Reverse The Letters And It Spells AND

I had my DNA done on Ancestry.com.  I'm a true Mutt.  I'm Irish AND Scottish AND German AND English AND Russian AND Polynesian.  The last two have me a bit puzzled.  I think I found the Russian ancestor (Viality Vortatz) in my Palmer group.  The Polynesian one?????

The animals are doing great.  I had a super idea.  Have you ever heard of a thunder shirt for dogs?  It calms them down during times of stress. NOW.....what if I put a thunder shirt on a cat that sprays?  We have two cats that spray.  Homer and Lamont.  We have them in the back bedroom (we call that room the cat room).  The products that are suggested for spraying cats are plug in scent bottles.  Most times they are filled with Lavender scent.  Calming for the animal.  So maybe a thunder shirt would work the same way?  I think it's worth a try.


Speaking of cat spray....I found an outstanding new product that does away with stains and smells on most surfaces.  It's called Furry Freshness and it works miracles!  It takes out stubborn stains like cat vomit, pee spots and generally most anything the animals leave as surprises for you to find.  Just Google the name and you'll find it, or go to 
www.furryfreshness.com

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Are You Still There????

Well....here we are in August and I haven't written anything since February was it?  The pup of course has been named.  I named him Doodle Pupnstuff (Dood). He will be a year old in a few days.  I'm hoping he will soon stop chewing on everything (including Sugar).  He gets behind her, grabs her back leg and tries to take off with it.  I have to give her credit, most of the time....she is very patient with him. I won't promise, but I will try to post a picture of the little scamp soon.

Two weeks ago I was trimming trees and bushes on our berm and caught my foot on a large root from a dead tree stump.  Down I went and when I sat up again I had a large lump on my wrist.  I was sure I broke my wrist.  Not so!  I broke my arm just before it gets to the wrist.  I'm now in a cast and tomorrow I have to get a new one because the swelling has finally gone down.  I am truly thankful that it was my left arm and not my right or for that matter, I'm relieved it didn't break my hip.  DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO DO EVERYTHING WITH ONE HAND?  I never realized how hard it would be with one arm out of commission.  Other than my toes this is my very first break.


Better get going for now.  I have to be at the doctors office by 11:00 AM tomorrow and as some of you know I'm usually not up until 10:30-11:00.  This should be interesting.  

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place 

No Room At The Inn!

I pretty well dropped out of life for a year.  I only did four posts last year.  I just wasn't myself until recently.  That Heart procedure took a huge chunk out of me...more so than I realized at first.  After my Ablation I still had AFib.  I went to the doctor and his nurse told me that sometimes you have to have up to three Ablations to solve the problem.  Before the operation the doctor told me he had a 98% success rate!  I thought...I can't loose.  The best laid plans, right?  I wasn't looking forward to another Ablation since I bit off a small chunk of my tongue during the last one.  Anyway....here we are a year and almost a couple of months after the procedure and I finally have almost completely stopped having Heart flutters.  I believe part of the reason for that is because I took myself off  my omeprazole for my burning stomach.  I read in the warnings that you could have Heart flutters while using this medicine.  Must be true.

So.... the animals are doing well.  The dogs (Cherry and Sugar) just had their teeth cleaned.  Sugar had three extractions (top front) and Cherry still has all her choppers.  

Just a day ago we rescued another fur child.  My son's girlfriend's mother is in a retirement community I think it is, and a lady passed away that had a little dog.  Another lady took the "PUP" and kept it in her apartment. She rescued it from this other lady who didn't let it out but allowed it to do it's business on pee-pee pads in her apartment.  I hope I wrote that so you could understand the chain of events.  Anyway this little "guy" is another Chihuahua (deer-headed).  His name is Bandy, but since he is only 6 months old we are going to change his name.  I will post a picture of him sometime this week and you can all suggest a name that would fit him.

  Trust me when I say...Muttzncatz's Place IS FULL!!!!!! No vacancies!!!!!!

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

I have not even thought about my blog for sooo long.  It says the last post was in April.  Well...here's what's been happening.....................

Tanner does NOT have any teeth left and is eating just fine without the pain. He's looking good and even allows minor petting (if you stay away from his tail).
Lamont still acts like his teeth hurt sometimes.  They get wet food in the morning and at night so they won't starve any time soon, that's for sure.

Sugar and Cherry were put on a rigid diet and are both looking trim and healthy.  Sugar seems to have stomach problems.  If she eats human food she has the runs and lots of gas.  That seems better after giving her Greek yogurt a couple of times a week.

My health is doing better.  I'm still on part of my meds to slow my Heart but the dizziness went away as did the shortness of breath.
I'm currently learning to tat with a shuttle.  I could do it with a needle but have always wanted to shuttle tat.  My next challenge is to learn beaded rope crochet.

I can't believe Christmas is coming soon.  Where has this year gone?  I guess I lost track after I had that Ablation.  I was down for so darn long.  
Anyway....I have bought for three people so far and have five more to go. I want to get it done now so I can enjoy Christmas this year.

I'll have to take some pictures and post them soon.

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Do They Make Kitty Dentures?

Poor Tanner.  He wasn't as lucky as Lamont.  He has NO teeth after his dental visit.  He looks really rough now.  No teeth and his one glossed over and bulging eye.  I know he will feel so much better though.  Do they make kitty dentures? If they do...he needs both upper and lower.

I went to the doctor and my heart is still in rhythm.  I am only taking 2 instead of four a day of one of my meds, and I'm finally off the Warfarin.  I go again in June and hopefully then I can get off the rest of the Heart slowing meds.

I'll be glad when things slow down.  The cats are healing and so am I.  Soon we will all feel back to normal and life will go on.  Please.....no more expensive operations!

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

M&Ms (Medical And Money)

Much has happened since I wrote last.  January 21 I went in for an Ablation.  That's a heart procedure to stop AFib.  It didn't take long for my heart to slip back into an irregular heart beat again.  The doctor explained that sometimes it takes until the heart heals from the procedure to beat regularly.  I went to the doctor on the 9th of this month and it's back to a regular heart beat once again.  I'm gaining strength (finally) and feeling much better.  I still have a bit of a problem when I change the sheets on the bed or lift something that is too heavy.  I think that's because my doctor has me on meds that slow down my heart beat.  He calls it, "keeping my heart quiet".  I go in again on the 8th of April.... and if my heart is still doing well, I can stop taking some of my meds.   I go in around the first of June and if I'm still doing well I imagine I can stop the rest of the medications he put me on.  I can almost see the finish line!  I'm going to buy a Kuerig coffee maker and get some of the deepest, darkest roast coffee I can find.  I haven't had anything but decaf for around 5 years.

The sad part of this operation was that I had saved some money to get our sagging roof repaired this Summer.  I now have to pay the medical bills with that money.  

Lamont got home today from the vet.  He had all but his fangs removed.  His teeth were driving him crazy and I couldn't stand to see him in pain.  I guess they were really awful according to Dr. Stanhope at St. Francis 24 hour Hospital.  On the 10th of April Tanner is going in for the same dental procedure.  I'm betting he will come home with no teeth to speak of also.  I'm going to have to sell a bunch of scrap gold to fund these operations but it's worth it to have them feeling better.

Well....that's it for today (that's enough, right?).

Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

Forgive Me

I know I have ignored my blog for a long time but there is a reason.  In September I went to my doctor and found out I had AFib.  Not what I had gone to her to cure but I guess it was more important.  

One week ago I had a procedure on my Heart they call an Ablation.  I was put on a second medication to keep my heart calm.  I could do nothing but sleep, wheeze and cough.  My head would feel like it was blowing off and my eyeballs were not far behind.  I was dizzy, panted to breathe, couldn't eat and my legs looked like telephone poles.  I called my Heart doctor and he said I could quit the medication he had just put me on.  The next day I was feeling soooo much better.  I stopped panting as much and didn't have to go back to bed after tending to the animals.  Now I am four days without the medication and I did most of my usual chores today and can actually breathe with my mouth closed once again.  I have an appointment with the doctor on Monday so he will tell me if the procedure worked or not.  I now, Thank God, am on the mend.

The cats and dogs have been so good during this whole ordeal.  I used my warming blanket on my side of the bed because I was cold all the time.  I would turn on the blanket, get my jammies on, turn back around and there would be Binx and Paddy taking up the whole thing.  Paddy was so happy he purring most of the night.
Zoey won't stay in the bedroom because she hates Binx.  She does on occasional walk through so I won't forget her.

My husband has done what he can to help with the cats and dogs during this time but I have realized that he is not able to understand what needs to be done or even what I just went through.

Oh ya....I forgot to mention, I bit off part of my tongue during the surgery.  When I woke up I couldn't figure out why my teeth and tongue hurt so bad.

I'll update soon
Good Night From Muttzncatz's Place

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