Introducing Geoffrey...

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artiemom

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I think I'm repeating myself, but Geoffrey really is a gorgeous cat.

And, yes, I am partial to orange tabbies,
Yes, I am partial to orange tabbies, also....

My Pumpkin was a long haired, orange girl with a lot of white on her belly and through.. and 2 different colored eyes. She had a cute-sweetish female face.

Artie, soul-kitty was listed as a short haired but he really had some long fur.. so I am considering him a medium-short haired kitty.. His coloring was a much darker, deeper red...His face was beautiful.. his eyes were the entrance to his soul.. his profile was just about perfect...

Geoffrey is more on the greyish red shade. Lots of grey in there; most of his stripes are on his sides and tail.. with a white belly. .. and his fur is very short. His nose is a bit longer and a bit flattened, compared with Artie...


Sometimes, I get confused and call Geoffrey, Artie... He still looks at me when I do that... weird.. I think it is the "ie" at the end of the name.
 

neely

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He is not acting sick. Full of Play.. and eating like a horse. He has put on weight. He is loving the rabbit.
This is music to my ears! :thumbsup: Stay positive and hopefully you are right about it just being a food issue. Thanks for the lovely new pic of G, he is bright eyed and extremely handsome. :lovecat:
 

Kflowers

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What does your vet about Geoffrey's weight? Our vets always said the males should be heavier than the females. I think it was bone density, not sexism. They were a shade taller and longer than the ladies and most were between 12- 15 lbs. Like Geoffrey, except for three, they were DSH. Hope vet is okay with the 12 lbs. Most cats on diets are unhappy and cranky. The good side is this site is the very best places to discover everything there is about making dieting a pleasant experience for them. :D

I have met, okay he was on the other side of the screen door trying to get my fluffy boy to rumble, a male Siamese who was about 20 pounds. He was a fighting fool and was not supposed to be outside his house. My boy soft fluffy kit at 12 lbs, backed him off. I'll be grateful for that screen door as long as I have the memory.
 

angels mommy

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Hi Cindy, with everything I was going through the last 2 months with Sammie, I completely missed this thread.
I just read through it all to catch up.
I am so delighted for you, that you have a new sweet boy! Im sorry the adjustment period has been a bit much. It sounds like things are getting a little better, now that hes eating again. It does sound like he has had a lot of transitions, so it's probably why its taking him a lot longer to fully settle in.
Maybe he comes out more at night because its also quieter? But like you have all said, who knows what his past was.
I wouldnt panic too much, too soon either. Its completely understandable though, after all you went through with Artie. (I will probably be the same way, aftet 2 kitties getting cancer now, & both my first 2!)
I think all the stress of so much change could more than likely be the culprit of most of this. As you know, I had to move back to my parents at the end of June,( damn, its been 6 months already!!) Anyway, the first couple of months Sammie had a little diarrhea, & mostly only "soft serve" poopies.
I got some probiotics from the vet, then when that ran out, I ordered some I think it was from 1-800 pet meds. It came in pkts, so experimented w/ how much to give. A whole pk once a day seemed to much, so I ended up settling w/ 1/2 a pk in her breakfast. That seemed to be the right amount for her. It took almost using up the whole box, I think it was a box of 30? So a little over a month, & she was back to normal w/ more formed poop.
I have 4 pks left. Not much, but would be more than happy to send them to you.
It certainly won't hurt. Its the Purina Pro plan veterinart Rx diets. Fortie Flora. It says one pk per day, but you can see what works for Geoffrey. Just send me a pm, if youd like them. I'll be glad they can go to good use!

Hang in there, keep breathing, pray, I know its hard, but try not to project the past, give it some more time for it all to settle out.
You've got a beautiful new boy whos just been through a lot, so needs a little more time than most to feel settled.
:hugs:
Thanks again for being there for me through the loss of Sammie, & I am happy I found this thread, & so Happy for you!

OH...forgot to mention, maybe something you can try. On YouTube, I found a channel called "Relax my cat." Its great! They have a lot of different music, using different brainwaves, etc, to work. I created a whole file of them. Some for going to the vets, so I would play that on my phone in the car on the way, & from. Then there was one for cats who are sick, I played that every night for that last month when we went to bed. There are a lot for anxiety, etc... Check it out. That may be better to play than the classical music while your gone, or even while your there. Hopefully it can help. :)

 
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artiemom

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Thanks everyone.... right now, we are just waiting the results of the stool specimen..

I am kind of frightened that it will be giardiasis or coccidia.. The cleaning and medicating is what is making me anxious.

I do not know what I am hoping for...
Either it be from stress, a parasite, or a food allergy...
All of them are bad.. I do not know which one is worse...

Since he is hiding under my bed, I do not know I am going to disinfect the carpeting under there.. and the rest of the apartment..

I have asthma, so bleach and especially ammonia are lethal to me.. I can use a bit of bleach, and have the windows open.. but...

Yes, my anxieties are coming into focus...

Thanks, Kelly.. I did pick up a probiotic, Proviable Forte, for him. The Vet prescribed it. I gave him some yesterday, and this morning.. He is back to diarrhea.. That began yesterday, before the probiotic.

Today, I cleaned out his litter box, with bleach, and the bathroom it is in.. with bleach rinse..

I was going to give Geoffrey a new high sided litter box, but.. something told me to wait until the lab results come in....

How am I going to sanitize my carpet?? I live alone and it is not easy to keep clean.. expensive with a bad shoulder and knee..

I am jumping ahead... just my anxiety issues coming into play..

I am worn out from just cleaning his litter box, and his bathroom..

and how the heck am I going to give him any medication??

just venting...
 

angels mommy

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:crossfingers: Its just stress of a new life/home, & will level out & settle down soon.
I'll say a prayer for you. I know how it feels to have had 2 sick kitties in a row. Praying its not that for you.
I had my "mad at God" moments after Sammies diagnosis. Angel being my first kitty, & ending up w/ lymphoma at 12 yrs old, & only 6 & 1/2 yrs w/ me, knowing everything I went through emotionally & financially . Then Sammie, only 7, & only 2 yrs & 2 & 1/2 months w/ me having carsanoma on that liver mass.
Its going to be a while before I'm ready again.
Praying its just stress & will go away once he feels settled in. :hugs:

Oh, & when I looked at different pet insurance, the pets best was rated the highest, & recommend by a lot of people here, if I remember right. :)
 

Kflowers

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artiemom artiemom when you clean the litter box do you knee down to do it? If so do you sit back on your calves? The sitting back can actually make you more tired than if you remain on your knees. If you bend over to clean out the box, you are bending over a great distance and the blood will rush to your head making you dizzy and giving you the worn out feeling.

I've known people who put the cat box on a card table and made stairs for the cat out of a chair and footstool. This way they didn't have to bend over to clean the box. It's just a thought.
 
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artiemom

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My Vet told me that the best ones, in her opinion were: PetPlan-which she has had for years, and the ASPCA plan...

I was so confused between the 3 of them, PetPlan, ASPCA, and PetsBest that I went with her suggestion.

I think the others have a yearly cap on what they pay out.. You can set it as to what you want; but, there is a yearly cap...

thanks Kelly..
After what you have been through, you are the LAST person, I would expect to be here, trying to console me....((HUGS)))

No, I am not mad at God.. I am just upset and not believing that I have to to through this again...

What makes it a bit better, is if I keep telling myself that Geoffrey needs me more than I need him.. and he was given to me for that reason.

I just ended up with him losing all his trust in me. I tried to trim his claws... OMG... I was only able to get one.. and that was with a fight.. so he is under my bed... nothing is getting him out.. not play, not the herbal sprays.. nothing...

He does not trust me.. sigh.. back to square one.. how the heck will I ever be able to medicate him????

He desperately needs his claws trimmed. They are so long that when he tries to touch me, I can feel the sharpness of them.
like pins... and I am the pin cushion.. I am on the top of my bed, getting my appointments in my new planner and calendars..

done for the day... except for supper.. and trying to play with Geoffrey....

K Kflowers
The scooping of the box does not bother. It is the full cleaning that gets to me. I have to kneel on the floor, and use the bathtub to clean it.. and then I have to clean the tub and bathroom..

It is a long process.. and then dump all the used litter and supplies: gloves, jandiwipes; in the trash.

The disposable litter boxes are not for Geoffrey.. He digs too deep and uses the corners and sides for his pee..
Same with any thought of a litter liner--they would get shredded, on the first pee....
 

Kflowers

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I'm glad to hear you have no trouble with the regular scooping. That's a good thing.

I never saw a disposable litter box, except for a turkey broiling pan. I have to go look that up.

I have a little trouble with my back and wrists, so I take the litter out in small bits, maybe two cups at a time and put it left over plastic food bags. If you don't have enough you could use a sheet of newspaper and fold it over the two cups. That limits how much you have to lift at a time. It does mean more trips to the trash, but I just take one bag every time I go from the box area to the trash can. They usually all get there in one day.

I rinse the box in the shower, but have no tub so I can see where I'm way ahead on that. If I turn the box toward the shower wall and only use a light spray of water, none of the water gets outside the shower. I do put a bathmat down to lift the box, which is dripping of course, out of the shower. Then I lean it against the shower to drip for a little before getting out the paper towels to dry the box. But every bathroom is the different.
 

angels mommy

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Yes, the only good thing I could take from losing Sammie, is that had she not come to me, she would have suffered out there alone & scared. Instead, her last two yrs & months were spent being spoiled rotten, & loved SO much! As you said, she needed me more than I needed her. Another good way to look at it.
My anger did not last long, because in faith, I knew this, but emotionally, I cant go through it again for a long time. At the very least, not until the care credit is finally paid off, (trippling pymnts!) & I have my own place again.
Yes, yesterday was just two wks shes been gone now. Had a very busy day yesterday, catching up all my clients from around the holiday, so was happy to have a friend helping me. So its good I was busy. ...but this morning, "that morning" was playing in my head....was a little sad, but ok.
So, reading you had a new baby made my day. Of course I am here for you. You have always been there for me, my friend. :hugs:
 

rubysmama

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The scooping of the box does not bother. It is the full cleaning that gets to me. I have to kneel on the floor, and use the bathtub to clean it.. and then I have to clean the tub and bathroom..
I use Litter Box wipes which make cleaning the litter box a breeze. You just dump the litter into a container, then put on disposable gloves, and wipe out inside the litter box, and outsides and bottom. Then let the litter box air dry, (which happens quickly) and dump the litter back in, and top up with some fresh. So much easier than trying to clean it in the bathtub, and then having to clean the bathtub.

My favourite ones are the Petkin litter box wipes, which I get at Walmart. Four are usually enough to clean the box - inside and out.

Once when I couldn't find the Petkin ones, I bought the Nature's Miracle ones. IMO, they aren't as good as the Petkin ones. They say they are scrubbing, which I guess they do have a roughness to them, however, they are dryer than the Petkin ones, so didn't seem to clean as well.

They are a little pricey, but so worth it for the convenience. So maybe something to look into.
 

Kflowers

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I looked up the disposable litter boxes, they look a lot like the material they used to make egg cartons out of. They were 2 for $5.50. In the discussion the people said that with two cats the boxes lasted 3-4 months. You'd still have to remove the used litter, but you wouldn't have to wash the box. Would that help?
 
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artiemom

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Another sighing vent... Geoffrey has really bad watery diarrhea. Three times today.

Can this cat get a break?? And it is the weekend.

Wonder if it is from the probiotics???

Any ideas how I can medicate him?? I know he will be on flagyl soon.

Calling both vets fists this thing Monday.

Thinking it is more like giardia at this point.
He has had rabbit for a week. And probiotics— although 2 different kinds for a week.

The reg vet wanted to use an animal probiotic. I began with a human grade one.

Thinking I need to start a new thread on this.

Omg. He is now going in and out of the bathroom which has his litter box. And is t
Running from me. Cause I checked his bum for poops. He is no accustomed to that. Maybe play will help and the calming sprays.
 
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AbbysMom

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I'm sorry you are dealing with this. :hugs: I hope you get some answers from teh vet today. It wouldn't hurt to start a Health thread.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
I keep a couple of those disposable litterboxes around for issues, they're seriously handy.
I've read of people using pill pockets, butter, prosciutto, chicken, tuna and also someone mentioned tomlyn pill masker, just in case these help for the type of med you're using. That pill masker is bacon flavored, you could try precooked turkey bacon :)
 
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