Introducing Betty White

[tarasgirl06]

Well that didn’t take her long at all. I got this cat cave off Amazon last week. Delivered yesterday and only just unpacked an hour ago. I wasn’t even sure where to put it yet. So I put it on the ottoman behind me in the office. Betty came in, saw it, and decided that’s where she wants to spend her next nap. 🥱
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*That second one!!!* Awww,Betty, you're gonna love that for a long, long time!

 

[daftcat75]

Chin high sleeping position. That’s a zonked kitty.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Chin high sleeping position. That’s a zonked kitty.
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A Betty without a care in the world, safe, secure, comfy, and LOVED.

 

[daftcat75]

Betty loves this cave. She spends nearly all her afternoon in it. That's kind of nice because she's right behind me rather than hiding under a blanket in the front room.

I'm concerned the pred she was taking was helping her arthritis and that the dip in her dose has made her notice it more. Her walking seems more labored. But she's getting in and out of the cave alright. I don't want to change too much at once. I will continue this month at the reduced dose and look for her body to continue to adapt to the reduced amount of exogenous corticosteroids. Steroids are weaned slowly to allow the body to adjust and produce more of the same hormones itself to replace what's been taken away. She will continue to get her Dasuquin chews. This morning she seemed uninterested in either of them until I lightly coated each with just a wee bit of cake frosting. Probably not enough to add more than an extra calorie, but enough for her to eat them. Maybe she figured, "if he's coating it in cake frosting, it must be important that I eat it."

She's also taken to the Assisi Loop treatments. She doesn't seem to mind them like Krista did. At some point, Krista stopped liking them and would remove herself before the 15 minutes were up. This particular loop was taped to the underside of one of Krista's favorite trees in the hopes of trying to sneak a treatment while she was sleeping. Betty, on the other paw, I slipped the loop on her back half while she was napping in the cave. She briefly woke. I apologized for waking her. And she went back to sleep and slept through the treatment.

Next month, we'll see about changing her diet to make it less carby. But I don't want to change her diet and her pred at the same time and have her miserable and joyless. She enjoys the I/D. We'll figure something out there later.

I think I'm going to get her a Ripple Rug. Seeing as she likes to burrow, I think she'd enjoy that.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Betty loves this cave. She spends nearly all her afternoon in it. That's kind of nice because she's right behind me rather than hiding under a blanket in the front room.

I'm concerned the pred she was taking was helping her arthritis and that the dip in her dose has made her notice it more. Her walking seems more labored. But she's getting in and out of the cave alright. I don't want to change too much at once. I will continue this month at the reduced dose and look for her body to continue to adapt to the reduced amount of exogenous corticosteroids. Steroids are weaned slowly to allow the body to adjust and produce more of the same hormones itself to replace what's been taken away. She will continue to get her Dasuquin chews. This morning she seemed uninterested in either of them until I lightly coated each with just a wee bit of cake frosting. Probably not enough to add more than an extra calorie, but enough for her to eat them. Maybe she figured, "if he's coating it in cake frosting, it must be important that I eat it."

She's also taken to the Assisi Loop treatments. She doesn't seem to mind them like Krista did. At some point, Krista stopped liking them and would remove herself before the 15 minutes were up. This particular loop was taped to the underside of one of Krista's favorite trees in the hopes of trying to sneak a treatment while she was sleeping. Betty, on the other paw, I slipped the loop on her back half while she was napping in the cave. She briefly woke. I apologized for waking her. And she went back to sleep and slept through the treatment.

Next month, we'll see about changing her diet to make it less carby. But I don't want to change her diet and her pred at the same time and have her miserable and joyless. She enjoys the I/D. We'll figure something out there later.

I think I'm going to get her a Ripple Rug. Seeing as she likes to burrow, I think she'd enjoy that.

Sounds like a plan!
So glad Betty is amenable to the Loop. It sure helped Lil BUB
I've seen those and they get excellent reviews! *We want videos.*

 

[daftcat75]

Taking her evening Loop after a spirited play session. We went through the box of Krista’s old toys and she got mildly amused by a few of them including a bee on a flimsy wire. The wire was too flimsy and too long to be a good wand toy. But she did like the bee itself. So that’s one we’ll search for a replacement. She seemed like she wanted to play but I couldn’t find one to really spark her until of course the laser. She just loves it. I wish she could catch it and bite it. I even tried to leave a tripe treat at the end of a laser chase for her. But she was still more interested in the dot than the dud. I think that tripe treat was a dud because she didn’t even want it after the hunt. But she did get a rabbit bite. So the hunt was successful.

And now she takes a Loop treatment like electronic Ben Gay. She’ll get one more session later tonight while she snuggles with me in bed.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Taking her evening Loop after a spirited play session. We went through the box of Krista’s old toys and she got mildly amused by a few of them including a bee on a flimsy wire. The wire was too flimsy and too long to be a good wand toy. But she did like the bee itself. So that’s one we’ll search for a replacement. She seemed like she wanted to play but I couldn’t find one to really spark her until of course the laser. She just loves it. I wish she could catch it and bite it. I even tried to leave a tripe treat at the end of a laser chase for her. But she was still more interested in the dot than the dud. I think that tripe treat was a dud because she didn’t even want it after the hunt. But she did get a rabbit bite. So the hunt was successful.

And now she takes a Loop treatment like electronic Ben Gay. She’ll get one more session later tonight while she snuggles with me in bed.
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Betty looks quite blissed-out in that third pic!
We have a little bee catnip toy, but it's really old, so I don't remember where I got it.

 

[daftcat75]

Lunch time Loop.

“What’s this? Oh alright.”


Totally zonked. I’m not getting that Loop back until she wakes up again.


I sure hope it’s doing something for her. I mean it was doing nothing for nobody going unused this whole time. I sure hope if it does do something for her, that we can see that before this Loop runs out of charges. I think it would be a lot easier to ask my vet for another prescription knowing it’s working for her. I know her vet is pushing Solensia. And we’ll probably try that sooner than later. But I’m thinking we should see the pred weaning to its conclusion before adding another medicine.

The only play she seems to really be interested in is the laser pointer. I worry about her running back and forth across the apartment when she walks like everything hurts. But the laser sure does light her up. From tip to tail, she just looks like a healthier cat the minute she goes into hunt mode. And she doesn’t want to go easy either. She likes tearing across the room after it. I try to give her breaks to see if pain or age is going to catch up (like it would with me if I tore across the apartment once or twice .) But she’s having none of it. She looks at me like, “why did you stop?” I don’t think we’re playing enough to lose weight yet. But we’ll keep at it. If she plays with me twice a day, I’ll feel better about her spending the rest of her time eating and sleeping.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Lunch time Loop.

“What’s this? Oh alright.”
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Totally zonked. I’m not getting that Loop back until she wakes up again.
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I sure hope it’s doing something for her. I mean it was doing nothing for nobody going unused this whole time. I sure hope if it does do something for her, that we can see that before this Loop runs out of charges. I think it would be a lot easier to ask my vet for another prescription knowing it’s working for her. I know her vet is pushing Solensia. And we’ll probably try that sooner than later. But I’m thinking we should see the pred weaning to its conclusion before adding another medicine.

The only play she seems to really be interested in is the laser pointer. I worry about her running back and forth across the apartment when she walks like everything hurts. But the laser sure does light her up. From tip to tail, she just looks like a healthier cat the minute she goes into hunt mode. And she doesn’t want to go easy either. She likes tearing across the room after it. I try to give her breaks to see if pain or age is going to catch up (like it would with me if I tore across the apartment once or twice .) But she’s having none of it. She looks at me like, “why did you stop?” I don’t think we’re playing enough to lose weight yet. But we’ll keep at it. If she plays with me twice a day, I’ll feel better about her spending the rest of her time eating and sleeping.

What a great post, on every level! Seeing the huge change in Lil BUB after her dude got her a Loop is proof that they're amazing. And Betty choosing to tear across the room after the red dot? People with arthritis are encouraged to exercise, and move. So it can't be a bad thing for Betty to do that, can it? Keep up the great work (er, play)!

 

[daftcat75]

Within a margin of error. But I prefer to see this as a touch of weight loss. 11.10 vs 11.14 last week.

No pictures of Betty on it because we had a little technical difficulty. Couldn’t get a good reading the first time because the scale wasn’t all the way on the wood floor. Had to drag and plop her down for a second reading. She sat still just long enough for the scale to get a reading and then she popped off saying, “we did this already and I finished all the treats.”

One data point doesn’t make a trend. We’ll keep working on more activity. I don’t want to cut any more calories. I’m worried about nutritional deficiencies if I cut too many calories. I also think her metabolism is getting greedy under these conditions because she was weighing less with more calories.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Within a margin of error. But I prefer to see this as a touch of weight loss. 11.10 vs 11.14 last week.
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No pictures of Betty on it because we had a little technical difficulty. Couldn’t get a good reading the first time because the scale wasn’t all the way on the wood floor. Had to drag and plop her down for a second reading. She sat still just long enough for the scale to get a reading and then she popped off saying, “we did this already and I finished all the treats.”

One data point doesn’t make a trend. We’ll keep working on more activity. I don’t want to cut any more calories. I’m worried about nutritional deficiencies if I cut too many calories. I also think her metabolism is getting greedy under these conditions because she was weighing less with more calories.

*I can just see and even hear Betty saying that.*
But it's a good reading. And good on ya for that decision. It would be mine, too.

 

[daftcat75]

Did a toy transplant and created one Betty likes. While this is less than a minute, we probably played for 5 to 10 minutes. Several boil/simmer cycles. Today was a run day and I pooped out before her. ‍ After one of her boils, I did a snatch and replace and put away Da Bee while she put away a rabbit treat. It would seem I have to work up my conditioning to play with my cat.

Betty vs. Da Bee 🐝

• daftcat75
• Jun 18, 2023

Found the bee attachment to the toy we didn’t like is interchangeable with Da Bird. Meet Da Bee...

 

[artiemom]

so Cute! Yeah, Da Bee is a hit. Geoffrey loves it; to a point where he east the 'fuzz' off of it. I had to take it away from him. I found the 'fuzz' in his vomit... I have yet to find another wand toy, that can replace Da Bee... Geoffrey was a running, jumping machine when we played!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Go Betty! Go Betty! *Go Betty's dad!* She looks like she's really enjoying it.
artiemom Cindy, do you have the "regular" da Bird, with the feather lure? Elvis disembowels these if I let him have it for too long, so I have to wrangle it out from between his paws & jaws if I don't want to have to replace the lure every time. All the same, it IS his favorite toy and has been the favorite, paws down, of everyone in the furmily. Tried, tested, and cat-approved.

 

[daftcat75]

There’s a butterfly wire wand toy that Betty would love nothing more than to eat the butterfly off the wire. We don’t play with this one as much anymore. She didn’t care for Da Bird one lick. Krista absolutely loved Da Bird and would fly through the air herself to chase it. This and the rainbow fat shoelace. She loved them both so much that I had to keep them locked up or she would drag them across the apartment in her mouth with sad "play with me" sounds coming out of her. She would sit in front of the closet door that I kept them in to tell me when she wanted to play. Such a good kitty!

We ran out of charges on the Loop. I had hoped we would have another week to see a difference. But I noticed on her breakfast session that the Loop seemed to turn off early. I gave it two hours like they recommend and set it on my knee for a charge. Sure enough the thing turned off in less than five minutes. It’s supposed to be a 15 minute cycle. I ordered a new one and dropped my vet an email in case they call her for approval. I told her it was an easy adjunct therapy we could try while working the pred reduction without introducing new medicine. I hope she agrees with me. But I also feel like she really wants to move on to Adequan or Solensia.

Her practice has a new vet. I’m going to book a wellness plus lab work with the new vet next month so that she’ll have been seen and will be able to schedule with any of the three doctors at this practice. Plus I think her current doc has opinions on Betty’s care. And while I don’t disagree with most of them, I wouldn’t mind some fresh eyes on Betty. Maybe she can see or suggest something the other doc may have overlooked or dismissed. Sometimes vets get an impression of a pet and that’s the story they tell themselves every time they see that pet. It can blind them to other possibilities. That’s why it’s not bad to have second and third opinions. It also increases my options and comfort level of taking cancellation/alternate doctor appointments in the future.

 

[tarasgirl06]

There’s a butterfly wire wand toy that Betty would love nothing more than to eat the butterfly off the wire. We don’t play with this one as much anymore. She didn’t care for Da Bird one lick. Krista absolutely loved Da Bird and would fly through the air herself to chase it. This and the rainbow fat shoelace. She loved them both so much that I had to keep them locked up or she would drag them across the apartment in her mouth with sad "play with me" sounds coming out of her. She would sit in front of the closet door that I kept them in to tell me when she wanted to play. Such a good kitty!
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We ran out of charges on the Loop. I had hoped we would have another week to see a difference. But I noticed on her breakfast session that the Loop seemed to turn off early. I gave it two hours like they recommend and set it on my knee for a charge. Sure enough the thing turned off in less than five minutes. It’s supposed to be a 15 minute cycle. I ordered a new one and dropped my vet an email in case they call her for approval. I told her it was an easy adjunct therapy we could try while working the pred reduction without introducing new medicine. I hope she agrees with me. But I also feel like she really wants to move on to Adequan or Solensia.

Her practice has a new vet. I’m going to book a wellness plus lab work with the new vet next month so that she’ll have been seen and will be able to schedule with any of the three doctors at this practice. Plus I think her current doc has opinions on Betty’s care. And while I don’t disagree with most of them, I wouldn’t mind some fresh eyes on Betty. Maybe she can see or suggest something the other doc may have overlooked or dismissed. Sometimes vets get an impression of a pet and that’s the story they tell themselves every time they see that pet. It can blind them to other possibilities. That’s why it’s not bad to have second and third opinions. It also increases my options and comfort level of taking cancellation/alternate doctor appointments in the future.

Hoping they okay the Loop.
Yeah, the "fat rainbow shoelace" has always been a bit hit with the furmily, too. Betty may just be the only cat in Catdom who doesn't care about da Bird. We have a bunch of different wand-and-lure toys. Most of the lures are big, heavy things that would hurt if they hit, and I'm sure the makers just don't get cats and what they look for in prey. We have a bird (with chip "chirps). MEH. da Bird and Cat Dancer are the successes here.
Yes on all of your third paragraph! If everyone there has seen Betty, it's MUCH better for Betty. And we all know human-specific "healthcare" urges second opinions. Get the best that's out there! by all means. Betty is worth it!

 

[daftcat75]

Hoping they okay the Loop.
Yeah, the "fat rainbow shoelace" has always been a bit hit with the furmily, too. Betty may just be the only cat in Catdom who doesn't care about da Bird. We have a bunch of different wand-and-lure toys. Most of the lures are big, heavy things that would hurt if they hit, and I'm sure the makers just don't get cats and what they look for in prey. We have a bird (with chip "chirps). MEH. da Bird and Cat Dancer are the successes here.
Yes on all of your third paragraph! If everyone there has seen Betty, it's MUCH better for Betty. And we all know human-specific "healthcare" urges second opinions. Get the best that's out there! by all means. Betty is worth it!

Betty seems to like ground prey or bugs over birds. This would track well with her ground kitty nature. I don't think I will ever find Betty on the top of the fridge.

Doc got my message already and said that she would approve the Loop if they contact her for approval. But I also got an email from Assisi saying they're getting my order ready to ship. Sure enough, though, the doc asked me again about Solensia. I told her, "I don't want to mix pred weaning with Solensia. If she has trouble with either, which was it?" I also reminded her that I want to try more conservative options first. Because really, if insurance doesn't cover this, I can't afford monthly Solensia for Betty. And even if insurance covers it, I'm signing her up for monthly visits for the rest of her life. If she's as young as the shelter thinks she is, that's a long time to be taking her down monthly. No, there's plenty of things we could be trying before then. Weight loss for sure! More activity, give the Dasuquin more time. The Loop. Changing her diet to something less carby (less inflammatory?). Holistic vet... and ? I see Solensia as a last resort because I don't think we'll be able to stop it once we start it. I'd hate to tell Betty, "sorry. I know those were helping, but I just can't keep doing them because..." (cost, time, hassle, etc...) Hoping the new doc has some good ideas, especially on weight loss.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Betty seems to like ground prey or bugs over birds. This would track well with her ground kitty nature. I don't think I will ever find Betty on the top of the fridge.

Doc got my message already and said that she would approve the Loop if they contact her for approval. But I also got an email from Assisi saying they're getting my order ready to ship. Sure enough, though, the doc asked me again about Solensia. I told her, "I don't want to mix pred weaning with Solensia. If she has trouble with either, which was it?" I also reminded her that I want to try more conservative options first. Because really, if insurance doesn't cover this, I can't afford monthly Solensia for Betty. And even if insurance covers it, I'm signing her up for monthly visits for the rest of her life. If she's as young as the shelter thinks she is, that's a long time to be taking her down monthly. No, there's plenty of things we could be trying before then. Weight loss for sure! More activity, give the Dasuquin more time. The Loop. Changing her diet to something less carby (less inflammatory?). Holistic vet... and ? I see Solensia as a last resort because I don't think we'll be able to stop it once we start it. I'd hate to tell Betty, "sorry. I know those were helping, but I just can't keep doing them because..." (cost, time, hassle, etc...) Hoping the new doc has some good ideas, especially on weight loss.

Agree 100%. The Loop really helps. Whether or not it really helps Betty is still to be determined, but I'd opt for it before any of those alternatives. Losing a little weight wouldn't hurt, of course; and a related dietary change, if Betty-approved, likewise. Only if she adapts and likes. Eating is such a pleasure for (most? a lot of?) cats...

 

[daftcat75]

Speaking of eating as a pleasure, we got new cases of her I/D and she’s thrilled. These seem to have more chicken and more gravy and not as much rice.

I saw the Vancouver Vet (“squish the cat!”) clip Mr Pirate’s nails with a human nail trimmer. I like that. Much easier to use than those guillotine-style that my old programmer's eyes have trouble threading the claw into the hole. I used one of the bigger toe trimmers and still had to wear jewelers glasses for the headlamp. I managed to clip three claws on each of her front paws. I don't think the dew claw was one of the three on either paw. And she was gently, but firmly saying "no thank you" to all back paw attempts. It's probably because I didn't squish her. I'm trying to ease her into nail trimmings so we don't have to resort to tag team wrestling matches. (I'm thinking of asking my sitter to come over and help with either the holding or the clipping if we have to resort to a team effort.) I set the clippers down for Betty to inspect each time she started to get worked up. I also vigorously fussed her stress sheddies off of her with each of those breaks. "Here. Inspect the metal monster while I get your stress fuzzies off." Six claws from two paws? That was worth a treat! That also bought me extra time before her dinner because she was ready to go an hour early.

And yes, she's finishing her new case portions in one go while this case is still new. We'll see how it goes when this case is several days old. It's the same food. It's the same batch. But the last few cans in the case are never taken up quite as eagerly as the first few cans.

 

[daftcat75]

Update: I got one or two more claws clipped on the front and three on one of her back feet. She wasn’t having the other foot. But just clipping the tips has made all the difference tonight. She sat in my lap without the biscuit protection.