If you like kitties, especially sleeping kitties, and especially sleeping Bengal kitties, here is a must-watch video!
Hat-tip: Cute Overload
Monday, November 12, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Cats in my wedding
When I was planning my wedding, I knew I wanted to have cats involved somehow. After much searching on the Internet, I found the perfect thing. A wedding cake topper of two kitties, giving each other affectionate glances and their tails entwined to look like a heart. It was exactly what I was looking for. My friend Susan even jokes that the one cat had orangeish-reddish fur resembling my hair, and the other one had dark fur resembling Paul's hair. That was on purpose. ;-)
It was actually really hard to find a cat wedding cake topper. I found only one or two others, and all were Japanese style which didn't really fit what I was looking for. I could have had one custom made, but that wasn't worth the cost. I was afraid I would have to resign to just making the shape of a cat using wedding flowers or something! :-) I'm glad I found this one.
It now sits proudly displayed in our living room. That's another thing I love about our cake topper - I can use it as a decoration without it looking silly and obviously a cake topper.
It was actually really hard to find a cat wedding cake topper. I found only one or two others, and all were Japanese style which didn't really fit what I was looking for. I could have had one custom made, but that wasn't worth the cost. I was afraid I would have to resign to just making the shape of a cat using wedding flowers or something! :-) I'm glad I found this one.
It now sits proudly displayed in our living room. That's another thing I love about our cake topper - I can use it as a decoration without it looking silly and obviously a cake topper.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Animals in the news
Joanna sent me this article about animal heroes. Quoting from the article:
This article gave me warm fuzzy feelings all over. See, it's good to have animals around! Now, if I could only teach my cat to use a wall sconce to scare off any potential robbers...
When Debbie Parkhurst choked on a piece of apple at her Maryland home, her dog jumped in, landing hard on her chest and forcing the morsel to pop out of her throat. When the Keesling family of Indiana was about to be overcome by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at wife Cathy's hair until she woke up and called for help. For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2½-year-old golden retriever, and Winnie, a gray-striped American shorthair, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
This article gave me warm fuzzy feelings all over. See, it's good to have animals around! Now, if I could only teach my cat to use a wall sconce to scare off any potential robbers...
Monday, November 5, 2007
So I decided
The decision is made. Please don't hate me. :-(
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/pet/470004905.html
UPDATE: I took down the Craigslist post because I think we found a good home for Zoey!! It was up for 14 hours and already I got 3 responses. I contacted one and this morning talked to him on the phone for almost half an hour. When I was done, I felt very confident that this would be a really good home for her. We are meeting them on Saturday. So, you can pray that God continues to direct us and that He will somehow stop us if this isn't a good home for Zoey! I will have more details later, after Saturday.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/pet/470004905.html
UPDATE: I took down the Craigslist post because I think we found a good home for Zoey!! It was up for 14 hours and already I got 3 responses. I contacted one and this morning talked to him on the phone for almost half an hour. When I was done, I felt very confident that this would be a really good home for her. We are meeting them on Saturday. So, you can pray that God continues to direct us and that He will somehow stop us if this isn't a good home for Zoey! I will have more details later, after Saturday.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Cat therapy
It happens all too often.
Sometimes it's sudden, sometimes it's gradual. But, before I know it, my head is pounding. I try to massage my temples, which eases the pain for a little bit, but does nothing in the long run. I take two Excedrin Migraine pills, which do help, but it always takes a little time for them to set in.
In the meantime, I try to avoid all lights and loud sounds. I crawl into my room, as dark as I can make it, and snuggle under the warm blankets.
And then - I call out for the best headache treatment I know of. "Lewis! Ebony!" In just a few seconds, I can hear a pitter-patter of little feet and the jangle of tags on a collar. A black head and a black and white head appear at the end of my bed. I pet them, rubbing their soft fur until they purr. They curl up at my feet, or on my legs, and I lay back and let their warm bodies relax me. Hopefully, I fall asleep quickly, to wake up later feeling refreshed and renewed.
That's what works for me. :-)
Sometimes it's sudden, sometimes it's gradual. But, before I know it, my head is pounding. I try to massage my temples, which eases the pain for a little bit, but does nothing in the long run. I take two Excedrin Migraine pills, which do help, but it always takes a little time for them to set in.
In the meantime, I try to avoid all lights and loud sounds. I crawl into my room, as dark as I can make it, and snuggle under the warm blankets.
And then - I call out for the best headache treatment I know of. "Lewis! Ebony!" In just a few seconds, I can hear a pitter-patter of little feet and the jangle of tags on a collar. A black head and a black and white head appear at the end of my bed. I pet them, rubbing their soft fur until they purr. They curl up at my feet, or on my legs, and I lay back and let their warm bodies relax me. Hopefully, I fall asleep quickly, to wake up later feeling refreshed and renewed.
That's what works for me. :-)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Raisin the alarm
(I must admit, I stole the title from Snopes.)
I got this email today, and I checked it out and apparently it's true. You can read more about it here. And be sure to keep raisins and grapes away from your puppy!
------------------------------------
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 times ma! intenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.
The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 ( 1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney
function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.
This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk.
Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio
I got this email today, and I checked it out and apparently it's true. You can read more about it here. And be sure to keep raisins and grapes away from your puppy!
------------------------------------
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 times ma! intenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.
The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 ( 1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney
function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.
This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk.
Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio
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