Been out of town all weekend and when we got home and checked on all the cats, I realized that it was a year ago today we took in these four elders after their mom/our friend died very suddenly.
Here's our story:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/256431/a-lot-of-kitties-from-monterey
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/266917/catio-unveiled
http://www.thecatsite.com/g/a/148879/inherited-kitties/
After a crazy and frustrating year of trial and error with food, meds, integrating with our resident cats, getting to know them, we're working it out and they've become part of the family.
Travis is doing well for his age. He'll be 18 in June. He has kidney disease but is stable, it hasn't progressed in a year. He has had issues with peeing/pooping outside the box (probably a combo of dementia, arthritis and kidney issues) but we're now using Dr. Elsey's litter with pretty good success and his vet just told us yesterday in fact that his blood work is "fabulous" for a guy his age. Travis has integrated with our cats and has made himself at home here.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/271813/our-old-boy-travie
Jake is next. He's probably the toughest--he's 14, has IBD, has gone deaf and has 'anger management' issues with our resident cats. We've got the IBD under fairly good control, he (and we) are getting used to his deafness, and we've resigned ourselves to the fact that he probably will never integrate with our kitties. He lives permanently in the cat room and catio, with frequent visits to me in the bedroom for brushing, snuggling and sleepovers (with resident cats shut out) about once a week. It works for us all.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272804/happy-birthday-jake
Hannah joins Jake. She was not able to integrate with our cats, is nervous and a loner. Thankfully she and Jake are friends. She lives mostly in the cat room and catio with him and they are great company for each other, hanging out and grooming each other. We let her out in the house sometimes for supervised visits but she's not happy with our cats and the feeling is mutual. She's almost 11 and very healthy so far.
Molly's the last of them, also almost 11. She's an all white cat with one green and one blue eye. She unfortunately has FHV and IBD. We have the IBD fairly well under control, too, and the herpes eye problems are pretty well controlled with lactoferrin and lysine (something I found out about after joining this forum to get support after adopting these old ill kitties!!) She has also integrated with our cats and is out often in the house with Travis, Zoe, Rico and Ozzy.
So--taking these fur babies has changed our lives drastically. Lots of changes, lots to learn, lots of adapting--for both hubby and I, and for our resident cats (and of course for the newbies whose lives were shaken up forever when their 'mom' died and they came to live with us). Difficult as some of it has been, I'll never regret taking them in and keeping our promise to our friend.
Here's the tribe. Skittles is my first kitty, soul mate and only child who died a little over four years ago. Zoe, Rico and Ozzy are our resident cats, we call them the "Three Amigos". They've been with us four years now. Travis, Jake, Hannah and Molly are the 'newbies', with us for one year today.
Here's our story:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/256431/a-lot-of-kitties-from-monterey
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/266917/catio-unveiled
http://www.thecatsite.com/g/a/148879/inherited-kitties/
After a crazy and frustrating year of trial and error with food, meds, integrating with our resident cats, getting to know them, we're working it out and they've become part of the family.
Travis is doing well for his age. He'll be 18 in June. He has kidney disease but is stable, it hasn't progressed in a year. He has had issues with peeing/pooping outside the box (probably a combo of dementia, arthritis and kidney issues) but we're now using Dr. Elsey's litter with pretty good success and his vet just told us yesterday in fact that his blood work is "fabulous" for a guy his age. Travis has integrated with our cats and has made himself at home here.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/271813/our-old-boy-travie
Jake is next. He's probably the toughest--he's 14, has IBD, has gone deaf and has 'anger management' issues with our resident cats. We've got the IBD under fairly good control, he (and we) are getting used to his deafness, and we've resigned ourselves to the fact that he probably will never integrate with our kitties. He lives permanently in the cat room and catio, with frequent visits to me in the bedroom for brushing, snuggling and sleepovers (with resident cats shut out) about once a week. It works for us all.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272804/happy-birthday-jake
Hannah joins Jake. She was not able to integrate with our cats, is nervous and a loner. Thankfully she and Jake are friends. She lives mostly in the cat room and catio with him and they are great company for each other, hanging out and grooming each other. We let her out in the house sometimes for supervised visits but she's not happy with our cats and the feeling is mutual. She's almost 11 and very healthy so far.
Molly's the last of them, also almost 11. She's an all white cat with one green and one blue eye. She unfortunately has FHV and IBD. We have the IBD fairly well under control, too, and the herpes eye problems are pretty well controlled with lactoferrin and lysine (something I found out about after joining this forum to get support after adopting these old ill kitties!!) She has also integrated with our cats and is out often in the house with Travis, Zoe, Rico and Ozzy.
So--taking these fur babies has changed our lives drastically. Lots of changes, lots to learn, lots of adapting--for both hubby and I, and for our resident cats (and of course for the newbies whose lives were shaken up forever when their 'mom' died and they came to live with us). Difficult as some of it has been, I'll never regret taking them in and keeping our promise to our friend.
Here's the tribe. Skittles is my first kitty, soul mate and only child who died a little over four years ago. Zoe, Rico and Ozzy are our resident cats, we call them the "Three Amigos". They've been with us four years now. Travis, Jake, Hannah and Molly are the 'newbies', with us for one year today.
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