Formerly Feral Friday

Miss Gracie is one happy kitty. She says she spent her entire kittenhood on the streets and she is so grateful to have a real home where she is loved and adored.

Cat In A Box

Just your ordinary box.

Nope not this one...it's full of Abby!

Yep Mom I see you over there.

I'm trying to duck down so you'll leave me alone.

Are you going away yet?

Nope it doesn't appear as you are.

Let me hide again.

OK I get it you're not going to leave me in peace in this box you got for me while I was sick.
Today has been another good day of Abby sparkles.
Everything is a go and she was playing with this box, and it's true I tried to entice her with it when she was so sick last Thursday and she absolutely wanted nothing to do it and she is a BIG BOX girl, so having her turn her nose up to a new box was very telling. Well, thankfully (on thrusday)she is enjoying right now!

Miss Boo New Hangout

I Have My Sparkles Back

My girl, my beautiful girl (defuzzed and all) basking in the warm sun.
She was bossing everyone around this morning, which made me feel so good.
Yep she got her sparklies back ya'll!

Mr Chewy

We wanted to share our experience with Mr Chewy. We were contacted a few weeks ago by Mr Chewy and offered a $50 gift certificate to try out their any of their products. A friend of our had graciously gifted us with a few cans of Tiki Cat which we all scoffed down so quickly Mom knew she wanted to try some more. Well luckily Mr Chewy had that brand of food, which we could not find locally. We placed our order on a Friday and Tuesday morning it was here! Now that's what I call good service. The website is very easy to use and offers a lot of choices to select from. We think Mr Chewy is a big winner. We also noticed where you can set up your orders to come automatically if you find something you really like, which we thought was a great convenience (also there is an extra discount on your first order if you do so, and you can change that at anytime, so you aren't locked into that option)

Boo chows down. NOM NOM NOM!

Abby eating off of her spoon.

And Gracie and Jinx share some good noms together.

End of the Tiki Cat!
All of us love Tiki Cat but Abby has some sensitivites so we have to be careful what she eats now.
All in all we highly recommend Mr Chewy to everyone.
20 paws up!

Sleepy Beauty

Miss Abby takes a snooze in the warmth of the winter's sun.

Information on Slippery Elm Bark

Slippery Elm Bark

Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) has been used as an herbal remedy in North America for centuries. Native Americans used slippery elm in healing salves for wounds, boils, ulcers, burns, and skin inflammation. It was also taken orally to relieve coughs, sore throats, diarrhea, and stomach problems.

Slippery elm contains mucilage, a substance that becomes a slick gel when mixed with water. It coats and soothes the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines. It also contains antioxidants that help relieve inflammatory bowel conditions. Slippery elm also causes reflux stimulation of nerve endings in the gastrointestinal tract leading to increased mucus secretion. The increased mucus production may protect the gastrointestinal tract against ulcers and excess acidity.

There has been little scientific research on slippery elm, but it is often suggested for the following conditions:

• Sore throat
• Cough
• Gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD)
• Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrom (IBS)
• Diarrhea
• Wounds, burns, boils, psoriasis, and other skin conditions (external)

Plant Description:

Slippery elm is a medium-sized tree native to North America. It can reach well over 50 feet in height and is topped by spreading branches that form an open crown. The red, brown, or orange branches grow downward, and the stalkless flowers are arranged in dense clusters. The plant's leaves are long and green, and they darken in color during the fall. The bark has deep fissures, a gummy texture, and a slight but distinct odor.

Parts Used:

The inner bark is dried and powdered, and used for medicinal purposes.

Available Forms:

Available forms of slippery elm include the following:

• Tablets and capsules
• Lozenges
• Finely powdered bark for making teas or extracts
• Coarsely powdered bark for poultices

How to Take It:

Pediatric

Give slippery elm to a child only under the supervision of a knowledgeable practitioner. Dosage is usually dependent on weight.

Adult

The following are recommended adult doses for slippery elm:

• Tea: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 g (roughly 2 tablespoons) of powdered bark, then steep for 3 - 5 minutes. Drink 3 times per day.
• Tincture: 5 mL 3 times per day. Note: Contains alcohol.
• Capsules: 400 - 500 mg 3 - 4 times daily for 4 - 8 weeks. Take with a full glass of water.
• Lozenges: follow dosing instructions on label.
• External application: Mix coarse powdered bark with boiling water to make a poultice; cool and apply to affected area. Never apply slippery elm to an open wound.

Precautions:

The use of herbs is a time honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, under the supervision of a health care provider.

Slippery elm has no serious side effects. Because it coats the digestive tract, it may slow down the absorption of other drugs or herbs. You should take slippery elm 2 hours before or after other herbs or medications you may be taking.

Scientists think slippery elm is safe in pregnancy and during breastfeeding, but no scientific studies have been done to confirm this. In fact, some herbalists believe that slippery elm can cause miscarriage. The outer bark of the elm tree may contain substances that could increase the risk of miscarriage, so sometimes pregnant women are advised to avoid slippery elm. Do not take any herbal supplements when pregnant or breastfeeding unless you're under the supervision of a physician.

Possible Interactions:

There are no scientific reports of slippery elm interacting with any other medications, although it may slow down the absorption of other drugs or herbs (see "Precautions" section).

Monday Update on Abby

Just look at that little face? See those clear bright sparkling eyes? (the poor neck which has been de-furred) Doesn't she look great?

This afternoon we have clear bright warm sunny weather, so I brought Abby outside.

She laid down in the sun and got a nice little suntan. She feels so much better, she ate like normal today and overall she is doing very well. I am so relieved to see her 'spring' back so quickly and am very very grateful. I will be keeping her on slippery elm bark in fact I am going to be sprinking it in their foods, so all the cats will be benefiting from it. If you haven't checked out slippery elm bark it really does a lot to help keep a calm tummy. I know there's no miracle drugs out there but if you are having problems with vomiting or diarrhea this may help.

Mancat Monday With Ping

Originally posted 4-21-06

Pingy likes to chew paper.
Take a look at those claws...mMeowR!

He is just a boy that likes to have fun!

~~~~~~

Sunday Morning Update

I took these two pictures on Thursday prior to taking her to the Vet.

I think you can see how sick she is feeling. This is the way she was acting yesterday. It was a few steps back from where she was coming home on Friday evening.

This is where she is spent a lot of her day. Yesterday was a tough one.

But this morning she was up and she greeted me when I got up. (She gets up before I do and I always let her out of the bedroom when she is ready to go) She followed me as her normal custom into the laundry room where I start cleaning the first litterbox. It is a sign to her to take care of her business and she did. YAY I am happy and I mean that to report a good poop! She had already taken care of the pee so we had good P & P! She looked perky, and alert so I had hopes she would eat as she seemed to be interested in her dry food. She did nibble on about 5 bites which I am taking that as a very positive sign. That's 5 more bites than she did yesterday. I offered her water and she took it so I started putting a breakfast together for her. I heated up some ham baby food for her, as that is one of the things she has been licking off my fingertips. I just got some Slippery Elm Bark which is very very good for coating her stomach and settling it down. If you are a reader of Tanya's website, she has some really great information on Slippery Elm and Sandy the Cancer Cat has also been giving us good heads up on what to do. Thank you so much Sandy's Mom!!! So the first time trying to get the baby food, her old food, and some organic soy plain yogurt (mixed with the Slippery Elm) was modestly successful. She wasn't in the mood to eat much but I got a few fingertips worth of food into her. I tried putting in on her nose and putting in on her paw and believe me I got more of a mess than she did as that approach isn't going to work for her. So I stressed her enough for awhile. With Slippery Elm you don't mix it with medications, and it advises you wait 1-2 hrs either prior to or after using it before medicines. So I let her alone and then it was time for pilling. It went 100% better today and we got it in the first try. She is better today as she was working at fighting us to pill her. If anyone has watched any of the YouTube videos on how they show you to pill a cat, You'll laugh. Because the cats they use just sit there so docile and nice, nope that is not what a cat will do, especially one who is not used to having to take a pill. I had talked to Abby prior to doing it and told her what we were doing and why explaining this would make her feel better and that if she would cooperate just a bit it would be over in 2 seconds. She didn't quite cooperative but she wasn't uncooperative either, so I hope I was able to positively send her the message that this was being done to get her to feel better and it would be over very quickly. So afterwards she jumped up on the Dining Room table (where her dry food is) and since her Daddy bought her a new scratcher she went immediately to her scratcher. Then she let me give her some back rubs which is our little ritual for her to eat some dry food, and she did. She ate another 5 bites, and drank some more water, and for better or worse, I gave her 2 temptations because she normally LOVES those so much. And she ate those too! So I'll see how she does through the day and make a determination if I should take her in tomorrow to the Vet. I hope she continues to improve. I mean the improvements since yesterday is amazing, in fact it amazes me how quickly they turn around.

Thank you to everyone for their kindnesses and concerns. Thank you for your advise and shoulders to cry on. This is truly a great community we have and it is so wonderful to have such a tremendous resources to lean upon.

UPDATE 6PM

I have made the syrup that Tanya CRF {http://felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm#SEB1} site recommended for Slippery Elm Bark and gave it to Abby. (I tried it myself first and honestly it isn't bad, in fact it had more of a non taste than anything) She wasn't happy about it, and because she was fighting me, told me she is so much better today than she was yesterday. After I gave that to her I waited awhile before I fed her dinner, Because this mixture helps coat the inner lining of the inflamed area and I thought it best to wait, and when I presented her "old" wet food to her, she hemmed and hawed a bit, but then she thought about it and dug in. She ate much better. So I feel very relieved. She has always taken water when I offered so that was never an issue. We will just take this day to day and see how things go.

I highly recommend Tanya's site if you are not familiar with it. She did start it out as a CRF website for cats, but it has evolved into much more, and there are so many resources on it.

Thank you to everyone again. I so appreciate the outpouring of support!

Sunday In The Park

***I had set this post up prior to Abby getting sick***

Well, not really. I'm at home, on the back porch looking out and getting some good whiffs. I can still pretend I'm chasing the squirrels that are running around my back yard, they are some bold critters. They come right up to my door and taunt me. It drives us all crazy. Oh what tasty little morsels they would make. But I can only sniff at them, because Mom won't let me deadded er play with them. Maybe one day...one day little friend.

Saturday Update on Abby

Update 6:10 PM
She just threw up again.
I feel like this is going backwards, and I feel so bad for Abby.
Does anyone have advise for me?
Would you take your cat back to the Vet under these conditions if they don't improve?

Here I am resting today.

I had just gotten up and checked out the new Purina EN food. I sorta turned up nose up to it.

Can you see where they gave me a mohawk on my neck. All my pretty fur that looked like feathers is gone on my right side.

See???

It's kinda sucks to be sick.

Mom said she loved how my eyes and whiskers looked in this.
Hey I think I look kinda punk chic with my new mohawk.

*gasp* Mom I can't believe you are showing my naked belly.

OK I am starting to feel icky again.

Time to go lay down.

I am a muff ball.

Where I will stay today.
Abby woke up early this morning.
We gave her pills.
Our first ever time pilling a cat.
If you've never done it, consider yourself blessed.
After that both cat and humans are stressed.
I let her recovered and fed her brothers and sisters.
Then I gave her breakfast.
She gave it a few licks, that was it.
She drank well.
Then she slept.
She got up to try her new dry food. I have it mixed with her old dry food.
She only wanted the old stuff.
Right now, anything she eats is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
Then it was back to bed.
And a photo session.
All of these pictures were just taken.

One bright note: spring is on the way. The trees are blooming.

Courage of the Heart

"The Only Thing Greater Than the Power of the Mind is the Courage of the Heart"
~unknown

I made it home

Home sweet home!
I am so glad Mom got me out of that vet jail.
I am better.
And so glad to be home.

Back To The Vet

UPDATE 10:45
Just got off the phone with the Vet.
They are done with the ultrasound.
She was diagnosed with IBS.

That is what I was referring to with the diarrhea problems she used to have. We knew she was getting ready to have a problem because she would act similiar to the way she had over the past 2 days and then she would have a buttexplosion and run around the house like her rear end was on fire. That had stopped for some time.

But the Vet is explaining to me that it could have gone into remission and this is just a really bad episode.

So she wanted to keep her overnight because she was afraid she would still be experiencing the vomiting. The Doctor said they could tell she is about to have one of her buttexplosions, and I thought she was too from what I saw happening on this end. (Literally and figuratively!) But I asked if she thought she'd be ok to come home this evening. And she said we would plan for me to pick her up at 5:30 and if she (the Vet) thought she needed to stay she would call me.

SOOOOO I am not 100% certain but it looks like she will be home tonight.
And on top of everything else I am waiting on S*ars to come and fix my oven, so hopefully we can manage to get this all done.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Abby ate a teeny tiny amount last night and took water.
I had high hopes that after a good night sleep she would feel better.
But, what I didn't realize was that the laxatone would cause her to begin having a leaky bottom. Abby used to be bothered with diarrhea, as of late, oh at least the past year or more, that had stopped. Well to see her with that again made my heart sink, she was having problems and I think her colon wasn't reacting too well and THAT made her feel bad.
She slept through the night on top of me like usual and at around 6am she jumped out of bed and threw up. So, I had my answer. That was definitely the one thing the Vet had said repeatedly if she kept throwing up we would need to do the ultrasound today especially with it being a Friday. She wouldn't be able to schedule another one until Monday and she didn't want Abby to suffer.

Abby looked very uncomfortable this morning and she is limp and nonresponsive. Her head is down and she just wants to lie there and sleep. She had that gagged look when I tried to feed her or even get her to sip water. So this morning her system was way way way off.

I called at 7:30 when they opened and the staff easily remembered us from the day before and told me to bring her in by 9:30.

So for most of the ride in (it's about 40 minutes) she was silent but then all of a sudden she started pleading with me to what I feel was take her home. Breaking my heart even deeper.

To have to leave her there -- alone -- is killing me right now.
I just can't bear thinking of her in a cage.
And I retain the image of her in her carrier being taken to the back by the vet staff and I told her goodbye, all I wanted to do was run and grab her and take her home with me.
OH she is going to be so mad when she comes home.

And I guess that's the rub.
I am afraid of her not coming home.
And what they will find on an ultrasound.

All of us are so attached to our babies and right now the house seems so empty. The other cats know I am upset and are upset themselves. I guess we are all off balance.

Formerly Feral Friday

Our dear sweet Gracie.

Blast From the Recent Past

Originally posted 11-16-2010

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Defending your rights in the digital world

Stop the Internet Blacklist Legislation

The Internet Blacklist Legislation - known as PROTECT IP Act in the Senate and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House - is a threatening sequel to last year's COICA Internet censorship bill. Like its predecessor, this legislation invites Internet security risks, threatens online speech, and hampers Internet innovation. Urge your members of Congress to reject this Internet blacklist campaign in both its forms!

Big media and its allies in Congress are billing the Internet Blacklist Legislation as a new way to prevent online infringement. But innovation and free speech advocates know that this initiative is nothing more than a dangerous wish list that will compromise Internet security while doing little or nothing to encourage creative expression.

As drafted, the legislation would grant the government and private parties unprecedented power to interfere with the Internet's domain name system (DNS). The government would be able to force ISPs and search engines to redirect or dump users' attempts to reach certain websites' URLs. In response, third parties will woo average users to alternative servers that offer access to the entire Internet (not just the newly censored U.S. version), which will create new computer security vulnerabilities as the reliability and universality of the DNS evaporates.

It gets worse: Under SOPA's provisions, service providers (including hosting services) would be under new pressure to monitor and police their users’ activities. While PROTECT-IP targeted sites “dedicated to infringing activities,” SOPA targets websites that simply don’t do enough to track and police infringement (and it is not at all clear what would be enough). And it creates new powers to shut down folks who provide tools to help users get access to the Internet the rest of the world sees (not just the “U.S. authorized version”).

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has placed a hold on the Senate version of the bill, taking a principled stand against a very dangerous bill. But every Senator and Representative should be opposing the PROTECT IP Act and SOPA. Contact your members of Congress today to speak out!

Go to this SITE on how to contact your member of Congress.

Back From The Vet

Hey you turn this metal machine around. I want to go home.

Where do you think you are catnapping me to? You know I don't feel good.

Who is that? (this is the office cat in our Vet's office)

*whew* I'm glad that's over. It took over 3 hours outta my nap time.

It was no fun kittens. They stole my bloods, checked my temp, weighed me, and considered putting me in vet jail over night.

But my blood checked out alright. They gave me a shot for anti nausea, and some laxatone. The Vet isn't sure what is wrong with me and she said if I eat and start to perk up then I won't have to go back.

What's this stuff about going back?

Well let me just take a quick snooze.

Awwww yeah this is the life.

******
Abby still hasn't eaten and she doesn't show any interest. In fact when I give her something she grimaces and pushes it away. She is drinking water. The Vet said if she isn't better by morning I need to bring her back in because of the approaching weekend and she needs to do an ultrasound on her. She really isn't sure what it is. It may be a simple (or not so simple) hair ball that she can't get out or it could be something bad like cancer. She seems to be a bit perkier, but right now she is asleep on the back of the couch. I will try again to see if I can get just a couple of bites into her and some more water. But we'll just have to see what tomorrow holds. Thank you for all of your warm and heartfelt purrs.