Borrrrrrring

It's so exhausting getting into the rhythm of a new home with new brothers and sisters.

Nice teeth buddy!

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Here's Binx!

  He is trying hard to play with Paddy but Paddy thinks he's trying to fight.  I think he might be younger than I thought.  The vet didn't say what he thought and I forgot to ask him.  He's 14 pounds of energy running through the house at top speed.  He had a very spirited game of mousie today with a catnip mouse.

Zoey is NOT a fan of the new boy.  She hisses whenever he gets near her.  It doesn't seem to faze him in the least. 

He doesn't care about the cat tree.  I tried to put him on it to show him Zoey's stash of food but he didn't care for the height.  He backed out of the box the food was in and proceeded to fall off the cat tree.  He's not the most coordinated animal I've ever seen.  I don't think he has done much jumping in his life either.  He jumped about a foot from the kitchen counter to the Island and hung there with his claws in the wooden top, his back feet trying to grab anything solid.  My measuring cups that I keep on a shelf under the counter were all over the floor. (I'm still looking for my 1/4 cup measure)
More later........

Good night from Muttzncatz's Place

Binx Is Now A Family Member

Took a very vocal Binx to the vet this afternoon.  He was negative for FIV and Feline Leukemia.  We brought him home and deposited him in the laundry room where the kitty box is and he immediately left us a stinky present.  He is currently hogging my chair at the dinning room table where we spend a good portion of our time.  I guess this is payback for several shots and a couple of de-worming pills he had to endure while at the vets office.  You know how it goes........you have to train your humans right from the beginning or they think they have the upper hand.
I certainly hope he stops itching soon.  Poor guy, that seems to be all he does.  The doctor gave him a steroid shot to stop some of the itching.  I hope that's all he needs but I have my doubts.
I'll try tomorrow or Sunday to get a good picture of him in the light.  Kinda hard to get a good one of a black cat in the dark.
Later......................

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Can You Say, "Oh Oh!" ?

Here we go again!  We are about to take in a new stray.  Tomorrow if all goes as planned we are packing up a boy we've been feeding on our deck and taking him to the vet to see if he is FIV free.  If he is...he comes in that night.  He is a short haired, black, neutered male...... we have named Binx.  We, of course, have no idea how old he is, but I'm sure the vet will help with a ball-park figure.  Look out Dr Stanhope here we come!

Binx has been hanging around since Summer and decided recently that our deck was his final destination.  I know he was down the street for quite a while.  There were two black cats and now there is only one very skinny one.  I think that one is an intact female that had kittens under the house of a neighbor a few months ago.

Binx has to come in soon because I'm getting tired of bringing in the food dish at night so the raccoons don't attempt to help themselves to it.  He always looks like I'm hurting his feelings when I bring that dish in.
If he is FIV free I will post pictures of him and his progress in his new "digs".

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Zoey and Cat TV Stars

Zoey did nine days in the cone.  The tenth day her stitches magically disappeared.  She's such a sneak!
She's on three doses of her Thyroid meds for six weeks.  She wasn't gaining any weight but was eating like a little piggy.  I've noticed she is sleeping more during the day since we started the third dose.  I'm hoping for the best.
She's still very shy with us.  She wont' get in our laps or even come to us when we call her.  I can't say that I blame her though...every time she sees me coming at her I have meds on the tip of a rubber glove.

Here's another star of cat TV at our house.  This is a White Crowned Sparrow:

This is a Rufous Sided Towhee:

This one is a Steller's Jay:

Sorry about the fuzzy picture....... I must have moved the camera as I clicked the button.


So that's the update for now.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Birder's Alert!

Here's what the kids have been seeing from the sliding glass door this Spring and Summer:

Black-Headed Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak

Rufous Hummingbird

Cowbird

These are just a few of what we have been seeing.  I'll post more as I edit them.

Stay cool and check back to see what's happening here.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Zoey's " Cone Of Shame"

Miss Zoey has been shaved but doesn't look that good.  She had such bad mats that the groomer cut her skin trying to get them off.  We were at the vets office so the doctor stitched her up.  I had her home for no more than a half hour when she started licking her chest until it was red and had zero hair on it. (This was not where she was stitched up)  I had a small collar in the back room so she's now wearing "The Cone Of Shame".  I put it on her and she stood straight up and fell over.  Next, she only walked backwards for almost 2 hours.  She still freaks out when I call her name unless she is facing me. She doesn't understand that she has to turn her body around, not her head to see me.  I made a big mistake this afternoon and tried her without the cone.  She immediately started licking her chest again.  There must be some razor burn there.
Here's her picture:

Looks happy doesn't she?

I'm happy to report that her Thyroid numbers are within a healthy range so now she just needs to gain some weight.  

I have opened the our bedroom to Zoey and Paddy.  Paddy is a major pain.  He tries to sleep on top of me whenever possible.  Maybe I should have waited until Winter to open the door.  It gets super hot with two dogs and two cats pressed up against or on top of you.  How can they stand it with their fur?????

Well that's it for now.....stay tuned for more

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

It's A Lion Cut For Zoey

Zoey has finally discovered the joys of the cat tree.  I have hidden some Blue Buffalo, grain free, dry food in one of the little caves.  I'm not too worried about Paddy getting it (since he has to eat prescription food) because it's fish flavored.  Paddy hates fish.  I know, he's a cat and they should love fish, right?  Not in this case.  He'll eat spinach but not fish cat food.

I give up.  I'm taking Zoey to the vet's office next weekend and having her shaved to the skin.  She becomes a real *&%#@ when I try to comb or brush her.  I'm afraid the fleas will hide under those mats and produce many offspring.  She's also comfortable enough to be swinging super hard at the dogs.  I'm certainly glad she doesn't have front claws.  I watched her today as Cherry tried to run by her.  In Zoey's defense, Cherry is like a tightly wound rubber band most of the time.  I think she startles Zoey with her zooming here and there.  When Zoey connected with Cherry's head today it almost looked like the "I should of had a V-8" commercial on TV.  She hit her right in the middle of the forehead!

We had a bit of excitement today.  Ed was bathing Sugar in my bathtub and hit the cold water knob on the tub with his elbow.  It broke and water went everywhere.  We had to shut off the water supply to the whole house.  It was off most of the day until my son came over and put caps on the water lines.  Now I have to take showers. Yuck! We have two bathrooms with tubs but the other one sort of got plugged up with cat litter.  I was cleaning the box one day and balanced it on the side of the tub.  It tipped, and before I could get it upright again a bunch of litter spilled into the tub drain.  I tried vacuuming  it out and then *shudder* washing it down with water.  I guess you know that we have cement in that pipe now.  
So....at least, we have water to the rest of the house and a shower is better than nothing.  The next problem is .....they don't make that size bathtub faucet anymore.  We will have to mickey mouse a larger or smaller one to fit.   Oh well.....just another bump in the road.

I'll post more later (like the picture of a shaved Zoey).

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Princess Zoey

Zoey is doing well even though she doesn't seem to like cat food at all.  I've  had to give her chicken or beef for the last few days.  She seems to think that human food is what she eats. When I go into the kitchen and open the fridge there she is with her nose stuck in.  I sit down in the morning to have my coffee or tea and toast,  and she expects to have toast with me.

I discovered that she is NOT into being brushed or combed.  She growls like she's going to attack me. Since she has long hair she mats easily.  We'll work into a full body brushing as time goes on.  She loses so much hair every day I can't keep up with it.  I can tell everywhere she has spent even five minutes of time.

Homer was very upset with Zoey when she took over his new tech toy.  We have that rotating mouse tail toy and he loves it.  I turned it off and left it on the floor last night. When I got up in the morning, SOMEONE had peed on the toy.  Now......in her papers from the Humane Society it said she peed on clothing.  I'm guessing it was dirty clothes that someone had thrown on the floor.  I now have a pretty good idea who peed on the toy, since there is a round nylon cover over the mouse tail.  She has shown no signs of leaving pee on rugs or furniture, but that toy sure got soaked!

Lamont and Tanner are doing well.  Lamont is eating hard food again and Tanner's skin is looking pretty good.  We did have a problem when we took him to the doctor last time for the Comfortis dose.  Dr. gave him his pill but when I took the towel out of the carrier a few days later I found half the Comfortis stuck to it.  We took him back and it was stuffed down his throat again.  The doctor trusted my little darling Tanner and shouldn't have.  He's very sneaky.

The fourth of July is coming and we are having our traditional smoked Turkey.  Seven people will be here so I will be busy making all the stuff that goes with the turkey for the next few days.  

Have a super  Fourth of July!

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Meet Zoey

Here's a new little girl we brought home today. She's two months from being eight years old. She has hyperthyroidism, and has to see Dr. Stanhope (at St Francis 24 hour animal hospital) within two days because that's all the meds they gave me.  I'm hoping she fits in with our fur family because there has been an imbalance in this house ever since Fina went over the rainbow bridge.  We needed a female kitty.

When she got here she hopped out of the carrier and walked through the house like she owned it.  Cherry ran up to her and she stood her ground.  She bumped noses with everyone else and that was the most excitement we had.

I have to go check on her so I'll write more later.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Lamont And Tanner Update

Lamont is doing well.  He's getting tired of eating the soft food.  He's never been a fan of Friskies wet food.  He likes his Whiska's dry.  I can start him on the dry food after this weekend.  His gums were still a bit red when he went for his checkup.  He's also tired of being cooped up in the back room.

Tanner is doing better now too.  His skin is finally healing up so his new medication is working.  Comfortis rocks!  It's more expensive but when you figure in the flea treatments, the prednisone he had to take to get better, it works out to be a little cheaper with the Comfortis.

Cherry's skin is getting bad again so she will have to go back on antibiotics.  I will phone her doctor tomorrow and order meds to pick up this weekend.  It seems like we have to go to the vet every weekend.  I know everyone who works there better than my neighbors where I live.    Oh well.....I have to take Tanner in this weekend to have the techs give him his Comfortis again.  That's the other drawback.  The Comfortis is like a antacid tablet....it's huge.

I still have my cold but I think it's worse because of all the pollen that's blowing here and there.  I do have allergies and need to refill my flonase.  Maybe I can separate out the allergies if I start using the nose spray again.

Yesterday and part of today we had no phones or Internet connection.  I called Comcast and they brought us a new modem/router combination.  The tech replaced boosters and some cable connections to boost the signal. Before he came we couldn't get a wifi connection in the bedroom (three quarters of the length of our house) and our phone was dropping calls.  That should be great until about next year and then they'll have to do it again.  We've had it done at least three times out of four years with Comcast.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Cats, Birds And Bugs

Here we are in May and I've had the flu and a strong cold during this flu season.  I just came down with the cold two days ago.  I haven't been well since I caught that horrid flu.  This is what we can expect after having the four-in-one flu shot for seniors?

Lamont had to go to his doctor's office and do an overnight stay to have four teeth removed.  Every time he ate he would scream.  He's on antibiotics now and is doing well.  He goes in for a recheck tomorrow.
Lamont and Tanner are back in the kitty room.  It's been easier to medicate both of them in a smaller room.  Tanner's skin condition is clearing up.  After we get a handle on both of these boys and their conditions they're going out into the main part of the house again.

The birds are starting to show up for Spring.  I have seen, in the past week alone, Bullock's Orioles, American Goldfinches, Black-Headed Grosbeaks, Red- Winged Blackbirds, White Crowned Sparrows,Cowbirds,Steller's Jays and Towhees.  No Western Tanagers yet though.  If this year is anything like last year the Grosbeaks, Goldfinches and Red-Winged Blackbirds will stay for the summer.  I haven't seen our Northern Flicker this year.  By now they are usually drilling away at our metal stove pipe on the roof of the house to ward off any other males in the area.
I still have to order that suction cup clear acrylic bird feeder for the window so the cats can be amazed and amused.

Well....... I'm going to get comfy and warm and try healing this pain-in-the-rear cold bug.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

I Hate Springing Forward

I'm still walking around in a fog missing both Fina and Moosey.  Amos being gone shifted so much in the daily routine of the house.  I was spending so much time doing things for him that I didn't even realize how much time was take up.  I still watch the clock carefully for his feeding times (three times a day).  I would gladly do it all again if I could have him back.  

Now that we are on daylight savings time again the cats are thinking it's food O'Clock an hour before it actually IS food O'Clock.  I hate this time change.  When we "fall back" the cats think they are being rewarded by my feeding them an hour early.  I get to be the good guy then.  But now I'm a mean mom that's withholding food from them.

There's a little thing I picked up on the Internet I wanted to share with all you wonderful people that rescue stray animals.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

We Are Four Now

Amos was put down on Friday evening.  I don't feel that he was ready to go yet,  but I didn't want him to suffer any longer.  He was way too energetic and wanting to get out of his carrier at the vets. Sadly, we saw no improvement in the week we treated him with a steroid.  He had gained a whole pound because he could not eliminate his BMs.  I truly miss him as do the other four cats.  Paddy and Homer were spending time with him under the table where he slept most of the time.  They seemed displaced that night and wandered the house most of the evening.  Neither of them have gone back to sleep under the table.

I was thinking today of all the fur children we have had.  

Cats:

Vicky
Henry
Snowball
Wabbit
Hunter
Victor
Midge 
Ming
Fina
Amos

The ones still here

Lamont
Paddy
Homer
Tanner

Dogs:

Michael
Britany
Maggie

The ones still with us

Cherry
Sugar

This list is only from the last fifteen years.  (This is since Ed and I have been together.)  The last of the kids that I had when we got together are now gone.  I had just taken in Amos when I got together with Ed.  Amos was about 6 weeks old.  

I THINK THAT'S ABOUT ENOUGH!  I want things to calm down and all the kids to be well.  I don't know how much more I can take.  Please pray for Muttzncatz's place!

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

The News Isn't Good

Sadly, I think Amos will be going away this weekend.  We took him to the vet last weekend and found he has a bad back and hips.  He is unable to walk so the doctor prescribed a steroid to take down the inflammation and provide him with less pain.  He is still unable to walk and now is having difficulties eliminating.  I wish there was a way to get him walking again.  I hate the thought of putting a cat down for a bad back.  He also isn't as old as my cats have been when we had to put them down.  I'm having a problem rationalizing this one.  I know it's a quality of life thing but I can't help thinking he might walk again with some sort of home therapy (exercise).

Cherry has her skin infection again so she's back on her meds.  Sugar has worms now so we need a drontal for her.  Look out St Francis 24 Hour Animal Hospital, we're coming soon!

As soon as I learn more I'll blog about it.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

I have a big decision to make.  Our neighbor is going to move to the southern Coastal area of Oregon and wants to take Lamont with him.  In light of the trouble I've been having with him bullying Homer and Paddy, I'm thinking about letting him go.  The only problem with that decision is that every time I have let someone have one of my cats they have ended up dead within the first month or two. I've told the neighbor that Lamont must be an indoor cat and that if anything happens (that he decides he doesn't want him anymore)  he must be brought back here.  I just don't know what to do.

Tanner is finally exploring different places to sleep in the house.  He hasn't found the cat tree yet but it won't be long.  I'm having a devil of a time trying to get his eye meds in his right eye every day.  Now that he's got more room to run in and more places to hide it's a real challenge for me.  I need to get a flea treatment on him soon. (Good luck with that) He's already starting to get bumpy skin again.  Back to the vet again.


Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Fina's House

Here's the last day of our three day storm.  (Sugar learned how to use the dog run really quickly when the snow got belly high.)  We ended up getting about two inches more through the day.  It's finally warmed up to 45 degrees and it's raining.

Here's the kitty tree I've been telling you about.  We dedicated it to Fina's memory as "Fina's House".

Homer loves to get into the top little cubby and watch everyone.  The first night it was put together, he climbed to the top and slept on one of the top three pedestals. Speaking of put together.....I did an inventory of all the parts before I put it together.  Everything was there. Oddly.........there was a leftover screw when I finished.  hmmmmm?  Well, in my defense....it seems very sturdy.

My sensitive little Chantilly kitty (Homer) is having a problem with Lamont being in the main part of the house.  Lamont keeps getting in his face and his reaction is,  hiss, scream and swat.  Lamont stands there wondering what he's  done to illicit that reaction.  I go and chase away the big bad wolf and Homer is all better for a bit.  I know at some point I'm going to have to let them settle it but for now I'm keeping the peace.

Cherry went to the vet last week and was diagnosed with a skin bacterial infection.  She's on medication and doing much better now.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Their Movin' On Up

The cats didn't get much for Christmas this year so I decided, at the time, to order a big cat tree for them to enjoy after Christmas.  I ordered it yesterday and it's due here on Friday of this week.  I only wish Fina was still here.  I know she would have loved it more than the others.  It's 72" high with a couple of boxes for them to hide in and several platforms to be lazy on.  I just tried to upload a picture of the tower but it's not happening.  When we get it together I'll snap a picture of the finished object before it gets mauled by the cats.  Lamont and Tanner were out of the back room yesterday most of the day.  They didn't eat their breakfast this morning so I didn't let them out again.  I want them to enjoy the cat tree too.  Instead of carpeting on plywood they use faux fur now.  That's not going to last very long I'm afraid.  My kids will have that looking shabby by next year.

Yesterday while Tanner and Lamont were out of the back room they rediscovered the joys of the deck and dog run (where we feed all the squirrels and birds). There was a Little Oregon Junco bouncing around super close to the slider in front of the two of them and I thought Lamont was going to go through the glass to get it.  They were both mesmerized for about 30 minutes then it was on to the next big thing.  I think they found joy in using a strange cat box after the bird and squirrel viewing.  Then they moved on to slobbering in a strange water bowl.  SO MUCH FUN THEY HAD!  Paddy and Homer watched them very carefully to make sure they didn't break any rules.  Moosey slept in front of the fireplace while the others took care of watching the foreigners.

Next month I want to get one of those suction cup, clear, acrylic feeders that attach to the window.  They should have a ball with that.  That's going to be like having their very own kitty TV.  

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

It's Magic

The shock of loosing Fina is still too fresh and raw.  The other cats seemed a bit withdrawn today but mostly normal.  

This past week Paddy and Homer decided to take a sealed Tupperware cereal bowl off the table and open it since it was filled with Whiskas and not Paddy's CD prescription diet.  (Paddy tends to make bladder stones so he needs to ONLY eat CD food.)  They managed to open the sealed and burped lid from the cereal bowl and munch down ALL the food.  Now.....I have a problem with this.  I installed childproof locks on the kitchen cabinets to keep them out.  It doesn't.  It just makes a bunch of noise while they work to get them open.  Now I can't store the "good stuff" for moosey and Homer in the sealed cereal bowl because they have learned how to open it.  I might add there were zero teeth marks on the lid and bowl.  I need to install cameras to find out what magic trick they used.  Maybe they opened it like a beer cap on a bottle.  hitting the side of the table with the edge of the lid?

Things are never dull in this house.  Moosey is starting to loose more strength in his back legs.  He is still able to get around, it just takes him longer to get where he's going.  That will be what takes him out eventually I fear.  It will be a quality of life decision in the end.  But for now he's doing well, let's just celebrate that, OK?

I was so happy last week.  For the very first time I saw three Cedar Waxwings in our backyard.  Those were on the top of my bird watching wishlist....and there they were! They were so beautiful.  Unfortunately they were gone by the time I got my camera to the window.  I got one shot and it was blurred because they were trying to eat all the little red berries off a tree before the robins and starlings could get them.

The sun we have been having has boosted the cats moods.  They lay almost all day in the sun as it streams through the front door.  Tuesday the rain returns so they are soaking up as much as possible now.  It's almost like they know the rain is coming.

If anyone has any idea how those two cats opened the cereal bowl, please let me know.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

And Now We Are Five

Today is a very sad day at Muttzncatz's Place.  We have lost another child.  Fina went to the vet today because she wasn't eating as well as she should have been (losing weight) and she seemed lethargic.  I was thinking maybe she would need a test for her thyroid function and maybe some antibiotics to help her ragged breathing.  Her breathing was nothing unusual since she seemed to get that symptom once in a while.  The doctor ex-rayed her and found a growth that was making it impossible for her to breathe properly.  He said it had become part of her lungs.  We had her put down since it was only going to get worse, it was inoperable and she was already struggling to breathe.
Ed and I made it to the corner after leaving the vets office and got a pop at the local Taco Bell, cried for a half hour and went home.  It was such a shock.  We expected to be taking her home with us and she was gone!
We will all miss our "Queen" Fina.


Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place