[laluks]

Introducing the latest kid on the block, Froggy!



I like the way he is watching the proceedings from his window, while wondering how he managed to get to this exotic home all for himself!!

[Thad E Ginathom]

My older cat is dying.

He has never been one to refuse a fight or a confrontation. He refuses to acknowledge that The Ginger Thing is twice his size, twice his strength, and a fraction of his age, and the animosity between them is such that their fights draw blood --- which is relatively unusual between tom cats, who usual only fight to the point where one retires with as much dignity as possible.

This time, his injury is so bad that I suspect the tearing teeth of a dog, rather than a cat fight. A large area of his abdomen is not only bare of fur, it is bare of skin too. We had a visit from a vet yesterday, but we could not catch him. We are expecting a more senior man to make it here today, but I have no hope. If it was a human, skin grafts would be in order: how can one do such things for a cat?

With such an injury, I would be screaming, but, oddly, he is not showing pain. He is lying where I can see him, but not grab him. His nose and ears are white; I guess the blood is going.

Poor WBC: such a shame for a proud, semi-wild cat to pass away like this. However, I don't see how it can take long and it might be kinder not to disturb him.

I feel bad that I never made him become a house cat. But then, that did not prevent the loss of my previous cats to accidents, etc, but it would have reduced the exposure to danger.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

My older cat is dying.

Poor thing. Any pictures of the old boy?

[Thad E Ginathom]

There is some hope

A senior vet came today and said that it is possible to treat. Here's the problem... first, catch your cat.

Well, the first attempt was an abject failure. We'll try again when he next comes out of hiding. Then he will have to be admitted to the hospital.

However, if this does not happen within a day or two, we'll probably loose him to blood poisoning.

The vet said that the wound will hurt like hell for the first day, then it will get numb, but it will hurt again if the healing starts.

Pictures? Here he is with the kitten that he found and adopted last year. I don't think I have ever know a cat, especially an aggressive, territorial tom cat, bring another cat home!

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

There is some hope

A senior vet came today and said that it is possible to treat. Here's the problem... first, catch your cat.

Have you spoken to the folks at cattitude? They might be of help in getting to catch him. Also there's this pheromone cat spray that I have seen vets use which seem to calm cats.

Whatever it is, he is losing time. You have just got to trap him ASAP!

[Thad E Ginathom]

You are right. It is not a problem getting near him, he is friendly, as long as he does not suspect that anything will happen. He is friendly, but he has never been picked up and held. Now I have to wait until he comes from hiding.

Will try with the cat box nearby. I don't think he knows what a cat box is.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by laluks

Introducing the latest kid on the block, Froggy! I like the way he is watching the proceedings from his window, while wondering how he managed to get to this exotic home all for himself!!

Laluks, those are fabulous photos! I never knew one could have frogs as pets too. But that looks like an abandoned weaver bird nest - how the hell did he ever get up there?

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

You are right. It is not a problem getting near him, he is friendly, as long as he does not suspect that anything will happen. He is friendly, but he has never been picked up and held. Now I have to wait until he comes from hiding. Will try with the cat box nearby. I don't think he knows what a cat box is.

Hello Thad,
We were very depressed to read about the plight of your pet cat. We have never had cats ourselves, but we do have neighbours who have a Persian and have seen how devoted they are to it. And we can sympathise with your plight and, of course, the misery of your pet. We are keeping our fingers crossed & hoping for the best.
Regards,
Shashanka

[laluks]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

You are right. It is not a problem getting near him, he is friendly, as long as he does not suspect that anything will happen. He is friendly, but he has never been picked up and held. Now I have to wait until he comes from hiding.

Will try with the cat box nearby. I don't think he knows what a cat box is.

Our Bro cat Kittu has brought another male stray cat home, which we call honey since he is so sweet. He comes near us to take his food, but he runs away at the slightest indication of us trying to pick him up. He is scared and not used to human petting. But proximity is not an issue. It is been 4 months, we never could pick honey up nor pet him. Juni the third male is happily roaming around, he got picked up while small and is now mostly a home cat like kittu.


Probably you must make a trap and get him for his own good. Kittu went through such an ordeal and survived with medication, and is now 1 year since the incident very careful with other cats.

Originally Posted by shashanka

Laluks, those are fabulous photos! I never knew one could have frogs as pets too. But that looks like an abandoned weaver bird nest - how the hell did he ever get up there?

I have no clue how this jumping jack climbed the tree and ended up there. He is there every evening, comes out of the nest popping his head out and looking down on the proceedings below, mostly the cats running on the lawn. I like his simplicity and sure he looks cute.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thank you both, and I am pleased to hear of another cat bringing home a friend!

This is not really a cat that should need trapping. When he doesn't think something is going on, he is perfectly sociable and friendly, but not for picking up. Also, with such a wound, grabbing him is going to hurt. I blew it by being too softy gentle, when absolute firmness was needed. If I get another chance...

The kitten is perfectly cuddleable. I guess he came young enough, and got tame quite soon.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

There is some hope


Attachment 1491163

Thad, our stray cat which became almost a pet now was once badly bitten by a dog after a fight. The wound was near the knee and a huge patch of flesh was exposed and I could clearly see two puncture wounds due to the teeth of the dog. I was worried about the same and the cat used to limp around. I tried sprinkling some anti-bacterial powder over the wound but the cat always used to lick it off which I again thought was a not so good thing. So I stopped doing so. The wound healed completely within a week or so. The cat is walking and running normally. This wound had torn apart the joint itself, which is something I had thought needed cure. However, since I was not in station for three days after it was bitten, I couldnt take the cat to a vet. By the time I had returned, the skin had grown back all over the wound and was dry.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by satan's_valet

I need your inputs on the food and feeding schedules for the dog. Is pedigree and Royal Canin good for lab pups? Should it be dry or can we mix with water or milk? Can we also feed home food like rotis, rice, bread, etc.?

P.S. - We are vegetarians..

As few others have pointed, dogs are NOT vegetarians. Their bodies cannot process sucrose, glucose and artificial sugars hence the question of obtaining vitamins from fruits are out. Do not give biscuits with glucose in them for eg. Parle-G, however much people say its ok, MarieGold is a better option. Pedigree can be gladly given to dogs, its the best option for vegetarians. You can start with the puppy mix and graduate to adult level after a year or so.

Doggie biscuits are also available mixed with cheese, eggs or milk and those would make a good evening snack. The dog can drink sugarless milk too, water can be just kept in a bowl to be taken whenever thirst strikes. As the dog grows it might need vitamin supplements by form of syrup too. Be careful about what you feed the dog from your kitchen, human food is not 100% suitable for dogs (many dogs have gluten allergy too), just learn by the signals and go with what he likes. That apart Labradors need good exercise, a mix of jogging+walking atleast a km or so a day, if the house has a big lawn then playing fetch would be excellent exercise. To further understand dog psychology watch YouTube episodes of Dog Whisperer/Cesar 911 and he'll tell you everything about making dogs happy and your life easier by training them.

Pedigree is slightly expensive but worth every penny, dogs need nutrition different from human beings. I'm a vegetarian and that's ok because I can rely on sugars for heavy calories and fruits for fibre+vitamins but dogs cannot so specialized dog food given once a day or at least alternate days can give them all-round health. They can also eat rice soaked in milk, rotis & bun (as long as they can digest gluten). Doggie treats can be used to train them, remember they crave variety just as much as humans and can get bored with the same food.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by audioholic

... ... ... By the time I had returned, the skin had grown back all over the wound and was dry.

An amazing story of self healing. Cats do have an astonishing power of survival; the famous nine lives. A similar wound on a previous cat of mine only got worse, and needed the vet.

In this case, imagine an area bigger than three inches square, with no skin. Just tissue open to the world. I could have been amazed, but I am pretty sure that it could not have healed without treatment, and that infection would have set in and finished off the animal in days.

Anyway, here's the update, just written for another site...

WBC (White-and-Black-Cat) is angry, afraid, wild, furious... but in a box at the vet's clinic.

Luckily he has never seen a cat box before, so I was able to put it almost by his nose before grabbing him, otherwise it would have been another abject failure, but we got him in the box, in the car, and taken to the animal hospital at 11pm.

I don't know if he will ever speak to me again, and I don't know if he will survive, but I know for sure that he would not have done without treatment.

I'm a bit concerned that he won't actually see the vet until 8am. I was tempted to come home for a mat and stay the night with him. But the vet's assistant is there.

After searching all around for him, I found him laying calmly in front of the house! Getting him in the box took one second, and had it not done so, I would have been scratched and he would have been gone.

My wife said, "what guarantee that he will stick around when we bring him back?" I say, none at all, but at least we will know that we have saved his life. He may hate me for a while, but this is where he lives, and where he knows food is. I doubt that he would go far for long.

While he is under treatment, they can sort out his mouth and teeth too. I'm sure there are some rotten teeth that he will be healthier without.

[Red Liner]

Great job nick! And cats know the good. All animals do. Even humans.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks Red Liner. This is the worst wound I have ever seen on an animal alive or dead. I am not counting chickens (err... cats) until the treatment gets under way and starts to show positive results. I'd classify WBC's condition as critical.

Fingers crossed!

[Aroy]

Some more tips for food for Labradors
. No raw onion
. No chocolates
. No raw tomato
. As they have a protective layer of oil on the skin, add oil/fat to the food while cooking
. Sweets enhance shedding, so limit them as far as possible (our lab has a sweet tooth, but we limit sweets)

Labs will shed heavily twice a year, so brush them regularly, if possible twice a day during shedding season.