Broken Hip

[jcribbs]

TULIP AND SNOPPY.. I THINK THERE WAS A BLUE EYED CAT IN THE WOODPILE. YOU CAN'T TELL IN THIS PIC BUT THEY BOTH HAVE BLUE EYES.

They are very beautiful......

 

[sarahp]

This is our nearly 17 year old Bonnie - he's always been a pretty trim kitty, and I always thought he was a big cat - which he was compared to our petite Siamese Coco, but after owning more cats since, I realise he's actually a pretty small boy!

And this is our Coco - she's 16 next month. She used to be pure black, but now she's going VERY grey!!!

 

[booktigger]

Aww, gorgeous kitties. Jenn, have sent you a pm.

 

[jcribbs]

I love Bonnie and coco..... !!!!!

They have led a long life... 17 years old ....wow..... They look pretty comfy and look to be in excellent shape for being the age they are.. My cat cleo looks like coco too....

And since JJ's ordeal with the leg, I am a soft touch for three legged cats. I remember you saying boonie gets around great... I hope JJ lives that long. He is a good cat. Yellow is a good cat too..

Let me ask you something... How do you keep bonnie so trim? JJ is a porker and it makes it hard for him to get around. When he first had his surgery he was fast as lightning getting around. Now thats he has gained weight, he hops different. The extra weight is bothering him I can tell but feeding so many not sure what to do. I am thinking of putting the food up too high for him to reach and then feeding him seperate........a low cal cat diet. He probably weighs at least 20 lbs if not more... He needs to lose at least 3-4 lbs to make it easier on him.

My husband is fixing to enlarge the rails on the gates in the house. They are 6" apart so the cats can come and go. JJ can't go through them anymore. He can get his head and shoulders through and he his belly just won't make it. We have a railed gait on each door in the kitchen [6" openings] so at night when we are at work, we put the dogs in the kitchen so they can't roam around the house and eat the cat food. But we have to make sure JJ is on the food/litter side so he can do his thing. Or we make sure he is in the bedroom where he has access to going outside. One or the other.

The cat door is 8". so if he is in the bedroom, he eats outside in the enclosure and uses the bathroom out there. He has no trouble with 8" openings.

If he is in the house when we work at night I have to make sure he is not trapped away from the litter or food by the gate.

But like I said, Juan is going to move one of the rails over a couple inches for him but he needs weight control. If I don't get him on a diet, he will end up being immobile.

When he hops forward with his back leg, his rear goes to the ground. Then he stand up and does it again. I let him get too heavy and poor JJ is paying the price.

What is a good cat food to help porkers lose weight? Did you have this problem with bonnie?

 

[sarahp]

Here's a video of him hopping along now - you can see he struggles a bit. He's a lot slower than he used to be, and I think he'll have major problem with his hips in the next year or so

Bonnie hopping

Size wise, neither cat has never been big eaters, so it's pretty easy. They like with my mum in Australia, but I think they get some dry food throughout the day, and kangaroo mince in the evening, and they just eat what they need to. Like I said - they're not big eaters.

JJ really needs to lose weight though I imagine. The more weight he carries around, the more pressure it'll put on his hip/back and the harder it'll be for him.

I don't have any suggestion, but good luck!

 

[jcribbs]

Well, that looks like JJ's hop...... Exactly like JJ's hop.

Maybe that's how they are supposed to do it.

 

[xocats]

Bonnie is 17? He looks great.

I watched his video several times.
He is just wonderful.

Coco is precious.

I imagine that a very slow weight loss of a couple lbs would help JJ but the loss must be really slow so his liver in not compromised.

Your tri-pod babies are precious.

Wow...Snoopy & Tulip are beautiful Jenn.

 

[booktigger]

I dont know how you are going to do it in a multi-cat household Jenn - I had two overweight cats last year, one was easy as he was active and playful, and the other was hard cos he didn't do anything. You could try putting the other cats food somewhere he can't reach, and maybe see if he would enjoy a game of 'chase the treats', where you throw individual pieces of kibble for him, or something easy like a laser toy. As has been said, it does need to be slow and gradual, but it does need to be done. Pebble's didn't seem to have that many mobility issues, although it was odd to watch at times - we had the opposite prob with her though, keeping enough one her was a struggle.

 

[sarahp]

Originally Posted by xocats

Bonnie is 17? He looks great.

I watched his video several times.
He is just wonderful.

Coco is precious.

I imagine that a very slow weight loss of a couple lbs would help JJ but the loss must be really slow so his liver in not compromised.

Your tri-pod babies are precious.

Wow...Snoopy & Tulip are beautiful Jenn.

Thanks!!

We've had them both since they were babies! It's nice to know they've only known one home, have had all the love they've ever wanted, and have lived to see an old age because of it.

I have a video of Coco yowling at me as well - I'll put it up tonight - she's so funny!!

 

[jcribbs]

I can't wait to see coco howling at ya........ I loved the video too!!!

As far as JJ losing weight, I feel this spring when it's warmer will help him lose. He loves his enclosure and since it is in the process of getting larger, he will have lots more room to get around. I have thought of putting the other cats food up. But it will have to be at least 4' high. JJ cannot jump 4'. He can jump 3'.

Occassionally I throw kibbles. I have 20 cats running for them. It is a sight to see. They beg like the dogs. My dogs have taught them well that we are softee's..... I have a cat named Pebbles also after BookTigers Pebbles. At one time we nearly lost her due to her not eating. She was literaly a little bone. So we made her a spot by the computer and constantly fed her. Sausage, kitten chow and anything else. Tuna packed in water.. She is so spoiled now, she runs to the kitchen if we open the fridge. She is convinced all food is naturally hers. She is a normal size now.. and very beautiful. Husband think she is the pretties cat we have. If we don't watch her..if we are eating, she will try to grab the food off our plate with her little foot. She uses her feet like hands.. She steals food from the other cats too. She is a real pig kitty now...

 

[xocats]

Oh...look how pretty she is.

I wish you had a video camera Jenn, so we could see all your kitties running for their food.

booktrigger...your Bridge kitty Pebbles has a namesake.

That is really cool.

 

[booktigger]

XO - Jenn told me, and I thought it was really sweet too!! Admittedly, her Pebbles is nicer than my Pebbles was!!

 

[sarahp]

Originally Posted by jcribbs

I can't wait to see coco howling at ya........ I loved the video too!!![/IMG]

Here she is

She actually only meows a couple of times - she's normally soooo much noisier!

Coco yowling

I don't know if you saw my threads in the Cat Lounge and Crossing the Bridge, but mum had to euthanise them just before xmas

And she only just told me because she was too upset to tell me earlier.

Bonnie was in too much pain, then Coco was lost without him - they've been together 16 years! She was too stressed out, so mum made the tough decision to euthanise her as well

 

[xocats]

Awww....what a precious video of Coco.

I posted my condolences in their Bridge thread.
They were beautiful kitties who were deeply loved.
I think that you Mother made the right decision to keep them together.

((((Bonnie & Coco ))))

 

[jcribbs]

I haven't' updated anything about JJ in quite a bit  (7 years to be exact).....  I was just outside and found him on the roof.  I climbed a ladder to get him down.  He has no trouble manouvering UP.  But I wasn't sure about DOWN, so I gave him a hand.  I'm not sure how he got up there.  The eves all overhang the house and there are no trees against the house.  I am bumfuggled about HOW he did this. Needless to say, he has thrived on three legs.......hahaha.......  He is fat and sassy.....

==========================================

"What are you waiting for?  Get me down already!!!"

on the roof.JPG

• jcribbs
• Sep 29, 2012

And back with all legs on the ground. 

thank god I'm down.JPG

• jcribbs
• Sep 29, 2012

He is a corker!!

Jenn