Thankful Thursday with Figgy

Shortly after Christmas, I went to visit my sweet friend, Figgy. 

Last year, I got Figgy the Nina Ottosson by PetStages Buggin' Out Puzzle & Play Interactive Cat Toy for Christmas. After a year, he is a master at it. I thought I'd get him another puzzle toy this year to work his brain, so I ordered him the Catit Senses 2.0 Digger Interactive Cat Toy. I also got him some toys from CatLadyBox and some Greenies treats.

Figgy was very pleased with his new toys! I only had to show Figgy how to get treats out of the Catit Senses 2.0 once before he picked it up. I sat on the floor and said, "Figgy, you put your paw in here (in the tube) and scoop out the treats." I demonstrated with my hand. He caught on and had all the treats out in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Then he spent some time with me playing with his new fishing pole toy. 

Today, I am thankful that Figgy loved his new toys (and his treats, too). 

Today is Kiss a Ginger Cat Day, so give your orange cats lots of smooches today. If you don't have a ginger cat to kiss, you can blow some kisses to Carmine and/or our sweet friend, Figgy. 

Talking About Teeth with Tylan: The Types and Composition of a Cat's Teeth

 

Hi everyone, it's me, Tylan!

The Mom lady and I are starting a new feature on the blog called, "Talking About Teeth with Tylan." Yep, that's me!

The Mom lady and I thought I would be the perfect spokescat for feline dental health because I have had just about every dental condition under the sun. When the Mom lady adopted me, I only had two teeth left - my two bottom canines. My other teeth had been removed to try to treat my stomatitis. But as many of you know, that was not successful, and I had to undergo stem cell therapy to treat my refractory stomatitis. You can check out our article on refractory stomatitis to learn more about my story.

I thought it would be a good idea to start with a discussion about the structure and function of cat teeth.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 Merry Christmas to all our friends who celebrate! To everyone who celebrates something else, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons! 

Ann from Zoolatry made this beautiful card for us to share with all of you. Thank you, Ann!

May your holidays be filled with happiness, love, and blessings.

Love,

Carmine, Tylan, and Mom Sierra

How to Manage Your Cat's Medication Schedule

Carmine and Tylan both have chronic medical conditions they need to take daily, weekly, and monthly medications to manage. Carmine gets his gabapentin twice a day, his telmisartan and zofran once a day, his adequan injection once a week, and his B12 injection and allergy shot once a month. Tylan gets his methimazole twice a day and his zofran and benazepril once a day. He also gets prednisolone, but how much he gets per day varies by week. And we won't even discuss what Carmine's immunotherapy schedule looked like before he made it to the maintenance stage. 

When your cats take medication, it can be easy to forget a dose or to give the medication at the wrong time. I've found several things to help me manage my boys' medication schedules that you might find useful in managing your cat's medications as well.

Thankful Thursday

 Hi everyone, it's the Mom here with an update about Carmine.

Carmine received his first Solensia injection on November 1. For the first several days, there was no improvement in Carmine. 

At about a week after his injection, he began to bathe just a tiny bit. Before his injection, he had completely stopped bathing himself. I initially saw him bathe his face and a back foot (he brought his foot up to his mouth to bathe it). Yesterday, for the first time in months, I saw him bathe his side - something he has to twist to do. He didn't bathe it for long, but he gave his side a decent bath. 

It seems like every couple of days I see Carmine doing something new that he hasn't done in months because he was in too much pain.

The other night, he got up on the bathroom sink. He has started bugging me for pets and a lap throughout the day again (this is my favorite improvement!). He never stays on my lap long, but that has always been his nature. He has begun to bug me while I sleep for pets again, too.

He is making baby steps, but he is improving. He still has a ways to go before he is 100%, but I am thankful the injection does seem to be helping a little.

I've heard that the real improvement and relief for cats comes after the second injection. Carmine will have his second Solensia injection on November 29th. I am hopeful that he will continue to improve and feel more comfortable as time goes on. 

What are you thankful for today? Please share with us in the comments!