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Gershun, I gave up trying to slim down the cat that looked like a bowling ball with legs. She enjoyed her food, so in her senior years she ate what she wanted and lived to be 17/18. She never developed diabetes and her kidneys were still doing fine, she did drink a lot of water. The Vet said she had high blood pressure, but I was sure mine also was way over the limit just bringing her into the Vet... wonder if cats have "white coat syndrome", where one's blood pressure spikes when you see someone in a lab coat?
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Thanks Gershun...It is SO hard trying to figure it all out between all 6 babies.I appreciate your input and one of these kittens is just like your baby and she intimidates the one next to her and takes the food too.It's my all black kitty.She's always been the biggest eater and my little "fatty".Iv'e had a diabetic dog,but never a diabetic cat before.That was awful,so I'll have to try even harder and now I'm wondering to myself,how would I catch the cat's urine like I did with the dog to know how much insulin to give it.......
Anyway,Thanks Gershun~
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Feeding cats................now that one is right up there with trying to split the atom, world peace, how they get the caramel in the caramilk bars.

I've been feeding my cats veterinarian- prescribed food since they were kittens. My one cat stays fairly slim. My other cat is food-driven, that is veterinarian speak for he is a big pig. He eats his, then stands beside his brother and intimidates him till he walks away from his bowl so fatty can have the rest unless I stand there and watch them eat, which is not always possible. But we give them fancy feast as a treat on the weekends.

Our vet gave us sh*t the last time we went cause she says our one cat is morbidly obese and is guaranteed to have diabetes one day if we can't control his eating. We try but it is hard. :(
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Ah yes, trying to find the perfect wet food that the cats will like more than 2 days in a row !! Good luck with that. Then there is the decision of getting the Purina classic wet food.... or the gravy stuff.... or the shredded stuff... or the pate. I've gone to Pet Smart and got one of each can to experiment... but they keep changing their mind.

There so many brands of cat food, it can send your head whirling. That's why I just stay with Purina which first started in the late 1800's. Because my felines are "seniors", I use the Purina One Maturity. I did order the Purina Pro Plan Focus for elderly cats, so I will see how that works... it is much more expensive.
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Thank you SO much Freqflyer....I like how you feed them.I really appreciate everything you said.I have been giving the kittens Purina Kitten chow and the adult cats,Purina Cat Chow,leaving a bowl of it out all day/night.Now if I can just figure out which wet catfood they like the best because one day,they like the flavor and the next day,they don't touch it.They all seem to be "fish" eaters but one,who likes chicken better.It gets frustrating for sure.Anyway F.F.,THANK YOU!
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Luckylu with my felines I leave out dishes of dry food so they can nibble when they want, and once in the morning and once in the evening will open up a small can of wet food.

Two of the cats had stayed at a normal weight for their bone size, and the third one turned into a blimp. So you never know who is going to gain the weight or not... she wouldn't eat wet food, just dry. She was a stray cat so she had to forge for food, thus when there was food here she would over eat. She still lived to be 17 with that weight.

Lot of water bowls around, ok that means more get knocked over during play time :P I use Cornell for their bowls instead of plastic or metal dishes. To me I just feel Cornell is safer to use. I had read decades ago about plastic etching into the food.

I have only bought Purina brand food as rarely does Purina have its pet food recalled. The U.S. government has a website for recalled pet food that they update.  I like Purina One.  Use to use Purina Cat Chow for many years and the cats did well on that, living into their late teens and early 20's.  I know there are special diet cat foods for when the critter needs to change their diet.
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I'm overfeeding my pets and I know I must change their feeding but I don't know what the proper amounts and kinds are to feed them,so I wondered if any of you wonderful people out there could give me any advice or suggestions.What would they love and help them grow healthy?
I have 3, 5 month old kittens
2 adult cats
1 Chiweenie dog (adult)
I appreciate any ideas from anyone.My "smorgsboards" are expensive and out of hand and I'm sure that no one feeds their babies the way I do.Thank you so much.
(Someone told me that cats eat 6 times a day and dogs eat 2 times a day.Is that right?)
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Thanks for asking Send...The kittens will be 5 months old this Tuesday and are growing bigger by the minute.It's been too hot here to take 'em out for recess lately,so Iv'e been letting them run up and down the hall from their catroom into the bathroom and they just love it.They sneak up on one another,chase each other,play in the sink with the water and they love getting in the empty bathtub and shower,playing with the drains and in the hallway,they have food and a little cardboard box cathouse I made covered by a sheet and paper sacks they hide in and a scratching post they play on.They have the best time and I just Love watching them.Trouble is though,I'm not getting much of anything but caring for them done.Theyr'e alot of work,but I must admit,they have helped me with the loss of Mother and brought back my smile and it looks like I'll be keeping all 3 because Iv'e become So attached.The next thing I'll have to do is to get the 3 girl kittens spayed.Right now,I've got their "softy-soft" in the dryer warming it up so I can take it back and have our snuggle time and hear their sweet,tiny motors.Again,Thanks for asking.They are wonderful and I'm happily exhausted.
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Luckylu, Can you let us know about your cats today?


Gershun,
What happened? Did the cats eat your soup? Hoping you are better today.
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Freqflyer...I bet it was your Father,sending you and the female cat a sign alright.Why else would you both notice it,and by your Father's bookcase? She loved you both so much...
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FF Katie is at peace. Life was becoming a burden and now she is with your parents and looking down at you appreciating everything you did out of love to prolong her life. She can never be replaced but will never be forgotten. RIP Katie
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I think the upside down banana cream pie must be the saddest thing I've ever heard: like Auden's "...for nothing now can come to any good." No wonder you've never forgotten it, BB.
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FF, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss! Losing pets is hard, to me, because they demand so little and enrich us in so many ways.

As to cumulative grief.....

My dad's parents died within a year of one another. I don't recall my dad showing any emotion during those difficult times, but....

One evening, a few weeks after Nana passed away, my dad brought home a banana cream pie. He was very excited about it and after dinner, took the box carefully out of the fridge, only to discover that he had placed the box in the fridge upside down. He burst into tears.

I was terrified and asked my mom " why is daddy crying about a pie?". She shushed me and said, " he's not crying about the pie; he's crying because Nana is dead". A good first lesson in psychology.
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Wow, FF, I'm moved to... not quite tears... but misty. lol I'm so glad you had such a great cat. I love how you described her - electrical engineer meets prison warden. And the story about your dad's bookcase... I've always been more dog person than cat but having a cat is much more feasible for me. I've been wanting to adopt for some time. You've convinced me that I need to do it as long as my new place (I'm still looking at places right now) allows for cats. Cat's middle name will be Katie.

Thanks for sharing about your awesome cats, FF. (((((hugs)))))
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Who takes care of the cats in heaven? Maybe they help take care of us, just like on earth?

Gershun, Can your cats dial out, have some soup delivered?
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FF so, so sorry for your loss. The loss of a pet is a unique type of loss. They are everything to us and they love us unconditionally. So I totally understand what you meant. You will see her again FF................

I like to picture my lost pets sitting with Mom in heaven.

Take care FF! :(
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FF
Sorry for your loss; perhaps it is the cumulative loss that is taking a toll now
Take it easy today
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Thank you all for your kind words. My fur babies were like children to me. This morning the emotions ran again when I noticed her collar was on my dresser.

I think my feeling of such loss with the cat compared to that of my parents, was that the cat gave me no problems at all. None of this we can manage on our own which my parents use to say... or calls saying they were going to start driving again... you know the drill. The stress was mild with the cat compared to my parents.

"Katie" lived in my bedroom after her lst stroke last year, thus it was her "assisted living" studio. She only went downstairs if I carried her to give her a change of scenery. And she slept with me  every night as she insisted on being close to me as I was her "caregiver". In the past she was quite independent, petting on her terms, not a lap cat, would roam the house with a high level of authority.

While Katie was in the ER, I noticed at home a certain unusual odor over by where I have my late Dad's bookcase filled with some of his books and knick knacks. My sig other and our male cat couldn't smell it, but the other female cat did,... she even stood up to look into the bookcase. And would eye the bookcase every time she went by. This went on and off for two days. I know this sounds weird, I was wondering if my late Dad [who passed in Sept] was trying to tell me that it's ok, he will take care of Katie when and if she joins him.
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It's not odd, that you felt losing poor Katie more acutely.

I meant to say something insightful about why it's not odd. But I can't find the words. It just isn't, that's all. Hugs x
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So very sorry for your loss, FF.

There must be a meadow somewhere.....over the rainbow bridge somewhere....where our pets will wait happily for us.

You will miss Katie, but you never let her down.
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Freqflyer,
I'm so sorry for your loss of dear old Katie.You did everything you could have to help her at the end,and you gave her 17 great years of your Love.I know you will miss her so much and I pray that you meet her again someday.Many {{{Hugs}}}, Lu
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Awww, sorry you lost your fur baby FF :(
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Sadly we had to say good-bye to our old gal, Katie, this afternoon. The Vets did everything they could, Katie had taken a turn for the worse. Oh how we will miss her, as do other pet owners who really cherish their pets.

I believe in her former life she was an electrical engineer plus a prison warden. She could figure things out. She would take her toys from the toy box and arrange them in geometrical figures. And she would take no gruff from the other two cats, especially the male cat... if looks could kill she could stare down him with the pupils of her eyes getting bigger and bigger. She was a helicopter "parent" to the other female cat. She had 17 good years with us, came as an abandoned cat.

What is odd is that I cried more for her passing then that of my parents, who passed in their 90's.
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Update on my elder cat at animal ER.... she is in the ICU section. An MRI was done on her brain to see if there were any tumors, none... there is indication of very mild dementia... and yes, she had a stroke. Then there was the issue of her oxygen level, so she is on a ventilator and a blood clot was found in her lung. They are now trying to break up the blood clot and wean her off the ventilator.... this could take days.

The only reason we are going through all this, is that the cat is a tough old bird... she bounced back from other health issues over the years with amazement. And she learned on her own how to walk after her previous stroke, and how to communicate with us her needs.

This animal ER is always packed with pet owners, as they offer all services there. Our cat needed a sonogram on her heart, so there was an animal cardiologist on-site. She needed to see a neurologist, yes there is a group on-site. There is also physical therapy group, and a cancer-care center. It's like going to a people hospital.

The other two elderly cats at home just noticed that "Katie" hasn't been around since Tuesday. The cat in the hospital is the alpha cat, so the two at home are confused.
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Send, yes I am happy,yet very overwhelmed.
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Update on elder cat at the animal ER.... she is staying overnight there, the ER ran a whole battery of tests, thank goodness this cat is cooperative and understands that people are trying to help her.

We will pick her up tomorrow once her blood pressure goes down to a normal limit. The Vet said the cat was sitting up on her own and moving about... oh my gosh, as this morning she couldn't do anything by just lay flat, couldn't pick her head up. Animals can be amazing :)
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Sharyn,
Just cannot wait to hear about your new house-when you get time, of course. Are you so very happy?  Get well soon!
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Tiger and Midget did as well as can be expected for traveling 650 miles. We put tiger in the laundry room for the first 2 hours here to help him reduce his stress. He is adjusting well. Midget is adjusting as well and both tend to follow me around the house all day.

Hubs and I are adjusting too, resting today as I came down with bronchitis.
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FF, hope it is good news. So sorry, our pets are family to us.
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So sorry FF. Keep us updated on kitty.
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