Xavier had a stressful day.
Front paws trimmed by me followed by a trip to the vet for an annual check up & shot of the aids prevention drug.
Xavier was a very good patient today, nervous but stoic a vast improvement of the last trip.
Vet supplied me with a stool sample bottle, did not think I could be bothered given his health is stellar.
Then I found out it was pre-payed on the bill. Lesson learned.
Mind you she is a good vet.
Ask Google if cats have been on the moon and it used to spit out a ranked list of websites so you could discover the answer for yourself.
Now it comes up with an instant answer generated by artificial intelligence — which may or may not be correct.
“Yes, astronauts have met cats on the moon, played with them, and provided care,” said Google’s newly retooled search engine in response to a query by an Associated Press reporter.
More cat news … Shrine honors cats at a Japanese island where they outnumber humans
Xavier has always been too timid to venture into the hallway on our floor.
In the past he would stick his nose out briefly then make a beeline for his hideaway.
He has never been fond of visitors aka “strangers”.
But something has changed.
The last time he poked his head out he commenced a very serious low continuous growling before scampering back inside.
Last week I held him in my arms and opened the door, again he started with the growling before panicking and leaping from my arms so he could bravely run away.
Yesterday we heard a noise in the hall. Xavier was in his hammock which is situated just behind my head when I am seated at my desk.
He began to growl in the same serious fashion.
Then he ran for cover when I opened the door to see the what the fuss was about.
No idea what brought this on. Weird.
An animal welfare charity in western Canada is scrambling to secure the resources needed to care for about 300 cats – all of them seemingly in good condition – after a call came in from a man who described himself as being “overwhelmed” by the sheer number of cats and kittens in his home.
Bruce Robinson told the British Columbia SPCA that he had taken in cats that had been abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic but that the cost of caring for them had become a herculean task after he lost his job.
The charity had sent staff to his home in the small town of Houston to assess the situation, said Eileen Drever of the BC SPCA. “When asked how many cats he had, I think he said it was like counting bubbles in boiling water.”
Xavier weighs 11 pounds.
I found that out when we went to the Vet last week.
He developed a runny eye that was clearly irritated as he blinked and squinted continuously.
Vet took eye pressures and also looked for other signs of the irritation and nothing came up.
His appetite, functions and activity level were all normal despite the runny eye.
She prescribed a combo anti-biotic steroid eye drop – TobraDex.
It had an almost immediate positive effect.
I have a 7 day “drops in both eyes” regime to follow which ends Thursday repeated after 5 days of no drops should symptoms recur.
So far so good but I did notice a bit of blinking this morning.
That Ramen box is his favourite space next to a shoebox and he likes to lay on his scratch board more than scratch.
Nasa has streamed an ultra high-definition video of a cat back to Earth from the depths of space.
The 15-second clip of Taters the cat was sent via laser – and fittingly shows it chasing a laser beam.
Footage of the orange tabby travelled 19 million miles – some 80 times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
A cat is still looking for a new home after more than 100 days at a rescue centre because he keeps being overlooked – for appearing to be too grumpy.
Nine-year-old Flash was discovered as a stray, but has had little interest from potential new owners due to his age and glum demeanor.
Real-life cat burglar Harry has spent years helping himself to items including a purse, sausages and M&S sports bras
A woman is having to return hundreds of pounds worth of items that were stolen by her pet cat.
Real-life cat burglar Harry wanders into neighbours’ homes on a weekly basis helping himself to food and clothes.
My cat Xavier is insane.
The receiver for my ceiling fan remote died so I opted to go Old School and purchased a couple of decorative pull chains, one for the fan and one for the light.
For some reason they freaked Xavier out, as in scared him crapless.
I have had to hide them in the fixture and I suspect he knows they are still attached … waiting to pounce.
At this point I have stopped the fan, next I will turn off the light to see if sanity can be restored.
If that fails I will uninstall the pull chains.
Dubbed the world’s fattest cat, Patches has finally been put on a diet.
Weighing in at 18.3 kilos (40.3 pounds) Patches became an internet sensation when he was put up for adoption by Richmond Animal Care and Control in Virginia.
So it looks like the two varieties of wet cat food that Xavier eats consistently may have become permanently unavailable.
As explained by the PetValue guy the contract manufacturer just won’t schedule their orders in a timely manner as they are too small relative to the large runs they prefer.
That’s unfortunate as they were reasonably priced relative to a lot of what’s available.
I am down to two tins of the “salmon” he likes and about 18 tins of the “chicken pate” he loves and I had to drive around to 5 different stores to secure those supplies.
He eats a little dry every day but much prefers his wet.
We experienced a similar supply shortage last year and it was maddening trying to find another variety he would eat.
Typically with “new food” he will for all appearances enjoy the first serving then turn up his nose at the rest.
The one brand he does like other than his fave is now priced wildly out of range at nearly 5 bucks per 5 ounce tin. It’s so out of hand that PetValue will likely drop the line.
So… has anyone had experience making DIY cat wet cat food? I tried a simple chicken and potato recipe that I pureed in the blender and he did eat it but I have not yet sourced the Cat specific minerals that are evidently needed for his health.
I cooked him a haddock filet as trial, it was devoured, but in my research I see that no ‘reliable source” recommends real fish as a steady diet, only as a once a week treat. Some fish like tuna may pose a mercury hazard to cats. Haddock is apparently not one of them but still not recommended as a staple.
I wonder if the Pet Food companies, and it is a Billion Dollar industry, deliberately spread disinfo about DIY pet food and other alternatives to their offerings.
Let me know what you think and tip me to any recipes you may have found.
Cat Surrendered For Being Too Cuddly Finds True Love In Time For Christmas
The other day, Julia Wood was at an adoption event when she noticed a black and white cat in one of the kennels, seeming to call out for affection. Wood decided to move in for a closer look.
It was then that she learned the heartbreaking story behind how the friendly cat had ended up without someone to love her.
h/t DM
Feline OK? Alberta app uses AI to test your cat’s mood and health
Cats can be complicated creatures. But there are hints about their happiness written all over their furry faces.
“There’s lots of pain scales out there that look at facial features,” said Dr. Liz Ruelle with the Wild Rose Cat Clinic. “The shape of the whiskers, how are those ears set? That sparkle in the eyes.”
This is pretty cool. Pip was an incredibly stoic little fellow and it was much much too late before his symptoms showed.
I wonder if the app could have helped.
h/t JR
