BioniKat to the Rescue: 2015

It seems from browsing through my Blogger reading list that blogging has gone off the boil. Fortunately some of the bloggers that I follow have been dedicatedly posting all this time that I have been gone and I applaud your dedication.

This past Saturday began slowly as I like it to. I really don't like moving early on Saturdays. We had some errands to run but those were all pushed to later in the day when I had to get Bunny, one of my kitties to the vet again. Bunny went to the vet about 2 weeks before and had some dental work done but had since developed a bad cold and in the last couple of days, I noticed that she had stopped eating and was also hardly drinking. So back to the vet she went for an injection of long lasting antibiotic. Once home I tried again with various foods to coax her to eat and drink with very little success. The frustration of trying to get an obstinate sick cat to eat made me grumpy and I decided to remove myself from the source of irritation and give the antibiotic some time to work. As at Monday morning, she still isn't really eating but is at least drinking a bit.

Bunny was one of several cats who have been to the vet in the last 2-3 weeks. Since I had received my annual work bonus, I decided to catch up on the various medical issues which needed sorting with the kitties. Bunny and Lovey went in first for teeth issues. That same week we took in Minky and Tiger for innoculations. Tiger went in so that the vet could look at his feet as well since he seems to have been on a mission to gnaw them off. The pads seem to be dry and scaly. He was also given a long lasting antibiotic as the vet didn't really know what was causing the problem. Then the following Tuesday, in went 6 month old Princess for a spay and Chamois for dental. On Thursday, I was back with Bebe who developed a bladder infection and Tiger for the other vet to look at his feet which are still under observation to see if the antibiotic will work. Then on Saturday, Bunny went back with her cold. Next Friday Princess goes back in for stitches out and innoculations and probably Bebe will go back as well for innoculations. My frequent visits have become a bit of a joke at the vets rooms. My bank balance isn't really finding it at all funny at all. Once Bunny is recovered and Tiger's feet have the all clear, I just have Kittykie, Little Boy, Socks and Albie to get in for dentals.

Minky

Tiger

Princess

Princess chewing on Tiger, her big buddy

One recent purchase has been a roaring success with the kitties who prefer to live outside. We have a wooden 'wendy house' for the furkids. The bottom floor is for the dogs and they enter through their own stable door. The top floor is for the cats and they have a door as well which is for human access in order to clean and replenish food and water. The cats access via a window on the opposite side of the house which they jump up to to access their floor. Since moving to our new house, the cats haven't wanted to use their quarters as much because the wendy house is further away from our house and they had taken to sleeping on the patio in various cat beds and blanket lined boxes which we had placed there for them. This was fine in summer but since winter started getting really cold with temperatures reaching freezing and the cold mist and wind whistling up from the river to the patio, these sleeping arrangements weren't at all suitable. Another problem with leaving some of the outside cats inside was that a few months ago, one of the cats peed on the decoder and flat screen tv, destroying one and sending the other in for repairs. We decided that we needed an incentive for the outside cats to start using the wendy house again and what better than a heater. We went to the local hardware store and on a stand as we entered the shop were wall mounted panel heaters (not asbestos) at a very reasonable price. We purchased one and mounted it the same afternoon. It is connected to the power source in the adjacent garage via a long extension cord so that if we want to switch it off during the day while the weather is warm, that can be done from the garage as we leave for work in the morning. At first we had to encourage the kitties to start using the wendy house again but kitty cat word of mouth has spread fast and now all 4 outside kitties are cosy and warm in their outside living quarters. And I am one happy cat mom who doesn't have to worry that her furkids are freezing outside while we are warm inside.

Winter has been a bit of a challenge to try and keep everyone warm and comfortable and in good health and this can only be done one day at a time. Hopefully we will be heading for slightly warmer weather soon.

Momcat xxx