Official RJ Pet Thread

[Judge Jude]

Any way a Mod can change the title? I know, I created it, but we've now ventured beyond just this scenario.
maybe "Official RJ Pet Thread" or something, where people can also ask about the new kitten they've gotten or whatever as well.

meanwhile, my furry miracle from the first post 18 months ago just got the good news that some shots have restored his white blood cell count to normal levels. he still was doing very well from the insulin re diabetes, but he had basically slowed to where he jumps on the couch still, but not on the bed. That changed this week as the new shots kicked in, and he was more active than in quite a while last night - including jumping up and down on the bed.

"He's a fighter," said the vet of the cat who turns 16 1/2 on New Year's Day (along with his litter mate sister here).

[Judge Jude]

ok, new thread title means feel free to post GOOD pet news, too!

meanwhile, my cat who was on the ropes and thus the cause of the start of the thread 2 years ago tomorrow is still going, somehow!

we've already gotten an amazing amount of "extended play," as they say in pinball....

vet admits she thought we were losing him 2 weeks ago, but an IV for 2 days kept him afloat. he's actually better now than in quite a while, and for some reason now lets me sleep thru the nite (yay). main new issue seems to be a weak bad leg that is arthritic. so he doesn't always stick the dismount, heh.

question: any good place to find a specialty litter box? Murph and his sibling turn 17 next month (I hope), and their litter box habits have been - less impressive of late. Looking for a low entry point or open entry, but high back to catch the whiz. we had a good one but threw it out and haven't found a decent alternative....

[Judge Jude]

figures - as soon as I get the thread title so good news could be added to the mix.....

well, Murphy finally gave out today. he had been at the vet getting IVs for 2 days, and got his white blood cell count and potassium count back to normal - but his red blood cell count and bone marrow just gave out. I got him home this afternoon, and he couldn't walk without wobbling around like a drunk at a frat party - falling down, even. then he for the first time ever didn't even purr when I was cradling him (he always liked that).

The little guy surprised me one more time by making the decision tough but obvious. He didn't even squirm on the short ride to the vet, or for the injection.

First time down this road for either me or Mrs Judge, but we feel good about what stuff we did (insulin injections for diabetes, epogen shots for white blood cell, IVs twice) and didn't do (biopsy of liver to test for cancer, chemo, blood transfusion, etc).

Anyway, feel free to post as much GOOD news here as bad down the road. I've now got a 17-yr-old female sibling of Murphy who is going strong (in spite of my wife's hex attempts, lol)....

[Gregg]

Sorry for your loss Judge.

[Stephen]

So sorry to hear of your loss.

[Mithrandir]

Sorry judge. Putting a beloved family member down is brutal. Give the remaining kitty a little more love

[Judge Jude]

thanks to all, we were very fortunate in many ways - including the advice I got here!

now if anyone has an answer to that litter box issue that doesn't involve a soldering iron, I'll take that in lieu of flowers!

[Bodhizefa]

Jude, greatly sorry for your loss, man. It's been forever since I've lost a pet, and the anguish is still rough. My condolences.

I thought I'd post a happy picture for some laughs. My wife and I recently moved to a new place, and our cat, Mal, adjusted pretty quickly. This is a shot from our second night in the apartment. Love this guy...

Mal in a Tub.jpg

[heyelander]

Sorry to hear JJ. It does make me smile that Murphy had what seemed like a great last two years though.

For the sister... there was a point one of my cats got so lazy that at times she would get her front paws in the box and then pee outside of it. I ended up getting doggie piddle pads from the store and putting those around the box. it's a less than desirable solution, but it's better than the alternative.

[TranaGreg]

Add mine to the list of condolences. So sorry to hear.

[Judge Jude]

there was a point one of my cats got so lazy that at times she would get her front paws in the box and then pee outside of it. I ended up getting doggie piddle pads from the store and putting those around the box. it's a less than desirable solution, but it's better than the alternative.

yes, we were doing that for both, and agreed.

I got a new, covered litter box for Tabitha last night, and I'll be damned - she's doing all her business in it!
EDIT: classic RJ Jink by me! she went behind the box again tonight; why did I post that?
not hating her "new" plush cat 'crib' on the couch that she inherited, either...

have gone from an all-time high-charisma, high-maintenance star to just a remaining cat whose whereabouts are unknown, inside, for hours at a time!

well, will have to get used to the calm after 2 1/2 years of various family stuff I had to help manage. that noon nap didn't suck one bit....

[heyelander]

yes, we were doing that for both, and agreed.

I got a new, covered litter box for Tabitha last night, and I'll be damned - she's doing all her business in it!
EDIT: classic RJ Jink by me! she went behind the box again tonight; why did I post that?
not hating her "new" plush cat 'crib' on the couch that she inherited, either...

have gone from an all-time high-charisma, high-maintenance star to just a remaining cat whose whereabouts are unknown, inside, for hours at a time!

well, will have to get used to the calm after 2 1/2 years of various family stuff I had to help manage. that noon nap didn't suck one bit....

Give Tabatha a chance on the personality front... cats change when the cat dynamics in the house change. You might start seeing her assert herself more and be more friendly in the future.

Just moving to a different place seems to have changed the dynamic with my two. RJEL Girl had a cat, I had a cat... when we moved into the apartment together, mine, who was much more friendly asserted himself a lot more and her cat was very scared and hiding all the time... he had a hard time coming to grips with a new place and a new cat. 8 months later and we move to a new house... he's taken the opportunity to step up and assert himself. He's much more vocal and is always exploring his new surroundings while mine seems a bit lost in the bigger area where he has a harder time keeping track of where everyone is at all times.

[overkill94]

That sucks JJ, my girlfriend tears up when she even thinks of her/our cat passing on someday.

Hopefully this is an inspiring rather than bragging update, but my dog that I had spoken of almost a year ago pulled through nicely! After a couple weeks of blood-curdling shrieks and limited mobility, she randomly started moving around gingerly before eventually getting back to normal. The thing that brought her out of hiding was some fresh chicken I had cooked that I put near her face; seems that the smell of delicious food was enough to distract her from her expectation of pain so that she could loosen up the muscles. Who knows, but she's been perfectly fine ever since and I'm hoping for another decade of companionship!

[Judge Jude]

oh, yeah, bring on the good news!

Tabitha is taking to the couch 'bed' still, and almost seems to relax (she's high-strung). improving re the litter box, and the pads have been 'catching' the rest.....

[Judge Jude]

well, Tabitha has joined original thread subject Murphy in that great catbox in the sky.
A combined 34 yrs for the siblings is pretty good, I am told.
Bill Clinton was President when these two kittens came aboard.

looking to take a few months off from pet duties, but Mrs Judge a little rattled by Murphy's absence since June. An orange kitten may be in play down the road.

advice eagerly accepted as always...

Bodz, your cat has some Murphy in him!