Introducing Betty White

lisahe

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
6,150
Purraise
4,969
Location
Maine
Also we have a wayward cat that has been making a lot of noise last night, this morning, and today. I thought it was one of the community strays. But I finally caught a glimpse of the black beauty with a red collar. Hopefully she'll make it back home soon. I don't know if she's stressing Betty out. But she's stressing me out.
Ouch to this. I track Edwina's problems in a cat log and her worst days are noisy because of chainsaws, trees thudding to the ground, leaf blowers, and, yes, cat noises. I can even see that she looks stressed when things are loud. Yesterday morning there was a cat fight behind our house and it both cats were freaked out for hours. I hate all those noises, too, particularly leaf blowers (alas, the most common!) and I'm sure Edwina picks up on my nerves.

Fingers crossed that the cat makes her way home soon! Good luck with tonight's meals.
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
Set out a primer portion at 5:30 and she didn't seem interested. Left it out anyway as I still had work to finish up. Came back out to give her meds at 6 and primer portion gone. Washed the dishes and prepared the next shift's food (open an I/D and add 40 grams A/D and mix the two in a container for nighttime meals.) Usually she joins me on the counter for this. Or at least she gives me an earful from the floor. She wasn't interested. I tried to put her pill in a carpet morsel. Not interested. Pulled out the big guns. I put her pill into a morsel of pure A/D. That did it. I left her the remainder of the 1/3 portion (which combined with her primer portion brings her up to half a dinner.) She didn't seem interested at first. But she eventually made that disappear too. So now it's the waiting game. I don't know about you all. But work was crap today. My cat was spitting. It's a sucky day that needs a mid-week burger and a beer. If Betty is going to pop between now and next dinner, she doesn't need me hovering over her waiting for that to happen. And I certainly don't need to stick around staring at her trying to decide if her lick lipping is nausea or hunger and whether she's going to pop or not. See you next dinner, Betty!
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
It was too people-y at the tap room tonight. I picked up some beer to go and brought back my burger. Betty sat in my lap like she always does until she got insistent that it’s second dinner time. With second dinner (2/3 portion) in the books, we’ll settle in for a cuddle and a goodnight before overnight alarm hopefully goes off tonight.
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
Fussy Face trying to work out whether she’ll have enough time for another hairball before her endo next week.
B8CE1869-B12F-4D47-9CBE-95400942CA16.jpeg

Spoiler: She’s starting back on the poop pills tomorrow. I don’t want to risk bumping that appointment because of another hairball. This morning her only fussies was where to start eating first.
 

Margot Lane

Kitten at heart, not a Top Cat
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
4,368
Purraise
8,961
Fussy Face trying to work out whether she’ll have enough time for another hairball before her endo next week.
View attachment 423560

Spoiler: She’s starting back on the poop pills tomorrow. I don’t want to risk bumping that appointment because of another hairball. This morning her only fussies was where to start eating first.
You must be the world’s foremost expert on hairballs! I just read the normal amt is like 1-2 a month (according to Google, anyway). You could publish a book, w/ a photo of a hairball on it, or the book could be hairy. You could start a band: “Betty White and the Hairballs.” (Not making light of your issue here…I just am stunned by how much one tiny cat can kak up!).
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
You must be the world’s foremost expert on hairballs! I just read the normal amt is like 1-2 a month (according to Google, anyway). You coild publish a book, w/ a photo of a hairball on it, or the book could be hairy. You could start a band: “Betty White and the Hairballs.” (Not making light of your issue here…I just am stunned by how much one tiny cat can kak up!).
You should see the daily tribble I pull off her with our brushings. I'm hoping to also get her up to two hairball treats a day (but taking this slowly so as not to get the double-ended spits) with the hope that she will shed less. Or that which she does shed will pass more easily through her gut.

"They" say that cats who bring up more than 1 hairball a month likely have some motility issue or inflammation that is restricting the normal passing of ingested hair. We already know this about Betty. Two ultrasounds have said so. Sadly, the specialist says the inflammation may have gotten worse. He did say that estimating thickness is as much an art as a science. But he also said the thickening seems to be greater than last ultrasound. I didn't really want to dwell on that point. I wanted to believe that it was just a difference between radiologists. The specialist even seemed to say as much. But the increase in hairball frequency since we stopped the poop pills suggests two things to me: 1. The poop pills were working. 2. We stopped them too soon.

I wish I could have seen that “after” report before I start her on another course. But as I said, I don’t want her endo appt bumped because of a hairball day.
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
Finally got Betty's "after" report. Some improvements. But some surprising spots. I guess I will be consulting with their customer support. They are pretty much against antibiotic use. So what do we do with that Streptococcus and Sarcina that came roaring out of nowhere? And what does that even mean?

Overall, her microbiome seems to have improved in many areas. But it's not yet balanced. Another month seems like a good idea after all.

I'm attaching both reports for comparison.
 

Attachments

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
It will be my first Fathers Day with Betty tomorrow. If it were still Krista, she would have made me a hairball. She was thoughtful that way. 🤦🏼‍♂️😹 In those last few years, my birthday? Hairball. Fathers Day? Hairball. Christmas? I probably got two. “I know you make these yourself. But can’t I get socks one year?”

I suppose that’s still not off the table for tomorrow…. 🙈😽
07174CBD-3036-4D89-B068-736074E8DAAF.jpeg
 

Margot Lane

Kitten at heart, not a Top Cat
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
4,368
Purraise
8,961
Finally got Betty's "after" report. Some improvements. But some surprising spots. I guess I will be consulting with their customer support. They are pretty much against antibiotic use. So what do we do with that Streptococcus and Sarcina that came roaring out of nowhere? And what does that even mean?

Overall, her microbiome seems to have improved in many areas. But it's not yet balanced. Another month seems like a good idea after all.

I'm attaching both reports for comparison.
This is really exciting you’re doing this. I hope this path you are following leads to a lot of freedom for cats from IBS etc. before it becomes an issue! Betty White, the Pioneer!
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
Chonk’s favorite time of the week. She wakes from a dead sleep at the sound of the kibble hitting the measuring plate. She gets 1.5 grams (about five pieces.) Her usual old girl slink becomes a kitten like trot. And she knows the routine now. “Yessir. I’ll get my whole butt in this cradle.” 🐷👍

Last week was 9.50. I’m hoping she’s leveling off soon. 🤞
8F123CCB-2BE8-4F02-9658-99623CF97B98.jpeg
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
There’s still a few hours left. So far…? No socks.😔

But no hairballs either. 😹👍

We spent the morning cuddling. Then I spent the afternoon on the trails 🏃‍♂️and in the taproom🍺 while she caught her afternoon naps in her poof and in the sun. 😴👍

A good first Fathers Day together.
😘 😻😽🥰
 
Last edited:

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
We had our first missed poop pill yesterday. We only made it to day two before I had to toss one that had been licked and flicked a few too many times and was in danger of being opened. I pulled out the big guns and coated the next pill in pure A/D. That did it.

This morning about ten minutes before her breakfast alarm is supposed to go off, I hear her eating the remainders of her overnight. “Uh okay. I guess I’ll turn off my regular alarm and push breakfast back 30 minutes.”

🐈💩😹🏎
Yep. She pooped and zoomed and let out the most awful poop zoom wails that sound so much like her hairball wails. 🙉 She had a zoom and wail session last night that got me out of bed. We had an aggressive fuss session and then back to bed we went.

Oh look at that! Miss Fussy Face who already finished an overnight remainder portion (I don’t know how big the remainder was), has also just finished breakfast. And she’s yelling at me to finish with the phone and let’s go back to bed to cuddle. 😽
 

tarasgirl06

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
24,708
Purraise
64,894
Location
Glendale, CATifornia
We had our first missed poop pill yesterday. We only made it to day two before I had to toss one that had been licked and flicked a few too many times and was in danger of being opened. I pulled out the big guns and coated the next pill in pure A/D. That did it.

This morning about ten minutes before her breakfast alarm is supposed to go off, I hear her eating the remainders of her overnight. “Uh okay. I guess I’ll turn off my regular alarm and push breakfast back 30 minutes.”

🐈💩😹🏎
Yep. She pooped and zoomed and let out the most awful poop zoom wails that sound so much like her hairball wails. 🙉 She had a zoom and wail session last night that got me out of bed. We had an aggressive fuss session and then back to bed we went.

Oh look at that! Miss Fussy Face who already finished an overnight remainder portion (I don’t know how big the remainder was), has also just finished breakfast. And she’s yelling at me to finish with the phone and let’s go back to bed to cuddle. 😽
Sounds like First Father's Day was much more good than not. Even if you didn't get socks. (I always gave my dad socks. He'd open the box, smile, say, "AWWW! NICE SOCKS!" and smile some more. He did love those soft acrylic ones.)
Sounds like a good morning, too!
Yeah, another course of poop pills looks like it's indicated. I never thought I'd say that. But I just did. ;) :hearthrob::lovecat3::hearthrob::clap::goldstar::cheerleader:
 

lisahe

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
6,150
Purraise
4,969
Location
Maine
BTW what is it with the ‘poop zoomies?’ My cat does it too. I mean, it’s not like you see a lion or a lynx running around after pooping (and then demanding cuddles).
Our cat who tends toward constipation most definitely does this!
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
Betty sometimes has pee zoomies. But she definitely has poop zoomies. And it's frequently accompanied by a very similar wailing sound to her pre-hairball yowling. But if I get up to check on her, she gives me a soft squeak like, "who? what? you must have been mistaken over who was making all that noise." 🤦‍♂️ 😹
 
Top