Bunny goes to the vet's

So this afternoon, it was Bunny's turn to go to the vet's for his vaccination.

Rather than me talk, I'll let Bunny tell his story...first-hand.

So there I was, resting comfortably on their clean clothes, minding my own business, when suddenly....Mum patted me on the head, said something (she always thinks I understand, but how on earth can I possibly understand, right?), and then, she carried me and stuffed me into the carrier!!

Hey, what's going on and where am I going, I asked, but she kept saying, well, I don't know what, but it sounded soothing...

We got into this thing they call "car", which to me is just a big ugly animal that can move, and she drove the thing with me inside.

Of course I complained...I made the most complaining-sounding noises I could...

Where are we going???

The car stopped after a while, and Mum said, "We're here..."

She got down and carried me (in the carrier) to a place called "the clinic".

Someone at the front desk said, "Oh, Bunny is here!".

Hey, how do you know my name??

Then this man came over (they call him a "vet") and said, "Come, let's take a look at Bunny" and Mum carried me into a room where they opened the carrier.

Of course I came out...I wanted to know where I was.

I walked all over, jumped up on the desk, pushed down some stuff and apparently, I broke a slide. Oopsie woopsie...

There was this big metal table in the middle and of course, I had to know what it was, so I jumped up.

Mum and the vet started talking and I heard my name being mentioned a lot.

Then the vet said I was obese....

Hey, who are you calling fat???

The vet explained that there was this thing called "visceral fat" and as they were talking...

Suddenly, the vet said, "Look...what's he doing?"

The vet said only dogs breathed through their mouths, so why was I doing it?

Heh...I grew up with a dog, remember? Naw..I just want to freak them out a little....heh heh.

Mum got real worried and started asking the vet why I was suddenly breathing through my mouth...

Okay, show's over, folks...don't freak Mum out.

Then the vet said it was nothing to worry about since I had stopped doing it.

Heh...that was fun.

It's called "attention-seeking".

There, I've closed my mouth now...no worries.

Then, the vet said there's something not quite right about me.

Say what?

He said my eyes are not of the same size.

"There are some oddities about this cat."

Eh...who are you calling "odd" now?

Mum said I was FIV+, whatever that meant, and the vet said, "Oh, that's why."

Well okay, as long as you both are happy, I'm happy too.

Then, the vet stuck a stick into my bum....it wasn't too unpleasant, though.

Then, he said my temperature was good.

Next, he pricked something into my shoulder while Mum patted me on the head.

I don't know what that is, but it's called 'vaccination" and it's supposed to protect me from getting flu and something called "parvo".

The vet also said I had something called "flea allergy dermatitis" and that is why I had some balding patches on my body. Apparently, Tiger has that, too.  Hey, we can't help it if fleas like us, right? The vet said it's okay since we were on Revolution. No big deal, he said.

That's that, and Mum put me back into the carrier and we could already go home.

Before that, the vet had to rub it in about me being fat again....and told Mum I had to lose more than 1kg!!

Apparently, my weight is 6.45kg and the vet said it would be better if I were only 5kg.

Hello Brother...that's a lot of meat to shed...

Mum said she didn't think she was overfeeding me as animals are supposed to know how much they should eat, but the vet said that wasn't so. Apparently, we animals also overeat once our humans indulge us with food.

Heh...we're smart, too, eh?

So the vet said I should lose weight slowly, and come down to 5kg. A good gauge is the body shape (he showed Mum a picture of one of 'em macho-looking cats, it's the type you'll only see in the movies, you know. Get real, Brother, those cats don't exist. Real cats eat...).

The vet said you should be able to feel the ribs but not see them, and I should have that macho-looking body and no "pendulus" tummy.

Anyway, Mum seemed keen for me to lose some weight.

Oh well...I guess she would know what is best for me.

So she lugged all 6.45kg of me (in the carrier) back to the car and off we headed for home.

Of course I complained all the way home...

Ah...I see our house.

We're home!!

Mum let me out and I headed straight for the kitchen.

Did someone say "food'?

Bobby came looking for me. Oh, he is sniffing the carrier because he cannot see me.

I touched noses with Indy.

Indy said the same thing happened to him yesterday too, but Indy said nobody called him "fat".

And Cow also came to check on me.

Oh well, don't worry, I'm fine now.

Be it ever so humble,
There's no place like home.

*Smiles*

I only managed to get Cow

Cow has been very obedient lately, and it was no problem at all plonking him into the carrier. In fact, he even walked right in.

Bunny was sitting on the pillar at Mac's place, but the back door was jammed. Sigh... I kept calling him in, and he just looked at me and gave me that "knowing" look, as though saying, "Yes? You talking to me?".

I gave up after trying on the door for 10 minutes as Cow was waiting inside the carrier.

Saved by a jammed door!

So, Cow and I drove to the clinic. Traffic was bad by then.

Surprisingly, Cow did not protest as much.

As you know, Cow is alpha at home but a total pussy at the clinic.

The vet said he is the calmest of all my cats...so far.

Everything's fine except for a bit too much wax in the ear that was infected the last time. Cow has maintained his previous weight, so that's good.  Anyway, he too is obese (like Tiger). Have to lost some weight, Cow. Being overweight is not good.

Cow was vaccinated as well.

Tomorrow will be Bunny's turn and I'm done for the year.

2014 - repeat the process again!

I opt for the 3-yearly vaccinations.  It's a personal choice, based on needs.

Indy and Tiger go for their vaccinations

After coming back from visiting Sugar and seeing that today the vet's was not crowded, I thought I'd take Indy for his check-up. If you've been following Indy's news, he is a suspect kidney problem cat because there was protein in his urine and he used to lick a lot of water from the running tap. However, his previous kidney readings (done in August) showed that everything was normal.

Indy was also due for his vaccination and Tiger (and Cow & Bunny) are already overdue! I asked the vet assistant if I could bring all four (yes, very confidently...and foolishly!) and she said yes, as they did not have appointments this afternoon.

So I quickly went home and Indy and Tiger were right there. I coaxed (half forced) them into the carrier and by the time that was done, I had no more energy to "coax" Cow & Bunny, so off we drove to the vet's amidst cries of strong protest in the car. Indy was protesting in the strongest possible terms while Tiger was just mewing like a pussy.

Cleo and Pole had already been vaccinated last month. That was a bigger achievement as these two are the Dowagers in the house.

I put them facing each other so that they would not be so afraid.

Based on the orchestra they generated at the clinic (the maestro was Indy), the vet assistant thought I had brought four cats. Er...no, only two, I said, sheepishly. It was quite embarrassing too as other animals weren't making a racket.

 Indy, the maestro.

 Tiger, looking really scared.

There were three patients ahead of us...so we had to wait.

 We went upstairs for our turn and the vet examined Indy first.

Indy's case has always been complicated and I was hoping the vet would be able to draw some urine to check for protein again. Unfortunately, Indy's bladder was just too small. Sigh...what a waste.

Indy's eyes didn't look very right either. He has mild conjunctivitis, but then again, Indy's eyes had always been "not quite right". He was rescued in very dire straits, with severe bladder, eye and ear infection.  We think one of his eyes is a bit "spoilt" as it doesn't look normal. Nevertheless, he has been okay ever since.

Indy's temperature was on the high side as well, but he wasn't feverish.

Based on his records, Indy had lost 300 grams compared to his last visit. This is cause for concern. Could it be due to the fact that he has been on RC Renal and thus, not getting enough protein? But we're really in a Catch 22 situation here as the presence of protein in his urine may suggest that there is a leak in the filter at his kidneys. A high intake of protein will cause more damage to this filter. But insufficient protein would also cause the loss of muscle mass (hence, weight loss). So, where do we go from here?

We don't know...

Well, Indy's always been a bit of a "complicated and unresolved" case. We do not actually know what is not quite right about him, but he's been "okay". The vet always said that it's probably because he had a bad start in life and all those infections would have taken a toll on him. That is also the reason why I never got him adopted. Indy was rescued from the drain by a friend and she asked for my help to foster him for 2 weeks. And the 2 weeks got extended...

The rest is history (Indy is my only cat who has a book in his name!).

 By then, Tiger had found a very safe and comfortable place in the clinic and Indy joined him.

 We're very happy here.
DO NOT DISTURB.

Tiger was next.

Oh, oh, the vet said Tiger is obese. Okay, time to lose some weight as that's not very good. His temperature was good and within normal range. Tiger has flea allergy dermatitis even though he is on Revolution. It isn't life-threatening, though.

Both of them were vaccinated and we headed off home.

Another orchestra was played in the car. Yes, led by Indy again. The 10 minute-journey seemed like 1 hour (with the orchestra playing).

I brought them both into the kitchen before letting them go as I wanted to reward them with food, but Indy was clearly VERY angry.

If you remember, some months back, Indy disappeared for a few hours and I could find him at all. That was just prior to his appointment for vaccination at the vet's. I then blogged and made a promise I'd never take him to the vet for vaccination again, and the moment that finished, I walked out and there was Indy!

So, I broke my promise today, by taking him for vaccination and he's angry...and rightly so!

He refused even his favourite KD (brand new can) and scooted off out of the house.

Tiger was fine.  He gobbled up his Fussie Cat and asked for more. Tiger just loves to eat.

Indy under protest. He refused to come into the house.

Tiger with Bobby, his best friend, as usual, with me in the room.

All's well, says Tiger.

In between I had to go check on my car at the workshop. It was not ready yet, so I thought I'd try to get Cow and Bunny next.

Stay tuned.

Roll out the band!!

Cow has finished his medicine!!!  

Photo taken after the last pill this morning.

And my bite wounds are minimal, almost negligible this time.

Yay! 

Cow's pilling sessions (Round 8)

Cow's pilling sessions twice a day had been eventful. If I do not use the vertical carrier trick, I would have a small bite mark to show after each session.

Even with the carrier trick, he could still spit the pill out.  Nevertheless, I've reached Round 8 this evening and I did it this round without the carrier! And no, he also did not bite me!

 Rewarding Cow after each session.

He recovered very quickly the next day, as predicted by the vet. Apparently, when prescribed the correct antibiotics, it works very fast.

Tomorrow morning will be Round 9 - the Finale and then, I'm home free!

Wish me luck, please.

Grooming Bobby

We had been grooming Bobby on our own (with scissors) for the entire duration of his life. However, ever since he became blind, he's been very afraid of the sound of the scissors so we had not been able to groom him lately.

A few days ago, I spoke with a groomer who had had more than 10 years experience in grooming dogs. He said I could bring Bobby to his shop and he would access to see if Bobby was "groom-able".

So the appointment was made for yesterday and I brought Bobby over to his shop. He let Bobby roam around for 15 minutes in the grooming room. He had earlier told me that if Bobby does not drool saliva, it ought to be okay.

Bobby was okay in the room; excitedly sniffing everywhere, but I was also in the room with him.

The groomer then asked me to wait outside so that he could start with Bobby. I could watch from the glass partition.

That's when the trouble started. Bobby refused to cooperate and kept looking for a way out of the room.  After about ten minutes of trying to calm him down, the groomer came out and said he would rather not groom Bobby for fear it could induce a heart failure.  He said he and his assistants could hold Bobby down, but he wouldn't risk it with such an old dog.

The previous groomer who was my friend, also said the same thing, and Bobby wasn't even blind yet, at that time. Apparently, Bobby started hyperventilating at her house, so she quickly brought Bobby back to me, and all was well.

Anyway, this groomer yesterday suggested that we bought a clipper instead and do it ourselves.

This is the clipper. It has a rechargeable battery so we won't need to use those AA or AAA batteries and pollute the environment. It comes with those usual comb-like attachments.

We tried it and found that for Bobby, it was better without any of the attachments.

The result?

Well...it's our first time using the clipper so you can't possibly expect anything that nice....

But we're happy and Bobby didn't mind it at all. Shh...don't tell him a few places are quite bald (oops!).

Ultraman first, food later

I'd let the photos speak for themselves on this one....

Food is served....but Ultraman awaits...

Who says we are creatures of basic instinct?
Ultraman comes first....

Okay, now food gets its turn....

How to pill a Cow (again!)

I must confess it was my mistake to call Cow "Cow", but he was from my first-ever litter of rescued kittens (along with Bunny and Pole), so I did not know what to name them. I wanted to name them "big names" so that they would survive and Cow did have the markings of a typical Australian Jersey Cow.....

By the way, Bunny's first name was Yeti. Along the way, he became "Bunny" and he's turn out to be our largest cat now! Well, so much for names, then.

So, this morning, at 5.30am, I prepared myself for Round One in project "Pilling the Cow".  I have nine rounds in all since the vet had given the first dose at the clinic yesterday to Pussy, I mean, Cow.

The vet did offer me the option of bringing Cow twice daily for the pilling sessions, but "Sunday, you're on your own, by hook or by crook, you've got to give him his medicine", she said.

Yes, I know..... I thought I wouldn't need to take up her kind offer since I had devised a near fool-proof method the last round, ie. by using the vertically propped up carrier. It works, very simply, this way, but it has to be done REALLY fast: Prop up the carrier vertically, grab the Cow, plonk him in, squeeze open his jaw, plonk the pill in, close his mouth, rub neck vigorously until tongue comes out. That's it....

And this time, I was more confident, because I figured he was sick enough as of last night, so maybe, just maybe, he'd comply and be good. Whenever Cow is sick (or thinks he is), he will go upstairs and sleep on my son's bed. We call it "Cow's Hospital Bed". Cow did that last night. He is as hypochondriac as they come.

So, this morning, after breakfast, I tried....

Er...I was completely wrong.

Cow fought tooth and nail....again. Looks like he had made an instant recovery?

So, it's the vertical carrier trick to the rescue....

Ding, ding, ding....Round One goes to me!!
Yay!
The photo above shows Cow being rewarded with Fussie Cat AFTER the pilling session.

I'm sick. Do not disturb.

If you're game for a very good laugh, click on this classic: http://www.myanimalcare.org/2011/07/how-to-give-cat-pill.html

Cow is injured (puncture-wound inside ear)

This afternoon, I noticed Cow did not look too well. He kept sleeping on the favourite chair and did not join the rest for lunch.

He didn't look too good, I could feel it. 

 I brought food for him and served him at the chair, and he ate it all up. At least that's not so worrying - he is still eating. My nightmare is when any animal stops eating. 

Not taking any chances, I called my vet to make an appointment.

While waiting to get to the clinic, Cow finally came to the kitchen and ate two rounds. Hmm...maybe there's nothing wrong, after all, but still, better not take any chances. At most, it's just paying for consultation, that's all.

So, in the heavy rain, we went to the vet's. Cow complained (as usual) in the car... 

We waited quite a while since both vets were doing a procedure.

Cow didn't dare come out of the carrier. He may be alpha at home, but at the clinic, he's a total pussy cat.

Taking his temperature.

It was 40 degrees. The vet says that's very high and it's probably due to an infection.

Now, where is the infection??

Cow left ear felt really hot to the touch.

There it is. A one-puncture wound inside the ear, and pus was already flowing out and the inside of the ear was really messy and dirty.

Oh dear....Having pus means the wound had been there for 2-3 days. But I did not know because Cow behaved as per normal and ate his food. But then again, Cow has an incredibly high threshold for pain. When he was small, he had a big gaping wound on his thigh and it was stitched up THREE times (because he bit off the stitches twice!). The vet was amazed at how he never complained at all, and behaved nonchalantly with gaping hole at his side.

See the one-puncture wound? Could it be due to a fight? Where's the other puncture wound? We could not find it.

Cow had also lost weight, about 500 g over the last 6 months. That is worrying, so I'll have to bring him back for another weight check in about 2 weeks. Maybe like Bunny, he is also FIV positive? The vet says it is normal for 8 year-old cats to start losing some weight. But Cow is only 5 years old.

Cow only needs an antibiotic (Amoxy), twice a day for 5 days. The vet gave the first dose and Cow wasn't too happy about it.

Wish me luck, please. That's another NINE times of having to pill Cow. I'll use my carrier trick and hope it works, ie. Plonk Cow into vertically propped carrier, plop the pill in as fast as possible.

The vet says with the antibiotics, he should recover by tomorrow.  

Cow, after coming home from the vet's.

While I was waiting at the vet's, the vet assistant told me about this new food they've just ordered.

Apparently, it's very tasty. It's from Canada and it's grain-free. She gave me some samples to try.

I thought I'd give Cow a treat with the new food.

He wasn't interested.
(But Cleo, the fussiest of them all, was. She ate all of it up!)

Cow still preferred his Royal Canin.

I'd have to feed Cow his antibiotics for 9 more times, and apply hot compression on this ear (if he allows it, that is). Also, povidone iodine on the wound, if he allows it. With Cow, it's all a big "if"!

CAUGHT in the act!!

Caught cat-nipping today...in broad daylight!!


Who? Who?

Why, it's Cleo!

Sniff, sniff...hmm...nice!!

Totally nice!

Crazy nice!!

Okay, I'm done now...

Half hour later....

That's Bunny rolling around with the ultraman pillow.

And one twig.

No, no...it's not me. 

  

Me is a good boy.
Me don't go crazy high...

And still later....

Who's this?

It's one of the neighbour's cat. Luckily Cow and Bunny didn't know.
Shh....

Doesn't she look a bit like Baster, the Egyptian Feline god?