A Final Update On Our Scruffy

I have been trying to find the right words, all day, for this post.  I'm not sure I have yet to find them.  One of the really cool things about having a blog is that it's an archived journal that can be read and enjoyed for unlimited time in the future.  It's great for jogging our memories of "which Grand Canyon Star Party??", or "When was that trip to San Diego??".  Today, however, it was a very bittersweet trip of reviewing our dear Scruffy's life with us.

We have written blog posts about Scruffy from when we first brought him in from the outside, a pitiful feral in even more pitiful shape.  You can click on the category of Kitties in the library, in the right side bar of this page.  Our first mention of Scruffy goes back to April 22, 2009 - though we had been feeding him for a full year before that date.  Originally Scruffy was quite robust, imposing, and a little scary (to be honest).  He was a huge cat that was more than capable of providing for himself.  Sometime during that year of feeding him he fell on hard times, however.  After not being around for a month or so, he showed up, a shadow of his former self - matted coat, emaciated, scared, and in dire need of help.

Dean managed to capture him, bring him in, and our Scruffy adventure began.  Trips to Vet (Dr. D at Bernard Veterinary Hospital) resulted in neutering and shaving to get rid of the mats (the first of several haircuts he had), dental work to extract the roots of broken off upper canines (probably why he was so emaciated - no longer able to catch meaty food), x-rays, and lab work.  All of which revealed Scruffy was FIV + (similar to HIV in humans).  We committed to giving him a good home, integrated him into our tribe of cats, and gave him as much food as he wanted - and he wanted a lot!  He would, sometimes, eat 3-4 bowls of wet cat food a day!  Needless to say, he gained weight - though his health problems were not over.  He was found to have spinal stenosis from an old injury, requiring pain medication every other day to let him move with less pain; he also went blind within about 6 months of coming indoors (likely a complication of the FIV) and developed high blood pressure and glaucoma.

Through the wonders of medicine Scruff's blood pressure was somewhat controlled, however his glaucoma never responded well to treatment and this past June he had surgery to remove the affected eye.  His Ophthalmologist, Dr. Ruben Merideth - a renown physician in Veterinary Ophthalmology, runs a couple of clinics in Tucson (as well as throughout the United States) and we were fortunate to have him handling Scruffy's eyes.  Dr. Merideth commented, every time he saw Scruffy, "You know, I read his chart and think 'this poor cat is a train wreck!', and then I walk in the room and see him and he's a handsome guy!  He's healthy other than his awful health problems, but he seems healthy and happy!"

So, between Scruffy's times of ill health (recurrent respiratory infections, eye infections, dehydration) he really did have some good times!  We took him on vacation to the Midwest with us last summer - 2011 (his first time to fly in a plane, stay in a motel, and walk in grass!) and he was a 'natural' at traveling.  While in Illinois we took him to Iowa with us for our niece's wedding, enabling him to win the hearts of his Illinois AND Iowa family!

He has always been a "Daddy's Boy", snuggling with Dean on the couch while watching/listening to TV - though I will admit, he seemed to have a fondness for me as well.  During our vacation last summer he managed to find his way into our bed and became a fixture, even when Dean was off to RAGBRAI.  Scruffy loved to cuddle, but would let you know when he was 'done' (usually a low rumbling growl, or a straight from "The Bride of Frankenstein" hissss).  In the picture on the right Scruffy is laying across Dean's chest and abdomen (he was really a huge cat!)

Scruffy was pretty laid back about the rest of the cats.  He tolerated them well, but let them know when they were bothering him a bit too much.  Our newest kitty, Lucy, really liked Scruffy a lot.  She would play with his tail, snuggle up next to him on the couch to nap, and was recently observed washing his face for him!  He didn't seem to mind the attention from her, except when she would bite his tail, of course.  I think he recognized that she's a playful youngster and showed great tolerance for her.  In the picture at left she is snuggled up in front of him, on the couch - showing that she's grown a huge amount since we've gotten her!

It has seemed that no matter what obstacles popped up, we were able to get Scruff through the crisis and he would bounce back better than ever.  Even with the FIV looming on the horizon, he was doing well - begging for barbeque and steak a week ago, waiting for me to fix his breakfast or dinner, toddling around the house as he has for the past few years.  All of that changed a week ago.  Once again, Scruffy seemed to have a "cold" and his appetite was just not what it had been.  When all else failed he would always eat turkey baby food, but this time he wasn't even interested in that.  We have syringe fed him before, so that was the next step - along with taking him to see Dr. D this past Monday.  She was glad to hear we were getting food into him, but thought he warranted some further testing.  His lab work revealed that the FIV was finally taking over, he was severely anemic, and he was not going to get better this time.  He spent one night at the hospital and then came home to us, "on Hospice Care" (as Dr. D put it).  We continued to Nurse him through the rest of the week, though his condition continued to rapidly deteriorate and he was no longer able to walk by Friday.

I have posted about the difficulty of making the "final decision" as a pet owner, before, when Lance was dying.  Last evening Dean and I decided that for Scruffy's comfort, and peace, we would take him to the Vet today.  I stayed awake with him most of the night, and I think Scruffy liked having someone close by - and the TV on - all night.  This noon, we took Scruffy to the Vet's office and cuddled him as he drifted off to join his brothers - Lance, Marley, and Atticus.

The couch seems very empty without him.  Making dinners for the cats this evening meant that there was too much food.  Doling out pills was too easy.  How did we get so attached to a scruffy, scrawny, feral that looked like he had been run over?  How could we not?

Have Scruff, Will Travel

This trip to Illinois presented us with a challenge.  Our cat, Scruffy, has been plagued with more severe health problems lately.  He already has a 'laundry list' of health issues, which our cat-sitter (Jason) is more than capable of handling.  Scruffy is now needing more medications, more frequently, than he has in the past.  We decided that leaving Jason to care for him (and the other 9, plus working full time) wasn't exactly 'fair'.  We also decided that we didn't want to leave Scruffy locked in a steel cage at the Vet's for three weeks.  The most viable option was to take Scruff on the adventure of his life!

We brought Annie on vacation with us last summer, so we've flown with a cat before.  We weren't sure how Scruffy would handle the traveling, but we had to give it a shot.  Unfortunately, we don't have pictures of Scruffy in his carrier on the plane.  Between security and a full plane, it wasn't very realistic to take his picture while he was stowed under the seat in front of us.  He tolerated all of that extremely well, however!  From the Security people to the Flight Attendants, we received compliments on "how well behaved" Scuffy was...usually with them saying, "He must be used to traveling!"  NOT.  We were proud of him!

One of our concerns with bringing Scruffy on this trip is his blindness and how he would tolerate being in a totally new environment with unfamiliar smells.  He's been pretty timid in his exploration of the house.  He seems to be finding favorite hiding spots, and (fortunately) his litter box.  Just as we were giving him a chance to settle in here in St. Charles, we changed his routine again.  Our niece, Sarah, got married in Iowa City this past weekend and we loaded up Scruffy and headed off to Iowa!  After a three hour ride we arrived at Motel 6 (a totally pet friendly chain) and checked in for the weekend.  At least there was just the two rooms for Scruffy to explore, and he adapted there pretty quickly.  So quickly in fact, he managed to squirm his way up onto the bed while we slept - snuggling between us for the night!

We didn't take Scruffy to the wedding, he was safe and comfortable in the motel room with plenty of food, water, and "This Old House" on the television to keep him company in our absence.  Today, however, there was a brunch/lunch for the family and friends while the new Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth opened their wedding gifts.  We did take Scruffy with us today - as we were leaving to come home from the gathering.  The site was the same as the reception the evening before - a beautiful venue called "The Celebration Barn".  It's in a remote area, surrounded by grassy lawn, stone architecture, and a pond.  We couldn't resist the urge to take Scruffy outdoors for pictures, and for his very first walk in grass!  Grand-Niece Alivia, was close at hand to pet him and reassure him that all was safe and "okay".

After a nice visit with the family, we (again) loaded Scruffy in the car and traveled home to St. Charles.  The only adverse effect I've noticed is that he has not been drinking as much water as he should be.  Tonight's "menu" for him included a bowl of tuna water (drained from Bumble Bee tuna).  No cat can resist that, and it's a great way to get fluids into him.  He's had a nice long hide behind the couch, no doubt he's tired of having mom and dad hovering over him for the past few days.

Scruffy is becoming a very well traveled kitty for a little hobo that showed up at our door a few years ago!  Oh if cats could talk!.....

Kitty Update #???

When you have 10 cats "it's always something", and usually it's unexpected.  This month's kitty saga involves Scruffy.  To refresh your memory, Scruffy is a feral we brought in (near death) a couple of years ago.  He tested positive for FIV, and shortly after being a part of the family he went blind and was diagnosed with high blood pressure and spinal problems.  He was skinny as a rail when we brought him in and his lack of eyesight hasn't deterred him from finding the food bowls.  His latest weight is 14lbs 8oz (just about double from when we first brought him in), making him quite the handful!  Overall, Scruffy does very well.  He willingly takes his medications (disguised in his food) twice a day, and generally stays out of trouble.  It was a startling discovery, then, when Dean found that his left eye was bulging nearly out of his head a week or so ago!  I was at work and Dean texted me to see if Scruff had been okay when I fed him dinner (which he had been).  Dean had gone shopping after I went to work, and found Scruffy very uncomfortable with this eye problem when he returned home about 8:30pm.  Fortunately, we have an emergency Vet clinic that specializes in ophthalmology very near by - and Dean had Scruffy there in record time!  Examinations and tests later -- Scruffy definitely has glaucoma, may have some sort of abscess or cyst behind his eye, definite corneal abrasion from not being about to close his eye, and his blood pressure was dangerously high.  After several days of increased blood pressure medication, antibiotics, pain medications, eye drops, artificial tears, and anti-inflammatory meds; Scruffy is improving!  He had a follow up appointment earlier this week which was encouraging.  There is a chance he may still have to have that eye removed - which may be less traumatic for him than the average cat since he is already blind.  We'll see what the decision will be when we go for another check up in two weeks.  We're seeing improvement every day and he seems to be much more comfortable.  We're not putting close up pictures of his eye on here as it was just too awful at first!

In the mean time, it was time for the big boy to get his summer haircut!  Dean had already made his appointment for his annual shaving, and fortunately Scruffy was improving enough to keep his appointment.  So here he is, shaved and comfy for the summer!  You can see that there is still some swelling in his left eye, and you can see blood that has pooled in that eye.  No doubt, he's been in a great deal of pain with this, what a brave little man he is!  The eye Vet gave us a great compliment when we were there.  He said, "You know, reading his history and what's going on with him I expected him to be a train wreck!  He's not!  He's doing great due to your great care!"  We love our big, old boy!

Kitty update....January 2010

As a result of my "Global Neighborhood" post the other day, Dean received an email from one of our readers in Austria! In the course of the email our new friend asked how Scruffy, our former feral cat, is doing. You can click on his name to read his poor, pitiful, history - but we also need to update on all of the cats!

(Scruffy update...evening January 11, 2010: Dean took Scruffy in to the Vet today. They have admitted him for the next few days. His chest x-ray looked pretty good, however his blood pressure was very high. He does have a lot of head congestion, lab work was done and he was started on antibiotics and blood pressure medication. In fact, one of his meds is the same as what Dean takes! The Vet also felt that getting his blood pressure under control may help the very definite blindness that he has. Due to his increased need for medication, it was decided to let him stay at the Vet's while we take a short trip to Texas. While Jason, our cat-sitter is more than capable to give Scruffy his meds, it might be a lot to ask since these are new meds for Scruffy. We will give more of an update after we return and have the Scruffy-man home with us on Friday.)

I have managed to get a 'head shot' of each cat (with the exception of shy Lance) over the past few days...their names are included so you can tell each from the other. As far as how Scruffy is doing....he's causing us some concerns lately. He has become 'overly' well nourished, to say the least. He tends to eat anywhere from 1 - 3 bowls of food for dinner every night, so he's really packed on the weight! That's not so concerning, considering he was like a little skeleton kitty when he moved indoors last Spring. We have been noticing that his eyes are looking cloudy, and I can see cataracts quite easily when looking into his eyes. He still manages to get around his territory just fine however. We have also noticed that he is recently sounding very congested, and frequently has a runny nose and sneezes more than usual. His noisy breathing is very concerning to us, and so Dean is planning to take him in to the Vet to be checked out. We're hoping that it isn't anything too serious, maybe just a cold... As for the rest of the gang...as you can see, they were none too thrill to have Mom taking pictures of them when they were trying to relax, but they tolerated it fine! It's always amazing to me that they get along as well as they do. Sure, there's the occasional 'hissy fit', but not on a daily basis. Atticus is particularly fond of Scruffy, so he always tries to lay where he can see him or be near him. He will even go so far as to cuddle up next to him at night, when we turn the heat down a bit at bedtime! On any given day, Annie (the talker) and Hannah will pick the perfect places to sunbathe in the yard, sometimes that's on top of the grill (if need be). Girls will be girls!

Since Mia did her disappearing act a few months ago, she is now staying closer to home. She still prefers to not mingle with the others, so she is allowed to sleep in the guest room (which she prefers). We're one of the few places where the guest room comes with it's own kitty to cuddle! Mia doesn't like to socialize with the other cats, but she loves human attention and is more than happy anytime we have company staying over night!

Pixel is our other 'non-social' cat. He loves people, not too fond of cats however. He is becoming something of a "Mama's boy", letting me pick him up and snuggle him at will!

Hootie still comes when ever we call any of the cats... Hootie loves to be loved, which is easy to do!

Marley loves being indoors, but is more than happy to keep Lance company in the garage at night. Marley is the only one of the group that Lance likes to be around. They eat dinner together every night, and share Lance's heated blanket in the garage. Marley is an all-around good guy, in cat world!

Sugar Pants...I think he may be getting smarter? He's so pretty, but isn't the brightest of the group. He has figured out (finally) how to go out the cat door, but doesn't quite realize (yet) that he can come back in that same way. He'll get it eventually..it's only taken him 5 years or so to figure it out this far!

Fortunately, we have wonderful neighbors who don't mind that we are running the local rescue group here. I've left out the current ferals who live in front of the house - only because I don't have their pictures available to post. They are Yellow Cat (because three other yellow cats just aren't enough), and Hootie2. Hootie2 is, obviously, a carbon copy of Hootie...though I think he may be a bit younger. They enjoy being petted and fussed over when we are in and out of the house. They have each made their way into the house on occasion, but decided that they weren't ready to join the rest of the colony. They usually greet me when I come home from work in the morning, and are happy to walk me to my car when I'm going to work in the evening. They are, of course, all neutered - with the exception of Yellow Cat, and he's looking worried!

A year later...

What?! No new entries for 5 days??? We have a good(ish) excuse, I promise!

I worked for three nights, during which time Dean worked full time, instead of his usual half time. Add to that, we had work to do at home. Yesterday was our 1st wedding anniversary! Yippeee! We thought about the idea of just the two of us going out, but we go out a lot so it's more fun to eat in and have some friends join us here! It's just not possible to invite everyone we know, so we stick with inviting a handful of friends (tonight there was 11, including us). Dean did his wonders with smoking pork loins in the smoker, as well as making toss salad and potato salad. He is clearly proven to be the better cook of the two of us. I made dessert (brownies a la mode) and did the cleaning and clean up! Dean helped with the cleaning of course, it helps if he puts things away where he will know where to look for them. We don't have any pictures to share, however, we were too busy enjoying the guests to get any of the cameras out!

So, here we are - a year after the "I do's", and nearly a year into this blog! How is it possible that after spending this much time together we still have never said an unkind word to each other, still make each other laugh, and still want to spend the rest of our lives together?! Clearly, the man is a Saint - that's all I can say!

Next up will be preparing for the annual Grand Canyon Star Party! Dean has turned the organizing and preparation over to the TAAA, but we will attend as amateur astronomers for 3 nights. Actually, we'll go up a day early (on Friday), since we have the time to do that. Fortunately, we have our live-in student, Jason, to care for the cats and the house. After the GCSP we will return to Tucson for a week (long enough for me to get 6 nights of work in) and then it's road trip time - destination, St. Charles! I promise pictures of the upcoming events, whenever possible as it proves to be a memorable trip!

A little update on Scruffy, our newly house tamed feral...
Scruffy lived in Jason's bathroom for a little over a week, then we decided it was time for him to start getting used to 'the others' (and we felt sorry for Jason, sharing his bathroom with a rather smelly cat). Scruffy is now living in a kennel type of crate in the living room, though it seems to be a little small for his liking. We have had him out a few times, to wander the house when the rest of the clan are outside hunting lizards to bring into the house as a surprise for 'Mommy'. For being a feral, Scruffy seems to be quite fastidious about using the litter box - which is always a good trait in a cat. He also seems to be pacing his eating a bit, no longer ravenous and unsure of where his next meal is coming from. He has finished his antibiotic therapy and his hair is starting to grow back some! He seems quite docile, even when youngster Atticus comes up to his cage and hisses at him. The rest of the clan, while aware that he's here, do not seem to distressed to see a new cat in the house. Hannah seems to think he's awfully cute, and frequently noses around the cage to get a better look at him! I would imagine that Scruffy will be out of his cage soon, as all seems to be going well so far. We want him to feel safe and comfy when we take the cage away. A hiding cat isn't a good thing. His voice sounds different, now that he's healthier and stronger. When he was outside he had this horrid, grating yowl that sounded desperate. Now is voice is quieter, and no raspiness about it. About the only time he meows is at night, when everyone has gone to bed and he's lonely (such as now). We aren't to the point of calling this a success story yet, but we're well on our way!

We look forward to more exciting posts in the near future, and hope all of our friends, families, and passers-by continue to read our little story!

Introducing an FIV Cat Into the Herd

It was about time we passed along some experiences we've had with bringing new cats into the household. We are up to 11 cats now in the house and back yard (but not outside our back fence!), and all of them are strays/ferals/rescues. While they all have adapted with a minimum of bloodshed, some new techniques were tried with our last 2 and it has worked out so well we've got to spread the word. A lot of the credit (or blame) goes to our vet, Dr. Kayomee Daroowalla, who got us started using this technique.

The short story is this - just over a year ago we moved in "Scruffy", a feral we'd been feeding in the front of the house. He was a bag of bones when we first saw him, and I literally fed and monitored him for nearly a year to fatten him up - I was afraid the vet would put him down he looked so bad. When he went in for his neutering and health check, the routine feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) blood test came back positive. Thinking that we wouldn't take him into our healthy cat population, where others could be infected by fluid exchange, she suggested introducing him by living in their midst in a dog crate. Over the years, I'd actually had 2 other cats that are FIV positive, so was aware of their health issues and their threat to others, but they can also lead long healthy lives, so not taking Scruffy was ever an option. The crate method was first used with him.

So with our recent invite for YellowCat to join the family, the procedure was fine tuned. First we caught him and moved him into isolation into an extra bathroom we had. We'd been feeding him for nearly a year, so he was used to us, and we were able to work towards petting him and picking him up, leaving the rear feet in contact with the ground so they don't panic. I suspect he was a bit shocked for me to rush him into the bathroom, but he took it well. We made up a pet carrier in the tub into a little "cave of contentment", covered and lined with towels for privacy and comfort. Here he was made to feel at home and get used to the sights and sounds of the house and other cats. Of course, YellowCat's health was still an unknown, so he was in isolation for the sake of our other cats. We had a vet appointment for his neutering, but an upper respiratory infection got him sent home for another week with antibiotics. He did fine in there - took to the litter box immediately, enjoyed his food and housing, but when we went in to socialize with him, we found he was a biter. He got me once on the knuckles and my swollen hand got my doctor to get me antibiotics too.

Finally neuter day came. I delivered him to the vet in the morning and picked him up late in the day. He was moved back into his bathroom for the surgical recovery. He did very well and seemed his normal self in a day or two.

But then the bad news - the FIV test had come back positive like Scruffy. Our other cats were at risk if a fight broke out - not permitted! So like Scruffy, we borrowed the dog crate from Dr Daroowalla, and moved him from the bathroom to the middle of the living room, but safely behind the bars of the crate while everyone got used to the sights and smells of each other. He had his litterbox, food, a little shelf with a towel as bed, even a little play mouse. He was very comfortable and contented there, never tried to get out when feeding him or cleaning his box. The other cats came by hissing occasionally, but it was interacting, not fighting.

After about 2 weeks of this, we spent about another week with the door to his crate open when the other cats were out of the living room. The doors were closed, his crate opened. I actually had to reach in and pull him out the first time, resulting in another minor bite. He circled the room a couple times over the course of 45 minutes, then walked into his crate and ate some dry food. Door closed behind him. First we did it once a day, then a few times a day. Finally we let him out with a cat in the living room, with us as referee. Hootie regarded him from a distance and mostly ignored him. Finally a couple cats in the room. Marley and Atticus hissed, but our stern vocal discouragement defused any situation.

We are now about 3 weeks after his surgery. We just today started leaving his crate door open whenever we are home. The doors out of the living room are open, our cats come and go. No issues so far. YellowCat has explored our bedroom, but hasn't learned to use the catdoors to the back yard, and really hasn't shown much inclination to leave the living room and his favorite napping sites on the futon or cat scratcher (he loves his catnip!). We still occasionally find him sleeping in his crate with the door open, and he seems perfectly comfortable being locked up there when we leave the house or go to bed for the night. I think allowing him to be comfortable with his own space, yet allowing the other cats to see and get used to him is key. He definitely seems not to be a lapcat, preferring to be by himself, yet he doesn't run from us as we walk up to him, and occasionally follows us around the house.

Oh, and the biting - that last nip I got pulling him out of the crate a week ago was the last one. We pet him a lot and go out of our way to talk to him and scratch him on the head as we pass him and he has lost interest in biting as his trust in us grows. In the next day or two just before their evening feeding, we'll likely let him into the back yard to explore a bit, then coax him back with food. A day or two later we'll show him the cat doors so he can find his own way in and out. Any issues (cat arguments) and we'll slow down the acclimation, but he is doing so well I'm not anticipating any problems.

From my experience with FIV positive cats, they will likely develop health issues. Buster and Scruffy both lost their vision, and Buster died shortly after of unknown causes (while I was in the hospital with a valve replacement). Scruffy always seems to have the sniffles, and we've got antibiotics on hand if he were to suddenly get worse. But he seems happy in his routines, even though blind, and both he and YellowCat certainly have better lives now than they did living on the street. And they joy they give us when they join us on the couch to watch TV makes our efforts worthwhile...

We highly recommend the crate method of introduction - it would seem simple for healthy cats where there are no health issues. Try it and let us know how it works!

Scruffy Ketelsen's Excellent Makeover!

No, I'm not talking about my every 2 month haircut and beard trim at Supercuts, but rather, the feral cat living out front that we've been affectionately calling Scruffy for nearly a year. We've blogged about him before, but yesterday was his "special" day, where he got to meet our vet, Dr. Kayomee Darowalla!

Scruffy is a beautiful cat, but suffered a number of obvious ailments. When he first visited a year ago, he was all skin and bones, but has bulked up a little with regular feeding. He was just covered with mats, in obvious pain, moving like a much older animal with arthritis. There were also some skin lesions and scabs - he was just pitiful! So the plan was to get him fixed - we weren't quite sure of his sex - neighbors down the street thought he was associated with a litter of kittens, so even at the last moment, there was some thought of a Scruffette. Any touching of the body south of the waist (lifting of tail) brought hissing and a whirr of claws, so the gender remained a mystery. We also had to have him tested for general health, communicable diseases, etc so there would be no risk to our other cats.

He showed up Monday afternoon for some food, and with a Tuesday surgery appointment already made (he missed one made 2 weeks earlier), I wrapped him in a towel and quarantined him in Jason's bathroom overnight. He seemed to do fine and was quiet on the trip to the vet yesterday morning.

A couple hours later the vet called - Scruffy was indeed a boy and was now neutered. They shaved off the mats while he was out. The skin lesions were caused by the abundance of fleas and bites he carried, and he also had ear mites, and 2 broken canine teeth that required Dr Darowalla to dig out the roots. With vaccinations and blood work, the total was $421.32 - and that with my 30% bulk-rate discount!

Perhaps the worst news is that he tested positive for FIV, the equivalent of HIV in humans. Our original intent was to not risk our existing cat population, and, in fact, the vet had already notified the animal shelter they run, in case we wouldn't be taking him home. After consultation with Dr Darowalla (who also has a FIV+ cat with 2 that are not, and in fact, Vicki and I had an FIV+ cat for many years), she convinced us that the risk is minimal, and that if introduced slowly and safely, everyone will be fine. She described using a dog crate to effectively keep him quarantined in the living room for days or weeks, so that everyone gets used to him. That way there won't be any biting and saliva/blood exchange, which is the only way to transmit the virus. She even lent us the crate, so when he recovers from the surgery a little more, he will be moved out of the bathroom into the living room.

He is a good patient - mostly content to lie down behind the toilet in the hall bathroom. He devours canned food, so rather than struggle to give him his 3 meds (pain, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics), we just put it in a little canned food and it is gone in 10 seconds! He'll look a little funny for a few months, but as his hair grows back, I'm pretty sure he'll get used to life here in the "cat house" and will do just fine!

Spring Cleaning

I don't know the mechanism involved, but as the temperature warms, the cats shed their winter coat as their fur thins out. On a longhair, they usually need a little help with grooming by brushing or combing. But The Scruffers (aka, Scruffy) is a long-hair that hates being brushed, and he gets thick mats that are impossible to comb out, and are very uncomfortable for him as well. Scruffers has lots of medical issues - not only is he FIV+, and under medication for a past spinal injury, but he's lost his vision about 6 months ago, likely as a result of FIV and his high blood pressure. But we had to do something... Last year when he moved in with us, we had him clipped at the vet while he was under for neutering. This year I made an appointment with Barbara, a groomer that Vicki located years ago, who runs Transformations Pet Center for a clipping.



Years ago I took another cat regularly to Barbara, ironically, another FIV+ cat who also had lost his vision. She utilizes the owner to help hold the cat and reassure it during the clipping, so I was glad to help out. As much as Scruffy hates being groomed, I was a little nervous, and Barbara had the big leather gloves out for me, but they weren't needed. He did very well, though he hissed a little as we clipped around his private parts - to be expected! Even the clippers had trouble getting through some of the mats, but the vacuum attachment helped control the mass of hair, and he was done in about 15 minutes. He was sure happy to get home! Just from his walking you can tell he is a lot more comfortable with his new haircut, and takes petting a lot better too. Barbara suggests we might want to do a fall clip too - we'll see if he gets any mats coming in as his fur fills in through the Summer.

A "PS" from Melinda: DO click on the link to Scruffy's original clipping at the Vet. He was such a skinny little runt when we initially brought him in from the outside and had him clipped. We could count every bone and rib along his back. After his grooming on Friday it was amazing to see how hefty he really has become (it wasn't all fur afterall)! He is quite the handsome boy!

Scruffy Status...

Thought it was about time to bring you up to speed on our newest feline addition Scruffy. It was about 3 months ago that we took him to the vet for a neuter job, shave to get off all the mats that were causing him discomfort, and a dental to fish out 2 broken canine teeth. We also found out he was FIV+, the kitty equivalent of HIV, so he could safely be introduced into our herd only if there was no fighting or blood or saliva exchange. As a reminder, here is a shot of him in the "quarantine bathroom" looking none to happy or attractive!





My how times have changed! Here is a portrait as he watches TV with dad. After his treatments for fleas and mites reduced his scratching and skin irritation and as his hair grows out, he is a handsome boy! In those three months he has gained nearly 3 pounds. While a near-fixture on the couch, he has never showed any signs of hostility towards any of the other cats (we introduced him to the others in a dog crate, which seemed to work well), though many of the others hiss at him when they want their owner's attention. Generally, he is doing very well.




However, he still walks like he is an old, arthritic cat - my thinking that it was his mats that made him uncomfortable to move was not the case. So with Hannah needing her annual checkup, Scruffy made another trip to see Doctor Darowalla a couple weeks ago. After a look at his teeth (vets can judge age with that method), she estimated him to be a young adult, about 5 or 6 years old. After seeing him walk and judging from the way he flinches as you rub your hand down his back, she thought he might have suffered a spine injury. Sure enough, the X-rays show one of the vertebrae is compressed, with almost no gap, with calcification growth pinching part of his spinal cord. While she considered it inoperable, she thought that anti-inflammatories and glucosamine might help. After a couple weeks of this therapy, he still moves tentatively, but now seems a little faster and perhaps with less pain. His range the last week or two seems larger as he is exploring parts of the house for the first time, so I think there is a little improvement. But mostly, he is very happy to be in his new home - he has expressed no interest in going outside, and since he spends so much time on the couch, is always ready for some interaction time from Mom or Dad - what more could you ask from a cat?!

Test Shots...

Melinda posted about the new camera that we got over Memorial Day at RTMC, and fortunately, I called it an anniversary present to justify it. Well, yesterday she surprised me with my gift - a brand spanking new Canon 100mm macro lens! And yet to come is a set of extension tubes to aid in my newly found hobby of imaging the tiny world. I didn't get home till about sunset tonight, but I was eager to see what it would do. Fortunately, there is an unusual cactus in neighbor Susan's yard with pretty white flowers, so in the fading light I grabbed a couple exposures. And in the other direction, neighbor Audrey has a beautiful bush of Mexican Bird of Paradise that I shot too. Unfortunately, the f-stop was nearly wide open with longish exposures, so had to settle for limited depth of field, but it looks like the lens will be lots of fun. I've got Nikon macro lenses that will work through an adaptor, but focus is always a gamble with the stopped down lens, even with Canon's Live View. The new lens' autofocus will be great! Oh, and did I mention it will also work great on Melinda's new camera!


Melinda also gave an update on Scruffy - it has been 2+ weeks now since his neutering and shave job. Jason finally got his quarantine bathroom back, but Scruffy really doesn't like the dog crate he is currently inhabiting in our living room. He gets to roam when everyone else is out of the house to get used to the new surroundings. I think he likes it here, especially the steady diet, and our other cats are mostly ignoring him, but Scruffy gets pretty hissy and defensive when others are around. We're hoping he calms down quickly as we are traveling over the weekend!

Thanksgiving Feast 2012

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and even though we didn't host any family or friends like we usually do, we didn't hold back on the cooking!  We'd had a turkey taking up space in the freezer since I don't know how long (always hoping to smoke one during grillin' season).  And once you commit to the turkey, it snowballed into mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, veggies, brown-n-serve rolls, the works!  And while we normally would have stopped with a pumpkin pie, our house sitter and significant other were "stopping by for dessert", so I ended up making a chocolate cheesecake - normally only produced when we're giving most of it away like a potluck or other holiday party.

I had been running short on sleep lately, so as I slept in some on Thursday, Melinda woke at the crack of 7:30 and started making stuffing!  Here she is shown loading up the turkey cavity and giving the stuffed bird a nice butter massage...

Last week during grocery shopping, Melinda had loaded us up on Brussels sprouts, so we were looking for a new way to cook them up other than steamed.  In Joy of Cooking we found "Brussels Sprouts Cockaigne" (I don't know how to pronounce it either), where you brown up a few cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons of butter until it browns, remove the garlic, then cook the sprouts split side down till cooked.  They were quite tasty, though I'm sure loaded up with a lot more calories than steamed!

 

The turkey came out great, as did the stuffing.  But one of the highlights is always the Chocolate Cheesecake (again, from Joy of Cooking).  Here you can see Pixel overseeing the re-packaging of the cheesecake Thanksgiving morning, with Lucy studying the situation from below.  While yes, Pixel is allowed on the counter (at 16 years old, he has earned that privilege), he shows no interest in people food and regarded the cheesecake as he would my shoes!  The only cat who paid any attention to us eating was Scruffy, recently passed, who would come begging, triggering other cats to do the same.  This holiday, no one came around for handouts, almost sad to say...

 

We've had a good year and have much to be thankful for.  We're both healthy and gainfully employed, and have been able to relax and travel as we desire - in particular spending time touring the state with our new Russian family.  Similarly our families back in the Midwest are doing well and hope to catch up with them in a few weeks in our "holiday" trip.  Our great sadness this year has been the loss of our dear Scruffy a couple months ago, Atticus going missing in June, and of Marley's passing about a year ago.  Our cats are our family members and it is always sad to lose a dear one.  And of course, we were blessed with Lucy early in the year, though it has been a trying year dealing with some of her issues.  But for the moment, all is calm on the home front.  And while it was a quiet holiday at home, sometimes those are just the sort of break one needs!

Last kitty update...for awhile anyway

We've been posting about the cats, a lot, lately. We'll try to make this the last update for a while - barring any bizarre happenings with them!

Atticus is adapting to his newly shorn self. We are still laughing at him, he's like a hairy noodle - and always running! While they may call this haircut "the lion cut" - on him it's more like a poodle. Ah well, he's adjusted to it and may be sleeping indoors more than he used to since he doesn't have so much hair to keep him warm on our cool nights.








The other update we need to do is on our YellowCat. He has been healing well since his surgery, though still seems to have some bruising. We received "the phone call" from the Vet's office, however, on Thursday evening. The news that we didn't want to receive was the topic of the message. YellowCat is, indeed, FIV+. Our other newest feral, Scruffy, is also FIV+. It wasn't a great surprise that YellowCat tested positive, it was news we were hoping wouldn't come however. As you can see from this picture (taken this morning), Yellow Cat is looking much healthier than when we first brought him into the house two weeks ago. It's amazing what a little bit of love, care, and healthy food will do to transform these poor little guys! Dean set up the dog cage/crate in the living room on Thursday night and we moved YellowCat from the guest bathroom to the dog crate yesterday. He's not happy (he's pouting a lot) in the dog cage, but it is giving the rest of the tribe a chance to get used to him - and hopefully him a chance to get used to the rest of the group. My biggest concern is his biting. We haven't had that problem with Scruffy since he is missing his upper fangs. YellowCat, on the other hand, has very healthy teeth - and likes to bite in defense. Dean has been bitten a couple of times, as have I. Since that would be the primary method of infecting the other cats, that is behavior that will have to stop. The rest of the gang isn't prone to fighting or biting, but if YellowCat is frightened I'm concerned that there will be a problem. At this point, we are proceeding with the idea of keeping him. We are quite attached to him. We'll take it day by day, and hope for the best!