Introducing Betty White

[tarasgirl06]

Gabapentin refill called in: check.
Ondansetron refill submitted to Walgreens: check.
Betty's six month appointment: check. It's next month. So I guess it's a seven month appointment now.

I'm so relieved that Biden is out. He's done a great job. But he has seriously lost a step and is constantly on defense now--and not doing a great job of it. We need someone with energy who can play some offense. Now the Dems need to do the right thing and rally around Harris rather than trying to undermine her and give the nomination to someone else.

Good that Betty's needs are being addressed.
Agreed on most of Para 2. Now who for VP? I'd go with Kelly. He's highly visible, well respected, and, I think, the most likely of all of the currently listed possibilities to help the chances.

 

[daftcat75]

Good that Betty's needs are being addressed.
Agreed on most of Para 2. Now who for VP? I'd go with Kelly. He's highly visible, well respected, and, I think, the most likely of all of the currently listed possibilities to help the chances.

So this is the calculation of the Dems. Beshear is charismatic and youthful and would probably spar well with Vance in a debate. But he's not going to bring Kentucky with him. Likewise, Roy Cooper isn't likely to flip North Carolina. But Arizona and Pennsylvania are still on the table. Josh Shapiro could win voters over with his handling of I-95 as well as honoring the fallen fire chief from Trump's Butler rally. Kelly, however, has direct experience with an assassination attempt. He might be able to bring a sober voice about political violence that the Trump and the QOP continually fail to do. Just this morning, I read about a Republican state senator in Ohio who all but promised a Civil War if Trump doesn't win.

 

[tarasgirl06]

So this is the calculation of the Dems. Beshear is charismatic and youthful and would probably spar well with Vance in a debate. But he's not going to bring Kentucky with him. Likewise, Roy Cooper isn't likely to flip North Carolina. But Arizona and Pennsylvania are still on the table. Josh Shapiro could win voters over with his handling of I-95 as well as honoring the fallen fire chief from Trump's Butler rally. Kelly, however, has direct experience with an assassination attempt. He might be able to bring a sober voice about political violence that the Trump and the QOP continually fail to do. Just this morning, I read about a Republican state senator in Ohio who all but promised a Civil War if Trump doesn't win.

Yeah. They're really good at that kind of extreme hateful rhetoric. Kelly has a lot of cred and yes, so does his wife. They'd definitely get my vote. Kelly is just what is needed. Hoping he's the man for the job.

 

[daftcat75]

Apparently I spoke too soon about being unaffected by the IT outage. I had ordered a replacement battery for my mobile router. Apparently that got sent out UPS. It's been stumbling and bobbing along in a baffling route from IN to Lathrop, CA. That's an hour an half drive away. They could have loaded that on a truck. That was Sunday. Instead of just loading it on a truck and driving it a couple hours south, they wtf'ed and sent it to Salt Lake City. That was yesterday. This morning it arrived in Sparks, NV. They say it's arriving tomorrow. But they said it was arriving yesterday too. So who knows?! It may turn up in Arizona tomorrow.

Betty is doing the best we can in this heat. No further hairballs. But she's been a bit slower to eat her meals. Still getting through them. Mostly. I'm loading a little extra on the plate lately just so she can leave some. I know she's more than a little bothered by this heat because she's not sleeping in her favorite spots. She's rotating through cooler spots or just trying to get through this the best she can. I bumped up the ceiling fan in the front room and will re-calibrate one of her cat traps (a towel that she loves to lay on) underneath a good airflow so she'll have that option.

Picked up all her prescriptions today with no fuss or drama. Everything was ready when they said it would be and I got an even better deal on her ondansetron than last time. I don't know what's in it for Walgreens. But thanks Rxsense!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Apparently I spoke too soon about being unaffected by the IT outage. I had ordered a replacement battery for my mobile router. Apparently that got sent out UPS. It's been stumbling and bobbing along in a baffling route from IN to Lathrop, CA. That's an hour an half drive away. They could have loaded that on a truck. That was Sunday. Instead of just loading it on a truck and driving it a couple hours south, they wtf'ed and sent it to Salt Lake City. That was yesterday. This morning it arrived in Sparks, NV. They say it's arriving tomorrow. But they said it was arriving yesterday too. So who knows?! It may turn up in Arizona tomorrow.

Betty is doing the best we can in this heat. No further hairballs. But she's been a bit slower to eat her meals. Still getting through them. Mostly. I'm loading a little extra on the plate lately just so she can leave some. I know she's more than a little bothered by this heat because she's not sleeping in her favorite spots. She's rotating through cooler spots or just trying to get through this the best she can. I bumped up the ceiling fan in the front room and will re-calibrate one of her cat traps (a towel that she loves to lay on) underneath a good airflow so she'll have that option.

Picked up all her prescriptions today with no fuss or drama. Everything was ready when they said it would be and I got an even better deal on her ondansetron than last time. I don't know what's in it for Walgreens. But thanks Rxsense!

Yeah, one never knows with cats...or shippers, it seems, or much of anyone else, these days. Wishing I could figure out the secret to all of this seeming lack of logic and grey matter. Maybe I shouldn't wish for that, though.
Longtime Walgreens customer here. Used to be a CVS customer, and they were okay, too, but I've been very satisfied with Walgreens for the most part.
We're heading into the worst two months, heat-wise. Hoping you and Betty will get through it as comfortably as possible. It's nasty here in la-la land.

 

[daftcat75]

Still no hairballs. But we are klingon watch. A Hershey's kiss followed her out of the box and dropped in the office. But it came up easily enough. In fact, I didn't even mark where it was so now I can't go back and spot clean it. It was right at her dinner/meds time and I was focused on not letting Betty get out of the office until after she's had her med dose. Some time after meds dose, after meds fuss, and her treat, she re-visited the box and the camera seemed to show her stand up with another kissed bottom. She zoomed out into the front room and I'm thinking, "where's this kiss getting deposited?" I don't think it made it out of the box. I didn't seen any drops and when I asked her to show me her bum, it was clean. I went back to the box and found a toothpaste swirl. I'm wondering why she's having these looser bits. Hopefully it's just a one-off. Or a one-and-a-half off?

 

[tarasgirl06]

Still no hairballs. But we are klingon watch. A Hershey's kiss followed her out of the box and dropped in the office. But it came up easily enough. In fact, I didn't even mark where it was so now I can't go back and spot clean it. It was right at her dinner/meds time and I was focused on not letting Betty get out of the office until after she's had her med dose. Some time after meds dose, after meds fuss, and her treat, she re-visited the box and the camera seemed to show her stand up with another kissed bottom. She zoomed out into the front room and I'm thinking, "where's this kiss getting deposited?" I don't think it made it out of the box. I didn't seen any drops and when I asked her to show me her bum, it was clean. I went back to the box and found a toothpaste swirl. I'm wondering why she's having these looser bits. Hopefully it's just a one-off. Or a one-and-a-half off?

Betty and my boyz are still mirroring one another, it seems. Elvis has been spending some time on the cool tile floor of the shower and the other day, there was a "kiss" in there, too. Easy to clean! but this never happens. And Mr. Fluffy's furballs continue with regularity. For us, I'd guess heat is a factor in both. Brushing and combing only gets so much. He grooms a lot. The outcome is predictable. I was somewhat concerned at first, and I still don't like him having to deal with this, but it's not causing any other problems and I'm thinking it's just his normal for this time of year.
Again, just guessing, but I think we'll see improvement in our loved ones' health when cooler weather starts.

 

[daftcat75]

I wonder if Optagest (digestive enzymes) would benefit Mr Fluffy like it seems to be helping Betty.

My friend is at San Diego Comic Con sending me updates. I’m at home telling her about Betty’s interactions with Klingons and Hardassians.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I wonder if Optagest (digestive enzymes) would benefit Mr Fluffy like it seems to be helping Betty.

My friend is at San Diego Comic Con sending me updates. I’m at home telling her about Betty’s interactions with Klingons and Hardassians.

Your friend envy
Yeah, it might. But I am a strong proponent of a healthy system's ability to right itself and heal itself. I know the digestive enzyme thing is very popular now and almost everyone seems to be buying into it but I'm holding off at this point. He's very healthy -- aggressively so, in a loving way! -- but he loves to groom, his fur is long and silky, and I've never once heard him to the "furball ack" so he does not seem to be having any kind of discomfort. Neither of my boyz is having the Klingons or Hardassians so those, at least, are not a problem here.
I'm getting into the "childless cat ladies" trope and posting Taylor songs.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm getting into the "childless cat ladies" trope and posting Taylor songs.

I'm not really one to wear message shirts. I generally like plain solid color tees with no logos or pockets. But if I saw a, "I'm in my childless cat lady era" tee, I just may wear one of those.

 

[daftcat75]

Hmmm. We may be on hairball watch. A couple of unproductive spits so far. No interest in lunch yet. Not sure if I want to proactively give her a little CBD oil with some water or just wait this out and see which way she breaks. Since I’m still evaluating the helpfulness of the digestive enzymes, I will probably take the latter approach. But gosh. I really want to do something helpful for her.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I'm not really one to wear message shirts. I generally like plain solid color tees with no logos or pockets. But if I saw a, "I'm in my childless cat lady era" tee, I just may wear one of those.

*My hero!*
That's my preference for shirts/tops, too, mostly because you can't tell when/where/for how much you bought them. And they're pretty much always appropriate.
So what did you decide, for Betty? and how is she now?

 

[daftcat75]

*My hero!*
That's my preference for shirts/tops, too, mostly because you can't tell when/where/for how much you bought them. And they're pretty much always appropriate.
So what did you decide, for Betty? and how is she now?

I played with her for a bit hoping the activity would help things along one way or another. When she started to show less interest in play (doesn’t take very long with her), I brought out the nail clippers. I got a couple back toes. She was on the Katris step and I was trying to trim her back claws in place (eg without handling her foot.) She just saw my head and started going to town with the head bunts and brushes. I didn’t get very far before she got off the step and laid down in front of me. Okay. No back toes. I was able to get her front paws though. Honestly, it’s those back ones that catch me by surprise when she adjusts herself in my lap.

At 3:30, I decided to bus my coffee cup and some other empty glass into the kitchen as a pretext to check on her. She was under the ceiling fan with lunch still untouched. I sat in front of her plate, smelled it, and pretended to be interested. Well she didn’t model the behavior. But she did come over. So I took a morsel off the plate and put it on the carpet in front of her. Sniff sniff. I started to take it back and then gave it again. This time she ate it. So I took off another morsel and placed it on the carpet for her. She ate that too. I repeated this two more times and then thanked her for her service. I’d rather she eat too little and it stays down than force more than she can handle into her and have her pop later. I think she may have returned for another bite or two on her own.

Just as I was feeling successful, I stepped in it. I don’t know if it’s still a hairball if it’s mostly water. But there was a few strands in it. Then I stepped in another smaller spit on her towel under the ceiling fan. So she has been busy this afternoon. She just has very little to show for it. That much liquid with very little hair means I must have missed her loading up on water at some point. I’m not sure if I should be relieved that we avoided the messy hairball. Or disappointed that she couldn’t get it out. But with that much water, at least I know she tried.

She’s got another hour until dinner. I’m okay if she doesn’t eat anymore until then. Hunger is good for moving hairballs along.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I played with her for a bit hoping the activity would help things along one way or another. When she started to show less interest in play (doesn’t take very long with her), I brought out the nail clippers. I got a couple back toes. She was on the Katris step and I was trying to trim her back claws in place (eg without handling her foot.) She just saw my head and started going to town with the head bunts and brushes. I didn’t get very far before she got off the step and laid down in front of me. Okay. No back toes. I was able to get her front paws though. Honestly, it’s those back ones that catch me by surprise when she adjusts herself in my lap.

At 3:30, I decided to bus my coffee cup and some other empty glass into the kitchen as a pretext to check on her. She was under the ceiling fan with lunch still untouched. I sat in front of her plate, smelled it, and pretended to be interested. Well she didn’t model the behavior. But she did come over. So I took a morsel off the plate and put it on the carpet in front of her. Sniff sniff. I started to take it back and then gave it again. This time she ate it. So I took off another morsel and placed it on the carpet for her. She ate that too. I repeated this two more times and then thanked her for her service. I’d rather she eat too little and it stays down than force more than she can handle into her and have her pop later. I think she may have returned for another bite or two on her own.

Just as I was feeling successful, I stepped in it. I don’t know if it’s still a hairball if it’s mostly water. But there was a few strands in it. Then I stepped in another smaller spit on her towel under the ceiling fan. So she has been busy this afternoon. She just has very little to show for it. That much liquid with very little hair means I must have missed her loading up on water at some point. I’m not sure if I should be relieved that we avoided the messy hairball. Or disappointed that she couldn’t get it out. But with that much water, at least I know she tried.

She’s got another hour until dinner. I’m okay if she doesn’t eat anymore until then. Hunger is good for moving hairballs along.

Yeah. Hard to tell. But it is good that she's drinking water. That's always good.
Elvis let me do ALL of his claws a couple of days ago. That's a first. And I know he must not be feeling great because he let me do that. Ordinarily he would have been letting loose with the heartbreaking *poor abused cat!* cries. Not a peep this time. Just resigned to it. And he is so much more comfortable in the lap, which he doesn't really take advantage of in the mid-90sF heat, but I know HE's more comfortable, too, which is what really counts. I have little fleece blankets folded up into small rectangles in a few places in the house, in places where I sit or lay down, and they can be useful as lap/leg protectors against those scimitar claws.
Hoping Betty keeps it all and augments it.

 

[daftcat75]

But it is good that she's drinking water. That's always good.

I almost never see her drink water except when she’s nauseated. It’s like she uses water as cat grass: she drinks and drinks until she overflows her stomach.

Thankfully it doesn’t appear she had any further incidents yesterday. She had about half her lunch. I gave her a 2/3 portion for dinner and back to regular portions for second dinner. She’s curled up on my chest for third sleep. She’ll roll off me to hit the plate soon enough.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I almost never see her drink water except when she’s nauseated. It’s like she uses water as cat grass: she drinks and drinks until she overflows her stomach.

Thankfully it doesn’t appear she had any further incidents yesterday. She had about half her lunch. I gave her a 2/3 portion for dinner and back to regular portions for second dinner. She’s curled up on my chest for third sleep. She’ll roll off me to hit the plate soon enough.

A lot of cats don't consume much plain water if they get the moisture they need in their wet food. They SHOULD drink more, though. So it's good when Betty does. Elvis drinks quite a lot, as a lot of mature cats do. Mr. Fluffy follows the leader and I'm glad to see him doing this. Elvis follows HIM, though, in one of his really bad habits: jumping on high surfaces that aren't cat furniture. But Elvis wrote the book on "stubborn" so my efforts to dissuade him, and my remonstrations with the kid, aren't paying off at all.

 

[daftcat75]

We got a 20 point relief in the temperature today. I mean heat relief is nice. But a little warmth isn’t a bad thing. I’m relieved and satisfied that I kept an over shirt in my backpack. It’s usually to guard against over-aggressive A/C. But it came to my rescue today.

I see the difference in Betty too. She ate right away after plating her lunch instead of giving it a sniff and walking away for a couple more hours like she has been doing in the hotter weather. I don’t blame her. I’ve been eating less during the heat wave too. I have also been skipping weights workouts. But I don’t mind running in the heat. And that seems to be enough. I’m slowly taking the weight off through running and diet. I think when the weather turns in the fall, I’ll be more inclined to lift and not so much to run. I’m not really a cold weather runner. Or a cold weather anything.

 

[tarasgirl06]

We got a 20 point relief in the temperature today. I mean heat relief is nice. But a little warmth isn’t a bad thing. I’m relieved and satisfied that I kept an over shirt in my backpack. It’s usually to guard against over-aggressive A/C. But it came to my rescue today.

I see the difference in Betty too. She ate right away after plating her lunch instead of giving it a sniff and walking away for a couple more hours like she has been doing in the hotter weather. I don’t blame her. I’ve been eating less during the heat wave too. I have also been skipping weights workouts. But I don’t mind running in the heat. And that seems to be enough. I’m slowly taking the weight off through running and diet. I think when the weather turns in the fall, I’ll be more inclined to lift and not so much to run. I’m not really a cold weather runner. Or a cold weather anything.

Sounds like your environment is much improved. It's 86F here so 10 degrees cooler than it's been, but still too hot for my liking. The boyz are eating well but flaked, as usual. Yeah, I'm not eating as much either, and I have to really push myself to work out; I missed Wednesday, but that's cleaning day so it's kinda optional. Betty's doing great! on her weight.

 

[daftcat75]

Stable. 9.64.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Stable. 9.64.
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