First off, thank you to those of you who have sent inquiries about why I haven’t been blogging of late. I appreciate that you follow this life of mine, however hectic or unpredictable it can become. I am fine now, was sidelined by a nasty virus (although I did take the flu shot) and then Mike got it as well and I was busy trying to take care of him. I know that I have men who read my blog, but women can relate when I say that men are such babies when they are sick! Mike is no exception he plumb wore me out in taking care of him while he was down.
On the Mike front, he has lost 15 pounds, I have lost 21. His legs are slowly improving although there have been some drawbacks at times but the necrotic tissue is almost gone and I am breathing a bit easier.
On the kitty front- Agatha is now Queen of her new home and I went to see her the other day and I had to laugh. She was splayed out along the end of the couch (she looked like a bear rug!) The family had decided instead of sitting on the couch, they would sit on the floor “so not to disturb her!” I believe she is where she needs to be and I left smiling.
I had a bad bout of kitty diarrhea hit here with several kittens affected. Fecals were taken and nothing was really discovered until I started logging a lot of stuff down and I think I have figured it out. It isn’t just Jedi who is sensitive to market foods, it is all the kittens who encounted the distemper virus. Although it took the Kitty down to almost a zero amount. I am now feeding a high-end cat feed (dry). I am no longer free feeding (except for the barn cats) and it seems to be working. I also am setting out small amounts of canned pumpkin as the kittens love it and eat it like candy. The older cats can’t be bothered, but they are fine anyway. It is much more expensive to feed the high-end low residue food, except if you take into consideration the amount of the vet bill that will be reduced in the long-run. At least that is my hope. I believe the distemper virus has skewed the kittens digestive system and the insoluble fibers so often found in the market foods (and the food donated by kind folk to our sanctuary) is full of the buggers! Even jedi has been better, she has a discharge now that is occassional but nothing major. In my research on this issue, I did find out that chicken by products generally means ground beaks, feet and bone. I never knew that and although kitties are carnivores, they don’t generally eat bones in their diet.
The local feed store had put up a giving tree this Christmas and asked three of the local rescues to participate. We all made our wish list- one rescue did horses, one dogs, and us and with our cats. The store called me yesterday and told me regretfully that NO ONE this year contributed anything to any of the rescues! It was a sobering take on the economy and this dying town. I was sad because I know the horse rescue has over 62 horses to care for but it didn’t surprise me much.
My oldest sister is all excited. Her significant other gave her a pretty cool Christmas gift. They are going to spend two weeks in the arctic inside a “tundra lodge” and get up close and personal with polar bears! Hmm- when I was in Alaska, I saw a polar bear take down a seal and getting up close and personal to that claw action would not thrill me. But Gwen is a photographer and one of her black bear photos is online (will see if I can find the link) and it got her some pretty sweet prizes when it won a contest. They travel all over the world so this would be the gift you give someone who has everything. So I guess Frank scored there! LOL
Hope everyone is doing good. Your cats have survived the craziness that usually accompanies the holidays and all of you are now signed up with obamacare! LOL
God Bless-
MA
No contributions? wow….. I am sorry for all the rescues
I agree with the food issue and hopefully it will work out financially with less vet visits.
Happy 2014 and glad you are both feeling better
I’m glad you and Mike are over the worst of the virus – and that you have lost weight. I can’t know whether or not you or Mike should lose weight, but the way you wrote it suggests it was a good thing, so congratulations.
As for men being sick… I am a man and have been sick though probably once in the last decade. The women where I work take so many sick days off that we say they alternate days, one being sick every third day. When I am ill, I have no one to look after me except my cats. have you ever seen a cat try to make a pot of tea. It’s pathetic, I tell you. Anyway, just another perspective on that subject.
Can I ask what brand food is working for your kitties?
Thanks
When I posted that, I thought immediately of you because of course, I know you are a guy. Yes, both my husband and I need to lose weight. He more than I- he started this at 344 pounds which is why he is diabetic. I can stand to lose about 40 pounds or maybe a bit more. *G* I am not near as overweight as Mike. I scoop to many litterpans for a living!
The food that is working for the cats is the Canidae Pure Elements all chicken no grain. I can only buy them right now in 8 pound bags locally. I have requested of PetCo that they look into this recipe (they carry Canidae just not that one) and have asked them to price the larger bags and let me know. They are about 30 minutes from my home. The last fecal I took in which was Kojak’s tested negative for EVERYTHING so I think that I am on the right track that this is a food issue and nothing else.
I’m glad that you’ve found a food based solution to the ongoing issues…that is a “fix” that is so much easier to maintain. If it’s not too nosy what are you paying for the Canidae at PetCo? Are you open to ordering online? If there are other, “better” brands that could be had more economically and still provide the low-residue grain free diet would you be open to suggestions?
Canine (and feline) nutrition are a bit of a hobby, initially based on necessity and eventually based on interest, for me and over the years I’ve learned a thing or two about the big name GF foods, what goes into formulating GF foods and that sometimes the smaller brands are doing it better.
Hi Emmett-
Petco (the local one) only carries the fish-flavored which the cats don’t care for so I buy from the local feed store the chicken. An 8 pound bag costs us $24.21 and does not allow us the opportunity to free feed (which we do especially in the winter). The obstacle is just the money. Being non-profit I do get a lot of food donated to the shelter but this food comes with the stipulation that I cannot resell it to get the food my cats need to thrive. It is a combination of meow mix-purina dry and wet-special kitty-some off brands-kit and kaboodle-sometimes we get a few whiskas in there which is what i normally used to feed.
The money is down this year. Most of it went in the vets’ pocket last year and I even ended the year still owing the vet because of the distemper outbreak. Something i don’t like to do. Had several local fundraisers that fell flat so really we are just counting our pennies right now and trying our best to find homes for the cats here so we can reduce the numbers (21) currently. I’m turning down cats every day and I find it so telling and sad that there are more people trying to “get rid” (I hate that term) of cats then wanting to add a cat to their home. I have a few shopkeepers in town mulling over the possibility of adding a shop cat but other than that no one wanting to adopt- just to get me to take care of their “problem” cats. Had a woman yesterday call and ask me to take 15 cats like it was nothing! No big deal, she said, they are “just cats” no problem at all.
What people don’t understand when they ask this of us is we just don’t take them. We care for them, vet them, spay them, feed them, flea-treat them all of which causes financial constraint. Sometimes, I simply go to bed so weary of worrying and wondering why in the world this is the path I decided to go on. It’s not easy as many can attest who have more than 6 cats under their care.
I talked to the shopkeeper yesterday who had the giving tree and gave him my take on why the donations were zero this year. They wanted the rescues to take the time and be creative and provide photos of each cat/horse/dog under our care. They then wanted us to provide a short paragraph on the back of each photo telling people about the animal and the needs. I told him he complicated it. People are in a hurry these days- they don’t want a puzzle to figure out. They just want a short list of the needs so they don’t have to think. So in effect, not only did he create a situation where we had to take the time to photograph every animal but we also had to take the time to write stuff down that people couldn’t follow. He kind of slapped himself in the head and said he didn’t even think about that aspect of the giving tree.
So for me, I wake up every morning with the same amount of cats and wonder how I am going to adequately feed them all this quality brand throughout the year without begging for money on an almost constant basis. I apply for grants and get denied for various reasons and hit stonewalls because I am a small rescue and not part of the big dog groups. For me, that’s the ironic part. They don’t need the money as badly as the small rescues do but they get the media attention and run forefront with all the contests out there for rescue groups vying for monies to stay alive and help those in need.
Don’t mean to get on my soapbox but it is disheartening. These cats here should have never hit the ground. The pet owners around here should have spayed and neutered but instead they went in bought beer and whatever and then told anyone who listens that they can’t afford to spay and neuter. So what happens, their cats and litters end up in rescue or worse.
Have you looked into Merrick Before Grain Chicken? It has a very similar profile to Canidae PURE Elements, but in place of peas there is potato. Which most likely translates to a higher percentage of the protein actually being derived from animal sources. Right now it’s going for $24 for 11.1 lbs on Amazon.com. If it works out and you want to do autoship you can lock in a price of $22 a bag. Wag.com, Chewy.com, Amazon.com, Petfoodetc.com, Dogfoodetc.com and Petflow.com are all websites that I use to keep food costs down. Most of them carry most food brands and are often running specials. I know most of these carry Canidae and at least a couple offer a better price point than PetCo.
I know it’s an investment to try a food that may not work out. If you add some of these foods to your Amazon wish list I’ll gladly purchase a bag for you.
It’s so frustrating because Kojak is so vibrant. She is eating, playing and wanting to be picked up and loved. But she has small amounts of continual poop coming out her chute and no idea as to why? I keep thinking that like the other kittens who were in the distemper room (before i knew about the virus) they were just like her and slowly they got better. At least it isn’t diarrhea anymore that is the saving grace. I will add the food to the list today and take off the other food needs as I really think they aren’t helping out at all. I just want one day without worry but that isn’t happening. Thank God for bleach and mops! 🙂
Alright, the package is on its way. I have Prime so expected delivery is Tues the 7th or there about. I don’t know if you’re aware, but a shipping address is not attached to the wish list. I had to hunt around to find it.
I have a semi-feral picky eater. He only eats half of any canned foods I offer. And Then gulped the thanksgiving turkey leftovers. So, I tried raw with no supplements and his dish was licked cleaned. Next step, figure out supplements. And this is just one cat. I can’t imagine 21, each with a different taste or health problem. You have all my sympathy! If you ever have any suggestions on raw, I’d love to hear ’em on any post, any time.
Katie,
I have been told that Nature;s Remedy (which is partially cooked) but they still call it raw is a favorite. Right now, my feline specialist is recommending one more thing before switching all the food. We are on a 5 day Panacur followed by metronazadole afterward. There are now three kittens (all littermates) leaking…sigh…and I thought i was ahead of the game after two days of no soft piles in the kitchen.
Had a sad discovery this morning and it took a bit to get over it. There was a box left on my porch with kittens just weeks old (no mom). No one rang the bell, the dog didn’t bark and it dipped to 16 degrees last night. These kittens never stood a chance. There were four of them, and yes, if you haven’t guessed. They were all pitch black.
I slept in this morning, something I don’t normally do. But my vet said it wouldn’t have mattered if I had gotten up at 5:00- the kittens had died several hours before.
I told Mike I want him to wire a bell out there that goes into the bedroom and back of the house only. This would be a bell that people push who abandon kittens/cats at my door. These babies froze to death and there is no reason for it.
Oh, we are so sorry to hear about those poor poodins. That must have been a rough start to the morning.
That bell might be worth considering, but we kinda suspect the sort of beans who do things like that wouldn’t ring a bell, even if there was one. Maybe a motion sensor and a security light? (Of course, that sort of ‘person’ would just leave the box in the driveway if you did something like that, probably)
I’ll give Nature’s Remedy a try, thanks! Oh dear, Lee’s right, they probably wouldn’t ring a bell. Those In The Dark of Night types really piss me off! They managed to get their lazy butt out bed in the middle of a cold night, too frankly, kill a few kittens. But can’t get mom kitty spayed during banking hours. Good God, how to break the cycle? Well, we’re TNR next week.
Emmett- the food arrived yesterday thank you! I’ve mixed it in with the Pure Elements and so far, so good.
Robin over at http://www.coveredincathair.com is a rescuer & raw feeder and shares lots of info about supplements for raw feeding – maybe she can help Katie.
My heart just breaks for those four poor babies this morning – I’m so sorry you woke up to that.