Introducing Betty White

[tarasgirl06]

Weird! I guess she never returned for third pass. Still. It wasn’t a large remainder. And she can certainly afford the occasional remainder.

I might spend tomorrow binge watching Hulu that I canceled and will lose service next week. Or watching baseball. I hope Betty day eats okay with me around and not sleeping or in the office.

Her head shaking is pretty bad tonight. I really want to know what that’s about. She doesn’t itch like I would expect from a food allergy or an infection. Seems almost like a tic now. Or maybe she just knows that whatever it is, sticking her foot in her ear won’t help.

Can you see/smell anything in Betty's ear? That is weird. It's happened occasionally here and I use Xymox or Petco ear cleaner for cats--they usually clear it up right away. I know you need to know the cause, but I'm just putting that out there again, in case.
Yeah, a girl ALWAYS has the right to change her mind
Hope whichever you choose makes for a good Sunday for you and Betty!

 

[artiemom]

Weird! I guess she never returned for third pass. Still. It wasn’t a large remainder. And she can certainly afford the occasional remainder.

I might spend tomorrow binge watching Hulu that I canceled and will lose service next week. Or watching baseball. I hope Betty day eats okay with me around and not sleeping or in the office.

Her head shaking is pretty bad tonight. I really want to know what that’s about. She doesn’t itch like I would expect from a food allergy or an infection. Seems almost like a tic now. Or maybe she just knows that whatever it is, sticking her foot in her ear won’t help.

It may just be a habit?? Does she constantly want you to scratch/rub her ear? Are you able to take a good look inside her ear? With Artie and Geoffrey, I periodically clean out their outer ears with a Q-tip.. very gently.. Sometimes there is a lot of gunk in there. Now that I am alternating the mirtz and cleaning the previous stuff out, with a wet disposable make-up pan, (drying it with a dry one), I do not see as much wax in there. But Geoffrey still scratches his ears.

As for Driving! Dam Aggressive Drivers! They are increasing. I have, for at least 30 years, driven back and forth into Boston. You do have to become a Boston Driver. It is harrowing. If you leave just a bit of space between you and the car in front--as you are supposed to do, for safety; someone will cut you off. It never fails. You can always tell, when in traffic, who is a Boson Driver, and who is not. It is getting ridiculous. And passing!! OMG>. I am not a fan of passing; but sometimes it is necessary. I try to get enough space to pass, butyl then the driver behind me is on my tail.. I hate it..

Sometimes, I get confused, and get into a Boston Driver mode, in the burbs. I have to keep telling myself that I cannot do it.. It is ridiculous..

Anticipating Betty's weigh-in

 

[tarasgirl06]

Right you are, Cindy artiemom . Cats' ears are even more difficult to keep clean than ours, due to their construction; and though cats are VERY clean beings, helping them out by cleaning their ears from time to time can't hurt. Along with brushing and claw-clipping, it's pretty much essential.

 

[daftcat75]

She has waited this long on her ears. She can wait a little longer. When I get her teeth done, I’ll ask for ears. And claws. She’s super stubborn about her claws and I just haven’t flipped her in my lap and get ‘er done yet. I am able to clip a claw now and then. But nothing like a regular practice yet. I’m kinda nervous that when I was giving her Mirataz that either I didn’t clean her ears properly or clean them enough. So before I try to DIY, I’d like the pro to get in there. I don’t want to start putting things in her ears if it’s not actually her ears. And sometimes I still think it’s her teeth. When she bumps my face, she’ll often shake her head after. That could be why she doesn’t stick a foot in her ear. Best to let the doc evaluate both before I start treating the wrong thing on my own.

Weigh-in. Still gaining. I wanted some insurance weight. This is enough. Time to stop gaining already, please.

Thats 10.38. Last week was 10.30.

 

[tarasgirl06]

She has waited this long on her ears. She can wait a little longer. When I get her teeth done, I’ll ask for ears. And claws. She’s super stubborn about her claws and I just haven’t flipped her in my lap and get ‘er done yet. I am able to clip a claw now and then. But nothing like a regular practice yet. I’m kinda nervous that when I was giving her Mirataz that either I didn’t clean her ears properly or clean them enough. So before I try to DIY, I’d like the pro to get in there. I don’t want to start putting things in her ears if it’s not actually her ears. And sometimes I still think it’s her teeth. When she bumps my face, she’ll often shake her head after. That could be why she doesn’t stick a foot in her ear. Best to let the doc evaluate both before I start treating the wrong thing on my own.

Weigh-in. Still gaining. I wanted some insurance weight. This is enough. Time to stop gaining already, please.
View attachment 434061
Thats 10.38. Last week was 10.30.

The cleaning I do is just routine maintenance, like we do with our own ears, not because we have a problem with them, but because it's just basic hygiene. But you gotta go with what you know, I understand.
Wow! 10.38! A nice weight for a Betty cat.

 

[daftcat75]

The cleaning I do is just routine maintenance, like we do with our own ears, not because we have a problem with them, but because it's just basic hygiene. But you gotta go with what you know, I understand.
Wow! 10.38! A nice weight for a Betty cat.

Let's stop rooting for my cat's possible oncoming obesity. I'm not sure this is a good weight for her. It's not going where I would want it. Her arms and rib bones are still very palpable. It really makes me wonder where this weight is going. This is enough. I don't think this weight gain is natural or healthy. It will be chief among the concerns I bring up with the doc when I speak to her next week.

I'm guessing that pred, her gut bacteria imbalance (one of the strains she's got a lot of is associated with obesity), and the high carbs in her diet that are behind her weight gain. Of course I want to rule out more nefarious reasons before I start messing with her pred or her diet again.

I'm just going to wait for the vet to get a peek in her head first before I start poking around. I'm still not convinced it's her ears that are really the trouble.

 

[daftcat75]

She waited very late this afternoon to finish her lunch. I don’t know what the remainder size was. I only know there was a remainder at 4 when I checked the camera. And when I came home at 5:15, that remainder was gone. She was sitting next to the mirror like she does after finishing a portion. So it’s possible that she finished lunch just before I came home and started dinner. Whatever the case, she did a sniff and walk away on dinner after she took her meds. I decided to feed her just a few carpet morsels to walk the line of I want her taking her meds with food and I don’t know how much lunch she just finished and how recent that was. I weighed the plate in progress after her three carpet mounds. She ate 12 grams. I’ll take it. She has plenty of time to come around. Except she’s already done another sniff and pass. I’m not sure if there’s something wrong with this plate or if she is simply testing her appetite and deciding it’s not quite that hot yet. She still has plenty of time to make a second pass. And she has plenty of fluff to leave a remainder if she wants to.

 

[artiemom]

Let's stop rooting for my cat's possible oncoming obesity. I'm not sure this is a good weight for her. It's not going where I would want it. Her arms and rib bones are still very palpable. It really makes me wonder where this weight is going. This is enough. I don't think this weight gain is natural or healthy. It will be chief among the concerns I bring up with the doc when I speak to her next week.

I'm guessing that pred, her gut bacteria imbalance (one of the strains she's got a lot of is associated with obesity), and the high carbs in her diet that are behind her weight gain. Of course I want to rule out more nefarious reasons before I start messing with her pred or her diet again.

I'm just going to wait for the vet to get a peek in her head first before I start poking around. I'm still not convinced it's her ears that are really the trouble.

Not rooting for obesity, not at all. It is good to see her gaining a bit of weight. But, You are there, you see Betty 24/7. You know what is good for her and what is not.

I kind of do the same with Geoffrey. I can tell by picking him up, if he is putting on weight or not. I am sure you can too.
It is kind of disturbing when he gets heavy. I am wary of diabetes kicking in. When he loses 1/2 lb or 7 oz, I can tell. I can feel his spine and he feels so much lighter. I like Geoffrey to be no less than 12.5 lbs. That seems to be a good weight for him. When he gets into 13.2 lbs-- is when I worry. Geoffrey is a very big boy.. Lying, stretched out on my lap, he extends from my hips, to my ankles with legs under him; and I am 5' 7".

BTW, Which bacteria strain is associated with obesity? I guess I missed that..

Just hang in there until you talk with your Vet.

 

[tarasgirl06]

artiemom Geoffrey is a long, tall tabby! Elvis is pretty much like that, too; and using the looking-from-above cat physique chart, he's just about perfect, especially for 15!
daftcat75 As Cindy said, not wanting Betty to be obese! Not at all! But she looks very healthy and well. I'm guessing the pred has a role. But time and her care team will tell.

 

[daftcat75]

Regular vet isn’t in office until Wednesday. That’s when I’ll be expecting her call to discuss the next steps in Betty’s treatment plan.

She got a little behind yesterday on finishing her lunch which just put the rest of her meals a remainder behind. She barely touched the feeder and ended yesterday around 165 calories. (She had a bonus rabbit treat for her weigh-in.)

Today she had a weak showing at breakfast. But a few carpet morsels got her to acceptable. She did finish breakfast before lunch. First pass on lunch was a little weak. She seemed well on her way to finishing lunch on second pass. But I came into the room while she was finishing up and she decided she was done and wanted fuss from me instead. 8 gram remainder. I’m (a little) okay with her leaving remainders as long as she isn’t leaving too much. I don’t mind benchmarking her weight gain against a new calorie level as long as her reduction isn’t alarming/unhealthy.

First pass on dinner was respectable.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Regular vet isn’t in office until Wednesday. That’s when I’ll be expecting her call to discuss the next steps in Betty’s treatment plan.

She got a little behind yesterday on finishing her lunch which just put the rest of her meals a remainder behind. She barely touched the feeder and ended yesterday around 165 calories. (She had a bonus rabbit treat for her weigh-in.)

Today she had a weak showing at breakfast. But a few carpet morsels got her to acceptable. She did finish breakfast before lunch. First pass on lunch was a little weak. She seemed well on her way to finishing lunch on second pass. But I came into the room while she was finishing up and she decided she was done and wanted fuss from me instead. 8 gram remainder. I’m (a little) okay with her leaving remainders as long as she isn’t leaving too much. I don’t mind benchmarking her weight gain against a new calorie level as long as her reduction isn’t alarming/unhealthy.

First pass on dinner was respectable.

Elvis sometimes leaves his food for a fuss, too. Clearly, cats are aloof and lacking in affection
Yes, 165 isn't too shabby at all.
*To Wednesday!*

 

[daftcat75]

She left a lunch remainder and she left a remainder on second dinner without touching the feeder. All those remainders added up and she came in at 150 calories. I’m trying to simply let her be and see where all this gets us. It will be worrying if she still gains weight despite voluntarily reducing her calories. But for now, as long as the reduction isn’t severe, let’s see where she wants to settle and if that’s sustainable. I certainly don’t need to put any more weight on her.

 

[tarasgirl06]

She left a lunch remainder and she left a remainder on second dinner without touching the feeder. All those remainders added up and she came in at 150 calories. I’m trying to simply let her be and see where all this gets us. It will be worrying if she still gains weight despite voluntarily reducing her calories. But for now, as long as the reduction isn’t severe, let’s see where she wants to settle and if that’s sustainable. I certainly don’t need to put any more weight on her.

True. It'd be great to know the cause, and also to know the sweet spot for her -- what she wants, what she'll eat and finish every time, to maintain a good weight and body condition. *CATS.*

 

[daftcat75]

True. It'd be great to know the cause, and also to know the sweet spot for her -- what she wants, what she'll eat and finish every time, to maintain a good weight and body condition. *CATS.*

That’s it right there. I thought I had already determined that 170-175 was a sweet spot. Maybe I got some Jewish mother genetics in me that I always want her eating more even when the journal says she shouldn’t. Perhaps I should welcome remainders as she is telling me how much she wants to eat. As long as the reduction isn’t too severe, it should be good info. And her appetite remains strong even if her average pass size has gone down. Weak appetite is the symptom that keeps coming up over and over again for more nefarious reasons for weight gain. I’ll just stop speculating about those and wait for the doc call and next steps.

 

[tarasgirl06]

That’s it right there. I thought I had already determined that 170-175 was a sweet spot. Maybe I got some Jewish mother genetics in me that I always want her eating more even when the journal says she shouldn’t. Perhaps I should welcome remainders as she is telling me how much she wants to eat. As long as the reduction isn’t too severe, it should be good info. And her appetite remains strong even if her average pass size has gone down. Weak appetite is the symptom that keeps coming up over and over again for more nefarious reasons for weight gain. I’ll just stop speculating about those and wait for the doc call and next steps.

Yeah. There's an algebraic formula here somewhere -- just gotta find it, if that's possible in these times. *Chicken soup not part of it, we know.*

 

[tarasgirl06]

Wondering how you and Ms. Betty are doing this morning. Hoping the answer is "very well" for both.

 

[daftcat75]

Wondering how you and Ms. Betty are doing this morning. Hoping the answer is "very well" for both.

I got my car into the shop for the cat converter replacement. It bothers me that the quoted service bill is twice what Google is telling me it should cost. I haven't seen the itemized work order. Or rather I was too bleary-eyed when I dropped her off this morning that I signed it without reviewing it. But I trust this shop. They've done good work for me in the past. And I know inflation and supply chain and expensive zip code and all that.

I just plugged in for a rental car quote for the week that I estimate my car will be in the body shop. It starts at $90/day for the teeny tiny cars. I don't know what the other driver's rental car benefit. But anything less than 100% and I am passing. I'm still very much inclined to pass on it altogether.

Betty finished all her plates yesterday but passed on the feeder for a final score of 165 calories. She had a very spirited poop zooms yesterday. I call it her daily release party. Writers, musicians, and other artists have release parties. Why can't she? I also got her to play like a kitten for all of a minute yesterday chasing the laser pointer. It's something we can work on. I think exercise would be good for her joints, for her mental stimulation, and for weight control.

One thing that dawned on me that might be behind her recent spate remainders is that we finished off the old formula of the GMP and started the new bottle. Somehow the new bottle is twice as strong as the old one because the dose is already in size four capsules and it's one size four for the same amount of s. boulardii that she was getting in two size fours (one size three) with the old bottle. I wrote them twice about this asking, "so you really did make these twice as strong and I only have to give her one now?" The old formula is not coming back. And besides, the rep I spoke with said she should only be on this stuff for two months because there is a concern that the bacteriophage ingredient would lose efficacy if used continuously for longer than that. I told her I would order another test with the next paycheck (Friday) and continue giving her the correct dose (since she was getting only a half dose for most of this time) until the report comes back. Rep agreed that this was a prudent course.

Waiting on doc callback tonight. She's in surgery during the day. It will likely be an evening call.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I got my car into the shop for the cat converter replacement. It bothers me that the quoted service bill is twice what Google is telling me it should cost. I haven't seen the itemized work order. Or rather I was too bleary-eyed when I dropped her off this morning that I signed it without reviewing it. But I trust this shop. They've done good work for me in the past. And I know inflation and supply chain and expensive zip code and all that.

I just plugged in for a rental car quote for the week that I estimate my car will be in the body shop. It starts at $90/day for the teeny tiny cars. I don't know what the other driver's rental car benefit. But anything less than 100% and I am passing. I'm still very much inclined to pass on it altogether.

Betty finished all her plates yesterday but passed on the feeder for a final score of 165 calories. She had a very spirited poop zooms yesterday. I call it her daily release party. Writers, musicians, and other artists have release parties. Why can't she? I also got her to play like a kitten for all of a minute yesterday chasing the laser pointer. It's something we can work on. I think exercise would be good for her joints, for her mental stimulation, and for weight control.

One thing that dawned on me that might be behind her recent spate remainders is that we finished off the old formula of the GMP and started the new bottle. Somehow the new bottle is twice as strong as the old one because the dose is already in size four capsules and it's one size four for the same amount of s. boulardii that she was getting in two size fours (one size three) with the old bottle. I wrote them twice about this asking, "so you really did make these twice as strong and I only have to give her one now?" The old formula is not coming back. And besides, the rep I spoke with said she should only be on this stuff for two months because there is a concern that the bacteriophage ingredient would lose efficacy if used continuously for longer than that. I told her I would order another test with the next paycheck (Friday) and continue giving her the correct dose (since she was getting only a half dose for most of this time) until the report comes back. Rep agreed that this was a prudent course.

Waiting on doc callback tonight. She's in surgery during the day. It will likely be an evening call.

Don't even get me started on prices/inflation/supply-chain/etc. Just know that I empathize bigtime and am outraged. Maybe you can talk/deal with them since you're a good customer and you trust them? *expensive zip code* resounds loudly here, too. Like everyone living in a particular zip code is rich/can absorb these insane increases. Sure. It keeps me awake most nights.
*Release parties* definitely! Hoping Ms. Betty continues to love/chase the elusive red dot.
Likewise on the GMP. Eeeeh!

 

[daftcat75]

Alright. Got the car back and the invoice.

The cat converter was $1500. I looked up the part number and this is GM’s price. I could have saved some money going through GM Parts Direct. But they would charge me a deposit on my old cat. I would probably lose that savings shipping a cat converter back to GM for my deposit. The savings for buying the part from GM Parts Direct is less than that deposit. I don’t know how much it would cost me to ship a cat converter, but all the savings would probably be lost on that alone.

The rest of the bill is $180 for labor. Reasonable here. $230 for two oxygen sensors. Okay. $40 for a couple of gaskets. If you say so. And the rest was my oil change. Total bill was on par with what I expect to pay for Betty’s dental.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Alright. Got the car back and the invoice.

The cat converter was $1500. I looked up the part number and this is GM’s price. I could have saved some money going through GM Parts Direct. But they would charge me a deposit on my old cat. I would probably lose that savings shipping a cat converter back to GM for my deposit. The savings for buying the part from GM Parts Direct is less than that deposit. I don’t know how much it would cost me to ship a cat converter, but all the savings would probably be lost on that alone.

The rest of the bill is $180 for labor. Reasonable here. $230 for two oxygen sensors. Okay. $40 for a couple of gaskets. If you say so. And the rest was my oil change. Total bill was on par with what I expect to pay for Betty’s dental.

*OUCH*