|
cat wants company while eating
"cybercat" wrote in message
... "Elizabeth Blake" wrote Stinky will be 7 next month (more or less). It amazes me to realize that. She's the only cat I got as an actual kitten (around 3 months old, but still small & babyish) and I keep thinking of her as my baby cat. Ah, well, she is not old enough to be acting senile! That's good. No, not senile. She knows *exactly* what she wants and she apparently knows how to get it! A year or two ago she managed to train a new, temporary girl to come in my office and give her extra dry food. I couldn't figure out how Stinky's bowl kept getting filled, when the last time I checked it had been empty. I started asking around and finally found the guilty party, who said "But she's hungry - she told me. She keeps asking." Well, why have them if you can't spoil them! I had a friend who would come in, take one look at my cat, and say with disdain, "she is so SPOILED." I always thought, "and your point is ...?" Of course she is spoiled! And as long as I was willing to do it forever (her forever, anyway) then what could be wrong with that? My boss always says that Stinky is spoiled and I know she is. But, she deserves it! I recently got Harriet a cheap cat tower/furniture. My boss just shook his head when he saw it. I *had* to get it for her, since Stinky wasn't about to give the bed back to her. Harriet loves her furniture and is very happy to find something she can easily climb. She's not the best jumper, but the furniture has different levels that are easy for her to reach. She's very proud when she makes it to the top, maybe 5' high. My oldest cat (at home) is 15 1/2 and she has become super clingy in the last few years. She also wakes up meowing sometimes, and she'll come looking for me. As soon as she sees me, she stops. Probably was having a nightmare about me petting other cats, and couldn't handle it! So you do know what I mean. There is something so special about having a cat long enough to see all the phases they go through as they develop and age. The process always makes me wonder how anyone can say that cats are not affectionate or emotionally connected to humans as dogs are. I will never forget the look my RB cat gave me when she wanted something, in her last years. It was an expectant, totally entitled look that said, "You there, the one in charge of my every need and whim. Snap to!" It was a development our 19+ year-long relationship. I still miss her. Tiger, my 15 year old, used to be a work cat. When we got her she started off being terrified, and his for months. Then she came out of her shell but was very indifferent toward everyone except one of my bosses. Eventually I won her over, but it took a couple of years! She would come racing to me when I called her and if someone else was paying attention to her, she'd leave them if she saw me. She did also grow to really like several co-workers as well, but for the most part she ignored people, especially customers. Now that she's older, she wants to make friends with anyone that comes to my apartment. Cable guy? Her new best friend! Here to fix the bathroom tiles? You can pet me first! She's not very demanding except when it comes to getting in my lap and being pet. She doesn't beg for food or anything else. Otto is the one who will demand to be played with, or brushed, or fed. -- Liz |
cat wants company while eating
"Elizabeth Blake" wrote in message ink.net... "Diane" wrote in message ... In article . net, "Elizabeth Blake" wrote: Her medication doses seem to be set correctly now and she's pooping regularly. That's great! I was beginning to worry because I haven't heard any news for awhile. They say no news is good news- but it also makes me wonder and worry. Is she going to have to be on medication permanently? -- Probably. She's had problems with constipation in the past and the vets said that since this last round went on for so long she might have messed up her colon. Chronic constipation can culminate in a syndrome called dilated megacolon. But its too soon to tell if she has any permanent loss of colonic structure and function. The medical treatment for megacolon is exactly what she's getting now: propulsid and lactulose. She's taking Propulsid and Lactulose twice a day. I'm going to call the vet soon ask him what he thinks about cutting back on one or both medications. She was on 4ml of Lactulose twice a day, then 3.5ml and now 3ml. Is that 3 ml once or twice a day? On 3ml her poops have been mostly solid, except for today. Not rock hard, but not total mush either. She might be able to get away with a slightly lower dose but I'll wait until I talk to the vet before doing it. I wouldn't be any rush to taper her lactulose any further unless her stools were consistently mushy. Stools on the softer side of normal put less stress on the colon- less stress, right now, might help her colon recuperate and regain some normal function. I know the Propulsid is supposed to help her move the waste through her colon. I'm not sure if her problem came from not being able to move it out on her own, or if she got blocked for some reason (like hairballs) and the feces built up until they were too large to pass. If her constipation was due to dysautonomia, she would probably have other signs of autonomic nervous system dysfunction like urinary incontinence and especially prolapse of the third eyelid. There is a way to find out but that would involve tapering her propulsid- and I wouldn't play around with her meds right now since she's doing so well. The longer she goes without bouts of constipation the better the chances are of her colon regaining normal function. The Lactulose is definitely helping that. Especially when you don't end up wearing most of it! ;-) The flavoring seems to have worked wonders- like the difference between success and failure. Best of luck for continued success. Phil |
cat wants company while eating
"Elizabeth Blake" wrote in message ink.net... "5cats" wrote in message ... Aww, that's so cute! How's Harriet doing? It actually is very cute. Stinky is a *great* communicator. She has different vocalizations for different things and I usually know exactly what she wants. Harriet is doing much better. Her medication doses seem to be set correctly now and she's pooping regularly. Today is was a loose puddle, but for the past 2 weeks or so she was passing actual turds, and going pretty much every day. She's been having some bitchy fits and going after people (to bite) but those are also slowing down. Her aggression could be related to her constipation- that type of aggression is termed 'pain-induced aggression'. Her disposition might improve as her condition improves- which seems to happening since her attacks are becoming less frequent. Phil |
cat wants company while eating
On 29 Oct 2005 08:56:39 -0700, "Elizabeth Blake"
wrote: Stinky, one of my cats at work, is starting up with a behavior she has shown on & off over the last few years. She likes to eat in her own little "safe zone" at the back of the basement, where her bed & cat furniture is. I'll bring her food back there and she starts eating. I return to my office and a few minutes later she comes in, screaming at me. If I ignore her, she'll come over and put her paws on my leg and scream some more. She'll continue to do this until I get up. She then heads back to her safe area, looking back to make sure I'm following her. Once there, she goes to her bowl and waits for me to squat/kneel down and she finishes eating her food. She seems to want me to be near her while she eats. She doesn't want me to pet her, just watch while she eats. She does eat about half of the food on her own before she comes to get me. I am usually not the first person to get here in the morning, and other people usually give her breakfast. She has no problem eating it all on her own and she doesn't "ask" anyone else to watch her eat, just me. She does it every day when I feed her dinner. Today I got to work early and she came to get me after eating about 3/4 of her food. That's weird. Henry the stray used to do that while outdoors.. BLink |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:30 AM. |
|
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
CatBanter.com