Conway adjusting

[Andrew (imported)]

Another posting of my cats and my life, to be safely skipped by those not interested in either.

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Life goes on. My supervisor at the Post Office wants me in tomorrow, Friday 13 June 2003. My thanks to all for the e-mails and posting of support. And for those of you who asked about Conway, here is an update.

The thyroid medication is working. It has been well over two weeks since he has vomited food back up. I see no other obvious physical signs as to how the medication is working, so will hope for the best.

I have had to change the method for pilling Conway. Conway is a slow thinker, but eventually he can put two and two together. Once he realized that I was putting medication in a ground up form in the Petromalt or Nutrimalt I placed on his leg, he stopped licking it. He figured out a way to rub it off on the fur of the sleeping pads. So I have gone back to brute force.

Now, although he should know by now that he will be pilled twice a day, he never tries to hide from me. So I pick him up, wrap him in a towel, lay him on my lap, force open the jaws, and pop in the pill. I stroke his throat several times to induce the swallowing reflex. Of course he struggles to get out and gouge my eyes and rip me open with his claws and all that. He cries out loudly to make sure the neighbors know that a cat is being hideously tortured. After the pill is in I put Petromalt or Nutrimalt on his lips, and he starts to lick it and swallow. This is a backup to make sure the pill really goes down.

After I pet him a bit, he calms down, I unwrap the towel, and he gets up and runs away. Five minutes later he will be back, acting as if nothing has happened between us. He still sleeps with me at night on the heated cushion at the foot of the bed. He does not want to be petted and touched, just to be there. He just doesn’t want to be fussed over. A Very Dignified Old Gentleman.

I am not sure if he is having problems with Pearly being absent, or just quietly accepting it. However, for his daytime sleeping he now uses the east window sill heated sleeping cup, formerly Pearly’s daytime napping place. He hasn’t been up in the Loft at all.

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And as always on Thursdays, from 4 PM to 7 PM, I was at the local AA central office as a phone volunteer. I reread THE LOSS OF A PET by Wallace Sife, perhaps the best such book ever written. I also reread passages from CATS FOR DUMMIES. The Eunuch Calm is returning as the grief ebbs away, and I am starting to once again think of a companion for Conway and myself. I certainly have enough cat furniture in this apartment that is now going unused. Something to think about at work tomorrow.

Oh, when I called Attendance Control this morning about taking another day of Emergency Annual Leave, I was informed that I needed to provide documentation. Guess what came in the mail today? I letter from the Emergency Pet Clinic with a card, a photocopy of “Rainbow Bridge”, with a handwritten note from the vet on it. That should do it.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Andrew, I dont know about everybody else but I did like the old avatar with you and Pearly, I would like to see you use it still or if you have a picture of Pearly and Conway together that would be great.

River

[yankee masha (imported)]

My cat used to pretend she was letting me stuff the pill down her throat, but she was keeping them over to the side. The next day or so I woudl fidn all the damn pills in out of the way palces where she spit them out. So i ground them up, put them in butter or vasleine, then stuck that paste into the roof of her mouth so she had no optioon except to swallow it. Another method is to pt it in liquid or oil and use an eye dropper to stick it into the side of her mouth. Then the relex of the tongue takes it in. They have this press about being dumb but they are smarter than we are.

This was the same cat who when she had a torn ligament, and had to wear a cast as soon as she determined she was healed removed the cast herself. i found it when I got home. Oh they're dumb animals all right. Like I wish I were so dumb to have someone kissing my butt like that.

[haltlos (imported)]

Did I ever tell you that I'm working as a postman for some years now?

Seems like those xxx's in the office are the same all over the world... *S

About Conway:

I guess your place isn't too big and from my experience it`s mostly better for cats in a small place if they have a companion.

Especially if you're out working over the day.

You know, there are things a cat can do only together with another cat.

...

gus

[Andrew (imported)]

Another posting concerning Conway, which can

be safely skipped by those not interested.

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Good news and bad news. The bad news is that yesterday (Friday 13 June 2003) I was in the kitchen watching Conway gulp his kibble when he suddenly stopped, began that distinctive movement of the mouth that meant he was about to barf, and proceeded to barf. At least it was on the kitchen linoleum. This morning, when I went into the second bedroom to scoop out the litter boxes, I found another barf from last night. Not sure what to make of it all.

The good news is that I received the next set of pills for Conway from Mar Vista Medical Center, paid for by Much Love Animal Rescue. This time around, Conway’s twice-daily dose of Tapazole had already been professionally cut in two. I also received 60 Amlodipine capsules, to be given once a day.

Conway has now started to sleep with me all night, at the foot of the bed. He still doesn’t want to be fussed over like Pearly was. At 5 AM I gave him his pills with the usual screeches. Having failed to castrate me in return, he went back into my bedroom and jumped on the bed. As I dressed for work, he gave out that low yowl he uses when he wants my attention.

Now Conway has NEVER purred, or even meowed much. He does have this sort of low-pitched yowl to draw my attention. I’ve often wondered if he has some sort of damage to his vocal cords. And I have NEVER seen Conway with his tail up high, that flag of kitty happiness. His tail is always horizontal and twitching, even when I pet him. And this morning he did want to be petted while he was lying on my bed. So I would pet him a short time, continue dressing, he would yowl, I would pet him, and so on.

This afternoon I returned from work to find him sleeping on my bed, the first time he has ever done this in the afternoon. I was very careful not to wake him. 15 minutes later he woke up by himself and came into the kitchen to gulp more food. That may be part of his barfing problem, but I have no idea how to make him slow down. We had a short session with Da Bird, but he lost interest after a few minutes, as he always does.

After my supper, I pilled him, went on the Internet for awhile, and left for AA at 6:30 PM. By this time he was in the east window sill heated cup. I came back from AA to find him on the heated pad on the folding chair next to my living room chair that I use to read or listen to classical music. More petting, then my bath time. I came out to find him on my bed, awaiting me. More petting. He’s becoming as insatiable as Pearly was. Not sure what to make of all this, but it is time for me to go to bed to sleep, not pet Conway all night.

[Bboy]

Andrew,

Sounds like things are at least getting back to 'ok' ... glad you are getting on well.

When the time comes that you start thinking about a new furry friend you should at least give some thought to a kitten. I know that probably won't work with the foster parenting program, but there's no experience like it!