Wordless Wednesday ~ Happurry Mew Year, Disco Style!

And if you're not jumpin' and jivin' and hoppin' after watching that...then Hop some more, cuz it's the #BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

ManCat Monday, Holiday Style!

Brighton's emergency trip to the vets, and subsequent monitoring to make sure he wasn't blocking...kinda put a damper on Christmas in the house...but we did get our Christmas day treat and got our Kong toys stuffed with fresh nip!

This year we didn't have to dress up and pose for photos...Teri said we have quite a few oldies-but-goodies and we'd like to share them here, even though Christmas has come and gone!

and New Year's Eve is closing in on us, so here we are in our formal wear!

Wordless Wednesday...Late Night Edition!

Christmas Eve...All is Calm, All is Bright(on)...

Yes, Brighton was the center of attention this Christmas Eve, though angelic wasn't the word we were thinking of, but there was a lot of prayin' going on!

Teri had her our bedroom door shut, forgetting that our litter boxes are in there...

And when she came into the kitchen she noticed that some cat had peed in an open but empty ice chest that was sitting on the floor. At first she thought it might be cranapple juice because of the color,  but she knew she didn't have any of that in the house!

Then, upon sniffing it, she realized it was pee---bloody pee! The only kitty in our house with a history of urinary tract problems is Brighton, who has FIC (Feline Interstitial or Idiopathic Cystitis) but had not had an episode since 2010, when he had his one and only problem, where he blocked and Teri almost lost him (here's the backstory on that: Brighton is in Intensive Care ). 

He eats mostly canned food and has a prescription urinary diet kibble that he snacks on numerous times a day. Teri isn't sure if he was stressed by having his teeth cleaned last week (he did fine and didn't need any extractions) or if having extra cats boarding in the house did it, or if he is stressed by seeing Mama Katz outside on our upper deck now (which she never used to do).

Whatever the cause, Teri new it was serious if he was blocked, and she called her vet (where she works) right away and even though the clinic was closed today, she met Teri there and began to work on Brighton... he wasn't blocked and his exam was normal. 

So on to X-rays and lab work. After that, he finally had enough and had to be sedated for the ultrasound. Some of the labs were done in-house and were all normal, except of course for the urinalysis. Lots of blood and bacteria but no crystals. So he is having a flare up with the Interstitial Cystitis more than likely.

So he came home with Teri and has meds to take and Teri is on Brighton watch tonight and tomorrow and if he doesn't need to go in to the Emergency Clinic tomorrow, she will take him into work with her just to keep an eye on him! 

Tonight she had plans to have Christmas Eve dinner at a friends house, and fortunately that friend is also the best LVT in the world or Teri would have cancelled her dinner plans! So it was nice to have her to check Brighton one more time before Teri said her goodbyes to them, wishing them a Very Merry Christmas!

She is grateful that Brighton peed in the ice chest, and let her know something was wrong, as he seems fine--eating, playing and purring and she may have missed the blood in the urine if he was peeing in the litter box. Many cats with painful urinary tract infections will urinate outside the litter box because they think the litter box is causing the pain and so they try someplace like the bathtub or a sink. 

So, this Wordless Wednesday's prepared post was set aside to let everyone know about Brighton, but Teri wanted to share the cute Jib Jab video she made, just to make everyone smile! We'll be back tomorrow with an update and with Merry Christmas wishes for you!

                                 
Oh, and because it is Wednesday, there's still time to join in the #BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, so Hop to it!

ManCat Monday, #BlogPaws Style!

Sure, Coco the Couture Cat seems to get all the press, riding around in her Pink Catillac...

But us ManCats get out and about from time to time and we have quite a fan club ourselves!

One place we always get noticed is when we show up at a #BlogPaws Conference!

Now, many attendees are true animal advocates and pet lovers, so one might not think it unusual that we get surrounded by those who just want to pet us cuz they miss their kitties at home. But the conference isn't just for schmoozing and photo ops. 

No, it's a place to learn more about blogging and writing and promoting your animal welfare organization. It's a place to get up close and personal with pet product vendors and representatives.

The BlogPaws Conference is for ANYONE wanting to learn more about social media, whether into pets or not... though we will have to say we cats (and dogs) certainly gravitate towards those humans who show us some lovin'.

If you are looking to learn how to better your blog, learn more about social media, or write a pet-oriented book, why not invest in yourself by attending THE pet blogging conference of the year! It makes learning fun!

Click on the badge below to learn more!

And joining the BlogPaws Community also gives you the knowledge and expertise of a wide range of bloggers, pet product representatives and animal advocates who are out three, ready and willing to share their experience, learn from yours and just enjoy the friendships that can grow out of being a part of #BlogPaws!

What are you waiting for? Register Now! And if you'd love to save 10% on the registration fee, just use my special code when registering BP15-Amb-Teri-10...and we'll see you there!

And to keep up with the latest posts about the upcoming #BlogPaws 2015 Conference, just take a look at the linked posts below!

Simply Sunday Evening: Keeping the Happy Holidays Safe for your Kitties!

Four more sleeps until Sandy Claws arrives, bearing gifts for us! Well, we hope we aren't getting lumps of coal, because we all think we have been more nice than naughty!

Along with presents and treats and holiday cheer, we know it's important to keep your pets health and well-being in mind, especially this time of year! Why, you might ask?

As a #BlogPaws Ambassador, it was brought to Teri's attention the importance of telling our friends who share their lives with pets, about the hazards of the holidays around the home and what better time than now, when hopefully you are all ready for Old St Nick to arrive!

Teri told us that since she has shared her life with kitties, she decorates the house with us in mind... No more tinsel on the tree and no more curling ribbon on the presents, either!

Both of those things are very attractive to us inquisitive kitties and ingesting either one could mean a trip to the emergency vet and worse!

And all the candles in our house are battery operated, so no open flames around us. No potpourri of any kind either. Nosy kitties can get themselves into trouble if they decide to nibble on dried potpourri or if it's the liquid kind, it can be toxic and caustic to our sensitive skin if spilled.

And no live plants reside in our house, at the holidays or anytime. Mistletoe, Holly, and Lilies are just a few of the seasonal holiday plants that can be harmful to pets, even causing death. Teri would rather be safe than very sorry because nothing is really out of reach from our paws!

We don't even have a live Christmas tree in our house any longer, as the needles can cause digestive upsets, and we just learned of a poor kitten who died after nibbling on a Christmas tree that had been sprayed with antifreeze, unbeknownst to it's owners!

And products that people add to the water to make Christmas trees last longer are also toxic to pets, so are not a good idea in homes with pets! Even stagnant water in the tree stand can harbor bacteria that can cause a gastritis to occur, requiring a trip in the P.T.U. to the V.E.T.

Unlike many doggies who sit under the dinner table and beg for some people food, or get into the garbage after a holiday feast is cleared away, we are pretty well-behaved when it comes to that. But people food that is toxic to pets includes chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions and Xylitol, which is in many baked treats and candies!

So it is very important to clean up after holiday meals and dispose of garbage where pets aren't tempted to 'Dig In' because gorging on fatty, spicy or rich foods can cause digestive upset (or the squitters, as Teri calls them) or even an attack of pancreatitis, requiring veterinary care!

The other Holiday happening that can be hard on pets is having guests and company staying over. The new scents can be upsetting to cats, causing them to even spray mark guests clothing and suitcases (umm... Disco can tell you about that).

Sometimes guests take over a bedroom that is the kitties favorite napping spot and their routine is disrupted. So, remember to keep your pets comfort level in mind when holding holiday parties or having house guests staying with you.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has provided holiday tips to ensure the well-being of your pet through all the holiday festivities, AVMA's Pet Safe Holidays Advice.

We encourage you to take a moment and visit their website  at www.avma.org to learn more about how you can help make this a Festive, Bright and Healthy Holiday for your pets! They have a cute, downloadable infographic about holiday hazards to your pet here: Holiday Pet Don'ts!

Oh, and HoHoMeow to you and yours!

Pee S: The AVMA has an informative brochure that explains many of the household hazards to pets, and it's well worth the read! AVMA Household Hazards to Pets Brochure. Also, if your pet is microchipped with the HomeAgain chip and you are current on your annual renewal, one of the benefits is one free call annually to the ASCPA Pet Poison Control Hotline. That saves you $65 and well worth remembering!

Froot Bat Friday

Cornish Rex cats gotta be the best kind of Frootbat kitties, next to the original Froot Bat, Kaze! Kaze's family got divorced and she isn't on the Cat Blogosphere any more, but we always remember her on Fridays!

Our ears are taller than Oriental Shorthair cats ears, but theirs are more flared than ours, so they are both unique AND large!

Why, our ears even flap like a D.O.G.'s when we shake our heads, as this video clip from a few years ago demonstrates...when kittens were running round our house! 

Wordless Wednesday #BlogPaws Hop, MeowHoHoHop!

Teri said we don't have to have a 'sitting' for this years Christmas picture cuz we have so many good photos from the past! 

We are counting our lucky stars that she's too busy not got the patience to get that purrfect photo! She hasn't even started Christmas cards yet...if that tells ya anything, hahameow!

So here are a few more pix from Christmas Past...and at the end, a real cute video from Klaatu42, that guy with the great Talking Animals videos!

                      

                                         

                                   
                                      

And a pretty birdie, all decked out in Christmas red!

And since it IS Wednesday still and we all have time to visit 3 blogs, join in the #BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, why don't ya! 

And if you have fun Hopping, just think how much fun you will have next May if you register for the 2015 #BlogPaws Conference now! It's three days of Peace, Love & Music...

No, that was Woodstock Teri says, but we think it could apply to the conference, since it's in Nashville...Music City USA!

Just click on the badge below to find out more! And you can get 10% off if you use my special discount code: BP15-Amb-Teri-10