Still All About The Cats

Feline bliss - Taggart relaxes after her ordeal at the vet

Well it’s been all about the cats here at the beast headquarters these past few days, so that’s what you’re gonna get…at least for one more post. Both cats made it through their big dentals with the added bonus that there were only 2 mini-extractions (= can we say cheap, oh yeah!) needed this year. So our budget breathed a huge sigh in relief and we put the dough aside for next year.

The only other gotcha (there’s always one, you know) was that Taggart had a suspicious mass that needed removal on her thigh. The removal went fine, but while we wait nervously for the results we’ve got to deal with the cat-with-stitches phenomenon. That means some kind of restraint to keep kitty from ripping out the stitches before they can heal.

Taggart sunning her stitches

The traditional vet product which is rather elegantly called the Elizabethan Collar (E-collar for short) is really none of the sort. In our house we call it the MFTD (Medieval Feline Torture Device) and our cats agree with us. It’s an uncomfortable stiff plastic cone that is the perfect size to prevent all normal activity -> so if you want your cat bumping into doors, not able to eat or sleep properly, meowing uncontrollably, not able to see the litterbox…etc then this is your device of choice. Taggart went literally bananas when we tried it. She emitted a looong screaming wail-of-a-meow, streaked in a mad rush to the bedroom (getting caught several times along the way) and then pawed like crazy until the thing came off. Short of tightening the device around her neck to strangulation point this clearly wasn’t gonna work.

Now, that's a creative product idea!

So bring creative RVers we improvised. A handy sweater-sleeve, some expert cutting & basic thread-work and we got ourselves a full-body cover. So far the contraption is working and kitty is waaay more comfortable. It boggles my mind that nothing like this is sold for pet owners, but there you go. A free start-up idea for all my blog readers

For those poor pet owners looking for other alternatives there are inflatable collars (ProCollar), soft e-collars (Comfy Cone) and something called Lick Strips. None of the products get stellar reviews, but as far as we’re concerned if it works it works. And anything is better than the MFTD.

The Tale of The $8,000 Cats….

Notice anything missing in this picture? Yessss...thatsh would be the teetsh

Reading the title you might think this is going to be the story of bionic cats. Perhaps cats with super-silicon-titanium-unobtanium implants and electronic ultra-feed quantum powers.  Add-in some ESP for good measure.  Sadly, as cool as that would be, this is not one of those stories. It is in fact the simple tale of two almost TOOTHLESS cats and how we managed to dish out $8,000 to get them that way.

Oh, and the joy of owing pets too…

It's a good thing they're so darn lovable

The tale all starts with a degenerative and completely incurable tooth disease. They’re called Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions  (FORLs, or resorptive lesions for short). Basically it’s a condition where the cat’s own body attacks its’ own teeth and starts dissolving them, creating painful lesions in the mouth along the way. The fun thing about this disease is that despite almost 20 years of research on it, it’s not known what causes it and there is no known cure or preventative. The ONLY thing you can do is home tooth-brushing to help with basic oral health and extraction when the resorption gets too advanced.

Believe me, I’ve looked into it. I’ve read copious quantities of on-line research, contacted vet universities, even went for a several-hour sit-down with the guy who literally ”wrote the book” on FORLs over in FL last year. All you can do is pull the darn teeth.

And therein comes the moolah and the pain (for the pet parents that is). A single tooth extraction can cost anywhere from $500-$2,000.
{{pause}}
I’ll allow you a moment while you consider how MANY teeth are in a cat
{{pause}}
and another moment while you all grasp your chests and gasp for air
Oh and BOTH our cats have the disease

Yup, a cat's life is a good life...

It’s painful isn’t it? This has gone on for years now and needless to say we save up money all year just for one single tooth extraction event…

Rand is at the vet dentist today (Taggart’s turn is tomorrow) and I have to admit I’m nervous. I always get jittery when our pets have to go under even though I know they’re in the best of hands. Taggart’s already gotten rid of most of her teeth, but I estimate Rand’s got at least another good few thou $$ worth left in her mouth. It’s a good thing I love the furry bums so much, otherwise it’d be a hard bargain to accept. They DO say pets are worth their weight in gold, don’t they? :)

Dogkittylutions for 2011

Dogkittylution #5 - Express Joy to It's Fullest

I’m not sure what it is, but the beginning of the year tends to bring about the sudden urge to make resolutions. I’ve always been so-so about this practice. I have “master” goals (and always have in my life) and every now and then I join the New Year crowd, but inevitably a lot of those pesky Jan 1st resolutions tend to be rather restrictive and end up being broken.

So, this year I thought I’d do something totally different which I’ve inventively named dogkittylutions. You see, being on the road has taught me a lot about enjoying the moment, and being with our animals has taught me even more. In fact, Polly and the cats have been so fantastically inspiring that I decided the best thing I  could do for myself in 2011 is learn from their lead. So, with life lessons learnt from my furry friends allow me to introduce my 8 dogkittylutions for 2011:

Dogkittylution #2 - Never Pass Up a Chance to Play

1. Live in the Moment – No matter what the past might have been, what the situation is now or how many bugs are sucking the life out of you, always enjoy the moment. This is dogkitty-gospel #1 and we can all learn from that one.

2. Never Pass up a Chance to Play – Playtime is sacred and should always be encouraged at any age.

3. If You Don’t Like the Stick You’ve Got, Get Another One – This may seem rather deep for a doggie-moment, and the profundity of the statement does take some time to sink in. Most people spend their lives not making change because they worry their next situation may be worse than the one they’ve got. Always have the courage to make the jump and be the person that goes and gets another stick.

Dogkittylution #8 - Bask in Your Own Beauty

4. Your Past Does Not Define You - Having volunteered for many years in dog rescue I’ve always been amazed at how pets, even from abuse, manage to turn around and live life to its fullest. Your past job, your past life and your old things will never define you unless you let them. So, don’t let ‘em.

5. Express Joy to It’s Fullest - Never be afraid to bound with joy and shriek with happiness. After all, joy is part of what life is all about. Our pets and kids all know this, but most of us lose that lesson as we grow up. Go find it again.

6. Be An Eternal Optimist – In the end life is but a point of view, and that point of view is of your own making. Dogs are eternal optimists and so they’re eternally happy. You can be too if you work at it.

Dogkittylution #3 - If You Don't Like the Stick You've Got, Get Another One

7. Happiness and Adventure are All Around You - Polly is always excited to be places whether it’s a hike in the mountains, or a just a walk around the gas station at a stop…it’s all an adventure to her. So, whether you wheel the road or walk the same street everyday, happiness and adventure can be found everywhere if you just open up your mind to it.

8. Bask In Your Own Beauty - Our cats are especially adept at basking in their own beauty, and it’s a good lesson to learn. No matter what others may say, know that you’re a god(ess) in your own way.

I’m pretty confident I can keep these dogkittylutions for the next year and even if I don’t, I’ll have a darned good time trying to. So, what’s your plan?

First Day in Dog Town…with nose to boot

My hubby’s always told me I have a terrible sense of smell.

I have to admit this particular asset has come in handy many times in my lifetime. During my 1-month hike in Nepal I was happily oblivious to all body odor and thus able to share eating quarters with my fellow hikers with no adverse effects to my nostrils. Also, I’m a cheap date having minimal discerning ability between fine and cheaper wines. And, to bring us to our current topic, I’m practically immune to the scent of dog poo.

It’s been said you develop a nose, but I think the opposite is true too. Having volunteered for many years in dog rescue the question of poo has become a very relaxed topic and even, I should say, a source of technical analysis. Most dog owners will happily engage in a spirited discussion on the finer aspects of correct feces formation. When you get to this stage yourself you will know you’ve ascended into the ranks of dedicated dog owners.

There’s many other subtle signs that you’ve gone to the doggie-side of life. Spending a week volunteering at Dog Town in Utah is just one of them. My nose comes in handy here, but so does a carefree love of doggie licks, thorough enjoyment of play, and the ability to abandon yourself in a little piece of doggie heaven. Should your preferences lie more towards bonding with horses, being rubbed by cats, or nuzzling with pot-bellied pigs you can get that here too. In fact, just about every kind of animal comes through here and it’s without a doubt the most amazing Rescue I’ve ever seen. They have over 1000 animals in ~33,000-acres of space nestled fabulously in the red rocks of Angel Canyon. I’ll be blogging more about it as the week goes on. In the meantime, may your nose lead you.

Our 1st day in Dog Town…we volunteered at the Puppy Center

In front of Dog Town

Paul and one of the puppies

Nina and a little slice of puppy heaven

A Tale of 2 Kitties…or how to travel the road with cats

They were the best of cats, they were the worst of cats….

It all started around 8 years ago when Paul’s mom took in a stray cat in Miami who turned out, as it were, to be pregnant. A few weeks later, out came 8 bouncing fur-balls of joy ready to climb the drapes, experiment with claws and generally get into trouble. We were visiting, and completely suckered-in decided to take 2 of the little ruffians back home to San Francisco. I asked all the kitties who wanted to come on our world travels and Taggart, in a true reflection of her personality came trotting out first. Rand, quite typically even at 6 weeks old, hid in the background, but since we were running late and out of time she got nabbed and added to the bag. So, there we were, 2 kitties in hand, ready to serve a lifetime of slavery to the cats…because as everyone knows…you don’t own a cat, they own you.

As they grew from fluff to medium-fluff and then pint-sized their personalities developed right in-line with their initial types. Taggart was outgoing, social, loved to party and always the center of attention. Rand was sweet, retiring and hated visitors. Together they cuddled and matched each other perfectly.

Eight years later they’re still a big part of our lives and as tight as ever. They’ve commuted between San Jose and San Francisco (for several years), travelled to Hong Kong and back to the US, lived in smog and sunlight, and are now in the RV.

So, how do cats travel? Although creatures of habit, with a little bit of love and aloooot (did you notice the emphasis?) of patience, cats can really adapt to anything. The key is to take it slow and give them lots of familiar comforts.

The Move Itself:

1. Prepare the RV – create “nooks and crannies” for hiding spots and beds. Cats love height and there’s plenty of cupboard space which is just perfect for this in the RV. We put a cat-bed in the clothes cupboard, and another “den” above our bed. We also have a basic cardboard box (with an entry cut-out) that we put under the covers of the bed during the day. Bring a scratch-pole too and find a good place for the litter (most people use the bath-tub and that’s exactly what we’ve done)
2. Prepare the cats – lots of stress-relieving stuff before the move. Feliway (sprayed around the cat-bags and RV) and Bach’s Rescue Remedy (rubbed on the ears) work great. A few days of L-theanine before the move can also help. The key to moving with cats is move all your stuff first, and the cats last. So, prepare the place beforehand and then move ‘em in when everything is set-up and ready to receive them.
3. Keep a routine – once you move in keep the regular feeding, petting etc. routine. Keep-up the Feliway and work in some cat-nip too. Give the cats time to adapt.

While You’re Driving:

1. Secure the cats – BEFORE moving-in the slides secure the cats. Always, always know where your babies are when you move the slides.
2. Give them a comfort place – while driving either a cat-bag or a hiding place works best. Our cats have decided under the bed-covers is where they want to be. A little Feliway before driving sprayed on the bed helps to keep things relaxed.

At the Parks

1. Keep the routine – cats being creatures of habit, keeping the feeding, petting, sleeping routine keeps your furry friends happy
2. Provide some entertainment – Cats need mental stimulation just like we do, so play-time and walk-time can be great tools. And yes, I did say walk-time. We leash-trained our cats several years back and it turns out they love it. So, everyday crazy cat lady takes them for a walk. Taggart prefers the day-time walks while Rand stalks the night. If you decide to do this buy a proper harness (HDW walking jackets are great), and take your time introducing kitty to the experience.

So, if you’re looking to travel with a little love, a few cat-licks and some purring, bring your furball along for the ride…

Taggart (orange tabby) and Rand (brown tabby) cuddling

Taggart walks the riverbank in Santee, CA

"Dens" for the cats...under the bed (cardboard box), in the cupboard (on the left) and up above the bed

Taggart enjoying an afternoon catnap in the RV