Cats Herd You

The Caturday Ashton Report

Ashton: First of all, it’s important to all of us here to say that we’re absolutely devastated to hear the news that our friend Prancer Pie has passed away. We know that his Mom loved him so much, and that she’s just lost right now. All of us here are sending her lots of love in this difficult time.

The news hit home really hard because the head peep got it moments after getting off of the phone and telling yet another veterinarian that, no, she doesn’t want them to give me a Convenia shot, because a friend’s cat is in critical condition as a result of one. She was referring to Prancer.

Let’s review:

Sunday: The head peep notices something is wrong with the skin on my stomach.
Monday: I go through the indignity at the vet. I don’t even want to remember it all, but the vet tries to convince the head peep I should have a Covenia shot of antibiotics because I’m so hard to give liquid. The head peep confidently says that I will eat anything in a pill pocket. That night, I eat pills in the pill pockets. Barely.
Tuesday: I sort of eat the pills in the pill pockets.
Wednesday: Forget it. I am not eating the pills in the pill pockets. Or in cream cheese. Or ground up in my canned food. I am onto you now, head peep!
Thursday: The head peep calls the vet for compounded medication, since I haven’t had antibiotics since Tuesday. The receptionist asks if we have heard of Convenia. The head peep asks her to write down that we don’t want it.
Friday: The head peep calls the vet again and reminds them that I haven’t had antibiotics since Tuesday. Another vet from the practice returns her call and suggests Convenia. After much back and forth and several calls, I should have a flavored liquid Baytril on Monday.

Do I look impressed at how hard they keep pushing this scary medication?

As for me, I feel fine, but my tummy is still bare and inflamed. I’ll be okay until my new medication arrives on Monday, and then I will consider whether or not I will eat it. I’ll report back and let you know.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re all staying warm. We are Florida cats, and it is plenty cold here. The head peep is going to go play outside today at RescueFest. We cats have more sense than that and are going to stay at home and spend our Caturday where it’s warm and cozy instead.

Here’s hoping you have a warm and cozy Caturday, too!

Happy Gotcha Day, Cousin Earl!

Today is Cousin Earl’s official first gotcha day. He lived with our grandpeep before she got sick, and today marks the day that he became a true “cousin” by belonging to Aunt Orvis.

Earl had a rough start in life, the victim of some kind of accident that caused him to have a foreleg amputated during kittenhood by a veterinary hospital affiliated good Samaritan rescue program before our grandpeep adopted him. Our grandpeep had a dog who ate cat toys, so Earl didn’t grow up with toys like most cats. So he didn’t have a traditional upbringing. When our grandpeep started to get sick, she moved in with our aunt, and Earl came with her.

It was Earl’s first chance to have wonderful toys, interesting scratching loungers, and even high tech gadgetry of his own.

He has lots of great cat TV to keep him occupied full of the most interesting neighborhood birds and squirrels.

And of course, all of the plush sleeping places a cat would ever want. Sometimes he even gets them to himself without having to share them with Cousin Shep!

So happy gotcha day, Cousin Earl! We are so glad you’re our quirky little cousin!

Is It Dinner Time?

Newton has stolen Ashton’s spot.

He is hoping that nobody notices that he is fluffy and orange and offers him Ashton’s share of the chicken at dinner time.

Update about Ashton: After two days of taking her antibiotics in pill pockets, Ashton has decided that she will not eat anything with Baytril in it. Even the head peep can’t handle Ashton enough to pill or give liquid medications, so we are looking into getting antibiotics compounded into treats. We really don’t want to have to resort to Covenia to medicate her. The good news is that she seems to feel fine and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.