An even worse nightmare than taking one of our cat to the vets, is taking them both…..
- Jozef saw a strange cat in our garden one evening last week and saw it off after a bit of a battle. He came in full of himself and we could see no wounds but decided to keep a close eye on him.
- Then Walter came in wet and skidded on the lino, he seemed OK too but another one to keep a close eye on.
- Monday, Jo had scabs on top of his head and Walt was walking carefully, not limping but going up and down stairs and jumping cautiously.
- Tuesday Jo had knocked a scab off and there was a bit of pus oozing out, yes a trip to the vets was definitely in order for him so we decided to take Walt too to be on the safe side…
….Down came the cat carriers from the top of the wardrobes, dusted off and put ready for the ordeal. When the time came to go and the wicker basket creaked all hell broke loose, the poor little souls didn’t know who was the one going, so they both did a runner lol little knowing it was both of them.
Well we eventually got to the vets, Walter quiet as he usually is, Jo protesting loudly. It’s only a month or so since he was there for his x-ray and tests and he probably thought we might leave him again.
It was a new vet we hadn’t seen before, Kathryn, she was lovely, so very gentle with our boyz. Jo was first, after the usual battle to get him out of the basket, he gave in, the vet had a good look at his head and said it was clean, we’d done a good job bathing it.
She checked him over especially his tummy as he’s prone to hairballs and pronounced him very fit. Gave us some advice on the best diet for him, James Wellbeloved hypoallergenic biscuits along with senior wet food would help his sensitive tummy.
She doesn’t think raw food diets are good, too much chance of bacteria in chicken and meat too these days, which we agreed, we wouldn’t like to feed our boyz raw meat with all the bad news around it now.
She picked Jo up and took him off out the back to be weighed, he sat in her arms quite happily! Then he had an antibiotic injection and he was finished. Walter next, he just goes limp and hopeless bless him but he was very good with Kathryn, she gave his back legs a really good examination and couldn’t find much wrong, maybe one knee was a bit swollen.
Off he went in her arms to be weighed and came back and had a steroid injection. But the bad news for him is that he needs to lose a bit of weight, so his legs don’t have so much to carry, oh dear and he does love his food.
We were in half an hour and had a really good chat about how cats are wild at heart and we shouldn’t try to control them, they need their freedom and she admired us for giving it to our boyz, for getting up early to let them out and for loving and caring for them so much.
Such a nice lady, a real cat vet, she has restored our trust in vets as she didn’t try to sell us tests or expensive food. It’s good to have a friendly cat loving vet who really took the trouble to put us and our cats at ease. I said ‘Sorry we’ve taken up so much of your time’ she replied ‘It’s my fault, I do love to talk a lot’ lol
Incidentally the vet who pushed the blood tests and X-rays and throat exam on us for Jo last time we went when he was coughing, has left!
We came home light hearted, nothing serious and the bill wasn’t half as much as we feared. So after settling them in, off we went for the recommended dry cat food, saw some sachets of the same make so thought we’d try some of those too…big mistake £6.99 down the drain lol they wouldn’t look at it! They love the biscuits though, oh poor Walter, how is he going to lose weight? More exercise, fun and games are on his menu now.
We told them they were such good boyz we might treat them to a new cat carrier each soon when our bank balance recovers , they had some real beauties at the vets, with a little trapdoor in the top to put your hand in to comfort the cat. What a good idea!
They both said ‘Don’t bother, you’ll not catch us next time’ lol
Yes Michael, we always feel like celebrating too when the trip is over. When we only have to take one of our boyz the other one has a good sniff of the basket when we are home, it was funny to see them sniffing each others the other day.
Oh no Elisa, poor Furby lol the boyz say thanks for their hugs.
Thanks Dan for all your good advice, I think Walt has put a bit of weight on as we had such a wet summer here last year in N E England and then winter started early with a lot of snow, so he hasn’t been out as much. Jo is half feral and a more sturdy annual!
They have a wooden ‘catnasium’ in the garden with four levels to the wash house roof, for outdoor exercise, then they can sun bathe on the roof. We have a toy box full of all sorts to play with and scratching posts and pads around yes we have a wand and play every day with Walt but he has a very short attention span. Well Babz has invented a new game already for him, an empty cotton reel on a length of string to run and drag so he chases it, he loves playing that.
He only has to lose 2lb, so ounce by ounce, a bit less food, a bit more exercise and hopefully it won’t take too much doing to get him there.
Yes Leanne we are such cruel mammies lol but I think we were more traumatised than those two cats.
We did buy a wind up mouse a while ago but Walt was frightened of it lol I think it probably ended up in some bags of stuff we brought up Kays Hill on one of our visits.
Both cats love the senior James Wellbeloved biscuits, turkey and rice it is, Kathryn thought that would help Walt lose some weight.
Onwards and upwards …………….
I would have been alot more nervous than the cats I think. Sounds like they dealt with it really well. Is Walt back to walking normally? That sounds like the only unclear part of the visit that I would be worrying about upon return. His knee is a bit swollen? I guess when the shot eventually wears off and he is walking normally then you can relax.
As for the diet – with cats who already have outside time I wouldn’t know how to do it other than to reduce the food a tiny bit. I guess it’s because they are a bit older? I’ve never had an outdoor cat over eat but I have never had an outdoor cat over the age of about 6 or 7 years old.
Hi Marc, yes Walt is back to normal thanks, whether he would have been without the steroid we don’t know, but a one off injection doesn’t hold much danger of side effects so it was as well we took him.
Yes talk about traumatised, Babz has a week’s holiday this week and it’s been a right old week, our internet went down 2 days, then we had the vets trip and we are on decorating the staircase as it rained in 13 foot up and then today the outside of the strip light in the bathroom fell off and shattered, narrowly missing me…..
lol we are exhausted but the cats are better, so we are happy.
poor walter and jozef, what an awful life they have. you and babz are so cruel, taking them off to the vet like that, never mind telling them it was for their own good, i bet they did’nt buy that line!!! lol pleased the boys are feeling better (as you will be too, ordeal over)would walter chase a wind up mouse? just thinking, once his knee is up to it he might have fun chasing it and even maybe lose a little bit of weight too, i might join him if it works!! i bet a nice cup of tea was in order when you got back from the vet (for you and babz too!!)speak soon.
You know what I think. Ruth and Babz didn’t hesitate to take Walter and Jozef to the vet. That is really excellent work because a lot of people delay going to the vet. Well done Babz and Ruth. We wouldn’t expect anything different though.
Thanks Michael, we don’t dash off for every little thing immediately because sometimes the trauma of going outweighs the good it will do, sometimes little things right themselves.
It was the pus on Jo’s head decided it, we probably would have kept a close eye on Walt a bit longer but as we were going anyway we took him too.
Kathryn took a while to examine him and said ‘maybe’ his knee was swollen, as she couldn’t find any other reason. It may have just been a bit jarred but anyway he’s fine now.
They both are.
It’s funny, I’ve been pondering over an idea that deals with Walter’s weight issue. The key to is to introduce extra activity. This can be tough with older cats. They may not have the stamina to do a 30 minute workout some American cat experts are pushing — although they make total sense for more able cats. As I sat here in my spot looking out the beautiful bay window I saw an older fellow that walks his older dog. They are slow, but they get the job down. That’s when it hit me. We all need exercise these days. Why not kill two birds with one stone.
Walking a cat is something of a novelty, but cat expert Jackson Galaxy has proven it is a safe and effective way to get your cat the extra exercise they need. They are not like walking a dog. They want to check out different areas and honestly require a longer leash. I think one of those retractable type would be best. They are all about ritual. Discover the ritual and they will figure your route out for you.
I will give you the few other things I have picked up dealing with overweight Maine Coons. They LOVE to eat. You have to tapper off on the food a little at a time. The weight won’t begin to fall off on some cats until they hit the correct feeding amount… and it may not be anywhere near what they want. Instead of treats, try a kibble as a reward (very tough on us, I know how we love to give our treats). Also, plenty of cool, clean water. I’m afraid there is no easy way to deal with the cries Walter will make when you refuse him the food he thinks he needs. I do not envy you.
Finally, when he is down to fighting weight, add some playtime with toys. Hunt, pounce, and eat behavior is instinctive in all cats. Use a wand type toy (the kind with a string and some toy on the end) for the hunt. Make it last as long as he can stand it. Once he gets the toy, let him chew on it for a bit and than feed him dinner. He will eat and go right to sleep. His sleep will be restorative and he will look forward to the games because food is on the line. But be very careful. If he starts to over exert himself, stop!
Good luck.
I would LOVE to have seen the look on the face of the 2nd cat caught for the visit. Probably thought he was safe since one cat was already in the carrier.
Poor Walter…and you’re right about the raw diet. There are a lot of problems of getting a cat to turn into a raw eater. Finicky eaters all over the world with that.
Give the boyz a hug and tell them Furby rolled off of the tv again. Then he looked at me like I was responsible.
About the raw diet, I sense that it is the best form of diet but there are risks in preparation etc. and perhaps cats are just too domesticated this days. They are used to manufactured food and human treats. 9,500 years of domestication did that.
You were brave to take both at the same time. Cats can sense when a cat carrier is coming down for some nasty purpose. I am pleased you have a nice vet. It makes all the difference; smooths the process and makes it more manageable.
Cats can go limp at the vets. It is because they become very submissive through fear. They have no where to hide so give in to superior forces. They sweat through their paws too leaving wet paw prints on the table.
Charlie does all this and shivers with fear. When it is over I feel like celebrating!