of their weight other than at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office? Nope! They are still growing, though! I hope that I will never have an overweight cat. I just donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like the look of a fat cat! Hee, hee! I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t free feed my kittens, so that keeps them from overeating. They also get some time to exercise outside every day, so that helps them use up some extra energy. Plus they chase one another all over the house, so they get lots of exercise that way! I do weight my cats here at home, in fact, I just did earlier today! Max and Molly weigh 6 pounds, and Maggie is a bit over 5. (She is more petite than her siblings.) I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t really keep a written record, but I do weigh my kittens every now and then so that Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll know how much I need to be feeding them. Since they are still growing, I have to make sure Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m giving them adequate amounts!

4. Have you ever experienced cat birth? Tell us your personal experience with cat birth or if you are like me, and have never experienced cat birth, tell why or why not you would want to experience it. No, I definitely have not ever witnessed a cat giving birth. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not sure Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d want to or not. I guess Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never thought about it much. It would be really interesting to see a cat in labor, from a scientific or medical standpoint. I have always been fascinated by surgeries and stuff like that. But since my female cats are spayed, I wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be seeing them pregnant, I hope!


5. I take vitamins and you may. But what about your cats, do you give them any kind of nutritional supplement? I had never thought of vitamins for cats. Do they really make that sort of thing? I just feed the kittens their normal canned food and dry kibble. They used to have a lot of digestive problems, but since I started making half their diet wet they have been very healthy.

6. What if one of your cats became ill and you just felt like you could not afford to take your cat to the vet. What would you do? I would probably still take them, whether I could afford it or not. Like I said before, my cats are part of the family now, and I will do what I need to do to keep them healthy. I suppose, though, that if it was something terminal or could only be cured by thousands of dollars worth of surgery or treatment, I may have to consider putting them down. That would be a tough decision, but I think I do have some limits as to how far Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll go to keep my animals alive. I would rather have them relieved of pain and discomfort anyway, if it was something they were going to have to live with for a long time.

7. Have you ever had to give pills to cats? Can you tell us about the experience? If you have never given a pill to a cat, tell us how you would imagine the experience would be. Yes, I have had to give a dewormer pill to my kittens, but apparently I went about it all wrong, according to the vet tech, anyway. I decided I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to shove the pills down their throats, so I crushed them and put the powder in some food. I convinced Maggie and Max to eat it, eventually. But Molly, who used to be a really picky eater, refused to touch it. She was able to smell the medicine, I guess, and wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t eat at all. So, since I had pulverized the pill, I took her in to the vet to have them give her the dose she needed. The vet tech used one of those pill popper things, but even with that she had a hard time with Molly. She is tough when it comes to administering liquid meds, too.

8. I feed my cats 24/7. How about you? Do you have to feed any of them separately? Like I said above, I do not free feed. Right now I am giving them three meals a day, and I probably will stick with that. I know many people feed twice a day with adult cats, but since I am home all day itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s easy for me to give three meals. And once I read somewhere that feeding smaller meals more frequently promote better weight maintenance. I feed the kittens at the same time, but they do have separate bowls. Max and Molly tend to eat faster and eat more than Maggie, so I have to watch to make sure they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t try to steal her food.

9. In the forums I often see posts about ear mites in cats. Do you know what mites look like? Do you know how to check your catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] ears to make sure they do not have mites? I think Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d know if my cats had ear mites. I read once that they look kind of like coffee grounds, and I know there are lots of photos online that I could refer to if needed. My cats groom each other well, though, so they have really clean ears!

10. There is an article here on TCS entitled “The Healthy Cat: Eight Things You Should Checkâ€. Reading this article will not replace the vet but it would help you in giving your cat kind of a physical. Do you ever give your cats a check up? I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t read that article, although it sounds interesting. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll have to find it and look at it after Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m finished here! I do keep a pretty close eye on the catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] health naturally, I guess. I pay attention to their feces when I clean their litter boxes, and I check their teeth periodically (especially now that they are teething so much!) I do look in their ears often. I trim their claws frequently, so I look at their paws when I do that. I also make sure their eyes are clean, clear and free of matter. When Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m petting them, I check to make sure nothing feels unusual. I think I would notice if anything abnormal was going on with their health.
 

belongstoevie

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Ugh, I've had the longest, most annoying week! Let's see how I do when my brain is mush!




2008 KatKwery Playoffs
Round 2 – Game 1

Topic: Cat Health

1. Have you ever had to leave any of your cats at the vet overnight? Did you make sure that your cat would receive adequate attention while confined?

Luckily, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never had to leave Evie over night at the vet. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s been very healthy so far, knock on wood! Well, unless you count the day she spent over night there straight from the pound. They have to spay / neuter the pets before they let someone adopt them, so since she wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t spayed first, we agreed they could send her straight to the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s and weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d pick her up from there. So I guess she was ours at that point! Though we had nothing to do with sending her there, that was all the pound. Oh, but we did pick the vet weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve used since I was a little girl, so we did of course know she would get adequate attention there.


2. What would you do if you found out from your doctor that you had cat allergies? I am talking about severe allergies that really make you sick.

Psh, if I found out from my doctor that I have allergies Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d probably say, “No DUH!â€
Now, if he told me I had severe allergies, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d really wonder because I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t felt anything! Though I think I know the point of your question- how much will we do to keep a cat that we are severely allergic to. Honestly, I think the first thing I would do is stop fostering! Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the worst for me now. If that wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t enough, I would desperately do anything I could to keep Evie. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d probably start by reverting to what we did when we first got her, and I was still severely allergic because I hadnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t adjusted to her yet. We kept her out of the bedroom and the bathroom, washed her often with allergy reducing soap, and wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t let her near my face. Plus, I washed my hands and face constantly! We did then and do still now have air filters and filters in the vacuums, and try to keep the place clean (easier said than done, of course!). Sadly, if nothing could be done and was severely allergic, I would have to give her up. If she really truly risks my long term health or my life (anaphylaxis, anyone?), thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not fair to either of us. So, I would find her a great new home! And I already know which one- my parentâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s house! Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the only other place she is comfortable. Of course, then I wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be able to come over here as often, but itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d be worth it to keep her safe and happy.



3. Are any of your cats overweight? Do you ever weigh your cats? Do you keep a record of their weight other than at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office?

Now this is a good question! Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been really wondering how you can tell if a cat is overweight. I know in a dog, the ideal is that you can feel their spine and ribs, but I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know how you can tell in a cat. I should look that up! I know she certainly isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t underweight!
She does have a lot of lose skin, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve asked here on the boards before if that means sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s overweight, but I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think you guys thought I was serious.
We do weigh her though. Get this- we use the Wii Fit!
She is about 12 pounds. My husband always used to think she was “small†for a cat, then we weighed her (didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t before we got the Fit, didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have a scale!), he said “Wow, sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s big!â€. As for me, I have no idea, really, what is “average†for a cat. For me, a dog that is 90 pounds or above is big, smaller than 30 is small. But what about a cat? I know it depends on the breed and all, but there must be an average or generality! So basically, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if she is overweight or big or small! She is just mine and darling.
The only record of her weight that we keep other than at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office is in our heads… Not the best idea, I know, but itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s what we do. Maybe if her weight fluctuated more, we would write it down, but sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s always in the 12 – 12.5 range when we weigh her. Maybe just the Wii Fit isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t so accurate!




4. Have you ever experienced cat birth? Tell us your personal experience with cat birth or if you are like me, and have never experienced cat birth, tell why or why not you would want to experience it.

Unfortunately, no, I have never experience cat birth. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never experience any birth, cat, human, or otherwise! I would love to experience it. Birth is the start of life, and life is a miracle! It must be an amazing event. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve fostered kittens, and they are miracles themselves, but the actual birth must be truly fascinating. Ok, well, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve “experienced†birth, but only vicariously through you guys on the forums! I know it can be difficult and heartbreaking if it doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t go well, but I would love to have the chance to help a mommy kitty (as long as sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not like the foster mom I had, phew! She needed professional help.
) and the babies.


5. I take vitamins and you may. But what about your cats, do you give them any kind of nutritional supplement?

Nope, Evie doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get any nutritional supplements. I would almost feel bad, except we give her pretty healthy cat food, and healthy treats, and besides, we donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t take vitamins, either! Wait, wait, I do now, for a bit… Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m taking prenatal vitamins now. So if I was planning on breeding Evie, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d give her prenatals, too. But since she is fixed, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think I have to worry about it! If she ever got a doctorâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s note saying she needed something, I would supplement her, but for now, she looks healthy, acts healthy, and has a clean bill of health from the vet, so she gets the same amount of supplements as her daddy- none!


6. What if one of your cats became ill and you just felt like you could not afford to take your cat to the vet. What would you do?

That would be so so sad! I would cry my heart out for her and our family. If we were ever so broke we couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t afford to take her to the vet- which would mean weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d completely used up our savings- then weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d be in big fat trouble. BIG BIG trouble. In that case, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d probably give her up to someone who can give her the life she deserves. Because I would do everything to make her healthy again, and if everything wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t enough, then she certainly deserves someone who can. Unless your question is based on not being able to afford it because itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a completely ridiculous procedure. I do believe that if the procedure to save a pet is going to cost thousands of dollars with a low chance of saving her life (I mean many many thousands), then it isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t worth it. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even think my life is worth thousands and thousands! If itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s meant to be it will be, and if spending thousands of dollars will just give you a slightly better chance, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not meant to be.


7. Have you ever had to give pills to cats? Can you tell us about the experience? If you have never given a pill to a cat, tell us how you would imagine the experience would be.

Fortunately, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never had to give a pill to a cat! Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve done of other things to them, but not pills. I love that little story floating around the internet that basically goes “how to pill a dog: put pill in meat. How to pill a cat …(LONG story)… give up.â€
Though I imagine (get ready to laugh!) that it would be difficult, but weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d be able to do it. If we had the right tools, like a pill syringe, and a towel, and two people, we could do it. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve trimmed uncooperative cat nails, given other meds by mouth, given eye drops, bathed them… I know thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not much, compared what I could have gone through, but thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just enough to give me a false sense of security.




8. I feed my cats 24/7. How about you? Do you have to feed any of them separately?

Yup, piggy Evie is fed 24/7! Well, unless she eats all of it. She does have a limit, but she barely ever eats that much. So if she runs out at night or while weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re at work, then sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just out of luck! The only ones I feed separate are Evie and the fosters. The kids are on kitten food, and have their own room, so we donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mix their food and Evieâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s. Though, when we work on introducing them, since weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re far enough along to actually let them out in the house together, they often get the chance to try the other food. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not medicated, so Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not worried. Though theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re usually way too busy exploring and fussing at each other to bother with food!


9. In the forums I often see posts about ear mites in cats. Do you know what mites look like? Do you know how to check your catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] ears to make sure they do not have mites?

I think I know what they look like and how to check. But, letâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just say, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never successfully diagnosed a case of ear mites, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know for sure Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d be right! Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve looked it up online so in case I ever got a foster with mites I could tell. I know they are nasty and look kind of like coffee grounds or bad ear wax. I also have heard that their ears can be red or itchy, and they may scratch or mess with their ears.


10. There is an article here on TCS entitled “The Healthy Cat: Eight Things You Should Checkâ€. Reading this article will not replace the vet but it would help you in giving your cat kind of a physical. Do you ever give your cats a check up?
Always! Since I got Peach, as she was my first pet that was “mineâ€, I read up on keeping pets healthy, and one of the things I started with her and have applied to every pet was to make sure they are ok with me checking EVERY part of them, and I do it almost daily. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s part of petting now! Though still, no one likes when I look in their mouths! Hah. Ears, toes, nose, and “privates†are all check, too, and theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re ok with those, but they certainly donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t appreciate when I pry open their mouths! I tell them itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s for their own good, but they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t seem to belive me! Or they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t care.
 

marianjela

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1. Have you ever had to leave any of your cats at the vet overnight? Did you make sure that your cat would receive adequate attention while confined?
Yes, I actually have had to leave my cats at the veterinarian overnight before. More than one cat on several different occasions. All the cats had to stay overnight when they had their spay or neuter surgeries. Willow the Wonder Cat had to stay overnight at the vets on more than one occasion. If anyone remembers, she is a cat we adopted from the pound over three years ago and she was already pregnant, unbeknownst to us. Four weeks after we adopted her she had a litter of kittens. A day or so after she had her kittens she got really sick and lethargic and growled and hissed at her kittens. I noticed she was walking funny, real gingerly, and when I went to pet her I noticed she seemed to have a fever. Her ears were burning up. It was horrible. So I loaded up her and her kittens and we started for the emergency vets. I still remember the technician oohing and awing over the kittens and a bonus was the tech sexed them for me. It was an expensive sexing for sure! They did x-rays and said she had a distended belly, confirmed she didnt retain any placentas and told us to follow up with our vet in the morning. The next day our regular doctors ended up "admitting" her and her kittens and put her on IV antibiotics. I was so worried for her because the vet told me she would need an emergency surgery and that would put the kittens in danger. Thankfully they were wrong and she recovered quickly and I only remember her staying one night. It was amazing to see the difference in her energy level so quickly. When she came home though, they kept a catheter in her shaved arm and had it wrapped in blue tape in case they needed to stick her again. They never did have to, but I would refer to it as her blue kitten.

So the maximum number of days she had to spend overnight was actually two, but not consecutively. Only twice, once when she was sick, and another when she was spayed.

When Willow went to the vet the first time, I had a blanket with her, but not intentionally, turned out it probably eased some of her stress, but I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think of it initially. I never thought of her being stressed, I think she was probably too sick to notice. I put one with her because of her kittens and I had a towel draped over the basket also. When the cats all went for the alterations, I didnt put anything in their cages with them. Bad mom. But next time I'll know better.

When I had to leave Willow and her kittens at the vet; however, I remember bawling. I recall going to my mother's house afterward and she must've thought I was crazy crying over a cat. I remember being not only worried about Willow, but what would happen to the kittens if something happened to Willow. The veterinarian had warned us that if her fever didnt come down, that they would have to do an emergency spay, in which case we would have to find a surrogate mom for the kittens or else supplement them with formula. Anyway, she miraculously healed fast, and they never did say definitively what had caused the fever, but they speculated that it was mastitis.

2. What would you do if you found out from your doctor that you had cat allergies? I am talking about severe allergies that really make you sick.
I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have allergies to cats, but I do have seasonal allergies that will and have lead to upper respiratory infections and bronchitis if not treated promptly. So I have learned from past experience to stay on top of my allergies and take my medication so it doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t progress into something worse. My hubby is allergic to cats, but nothing major. As long as he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t touch them or they are not sleeping on his face
he is usually alright. Sometimes his arms will get itchy after he pets them or if they get their claws in him while he is playing with them but nothing a shower or an antihistamine like Benadryl doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t cure. My niece who was living with us for a couple months has allergies to cats, but as long as she took her over-the-counter meds they were manageable. My hubbyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s parents are also allergic to cats, but I guess because they are old school and didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have the luxuries of good medicine to control allergies, they just choose to not have cats. Having said that, my MIL always seems fine when she comes over. We put each of the cats away and make sure mine donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t go near her, but you know the dander and hair may still be in the air…
Who knows, some people… It still didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stop her from coming over :rollseyes:

If I suddenly developed allergies to my cats I would try to control them with shots or medicine first. If that didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work I suppose I would suffer. Easy to say that now though… I know how miserable I am in the spring if I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t take my allergy medicine, but that doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stop me from going outside… so on the same note I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if it would stop me from wanting cats. I would hate to think about giving them away.

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve seen cats surrender to the Humane Society and our no-kill rescue shelter often with the excuse of some family member being allergic. When we adopted Willow, that was their excuse. Allergies. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if her long fur exasperated the problem, but you always have to wonder. I think my allergies to pollen are pretty severe, but I manage to keep them under control now. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve seen the commercials on TV about prescription meds that can control indoor and outdoor allergies.

3. Are any of your cats overweight? Do you ever weigh your cats? Do you keep a record of their weight other than at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office?
The only time my cats get weighed is at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office, and I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t keep a personal record of the adult cats myself, but I do for the kittens. I have a food scale that I weigh them on, and I keep a journal for their weights to make sure they are getting adequate nutrition and are growing, but once they are older and eating on their own I no longer watch their weight.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think my cats are overweight. The vet has never mentioned it. I can feel their ribs, but they are not boney. Although I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t remember their exact pounds, I guess I would notice if they were heavy for their size. I know that an overweight cat is at risk for diabetes and other health issues. I have read the article about overweight cats and how Scully lost weight and I shudder at the thought of putting a cat on a diet or exercising it. I imagine itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s tough setting limits for a cat, but not as hard as it is for a dog. After all, how in the world do you give a cat exercise.
But of course you would do many things as long as it keeps them healthy.

Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ironic, because just today we were at a friendâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s house and their cat was sitting outside somewhere on the deck. It was a big black fat cat. Beautiful longer-haired thing, but it made me think this thing must have been some hunter to gain so much weight!
In hindsight dogs are known for overeating but that cats know arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t known for being an over-eater, so every time I see an overweight cat it is normal that I wonder about any underlying problems forcing them to put on the pounds faster. Well besides the neutered or spayed cat… For them itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just a matter of time for them to develop the sway spay.

4. Have you ever experienced cat birth? Tell us your personal experience with cat birth or if you are like me, and have never experienced cat birth, tell why or why not you would want to experience it.
I have most definitely experienced a cat giving birth to babies. I foster pregnant cats and foster newborns and orphans from our shelter, so I have witnessed several births notched into my headboard. It is a very amazing and rewarding experience. I am fascinated every time! I always think I must have been a feline mid-wife in another life, because I can have the most stray cat and they seem to want me to help them have their litter, I consider myself lucky.

I always keep the mom in my bedroom, that way I can keep a close eye and ear on her. Usually by paying close attention I am detect any changes and I tend to be able to predict when they will have their kittens and go into labor. I especially like to be there for them when it happens, whether itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s day or night, and seeing the kittens come into this wobbly world in the wee hours of the morning. I sort of wish I had a bigger home and more time to foster thousands of cats if I could.


My mom tried to foster from our kennel once, and she couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t wait for the day the mom cat gave birth. When the day finally came, she slept though the whole thing! She woke up to the sounds of little kitten cries.

The hardest part about fostering is trying not to get too attached. I decided when quickly after I started to set limits on how many cats or kittens I could keep at one time. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a kind of a hard decision sometimes, because I would love to keep them all if I had the resources. One of my secrets is to take lots of photos and keep in mind the next mother and litter that will come along.

5. I take vitamins and you may. But what about your cats, do you give them any kind of nutritional supplement?
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never given my resident cats vitamins or nutritional supplements. I have read that as long as they are getting their high quality food they are getting everything they need. Besides the fact that I am always worried I wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know the correct amounts or dose to give them.

I do feed the mother cats a special diet when they come to live with me though, making sure they are getting the calories and nutrition they need when they are nursing. I like to offer them powered milk replacement when I have it and hope they gain weight and I tend to get on their good side that way. I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t met a female to refuse it yet. All the girls love it!

I have administered a cat a pill before, it is not as easy as giving one to a dog. You donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have to go to too much trouble hiding the pills for dogs. A little peanut butter and youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re good. We used to give Chewbacca glucosamine supplements before we changed his food, but we still need to give him aspirin for his arthritis every now and again. Administering his meds is extremely easy comparatively.

6. What if one of your cats became ill and you just felt like you could not afford to take your cat to the vet. What would you do?
Beg, borrow and steal! For any of my animals. When we first adopted Willow and she got sick after delivering her kittens, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t exactly have an extra $300 dollars laying around the house to pay, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think we ever can really afford it (I mean itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not an expense we enjoy paying, in fact Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d rather spend it on the cats in a fun way), but we managed. A few years ago, right before Joshâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Make-A-Wish trip our dog got very ill. I thought he was going to die. We took him to the vet and he had to stay overnight for several days. Because we have a reputation with our vet they made a payment arrangement for us and accepted post-dated checks, all we had to do was ask. I knew there are credit card companies out their with a credit plan, I think itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s called care credit or something like that, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m naturally not fond of being in debt with credit cards. I have also checked into the pet insurance policies, but since they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t cover well visits and vaccinations, I never thought they were worth it.

7. Have you ever had to give pills to cats? Can you tell us about the experience? If you have never given a pill to a cat, tell us how you would imagine the experience would be.
OK, like I said earlier, I have had to give a cat a pill before and it isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t always as easy as hiding it in a treat, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s hard, a real pain in the doopa
. Sometimes you have to actually restrain the cat like wrapping it in a towel) and force them to take it. It can be a two person job. I wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to imagine doing it without someone to help me. Usually it is DH or my youngest daughter that helps me here. I like to see if there is a liquid version of the pill (like dewormer) so you wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have to hide it. This makes it easier to administer the med. If it is tasty enough they will just lap it right up from a small saucer plate. Another time I crushed the pill into smaller pieces or into a powder and hid it in a tiny bit of wet canned food. You have to make sure you use only a tiny bit because you want to be sure they eat the whole amount. Sometimes the cat [or dog] refused it and spit out all or part of it. I always thought it was interesting how they picked all around it and manage to leave the pill behind when theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re finished. I mean how is that possible?

8. I feed my cats 24/7. How about you? Do you have to feed any of them separately?
We free feed our cats 24/7. We offer them their dry kibble all day long, we keep it upstairs and above the dogâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s reach so that the dog doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get to it. We feed them their wet food in separate bowls only once daily. Roly always comes running when he hears the crack of the can. He can smell this stuff from far away! I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t feed all the cats wet meals because apparently some of them donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t take to the wet feeding as well, but one of them are picky and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m convinced she only eats the wet. So the cats that do get the wet food get it fed to them separately, where I can close the door because the smell of the wet food drives all the pets wild. While some of the cats get their wet food, the others will get treats as a distraction.

9. In the forums I often see posts about ear mites in cats. Do you know what mites look like? Do you know how to check your catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] ears to make sure they do not have mites?
I do know what ear mites are and what they look like, like lots of crusty black dirt in their ear. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve read online that they look like coffee grounds a lot. Last year we had a foster that had a couple orphan kittens thrown in with her litter and it turned out that the orphans had ear mites that ended up infecting the whole litter, but luckily since she was contained to my room, and treatment was given promptly by the shelterâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s vet, none of the other [my] cats were affected. I have seen some flea drops that will control and get rid of ear mites and I have read about other solutions, although I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t envy those that have to deal with them. In my case, the shelter covered the cost for the kittens so it was pretty painless. However, I have read that cats that are left untreated not only scratch at themselves but they could even suffer hearing loss eventually. I could not imagine it being left to escalate to that extent. Poor cat would have to be an itchy, scratchy miserable mess. I imagine they are relieved when they are finally clean and clear.

10. There is an article here on TCS entitled “The Healthy Cat: Eight Things You Should Checkâ€. Reading this article will not replace the vet but it would help you in giving your cat kind of a physical. Do you ever give your cats a check up?
I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t do anything in particular to check their health, but I periodically will feel their ears when Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m petting them to see if it feels like they have a temperature if they are looking groggy or something. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think a catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s nose is as wet as a dogâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s but I sometimes will check their noses to see how they feel. Another thing I do is to check their teeth every so often, to make sure they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t getting cavities or rotting out of their mouth. Roly will sometimes get runny eyes so when that happens I check him more frequently then the others. Also, I keep an eye on the feces in the litter boxes to make sure there is nothing unusual going on there. I have read this article on TCS, according to the article, it mentions keeping up on the maintenance to avoid unnecessary medical visits. It says to watch for symptoms so youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re able witness any abnormal behavior. If you pay attention you can almost always catch things early and perhaps save a veterinary visit or catch anything before it progresses.

Technically, this thing is well over 10 questions, but I'll let you slide this time
Shwew!
 

marianjela

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TCS just about gave me a heart attack! I after spending well over an hour typing my novel, I went to post it last night, only to get a database error.

I was up past 3 am trying. I was praying I didnt oversleep in order to post this morning. I wonder if Glitch had the same trouble and that is why she is MIA right now...

Good luck guys!!
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

TCS just about gave me a heart attack! I after spending well over an hour typing my novel, I went to post it last night, only to get a database error.

I was up past 3 am trying. I was praying I didnt oversleep in order to post this morning. I wonder if Glitch had the same trouble and that is why she is MIA right now...

Good luck guys!!
OK people, listen to this. Especially BelongsToEvie. Glitch is still missing in action and I did receive a pm from her last night about midnight saying she could not get onto the Cat Lounge. I just now PM'd her the questions. In a case like this, I think we can wait.
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

OK people, listen to this. Especially BelongsToEvie. Glitch is still missing in action and I did receive a pm from her last night about midnight saying she could not get onto the Cat Lounge. I just now PM'd her the questions. In a case like this, I think we can wait.
I need some suggestions. We can't just dump glitch after six months of long, hard fighting. Thankfully this has happened before Sunday, which is a free day. I have the other three people left charted with their scores. I can pm you that info (to marianjela and Cocoa Cream). Meanwhile, I would like to hear from BelongsToEvie on this. The point is we know The Cat Lounge was down for several hours. I have PM'd glitch. What next? I also know that there are a lot less responses on weekends, suggesting that some people do not have access on the weekends. As Archie Bunker used to say "help me out, here". or was it hear?
 

marianjela

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When I seen she didnt post yesterday I was afraid of this. I couldnt get on TCS at all yesterday, not even to send a PM. I did end up PMing Cocoa Cream on another Vbulletin we both belong to, to let her know I was still around and trying. I tried to get on all night (or is it this morning?) with no success. I finally went to bed at about 3 or so. Then I woke up around 5 and tried then, with no luck. When I finally got up at 9 and tried it was thankfully back up and running, but last night the whole site was down for me. And I tried a lot of different sub-sites.

PS - Lee.... I went to Persi's homepage (which I have bookmarked) because I thought I would just email you directly (I seen your mailbox on his page) but the email bounced back to me. I imagine that AOL address is no longer valid. I was just going to email you my response to your regular email.

Anyway, I'm fine with whatever you decide, but ultimately, I guess BelongsToEvie is the one it affects.
 

glitch

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Im sorry guys! I couldn't get online at all! I tried for almost 6 hours straight last night! I just pm'd persi my answers because I didn't know what else to do but request the questions sent to me! So I was having technical issues and I also send the tech support department e-mail addy when I got the database error a e-mail letting them know I was having trouble and to let ya'll know if they got here first that I was going to be late because I couldn't get online!!

Im sorry belongtoevie! I know you've been waiting for the scores!! I really am sorry!
 

glitch

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Originally Posted by glitch

Thank you so much for this!!! Here are my answers!

Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

Originally Posted by glitch

I can not get onto the cat lounge!!! I dont want to miss the playoffs today so anyway you could send me the questions real quick?? Im getting a database error everytime I try to go into one of the forums!!

Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

It looks like my wordfinder failed me. Catkiki and you should play today to enter the final four. I am sorry this happened but that is why I wanted everybody to check me. I can give a time extension if needed. Please just let me know you got this.
I was in bed when you sent this. OK, we have a problem. Hopefully your opponent will understand. Please return these as soon as you can...

2008 KatKwery Playoffs
Round 2 – Game 1

Topic: Cat Health

1. Have you ever had to leave any of your cats at the vet overnight? Did you make sure that your cat would receive adequate attention while confined?
Ive had to leave several cats at the vet overnight before. Now days we even have to leave the cats at the vet for 2 days after they neutered! I always make sure that they are well taken care of, the other night we had to leave Nina there and I made sure the vet would make sure she had pain medicine and something cozy to lay on! I call and check on them also! Although I trust my vet I believe that after hours things can get a little shady in there and I want my animals getting the best treatment around the clock.

2. What would you do if you found out from your doctor that you had cat allergies? I am talking about severe allergies that really make you sick.

I would recieve the new cat allergy shot that you have to take 3 times a week to build up an immunity to the cat allergy and take medicine and do everything under the sun including suffer to be able to keep my cats!! I would never let an allergy stand in the way of my family! I have a friend that has been working on the cat shots for years and she is getting better! She doesn't have near the allergy attack as she did before, she wasn't able to breath, her whole body would turn red and get a rash and it was awfull, but now after being treated her eyes will run a little bit but besides that she's all okay!
3. Are any of your cats overweight? Do you ever weigh your cats? Do you keep a record of their weight other than at the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s office?


BooBoo is an overweight cat! He's heavy set but the vets say he is actually a pretty normal weight for as long as he is! He builds up fat in the winter but in the summer he gets skinny again and since I started feeding kitten chow he's had way more energy!

I have one of the vet record forms here so I can keep track of their past health issues, their weight, and other such issues! Their health is important to me so I like to know exactly whats going on with it!!

4. Have you ever experienced cat birth? Tell us your personal experience with cat birth or if you are like me, and have never experienced cat birth, tell why or why not you would want to experience it.
Oh yes, many times! Theres nothing more precious than watching one of your kitties give birth! It shows such trust for them to give birth while you're there and to see the kitten you have been waiting for for what feels like forever and a year its wonderfull! Its a bloody mess but its still beautiful! I would always want to see it if given the opportunity, its just a neat experience! They trust you enough to help them through delivery, and Ive never had a cat that screamed too bad, so that makes it better! I was only 5 years old the first time I got to see it! The cat Whiskers gave birth to Jimmy who was my first cat, then Splinter, who was my brothers cat and then Scruffy who was my moms cat!! So its a great thing!

5. I take vitamins and you may. But what about your cats, do you give them any kind of nutritional supplement?
I give the kitties a vitamin L-Lysine to help keep their immune systems strong and stuff! I want them to be as healthy as they possibly can and from what Ive been told that stuff helps them out, so I break open a liquid filled capsule and spread it over their food and they never know itss there! Now they're like super cats! Strong as can be!!

6. What if one of your cats became ill and you just felt like you could not afford to take your cat to the vet. What would you do?


There are actually places online that will help defer the costs of the vet so you can take them to the vet but without such costly effects!! I have borrowed money to take them to the vet before and have even taken things as far as to pawn items to take them there! As a last resort you can give up your kittys and they will maybe get them feeling better and maybe find them a new home, they might also put them to sleep though so I couldn't handle that, plus my cats are part of my family so giving them up would be hard as can be, with Glitch when he racked up 4000 in medical bills in the 5 months we had owned him and we just struggled a little bit to cover the costs of everything for him! I never got cat insurance or anything like that. Cat insurance is expencive and sometimes its not worth it! Like with my cats right now they havn't been sick in a long time! Except for Nina, but thats a story for the premier lounge!
7. Have you ever had to give pills to cats? Can you tell us about the experience? If you have never given a pill to a cat, tell us how you would imagine the experience would be.


Oh yeah, Ive had to pill my cats before! A lot! Every Time BooBOo gets a UTI he gets antibiotics and they have to be in pill form, so I have a pet piller, you put the pill in the end of it andd then yam it down their throat and hit the button which pushes the pill out and into their throat and then they have to swollow it! IT has made my life with pets alot easier! BooBoo's not one where you just give a pill and he swollows it, he will do everything including throw up to get the darn pill out of his mouth or throat! Once you get use to the pet piller you'll never do it the old fashioned way again! You just put the pill in your long tubular device and away you go!
8. I feed my cats 24/7. How about you? Do you have to feed any of them separately?


BooBoo sometimes get feds seperatly on the counter because he's too lady to get off of it and go eat with the rest of the cats! BEsides that they are freefed with the hard food and do quite well with it that way, BooBoo is overweight but not by too much! He's still pretty healthy for his age! The wet food they get at night is fed every night at the exact same time! I think that the night time is their morning time so I give them their wet food at night time for me so they can have a good strong breakfast! But they only get it once a day and only at that one time! They like it best but the hard food is better in nutrition for them!

9. In the forums I often see posts about ear mites in cats. Do you know what mites look like? Do you know how to check your catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] ears to make sure they do not have mites?

Ear mites are awfull! Mainly because they bother the cats so bad, they're brownish in the ears and you have to drowned them out of the ears! The medicine the vet gives you is oily and you have to take Q-tips and get all of the brown gunk out of there and then put the oily medicine in their ears and rub them together! I know what to look for when it comes to ear mites but my cats dont normally get them because they're inside cats! I think its pretty much the outside cats that get the earmites the most!

10. There is an article here on TCS entitled “The Healthy Cat: Eight Things You Should Checkâ€. Reading this article will not replace the vet but it would help you in giving your cat kind of a physical. Do you ever give your cats a check up?
All the time! Im always giving my cats check up just to make doubly sure that everything is okay! That was how I found the lump on HoBoJax and the lump on Eek which turned out to be a swollen kidney! So I frequently check on them to make sure all is well! It gives me a better peace of mind knowing that I can not see anything visably wrong! I even take my cats heart beat and have tried to take their blood pressure before! I like to know whats up!!

Okay thats all I got, I didn't have as much time as needed to answer the question because last night it would not let me on the cat lounge at all and I tried from two different computers and for several hours! So Im sorry for those who were waiting for my reply and couldn't get it! I still can't get in there but I can get to my messages so maybe that will help!
Here is the PM that was sent back and fourth guys! So all my answers are in there and Im sorry for this!
 

marianjela

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Dont worry about it Glitch I had the same problem last night, only I had copied the questions earlier when the site was still up and running and typed everything up in Word. But when I went to paste them in I was getting the "Database Error" too. I tired all morning and finally quit around 3 or so, but did try again at 5. Luckily, when I woke up at 9 the site was back up and running but I did notice you didnt post also, so I figured you were having the same problems as me.

Anway.... Welcome back!
 
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persi & alley

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Please check behind me on this! Here is the chart: http://superchiro.com/zz33

Marianjela 8
Cocoa Cream 4

BelongsToEvie 5
Glitch 3

Cocoa Cream must win the next two games to be in the Super Bowl.
Glitch must win or tie the next two games to be in the Super Bowl.
Marianjela only needs to win or tie one of the remaining two games.
BelongsToEvie needs to win one of the two remaining games.
There will only be a third game if necessary.

Game 2 will be posted Monday morning, between 9-10 am, Central Time.

One of these for each of the four of you:
 

belongstoevie

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Wow, I missed a lot! I, too, could not sign on since yesterday afternoon till I went to bed at 1 AM. Then I was out and about all morning, so of course, very first chance I had to sign on and see how things were! I was worried, too, that Marianjela and Glitch couldn't get on, since I lost access shortly after my entry.

And of course I don't mind that we waited for her!
That's the fair, right thing to do. I'm really glad you got a chance to enter Glitch!
So I'm really glad things worked out well! And I'm sorry I haven't had computer access all morning- I've been thinking about everyone!

Just a few more games, boy I will miss this when we are done! Good luck in the next round everyone! This just keeps getting more and more exciting!
 

glitch

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Originally Posted by BelongsToEvie

Wow, I missed a lot! I, too, could not sign on since yesterday afternoon till I went to bed at 1 AM. Then I was out and about all morning, so of course, very first chance I had to sign on and see how things were! I was worried, too, that Marianjela and Glitch couldn't get on, since I lost access shortly after my entry.

And of course I don't mind that we waited for her!
That's the fair, right thing to do. I'm really glad you got a chance to enter Glitch!
So I'm really glad things worked out well! And I'm sorry I haven't had computer access all morning- I've been thinking about everyone!

Just a few more games, boy I will miss this when we are done! Good luck in the next round everyone! This just keeps getting more and more exciting!
It does keep getting better doesn't it!! I have a strange feeling you're going to be the one to take me out though!! Which wont be all bad!

I thank everyone for waiting for me and it just stinks that none of us could get on the site when we wanted to! I nearly had withdrawls!! I NEED MY CAT SITE FIX!!


Good luck tomarrow everyone!! Ill be here, trying my best!! Good vibes for all!

 
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