Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Toysday Tuesday

Oliver is now 9 months old, and loves to play.  He still enjoys doing flips on the ground when playing and is quite good at it!  Here's a new video captured over the weekend.  Enjoy!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Tanner is happy to report that his weight has been fairly stable over the past few weeks.  Slight losses and gains but remaining right around the 15 pound mark!  This is exactly where we want him, until we can get some more muscle developed, as he lost a fair amount of muscle along with the fat.

 

He feels good and looks good these days.  We may have to come up with a new Wednesday theme, as our weight loss journey comes to an end!

 

He is still eating the Calorie Control food, two cans a day, plus 1/2 cup of dry, with a few small snacks thrown in for good measure :)

 

He still loves sweets, but we don't get them very often.  He also enjoys some table scraps, like steak, chicken and corn on the cob.  He is learning to like greek yogurt, but is still very disappointed that it is not ice cream!

 

He will go next month for his annual visit, where we will recheck his bloodwork, to see how the anemia is resolving, and maybe make a new plan for his food.

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

Wow, has it been over a week since we last wrote?  The mom better be careful before we start looking for a replacement!  AND, this week, she is staying at a house watching three GIRL cats!  The nerve...secretly though, we will be glad when she is back.  Auntie does a good job watching us, but nothing beats a mom!

Smokey Update:  The biopsy came back showing - nothing definitive!  How's that for being vague?  The vet that saw him recommends removing it to have it tested further, but said it could be anything from an infected bug bite to cancer...let's just cover all our bases here!  So, Smokey will be going next Wednesday to see his regular vet and discuss the options and get her opinion.

 

Smokey is thankful it wasn't 100% something bad...we still have hope!

 

Smokey's main need right now is to gain weight...this is hard for older fellas and we are struggling at the moment even to maintain week to week.

Tanner is doing well, and is thankful for all the fresh nip growing in the garden.  We bring some in most weekends for everyone to enjoy.

Ollie is a crazy pants and should be thankful he is cute!  Precious mementos left by Ollie so far include:

1) Ding in the floor from knocking an ornamental apple off the ledge

2) Another ding in the floor from knocking the pear off the other ledge (Ollie does not like fruit!)

3) Hole in the wall from knocking over a dining room chair

4) Set of blinds is crooked because the string on one side was broken and has had to be tied up until it can be replaced

5) scuffs on the wall from knocking the lamp off the table

6) Trying to climb up between the wall mounted cabinets in the kitchen and has pulled a piece of something down from between two of them!

 

Don't let that sleeping baby in the photo fool you...he is a wild man!  I must be getting old, but I don't remember kittens being this destructive!  He is keeping us on our toes, for sure.

Happy Gotcha Day - Smokey!

 

18 years ago, Auntie and I drove to a small town almost an hour away and picked up Smokey.  I had located him from an add in the newspaper.  He was tiny, although the rescuer said he was 8 weeks old.  He was living on a screened in porch with a bunch of older cats and one other kitten.  All the cats were eating out of a cool whip container, and it was really too tall for the kittens to eat from.  The older cats were constantly growling and everyone seemed nervous being on that porch with so many others.  I chose Smokey because he had stripes and that is what I had in mind for my first kitten.  He was named Smokey because he was grey, white and black...the colors of smoke.  Little did I know he would turn solid black in a couple of months, and would be the cause of my love affair with black cats!

 

Smokey, I am so glad to be your purrson and I wish for many more years with you!

 

Medical note: Smokey will be going to the VET on Friday to have a lump checked out.  It is in a similar location to Mojo's so I am a bit concerned.  I am hoping it is just a small cyst or maybe an abcess or something...purrs are appreciated!

Mancats love toys

This photo is from Tanner's birthday, but he got a few more of these crinkle balls for "Mothers Day"...since he thinks he is Ollie's mother! 

 

I finally found a string toy that Tanner would play with this weekend, even if the babies came around.  He is acting more and more like his old self again! 

 

We hope all the Mother's out there had a wonderful celebration yesterday.

Mancat Monday

The boys got an Easter bowtie this year...let's see how that went, shall we?

Smokey was ok, but not thrilled.  Do you see all the fur about the fly away on his head?  He is shedding like mad these days! 

Tanner is very cooperative when it comes to wearing things.  He just sat there...It was hard to get a photo of the bowtie with him looking at me though... 

Oliver thought he was being attacked!  Here are a couple of videos that show how Ollie reacted...

 

http://youtu.be/-ENQ-eQrAiI

 

http://youtu.be/BwZvacsF8Rg

 

Please Note:  Ollie had the collar on for maybe 5 minutes :)  He has a lot to learn from his brothers!

 

 

Weight Loss Wednesday

Tanner is eating well, and actually gained a couple of more ounces this week.  He is at 15 lbs 6oz.  This is fine with me at the moment.

 

He is looking better and acting better and eating better than before.  I've decided to hold off on the ultrasound.  I'll take him back to the vet in May to check his red cell count then, and if still low, will discuss having the ultrasound done.  If improving then I'll do nothing more than wait.  This seems to be in line with what I am seeing, and if I didn't know he was anemic, I would not suspect anything was wrong with him, based on outward appearances, appetite, and activity level.

All About Ollie

Ollie is now 7 months old!  He is growing into a fine looking Mancat!

This photo was taken in early April.  He is quite handsome!

 

Ollie weighs 9.5 pounds now.  He is starting to fill out a bit and doesn't look so skinny when you look down on him.  He isn't fat, but is solid.  He and Georgie are switching to adult food now, since they are such big boys!

Ollie will sleep in this hammock in the evenings after meals.  I love how he curls his back toes!  He does this when you hold him too.  This will sound a little crazy, but I love how his feet smell.  Have you ever smelled your cats feet?  Now, not when they've just come out of the box, but when they've been sleeping with them tucked up underneath their bodies.  Go give it a try!

 

Ollie nurses on your hands still, and loves to squeeze in as close as possible in the night.  He wants both of your arms around him, and he will lay in the circle they make.  This is rather difficult when you are laying down, I might add!  Oh the random, uncomfortable positions we get in to please the cats!

 

His favorite toys are:

*Puff balls with some crinkle stuff in them

*a blue puff ball

*jelly beans from casbah kitten

*the toy and refill from Japan

*Georgie and Tanner

 

Well, that's an update on Oliver Hughes!  He is a love and I'm so happy to have him.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Tanner lost a bit of weight two weeks ago, and then gained a little bit back this past week, bringing his weight to 15 lbs 3 ounces.  We are trying not to lose any at the moment, as he is losing muscle more than fat right now, and we are still trying to make sure he is healthy and rebuilding his red cells.  He looks much better than he did a couple of weeks ago, but I am still debating about having an ultrasound done, for peace of mind!  It seems like since he came down with that terrible cold at the end of January, he hasn't been the same...he is having a hard time bouncing back completely.

Tanner still loves his baby though, even though his baby is HUGE!  Ollie has grown so fast it is hard to remember him as a tiny baby now.  Ollie is all muscle too, he is a solid cat! Ollie weighs 9lbs...he is only 7 months old!

I find Ollie sitting like this a lot...yes, he is sleeping!  If you watch him closely, he is swaying back and forth a bit...I usually go and help him lay down or snuggle with him!  He is one crazy kitten.  I am so glad that Tanner and Ollie still get along so well.  Tanner loves to wash his baby, and they will wrestle some.  Tan is learning that he doesn't have to be quite as gentle with his baby now!

Earth Day

A simple post today with a simple message...take care of the earth...it's the only one we have!

 

Comments are off today.

Mancat Monday

Smokey(on blanket) and Ollie (back of cushion) are wiped out after a big Easter weekend.

 

Ollie now weighs more than Smokey!  Smokey is still working hard to gain weight or at least maintain.  He has lost a couple of ounces of the last two weeks...so we will cater to him more.  Has anyone found a food that has worked well for your cats to help keep weight on? 

Happy Birthday Smokey

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy Smokey.  I can't believe I've had you for 18 years now!  We've moved 4 times, seen many foster kittens come and go, lost two brothers, and shared more snuggles that I can count!  It took you 5 years to sit with me on the couch, but you haven't looked back.  You show more personality every year, and I am so blessed to have you in my life.  I am so thankful I chose you all those years ago!  Happy Birthday Smokey...here's to many more years!

Totally Tanner

Tanner had a nice birthday yesterday...he got many new toys.  He even scored a new X Scratcher, but he didn't sit on it, so I don't have a photo yet. 

Auntie made him cupcakes because this boy has a sweet tooth like nothing I have ever seen.  Auntie knew this would make him feel better!

Tanner enjoyed a quick lick of icing and a couple of small bites of cake...he was a happy boy!

 

Today at the vet, she checked noted that he didn't look quite right either, and decided to do a few things to check...

 

Blood pressure - normal

Tempurate - normal

Eyes- she thought he looked "stoned"

CBC - still only 28% red blood cells, but has an increase in the reticulocyte value, which means he is making red cells!

 

She gave us an iron supplement to help his body along, and instructions to watch him.  If he still seems "off" in a couple of weeks to a month, then she will ultrasound his abdomen and do chest x-rays to see if there is something more.  She felt comfortable waiting, since he appears to be improving ever so slowly on his own.

 

Tanner was happy to be back home...he got a dose of iron and went to bed :)

 

Ollie's FeLV/FIV test came back Negative/Negative!

Happy Birthday Tanner!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Tanner!  You were the baby in the family for 11 years, and now you are the middle boy.  You've accepted your role as big brother with ease, and I know you love your baby!  

I want to keep things positive on his birthday, but I need to ask for some purrs for Tanner.  Last week, he stopped eating for just one day, and didn't look right.  He wasn't moving around a lot and just acted like he felt terrible.  I made an appointment for the next morning and we went to the vet, his regular vet was not there, so we had to see someone new.  He had eaten a touch of breakfast and seemed to be doing a bit better though.  His overall exam was unremarkable, but his blood work showed he is presenting with non-regenerative anemia.  His body is not making red blood cells like it should be.  Right now, we are not sure of the cause, but over the weekend, he still looks terrible, is sleeping a lot, not moving around a ton, and generally acts like he feels bad.  He is eating pretty normally, but not acting right.  Oliver is going tomorrow morning for blood work, and Tanner will be tagging along to see his regular vet.  I've stopped researching online potential causes, and will wait to speak with her.  Some purrs for something simple would be greatly appreciated!

Mancat Monday - Flashback

 Mancat Tanner wants you all to see how much his "baby" has grown!

You can barely see Ollie behind Tanner, and yes, Ollie is standing!

Now when Ollie stands behind Tanner there is no hiding!

Weight Loss Wednesday

This handsome boy would like you all to know that he is back down to his lowest weight!  Over the last two weeks, he lost 2 ounces each week, and now weighs 15 lbs 6 oz!!

So proud of you Tanner!!

Two on Tuesday

My oldest and youngest share a moment, or at least a chair...Way to go boys for getting along!