Wednesday, November 19, 2008

HELP this kitten is trying to chew me to pieces!

Well, since Ruby was at the vet last week... she's nearly dangerous.

There's very little holding her now, she acts like she's being attacked. She's constantly biting and I've even seen her stalking me. No - this 2 pound critter isn't scaring me.

I need help to find a way to calm her down. Before the trip to the vet there was little violence on her part. During play she's puff up and do the crow-hop and bite, but now it's almost constant. Even when she's starting to get tired and I can pet her a little, she'll get charged up and start biting again.
I've tried holding her close to my chest to help her feel more secure, tried holding her down completely when she goes berzerk (that was a bad idea).
She woke me at 2:30 this morning - biting on my fingers. I tossed her away several times, then decided maybe she was trying to say she's hungry. So we staggered out to the kitchen, and she wouldn't eat.
Ruby doesn't act this way with Chris though. It's me she's holding the trip and the torture she went through getting that absess lanced. I know the only way they could do it without knocking her out was to hold her down, so I realize that's her problem, she doesn't want to be held down and stabbed again. BUT I wasn't the one holding the knife or the needle, I just took her there and left her.
So .... any suggestions? We're still giving her the antibiotics, I think there's enough for the rest of the week then she's done. So twice a day I have to sneak that down her. I try hard not to have to hold more than her head so she doesn't feel like I'm trying to hurt her.
I miss my sweet baby Ruby.
I'm feeding her Wellness dry and canned kitten food, the vet recommended it, and after reading about it - it seems to be a good quality food to me. Obviously Ruby is doing well on it - teeth and claws are strong!!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Ruby is healing fine.

She had a nasty big absess in her neck. The vet used local anesthetic and lanced and drained all the goo out. She's on antibiotics for a week. What makes me upset is that they traumatized her more to get that absess drained than I think warranted. Plus they clipped ALL her claws which greatly reduces her ability to play Flying Walenza..

The trip to the vet for her was a huge dramatic trauma. All day Friday and Saturday she refused to let me hold her. She ran every time I reached to her, wouldn't play or anything. She did talk to and play with Chris fortunately... she was only mad at me for taking her to the vet! Well, that and since she refused to let me hold her I had to wrap her in a blanket to give her the BANANA flavored antiboitics from the vet. (Now WHY would a company flavor something for cats with a taste that cats hate?? How about a cat food flavor? The other antibiotic before Clavomox tasted like bubble gum... wonder if cats like that taste?)

Anyway...Ruby has decided I'm OK again. She played with me most of the night and a good bit of today as well. Her neck is healing up fine. She's eating fine, and playing hard again, so all is well. I fixed those rotton cats too, all of them got their nails clipped. And for all his posturing and hissing, Benjamin has begun to play with Ruby. He was chasing her around the sofa, but then it seemed to turn into a game, just for a minute, till he realized he was being watched, then he hissed and ran... Cats are very odd.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Working & Worrying

Ruby is at the vet.
Yesterday all she did was sleep after I got home. Eat, poop, sleep... no playing, so I wondered if she was having growing pains or something??? Worry, worry worry.

This morning when I was petting her I felt a big lump right next to her windpipe in her throat. So - I called the vet. They don't have an opening until 3PM and I'm working today, so I dropped her off at the office. Poor baby - she has no idea what's going on. I put her in the carrier with a towel inside it and my sweat shirt over the top. I made her some food and took that too - so they don't feed her something she's not used to. I hated leaving her there!!! All day I'm going to wonder if she's OK. I'll call around noon and see if the vet was able to see Ruby yet and decide if that's a cyst or what it is.

Sassy (the oldest cat) was one for getting regular cysts - and usually in the area of her throat. That required her to be knocked out, and the cyst removed and surgeried up. She had a really hard time the last time because the vet used too much anesthetic on her.... gosh she only weighs about 6 pounds! I think that changed her hard-ass-kicking ways because she hasn't been in any more fights since.

More on Ruby's lump later on. Meanwhile, I'm reaserching the best type of kitten food to give her. I've been using our regular dry food - softened, and adding canned food. She's eating fine and fat and sassy - but Chris worries she's not getting enough nutrition. SO - after this vet thing we'll see. I know the vet pushes Science Diet, but I won't use it. Had bad experiences with it, so no thanks. ANy suggestions?

I'm assuming that the lump is a cyst - caused by one of the other cats smacking Ruby. SHe's just so darn tiny I hate to think of her going through surgery.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Two weeks with Ruby

Well - I'm amazed to say Ruby weighs just short of 2 pounds today. She's very active and is taking quite easily to the routine. The other cats are adjusting... slowly...

Shadow still won't come out of the cat room for more than short visits. I assumed THAT would stop now that Ruby can climb the cat trees and get all over the shelves and has found all the cat beds - so there is no safety in height any more.

Benjamin comes in and eats and hisses and goes back outside. It's raining - a lot - so he's a wet mad cat. He will come around because he puts up with Fay pulling on him and laying on him.

This leaves only the pet door to be figured out by her. I don't suppose she's heavy enough to move the door yet. What a surprise that'll be for her when she realizes what's out there. Maybe by the time she can move the door it'll be snowing out there and she won't be interested till springtime.

Otherwise, work and life goes on. The garden is waiting patiently for the garlic starts that are going in tomorrow. The lettuce under the "greenhouse" is still growing and it's already been freezing out there! Chris's parents are coming in to town tomorrow for a visit. Plus I'll have Fay out too!! What a party that'll be - can't wait!!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

I need a girlfriend

Ummm... nope, sorry.... not that kind of girl friend. I need a girl FRIEND. I miss having a woman to shop with, have lunch with, go for walks with, discuss our men issues with. I miss my mom sometimes especially for our ability to just be friends.

When I was just freshly moved to Washington, my then-boyfriend stepped on a nail in the parking lot of the apartments we were living in, and a neighbor lady helped him remove the nail and so he introduced her and me. Lana and I were fast friends for several years. Life goes around and people change and grow apart... or something like that. Through her I met several other women and the lot of us camped and hiked and had great birthday party surprises for each other. Then our men got jealous and insisted on being included - and as we all know, once you involve men and children, all the fun goes out of a thing. So - I haven't seen any of them in a long time.

I've tried to cultivate friendships with interesting women at the grocery store.... Gosh that sounds weird. When I was going to college there was lots of women to hang around with and even have an occasional lunch, but once classes were done we all went our separate ways. I love my blog friends - most of which are on the other side of the country from me, so lunch is out without an airplane or a long long car trip. The cat loving lady at the bank is a possibility, she acts chummy and understands the hard-labor job I have, and obviously we both have a thing for cats - her husband hasn't moved out yet - and they're up to seven!! I'm still thinking about if that's some kind of conflict of interest to be friends with someone that works at the bank you do business with. I think of course if one of us robbed the place, that might look like a conflict..

I'm over 40 and very involved with the guy I live with. I like cats a lot, and love my grandchild even more. I'm politically and educationally opinionated to the point that I have enough to say to write a blog even!!! I have a lot to offer a woman! I can buy lunch, I don't smoke cigarettes, and I would never try to make time with another woman's man, because I have one of my own - thanks. I have time to cultivate a friendship - at least one evening a week. Maybe I need to run an ad in the paper:
Wanted: one interesting educated woman for occasional evenings out, coffee afternoons and deep conversations. Prefer someone who hikes and gardens and appreciates children.