Top Cat?

Do you know this cat?

She's the most powerful cat in my house, yet few people have ever seen her - it's Barclee. She's incredibly shy and spends a good portion of her time under the bed. If there's even a hint of a car, she bolts for safety.

Yet she wields in the power in the cat hierarchy in a very important way.  She determines who can enter the bedroom AND, who is allowed to sleep on the bed!

While dogs usually go by the Alpha Dog model, cats are different. They'll have sphere's of influence. So while Bridgette appears to be top cat in most situations, when it comes to bedroom protocol, Barclee makes the call.

When Truman and Spott were alive, Hamilton and Molly were not allowed to even enter the bedroom, let alone look at the bed. Back then, Truman was calling the shots. I figured Molly and Hamilton just preferred to spend the night elsewhere. After Truman and Spott, I noticed that Barclee stepped right up and patrolled the entrance to the bedroom.

It took a couple months, but like a bouncer standing at the door to a night club, Barclee finally allowed two new members in. Hamilton and Molly could now enter the bedroom, eat the "private" food, use the personal litter box AND, finally, sleep on the bed.

It became even more apparent that Barclee used her power when Tuukka and Luna arrived. For awhile, she'd attack them if they even WALKED by the bedroom. They were not allowed into the inner sanctum.

Just recently, Barclee let Tuukka in, but so far, he's been sleeping in the closet. I suppose if he follows her rules for awhile, he may be able to move closer. Luna, however, has not appropriately paid the price, and still can't even look in the door.

It's really funny, because Barclee is the last one to eat, isn't allowed in the cat beds, and can only sit on the cat chair if there's no one else in line. But she has her kingdom and rules it with an iron paw!

Grumpy Old Men

Last week I took the two old men to the vet - Dickens and Hamilton. Dickens needed his toe nails clipped and some horrible mats on his back end shaved off.

For years, 19 in fact, I've been hauling Dickens to the vet. He would get so nervous he'd start drooling and would literally end up swimming in pool of his own spit. One time Dr. Parks said "We better get done quickly before he drowns!"

A couple years ago, I ended up taking Barclee at the same time and VOILA! Dickens was fine. All this time he just needed a buddy to go with him.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, he got to be Dickens' buddy this time and he was not happy. He's 12 and because he's diabetic, I like to get him checked now and then anyway. The whole time Dickens was getting combed and clipped, Hamilton kept up a steady stream of caterwauling! Dickens would look over to him apologetically, like "sorry man." And I won't even repeat what I'm pretty sure Hamilton was telling him!

It wasn't a wasted trip for Hamilton though. I got his blood sugar tested and he's fine. So, my special needs diabetic cat is doing fine. Just ticked off!

So, my two old men are just like Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in the movie -cranky & crotchety, but friends deep down. At least I think they are.

The Nose Knows

I've learned a lot about cat noses over the years.

1. Cat air passages are very, very small.

2. If a cat's nose is clogged, they will not breathe through their mouths.

3. Cat's can snooze violent snot and aim it like a weapon on clean clothes, walls, furniture and occasionally my face. (It's not good to look close up when a cat's getting ready to sneeze.)

Several years ago my cat Murphy would sneeze so violently, her whole body would shake, and cat boogers were literally caking my walls. Who knew one cat could create so much gook? After several years, and a couple different vet visits, Dr. Parks discovered poor Murphy had been shot and had a pellet lodged in her nasal cavity! I took her to a specialist in Colorado to have it removed. After that, she had a lovely little scar down her entire nose, but she could breathe again, and the quality of life improved one hundred percent. She lived out the rest of her years breathing freely without that pesky obstruction in her tiny nose.

Fast forward about 10 years, and Bridgette arrives. Her nose is perfect, her only little imperfection is her one club foot. But a couple years ago, she starts sneezing, oozing cat snot, and literally gasping for air. Is it a cat cold? A sinus infection? After trying several different antibiotics, Dr. Parks suggests we x-ray her because you never know what you'll find. She said, "Knowing Murphy's her cat-sister, who knows if the same bizarre situation could happen twice."

It was both good and bad that we didn't find a pellet - it meant she hadn't been shot, but we still didn't know what was wrong. I took her down to Peak Veterinary Specialists in Windsor and after numerous tests, Dr. Prauss told me that Bridgette has a form of chronic rhinitis (or something like that.) It means the membranes in her nose get so inflamed it clogs her nasal passage. Her nose had gotten so bad, I'd get up in the middle of the night to scrape the gunk off her nose in order to help her breathe.

Unfortunately, there is no easy treatment like removing a bb shot. So, they flushed her nasal cavity and we are now treating her with steroids and different combinations of antibiotics. The good news, is Bridgette is feeling so much better, she's now emerging from her bedroom cocoon and actually hangs out with the other cats in the living room and has even ventured back outside. I didn't realize how reclusive she had become. The down side is she has gained a lot of weight. And there are potentially long term health concerns with her on steroids, but I made the decision that the quality of her life right now is my top concern.

So, imagine my concern when Anna pointed out that Tuukka had a big bump in the center of his nose. NO MORE NOSE ISSUES! But, she was right. I had noticed it, but didn't think it was very noticeable. It was. I make an appointment with my new vet, Dr. Novack. She agrees that it's not normal and decide the best course of action is another x-ray. The biggest difference between Tuukka's nose issue and Bridgette & Murphy's is that there's no snot, no sneezing no wheezing. He actually looks like he might have broken his nose.

The good news is right now, it's just a lump! It's not in his nasal cavity. It doesn't appear to be cancerous. I'm hoping that this is the last I'll have to worry about Tuukka's nose.

I felt like I may be a little over protective, but the who knows what's going on with a nose?? I just don't take chances!!

All Roads Lead to Hamilton

Happy Anniversary Hamilton!

Two years ago Missie and I were travelling merrily around New York and Ontario, never knowing that we would have a revelation on our journey.

It's simple. All roads lead to Hamilton. We got lost three times and each time we ended up in Hamilton. We discovered, thanks to a helpful tourism lady, that Hamilton is omnipresent. Who knew?

Coming back to the relative Hamilton-less-ness of Cheyenne, I discovered that I drive by Hamilton street every day on the way to work. And there are actual people named Hamilton. So, it was a very easy decision to name my new furry feline "Hamilton."

I had agreed to adopt the 10-year-old siamese cat with long hair and crossed blue eyes before I left. It was an easy decision once I consulted the little boys. They didn't mind as long as I wasn't trading one of my current crew.

Dr. Parks told me about him. His owner had died and the people that were taking care of the estate didn't want to deal with an old diabetic cat. Since diabetes was one cat disease I hadn't dealt with, I said, "Sure, why not?" She kept him while I was on my walk-a-bout. (Well, it was more of a drive-about.) I picked him after I got back.

Hamilton has been omnipresent ever since. He sits on my lap when I'm on the computer. Sits on my chair when I'm watching TV, and has even started sleeping across the top of my pillow. What's even more omnipresent about Hamilton is his hair. It literally IS everywhere!

We've adjusted to the twice daily insulin shots and as long as he has a full bowl of cat food, he's happy. He gets along well with all of the other family members and likes to sit in the backyard under a bush.

There's nothing that will make me smile quicker than seeing him with water droplets on his nose (he's a messy drinker) looking up at me with those crossed blue eyes.

My Hamilton has been a very wonderful omnipresent addition to my little family.

Barclee - the invisible cat

Most people don't know Barclee, have never seen her and doubt she actually exists. I even have a hard time finding pictures of her because she rarely leaves the bedroom and doesn't do all those cute things like Molly.

She's extraordinarily low-key even for a feline. Until today, she made her mark. Unfortunately, it was on Ranel's hand.

I thought cornering her to force her into a cat carrier for her yearly vet appointment was a great idea, until she actually got cornered behind the washing machine. When I jabbed her with my crutch, she reacted by hurling at Ranel, biting her hand.

Good plan which went slightly awry. I'm really sorry Ranel!! When Missie helped with Hamilton, she only got peed on. Normally, Barclee gets in under the bed and is pretty hard to dislodge, which is why I came up with a new plan for this year. I must amend the plan for next year obviously.

Barclee was one of Spott's kittens that I got from my sister's ranch. She has always been incredibly shy and when I had would-be adopters come look at the kittens, I couldn't ever find her. I ended up keeping her by default. She was pretty despondent after Spott died last summer, but she really loves Molly and Dickens and so has come out of her depression.

Barclee is pretty close to bottom of the cat pecking order except in one area. She rules the bedroom. Of course, she practically lives in there 24/7, so she must have squatter's rights. She does determine who can come in, and who sleeps on the bed. Barclee has a very limited sphere of influence, but what she has, she rules with an iron paw. Only recently has she allowed Molly and Hamilton entrance into the inner circle.

So Barclee stepped up to the plate and made sure we knew she wasn't invisible this year! I wish she'd have chosen something a bit less stressful like peeing on clean laundry or something.

Luna - The Accidental Cat

I hadn't intended to add another cat to the feline family. The Group of Six were meshing nicely with few fights and power struggles.

Then I got a text asking if I'd take another cat with AIDS. With only a little introspection, I said YES, because I already had Tuukka and so am somewhat prepared for the cat disease.

The next day, a cat deliverer dropped a tortie/siamese mix at my doorstep and she walked right out of her carrier and moved into the cat tent. WOW - no hesitation at all 0n her part. I freaked though when I saw that her paperwork said she had feline leukemia and not AIDS. There is a huge difference and leukemia is easily transferred to other cats simply by eating out of the same bowls or using the litter box. I was most worried for Tuukka who has no immunity system - he'd be at serious risk.

The little cat was a sweetheart though and jumped up on my lap, curled up and fell asleep. DARN - she's putting the hard sell on me! The others really didn't even acknowledge her, just kept on with their normal day-to-day cat business of carelessly ignoring me.

I took her into my vet the next day and the preliminary test came up negative! She didn't have AIDS, or leukemia - - or anything! We sent her bloodwork to Colorado to verify the results, but it also came up negative.

I ended up with an accidentally, healthy cat!

The shelter people wanted to take her back and switch her for the AIDS cat - and I declined. Luna (named after the Harry Potter character) had already made herself a part of the family, and I was not going to send her back to a shelter. Plus, I can't switch cats out like a pair of socks that are the wrong color!

I was dismayed at the carelessness of the shelter which obviously not only shipped me the wrong cat, but mis-marked her paperwork. I just hope someone doesn't end up taking a "healthy" cat that actually does have leukemia.

But for whatever reason, the stork delivered Luna to me and it felt right immediately. My cat equilibrium has been reached.

And while she may not be a "special needs" cat, she has a place in my house anyway!

Tuukka - Input and Output

It seems I spend a good part of my time monitoring the input and output of the feline family. To an outside observer, this would seem boring watching the cats eat and just gross observing the litter box behaviour.

But with pets, this is one of the keys to figuring out if someone is sick. Right now, 4 of the 6 have some major health issues and I have to make sure they're eating, how much they're eating and then ensure it comes out correctly on the other side.

Tuukka has been my latest worry. The guy eats a ton. I feed the cats canned cat food twice a day. This started off to be strictly for Dickens (he's 18 and I need to make sure he gets something without the others pushing him away) and for Hamilton who is diabetic. But it's impossible for me to feed the premier food without all of them, so Bridgette, Barclee and now Tuukka line up in the chow line. (Molly will not eat canned food for some reason. She goes her own way as always.)

Back to Tuukka. Initially, I gave him the same couple of tablespoon-sized serving I gave the others. By the time I had the last bowl down, he'd already finished, pushed Dickens aside to eat his and was moving on to Hamilton's. I kept increasing his portions until now he gets almost a full can a day. He STILL will shove the others aside, so I sit there watching to make sure everyone gets a few bites in before he moves in.

What's worried me is he's now lost weight. I took him in to the new vet and found he had only lost 1/3 of a pound. It seemed like a lot more. It could be he's getting more exercise now, and isn't just sitting around eating. But I'm worried that it's a sign of bigger troubles. During this time, he also lost his soft, luxurious under coat. He's no longer soft and fluffy.

So, I've been reading all the cat vet sites I can find to figure out what those 2 things could be and have come up with nothing. It seems it could be the first sign of his kitty AIDS, but he doesn't have any sores or swelling in the lymph nodes. His personality is still friendly and outgoing too.

And his output? Let's just say he's very dedicated and busy in this area. All good.

In the meantime, I'll keep my eye on him and continue to hang with everyone during dinner time. There are worse ways to spend 10 minutes.