Sedatives for the kitties

When we went to Orlando for Thanksgiving, Ebony drove me nuts in the car. In the past, she has been fine in the car, but I think everything is different now that the baby is here. We got her a hard-sided carrier and that helped, but I wanted to try sedatives as well.

The vet gave us a prescription for a sedative just to take the edge off. On the way down to Orlando, we gave to both cats. We decided that on the way back, we would only give it to Ebony. You see, the sedative made them very relaxed... And that also made them kinda, uh, stinky, as if they were colon and body cleansers. Every so often the person who was holding Lewis had to open the window and air out the car for a few minutes.

Overall, the sedatives helped Ebony so we'll probably continue to give them to her in the future. Since she's in the crate in the backseat, the smell isn't so bad. :-)

Freekibblekat

I am just finding this out right now, so I apologize for the late notice! But play Freekibblekat today and they will donate five times the amount of kibble to shelter cats! Hooray!

From the website:

• Play Meow trivia on Feb. 5, and we'll donate 5 times the kibble (5 x 10 pieces) = 50 (for each answer, right or wrong... it's easy, fun and free!)
• Freekibblekat receives 100's of emails from shelters and rescue groups across the country needing food for their hungry cats. The Freekibblekat HI-5 event is a way to donate more kibble to those groups working so hard to feed their homeless cats a nutritious meal.
• Halo, Purely for Pets, is generously sponsoring this event with no limit on the kibble, so tell your friends... blog it... tweet it... post it on facebook... text it... email it... yell it out... let's feed some cats!

Go here to donate some kibble! You can always find the link on the sidebar here at Two Kitties and a Puppy, so make sure you come back to play every day! So next time you're looking for online life insurance or goofing around on Facebook, be sure to pop over and feed some homeless kitties some kibble. Oh and this works for dogs too - go to Freekibble.com.

Stopover in Savannah

Before we headed down to my parents' house in Orlando for Christmas, my mom warned me that one of the roads along the route had some emergency construction needed and was closed down to one lane. Since it was two days before Christmas, I anticipated a lot of traffic, and the thought of only having one lane was not very pleasant! I looked at alternate routes, and realized that if we went a different highway along the coast, we would go through Savannah, GA, which is one of our favorite cities. Because this detour would make the trip a bit longer, we decided to leave after my husband finished work, drive to Savannah, stay the night, and then finish our trip the next day.

Since we had the cats with us, I needed to find a hotel that allowed pets. I found this site, BringFido, incredibly helpful. They had a nice map with hotels, plus the costs and reviews. I used the map to find a hotel that was close to the highway since we were just staying overnight and not really spending much time in Savannah. We ended up staying in La Quinta Inn. The price was great, and there was no pet fee! I was skeptical – seemed too good to be true – but the accommodations were pleasant. The sink area was even big enough to put the catbox without it getting in the way, and keeping it on the tile flooring. (Big thumbs up!) I would recommend this hotel to other pet owners traveling in Savannah.

The kitties did great in their first time in a hotel room. One thing I loved – the beds came all the way to the ground, so they couldn't hide under them. Very useful. :-) I'm sure they appreciated the break from being in the car, and settled quite well. (By the way, this hotel review is completely unsolicited.)

If you're traveling with your pet, I highly recommend BringFido for any information you might need.

* This post is a completely unsolicited opinion about my experience with BringFido and La Quinta Inn.

Pet Dental Health

February is Pet Dental Health month.

• More than 8 out of 10 dogs and 7 out of 10 cats show signs of poor dental health by the age of three.
• Dental problems in pets – as in people – can lead to pain, tooth loss, periodontal disease, and increased bacteria in the bloodstream.
• Pets' oral disease worsens with time and can result in damage to internal organs (heart, liver and kidneys).

Many owners don't realize the importance of their pet's dental health. Their focus is often on proper nutrition, exercise, and finding the best muscle building supplement. However, it's not something that is okay to ignore - if you take good care of your pet's teeth, then you really help your pet live a longer and healthier life. Here are some ways you can do that (taken from this site):

1. Take your pet to the veterinarian for a dental exam. Don’t wait for his annual checkup if you suspect a problem.
2. Begin a dental care regimen at home. Your veterinarian can suggest steps that may include brushing your pet's teeth. One of the most convenient and effective ways to combat oral disease is feeding specially formulated foods proven effective in combating plaque and tartar buildup. The Seal of Acceptance from the Veterinary Oral Health Council, an organization initiated by the American Veterinary Dental Society to guide consumers, appears on products that meet defined standards for plaque and tartar control in dogs and cats. For further information on the VOHC or their product standards, visit www.vohc.org.
3. Schedule regular veterinary checkups. These are essential in helping your veterinarian monitor the progress of your pet's dental health routine. Your veterinary health care team can help you schedule the appropriate visits.

For more information on pet dental care and National Pet Dental Health Month, visit www.petdental.com.

Pets and holidays

I'm a little late with this... I got the following in an email that our vet sent out right before Christmas, and I thought it was a really good reminder!

What does every cat want most this holiday season? The same thing he or she probably wants most every day: YOU.

Food and treats fill a furry stomach, toys help to pass the time, a cozy bed makes naptime oh so comfy, but at the end of the day—or first thing in the morning!—those padding paws come looking for you.

This busy holiday season, make sure you give the gift of time to your cat. Toys and treats are great, but it's your love and attention that will make your feline friend's holidays the brightest while everything else is at its busiest. As we head into this hectic time of year, with all its parties, presents, and pressures, be sure to take time out on a busy day to sit on the couch and rub those well-loved ears.

And did you know that you can also give yourself a gift of time this year, too? The gift of more time with your beloved companion! You can help us to safeguard your cat's well being in order to make sure he or she lives the longest, healthiest life possible by following all the important preventive health care recommendations. We'll be communicating with you the whole year through to help keep you on top of your cat's routine health care needs, like regular veterinary visits, dental exams, parasite control, and any necessary vaccinations.

That's because we know that when everyone in the family – four footed as well as two footed—is happy and healthy, it can make every day seem like a holiday!

I was glad to get this reminder, and tried to make sure I wasn't ignoring Lewis and Ebony this Christmas (especially since much of the attention was on the new baby). They should sell textbooks with this advice!

Cats on Twitter

My husband enjoys Instructables.com, and today he sent me a fun link. Here's a description from the site:

Give your cat a Twitter account and have her post updates automatically whenever she sits down on her bed or when she leaves her bed. In addition, capture pictures of your cat when she's on her bed and upload those as well so you can keep tabs on her antics while you're away from home.

In this instructable, I'll walk you through the process of
* building a cat sensor out of a simple momentary switch, foam core and foam strips
* reading the cat sensor on your Mac or PC using Arduino and Processing
* automatically posting status updates to Twitter when your cat takes a nap or wakes back up
* taking pictures of your cat on the bed with a webcam and uploading the pictures to a webserver

Want to see a twittering cat in action? Follow @zooooey on Twitter.

Maybe when my husband wants a new project, I'll see if I can convince him to set this up for our kitties. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the link and fat burner reviews. :-)

Back to Atlanta

We traveled back from Orlando to Atlanta last weekend after a nice and refreshing break. We had a really nice Thanksgiving dinner, where I had seconds and even thirds... I'm going to have to go on a weight loss diet soon!

The kitties loved their time in the warmer weather, spending much of their time on the porch where they could see the ducks, birds, and squirrels and chase bugs and geckos.

Coming back to Atlanta, we had the cats loose in the car again. Lewis in his usual fashion curled up between the front two seats and stayed there the entire trip. The car doesn't seem to bother him at all. Ebony, on the other hand, was another story. She cried and cried for 2 hours after we left Orlando. She kept pacing around the car and driving me nuts (I was driving). Finally, I pulled off the highway to a Walmart and picked up a cat crate. We have a soft-sided carrier for them, but I was worried that it wouldn't be a comfortable place to leave them for a long period of time. I thought perhaps she would feel more at ease in the crate. At the very least, it would keep her from getting in my way as I'm driving.

She still cried, but I felt that they weren't so desperate of cries. We'll definitely use the crate for her in the future. Lewis does fine without it, so I'm not sure we'll get one for him (it's a small crate, only big enough for one cat).

Next time we go on a long trip with the cats, we're going to try and get some sedatives to at least take the edge off. Poor kitty.

Adventures in Orlando

The kitties really love visiting Orlando!

They have been spending a lot of time on the big porch. They can see all sorts of animals from the porch - geckos, birds, squirrels, ducks, bugs, etc. They certainly love "hunting" and following their natural instincts! :-)

The cats have already brought two geckos inside.

Lewis was chasing a gecko on the porch, and the gecko ran up the screen. Lewis followed. :-)

The second night we were here, Lewis got shut into my parents' room for the night. I noticed he was gone and was really worried. I figured out the last time I'd seen Lewis was right before my parents went to bed, so I went to bed telling myself that he was probably just in their room and not lost outside somewhere! You can imagine my relief the next morning when my parents woke up, let Lewis out, and he came to remind me that it was breakfast time.

Believe it or not, he was closed in their room again last night too. Sneaky cat! We think he's hiding in the closet, among the clothes and Christian Louboutin shoes. We'll have to do a better job of checking tonight.

Visiting Orlando

I'm typing this from Orlando, where we're visiting my parents for Thanksgiving! It's the baby's first Thanksgiving, so her grandparents are excited that we came. I have always brought the cats with me when coming to my parents house, and this time was no different. It was the first time we traveled in the car with me, my husband, the baby, and Lewis and Ebony.

It was funny - the cats kept climbing into the carseat to look out the window. The baby didn't seem to notice at all, but I chased them out anyway. I thought it was funny.

Lewis and Ebony drove me nuts in the car. My husband said they weren't acting any different than normal, so I wonder if I am just short of patience with them. My parents offered me their dog's old crate for us to contain the cats when going back to Atlanta after Thanksgiving.

I normally let the cats have free run in the car, but after writing this post last May, I began to wonder if that's the wisest choice. I don't want them to cause an accident and then having to rely on things like social security disability. We'll have to talk about it more before we leave.

Animal control

So more on the dogs next door...

They bark. A lot. (Or, rather, one of them barks.)

I actually feel bad for them. They're in their little deck all day; I never see anyone out there with them. I see them out there all the time, rain or shine, cold or hot. They really deserve better than they're getting.

I decided to call animal services yesterday using my unlocked phone (our county has anti-tethering laws, and the husky is chained up).

Basically, they told me off. They said that as long as the owner himself wasn't abusing them, there wasn't anything they could do.

I told them about the dogs fighting, about the husky bleeding, about how the husky was tied up and the pit bull wasn't. Animal Control told me that dogs fight - that's just what they do.

I was disappointed. Now what?

Bay window

One of my favorite features of our new house is the bay window in the front room. It looks out to the street, and there are lots of birds and squirrels who enjoy our front yard.

I'd like to get a bird feeder and a bird bath for the front yard. Not so much for the birds, but rather for the kitties to be able to watch the birds. I'm mean. :-)

As you can see from the picture, there is a good sized window sill where they can relax. I put a pillow there for their sake, although it's really only big enough for one cat. I've debated about getting a second pillow or perhaps making one that will cover the entire space. (It's trapezoidal in shape.) The afternoon sun streams in and the kitties sprawl out there, soaking in the rays. They almost always are there in the window when we return home after being gone. Usually, we can see Lewis because of his white fur, but only Ebony's eyes if we're looking.

Right now, we have some pie pumpkins sitting in the window waiting to be made into pies. Seeing Ebony laying next to the pumpkins just seems appropriate - I love the contrast in colors, and how fall-ish!

I think Lewis and Ebony consider themselves in kitty heaven with this window. No amount of loose diamonds could make them give it up! Hey, it's the least I could do, right?

Approaching holidays

Now that it's November and the weather has turned chilly, I have been getting exciting about the upcoming holidays! It will be our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with a child, and I think kids always add a new, fun element to holidays.

I was thinking this year we would do christmas photo cards to show off our baby and perhaps our new house. I am trying to line up a photographer to take the pictures, and this morning my husband and I were discussing what might be a good backdrop.

The thought crossed my mind that in previous years, we have always attempted Christmas pictures with Lewis and Ebony. We are usually unsuccessful at getting them to cooperate, so we've never actually sent out cards. I wondered if we should try and get a family picture this year with the cats. If I could figure out how to get them to sit on our laps then I might try it... but as it is, they usually are more interested in escaping. Oh well.

Baby + kitties

It's been 6 weeks since our baby arrived and we passed around the White Owl cigars. I was anxious about how the cats would respond to a new member of the family, especially a member that makes loud noises, takes our attention, and does not feed them!

So far they've adjusted rather well. They definitely have gotten the short end of the stick as far as attention goes, and that makes me sad. I am trying to be better about that, but it's difficult when I have a baby on my lap and all the cats want to do is crawl into my lap as well.

Ebony has become extremely needy and desperately wants on our laps and to be petted all the time. She had her moments before, but now it's all the time. She'll even do it to visitors, which is very unusual for her!

They don't seem to understand that they can't step on the baby, which actually makes me laugh. I try very hard to be conscious of when I am pushing them away (I don't want to push them away every single time the baby is around, or they will associate being "rejected" with the baby). However, I have to gently remove them when they want to sit on the baby. :-)

The other day, the baby and I were on my bed taking an afternoon nap. It was getting close to 5pm, which is the cats' dinner time. Lewis decided to wake me up in his usual fashion of cuddling up with me. However, in his rolling around he rolled on top of the baby, waking her up and making her cry. I thought that was a little funny. Generally, though, the cats avoid the baby and don't try to get in the crib with her or sleep next to her, so I don't worry about them smothering her.

We'll see how they react when the baby is crawling around and going after kitty tails. :-)

Unchain your dog

When I was at the vet the other day, I saw a sign saying that as of last month, chaining/tethering your dog is now prohibited in Fulton County. I haven't thought through the issue of chaining in detail, but my initial thought is yes! I'm glad. It makes me sad to see dogs chained up, especially when the chain is so short.

It really bothers me that the dog next door is chained. The county we live in has had a ban on tethering dogs since 2005. All morning, that husky has been howling and pulling at his chain. It makes me sad because it's been raining and he has no way to get out of the rain.

Seeing that it's illegal, I'm not sure if I should report it. I am torn between wanting to be a good neighbor, and wanting to see an animal treated right. I'm also slightly concerned about raising a family and having cats with two potentially dangerous animals next door. (Though, you could argue, that they are enclosed within two fences and chained, so the dogs are unlikely to get out.)

I was reading through the site UnchainYourDog.org all about why tethering dogs is bad for them. It makes me sad that this is an issue. It makes me sad to look at the dog next door and see him chained up. (The way our houses are positioned, the backside of my house looks into the neighbor's backyard, so I have a clear view of the dogs. Hence, why I see it so often and why it continues to bother me.)

I know that one option would be to go and talk to the neighbors and perhaps try to explain to them that tethering is illegal. However, I am not sure I could muster up that much courage. And I'm not sure I want my first interaction with them to be about something negative. They might blow me off as a salesperson trying to sell life insurance rates. Sigh.

The days I miss

I fed the cats their dinner today. They looked at me, looked at the food, and walked away. Sigh.

I miss the old days. I miss the days when they would cry for their food. I miss the days when I'd put the food in the bowls and they'd gobble it up hungrily. I miss the days when the bowls would pretty much be cleaned out right after I fed them.

I would totally take two fat cats over their current issues - whatever those issues are.

We currently feed them each 1/8 cup of Natural Balance dry kibble food in the mornings. In the evenings, we give them 1/8 cup of the same. We also give them each 1/8 can each of Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul canned food.

Ebony loves the wet food. She gobbles it up then hovers around Lewis. Lewis eats about half and then starts pawing at it as if he's trying to bury it. He actually makes quite the mess, tipping over his dry food and water bowls all at the same time. He won't stop until we manually remove the plate of wet food from him. (He doesn't respond to loud noises or when we call his name, or even if we toss things in his direction.)

I feel like we give them so little food, but they don't finish it. We have never free-fed them, so they shouldn't be used to coming back for it later. We were hoping that the wet food would encourage Lewis to eat more, but it doesn't seem to be working.

We tried getting a new container that was air-tight to keep the food fresh longer. We buy 6 lb bags, so it's not like we buy a really big bag and keep it forever. The guy at the pet shop asked if we lived in manufactured homes or kept the food in a garage, but we don't - we keep it in our apartment living room.

Like I said, I miss the days when feeding them wasn't a hassle. I miss just putting food out and having them eat it. I miss not having to monitor them to make sure Ebony doesn't steal Lewis' food and that Lewis doesn't tip over all his bowls.

Sigh.

Rubber band-it

A month or so ago, a group of friends threw a baby shower for me and our expectant little one who should be making her appearance in just a few weeks. One of the gifts was a beautifully done diaper cake. When I went to take it apart, I realized that each diaper had been rolled and held together with a rubber band, and the "layers" were secured with bigger rubber bands.

I took off all the rubber bands and put them in a pencil holder on a bookshelf where I keep all my office supplies. Since it was on the bookcase, I didn't think much about cat-proofing.

Lewis, you see, LOVES rubber bands. He likes to consume them, then regurgitate them later because - well, rubber bands are not meant to be eaten by little kitties. He does this with normal office-y rubber bands, and also the kind that you wear in your hair.

Today when we got home we found rubber bands all over the floor. Apparently Lewis had discovered the stash. I'm still slightly confused about that one, as it was in a bookcase where he didn't have easy access. It was as if he knew the rubber bands were there and went for them - like they were candy or cat treats.

We picked up all the ones on the floor and we buried them deep in the bookcase so he can't get to them now. I rolled the smaller rubber bands into a rubber band ball and I'll stick that in the junk drawer in the kitchen. I don't know what it is that makes him always want to eat it! Maybe there's a certain taste that appeals to him. I hope this means the end of the hacked-up surprises we find or we're going to have to find some dental discounts!

Lost dog is a hero

I thought this was a cool story.

Lost Dog Saves Man With Down Syndrome From Nearly Fatal Seizure

Recently, a woman named Yolanda in Florida had a neighbor give her a dog he had found. The neighbor asked Yolanda to care for the dog while they looked for his owner. Yolanda agreed, and they put up fliers and posted ads on Craigslist trying to find the owner. (By the way, Craigslist is a great place to post ads if you either find or lose a pet. It's also a great place to buy or sell things, anywhere from sofas to Mp3 players to kitchen sinks.) Yolanda had two sons, including one with Down Syndrome named Christian, who both warmed up to the dog.

Four days passed and no one had contacted her about the dog. However, the dog knew how to guarantee himself a home:

Christian retreated to his room to watch a Barney video. The dog dozed beside him.

Yolanda had just stepped onto her porch to water the plants when the dog flung himself into the screen door, barking madly.

As she opened the door, the dog sprinted across the living room, into the boys' room.

Yolanda screamed. Christian was slumped over, his body writhing in a seizure, blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

The dog ran to the boy, still yelping. But as soon as Yolanda bent to cradle her son, the dog went silent.

"If he hadn't come to get me," Yolanda told Stacey later, "the neurologist said Christian would have choked on his own blood and died."

The next day the dog's owner called the number he'd seen on the flier. He came to pick up the dog, but upon hearing the story about how the dog saved Christian's life, he offered for Yolanda to keep the dog. So overall a happy ending. :-)

Gotta love kitties

So, story for today about Lewis and Ebony.

A while ago I got a diaper changing pad for the baby that I set on the bathroom counter (without taking it out of the plastic wrap that it came in). One day I had hurriedly threw one of my cloth diapers on top before leaving to go somewhere. Some time later, I noticed it was slightly yellowish. I wasn’t sure what this meant until my mom came to visit, gave it a sniff, and said that it definitely smelled of cat urine. (For some reason, I could identify an unusual smell but I couldn't place it as cat urine.) I was happy that it all came out in the wash and I can’t even tell which of my 13 cloth diapers has already been used. :-) I guess those things were *made* to be peed on. Just, not by cats.

Anyways, a few days ago I lifted up the changing pad to take the plastic wrap off it when I realized that the cat pee had gotten underneath... and had sat there for probably about a month. Sooo... even though it’s a counter top, it reeks. And it’s slightly stained. :-/ My husband washed it really well and we have kept the counter clear of any items including the receipt printer in an attempt to air it out. (Thank goodness that the changing pad is not damaged whatsoever! I'm glad I left that plastic wrap on.) I have been spraying Nature's Miracle on it every day, and that combined with airing out the area seem to be helping. Thank goodness!

Kitties. Gotta love 'em. :-)

Those spoiled cats

Shortly after I got my cats (over 4 years ago now), I bought a big container of cat food from Costco. It was a nice container, so I've just kept it around and been refilling it when it's empty. It latches fairly well, without being too difficult for us to open when we need it. However, occasionally the cats are able to knock over the container and get the latch open and have an all-you-can-eat buffet.

They did that the other night. My husband and I were in the bedroom and we heard the noise of the container, and my husband went out to investigate. It had taken them (or, I should say, Ebony - because she is almost always the culprit) almost no time to get the latch open.

Yesterday we were talking about it and I mentioned that the container was over 4 years old and I wonder if the latch was wearing down. And then I wondered if we should go ahead and buy a more airtight container to better keep the dry food from going stale. My husband said, "Yeah I've noticed that when they don't eat is when it's getting towards the bottom."

I said, "Interesting. I noticed that some of their eating issues started when we switched them from cheap corn food to the more higher-end food. I thought it was because they were getting used to the higher quality, but maybe it's because the cheap foods didn't stale as easily due to the preservatives and chemicals in them." Because, we all know that Twinkies last much longer than freshly baked bread!

So, we decided to get an airtight container, something that sealed and wasn't open like car grills. We walked around Target, but they didn't really have anything big enough for cat food while at the same time being airtight. Finally we decided to go check out The Container Store.

Have you ever been there? It's an awesome store - full of all the containers and organizing tools you could ever want! I like browsing around there, but their prices are a little on the high side so I don't often buy anything there.

We found exactly what we wanted there and we decided to go ahead and spend the money. They had two sizes of pet food containers, and we opted for the smaller size that holds about 20 lbs. of dry cat food. We probably could have even gone smaller, if they had had a smaller size. It's tall and narrow, so it fits well in the space we have for it.

I will be curious to see if the kitties seem to notice the air-tightness. I hope they appreciate it! Spoiled little babies. :-)

Lewis update: still waiting

We got a Pack N Play for the baby yesterday, and Lewis and Ebony have decided we actually got it for them. One of the two spent a majority of the day sleeping in it.



I couldn't get any pictures of Lewis sleeping, because he lifted his head anytime I moved from the computer chair. (I put the doll there to demonstrate to my husband how the Pack N Play was to be used, and also how the new cloth diapers I bought worked.)

I received a call from the vet and it seems that we are still waiting for the results of Lewis' bloodwork. Apparently, they had a pathologist look at the results and they are waiting for the pathologist's report. I'm not sure what exactly this means - if it's a good sign or bad sign. I'm not even sure what is likely to happen at this point - surgery, diet change, or medication like Stimerex ES? They promised that we'll know more next week. Let's hope so!