Friday, June 30, 2023

It's 3 Years Since You Left Us Sweet Cody

 


(the above photo is before the blog was Cat Chat With Caren and Cody!)

 My precious Cody, (Codester, Codalicious, Jelly Belly), my precious boy. You left us two years ago today. A life ended much too soon.


 I miss your quirky mouth and oh so handsome face. I miss holding you, cuddling you

While life may have changed since you left us precious Cody, one thing is constant. My love for you is as deep (even deeper), than it ever was. I will never, ever stop loving you and I will never, ever stop missing you.

You can rest assured that you still have my heart, and you always will.

Love, Mom

Friday, June 23, 2023

Roary's CAT TENT | COTTON CANVAS POPUP PET BED from Triple T Studios #tripletcat

 Hi Furiends!! Today I am excited to show you the tent I bought for Roary for his birthday from Triple T Studios! 

It's a Cotton Canvas Popup Pet Bed/Cat Tent!  (the color I bought is Jungle Greenery.)


Roary absolutely LOVES THIS TENT!

I presented it to him two days after the "Cone of Shame" was removed and he couldn't wait to get inside of it!


It's the PURRFECT kitty hideout!!!!



CAT TENT FEATURES:

  • Cotton canvas fabric
  • Anti-slip bottom
  • Cat mat can be removed for washing. 
  • Breathable mesh window in the top allows your cat more comfort while inside.
  • Easy pop up and easy fold down. Portable for trips.
  • Tent opening is 8.5" high and 8" wide.
  • Size: 15.75"L x 15.75"W x 13.75"H /40cm x 40cm x 35cm 

If you would like one for your kitty (kitties!) I linked to it above. (No worries! I receive no compensation for providing a link, I also bought this tent, I was not given the tent for free). I just wanted to share a product that I love with you because I think your cat will enjoy it!



Friday, June 16, 2023

How to provide a balanced diet for cats

 **This is a sponsored guest post.

Photo Courtesy of https://unsplash.com/@laurachouette


Everyone needs a balanced diet to remain happy and healthy – and live their best life. And, whether you have two legs or four, a quality diet can make an enormous difference to your health and well-being.

As our cats are such important parts of our family, we need to give them everything they need to thrive.

In this post, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about cat nutrition and providing a balanced diet for your cat.

Food choice

Deciding what to feed your cat is the most important aspect of their lives. Unless your feline friend hunts at night, they’re dependent on you to give them the best-quality food you can afford.

We appreciate times are tough, but we strongly recommend buying the highest quality cat food you can. It will have the best balance of nutrients, fewer filler ingredients and less fat.

A balanced diet for cats starts with their food, so it is important to get it right.

It doesn’t matter so much whether it’s wet food, dry or a mixture of both. Your cat will soon express a preference in no uncertain terms, so work with that.

Portion control

Portion control has the same impact on cats as it does on humans. Eat too much and you’ll put on weight. Eat too little and you’ll be in calorie deficit.

Most cat foods will have a recommended portion size on the packet. Use that as a guide and monitor your cat’s size, weight and activity level.

If your cat always seems hungry or moves less, experiment with adding a little more to each portion. This will help them get proper nutrition and ensure they have the energy to play.

If your cat is gaining weight, reduce the portion size a little.

If you have multiple cats and one steals another’s dinner, consider using a microchip feeder. This restricts food to the cat with the correct chip and is a straightforward way to stop dinner raiding.

Variety

This may require a little experimentation as some cats love variety while others don’t.

Some cats are perfectly happy eating the same food day in and day out. Others like variety, so you’ll need to experiment a little to see what yours prefers.

If they like variety, great. You can mix it up to keep things interesting and also to provide proper cat nutrition.

Maintain high-quality food options and provide a variety of textures. This could include soft or dry foods, meat, fish or any other foods your cat enjoys.


Treating your cat

We know, it’s hard to resist your cat’s mews for treats!

While treats don’t really play a part in cat nutrition, they’re excellent training tools and another way for you to show your love.

Just like food, use quality treats wherever possible or make your own so you know exactly what’s in them.

But it’s important to use treats sparingly. They will have much more impact if they aren’t a common occurrence and will remain useful for training. Plus, too many treats and your cat could gain weight.

The importance of water

Most vets agree that cats just don’t drink enough. Water is essential for every cat – doubly so for cats on dry food diets.

A balanced diet for cats is all very well, but if they don’t drink enough, they won’t get the full benefit.

Change your cat’s water every day and keep the bowl clean and away from odours and other animals.

If your cat is reticent about drinking, use a cat water fountain. It mimics the running water they would drink in the wild and can be amazingly effective at helping them drink more.

Photo courtesy of https://unsplash.com@flowerchildkimmi




Making time for fun and exercise

A balanced diet for cats is only part of the picture. To live their best life, a cat should run, play and have fun.

It stimulates them both physically and mentally and should be encouraged.

Putting time aside to play with your cat is good for both of you. It lowers stress in humans and in cats and helps you bond.

Having a few cat toys around can also help. Your cat can amuse themself while you’re doing other things and can run and play.

Puzzle feeders and games can also help keep your cat stimulated.

Photo Courtesy of https://unsplash.com@ricardol

Feeding time

The final way you can provide a balanced diet for cats is with their feeding schedule.

Some cats prefer to graze and don’t respond well to set mealtimes. Other cats prefer set meals at set times.

Experiment with this once your cat leaves kittenhood to see which they prefer.

If your cat prefers to graze, use a quality complete dry food and make sure there is always fresh water around.

If your cat prefers mealtimes, use a clean bowl and their food of choice. Use an automatic cat feeder to maintain their schedule when you’re not around.

The importance of a balanced diet for cats

Diet and cat nutrition are pivotal to living a good life. We want our cats to be happy and healthy and live a long life. Cat nutrition plays a key role in that.

Fortunately, it’s straightforward to give your little loved one what they need in the way they prefer.

It may take a little experimentation, but the food is out there and technology has provided simple solutions to common problems.

Don’t worry about the experimentation process either. Your cat will soon let you know when you’re getting it right!

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

#FlagDay2023

 


  “We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty.”

- George Washington.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Remembering My Angels on #WorldPetMemorialDay

 World Pet Memorial Day(a day that falls on the second Tuesday in June and is a day to honor all pets who are no longer with us),

This gorgeous holder was made by Bernadette E. Kazmarski of The Creative Cat



Dakota and Cody were the best of friends, they were the light of my life for 13 years.


It was Cody who this blog was originally named for.
Cody was glued to me like velcro. He was definitely my "heart" cat or "soul" cat.
He was such a loving and special boy who should have been with us much longer than he was.


Dakota was my first dog as an adult.
He was sensitive, sweet, skittish, shy, stoic, a clown and such a good boy!


My Angel Bobo was the first cat I ever had the joy of sharing my life with.
He was found in a blizzard in 1989 or 90. 
Another "velcro cat" Bobo was fiercely loyal to me.
He hated other cats, the only dog he ever tolerated was a Sheltie
who lived near my apartment. Her name was Kelly.
Bobo was my first "heart" cat.
I was blessed to share my life with him for 18 years.


I think of and miss all of my babies every day. They helped shape (for better or worse), the woman that I am today. I thank them all for their unconditional love and for sharing their lives with me.

((((hugs))) to all of you who are remembering cherished and departed pets today. 



Saturday, June 10, 2023

Happy "Cone-Free" Third Birthday to our Precious and Brave Roary!!

 


Hi every body!!!!! It's Roary and yep I am no longer called "Little Blue Bonnet" because as of June 8th, I am CONE-FREE!!!! I am sooo happy!!! The cone was removed just in time for my 3rd birthday!

But...I do have a fish bone to pick with my Mom and Dad. Do you believe that my pawrents had the NERVE to take me to the V-E-T a mere TWO DAYS before my birthday? Who tortures their pet like that right before their birthday??




Yep you are right! That is ME, good 'ol "Little Blue Bonnet" in the above photo. I thought I found the purrfect spot to avoid "Dr.Smiley", but soon he was hip to my hiding spot. 

Dr.Smiley came in, put me in my crate and escorted me to his evil laboratory in the back of the Vet dungeon where they proceeded to stab me remove my sutures and before I knew it, I was CONE-FREE!!    (He also had the AUDACITY to make Mom and Dad take the cone home, "just in case I need it again.")

When Dr.Smiley brought me back to the exam room to see Mom and Dad he was trying to cover for the evil things they did to me in the back of the dungeon by massaging my neck and being all lovey-dovey. (ok I admit the neck massage felt soooo good after wearing that awful cone for 14 days, but you know the story of "fattening sheep up for the slaughter",right?) I have my guard up and will be sure to tell Mom and Dad that being all lovey dovey is just a cover up so they will  never know the heinous things that go on in the back of his deranged laboratory!


See what I mean? You can tell by the look on Dr.Smiley's face that he is planning his next attack! Also, what's with the sisal pole in the cat exam rooms that extend from the floor to the ceiling? Do they actually think that ANY kitties are going to engage in POLE DANCING while being trapped in their sinister exam rooms? NOT THIS KITTY! AND NOT ANY KITTIES THAT ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN TREATS!!

Anyway, I want to THANK YOU ALL for the kind/loving comments you left for me and my Mom and my furmily after my surgery. It meant so much to all of us!!

Hope you like the card that my Mom made just for me for my birthday!!!


FROM THE MOM: Thanks so much again to everyone for your kind words!! Keep the prayers coming though (please!). "Dr.Smiley" told us there is a 50-50 chance the stones will return which will translate to yet another surgery, that one would be to make Roary's anatomy more like a girl which would enable him to pass the stones on his own. We are choosing to look at the glass as being "half full" and are praying that the stones don't return! Roary will have follow up bloodwork in July and barring any unusual urinary symptoms he will have x-rays at some point in September. Paws crossed that nothing happens between now and then!

Daddy and I are super proud of how well Roary adjusted to his cone and his limited activity. He is truly a brave and extremely good natured kitty and we hope those nasty stones leave him alone!!!

Don't tell Roary but I have a surprise for him today! I bought him a special cat tent from Triple T Studios!! 

Will try to remember to post photos once I give it to him!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY ROARY!

Daddy, Levi and I love you more than you know!



Sunday, June 4, 2023

Our Cat, Roary's Bladder Stone Journey (So Far...) #HugYourCatDay

Today is National Hug Your Cat Day (which obviously in your home and mine it's celebrated  EVERY DAY)

Today we are hugging our Roary much, much closer than we ever have!

A HUGE thank you to Ann
at Zoolatry for this beautiful graphic!!!


Some of you know that Roary had emergency bladder stone surgery almost two weeks ago...more about that later, let's flashback to around March of 2023.

The only GOOD thing
about Roary's condition
is he is now cuddling with me
on the couch. He previously only cuddled with Lenny


I had noticed that Roary didn't seem to be passing enough urine and contacted the Vet. Roary is only two years old so our Vet rightfully assumed that he wasn't getting enough fluids and advised that I increase his fluid intake. One way to do that was to offer him chicken broth.

I remembered having featured broth for pets that was made by Caru quite some time ago. I reached out to them and told them about Roary's situation and they kindly offered to send me quite a few boxes of their wonderful broth!



****Rest assured while Roary is now on a special diet and can't have the broth, thankfully Levi loves it too and he is enjoying it in HIS food! Thank you Caru! We love you!

For a while that worked, Roary seemed as if he was back to himself. He absolutely LOVED the broth!!! Then, things got worse near the end of April. Roary's urine output had greatly decreased. We knew he HAD to be seen at the Vet!

Dr.Lewis's assistant, Dominique
was BEYOND GENTLE, LOVING AND KID
with our sweet boy.
You can tell she has cats of her own!
She brought Roary so much comfort!



We took him to the Vet and were shocked to discover that Roary had bladder stones. The Vet said he was FULL OF GRAVEL. Frankly, we were only shocked due to Roary's young age, he had most of the classic symptoms of bladder stones in cats:

Straining to Urinate 

Frequent Urination

Roary had MANY, MANY trips to the litter box with little output

Genital Licking

Passing Urine in Unusual Places

Roary NEVER urinated outside of the litter box until these occurred.

Blood In The Urine

One of Roary's favorite places to urinate was the bathtub where I discovered blood in his urine.

"It is believed that neutered male Burmese, Persian and Himalayan cats may be genetically predisposed to developing calcium oxalate stones."

Our Vet advised that we switch  Roary's food to Royal Canin Urinary S/O, all of us were hoping that the food would dissolve the stones which commonly happens. So Far Not in Roary's case.

His urine output became worse and worse and I became increasingly more worried during the month of May.

Right before Memorial Day our Vet decided it would be too much of a risk NOT to remove the stones surgically.  Memorial Day was right around the corner and no one wanted a Vet emergency during a holiday. We were blessed that our beloved and fabulous "Dr. Smiley" also known as Dr.Lewis consulted with the amazing and incredible surgeon, Dr.Corey and she agreed to do the surgery the next day.

From Left: Dr.Lewis, fat me, Lenny and Dr.Corey
This photo was NOT taken that day!
It was taken May 13th, 2023 at DePorre Veterinary Hospital's 65th anniversary
a post about that will come later!

Our fabulous Vet, Dr. Lewis and Roary's incredible surgeon, Dr.Corey make the BEST TEAM!

Dr.Corey said Roary was a "rock star" with his surgery, as well as his general demeanor whenever he is at the Vet. She was able to remove all the stones and sent them out to be cultured. Dr. Corey has been beyond gracious and sooo patient when I contacted her after the surgery with TONS of questions!



Recovery at home has NOT been easy. As most of you know it is incredibly difficult to keep a young cat inactive. He can't jump, run, etc. We boarded Levi for 3 days and 3 nights to give Roary peace and quiet. One of the girls at Levi's daycare suggested I get puppy pads. THAT was a brilliant suggestion, I went through about 30 in the first day Roary was home. (That was due to blood/leaking urine for the first few days.)



Roary has been a champ through ALL OF THIS!

I had two feeding areas set up for him and two litter boxes, (one in each room he would be in). He had two bowls of water and his water fountain in the kitchen.  He has been  cooperating and hasn't had much activity. Wish I could say I was doing as well.

I have stayed home (whenever Lenny can't be with Roary), virtually every day but twice to go to WW. Keeping he and Levi separate and trying to keep them both happy has been quite challenging!

Roary and Lenny ("Daddy")

Roary's sutures will come out this Thursday but we aren't out of the woods yet. The stone analysis came back and we were told that Roary has calcium oxalate stones (NOT good). The chance of the stones returning are roughly between 20 and 50%. Had they been struvite stones the food would more than likely dissolve them, with calcium oxalate stones there is a chance he will be like me and have stones all of the time which will more than likely involve another surgery to increase the size of his urethra so he can pass the stones on his own. That is an extremely intricate surgery and we are praying that doesn't happen!

Purrs and Prayers are most welcome to help prevent those nasty stones returning!

Roary is a champ and the best natured kitty!

We couldn't be more proud of him!

We fully intend to hug him not just today, but EVERY DAY that we are blessed to share our lives with him! Love our brave boy soooo much! He is gentle, kind and such a TROOPER!! Like Dr.Corey said, "He's a ROCK STAR!!" (I guess in more ways than one lol)