One problem Andy has is trust. When he was little, he hated the frequent baths he had to have because of diarrhea. (See the “Andy and Dougy Come Home”, above for the gruesome story.) Now, he has to have medicine to control high blood pressure. He isn’t a fan of that, either, though high blood pressure can damage kidneys, already a potential problem since Persians seem to have a higher incidence of kidney issues than other cats. It’s something that has to be done!
Though Andy likes to be around me, he is shy about coming close enough for me to touch him since he associates me with “The Man”, the medicine-giving guy.
Oddly enough, though, there are a few places he feels so safe I can approach him and snatch him up (if I need to) or pet him (if I want to) without any apparent distress on his part. There’s one box in the kitchen by the refrigerator I’d love to toss, but I can reliably catch Andy there if he gets on top of it during a chase. He just doesn’t think I can catch him there, I guess! But I do every time!
The box behind Dougy’s tail is a safe spot, Andy thinks!
Another place is on top of the guest bed. Why he feels safe there, I don’t know. I’m just happy I always can catch him there! And an invalid chair in the guest bathroom. Yep! Another snatcheroo spot for wee Andy! Another spot used to be good – the stacked carriers in the front room – but Andy’s caught on to what can happen there. If I approach it, he scatters to the wind!
No, Andy! This is no longer a safe spot…
I would probably run away too! 🙂
Me, too! LOL!
It’s better for his healty
Yes, and i try hard to make the process of giving him medicine as stress-free as possible.
I’ve lost you Doug
I was reminded last nite I need to come to visit
It’s getting harder as the blog keeps growing
This little engine that could
Has grown into a whole train now
Oh well
See you soon Sheldon
I can appreciate that, Sheldon. Same here. There are certain blogs I am pretty good about stopping to see, and yours is one of those! (I especially enjoy your blog now that you regularly attach collages you’ve made to them. That adds a great dimension to them!)
Thank you very much
You made my day
Hope all is well
As always sheldon
My pleasure, Sheldon! Glad I put a little bounce in your step, so to speak!
I remember when I had to give old Mr. Austin subcutaneous fluids the last 2 years of his life. He hated it but was a real trooper. I know what you mean though, being seen as the “medicine man”.
When Andy spends time by me, he always rolls over on his back, exposing his tummy, which is supposed to show he totally trusts me. On the other hand, he acts like he’s frightened of me if I try to pet him, though he will stand close enough i can rub his nose, whatever. He does, however, act like he totally trusts me again if he is on his high spots. A confusing little kittycat!
Blood pressure-kidney: like for the humans .Me , for instance !
In friendship, Doug
Michel
Exactly! I have the unusual problem of low blood pressure and bad kidneys. What can I say, Michel? Some people just have to be different!
Exactly! I have the unusual problem of low blood pressure and bad kidneys.
What can I say, Michel? Some people just have to be different!
Once again I managed to wipe out a comment (yours about Dougy being like a baby in a crib – this was for Post 1140, with the photos of Andy and Dougy in boxes). Yes, both are big babies! I’ve spoiled them rotten!
Little creatures soon learn to devise ways to avoid their medications. My bird just simply learned to clamp his beak shut and refuse to open up. But he seems to be feeling a lot better now so maybe he doesn’t need much of the medicine anymore.
You can hope! (I am sympathetic to the problem, though, as you know!) Andy varies from day to day. Today he accepted it like a kitty suffering from Stockholm syndrome, but most days he objects by twisting his head away from the syringe.
My little bird passed away at 9:00 this morning and I am so sad …
I’m so sorry, John…. They give us such pleasure with their little ways and behaviors. I still miss my first two kitties and my childhood dog.
Thank you so much my friend. Your kind words are precious and I shall treasure them.
I’m a softy when it comes to pets passing, and I confess I shed some tears for my friends when they have to endure it.
kittens not children lol
I suppose so….!
cute cat. Lets hope he will trust you. He should. My cat blanche, we got her from an old lady that had lo of cats, in thje begginning did not trust us at all. She was hiding and avoiding us. One day she met a male cat and got children, this faggot male came back and ate her children….as result we brought her to the vet in order to castrate her. As she had to stay in the house with us after the operation…and she saw we are not bad and we take care of her, she gained our trust. Since then she comes for hugs and still having her individual life.
Andy has moments of trust, but I have to rotate the time I give him medicine a little from time to time so he doesn’t associate any given time too much with medicine.
I don’t know what form your kitty’s medicine comes in, but I highly recommend the transdermal form. My Ginger takes two medicines – blood pressure and thyroid. She gets both transdermally (through the skin). The vet gives me little syringes of her medicine in cream form. I put on a disposable glove, carefully squirt out the dose onto a gloved finger, and then I rub the cream on the inside of her ear. All done. She doesn’t like me doing it, but it’s easy. I’d never be able to give her a pill, and she eats nothing but dry food so I can’t hide it in food. If you ever have trouble medicating Andy, and you’ve never tried transdermal, you might want to ask your vet about it.
I hadn’t heard of that method, and will keep it in mind. Now, I get the pills crushed and dissolved in a chicken-flavored liquid that I give to Andy in a plastic syringe I press into his mouth. It is simpler than a hypodermic needle and better than a capsule or tablet form that I know from past experience is difficult to assure the cat’s getting when eating it in food.
It’s funny how he thinks certain places are safe from The Man!
There is no specific reason I can see which spots are magic safety zones to Andy and which are not.
Poor Andy, he sounds like my Millie. I have to give him thyroid meds twice a day and he is not a fan. Have you ever checked into seeing if his medicine can be compounded as an ear gel? I could do that with the thyroid med, but so far I can manage Millie.
The liquid in a syringe form is manageable, but you and Donna Florack (see her comment elsewhere on this post) mention this method that’s new to me. I definitely will check into it
A poor little fellow, the medicin man is everywhere…
He gets a littler head petting and nose rubbing with a little pep talk from me afterward: “What a good boy you are! Good boy! Now I’ll give you your kitty treats!”
Quanto amor por esses gatos!!!!
Estou satisfeito você se sentir assim
Glad you did get some pictures of him. Does he know the cell phone or camera means the approach is not about getting caught?
Andy’s not as alarmed by the camera or smart phone as Dougy, but I often crop photos quite a bit to get to a decent photo from one taken from a distance that doesn’t alarm Andy or alert Dougy to the approaching time a flash will go off in his eyes.