Introducing Betty White

[daftcat75]

Double boo!

There it went. She was swallowing and licking her lips. I know that move all too well. Then she jumped down and started wailing. A couple of treats and a couple of kibbles came back up. And with that I took up her uneaten dinner. We can try again with a half portion in an hour or two.

 

[daftcat75]

I served a 2/3 portion at 10 pm and by 10:30 she finally visited it and finished it in one pass. I told her if she keeps it down, I’ll put out another portion later tonight. I already have one prepared. It’s mostly just waking up for it. I suppose for tonight only, I could set an alarm. Though I kinda feel like my bladder already does that for me. she briefly considered laying with me while I watch the first baseball of the spring. But then she went to her office cave instead. I’m okay with that. I would just be hyperfocused on every lick lip, swallow, and burp. I’d rather she figure all that out for herself and not have helicopter dad hovering too close tonight.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I served a 2/3 portion at 10 pm and by 10:30 she finally visited it and finished it in one pass. I told her if she keeps it down, I’ll put out another portion later tonight. I already have one prepared. It’s mostly just waking up for it. I suppose for tonight only, I could set an alarm. Though I kinda feel like my bladder already does that for me. she briefly considered laying with me while I watch the first baseball of the spring. But then she went to her office cave instead. I’m okay with that. I would just be hyperfocused on every lick lip, swallow, and burp. I’d rather she figure all that out for herself and not have helicopter dad hovering too close tonight.

That face is undoubtedly the Fried Day face
Hoping Betty is keeping her latest gushyfudz right where they should be -- "in the cat!"
Yeah, I know the feeling. With insomnia AND narcolepsy (the former when all good people are sleeping, and the latter at the end of almost all TV programs between 9 and 11) I wish I could avail myself of some natural soporifics, but that's not possible.
May Betty enjoy her "another portion later tonight" if she hasn't already.

 

[daftcat75]

I set an alarm for 1:30 am. Sure enough, I woke up without the alarm at 1 am. Dinner plate was so sparkling, I could have re-served on it. But I took it up and washed it. Sure enough, the sound of washing summoned my furry "Weeping Angel". (Weeping Angels are villians on the Dr. Who TV show. They are stone statues that move impossibly fast when they aren't looked at but are stone when they are seen. Weeping Angels can cross the span of a room and appear silently in front of you in the time it takes to blink. My furry Weeping Angel can be asleep in the office one moment and sitting right at the edge of the kitchen in the next, like she's always been there, and you'll never hear her coming!) I told her that if there were no new puddles or piles, she would get another portion. So I had to check. Not wanting to ruin either of our night vision's, I used the UV flashlight. My carpet is disgusting under UV light. I'm not sure how well those enzyme cleaners work after all. But no new puddles or piles and so she got an extra half serving. I set it down for her. But really, she was just interested in bedding down with me. So back to bed for second sleep and she spent a good portion of that nooked into my arm and chest. Around 4:15 is when I finally hear her nom'ing on that bonus portion. Her breakfast alarm goes off at 4:45. At least I won't have to worry about the length of time between her last meal and when she finally starts in on breakfast. No bouncing doses at breakfast. We curled up together for third sleep. And finally around 8:00am, she got up for first (and only) pass on breakfast. Hopefully all the drama of this week is now behind us. No more eruptions this month, please!

 

[tarasgirl06]

I set an alarm for 1:30 am. Sure enough, I woke up without the alarm at 1 am. Dinner plate was so sparkling, I could have re-served on it. But I took it up and washed it. Sure enough, the sound of washing summoned my furry "Weeping Angel". (Weeping Angels are villians on the Dr. Who TV show. They are stone statues that move impossibly fast when they aren't looked at but are stone when they are seen. Weeping Angels can cross the span of a room and appear silently in front of you in the time it takes to blink. My furry Weeping Angel can be asleep in the office one moment and sitting right at the edge of the kitchen in the next, like she's always been there, and you'll never hear her coming!) I told her that if there were no new puddles or piles, she would get another portion. So I had to check. Not wanting to ruin either of our night vision's, I used the UV flashlight. My carpet is disgusting under UV light. I'm not sure how well those enzyme cleaners work after all. But no new puddles or piles and so she got an extra half serving. I set it down for her. But really, she was just interested in bedding down with me. So back to bed for second sleep and she spent a good portion of that nooked into my arm and chest. Around 4:15 is when I finally hear her nom'ing on that bonus portion. Her breakfast alarm goes off at 4:45. At least I won't have to worry about the length of time between her last meal and when she finally starts in on breakfast. No bouncing doses at breakfast. We curled up together for third sleep. And finally around 8:00am, she got up for first (and only) pass on breakfast. Hopefully all the drama of this week is now behind us. No more eruptions this month, please!

Bravo, Betty!
SOAK it. Soak the carpet. We won't talk about my carpet, which I kept when I moved in even though it is ancient and massively stained from who-know-what-all. Having gotten it all professionally cleaned, it was good enough for me, moving with my furmily of 9. And I don't ever have to obsess on anyone doing anything on, or to, it. It's comfortable. It dampens noise. That's all I ask of it.
So, on to baseball and taproom, yes?

 

[daftcat75]

9.84 is stable. But makes me wonder if she would have put in a gain if it weren’t for all her spits this week.

 

[tarasgirl06]

9.84 is stable. But makes me wonder if she would have put in a gain if it weren’t for all her spits this week.
View attachment 471330View attachment 471331View attachment 471332

Ms. Betty has something to say about that! Could it be, "Don't worry, Dad. It is what it is. And I'm doing quite well, actually. Thriving, you might say. My coat is lustrous, my eyes are bright, and I'm happy to be enjoying this SUNday."
It might be something like that, don't you think?

 

[daftcat75]

Gah! Another bouncing dose. I hope she got enough because I got plenty blown back in my face. I’m guessing it’s a sometimes side effect of having the crushed ondansetron in it and that the egress is not always smooth and unobstructed. Also, I’m hoping she’s done gaining weight. She’s a bit of a chunky floof when I have to lift her from under the chair and carry her into the office. I do her dose in the office because it’s easier to turn up the lighting there without being too bright like the kitchen or too dark like the front room. And she deserves carpet to dig her claws into. She’s being remarkably easy to dose. If we can figure out the bouncing doses…

 

[tarasgirl06]

Gah! Another bouncing dose. I hope she got enough because I got plenty blown back in my face. I’m guessing it’s a sometimes side effect of having the crushed ondansetron in it and that the egress is not always smooth and unobstructed. Also, I’m hoping she’s done gaining weight. She’s a bit of a chunky floof when I have to lift her from under the chair and carry her into the office. I do her dose in the office because it’s easier to turn up the lighting there without being too bright like the kitchen or too dark like the front room. And she deserves carpet to dig her claws into. She’s being remarkably easy to dose. If we can figure out the bouncing doses…

The urge to regurge Poor Betty!
Maybe you're just making it too pleasant for her to get her meds?

 

[daftcat75]

The urge to regurge Poor Betty!
Maybe you're just making it too pleasant for her to get her meds?

She just had breakfast and it stayed down. So far.

When I talk about a bouncing dose, I mean I pushed the plunger on the syringe with it in her mouth, but somehow the liquid blew back and splashed onto me—this time just above my eye. I almost wanted to re-dose her. But there was no way of knowing how much she got. She still pouted and did the foul mouth. So she got some. And breakfast is already gone on the first pass. So it seems she got enough. For now. She can tolerate a lighter lunch if she’s getting less relief today. She’s got reserve floof for days!

She really is easy to dose. It’s the reason I haven’t gone further with compounding. Yes I’d love it if she would take her own again. But I’m guess gabapentin will always taste foul. Even with double or triple chicken flavoring. The hardest part of dosing her is usually getting her into the office or getting her out of the office cave. I can pick her up and carry her to the office. I usually like to allow her her own autonomy. But sometimes it just takes to long to herd her into the office. Getting her out of her office cave is another story. I can have simply reached in and wiggled her out. But mostly I like to just chill on the floor, maybe do some stretching, and see if I can’t tempt her out. Once she’s in the office, she doesn’t move that fast (except at zoom times.) It’s pretty easy to grab her, squish her down (squish that cat!), give her a good massage, and then tip the head back, “pop a smile, crocodile”, tap the syringe tip to her teeth until she opens up, and then usually I get that syringe another inch or two into her mouth before popping it. I wonder if it’s bouncing off the roof of her mouth….?

 

[tarasgirl06]

She just had breakfast and it stayed down. So far.

When I talk about a bouncing dose, I mean I pushed the plunger on the syringe with it in her mouth, but somehow the liquid blew back and splashed onto me—this time just above my eye. I almost wanted to re-dose her. But there was no way of knowing how much she got. She still pouted and did the foul mouth. So she got some. And breakfast is already gone on the first pass. So it seems she got enough. For now. She can tolerate a lighter lunch if she’s getting less relief today. She’s got reserve floof for days!

She really is easy to dose. It’s the reason I haven’t gone further with compounding. Yes I’d love it if she would take her own again. But I’m guess gabapentin will always taste foul. Even with double or triple chicken flavoring. The hardest part of dosing her is usually getting her into the office or getting her out of the office cave. I can pick her up and carry her to the office. I usually like to allow her her own autonomy. But sometimes it just takes to long to herd her into the office. Getting her out of her office cave is another story. I can have simply reached in and wiggled her out. But mostly I like to just chill on the floor, maybe do some stretching, and see if I can’t tempt her out. Once she’s in the office, she doesn’t move that fast (except at zoom times.) It’s pretty easy to grab her, squish her down (squish that cat!), give her a good massage, and then tip the head back, “pop a smile, crocodile”, tap the syringe tip to her teeth until she opens up, and then usually I get that syringe another inch or two into her mouth before popping it. I wonder if it’s bouncing off the roof of her mouth….?

Could be! Have you tasted the gabapentin? Probably. Does it taste awful? Undoubtedly. They can formulate coffee without caffeine. They can alter many foods and drinks. It should be possible to de-awful the meds, too. Maybe it just isn't lucrative enough. But in a multi-billion-dollar industry, it should be.
Yeah, I don't like forcing a cat, either. Squishing a cat is another thing, though. Elvis gets squished when he insists on sitting upright on my lap when I'm trying to work, obstructing my movement. *No, Elvis, we're not going to share the mouse. Not THIS mouse. Lie down.*

 

[daftcat75]

Could be! Have you tasted the gabapentin? Probably. Does it taste awful? Undoubtedly. They can formulate coffee without caffeine. They can alter many foods and drinks. It should be possible to de-awful the meds, too. Maybe it just isn't lucrative enough. But in a multi-billion-dollar industry, it should be.
Yeah, I don't like forcing a cat, either. Squishing a cat is another thing, though. Elvis gets squished when he insists on sitting upright on my lap when I'm trying to work, obstructing my movement. *No, Elvis, we're not going to share the mouse. Not THIS mouse. Lie down.*

Not any mouse, right? You have your mice and Elvis has his and I'm not sure there is much crossover between the two.

I have tasted her gabapentin. I have also tasted the flavored oil. I kinda like her flavored oil. But it doesn't taste like double chicken. It tastes more like the almond oil carrier.

Decaffeinated coffee is nasty. That's a failure of science. You want to decaffeinate coffee? Brew a pot, collect and dump the first cup before you let the pot catch the rest. Caffeine is very water soluble and most of it will come out in the first cup of a new pot. This is why I always hated the giant thermoses of coffee that work would brew. Undoubtedly the caffeine distribution is not even and someone probably got or will get the lion's share of caffeine. Want to piss off the whole office? Grab the first cup of a new pot as it is brewing before putting the pot under to catch the rest. Want a double strong pot of coffee? Brew half a pot, change your grounds, and brew a second half pot.

Tea is even easier to decaffeinate. No need to buy decaf tea. You can decaffeinate your favorite tea bags by steeping for a minute, dumping the water, and then steeping the next cup of water as long as you'd like. That first cup you dumped would have most of the caffeine. An ex-g/f who is sensitive to caffeine has verified this method worked well for her.

But anyway, I digress bigly.

Some drugs are just too foul to begin with that flavors don't really do much. I use her unmedicated flavored oil on the tip of the syringe so the first thing that touches her teeth is a little less foul. And I try to shoot that dose deep into her mouth so it doesn't swirl around much. But there's only so much that can be done there. I wish it could be formulated into a hard treat because those soft treats just don't appeal to her.

 

[artiemom]

Hmmmmm.... daftcat75 You probably already know this; but, sometimes the syringe gets 'stuck' and will shoot out a strong stream as it is unsticking.. This happens to Geoffrey's chemo water syringe. I have to 'release the seal" with some plain water, to lubricate the inside, Before I use it on Geoffrey... This could be something that is happening to the syringe, along with tiny pieces of crushed meds, semi-clogging the nozzle. Can you use a larger syringe? I use a 10 cc baby syringe, which I picked up at the grocery store.

Just a thought..

Also, I do not know what it is, but Geoffrey has had a really bad month of February with vomiting. I wonder if it is the season change? and the weird weather we have been having. He is not shedding, as of yet. I do not see formed fur balls... or even loose fur in his upchuck, but.... He has the diagnosis of SCL, and had such a great Nov, Dec, Jan... now, all of a sudden he is vomiting as he did before he started chemo.. dam. He was diagnosed in June of 2022. Trying not to fret...

 

[tarasgirl06]

You could be onto something, definitely, artiemom . A friend used to get very sick - vomiting and nausea - when the seasons changed. *She was from back East, so the climatic conditions were very different. I thought it was weird that she got sick. But she did.* Hoping Geoffrey stabilizes and feels better soon!
daftcat75 I SO agree on the subject of coffee. And tea. I'm sensitive to caffeine, too, and I've always LOVED coffee. So I used to drink a lot of it (and even eat instant coffee mixed with sugar. Sort of like pica in humans, as a kid I ate a lot of things I shouldn't haveO and lie awake shaking all night in bed. Anyway, decaffeinated ANYTHING is awful.
Elvis lets me inspect, change out, and occasionally admire his mice. And he can admire mine. But no touchee, okay, Elvis?
Hopefully there will be different, less unpleasant forms of vetmeds on the horizon. Any industry that is that lucrative is bound to have innovations in the works so as to rake in more $$$.

 

[artiemom]

A few years back, I had to go full decaf. I could not function without something warm and somewhat like real coffee or tea in the morning. Actually, I found a decaf coffee which I really like: Peet's Decaf. It is strong and flavorful. As for Tea: I found an UK import-- Barry's Tea. This is very strong for a decaf. I really like it.

Yes, I searched for the best decaf coffee and tea I could find. It was some trial and error. I refused to do the regular brands. Now, I do not mind drinking either.

 

[tarasgirl06]

A few years back, I had to go full decaf. I could not function without something warm and somewhat like real coffee or tea in the morning. Actually, I found a decaf coffee which I really like: Peet's Decaf. It is strong and flavorful. As for Tea: I found an UK import-- Barry's Tea. This is very strong for a decaf. I really like it.

Yes, I searched for the best decaf coffee and tea I could find. It was some trial and error. I refused to do the regular brands. Now, I do not mind drinking either.

That's great that you found these! Of course, if anyone would and could, it would be you I just limit my intake of full-strength coffee to 2 mugs per day (1 scoop coffee=2 cups or 1 mug) and 1 mug of tea (at night, so I'm guaranteed to be buzzing and awake! far into the night when I should be sleeping because...) I used to drink this weird grain-based beverage at times -- it sort of resembled coffee, NOT. It was called Postum. I just looked it up and it's still sold. If you disconnect your thoughts from "coffee" and just enjoy it as what it is, it's good IMHO. As another hot drink. Like hot chocolate or something.
My oldest friend (met on the first day of kindergarten, back in the Jurassic)'s mom used to make the BEST iced coffee in the world. She always used Kava instant. (That's still sold, too. It's marketed as a 50% lower acid coffee.) I have no idea why it was so good. It shouldn't have been. Instant coffee, tap water, and milk, not a richer alternative. Served in plastic glasses.
Don't ask. IDK.

 

[daftcat75]

Hmmmmm.... daftcat75 You probably already know this; but, sometimes the syringe gets 'stuck' and will shoot out a strong stream as it is unsticking.. This happens to Geoffrey's chemo water syringe. I have to 'release the seal" with some plain water, to lubricate the inside, Before I use it on Geoffrey... This could be something that is happening to the syringe, along with tiny pieces of crushed meds, semi-clogging the nozzle. Can you use a larger syringe? I use a 10 cc baby syringe, which I picked up at the grocery store.

Just a thought..

Also, I do not know what it is, but Geoffrey has had a really bad month of February with vomiting. I wonder if it is the season change? and the weird weather we have been having. He is not shedding, as of yet. I do not see formed fur balls... or even loose fur in his upchuck, but.... He has the diagnosis of SCL, and had such a great Nov, Dec, Jan... now, all of a sudden he is vomiting as he did before he started chemo.. dam. He was diagnosed in June of 2022. Trying not to fret...

The 1 mL syringe gets stuck and shoots about half and then I have to chase after her for the second half. No thank you. I like the 5 mL that I have because it pops the dose out in one quick shot. Betty will not stick around for a slow release. I always flush the syringe a few times afterwards--fill and pop with warm water. I think the 5mL is a perfect size for this. It's not so large that it's unwieldy and it's small enough that I can get a good amount of the syringe into her mouth before I pop it. Betty isn't as cooperative at meds time as Geoffrey. Luckily, she doesn't really run away anymore and we have far fewer wrestling matches. But she certainly doesn't like it and I still feel bad when I do it.

Sorry to hear you are struggling with Geoffrey lately. He's doing much better than Krista did so I would defer to your experience on this one before I could offer any of my own. Have you talked to his onc. about adjusting any of his treatment? Does he take Cerenia or ondansetron? I only think either is useful if they can be taken daily. Cerenia seems to crater a lot of cats' appetites. Ondansetron is the one I recommend. But every cat is different.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Just a thought. Since hydrogen peroxide foams, would it be worth a try to rinse the syringe out with that and follow up with water?

 

[daftcat75]

Just a thought. Since hydrogen peroxide foams, would it be worth a try to rinse the syringe out with that and follow up with water?

I don’t have a sticking problem. I have a bouncing problem. That’s not a euphemism for regurgitation. I get the syringe into her mouth and pop the plunger. And not all the time. But sometimes I get splash back. And I’m not sure how that happens. I think I need to set up a camera.

Skipped morning meeting. Making sure Betty gets and keeps breakfast was more important to me this morning.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I don’t have a sticking problem. I have a bouncing problem. That’s not a euphemism for regurgitation. I get the syringe into her mouth and pop the plunger. And not all the time. But sometimes I get splash back. And I’m not sure how that happens. I think I need to set up a camera.

Skipped morning meeting. Making sure Betty gets and keeps breakfast was more important to me this morning.

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