Mar 26, 2015

Three Cats Thursday: Pimp's Health, Moo's Moo-ness and Phantom's Mission to Destroy the World

Happy Three Cats Thursday, Cuteheads! Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?! I want to give you all an update on the boys! The excitement never ends around here, for sure.

Pimp




Pimpy is doing amazing. He is such a wise old man, and his daily routine makes me smile every single day. We brush my teeth together, he yells at me from the bathroom counter for water, he sleeps in the same spot right next to me every night, and jumps on the bed 2.5 seconds after I get in, just like clockwork.

Plus, seriously... look at that face!

Pimp is 15 years old, you know, and he gave me quite a scare a few months ago. I honestly thought I was going to lose him. He had been slowing down a little bit, I had noticed, but he was still eating and doing all his regular routine, so I just chalked it up to his old-manness. He had found a new sleeping spot in the closet kind of tucked away a little, but again, I thought he'd just found a quiet new old-man spot away from the rugrats.

But one night he didn't really eat much dinner, just picked at it. And the next morning he didn't want breakfast, at all. Which is odd, because he screams at me from the kitchen floor every single morning (with his old man raspy meow) for his breakfast, and then practically gallops over to where I set his bowl down. But one meal is just one meal, and it's possible he had eaten all the dry food during the night (I always leave some out so that he can eat whenever he wants since he's so scrawny).

I told myself I'd see how he was in the evening, and decide whether we were going to the vet based on that. So when I got home from work, it was time for dinner and he did not want it at all. Nothing. He didn't even get up to go to the kitchen for it like he normally does, and he was just seeming pretty lethargic. I told myself I was taking him to the vet the next day, for sure.

But then, in the next few hours, he just started to go really downhill. He was in his closet fort, and not wanting to come out. His eyes started to look a little glazed, and I could tell he was just not right. I sat there watching him like a hawk to see if it was something that warranted the emergency vet probably more than an hour. And I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to not take him if he needed it, but I also didn't want to put him through that stress if he didn't (not to mention the money, which is not the important thing here, of course).

It was just me, and I really wanted someone else there, and someone else to help me decide and give an opinion, so I called my ex-boyfriend over, who used to live with us so he knows Pimp inside and out too. He was super nice and came right over, and we sat and watched him for another couple hours. If he was just going to stay the same, the morning would be fine. And honestly, if it was going to be his time, I was worried that the decision I was making was whether he was going to go peacefully at home and comfortable, or over-stressed out and hooked up to things at the vet (the last time I took him to the vet, the car ride home actually really worried me and he seemed really, really stressed).

But after a couple hours, he started to get worse fast. I'd kind of get him out of his fort to check on him, and he'd walk right back -- but he started being off balance and stumbling to the side and almost falling over walking. When I saw that, I immediately said "THAT'S IT! We're going to the ER right this second!"

Turns out his temperature was super low -- like 93.7, I think -- and he was very dehydrated. There may have been other things, but the ER's mission was to try to bring him back to normal, and then our regular vet could do any other tests he wanted the next day. But honestly, we were all very worried about him.

Luckily, $2,000 later, I picked him up in the morning (so relieved that I hadn't gotten "the call" overnight!), and he was a totally different cat! He was definitely still not 100% by far, but he was Pimp again and meowing and poking his nose out of the carrier! I swear they saved his life.

After that, we went to our vet and he got a slew of tests and medicine and was kept hospitalized that day and on fluids. Turns out he had a bad UTI and a kidney infection. I felt horrible! He hadn't shown any signs of having all that wrong, and I felt terrible. But the good news is that it was all fixable, and while he wasn't totally out of the dark, we had a plan.

Fast forward to today and probably $4,000 later... HE IS AWESOME! And he sleeps next to me in his spot, yells for water on the bathroom counters, raspy screams at me for breakfast and doesn't sleep in the closet hidey spot anymore!

If you remember, he is hyperthyroid, and we'd been managing it with the Hill's prescription y/d food. That had worked great for years, but he didn't seem to be responding to it as well lately (plus, I wanted to be able to feed him way more delicious food!), so we switch the daily pills instead. I hide them in treats and anything else I can think of to get him to take them (he will NOT be pilled), and he seems to be doing great.

So, that was a way longer story than I'd thought it was going to be, but it has a good ending so it was worth it! :)

Other updates: He has a new bed he loves that self-heats, he's eating super expensive food that he loves, he has a new water fountain that he's not too fond of even though it cost me quite a pretty penny, and I basically spoil the crap out of him and indulge his every whim. Because he deserves it!

Moo



Moo is my sweet boy and my cuddlebug. He is so precious and he loves his mommy so much. Every chance he gets, he wants to be picked up and rub his head in my neck and push back on my hand when I scratch the back of his neck... so much so that I can't believe he isn't worried about falling out of my arms (although I'd never drop him!).

He is also just not nearly as smart as Pimp, bless his heart. He kind of reminds me of a cross between a dumb jock and a teddy bear, just so happy in his world and oblivious to the fact that others are just a little sharper than he is. Haha.

He won't eat treats until Pimp eats one first and shows him how (every time). He just kind of looks like he's not sure what's going on sometimes (in a cute way) and just blindly comes whenever I call him, does whatever I ask him to do, is so well-behaved and mild-mannered and precious... I just love this cat!

Other updates: He's on an eternal diet because he really has lived up to his name. I've also been working to get him off dry food entirely.

One other super important update: The #notbox is still around! I think it will be TWO years old in May! Can you imagine?! He still sits in it and plays with it every single day!

Phantom



Oh, Phantom. Where to even begin here? This cat is probably one of the goofiest, silliest, most annoying, smartest, manipulative, adorable, loving cat I've ever met (and I've met a lot of cats!). He is also the biggest pain in the butt, and my life consists of trying to figure out how to live in peace with this toddler of a cat who is truly in his terrible twos (that I love more than anything in the world!).

This is a day in the life of Phantom (kittens, cover your ears!): 1. Sh*tting, 2. Not doing sh*t, 3. Knocking sh*! off counters, 4. Annoying the sh*t out of me. I'm sure many of you know some similiar kitties... Haha.

He looks at me, and while I'm watching him and telling him no, he unapologetically knocks whatever he was poised to knock off the counter right off. To get my attention (ALL. THE. TIME.), he just wreaks havoc on anything that is not tied down, or chews up the corner of any piece of paper or book that is gnawable. Then when I say no and go over to see what in the world he just knocked over or did, he looks at me with complete innocence, does his chirpy meow, and literally skips over to his Da Bird toy (most favorite thing ever!) and paws at it like I'm going play with him then. He's nuts! I don't know why he thinks I'm going to reward him for doing bad things. :) But it is adorable.

He also gives Pimp a run for his money sometimes, keeping him young by chasing him around the house, and gives Moo some much-needed exercise by doing the same to him. Basically, I understand how people collect more and more cats... I think getting him a kitten to play with would solve all our problems, but we're not even going to entertain the impassibility of a #4, OK!?

And so that's us!

I'd love to hear how your kitties are doing! I know a lot of them, and I'd like to "meet" the rest of them!

Let's share with each other about our babies in the comments today! :)


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34 comments:

  1. Great updates about all the kids...kind of sounds a lot like MY house! :)

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  2. Oh boy! I have missed hearing about the boys' shenanigans! Thanks for the update!

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  3. It is SO GOOD to get a Pimp update. You and the boys have been on my mind quite a bit lately. With so much "radio silence" I was really concerned how he was doing. Thanks for giving a window into the boys world!

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  4. Oh...love those boys! Glad Pimp is doing so well and going strong, I can't believe how small he's gotten! And Moo, lol - it's like they switched! My girls are getting a new sister soon, so three cats over here too! Should be interesting. We're a little nervous about integrating them all, but I think after a week or two (am I being optimistic?) we'll all be one happy family :)

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  5. glad Pimp and the boys are doing well. We added a new kitten in December and while she makes us all a little nuts, she has done wonders for our semi-feral orange menace :)

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  6. Ditto the "SO GOOD!" I am so glad to hear that Pimp is still Pimpin'. All that Phantom stuff is Maggie, who will be three in July. So willful! But I know she knows I think it's funny - usually - so of course no incentive for her to follow in Kate's (16!) & Avery's (5) relatively well-behaved footsteps. I'm convinced Maggie's assigned job is to make them look good! And then, since we're a mixed household, I've got the same shannigans going on with Ellie, also 2 1/2, amped up to 70 lbs! Also similar old man stuff to Pimp with Bosco, who is only almost 11, but that's old man time for Bullmastiffs. Glad you're back!

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  7. Rhonda, Orion, Sammy, EmilyMarch 26, 2015 at 11:41 AM

    I have Orion, my orange tabby, who was hyperthyroid, but I got him the I-131 treatment and now he is no longer hyper-T. I am so thankful for all the cat lovers in the blogosphere and around the world, as they all helped with donating either money or items for an auction, or both. It is because of them that I was able to get Orion taken care of. He is back to my loving, talkative orange mancat.


    Sammy is my FIV+ gray snowshoe siamese. Sammy will twist and turn and purr up a storm for scritches. He can't get enough of them. His health has been good since losing all his teeth to stomatitis, and I am very thankful for that.


    Emily is my black/white cow kitty. She is my oldest and came from a bit of a rough situation, I didn't think she would ever warm up to me, and the boys sure haven't warmed up to her. I finally decided she needed the bedroom/bathroom suite, and since she has been there she has warmed up and feels more at home. She loves to play and loves petting, on her terms. And she loves drinking straight from the water faucet. She routinely wakes me up in the mornings for her water.


    That is mine in a nutshell.


    Rhonda, Orion, Sammy, Emily

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  8. HI Dorian.....so, so happy to read all about your three beloved kitties!! I have missed you and them!
    In April of last year, I lost my oldest kitty, Smokey (14 yrs.) suddenly. I still miss him every day.
    My female Sabrina has been with me 5 yrs. this coming July; she adopted me from her former home across the street. She is my special girl.
    In July I brought in Dominoe who has been one of my outside cats for several years. He loves being inside, and having tummy rubs as much as I'm willing to give them.
    Also, in July I adopted Dash from our county shelter (which I volunteer for). He makes me think of Phantom......he is so busy doing what he shouldn't be doing. Has the most expressive face of any cat I've seen. And he thinks I am HIS human....and I do not belong to anyone else.
    Anyway, I love all three of them so much. They are my family, my companions, my playmates!!
    May Pimp remain healthy and strong. May Moo continue to be so gorgeous. And May Phantom continue to be his mischievious self!! Much love to all of you.

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  9. Thanks for the update, i'm happy to know everyone is doing so well. Phantom reminds me of my Nigel who is a royal "pita" (pain in the a--). He is forever knocking things off of tables, and wakes me up nightly with his escades. I am sorry to have to tell you that he is now 13 years old so the hope of him growing out of this is dimming, but maybe you'll have better luck with Phantom. Both Nigel & Henry are rescued Siamese & both are very loved (even Nigel).

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  10. Your emergency vet night with Pimp sounds SO much like the one I had with my Winston in January. He developed pancreatitis between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and is FIV+; he is, we think, 12 years old) and we'd been treating him for it. We re-did the bloodwork, got the results back on MLK Day and his levels had DOUBLED (meaning they were 7x what they should be). So off I went for an ultrasound at a specialty vet to be sure he didn't have a tumor and fortunately all they could see was a severely inflamed pancreas. So my vet decided to do IV fluids all day Tuesday and Thursday (they are closed Wednesday). He looked great when I picked him up Tuesday, but a few hours later his eyes were dilated and glazed, he bobbed his head oddly and purred loudly and madly. Like you, I watched him for 2 or 3 hours and finally took him to the emergency vet. He had a urinary blockage! $1,000 later he was unblocked and he got to go back to his regular vet on Thursday for more fluids. He is on a lot of meds, but they are going down gradually, and a special urinary diet - and he seems really much better. I have a feeling the UTI was coming on and the fluids pushed it over the edge. We had one bloodwork panel just a couple of weeks after the fluids and his levels were cut in half (so 3x normal); we'll do another in a couple of weeks and I'm very hopeful it will be at least near normal (my vet thinks he will probably be chronic).
    I'm glad to hear Pimp is doing so well, and hang in there!

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  11. Good move to go the Emergency with Pimp. Dehydration is so serious. I have a UTI boy that I went through a similar experience with. The poor baby had to go through an entire night with a catheter inserted after we left the Emergency Vet. Great to hear about your cats. I always enjoy your posts.

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  12. So happy to hear about Pimp, Moo and Phantom!! My Sophie will be 16 this year (where did the time go!) and other than having a bit of trouble getting up and down on things, she's as spunky as ever. My boys, Harry and Frankie, are both 5 ish and show no signs of slowing down. Frankie likes to wake me up to tell me his dixie cup of water is empty and I should refill it NOW. Harry is my shadow until I go to bed, then he's all over my hubby. Don't know what I'd do without my furballs!

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  13. So glad to hear Pimp is doing well! I was thinking of you and him lately, and hoping that the lack of updates wasn't bad news.
    I have a boy who's a lot like Phantom. He's decided my spouse is his best friend, but he wants people attention all.the.time. He's nearly 2, and my girls are 12 and 13, so he's a bratty little brother to them. We have good luck with fetching games, but he wants to play constantly. I have considered Da Bird, but I'm a bit afraid what damage he'll do chasing it...

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  14. My cat Greyball was born in my Dad's back yard to a stray who lived in his yard . She was taught to hunt in the yard by her Mom (as reported by my Dad) and I have seen her stalk and catch birds before, amazingly fast. She lived with my Dad for quite a few years. The other siblings of hers eventually moved on. When my Dad passed away in 2005 I tried to find a home for GB but was having trouble. I took her to the vet and our "Christmas Miracle" that year was that she had a clean bill of health, after years of living outside!!!! I finally decided to keep her. ( I had another cat at the time, Hershey who did not like other cats. ) anyway they managed to stay out of each others way. She loves being an indoor cat and is still very healthy!!! Here it is 10 years late, which makes her close to 20, I think. She is amazing and I love her so much . Hershey went to the bridge around 2007 so Greyball is now the Queen of the house. . Thanks for the updates on your babies. Sending Purrs!!!!!!!!!! Love Margaret

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  15. Great news, happy news. I missed your updates very much as my sweet Smoky (15yrs old) has Thyroid problems as well and is since years on the pill. She had more than 14 months one UTI after the other and also started to sneeze too much. She refused to pee in the litter box and sought my comforter for it... The vet gave her antibiotics which didn't help. She had x-rays to check if there was an obstruction or a brain tumor - all results negative. Then I started, kind of a last measure, to give her homeopathic drops for UTI's and stress resulting behaviour. (No change in our household, no stress imaginable, but the vet didn't know what else to do.) Believe it or not: The UTI's stopped, the sneezing stopped and she's my cuddly, adorable happy little baby again, and uses the lb like clockwork. Sometimes a simple med can help more than all the expensive tests and treatments done by a vet.
    My 12 yrs old orange tabby boy is still the same: feisty, always hungry and jealous if I pay too much attention to Smoky.
    Happy for you that Moo and Phantom are fine.

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  16. Before I read your remarks below Pimp's picture, I'd thought you were writing about his having died. I'm relieved you didn't have to, but I have to tell you, one thing I've noticed is that every cat I've ever seen who has what I call "ruggledy" fur, is not well, & is, in fact, close to death. If that photo of Pimp was taken AFTER the emergency vet saved him, you need to be =triple= sure to see that Pimp gets to the vet ASAP if he starts looking or acting "off" in any way. Without that level of attention, he might only live for a few hours. WITH that kind of alert care, he could live up to age 25 or even 30! So, I know how much you love Pimp (who wouldn't with THAT face! :D ), in the future, don't hesitate. Get him help right then! Love & purrs, Connie Crouch (aka "Shamanblair") P.S. I've sort of been out of pocket myself, dealing with bureaucracies & medical crud, & I'm SO happy we're together again!

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  17. I looked & looked, but I didn't see your kitty's name. I'll pray he gets better, even so. God be with you both.

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  18. I, too, was relieved that pimp was still amongst the living. He is an OLD kitty. BUT, STILL HAPPY. Some day we are gonna lhave to let him go, but I was glad that day was not today!

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  19. Thank you so much! While I have several kitties he is my favorite. He came to my door 7 years ago and I'd planned to adopt him through the shelter I volunteer for, but then we found that he was FIV+. So I put him up on the website as special needs - a year later he slept on me for the first time, and that was it - he was mine.

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  20. I love reading about your kitties. So glad Pimp is,doing well. My oldest is Mocha - she's 15. Things look OK, although she's thinner. Middle man is Kielbasa (Mr Kitty) fun and talkative. He's my sweetie, he was a stray. And then there is Frankie, a tuxedo. He's little bit skittish, but he plays well with Kielbasa. He was a stray also.

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  21. Pimp scared all of us! I'd tell you about my cats, but there are too many of them. I think your Phantom is related to my 7.5 month old, almost 10 lb. Sh*tten PiqueABoo!

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  22. I'm glad Pimp is holding steady these days. It's hard with elder kitties. We are going through a lot with Grace--I am actually keeping track of good and bad days. As long as there are more good than bad, we won't have to make any decisions. She's 18....but still....

    Good to read an update on your group. They look GREAT!

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  23. Janet/TheCatOnMyHeadMarch 26, 2015 at 8:44 PM

    Thanks for the update on all your boys. Each of them display some of the personality traits of our eight. Just looking at Phantom, we can see the mischief in his eyes. So happy that Pimp is better. A 15 year old can live for many more years. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  24. Aw, I was keeping track of Pimp's pees and poops when we were coming out of all that to make sure he was doing everything he should. Days would blend and I'd forget the last time he did or didn't, so I was literally keeping a crap log! ;)

    I hope Grace has lots of good days coming!

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  25. The rescue I work with around here, Good Karma Pet Rescue, rescued a really, really fat short, squat doggie... and we named her Kiera Kielbasa! She has a Facebook page too - look it up! :)

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  26. And I hope it's not for a lot more days! ;)

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  27. I surely won't wait for anything anymore. His fur has been kind of scraggly for a while, and he's been scrawny for several years. It's because of the hyperthyroid and how we were treating it. When we treated it with the y/d food, it's all he could eat. It was better to not have to pill him, but it's all he could eat -- and I think that contributed to his scruffiness. Now that he's eating very high-quality food, he's much softer and hardly sheds anymore in comparison! :) Thank you for this!

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  28. GET DA BIRD! It is awesome for wearing them out. ;) I just fly it back and forth over him and he jumps like 2 feet in the air to get it. Then I kind of drag it around and up on the couch and he flies up there to get it. It's great! :)

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  29. Aw, I hope Winston continues to do better also. I think the UTI and kidney infection + dehydration are what did it to Pimp also. They just can't function well when they are dehydrated. Glad you got him to the ER and fixed him that night. <3

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  30. Oh man, it's not looking very good for my sanity in the next decade then! Haha. I find the best way to get a halfway decent night sleep around here is to wear him out good with Da Bird right before bedtime... just like a kid! ;)

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  31. ;-) It fits for my boy, and it sounds like it fits Phantom too.

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