New Feral By Nature blog

The explanation for the demise of the old one, is on the new one at http://feralbynaturetoo.blogspot.com/

Tiny needles...

Ivan's new U-100 needles are teeny tiny short things. I worry that I'm not even getting it into his skin, so now I need to part his fur to inject him. So I need some tools to help me see: funky reading glasses and my hat with a clip-on Petco Foundation light.

Ivan was fast asleep and didn't even notice me looming over him. Nellie, however, gave me a good long hiss when I came over.

I don't blame her. I must have been a sight. And no, I won't post a "selfie!" In fact, I won't even look in the mirror.

Captain TinyCat discovers snow!

TinyCat is still here, waiting for a home. When the temperature spiked up to over 60 last week, I let the cats out on the catio to play. Now they don't understand why they can't still go out (perhaps because I don't need 8F cold air blowing in an open window). However TinyCat was insistent so I let him out to discover the snow.

Not yet feeling like the holiday? Try this!

A Cat's Guide to Christmas

The continuing saga of Ivan and diabetes

Some cat owners dedicate themselves to creating a web page about the ailment their pet suffered through. I'm sure there are human family members who do this for the illness their child, spouse, or parent is dealing with. Some of these sites are not much more than personal journals, but a few are amazingly well-researched. They are written to help others in the same situation, because the author recalls their own frustration and despair at just not knowing what to do, and searching vainly for information.

Ivan has not been doing well recently on ProZinc insulin. The dosage has been going up and up, and after a brief (a week or so) return to good levels after each increase, his blood glucose levels would rise again. So my veterinarian recently prescribed a switch to Lantus. After a brief bout of sticker shock ($224 Rite-Aid, $221 Walmart) I found that the Cornell University pharmacy had it for around $175. So over $200 poorer (I needed U-100 syringes instead of the U-40s I'd been using with ProZinc so that upped the cost) I settled in to wait until Ivan's last ProZinc day was up to start the change to Lantus.

I knew the first day wasn't going to be very informative for me. However when his glucose levels briefly started downward after four hours, but then began climbing again after eight hours, I allowed myself a bit of despair and decided to distract myself by hunting around on the web to find out how other people had gotten through the first few days of a switch of insulin types. And believe it or not, I found a page specifically dedicated to Lantus (glargine)and switching to it.

Tilly's Diabetes Homepage (In German and English)

Here is the protocol published by the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

I would never change my veterinarian's protocol based on a web page, and happily, from reading this page, I won't be tempted (for all I know, she used that very journal article to set up Ivan's protocol). However it was somewhat reassuring to find a well-written and researched overview by a cat caretaker who had been through this all, and had done more than write a blog blurb---like I'm doing now.

This morning Ivan received his second Lantus injection, and I was relieved to see before I fed him breakfast and gave him the Lantus, his blood glucose level had actually fallen somewhat the last four hours. His breakfast shot will "overlap" with the effects of his dinner shot from last night, so I'm hoping we'll begin to see some improvement today and throughout the weekend, so I have some decent news when I report in to my veterinarian on Monday.

In the meantime Ivan is restless and wandering, which is how he usually is when his glucose level is too high. He finds different places to lay (like the uncomfortable antique rocking chair in the photo above), instead of his usual favorite spots. Perhaps he hopes he'll feel better in different places. Nonetheless he is amiable and affectionate, greeting the other cats and myself with head-butts, and giving me the silent meow when he feels he's not getting enough to eat (sorry, buddy!). I have enough old cats to know when they are no longer happy, and Ivan refused to become unhappy. So he's my little feline money pit, and seems content to remain in that role. Just like a cat.

Do you know of other excellent web pages that a pet guardian maintains on a specific health issues they experienced with their pet? Please feel free to post it in comments!

A veterinarian or parasitologist's Twelve Days of Christmas

Some of you may get a laugh out of this one. From the Worms and Germs blog, which I highly recommend.

Christmas time is here again...

...and the cats are getting gifts. Mary (Jack and The Leewit's home) sent a whole box of toys. Pitter and Patter try them out. Pitter is into it. Patter is not quite sure.



There was a little something for me in there, too!

It's always nice when Christmas rolls around. All the shabby toys and beds go in the trash, replaced by new ones from adopters and myself (because hey, I'm out there shopping, and look at those deals on cat beds!). More photos to come!

Merry Christmas and wonderful holidays everyone! Thanks for thinking of us!

While on Facebook, everyone is talking about how "cats are the same everywhere" -- meaning curious and playful, what I got a kick out of was watching the men when they were looking at the photos at the truck and at the campfire. They acted EXACTLY like the women I hang out with when we see something fascinating, which is not to say "the men were acting like women" but more like "enjoyment of fascinating things is totally human." It's great to see examples of human acting normally enthusiastic, rather than over-the-top cinematic excitement (think Myth Busters excitement when they blow things up) or squealing cute ("typical" female TV/movie excitement).

Tolerance...exponential

This isn't about cats, but it's amazing to see the extent to which the crab migration is protected.

Visiting the Owl House

You know, I know we are way out here in the middle of nowhere, but the cats love visitors. Katlyn comes by every few months to play with the cats. Judy, who adopted Thai, brings her. Luckily she often comes by when I have kittens, which is great because they always need some kid-time here in this quiet adults-only house.

So if you are ever bored, or need something for a quiet cat-loving kid to do, drop us a line and come on over! Give us a day's notice or so, because since we are so far from town, sometimes we have errands planned and that takes us away for a good portion of the day.

When human toys become cat toys

I have some friends who have a huge sectional couch in front of a big wood stove. Along with that huge couch they also have some incredible huge stuffed animals, one of which is a dragon. I really wanted to find a dragon like that, about a year ago, but unfortunately could not find one. I envisioned a similar scenario---friends over for drinks, reaching over and pulling down the dragon from the back of the couch to examine, cuddle, or play with, as they do at my friends' house. Lacking a dragon, I instead purchased a great big bear (which was surprisingly affordable). It was still a huge splurge for something that served no practical purpose.

But actually it was cheaper than a very good cat bed (around $40), and instead of a conversation piece for wine-drinking visitors, it has turned into...a cat bed. Because, of course, I'm more likely to have snoozing cats than wine-drinking visitors.

Fixing the upstairs for a cat caretaker/housemate

The time has come to bring another person into the fold. I have been fixing the upstairs, which was formerly set up for cat fostering, as a bedroom/office/living room and semi-kitchen, and it's actually more space than I have downstairs. So I have been ripping out carpet, painting, and finding affordable but nice furniture on Craigslist. Which of course the cats would like to claim.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to share the house with another person, but it really is necessary for the safety of the house, and the well-being of the cats. So you will soon be treated to the transformation of a portion of The Owl House from a cat place to a people place.

Two cats, or one cat/dog friendly dog, are also welcome. Who knows--maybe I can find someone who will blog!

To my previous cat-boarders, I still have a room downstairs where cats can be boarded, so no fears.

Well, yes, I'm a couple of days late...

...but it's still cute. I am spider phobic and I got the creepy crawlies even just watching an amusing cartoon.

The Brothers, Bo and Davis

Bo and Davis need a home. I never call them by name, because I always call them together. I call them "Brother." "Hey, Brothers, where are you?" Perhaps they are Brother One and Brother Two (like "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" of Dr. Seuss fame). I have let them join the downstairs clan and they are perfect gentleman. They do not scream for wet food. They politely wait their turn at the morning wet-food feast. They are very quiet, although sometimes Davis, the longhair brother, will sing for attention. They are both gorgeous, and have the most expressive faces. And they love one another, so they must go together. They are shy, so I fear that they would take an even longer time to acclimatize to a new home along. Longhair Davis would probably be OK. But Bo would be lost without his brother or another similarly sweet cat.

However, they are falling in love with me (they could easily fall in love with someone else). They want to sit on my lap; to sleep in the bed. They are very sweet and unobtrusive. But there is only room for two cats in the bed, and those two must be Cricket and Ivan, my seniors, who would be highly offended to discover their places taken by young newcomers.

Here is Davis, showing off his gorgeous self:

Kittens go to the vet!

And they are FeLV/FIV negative. Whew! When I catch kittens myself and can see the general health of the colony around them, or I know the colony is fairly isolated (and therefore less likely to carry these cat-to-cat diseases) I'm usually less worried about a test outcome. But when they are dumped, you don't know where they came from and the test is a total toss-up.

Adding steps for old cats

Cricket and Ivan are getting up there in years, but neither one is content to remain on the floor. Ivan insist he will sleep with me. Cricket insists she will go wherever she went when she was a kitten, despite the fact that she's missing a leg and her remaining back leg is full of arthritis.

Both have hit the floor unexpectedly multiple times.

A long while ago I added steps to the bow window where their cat food was (once) kept safely from the dog. Of course, the dog can climb the steps as easily as the cats, so there's no real benefit to having the food elevated, but habit is habit, so there you go.

Plastic steps cost money, however, and really aren't that attractive. Cricket is good at latching her front claws into anything and hauling herself up. But when Ivan leaps and misses, he just plain...misses...and topples back over to the hard floor.

So I've learned to improvise. I have two antique suitcases--one confirmed to have been made by my grandfather and used when he and my grandmother came over from Germany, and a larger trunk that is enough alike as to be it's twin, which I found in an antique store in Geneva where they once lived. The antique guy would say only that he got it "at a recent estate sale" and refused to say where or when. So the low suitcase and the taller chest now make an attractive step-up to the chaise and the window seat. They also hold my wrapping paper and small gifts I find over the course of the year and save for Christmas.

Ivan has slept by my chest every single day and only rarely chooses another spot. The bed is far too high for him to make a successful leap from the floor, so I paid something like five bucks for a pink ottoman, recovered it in some tapestry fabric I found at a sale for a buck (many many yards of it...of cats), and set it beside the bed. Problem solved, and no unsightly cat steps. However steps or an additional step-up may be needed down the road if he gets even more feeble.

I constantly keep my eyes out at garage sales and on Craigslist for small, attractive items I might use for a combination step-up and side stand. Small ottomans (which are often antique/vintage) are often as pricey as brand-new cat steps, but sometimes people just want them gone, and don't realize what they are selling for $5 someone else might sell for $30-50. However, most of the ottomans on Craigslist are the great big huge ones that are the same height as the couch or chair they originally accompanied, and aren't suitable as a step-up.

I have found that ramps, unless they are not very steep at all, don't work so well for feeble cats. I'm going to have to replace the ramp up to the window that goes to the catio with handmade steps. Ivan and Cricket both insist on using the ramp and find it very difficult to hitch themselves up. I added small wood strips to give them something to get additional purchase on, and to keep them from sliding down headfirst when they leave the catio, but it's still pretty difficult for them to haul their way up the incline.

Has anyone here come up with inventive ways to get their oldsters where they wish to go?

Kittens are doing great so far!

The kittens are doing great. They are eating well and all of the plumbing works. They are still quite shy, but when they are hungry they come to the front of the cage and beg for breakfast, so I don't think it will be long before they are fully socialized.

I need to get these little guys (actually, one "guy" and one "girl") spoken for as soon as they are FeLV/FIV tested. I can't afford to be stuck with them past their "cute and fuzzy" stage since I plan on renting the upstairs soon. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying their furry cuteness, and I feel somewhat better that at least these two survived, even if their little brother met his end via a car. I still am astonished at their survival.

We are feeling better, thank you!

I am shocked and amazed. I really thought these little guys were goners, and their steady improvement was a wonder to watch. This morning I took the top off the bin (it was of course propped open a little way for air circulation)and they were both there staring at me. While I fed one kitten, the other surprised me by popping right out of the box and running behind the washing machine. He ultimately came out on his own, crying for breakfast. We are taking it very slow, but things are looking up!

Abandoned kittens

Sunday I came across a small orange kitten that had been hit by a car and killed on Owl Creek Road. He was obviously abandoned, and I wondered where his siblings had been dumped. For some reason people who dump kittens tend to dribble them out along the countryside instead of putting them all in one place (although I have encountered full litters before). I called and called alongside the road, in case he was not alone, but I didn't find any others. That night it poured, and I hoped no other kittens were out there in the dreadful weather.

Tonight I heard Molly growling at the door and I went to look out, wondering if the bear was abroad. I ended up screaming (yes I did!) at the dark shape right at my screen door. Thankfully, the shape was human..a neighbor up the hill who came seeking advice for some kittens another person had brought to her door, having found them in the road. She had gone to the Dollar General and the young clerk there had told her about me. I told her to bring the kittens on over, so she went home and got them. They were in dire shape. They likely had spent at least three days without food, being soaked and scared. I told their rescuer that I did not expect them to live the night, but so far they are doing better. They were cold so we heated them up with SnuggleSafes and a hairdryer. Some warm subcutaneous fluids, and some warm towels in a Rubbermaid container... I even had Pedialyte, once they were warm and hydrated. After about four hours they got very restless so I mixed up some very diluted KMR and they each had a half ounce. They are still very twitchy but are far more aware than they were. I still have reservations about their chance of survival, but I had to try.

Malware adventure averted

So a wonderfully dedicated Google expert/volunteer was able to point out one link that I had missed in my template to the site hosting malware, and the blog is now back and links are safe to click on. I suppose I should be thankful that Google/Chrome puts up those warnings, otherwise I might never have known. I wish their web master tools were a bit clearer about what to do if the malware isn't actually on your site, but luckily there was a lady (I think) in white hat to save me.

The internet is an amazing place.