Mancat Monday--Disco's Diet

Well, at least one ladycat is missin' seeing Disco's Mancat Monday posts...we didn't get around to posting last Monday once again.

Maybe if Mr D was losin' the ounces, we'd be more excited about the results? Teri has been taking photos, though and here's the proof from last Monday...up 1 ounce:

Teri even talked to Michael, the founder of Young Again and decided to stick with it a while longer. She will have to say that she still isn't exercising Disco every day and she knows that is an important part of sucessful dieting, but guess she was hoping the food alone would do it...

And here's this Monday's photo... up 2 ounces...

Before giving up on this diet, Teri HAS to do better about getting Disco to do stair climbing and hallway sprints, she just has to.

So, stay tuned for next week's post...

Oh, as a side note, even though Teri isn't exercising as much as she should, her diet is making her smile when she gets on the scale...down from 152 to 143 since November! She said when she hits 140, she might fit in to some of her dresses again...

Simply Sunday Evening...

We guess Teri's been tooooo busy to let us dictate a post to her! We know she has a few things on her to-do list, but all she seems to get accomplished is stuff that's not on the list! What's that all about?!

Oh, maybe we are being a little hissy---she did take down the outside Christmas decorations (before she got a warning from the HOA...) and she went to DMV and renewed her PTU license and she went out to dinner twice with her 'manfriends'...

Guess that doesn't leave a whole lotta time for blogging, sigh.

So, we want to update our furrends with our Curly Swirly goings-on since we posted last on 1-21-12...

Coco continues to do fantastically and gets to come out of the tent and snuggle with Teri from time to time...

Coco has her first follow up appointment on Thursday, and starts physical therapy and Teri is really looking forward to seeing what that entails. There was a very interesting post on the blog, Dawg Business, about physical therapy for pets, and if you want to read more, here's the link: Physical Therapy in the Veterinary World.

And then we are attending a Pet Fashion Show at
Posh Pets and that should make for some fun photos, so we hope we can post them next weekend!

Clement is still being purrfect with his litterbox habits and that makes Teri very hopeful that he will be good in his next step of rehab--having free run of the guest bedroom with no cage!

He is going into his second week in the bathroom and seems to have adjusted to that, after being anxious about the change at first...

Teri says there is a nice family that are clients at the cat hospital where she works that thinks Clem is cute and are watching to see how his rehab goes, and might be interested in adopting him when the time is right! That would be sweet, cuz Teri would get to see him from time to time...

And that brings us to the next announcement...we are getting another kitty back because of litter box issues... You might remember Hero, one of Kiki's last kittens who was lonely in his first home and for whatever reason, is unhappy in his second home...so he is coming back to his birth home to see if we can help him...we hope we can!

So, that's the newsy wrap up of our past week...we hope to get back to visiting our friends soon...we drop by a couple every day but still would just like to kick back and visit all day for a change!

Caturday Saturday & National Squirrel Appreciation Day & We Gots an Awardie, too!

We appurrciate Squirrels every day, but some human designated January 21st as National Squirrel Appreciation Day!

So to recognize how much we like Squirrels, here's a few pix of Squirrels who we have admired from afar, hahameow!

And we are happurry to announce that one of our 'baddest' cat friends gave us an Award last week! We got the LIEF award from Nellie, The Cat from Hell (we don't think she is as bad as the name of her blog leads one to believe!)

Lief means Sweet in Dutch and Nellie says we are sweet and she loves visiting our blog! We is sweet, most of the time...Ask Teri, and she will say we sure add sweetness to her life!

In accepting this tasty Sweet Award, we are supposed to pass this award on to three blogs that we find Sweetie's, too! We thought and thought and it was hard to narrow the choices to only three...but here's our picks!

The Poupounette

CATachresis

Miss Peach's Cozy Cottage

We hope that if you don't already know these sweet kitties, that you will visit their blogs and we think you will think they are just as sweet as we do!

Oh, and don't forget to Blog Hop today and share the love!

The Pet Bloggers Pet Blog Hop is co-hosted by Two Little Cavaliers, Life with Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume. Blog Hops help us meet other pet bloggers and are the best way to easily connect with blogs you might have never found otherwise! We used to find new blogs by visiting commenters or checking out others blogrolls, but that was not as 'efficient' as Hopping!

Of course, there are rules to follow...you can read all about the rules Baby Patches blog, since she's one of the hosts of the Saturday Blog Hop. 

Fashion Friday & a Coco Update!

We missed posting last 'Fashion Friday' and boy, did people notice! We had furrends emailing us asking if Coco was doing ok cuz they thought maybe things weren't so good since we missed our weekly post!

Coco is recovering from her Patellar Luxation surgery fantastically! While she has a little 'cabin fever', she continues to be a good patient and enduring her confinement without a hiss or a swat!

She got her stitches out last Tuesday and her incision looks great. Once her fur grows in,  you won't even be able to see her scar... she is happurry about that as she wouldn't want that to cramp her fashion style!

Her next appointment with the surgeon will be on February 3rd, and she's Teri's already picking out an outfit for Coco to wear. One of the staff at VOMC said maybe she should wear something with a Valentine's Day look to it.

So Teri dug through the cat's closet Rough Tote storage box and picked out this cute frock! What do you think? Pink, Hearts and Ruffles! Purrfect!

As you can see, these photos are taken in the bathroom cuz Coco isn't supposed to be walking around except in the tent, so Teri had to make sure she didn't run off during the photo session!

Coco was kinda walkin' funny in her frock, so here's a lil' 'nekkid' video to show you how well she is using her left hind leg since her surgery on 1-3-12...

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday--Late Edition...

We stayed off the computer today from 8am - 8pm in support of No SOPA! Well, it really wasn't that hard cuz Teri was at work and the MacBook was turned off, hahameow! And we were nappin, of course!


So here it is 10pm and before we followed Teri up to 'her' bed, we wanted to tell you that she is going to be on BlogTalk Radio tomorrow! 


Yep, last week Teri was letting us visit a few furrends and we read on The Conscious Cat that anyone could have a reading from an Animal Communicator, Dr Monica Diedrich.


Dr Diedrich is going to be on Sandy Robins radio show, Pawsitively Pets, and people were been invited to call in and as questions about their pets, living or dearly departed. 


Sandy Robins is a pet lifestyle expert, a contributor at MSNBC.com and TodayShow.com, author, and columnist on several pet-centric websites and magazines. We had never listened to her show before, but you can be sure we will have to tune in tomorrow and watch for future shows that interest us!

Dr. Monica Dietrich has been featured on many radio and television shows connecting animals and their humans, through these psychic interactions. We had not heard of her before, but she has written many books and Teri said she will have to visit her website and learn more about her, too! 


Maybe that Doctor Lady will be able to tell Teri how to understand us better and that would help us get more lap time, more treats and more laser light shows...do ya think? 


Teri is intrigued, especially after being at BlogPaws and talking with some attendees who had sessions with Sonya Fitzpatrick and came away with knowledge about their pets that they didn't know how to 'see' before. 


She knows since our Dad died, that her heart has kinda been closed up and she'd like to know how to help us help her...we know we do!

Sandy asked what questions she would like Dr Diedrich to address to us. Teri said she would like to know what her 'heart cat' Bo would say about his life with her and what he advice he would give her about us...how to keep us happy and then we can keep her happy, too.

Teri said she would truly love to be able to be at home, sitting on her bed where she kissed Bo goodbye, but she will be at work, so she can't do that. So she will bring a photo of him, his urn and his favorite bed to work with her and try to find a quiet place where she can focus on him.

We've only listened to a couple of talk shows on BlogTalk Radio, from Pets Teach Us So Much and we wish we had more time to tune in to shows like that! 


But, if any of our followers want to check out Sandy Robin's show tomorrow, Dr Diedrich will be doing live interviews between 1 - 2pm EST. Here's the link to get there:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pawspets

Mancat Monday--Disco's Diet

You might have noticed we skipped, missed, ran out of time...to do a Disco Diet post last Monday. It really isn't because we are embarrassed that well, the diet is heading in the ummm, wrong direction...

Here's the weigh-in photo from last week... 15# 6 ounces

and the weigh-in for today... 15# 9 ounces

Teri is trying to be positive and stick with this new food, Young Again, and follow the company's recommendations and feed it free choice. For the first month she fed it, she was actually giving Disco some Hill's t/d as a treat (5-10 kibbles a day) and letting him have a kibble or two of TomTom's food but she stopped doing that about 2 weeks ago and had hoped for some ounces to drop...Sigh.

This is what it says on Young Again's website about Obesity in cats and feeding their 50/22 food:

The beauty of Young Again Cat Food is that you can offer your feline this pelleted food in a bowl and just leave it out for her to eat free choice. Within two weeks of consuming Young Again, your cat will naturally adjust the amount of food that she needs to fuel her metabolism. Since proteins are digested more slowly, she won't be hungry all the time, as she would if she was consuming a carbohydrate-laden diet. So, she will gradually adjust the volume of Young Again that she wants and needs to approximately one tablespoon per day for every 5 pounds of healthy body weight. An eight pound bag of Young Again Cat Food will last the average 8 pound cat about 100-120 days depending on activity level and weather you supply treats. Of course, provide her with fresh, clean water at all times.

On Young Again Cat Food, your cat will begin losing excess body fat, and will in turn, begin developing better muscling..., as well as a softer, more kitten-like coat. She will have more energy and this will also help her lose excess body fat. Cats that were couch-potatoes will begin playing, exploring and even jumping and climbing! Shy cats may become more outgoing and friendly. And an added benefit will be found in the kitty-litter box, with smaller, more compact fecal components, due to the high-digestibility of the food. Young Again guarantees these results in as little as 8 weeks.

Disco does look more slender in the second photo, but it's just his positioning we think...cuz he's the outtake photo taken at the same time...

At his heaviest, Disco weighed 16# and Teri doesn't want him to get there again...so she will stick with this for a couple more weeks and make a decision then. Young Again does make a zero carb food and she may try that...but right now, she's kinda frustrated. 

Disco does seem happy and content and not begging for food like he was when she was feeding him the other kibble as a treat, and that's good...but she keeps remembering that Disco weighed 11# at his 'show' weight and she would really like him to get down to 12# to consider his 'diet' a success!

And just for the ladycats out there who purr every time they see Disco...Here's a smoochable photo!

Blog the Change for Animals 1/15/12

While it is easy to become overwhelmed at the sheer number of animals in need out there...don't let that stall you with indecision and hesitation. Just remember theses words... 

'Saving one animal may not change the world, but for that one animal the world will change forever'.

Teri knows in her job as a vet tech, that she helps kitties every day...

But then she forgets to do the easy task of clicking on Free Kibble and The Animal Rescue sites every day, and that is something so simple, free and easy to do...

She donates a few green papers to organizations that help animals, but then doesn't write letters to elected officials when an animal related cause needs help...

And she had hoped to be ready to be a foster home for Cornish Rex Rescue by now, too...and because we aren't sure if we can stay in our house without finding a room mate to help with expenses...that is on hold right now, too.

And our followers heard us tell about Cinnabar and Clement, how we are trying to make a difference in their lives, too. After all, Teri brought them into this world and they are her offspring as much as they are the momcats, as far as her love and connection for them.

You will be happy to know that Cinnabar went off to his new home yesterday, with a young man who knows and loves Cornish Rex, as his sister has one. He knew all the right questions to ask and had a lot of knowledge about the special care that they need. Cinni will be an only cat and will get lots of one-on-one attention. And Cinnibar had perfect litter box habits for the 2 weeks he was in foster care, so we hope he will continue to be a happy and well-adjusted kitty in his hew furever home!

And Clement...well, he has been here with us for a week now and is doing great, too! He seems calm and relaxed and not stressed by being isolated or caged. He is being neat and tidy, too (oh, except at first he knocked over the food bowls and paddled around in the water bowl til Teri put heavier ones in with him).

He is using the litter box 100%, too and had a 'spa day' yesterday and was good about that (other than yelling his head off--he was easy to bathe and clean ears and toes on). So we are thinking of those words and 'helping one animal' and are so grateful that we can help Clement and that Purebred Specialty Cat Rescue could help us with Cinnabar, too!

If you can't foster or rescue, there are things that you can do that will help 'widen the net' of people out there, not just dedicated pet bloggers and advocates, but that friend or relative you send a birthday card to, or a Christmas card or even... a Mother's Day card.

Did you know Alley Cat Allies has e-cards for most of the holidays and for as little as a $5 donation, you can send an e-card that will spread love AND education about feral cats, TNR. Here's a couple of links to their e-cards and their very informative and educational website:


Become an Ally / Spread the Word / Send an eCard 


Share an eCard Hug with Your Mom this Mother's Day!


So, on this first Blog the Change Day of 2012, we are glad to be helping make a difference...even a little one.

Wordless Whisker Hump Wednesday

Gotta catch those winter rays when you can! This is Helix, who is one of our extended family and he lives in Washington state, who is tanning his 'humps', hahameow!

Oh, and some more gratuitous Whisker Humps...for you know who! Smooches ♥

Sleepy, Snuggly Sunday...

Our followers might remember us talking about 2 kitties that are part of our extended families, that were having to be rehomed because of litter box issues, Cinnabar and Clement. We thought you would like to have an update!



Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue picked Cinnabar up on Friday December 30th and the foster mom wrote us and said the house was very clean and odor free. They had a gate in between the kitchen/dining area and another room that allowed Cinnabar to go about freely but kept the dog confined to one area. She didn't see a litter box but she was only in one area of the house. 


She said Cinnabar is very handsome and extremely social. Once here he was immediately on her lap and then right up onto her shoulders, purring away. He allowed her to immediately clean his ears and cut his nails. He nibbled at a little food as well.

She took him into their vet on Monday and he got a full exam and a dental prophy and she reported his dental was easy and no extractions. They spent some extra time scrubbing up his canines which were literally black and they look much better. Most of his incisors and 2 premolars are missing. Pocket depth is fabulous--almost all zeros, just one 1, and a couple 1/2s.

Dr. Diane rated his heart murmur a 3. I know that is subjective. She saw no need to consider meds for him.The techs scrubbed up his feet and nails while he was under and his nails are now nice and white too. The FELV/FIV/HTW test was negative.

And on Friday, Cinnabar's foster mom wrote us with the report that Cinni seems to be doing fine. He's quite confident and has just a bit of a 'tude at times. Like momma! You're not petting me enough. NIP. He's been on a bit of a hunger strike the last day or so but otherwise seems fine. She said it's funny to come into his room and find this big lump under all of the bedding. She said she knows better than to try and tidy things up. He prefers otherwise. So far he has been good with his litterbox too.

So, we are furry happy that Cinni is in good hands and being taken care of so diligently by this rescue group! If any of our readers would like to make a donation to a good organization, Teri thinks they certainly would be worthy of support!

And we didn't tell you much about Clement, but he is coming home to us today, so Teri is getting his 'rehab room' ready for him (in between helping us blog). Clem lived in Philadelphia with a young couple who have another girl kitty from us.

He began having 'out-of-litter box' issues when they moved and there are many feral cats that pass by their basement through a 'breezeway' that connects the row houses somehow. That is where he is having problems, and most often when it rains and the odors are stronger and the ferals poop right under the dryer vent!

He also has had periodic problems with his rectum prolapsing slightly and that may have started up some of his pooping outside the box issues, as cats associate pain on urination or defecation with the litter box and often eliminate out of the box in the mistaken thought that it won't hurt there.

His owners wrote Teri a 7 page history, both medical and behavioral, on Clem's life, so Teri could best try to help him and also, if he passes rehab, to be able to find just the right home for him. It meant a lot that Clem's owners took the time and effort to write everything down, as she knows it must have been sad and difficult to do for them.

Teri is very hopeful that she can help him and is grateful that she has the experience and knowledge to do so, as are his owners...we will keep everyone updated on how he is doing here, maybe on Tabby Tuesday, as Clem is a handsome brown tabby!

Here's a couple of photos of him at our house, in the guest bedroom in his 'rehab' cage. His owners brought his bed with him, so that is familiar for him and it's on a heating pad, so that's extra snuggly.

The only snafu was that somehow Disco got the bedroom door open when when we heard hissing, we all ran upstairs to see 'Tub o' Lard' sitting on top of Clem's cage...poor Clem!! Teri locks that door now and is glad that didn't happen tomorrow, while she was gone to work!

Caturday Saturday

It's Saturday Blog Hop day, and we thought our Friday post was newsy, so we used that one...

Pet Bloggers Blog Hop is hosted by Two Little Cavaliers, Life with Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume! Here’s how you can join the Pet Bloggers Blog Hop:

Link up your blog name and URL using the Linky Tool at the end of this post. You only need to add you link once to be seen on all the Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week.

Copy the Pet Bloggers Blog Hop button that Life with Dogs made and include it in your Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop post so that your readers will know what is going on.

Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool and comment on their blogs to say hello!

Try to visit and follow at least 3 other blogs on the 'Hop'.

Leave a comment on the blogs letting them know you came by from the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

And follow any new followers you like when you get one through the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop.

Disco and Brighton got to go out strolling yesterday as the weather is unseasonably warm! They were wearing their new Martha Stewart Fleece Pullovers that Teri got at PetSmart...40% off sale on coats...better than Burlington Coat Factory, hahameow!

Disco's looked like it would fit a Pug...see the resemblance, hahameow! 

Teri is going out walking today by herself she said, so she can use her arm weights, but we think pushing 22# of cats is a workout, so we hope we get to go out again! It's supposed to be 63 degrees here today! That's ok...we B burrowin'

Teri put off a lots of things over the holidays so she could write Christmas cards and decorate the house, so she has lots to catch up with the next few weeks--finishing her will, getting our Cafe Press (or Zazzle, or both till she sees which does better) shop up and running, starting to do cat sitting-making up flyers, maybe doing a new blog just for that, and hoping that she won't have to get a room mate to help us be able to afford to stay in our house!


And a little Coco update...doing great but still no poop! Her bandage was starting to peel off and bothering her, so Teri took it off and her incision looks fine, no bruising or swelling, but she cold packed it this morning anyway. 

And now the bandage is off, Coco is actually bearing some weight on that leg and placing the paw down all the way...maybe the bandage was pinching her and felt funny?

Fashion Friday...

For the next 8 weeks or so, Fashion Fridays will be dedicated to Coco, the ladycat fashionista of Curlz and Swirlz...who is also recuperating from Patellar Luxation surgery.

And as ladies all know, it's hard to look your best from a 'hospital bed'...but Coco will show you how to put one's best paw forward and work the camera, hahameow!

Here she is on Wednesday, resting at cat hospital where Teri works, with a cute pink Good 'n Plenty bed with a Snuggle Safe inside...a little bleary eyed from the pain meds, but comfortable, even in the Cone.

Coco is being a great patient...calm (the pain meds help that) and eating (a tasty buffet of whatever might tempt her) and resting comfortably in her 'private room aka kitten tent'.

Teri emailed Dr Lotsikas a progress report yesterday and he was pleased! Here's a couple of pix Teri took in the VOSM lobby, waiting for Coco to be released on Wednesday...Cute, huh?!

Teri told Dr L 'Coco is doing great! I think the roughest part is when she is in her carrier with the 'cone of shame' bonking up against the sides and door of the carrier, lol.

I am not sure if your technician Nicole told you, but at home she is confined to a 'Siberian Husky' sized tent/crate that she is very comfortable and used to as it was the 'birthing tent' when she had kittens. That certainly makes it easier on both her and I, and the tent is in my bedroom, so it's both quiet and the perfect size, with enough room for heated bed, shallow litter pan and food/water.

She let me sit with her for 10 minutes last night and today at noon with cold compress (plastic 'ice cubes in a ziploc bag wrapped in a wash cloth) for 10 minutes each time, and so far there is no visible swelling at all. The Bup is keeping her quiet and that's good.

She is at work with me today and then I am off work for 3 days, so she will be in her tent, with her cone, with time out on my lap and without the cone while I am right there with her. She is eating canned food well and has had 2 urinations but no BM yet, so I will watch for that by tomorrow and will let you know if she goes or not. She may be reluctant to squat to have a BM but she was fine with her first, long...urination. I know the pain meds can affect gut movement, so I will be sure to let you know if she hasn't gone by tomorrow. 

Thanks again for everything and I will see you in a month (we'll remove the sutures where I work if all looks A-OK) and I will be writing a blog post about her every Friday during her recuperation and rehab.

Today, there was a little swelling below the incision but it went down after Teri iced it for 10 minutes and Coco is even laying on the left side now, so she feels comfortable enough to do that and that's good. She is toe-touching and using the leg when she gets up and rearranges herself, too.

Tomorrow, Teri will reduce her pain meds to every 12 hours instead of every 8 hours. Coco has probably eaten about 6 ounces of canned food since she got home, so her appetite isn't back to normal yet, but Teri said Coco needs to poop tomorrow...reducing the pain meds will help in that department she hopes. 

And here's the Fashion part of this Friday post...Coco in a stunning pink 'bed jacket' just like the movie stars of the 40's wore...Teri said she'd have flowers in her 'room' but she'd eat them...so send purrs in lieu of flowers, hahameow!