Some things never change: Andy in this early photo evades Mr. Foot (me).
I’m hesitant to add any new photos to my files — if I can even do that at this point — so am going to update my status using ones already on the computer. It is primarily a cat blog after all!
Yes, today Andy managed not to get caught first thing for his medicine. After several days of easy capture — lean down and puck him up! — it comes as no surprise he gets to win the game.
Of course, I have the syringe loaded and ready in the refrigerator, Andrew James. It have your name on it. (“Andy” — yep, that’s his name on it alright!)
doug, andy & dougie this is Houston calling!
It feels like Apollo 13 alright: All f’ed up! We limped back to earth, sadder but wiser.
I look forward to seeing Andy daily. Keep’em coming!
I’m trying! It probably isn’t a good idea to spend too much time on this machine in the present state, though.
Surprised, but happy to see you still with us!!
I’ll try to post something till I work out what I need to do to restore this computer to full function. Cable guy’s coming in a few minutes. I doubt that’s the whole problem, but I think it contributed to the mess.
Andy and Dougy allow me to hold them, grudgingly, but I hold them the same. I think they are beginning to realize the benefits of extra loving!
I think it’s temporary. Depending on the cable guy’s efforts and what I can arrange, I may be off line starting as early as this afternoon. I will have to take the machine out of town for repairs, but want to talk with friends with experience with various vendors.
Aww yes, the chase with the syringe and hoping they will slow down so we can catch them off guard.
Hope your computer problems get taken care of quickly and inexpensively.
“Inexpensively” is a myth, as you know, when it comes to computer problems! Fortunately, I have a tidy back up sum in the bank that will take care of everything up to and including buying a new machine, if that were necessary.
Anyway, Andy is either getting used to the idea of his medicine or I’m getting more clever because more times than not lately I’ve been able to catch him without drama, give him the medicine, rub his shoulders and tell him what a good boy he is, then let him down for some nice Greenies treats. He complains a little, but he actually is a pretty good little guy about it once he’s caught.
I understand your feeling about that. I don’t know why, but I am loathe to use my size and strength on my animals unless it is a life or death situation.
Exacatly! And it must be horrific to have someone of our size standing over them with blood in the eye! (Or so it must seem to them!) Anyway, I don’t want them to fear me.
And a Happy Easter to you and the boys, Doug! Maybe Andy will cooperate later in the day…
Thanks! And he did!
You are completely right not to take the cat by the fur in the back of his neck! The fur of younger cats is loose there, but they lose this ability to be carried by their neck-fur when getting older. And if your boys are 4,5 kg they are (even though well within their normal weight range) too heavy to be taken up that way.
I’ve learned how to catch them without scruffing them. Andy traps himself by the back door, and it generally is as simple as reaching over and scooping him up. Dougy lots of times takes naps in a carrier on the floor in the front room, which means all I have to do to trap him most times is close the carrier door!
And he returns to sleep there? You have very docile cats. But then they grew up around humans. My tom is from a farm and my little one was caught “in the wild” with seven months. Both are not into being carried around – I usually corner them. Tom has learned to go into the carrier then, after loud protest howls, the female shits herself – literally.
The boys spent their early weeks in the veterinary clinic, where several kitten-loving technicians definuitely handled them a lot. Of cours Persians and Birmans are very mild-mannered cats by nature anyway, and that’s their heritage. I am glad they are generally easy to handle, and try to respect that good nature by treating them well. I know how farm cats (or feral cats in general) can be! I almost agreed to take in a feral kitten once. While I standing next to the nest its mother prepared for it and its siblings in a flower bed, the mother came up from behind me and pounced on my hand! It bled a little, but I was OK medically if a bit chastened.
Yes, feral cats are tough little predators, and Kipling already knew: The female of the species is more deadly …
LOL! More time and effort invested in the little buggers, for one thing. The males contribution is minimal.
But it is dangerous – female felines are not easily convinced to “lay back and think of England” …
I learned that the hard way! How true!
Hope your computer issues are resolved…
Not yet…thanks! The cable guy’;s coming in a few minutes, and that may be part of the problem.
Not as of Monday, April 6th…!
Opps, hit send to fast. I just finished getting everyone over a cold and now the original culprit has it again. I give eye drops though, but still a royal pain. 😉
Yeah, eye drops shouldn’t be that hard to do, but cats definitely have a way to turn it into an ordeal! Dougy eventually caught on that it made his eye feel better, and settled down, but I had to be careful about him flinching because of the possibility of contact with the dropper, contaminating that lovely expensive liquid!
I’ve been doing it for so long, I seem to have it down to a science. Needles and pills I have trouble with. 🙂
Needles I haven’t had to deal with, though I did have to give myself insulin shots when I was out of whack because of treatment for Wegener’s granulamatosis in 2004. It was surprisingly easy, if heavy in the “ick” factor! I can’t imagine giving a cat shots, though. Pills, as long as I can get them dissolved in a liquid and give medicine in liquid form, I’m OK.
My daughter is great at giving pills. I think it’s her small fingers. She can shove them right down.
Sounds like the ideal arrangement to me: let someone else dose the cat! LOL!
I keep telling her that. 🙂
LOL! 🙂
Ahh the joys of medicine. 🙂
The little rascal was just over by my foot, begging to be caught, but I didn’t think I could do it without scruffing him. (I read where that is very upsetting to adult cats, though I know people do it all the time. On the chance it is upsetting, I don’t think I should do it to a little guy with a high blood pressure issue!)
It is upsetting to an adult cat. It only can be done if you keep up the habit from kitten onward. Also the size of the cat is also a consideration.
Yeah, that makes sense. The boys are a bit over 10 pounds (more than 4.5 kilos), so probably are outside the comfortable range for scruffing. I did do it to them when they were kittens, but pretty much haven’t had to use it on them as they got older. Once I read about it not being a good idea on older cats, I stopped doing it. I slip up sometimes, honestly, but nothing less than life threatening is worth catching them for that requires scruffing!
My big boys, Tsuki and Dust Bunny don’t even like being picked up at all. They’ll leap up on their own…if they feel like it. 😉