I haven't been to Caturday for a couple of weeks . My 90 year old mother took a turn for the worst and she finally passed away last weekend, so this week has been very busy and depressing at the same time. Now that things have settled down I turn to Caturday to cheer me up and you guys always manage to do that. Mom never liked cats and she thought Gremmie was evil, however Mom was a big dog fan so she always looked forward to visits from Jack. This was one of her favorite pictures of Gremmie and Jack ,she thought it was funny that Jack would put up with getting cleaned up by Gremmie.

beakerxf: Longtime lurker, first time poster in Caturday thread.

This is my pretty girl Dicey, who has brought me love and comfort for 11 and 1/2 years. She was the first cat I got as an adult and I've adored her. In an hour, I'm going to have to take her to the rainbow bridge and let her cross over. The first week of December, she was diagnosed with GI Lymphoma. She responded to treatment really well but last week it cam back with a vengance and she's dropped down to 5 pounds and I can tell she's getting very little enjoyment out of life.

She's been an indoor kitty who loved to sneak outside whenever possible. I'm going to let her take a final exploration of the yard and the take her to the vet. I only wish that it was spring and she could enjoy the green grass one last time.

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You are doing the right thing y letting kitteh go. I think it is one of the most heart breaking things imaginable. Take care of yourself, and talk to us here about your kitteh if you can. Sometimes it helps.

Matticus: Here's a conundrum for you farkers:

I love cats, and want to get a kitten, but I'm allergic. It's not a bad allergy; if I start playing with a cat, I'll get a little runny nose and itchy eyes if I touch my face near them. This doesn't happen with all cats however. My friend has a young, black, short-haired cat and I've never had an allergic reaction to her (is it just because she's still so young and hasn't developed whatever it is I'm allergic to?). I don't want to go the typical hypoallergenic route and get a Sphinx, (sorry Sphinx lovers, they're just too ugly) or a Siberian (too hairy). Are there any farkers with similar problems and possible solutions? Are there any breeds (maybe similar to my friend's?) that would be ok for me to get? Also, if I do get a kitten, I'd rather not have it declawed. How have you prevented your furniture from being destroyed? One more question (last one, I promise), I travel for my work about once a month, meaning I'm gone for 2 days at a time. Is that too long to leave a young cat alone; will it get bad anxiety/spray everywhere?

/long time lurker, first time poster
//will post pics if I end up getting one


I'm also allergic to cats. According to my allergist, you build up a resistance to the allergens from the cat you live with. Any time I've added a new fur baby to the clowder, I'll have problems for the first month or so and just have to take extra allergy meds (I recomment Claritin or Zyrtec since they are non-drowsy). As to the scratching, a loud NO and then taking them to their scratching post seems to work. Good luck getting a newby, I hope it works out for you.

Matticus: Here's a conundrum for you farkers:

I love cats, and want to get a kitten, but I'm allergic. It's not a bad allergy; if I start playing with a cat, I'll get a little runny nose and itchy eyes if I touch my face near them. This doesn't happen with all cats however. My friend has a young, black, short-haired cat and I've never had an allergic reaction to her (is it just because she's still so young and hasn't developed whatever it is I'm allergic to?). I don't want to go the typical hypoallergenic route and get a Sphinx, (sorry Sphinx lovers, they're just too ugly) or a Siberian (too hairy). Are there any farkers with similar problems and possible solutions? Are there any breeds (maybe similar to my friend's?) that would be ok for me to get? Also, if I do get a kitten, I'd rather not have it declawed. How have you prevented your furniture from being destroyed? One more question (last one, I promise), I travel for my work about once a month, meaning I'm gone for 2 days at a time. Is that too long to leave a young cat alone; will it get bad anxiety/spray everywhere?

/long time lurker, first time poster
//will post pics if I end up getting one


I am allergic to most everything, including my animals. I went through the desensitization shots when I was a kid and my allergies are much better but I still have problems. Having 2 cats and 2 dogs does not help. We vacuum a LOT, wash the pet beds frequently, and I pop diphenhydramine (Benedryl) pretty much on a daily basis. I am a HUGE animal lover so to me, it is worth it. I did have to change my career choice though. If not for the allergies, I would have been a veterinarian...

Here is a website that may help... (pops like a pill)



/Racer

reigning.cats.and.dogs:

whooopappaya:

DingleberryMoose:

Thanks for the help! My doctor had told me to give up on wanting a cat and get an Arctic Cat instead so I could snowmobile with him.

/said they don't shed or cause allergies, just sit there patiently until you want to play with them

gremlin1: I haven't been to Caturday for a couple of weeks . My 90 year old mother took a turn for the worst and she finally passed away last weekend, so this week has been very busy and depressing at the same time. Now that things have settled down I turn to Caturday to cheer me up and you guys always manage to do that. Mom never liked cats and she thought Gremmie was evil, however Mom was a big dog fan so she always looked forward to visits from Jack. This was one of her favorite pictures of Gremmie and Jack ,she thought it was funny that Jack would put up with getting cleaned up by Gremmie.

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gremlin1...I am so sorry to hear about your mom. I wrote this haiku a while back. Your mom will always be with you.

ya gotta sleep sometime:

I'm also allergic to cats. According to my allergist, you build up a resistance to the allergens from the cat you live with. Any time I've added a new fur baby to the clowder, I'll have problems for the first month or so and just have to take extra allergy meds (I recomment Claritin or Zyrtec since they are non-drowsy). As to the scratching, a loud NO and then taking them to their scratching post seems to work. Good luck getting a newby, I hope it works out for you.

Hadn't heard about that before. So when you first got one, you were on meds for a month or so before you didn't have to take them anymore?

SporkQueen:

Couple ideas...

* Talk to your family doc, I know friends with similar allergy situations who get along just fine with a low-dose allergy med every morning.

* Check out local rescues, they may allow you to "test drive," aka foster, a kitty for a week or so to make sure it's a good fit that doesn't make you all sneezy!

* "SoftPaws" are awesome for preventing clawing, they're little vinyl caps you superglue to kitty nails and keep things from getting shredded. Plus your kitty looks like they have a brightly-colored manicure!

* My cats have had no trouble being solo for a weekend, just make sure to leave lots of chows/water out, keep the radio tuned low on NPR, and keep some kitty toys available. Of course, a SECOND kitty to keep the first company is even better! :)

I'll try that, thanks!

It's Nero tribute week for me. Most of you probably saw that this got posted late last Monday, but in case anybody had already tuned out.



My mom wrote this obituary for him so I could post it here:

Nero was the most well-travelled cat I ever knew. Born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1994, he moved with his teacher-mama to Minnesota, to Houston, Texas, back to South Dakota, and finally to Ohio--Springfield, St. Clairsville, and Bowling Green.



As a young cat, he was called "Cuddles" by his doting mama, and spent many happy hours making her laugh and comforting her when her tired body ached. His favorite activities were monitoring the bird population outside his window and hiding the "business end" of his mama's current yarn project-after draping it all over the apartment. He was his mama's companion when she died, and he went to live with her best people-friends.



His elegant manners brought him a new name, Nero, which seemed to fit him better in his new home. He also had his first cat-roommate, Flash, who taught him important life lessons-how to catch the bird that flew into the house, and to greet people when they came to the door. Although neither cat had ever had a roommate before, they soon learned to get along, although Flash could always tell when Nero was trying to surprise him. It was hard to hide that big fluffy tail. When Flash died, two new roommates succeeded him. Agatha was always ready to share a snooze in the hall, but Archie was a tease. It kept life interesting. With less travel, Nero could pursue his hobbies of bird-watching and yarn-herding. He helped his new dad fix turkey sandwiches (his favorite mooch-meal) and enjoyed shoulder massages on his new mama's lap.




(Nero and a turkey, post-Thanksgiving)

We will miss him, but we know he is already playing with his first mama at the rainbow bridge.

Mrs CDK: I am allergic to most everything, including my animals.

I also break put in hives from the allergies occasionally. Benedryl Cream works wonders for the hives and they are gone in no time.

and another Racer pic...

DoomsDayAardvark: It's Nero tribute week for me. Most of you probably saw that this got posted late last Monday

So sorry DoomsDay. Here's some pictures I captioned of Nero a couple of years ago...

Matticus: Here's a conundrum for you farkers:

I love cats, and want to get a kitten, but I'm allergic. It's not a bad allergy; if I start playing with a cat, I'll get a little runny nose and itchy eyes if I touch my face near them. This doesn't happen with all cats however. My friend has a young, black, short-haired cat and I've never had an allergic reaction to her (is it just because she's still so young and hasn't developed whatever it is I'm allergic to?). I don't want to go the typical hypoallergenic route and get a Sphinx, (sorry Sphinx lovers, they're just too ugly) or a Siberian (too hairy). Are there any farkers with similar problems and possible solutions? Are there any breeds (maybe similar to my friend's?) that would be ok for me to get?

I'm allergic to cats too, but I've always had them. As long as I wash my hands after I touch them, and am vigilant about dusting/vacuuming it's okay. Depending on how bad your allergies are, you might just try that until you adjust and they lessen. Think of your cat like a daily cat allergy shot ;)

The one weird thing is that we recently got a longhaired cat -- the first one I've ever owned -- and she bothers my allergies way, way, way less than any other cat I've ever had. She's just a mix but I think she has a healthy dose of Maine Coon in her.

Scurvy helping the man read a book:


Maybe something about being fuzzy for colder climits keeps her skin from flaking as much. I don't know. But man, surprisingly sold on long hairs.

So many sad stories this week...

Mrs CDK: [i384.photobucket.com image 500x640]

Funny, I was thinking that I'd killed the thread...

Matticus: Here's a conundrum for you farkers:

I love cats, and want to get a kitten, but I'm allergic. It's not a bad allergy; if I start playing with a cat, I'll get a little runny nose and itchy eyes if I touch my face near them. This doesn't happen with all cats however. My friend has a young, black, short-haired cat and I've never had an allergic reaction to her (is it just because she's still so young and hasn't developed whatever it is I'm allergic to?). I don't want to go the typical hypoallergenic route and get a Sphinx, (sorry Sphinx lovers, they're just too ugly) or a Siberian (too hairy). Are there any farkers with similar problems and possible solutions? Are there any breeds (maybe similar to my friend's?) that would be ok for me to get? Also, if I do get a kitten, I'd rather not have it declawed. How have you prevented your furniture from being destroyed? One more question (last one, I promise), I travel for my work about once a month, meaning I'm gone for 2 days at a time. Is that too long to leave a young cat alone; will it get bad anxiety/spray everywhere?

/long time lurker, first time poster
//will post pics if I end up getting one

Declawing is bad..try having no fingers on your hands.. and painful to the cat... Lots of scratching posts or other scratching toys.. and two or three spray bottles filled with water.. adjustable for a straight stream.. I call mine NO ! bottles.. cats will learn quickly (usually) what's safe and what's not.. as far as leaving the cat alone, have plenty of toys around.. I take an item of clothing.. usually a t shirt, and lay it in the normal sleeping spot.. has your scent on it.. it's like you are there, just not visible.... Good luck....

beakerxf: Longtime lurker, first time poster in Caturday thread.

This is my pretty girl Dicey, who has brought me love and comfort for 11 and 1/2 years. She was the first cat I got as an adult and I've adored her. In an hour, I'm going to have to take her to the rainbow bridge and let her cross over. The first week of December, she was diagnosed with GI Lymphoma. She responded to treatment really well but last week it cam back with a vengance and she's dropped down to 5 pounds and I can tell she's getting very little enjoyment out of life.

She's been an indoor kitty who loved to sneak outside whenever possible. I'm going to let her take a final exploration of the yard and the take her to the vet. I only wish that it was spring and she could enjoy the green grass one last time.

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So sorry for you. She was a pretty girl.

Mrs CDK: DingleberryMoose: Oh, Lawdy! I haven't been involved in anything like tennis for a very long time, photoshop or real. Just let me remind you that the kids are not off limits. I don't care and Mrs. Moose doesn't Fark.

Ok, then...We made this a couple of weeks ago. You posted the original the day after we watched Pet Semetary :o)

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I work with a guy who went to middle school with the little boy who played Gage. Some of the teachers actually called him that, and no doubt his gruesome role in the movie led to a lot of joking/teasing which he did not handle well. Apparently he is now a heroin junkie.

Not so CSB.

reigning.cats.and.dogs: Couldn't get the FB linky thing to work, so from the trusty old photobukit here's the pup I'm gonna pick up after work today! I'm very excited - he's so little!

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Please post more of him when you get him home.

scruffynerfherder: My kitteh, Pippen, passed away this week after 16 years of bringing me lots of joy and lolz. I miss you Pip, you'll never be forgotten.


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So sorry.

Seems like an awful lot of goodbyes were said this week. Or maybe just the snowy cold wx is bringing me down.

john_d_corr:

Nice to see you again, old Caturday friend :)

Mrs.Sharpier: I haz a question! I take care of about 5 feral cats (all have been trapped, fixed and released)

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And it has been snowing and I am concerned

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Is there some sort of pet igloo I can buy and if so, would they use it?

And here is my little tame inside girly "Blackheed Martin":

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she is warm

Not sure if there are any ready made, but you can use a couple of rubbermaid containers and make one

Link (new window)

DingleberryMoose: John Buck 41: Seems like an awful lot of goodbyes were said this week.

Yep. Be thankful for the ones you have, thankful for the ones you had, and thankful for the ones to come. And do something about the dust that springs up when you're being thankful.

So very well said!