Foreclosures Lead to Abandoned Animals

That subject line above comes from an AP report today. I shouldn't have read it because it was so upsetting, but I did. And now I feel compelled the misery with you, my loyal reader(s). I wish to point out how scummy humankind is. Though against the death penalty, I will make exceptions for anyone leaving a domesticated animal to die alone.

This article is contraindicated for those who have a strong sense of empathy.

What's in brown is excerpted from the article. What's in regular colour has been added by me.

The house was ravaged - its floors ripped, walls busted, and lights smashed by owners who trashed their home before a bank foreclosed on it. Hidden in the wreckage was an abandoned member of the family: a starving pit bull. The dog found by workers was too far gone to save. Pets "are getting dumped all over," said Traci Jennings, president of the Humane Society of Stanislaus County. "Farmers are finding dogs dumped on their grazing grounds, while house cats are showing up in wild cat colonies."

In one such colony in Modesto, two obviously tame cats watched alone from a distance as a group of feral cats devoured a pile of dry food Jennings offered. "These are obviously abandoned cats," Jennings said. "They're not afraid of people, and they stay away from the feral cats because they're ostracized by them." The abandoned pets are overwhelming animal shelters, drawing fury as photos of emaciated animals circulate on the Internet.

The first people to enter an abandoned house have discovered dogs tied to trees in backyards, cats in garages, and turtles, rabbits, and lizards in children's bedrooms. What kind of person does this? You love an animal and then abandon it. Better to abandon your teenager who can fend for him/herself than a poor little critter. Absolute scum these people are. Savages who deserve to be put down in a cruel, inhumane way.

The situation has become so widespread that the Humane Society urged home owners faced with foreclosure to take their animals to a shelter. The San Joaquin Animal Shelter is fielding more desperate calls from animal owners about to be evicted. Many call as a last resort after being turned down by various rescue groups with no room for more animals. "They're usually breaking down on the phone," said Kathy Potter, a shelter dispatcher. "I'm quite direct with them that there's a 50-50 chance the animals might be put down."

Great, I mean you were stupid enough to buy a house that was $500,000 and think the payments are $500 a month forever and the rate won't change. And now you're going to kill a creature that loved you because of your stupidty. Most people losing their homes in this fiasco are doing so because they're idiots. My sympathy level is low for them because they forgot the simple saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Who's suffering? The critter. Don't say the homeowner because most of them deserve what they're getting.

Some critics say the pet owners have already proved they are irresponsible by buying houses they could not afford or mortgages they did not bother to understand. "They see a pet as property, no different than a worn sofa tossed into the alley when the springs pop," says a posting about foreclosure pets. Yep. That sums it up nicely.

"Their best shot is for the owners to plan ahead some," Jennings said. "But they didn't plan when they bought their house. I don't see that happening anytime soon." Right. In short, it's still their fault for being idiots. Suffer eternal damnation you assholes.

Scooter Update 3.0

Hello Boys and Girls:

Today's Scooter Update: After an all-day fast (poor kitty) so she could be sedated for an x-ray, I come home to a ravenous kitty who looks like she wants to bite me. Her plaintive meow is responded to by me picking her up and shoving her delicately as possible into a cat carrier. I drive to the vet at Warp 2 to minimize the in-car time because as I drive, Scooter tries to break out of said carrier. She's been successful before, too so it's a real concern.

I must add, this is my original vet and not the new vet. He's checking for stuff that she hasn't done that I've asked her about several times with no discernible result.

We arrive at the vet's office which is, happily, deserted. I take Scooter out of carrier so vet doesn't have to risk life and limb to do so. He decides to try and x-ray her without sedation. I offer to hold her in place but he insists that it's not safe in x-ray room. I scoff, mentioning I've had more x-rays that anyone except Evil Knieval, but he refuses my assistance. I see why as he sends his two poor nurses in to do the dirty work while he discusses Scooter with me. He plays 20,000 questions and takes notes.

I try to pet the office cat -- they have an office cat -- named Levi. Levi takes one look at me and hides behind the microwave. Vet assures me I shouldn't take it personally, but I do anyway. I say hello to poor doggie who almost died of a ruptured appendix (or something like that) but is recovering but in pain.

X-rays are complete and I get Scooter and hold her while vet and I talk more and X-rays develop. X-rays show Scooter has mild arthritis so her walking issues are not related to that. She probably needs more exercise which she can't get. I'll try and get her to play more laser-pointer. He said he would discourage me from medicating her with anything at this point as it would cause more problems than it would cure. Glucosamine works well in dogs but he says not all cats respond well and he doesn't recommend it for Scooter -- something the other vet said as well. So, Scooter's back legs are slightly arthritic but not bad for a cat her age. He can't find the problem with her shoulder that is obviously there somewhere. Other vet thinks it's a torn ligament and says she can feel it but neither original vet or me can find said problem.

Ask vet to look at Scooter's ear gunk -- which both he and other vet have ruled out as ear-mites. He's amazed at how bad since I've just cleaned it again. He takes a sample to send to lab for testing to make sure it's nothing serious. Pay for vet bill -- Scooter has now cost more than my car. She's worth it, and I'm not complaining.

Take Scooter home and she eats like the pig she used to be. I want her to gain weight so she can build strength.

I'm stressed and Scooter's sleeping.

There's a box from Apple in my room. I'll open it this weekend.

Today's Medical Reports

Lots of health news today. I'll be self-centred and go first.

I am relieved as all hell to report that I do not currently have Barrett's esophagus which I was afraid I might have. Barrett's esophagus is a relatively uncommon side effect of Acid Reflux (see multiple previous blog entries) that often leads to esophageal cancer, which is generally fatal. Anyway, I don't have it so enough of that. However, my Acid Reflux is acting up strongly again because a new granuloma has recurred (if you remember, I had a previous pair) and is also located on my vocal cords. As such, I'm going on a new regimen of drugs and dtronger dosages and frequencies thereof and expect more arguments from my shit-ass insurance company. I am confident in Dr. Arin H. Newman, the doctor in question, so we'll see what happens. I go back in six months unless I feel my granuloma is getting worse in which case I go back immediately. Those of you who have talked to me recently know how bad my voice has sounded.

My dad is not-cancer free, but he's almost cancer free and it has retreated to negligible levels. There's no such thing as "almost" or "negligible" in the cancer world, but he is no longer in any immediate danger of dying from his lung cancer (second hand smoke is bad which is what caused it). All good news has some bad news with it, and this is no exception. His bronchial passageways, which were already a mess because of his chronic and severe asthma, are in very, very bad shape due to damage caused by the cancer treatment, so he is going to a pulmonary specialist soon to see what, if anything, can be done.

And, for those concerned, Scooter has stopped gaining weight but she is at a relatively healthy weight for her advanced (20+) years -- having recovered from the 5-1/2 or so pounds she sunk to at the bottom of her illness. She's happy. She's not so playful any more -- probably because of the ligament that's torn which they can't operate on due to her age -- but she's happy to be petted. She's even jumping small distances again, though getting down still challenges her. Her hearing is definitely shot for good (cry) and she has dental issues which they also can't fix due to her age.

Iriomote Cats, English Teachers, Yellow Submarine, and Bush Declares Martial Law

Today we have another random group of eclectic posts.

1. Way back in December 2006, I wrote about the Baiji Dolphin become extinct. Truly a sad thing, indeed. Well it's about to happen again to another species. Now, Japan’s Iriomote Cat is Headed for Annihilation
according to the latest news. I am far more saddened about this because I love kitties of all kinds. This has been reported in National Geographic. It's a beautiful cat, too as you can see.

2. I am trying to locate Karen Goff; she was my eighth or ninth grade English teacher from McMillian Junior High School in Miami, Florida. It's an off chance, but she was one of the best teachers I ever had -- and in a subject I am rather fond of. I want to thank her. If anyone knows where she is, that would be great. The school was of no help whatsoever nor was the local school boards.

3. In other disturbing news: I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I often ridicule those who are. Let's be honest, most of them are utter and complete crackpots. However there's a new one making the rounds that even my regular "upstanding citizen" type friends are subscribing to. And, I think I do too. As you know Dubya's term is coming to an end -- and he's not happy, nor does he understand why he's the least popular president ever. There are more and more rumblings being made about Iran from inside the administration, but nowhere else. What happens when he uses some random event -- you know the odds are in favour of an event -- to declare martial law and take over and remain in power? Will anyone be able to stop him? Will the military say no? It's looking more and more real to me every day. Him and his cronies are looking for a way to stay -- just like the Kremlin in its heyday. It scares me.

4. Next Wednesday, I am still predicting a Yellow Submarine iPod pre-loaded with the Beatles oeuvre. It will look similar to the current iPhone without the actual phone functionality. Further, regardless of what comes next, I bet you get a Bluetooth iPod so people have no more wires. You'll also get some form of the iPhone touchscreen. Apple has ordered way more screens than it needs for phones. There's really no other conclusion to be had.

Cat Thyroid Disease Causes

This link was sent to me first by Evan followed by several other friends over the next few hours:

The article starts: An epidemic of thyroid disease among pet cats could be caused by toxic flame retardants that are widely found in household dust and some pet food, government scientists reported Wednesday. And goes on from there. I found it very interesting, though at this point it's probably too late.

I keep wondering, after reading the article, if it might have been something I bought and brought into the house. Maybe some sheets, a mattress, or something else. My carpet is the original stuff and over 10 years old, so we can probably rule that out. There's no fabric in my blinds. Or maybe it's not even this. But it's still interesting.

More Tidbits. Everyone loves a tidbit.

1. I went to the Chiropractor today. My shoulder feels noticeably better right now, but overall it will return to crap in a few hours. I hate that. The pain has slowly been moving further towards the top.
2. My AC at home is still not behaving properly and it's got me pissed off. I'll revisit this with the AC people next week. I am far too drained to deal with it right now.
3. In my unending quest to find out the mysterious source of my rash, I went to an allergist previously. Since my last post I had the patch test (wearing a few dozen chemical patches on your back for 48 hours) -- all of which were negatives. Then I came back today and the rest of the injections. Over the two visits, I received a total of nearly 200 injections. I look like a druggie. Each battery you have to sit for 15 minutes for a reaction. I am not allergic to most moulds (odd) and barely allergic to cats. I am violently allergic to dust mites. On a scale of 1 to 4, I rated a 4++++. I am also allergic to dust (duh), parakeets, and horses. That's it. I passed all other allergen tests. All that would be fascinating except based on the rash, these aren't the causes. All done and no practical results except to try Claritin/D for a few weeks and see if that helps.
4. Scooter is seeming even more lethargic today. ::sigh::

Scooter Update 2.0

Scooter went in for a follow-up visit today.

Here's what I had given to the vet. (This refers to her original condition):
I just want to reiterate a few points: The morning Scooter had her incident she was fine. She was jumping up on tables, playing, being her usual rambunctious self. When I came home, she couldn’t move. When she tried to stand up, she would fall over and was unable to maintain any motion at all. She was lying in an unusual spot on the floor in an unusual position. I do not dispute the Thyroid diagnosis, but that is not a sudden onset condition with all these symptoms. I think that there is/was something else at work, and the Thyroid condition was certainly there but is probably unrelated to what actually happened.

Then I listed all of Scooter's current symptoms:
NONE OF THESE SYMPTOMS WERE EVIDENT PRIOR and all were sudden onset:
1. She doesn’t walk with a normal gait. She lists to the left like a poorly loaded ship as she moves. And on stairs especially, she walks near the wall so she doesn’t fall. (I bought her stairs so she can get in and out of my bed easily.)
2. The faster she moves, the harder it is for her to keep balance. If she runs, she falls over, especially if it’s on the stairs.
3. She can jump UP onto objects with no trouble (my bed, the counter, the table) so her muscle strength appears to be pretty good. But if she jumps down she lands and the falls forward, hitting her head and often rolling head over heels.
4. She has trouble climbing though. For example her litter box (4” tall) is an enormous challenge for her and she sometimes gives up and uses the floor next to it. She tries, but watching her try to balance and crouch isn’t fun.
5. She’s far more lethargic now – she just lies in her bed most of the day. I know that may sound normal for a cat, but it isn’t normal for Scooter. She used to run around with her bizzy-balls and drop them all over the house and scream at the top of her lungs for me to come throw them so she could chase them. When I used to come home, the house was a mess. This was true right up to and including the morning she fell ill (because the house was a mess when I got home and she had eaten that day as well).
6. She’s lost a lot of her hearing. I can actually sneak up on her if she’s not looking my way. Nobody should ever be able to sneak up on a cat. Especially my cat.
7. She is grooming approximately normally and seems happy if somewhat bored because she doesn’t want to move around much.
8. She also can’t talk except a quiet squeak.

So that's what's up with Scooter as of today. The Vet agrees there's something else going on. They currently have a cat there with the same exact condition (symptoms 1-4) but that cat has been there for months and they are unable to determine what's wrong. I suggested an equilibrium problem or a stroke. I was told cats don't have strokes in the sense humans do, so that wasn't it. The Vet agreed an equilibrium problem was possible.

Scooter had a new batch of blood work and thyroid tests. All pretty much normal. They are very concerned about her kidney results. In cats with thyroid conditions once the condition is controlled sometimes a kidney condition becomes evident. They're going to check her again next week.

They checked her (always nasty and gummed up) left ear and were sure she had ear mites. I told them it's always full of gunk which I generally clean every few weeks and that Scooter's regular vet has tested. Another test later, and it isn't ear mites. They've never seen so much ear gunk before considering they cleaned her out last visit too.

They've had me get non-drowsy Dramamine and suggest I give her a 1/4 tablet per day until next Tuesday and then I will bring her in again for more tests. After that the emergency vet is on vacation for 2 weeks.

Also, my condolences go out to Tom O'Drain whose mother passed away this morning.

Update on Dad III (Good News)

PET Scan: Lymph Nodes didn’t even show any cancer at all -- it's gone. That’s excellent news, of course. That's right: there is no trace of any cancer in the Lymph nodes. The tumour itself still has some activity, though. The doctor can’t be 100% sure it’s still cancerous due to residual radiation and scar tissue, though he's pretty certain it still is cancerous because he has no reason to believe otherwise.

The CT (cat) scan was still difficult to interpret due to lingering radiation. Different people dissipate radiation at different rates. There is still some lung collapse (hence his continued difficulty in breathing). The tumour is not well defined and the shadow is less solid. It is still possible that live cells could escape and go elsewhere, so we must be vigilant and he must be tested regularly.

Despite all of this, Dad has shown significant improvement and he is out of any immediate danger. However new spots of cancer are always bad because that means it’s spreading and we have to hope and pray that is never the case. We will retest in three months --- first week of November -- and see what’s happened then.

There will be no surgery, period. The doctor is confident no reputable doctor will perform any operation on Dad. With his lung partially collapsed, and the surgical risks he has due to his other conditions, the risks far outweigh any possible minor benefit and Dad’s chance of surviving the operation is very low.

His continued coughing is caused by radiation damage. It will eventually lessen and may even disappear, but it may just be a permanent, chronic cough. His tiredness is a combination of age and effects from his diminished lung capacity. There will be absolutely no radiation injections or even further radiation treatments at this time.

So, all in all, this was a very good day at the doctor. This was also significant for me, because this is the first time I've actually met the attending physician and talked to him in person. Dad's done his best to keep me out of the loop and given me his "sanitized" report so I don't worry -- apparently he thinks that will stop the worry process. So while I've been to the doctor's office with him before (see previous posts), it's been with the many other doctors involved in the process and not The Doctor.

It was a draining day, but generally a good day for Dad.

PS: No new news on Scooter. Several severe issues remain and spoke to the vet and she said to give it another week and bring Scooter in next week. If there is any noticeable change, of course, she said to rush her over. Scooter is not getting worse but she's not getting better either. I think a big problem is she isn't drinking enough.

First, a Scooter Update

Scooter is home. I picked her up from the vet earlier today. I'd love to tell you she's feeling fine, but she isn't. However, she is thrilled to be home. I spent some time with her, then left her alone for a short time to do a few errands. She cannot walk all that well, but she can walk. She made it to her litter box (and used it), she made it to her food bowl (and ate barely any), and she managed to jump into my chair where she was fast asleep when I came home. She doesn't smell too good, but I think that's because they weren't expecting her to come home today. She's also got a shaved leg where the IV was located. (See previous post if interested).

It still hurts me to watch her try and walk. On the one hand she is walking, on the other hand I use the term walking very loosely. It's more like staggering you'd see on a drunkard. But she seems happy, and is grooming herself. I brushed her repeatedly because she's shedding like mad. She sat in my lap for hours.

I spoke with Dr. Child who informed me that she was eating and has regained an entire pound. However I suspect it's mostly fluid from the IV. I will continue to monitor her carefully. She's also going to be on a wet food diet for a little while so she'll eat more and I'm going to increase her rations. I have the pills which I have to give her twice a day for the next month before they decide what the future dosage will be. I also got pill pockets to try to see if she'll eat them without a fight that way. My regular vet would like to examine her, but I will wait a few days rather than traumatize her with another vet's visit -- she also has to go back to the ER vet in 3 weeks for a follow up there.

I spent most of the day at home with her reading Harry Potter, and a review will be coming shortly.

Even More Scooter News :(

First, see previous post from yesterday. I had an appointment today at 4pm to pick up Scooter and take her home. This appointment was made yesterday because Dr. Child was confident Scooter would be in better shape and able to go home. Friday afternoon is not the time to go to a vet's office.

After a 15 minute wait, the vet came out to answer all my questions. It was Dr. Child's day off so it was one of the other two vets. She was a bit frazzled having finished some surgery on another critter of some sort. She patiently answered all my questions though not what I wanted to hear. They hadn't notified my regular vet Dr. Diaz who has many years of Scooter's medical history. They hadn't made sure she was able to walk. They were just going to send her home and have me bring her in every day for a week for a hydration. Fortunately, I have far more sense than they do, apparently.

Scooter was brought to me and she wasn't struggling with the assistant which was a bad sign. They put her down and she didn't make it two steps. I picked her up and held her. I explained to the vet how unsuitable it would be for Scooter to come home (two stories is bad if you can't walk -- too much risk of falling and getting seriously hurt trying to move around). She agreed and said they would hook Scooter up to an IV and try to rehydrate her and give her more food.

I told them I want time alone with Scooter before she went back to her cage. So I spent a half-hour with Scooter petting her and talking to her and trying to keep her happy -- all while trying not to cry. It was so pitiful I couldn't stand it. When it was time for her to go back to the holding pens, I took her myself and wouldn't turn her over. I am going to visit her again Sunday when Dr. Child is on duty -- and I might go Saturday afternoon as well.

Things just aren't looking too good right now. This vet has a totally different demeanour and outlook than the first vet. I left and went to my regular vet and demanded an immediate audience, and he graciously spoke to me. I explained what had happened and he agreed moving her to his office (or home) right now would just be a Really Bad idea. He also promised to check up with the doctor there. He feels much of this is due to Scooter's age and not the thyroid issue because the symptoms are still not fully matching. Cats with thyroid problems eat a lot and Scooter does not eat a lot any more. I won't likely hear from him again until Monday.

So I am going to have a bad weekend. I didn't sleep last night because Scooter wasn't beside me. I woke up, saw her bed, her dish, her toys and was reminded of her. Then I came home today and saw the same things. A few minutes ago, I caught myself checking her litter box even though she wasn't even home to use it.

Scooter News :(

Scooter has been losing a little bit of weight -- mostly eating a bit less. But otherwise she has been behaving normally. Just this morning she jumped up on the table and had a try at my breakfast -- something she normally does. She still jumps all over, and is generally active and cantankerous. Her only unusual behaviour change was about three months ago, she decided she wouldn't drink water from her bowl -- only the guest bathroom toilet. I have no idea about that, don't ask.

I came home today a little early, at around 515pm and I was not greeted at the door. I called for Scooter and got a meow in reply. This is unusual because she always greets me at the door and demands fresh food. She was laying next to her bed (not in it) and looked at me plaintively. I said hello and went over to pet her. She stood up, and fell back over. She tried to walk, but listed heavily to one side and fell over again. She tried to run and didn't get two feet before collapsing. I picked her up, grabbed the phone and called the vet's office immediately. My dumb luck that his day off is Thursday and Sunday. I swear violently and stuff Scooter into her carrier and she doesn't resist -- a bad sign to be sure.

I drive like a maniac to the 24hour emergency vet in my neighbourhood. I get there in under 3 minutes, narrowly missing several cars and bicyclists and using the sidewalk as a passing lane. I park illegally and run into the emergency vet's office. I notice Scooter had pissed in her cage, something she's never, ever done before -- meaning she really has no control over her muscles. (I talked to her the whole time so she wouldn't be afraid.)

The Vet's name is Doctor Jill Child, and she sees Scooter (but not me) almost immediately after I answer a few basic questions of the "what's wrong" variety for the receptionist. They put me in the holding cell for distraught parents, which describes me perfectly.

Scooter's been to the vet. She's even been to the emergency vet when she had blood in her pee. But I've never been in fear for her life until today. After about fifteen minutes the Vet comes and talks to me and says there's nothing obviously wrong and she doesn't feel her life is in immediate danger. She said she'll run blood tests and such and call me later and I should go home. She asks me lots of questions and observes that Scooter is a quirky but intelligent cat.

I come home and notice a few things (a) she ate about half her breakfast, (b) there's a relatively fresh log in her litter box, and (c) her toys are strewn about upstairs and downstairs. So clearly this is a recent development. A matter of hours, at most. I prepare to call the Vet to give her more details and just as I do, my phone rings. It's the Vet. She says all of her tests indicate Scooter's organs are in good shape but her weight is critically low and she's got an absurd amount of crud in her ear (an ongoing problem for nearly 7 years). Her cell counts are all very good. She believes it's a thyroid problem even though she has passed several previous tests. She will consult with Doctor Diaz tomorrow.

Scooter must spend the night at the clinic and be force feed via syringe. They are also going to medicate her with Thyroid pills twice a day -- good luck to them with that -- which she will have to take twice per day for the rest of her life. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that since I have to travel and such, and she's a very bad patient, too. Feeding her antibiotics for an occasional urinary tract infection has always been a challenge.

I will have more news tomorrow and update then.

I am sad, upset, and terribly anxious.

Scooter Update

A busy day for me, to be sure. I came home after receiving the hernia news, and had a message to please contact the vet's office to schedule an appointment for more blood work on my cat Scooter. Of course, I immediately called and made an appointment to do so. (If you'd like to see pictures of Scooter, feel free to peruse them.)

Not 15 minutes later my phone rings again and it's the vet. Dr. Diaz who thought she may have a thyroid condition because her previous tests (T3) were all one point out of whack and scheduled the second test (T4) said her results came back perfectly normal. He said she doesn't need to go on medication and as long as her appetite and behaviour are normal, she doesn't need to go back to the vet. He recommends a check up every six months just to be safe.

At least there was some good news today.

Cat News

A number of you have inquired about Scooter's well-being. Thanks to those who cared. My vet is a good vet (a very overpriced vet, but I'll take overpriced any day over cheap and not good). She's been on antibiotics for a week to clear up any infection she might have had prior to said surgery.

Today, she went to the vet for a tooth extraction. At her age (18 or 19) that's a risky proposition. However she wouldn't eat, so that was the plan. She was dropped off this morning promptly at 8am. Lots of hugging and such, because I was told up-front this was a very risky operation at her age.

Showed up at 4:30pm for cat pick up as instructed. Vet came right out to see me. First, Scooter's doing well. She had her first bath in several years, ears cleaned, nails trimmed, all of which can't be done to Scooter while she's conscious because she tries to kill anyone who has the temerity to trespass on her person. She also had her teeth cleaned, her gums scraped, and all that good dental stuff we all hate.

But she didn't have an extraction. After all that cleaning, the vet decided it wasn't needed. There was so much tartar on the tooth, he thought that was the problem. His careful inspection prior to surgery saved her the operations (though the sedation is what's risky, not the extraction). How many of your vets would second guess themselves?

On the bad news side, he believes that the first blood test was wrong and is sending a second one out. He thinks she's got a thyroid problem because she has all the symptoms. So he's testing T4 instead of T3 whatever that means. We'll know Saturday. If so, she's on medication for life. That's good because it'll cure her, but it's bad because my body is already rough from one week of giving her antibiotic. It also means travelling anywhere will be out of the picture because no pet sitter can even catch her to give her medication. So it's me at home for quite some time. I will discuss with the vet if there's alternatives for this situation.

More as it becomes available.

(Addendum: Here's a full link with all sorts of details about the drugs, side effects, additional treatments, and so on).

Roof News and Cat News with an Acid Reflux Kicker

Weird combination, I know.

In the good news department, my roof today passed its final inspection. Blown away around 29 October 2005 by that bitch Hurricane Wilma whilst I was in China. Installed by BET Roofing over a gruelling 16 months, and finished and passed final inspection 13 February 2007. Now, I have to pay them. Unpleasant, that.

In the bad news department, my cat is sick. I took her to the vet yesterday after nearly a week of her not eating her food, drinking water from the toilet bowl and not her bowl (this is new and odd behaviour for her). I replaced the water bowl, her food bowl, changed her food, and nothing interested her. I thought maybe it was the return of the urinary tract infection from hell, but a blood test (they make them so you can do it at home) came up negative. Despite this, I took Scooter to the vet Monday evening for a $440 emergency check-up. All results came back negative, but she's still not eating or drinking. She is throwing up repeatedly what little she does eat. She did have a tooth infection which we are treating -- that would explain the not eating but not the drinking and puking. She's also on a vitamin supplement. Tuesday she goes for tooth surgery on the tooth. They're not sure what they'll do about it yet but that depends on what happens between now and next Tuesday.

I go to the Gastrointestinologist tomorrow to see why my Acid Reflux has spun wildly out of control and medication won't fix it. My guess is it'll be a quick appointment with tests to follow.

And an apology to those of you I've offended by being very distracted these past few days. So there you have it.

Oh, and work's a bitch and I am hopelessly overloaded.

A Sad Story About a Cat

Today, at work, one of the ladies in the bookkeeping department came in to tell me there was a small cat in the parking lot at work and she had fed it but she thought it was sick. I asked her if it was someone's cat and she said she didn't think so because it was in bad shape. She asked me for a second opinion.

I went to the parking lot and saw a semi-truck backing up and the cat wasn't even moving out of its way, which is clearly not the sign of a healthy, alert cat. I rushed over and got in the way so the truck wouldn't back up further and then bent down to pet the cat, who still hadn't moved much. I started to pet it, and after awhile it started purring.

The cat was, at most, 6 months old. The ears were very hard and not soft and pliable like that of a healthy cat. It was covered in hard scabs -- apparently from a long-ago fight. It was very frail, and quite obviously half-starved to death and it was heartbreaking to see it. But it ate all the food it was brought, so that was a good sign. Most sick cats don't want to eat. We decided to take it for a medical opinion, so I picked up the cat and held it and pet it while it started to purr. I don't think it object too much, but it clearly was in bad shape. We put the cat in the box for transport. The cat curled up in the bottom of the box as cats are wont to do.

The cat was dead when it arrived at the vet's office. I am sad.

Le Pauvre Chat, Scooter; Je suis triste.

Poor Scooter. She's been very sick. I have been hesitant to post about it here.

I returned from London last Saturday evening some four hours late. The cat sitter was not schedule to visit Saturday as I was supposed to be home at a reasonable hour, meaning that her last visit was Friday evening. So, I ended up home somewhere near 10pm Saturday night.

The first thing I noticed is Scooter didn't greet me at the door, which is something she almost always does. But, I figured maybe she was asleep. I also noticed her water bowl was full, and her food bowl was full. I, at first, thought the pet sitter had come Saturday. She finally made an appearance, looking none-to-chipper, but since she's not very active when she first wakes up, I didn't think anything of it. She was happy to see me and spent the whole night sleeping by my side.

Sunday morning, I was out of bed around 630am; gotta love get lag. I gave her some wet food as a treat -- normally she's a dry-food cat. She scarffed it up. I went to Publix to get some groceries. I returned home, and she had yakked up her entire can of food (on the carpet of course -- no self respecting cat would barf on the tile).

She didn't eat anything all day. No tuna, no milk, and no other people food (stuff she loves but isn't allowed to have). She slept all day. Scooter sleeps a lot anyway, as she is, after all, a cat. So a 16 to 18 hour sleep schedule isn't aberrant, but she was getting a good 22+ hours of sleep in. I couldn't get her to eat at all, nor could I get her to drink much. I also noticed she was no longer grooming herself. I was very concerned.

Monday morning, I took Scooter to the vet. I dropped her off. He was unable to find much of anything wrong, but sent her home. I picked her up around 5:30pm just as the vet was closing. The vet gave her some sort of IV to get her in shape. I took her home, but the same pattern continued. I was able to get her to eat or drink almost nothing.

Wednesday, after a sleepless night, and finding some blood in her urine that morning, I went to work after leaving word at the Vet's office. The vet called me around 10am when he came in and told me to immediately bring Scooter in and not to wait until after work, so I left work and got Scooter. She didn't even put up a fight when I put her in the Kat Karrier(R). The vet asked me to leave her off because he needed to run lots of tests, around $600 worth as it turned out. He found a urinary tract infection (she has antibiotics for that) and is looking for other issues. She finally started drinking water. She wouldn't eat her regular food, but she nibbled at some wet food. She also ate some Pounce.

Thursday evening, I cooked her some chicken. She didn't seem interested and I was crushed. However, the next morning, it was all gone, so she finally ate it. She also nibbled at some of her food. She was drinking more, which was a good sign.

Friday the vet asked how she was doing, and about her eating. I told him that if she didn't start eating more I was bringing her back Saturday morning. But that night, she ate almost a 1/2 can of her food. It might not sound like a lot, but it was way more than previously. She also drank a 1/4 bowl of water and had some milk too. She's also returned to spending some time sleeping in my bed, and other times walking around. She even moved her Bizzy-Balls around for a bit but that went away. That was a hopeful sign, but she's stopped. She's not quite up to playing with her Bizzy-Balls yet, or the laser pointer, or the shoestring.

Saturday morning I went to Petsmart and spent $1 million on cat food. I bought one of every single brand of cat food trying to find one she'd actually eat. I've finally found one she'll nibble at throughout the day. She's not eating a lot by her standards, but she is eating and drinking. She hasn't resumed grooming yet, which is troublesome.

However her fiesty demeanor has returned. Her first two doses of antibiotic (tablet) were easy to force down her throat, which is unusual. Today she's put up a hell of a fight and tried to shred my flesh from my bones. That's a good sign. I am thinking of letting a lizard loose in the house. She loves lizards, generally eating at least 1/2 of them before leaving the other half for me. I'd feel bad for the lizard, but it might be good for Scooter mentally.

She's still sleeping too much, but she does wander about a bit more. I haven't seen her, but I see where she moves stuff around so I know she's been up and about. I've been very careful about where I position her food bowls and toys so I can know if she's been mobile and eating while I've been out doing errands.

I really need sleep. I am so tired.

[8-17-05 Update]
Scooter is feeling a bit better, thanks for asking. She was at the vet today and she's been feisty all day which is a good thing. The U/T infection is getting better which is good because giving a cat a pill becomes harder and harder. Hell, even catching her has proven to be difficult.

All tests so far are normal and she underwent the last tests today. So far I've spent well over $1,000 on my kitty since I've returned but she's worth it. Hopefully the last batch of tests will find whatever it is/was. Frankly, I'll even be happy if she's miraculously cured.

[8-18-05 Update]
So far she seems to feel a bit better, but that may be solely because of the IV she got with nutrients, etc. It did make her eat a lot yesterday. Today however she's not drinking or eating much again. I did notice she'll eat more if I'm around than when I'm not. I will continue to test this observation. I am sure it's significant. I expect the vet's last batch of test results will be in tomorrow.

Ritchie's Revenge

WARNING: Do not drink liquid whilst reading this post. I am not responsible for damage to your surroundings. You've been warned.

Last night, my mother called with 2:07 left on the clock in the Steelers v Jets game (JETS SUCK). I told her I was watching football. All my friends and relatives know that is the universal "leave me alone and call back when the game is over" statement. But she insisted on talking, so I figured it must be important.

As she tells it: My mother has a very intelligent Siamese cat named Ritchie. She had just returned from work and fed Ritchie his brand new, expensive diabetic food. He took one bite of it, spit it out, turned around, sat in his bowl, and pissed on his food. (I was laughing uproariously at this story and thought that was it.)

But wait, there's more: My mother, as I mentioned, had just returned from work and was wearing an expensive velvet dress jacket. Anyway, mom was very upset with Ritchie, so she admonished him about his behaviour, and then tried picking him up. Whereupon, Ritchie pissed on her velvet jacket.

If you ever doubt your cat lacks the ability to prove he doesn't like his new food, this will cure you of any such thing. It's a day later and I still crack up thinking about it. The cat has spoken and will be obeyed.

-- Eric