Artie and his Issues

[weemomma]

My old lady has her spots too!! Her old vet called them her old lady spots.

Our new orange kitten has started getting his spots too!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

When I read about Artie having such good days, everything in me heaves a deep sigh of contentment, and little muscles I didn't know were there all relax at once. It makes me feel all

.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I know how you feel, Mamanyt1953 -- I feel that way, too. Artie is such a precious little man!

 

[artiemom]

Artie was so strange today!! and last night!

He ate really well yesterday. All of his allocated day-food. I took a chance and opened up a large can of Koho Kangaroo Stew. He was eating it for a while, then stopped, several months ago.

Initially, he refused it.. then he nibbled a bit; eating it all up. I added more for his midnight snack.. This morning, I was shocked to see the bowl empty!!! OMG... watch, he will not eat it again.. weird cat.

Still refusing the fur ball treats... loving the Meow Mix treats.. he only gets a few per day.. It is a good way to get him out of hiding: just shake the Treat Bag, and he comes running!!

Tonight, I was having a combo of tuna and hardboiled egg salad. Artie came running over when he heard me shell the egg.. weird, weird, cat...

He was begging for MY food!!!
I drained the tuna water, into a small bowl; adding some tuna with it. On the other side of the bowl, I put some chopped egg.

Artie devoured the entire dish!!!! OMG.. He hated tuna, in the past. He has never had a hard boiled egg.. What a weird cat!!!

Now he is curled up on the other recliner, sleeping-- tummy filled..
**************************
Our morning routine is: I finish my coffee, get up, ask if he wants to be brushed. He runs over to his small cat tree. I get his steroid and the brush.
Artie gets to the top of his tree, waiting for me.
I pop in the steroid, immediately start brushing him. He purrs. When he has had enough, he jumps down, and wants to play.. This is our playtime.. not long but all of this is a ritual.

This morning, I gave him the steroid, he stayed ontop of his quilt. I left him, went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. Artie came over, looked at me ~~ more like Staring, ~~~ and proceeded to give me a HUGE MEOWWWW..

I stopped what I was doing, asked him, "What, What is it? What do you want? Show ME""

Took me right over to his cat tree.. yelling the entire way. Yup, I was in trouble.
I did not brush him.. I left that step out of our ritual.. OMG... what a smart cat..

Artie had a nice brushing session, and we played a bit.. Made me late in leaving the house, but Artie was content...

my love..

 

[angels mommy]

Hi Cindy, just catching up here. I'm so glad that Artie is eating & feeling better!
I completely understand when you say Artie is your love, your soul kitty, your one & only, That is exactly what Angel was to me. Everything you said, I can relate to. Those ginger boys are special aren't they?
I mean, I love Sammie, but nothing compares to what I had with Angel. He really was special. We also had that special bond.
As for treats, Sammie has some of the Greenies hairball ones, & she likes those, as well as the dental ones by them.
They really helped her bad breath. (even after a cleaning a yr ago this mo. & an extraction). I was really surprised at how much they helped! Also, I found a good one at Walmart. The Beyond brand. It's grain free. They have a salmon one & a chicken & egg one. She also has those.
Continued prayers for Artie!! ....and for that construction to get done ASAP!!!! I'd be livid too!!!
Have you ever tried Rescue Remedy? You & Artie could take it. It's just a flower essence, but works well!
Hoping you guys have a peaceful weekend!

 

[neely]

Took me right over to his cat tree.. yelling the entire way. Yup, I was in trouble. I did not brush him.. I left that step out of our ritual.. OMG... what a smart cat..

Yes, they certainly are creatures of habit! Artie knows your routine and shame on mom for forgetting to brush him. But Artie got your attention and all is forgiven.

 

[maggiedemi]

That sounded like a really lovely fun day for Artie. Demi's an orange cat and he's really smart too. I'll say "Show me. Show mama." Then he leads me to whatever he wants. He knew what "mama" meant the first time I said it, just like Artie knew what it meant when you said it.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

LOL...I see Easter Eggs in our future, if Artie loves boiled eggs so much!

 

[IndyJones]

heard of cats liking weird stuff. Hector liked applesauce and pears she would also try to eat carrots but couldn't chew them because her teeth where carnivorous teeth.

 

[inkysmom]

My childhood cat also an orange tabby lived to be 20 and she loved eggs. Back then we just used to give her raw eggs and separate the yolks and throw out the whites. Every so often she wouldn't eat one so we figured those were bad. She loved tuna and human food too, once stole my mom's Omaha steaks that she'd just cooked right off her plate and devoured it in seconds! Lol my mom was fit to be tied.
She lived to be twenty with no health problems except a thyroid problem the last few years. She'd secretly spit out the pills I carefully gave her daily too. She ate Cat Chow dry food, Kal Can or Amore canned food and people food and rarely saw the vet. Vaccinated maybe two or three times her whole life, maybe one dental cleaning when she got older. Loved cold cuts, meat, tuna, her raw eggs, and my mom's sauteed mushrooms with nutmeg! Go figure.
My mom's cat Tigey who I had for years after she died had those spots on his mouth and nose, like redheads get freckles. He was an orange tabby with less white.

 

[artiemom]

My childhood cat also an orange tabby lived to be 20 and she loved eggs. Back then we just used to give her raw eggs and separate the yolks and throw out the whites. Every so often she wouldn't eat one so we figured those were bad. She loved tuna and human food too, once stole my mom's Omaha steaks that she'd just cooked right off her plate and devoured it in seconds! Lol my mom was fit to be tied.
She lived to be twenty with no health problems except a thyroid problem the last few years. She'd secretly spit out the pills I carefully gave her daily too. She ate Cat Chow dry food, Kal Can or Amore canned food and people food and rarely saw the vet. Vaccinated maybe two or three times her whole life, maybe one dental cleaning when she got older. Loved cold cuts, meat, tuna, her raw eggs, and my mom's sauteed mushrooms with nutmeg! Go figure.
My mom's cat Tigey who I had for years after she died had those spots on his mouth and nose, like redheads get freckles. He was an orange tabby with less white.View attachment 219296

Looks just like Artie.. and sounds like my last cat, Pumpkin.. yes, another orange cat.. this time a long haired female orange.

She was desperately sick when I adopted her as a kitten. Of course, she was the runt of the litter.. yup, I pick the runt of the litter. My co-worker, whose cat had these kitties, tried to dissuade me; however, I was a sucker..felt bad for the runt.

I was living at home, my mom requested an orange kitty if there was one. She had an big, lovable, orange male, Bennie, when she was younger. I think Bennie was her soul cat.

Well, Pumpkin was so sick.. immediately..This was about about 40 years ago... a very high temp, refusing food, but was playful.. and very lethargic at times. The not eating was a clear sign.. It was as if she forgot how to eat.. that is the only way I could describe it.

Before we knew of this.. OMGosh all the stuff we did to make Pumpkin comfortable.
A towel lined litter box, to use as a bed, an old wristwatch placed in there, for company,
a very small Teddy Bear, for her to carry around and love..

Every night, she cried, got the zoomies, but cried, and cried, when she thought she was alone--her entire life..she had her babies, beanie baby crocodiles.

We took her to the Vet almost every week or so, for a shot of antibiotic.. he drew blood, occasionally.. but the antibiotics were major.. She had to so much, that her teeth turned yellow. He kept saying she was a lucky cat..

We fed her, my moms idea; eggnog, and jarred baby food, through an eye dropper.

There were no pet stores around, 40 years ago.. so I got the idea of running down to the local Toys R Us, to get a doll's soft baby bottle.. that is how we fed her eggnog.. and milk..
evaporated milk..

We had to entice her with eating anything. She loved cold cuts.. OMGosh.. ham, cheese, etc.. When she was feeling a bit better, we would have a game of feeding her.. throw the food, let her run after it.. Treats--same thing...

For canned food, she was spoiled. I had to even resort to feeding her with a spoon!!
Yup, she sad in front of her food dish, me sitting on floor, with food in spoon..
Weird Cat..spoiled..

The only food she would really eat was canned tiny shrimp.. yup.. and she was spoiled.. it had to be fresh!!

Pumpkin turned out to be my mom's cat.. My mom was losing her hearing..Pumpkin would alert her when the telephone rang, when someone was at the door.. she was there for her.

We used to take her outside, on a long leash--actually a long rope tied to the back fence.
She would sit in the shade, on her 'rock' and watch us work in the yard.
Or she would sit out on the front porch with us, at night. I would take her for a walk around the perimeter of the house.. The neighbors were all amazed: "She's walking a CAT!!

Pumpkin lived to be 18 years old. She ended up with diabetes her last few years. We could never really regulate it due to her weird food habits. She ended up, having a collapsed lung with a mass, and pancreatic issues, along with other things going on..

Thread Hijacked!!


Anyway, Artie is Artie...
He was very subdued yesterday.. I think I goofed Friday, giving him an extra steroid ...
oh well, NVet said not to worry about it. He did eat great on Friday!

Yesterday, not much to eat. He has pooped, several days in a row.. about 4-6 inches each day.

Artie was in my bed, again, last night.. So funny.. he waits patiently while I do my before bed practices. Then, he waits, around 5 minutes, to gently jump on the bed, walk all over me.. before he settles down for the night.. and he is there.. I am constantly feeling as if I am in a strait jacket.. even if he is not cuddle up to me.. the bed linens are just wrapped around me, from Artie..

I have noticed a bit of a change in his morning routine..

After breakfast, he would immediately go over to his smaller cat tree, to look out.
The past month, he has been going over to his quilt, to curl up and nap.. for a long time...

Artie is sleeping more, and not playing as much.. After all, he is 14 years old.

Gotta go...

 

[inkysmom]

Sorry the picture was of my mom's cat Tigey. I don't have any electronic pictures of my first cat that lived to be 20. Her mom was named Pumpkin who was my aunt's cat and also lived to be 18. That cat looked more like Tigey and Artie. My first cat, Felina, had more white on her. Poor Tigey only lived to be 12 ot 12.5 or so. He suddenly stopped eating and when I took him in a couple of times he'd lost three pounds in only two weeks. I insisted on tests and he had advanced cancer all over his stomach, liver and intestines. I was hoping he'd live a few more days to have a consultation with the oncologist but he started suffering so I had to euthanize him.
Funny he started having thicker old cat nails the last year at only eleven. Other cats I've had didn't get old cat nails until fifteen or older.
I'm glad Artie is doing ok. My thirteen years old still plays but he has his seven year old little brother chasing him around a lot. Cats like to sleep a lot, maybe some of his meds make him sleepy too.

 

[rubysmama]

Wow! Tigey really looks like Artie! My Ruby is also orange, but she has a completely different look. Maybe cuz she's a girl?

Glad Artie's doing well. Has he always been so attuned to your routines, or has it evolved over the years? The family cat we had years ago, seemed to get smarter and smarter with age.

 

[artiemom]

My little Brat is getting fussy with food, AGAIN!!! OMGosh..

Now, he is fussing with his can of food!! He ate a bit this morning of Purina One turkey & giblets.. Mind you, I did get the chunks, by mistake, not the pate...

He is licking up the juice but leaving the food bits.. He is nuts.. Artie even yelled at me, about this mix-up

I ignored him. He ate a tiny bit.

He is in his tent.

Poops this morning were: 4 x 1 inch.. He has done a ton of poops this week, but I feel he needs a MEGApoop, either tonight or tomorrow.

He also yelled at me, because I did not have an opening for his quilt/tent.
I mean, it is not my fault if he compressed the opening, by lying on top of the quilt..

 

[tarasgirl06]

My little Brat is getting fussy with food, AGAIN!!! OMGosh..

Now, he is fussing with his can of food!! He ate a bit this morning of Purina One turkey & giblets.. Mind you, I did get the chunks, by mistake, not the pate...

He is licking up the juice but leaving the food bits.. He is nuts.. Artie even yelled at me, about this mix-up

I ignored him. He ate a tiny bit.

He is in his tent.

Poops this morning were: 4 x 1 inch.. He has done a ton of poops this week, but I feel he needs a MEGApoop, either tonight or tomorrow.

He also yelled at me, because I did not have an opening for his quilt/tent.
I mean, it is not my fault if he compressed the opening, by lying on top of the quilt..

Awww, what a little man! His sudden love for foods he hasn't liked in the past, and for new foods, don't surprise me at all. Cats are a lot like us in this respect, I think -- the cats I've known generally like a lot of variety in their food and get tired of eating the same thing too much. The same thing happens here. I order their food by the case, and they got to the point where they were turning up their noses at one variety, so I stopped ordering it. Of COURSE! A short time later, they started loving that kind again. You just have to humor them, I think. After all, we exist to be their servants, right? My guys seem to love the juice and gravy more than the solid parts of foods, too. But eventually they usually do return to finish those. As for brushing, my guys line up to jump on the toilet seat cover to be brushed several times a day. But when they're not in the mood, they'll lead me on a chase.
Just goes to show: "With cats, one never knows, do one?"

 

[Antonio65]

Took me right over to his cat tree.. yelling the entire way. Yup, I was in trouble.
I did not brush him.. I left that step out of our ritual.. OMG... what a smart cat..

Absolutely smart indeed!
Aren't they wonderful when they remind us of how bad humans are?

And isn't it wonderful when we see our beloved furry friends so full of life? Even if it's a bit weird when they start doing things they never did before...

 

[Antonio65]

He also yelled at me, because I did not have an opening for his quilt/tent.
I mean, it is not my fault if he compressed the opening, by lying on top of the quilt..

It's always our fault, for not being there a minute before their majesties need us

 

[tarasgirl06]

I love when cats yell in indignation. Because they're always right, you know.
Stopping by to wish Artie and Cindy a great Monday *yes, I know that may be an oxymoron, but I'm wishing it anyway*

 

[artiemom]

Monday update:
Artie cuddled again, last night. He are so-so yesterday. I left him over 1/3 cup of Fiber Response food, without any wet. His stools were a bit soft yesterday.

Again, more insomnia; tossing and turning; up very early.

Upon rising, Artie wanted to play!! Man, did he have the zoomies, both before and after he pooped!!! It was soft.. no miralax for him!!

Artie ate at least 1/3 cup of food during the night. Honestly, I do not know when he eats this stuff; as he is constantly cuddled up to me. I have a feeling he gets down, around 3:30-4 AM to eat.

He has been expelling a bunch of large soft plops, on his quilt. Sigh.. I had to wash down several clumps of soft poop ~~ I think I am going to buy stock in Natures Miracle...OMG..
Need to pick=up/order another gallon of it!
I am either using it to clean up vomit or poop clumps... and I need to invest in disposable nitric gloves-- and Bounty paper towels...
Thank Goodness there is not yet, a ban on plastic grocery bags!!

I feel as if I have been fighting a virus for a few weeks. I get periodic hot and cold, periodic stuffy nose, periodic scratchy throat.. weird.

My habit, before I get sick is: A week before, I have insomnia--yup, and then I come down with a bad virus, bronchitis, sinus infection...

Went to the grocery store to stock up on a ton of stuff.. much more than I usually get.
People were coughing all over the store!! I am glad they have Purell wipes so we can wipe down the carts, but how much is that going to help if people are coughing??

I had to take a nap, around 3:30pm.. Artie did come around 5pm to cuddle.. Got up at
5:30pm. He came in to cuddle, wash his bum, because he had pooped all over his quilt.

poor boy..

Now he has the last of his can of FF beef, and the dry food, for the rest of the night.

 

[Antonio65]

Upon rising, Artie wanted to play!! Man, did he have the zoomies, both before and after he pooped!!! It was soft.. no miralax for him!!

Artie ate at least 1/3 cup of food during the night. Honestly, I do not know when he eats this stuff; as he is constantly cuddled up to me. I have a feeling he gets down, around 3:30-4 AM to eat.

I think that litties are feeling the incoming spring, and more energy is flowing into them, bringing them back to younger years!
Pallina is also feeling better and more alert in these last days.

Thank Goodness there is not yet, a ban on plastic grocery bags!!

As from Jan 1st, over here they introduced a new tax on plastic grocery bags at the supermarkets!