Chat With Reyn

well, the good wishes are pouring in on your birthday thread ...

Sending best wishes to Vivienne - and good luck to you with the cats. Trying to give meds to cats scares me more than just about anything.

How embarrassing. The bear started a birthday thread for you.

Yes, I have just seen. It was a nice thought. I wonder how it became September? Edgar started a thread for me in April.


Thanks for the well wishes for Vivienne. She'll need them. She's a bundle of nerves and stress right now. We're still keeping a close eye on the kitties, too.

reyn wrote :



i wish we could have HALF (but not more !) of the rain you had on the west-coast .
the whole summer has been extremely dry and corn-farmers in particular are being hit hard . many farmers report that the cobs are the size of a thumb !
we also notice that the water-level in lake ontario(and the great lakes in general) has gone done quite a bit - that trend started a few years ago . lake freighters have had to reduce their load considerably to avoid scraping the bottom and it has raised shipping rates !
hbg

FRITZ THE CAT sends his greetings !

Well, it's 8:45am here now. Just about an hour ago I took Vivienne to our local hospital to get her abdominal hernia surgery done.

We're both feeling quite anxious this morning. Of course, one of our cats had a hairball this morning and the other didn't finish his brekky, but hey, what's a couple more worries when you've got a pot full, eh?

I should hear (hopefully) early this afternoon from the doctor how all went and go for a visit.

In the meantime, I wait by the phone.


I hate waiting.

g`morning reyn !



yes , it`s tough waiting by the phone !
sure hope and wish that vivienne will come through the operation allright !!!!
i`m wondering if your cats ailments might actually be - what`s the word - sympathy for vivienne and you .
cats and dogs can be very perceptive to what`s going on around them and act accordingly .
all the best and take care of ALL OF THEM - and don`t neglect yourself !
hbg

Wishing you and your wife well, Reyn.

Thanks, guys.

Yes, H, I had thought of that. It is worrying, nonetheless. Hopefully, by tonight the one cat will eat okay.

Hey Reyn... just saw this thread. All the best to the both of you... about everything.

Sorry about the job, but good for quitting. And sorry about the kitties.

When it reyns, it pours, or did someone already say that?

Hi Mame,

I recently revived this thread after it lay dormant for more than a year. Lots of stuff happening in my life at the moment and I guess I wanted to talk about it.

No problem about the job. I did it for 6 months. I didn't really know if it would work out long term, but I'll be looking after my wife for quite a few weeks anyways. So, it was a good time to pack it in.

Of our two cats, one seems to be doing fine now, but the other didn't finish his food. I'm wondering if he's missing the missus, or he's still ill? He's still got another couple of days of antibiotics to finish.

Well, it's nearly 1pm now, and still waiting for the phone to ring.



I wonder what my stress level is right about now?

hang in there buddy

Waitin' with you, reyn.

Anxiously waiting as well...... for news on the missus and on the cats.

Hi to everyone. Hope you don't mind if I don't reply individually. reyn's a little stressed at the moment.

Well, it's just about 9pm as I write this. I visited my wife twice today, briefly.

She's okay, but her breathing is laboured, which is due, I understand, to the anesthetic. Apparently not too uncommon. They got her hooked up to an oxygen tube. Also, some kind of device that improves blood flow has been hooked up to her legs.

I haven't been able to talk to the operating doctor, so I don't know all the nitty gritty details of how the operation went. I suspect "okay", but I say that with caution. The nurses will only tell you so much when you ask them, which I can understand.

Past experience has shown that morphine drips for pain relief doesn't work well with Vivienne, so they've got her hooked up to an epidermal tap, which seems to be working better. I've asked them to review the dosage though, as I think she could do with a wee bit more relief tan what she's letting on. She handles pain very well (darn sight better than me), so hard to tell if she's being stoic.

I've been fending off visitors by saying she needs the rest and sleep, which is true. I was keeping my visits to 10 to 15 minutes, but I could see she wasn't up for conversation and really needed the sleep.

Oh, and the bloody hospital never did call me, by the way. I was anxiously waiting by the phone until 3pm when I finally had enough. sure enough, she had already been put in a room! Nice, eh?

As for the kitties, the news is mixed. Kira, the older female is doing great. Appetite is back to normal. The picture with Kory, the younger male, is not so rosy. He was eating fine until this morning, when he did not finish his brekky. As a matter of fact, he did not eat anything the rest of the day. Usually, by supper, he's all whiny for his evening portion, but I couldn't get him to eat for love or money. I am worried. I've decided if he doesn't eat tomorrow morning, I will phone up our vet and ask if I need to bring him in again.

I did manage to give him his 2nd dose of the day of his antibiotic. I had a good technique. I wrapped him up in a towel and put him on the floor (on his back) and between my lower legs, knealing over him. hehe, Anyone else try this technique? Got him good!

Anyways, sorry to go on and on, but I'm feeling a bit better.

Catch youse guys tomorrow.....

Sounds encouraging, for the most, reyn. Hope you get some rest, now.

Just caught up on your thread revival and the concern beneath it. Keep busy with small stuff and be the support that your wife needs. Remember, she will be picking out which nuring home they send you.

I hope shes come out fine and recovering speedily. Ill let you go, I can see your busy.

g' morning , reyn !
sure hope vivienne is improving as time goes on .

as for your kitty : we just had a visit from a friend who has an elderly cat that she got from the humane society a few months ago .
GUS is a healthy fellow , roams around outside during the day and even brings a friend home for meals (!) .
remember the cat food scare ? about two weeks before it was in the news , he refused to eat his regular , canned food ! it later was recalled !!!
right now he is eating sparingly but sems very healthy and active - she is concerned but is wondering if he is just "going through a phase" ?
sometimes it's hard to tell .

ehbeth has two small dogs : CLEO will eat just about anything , until she throws up !!! and isn't bothered by it at all !
BAILEY will rather go hungry for two days if he does not get the food he is looking for - he actually "turns up his nose" and gives you a dirty look if his kibble is not to his taste ! go figure !
BAILEY is quite a lean fellow - vet wants him to gain weight - CLEO is just a little chubby - not overweight - and the vet thinks she could lose a pound or two :wink:
BAILEY is a slow eater and when CLEO is finished she gives him a hand(mouth) to finish his meal - very generous she is !

probably the last very warm day of summer here - VERY humid and 30 C ! will be cooling down by sunday - waiting for rain !!!
all the best to you all in LOTUSLAND !
hbg

Good morning all!

Edgar, FM, and H, thanks for your replies. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Well, so far the day is off to a good start. Kory (the guy that wasn't eating) did eat this morning. I gave him a little extra, so he didn't finish all, but we're heading in the right direction, right? He was more whiny (which is normal) this morning for his food, which I was grateful for.

Hospital hours here are 11am to 8pm, so the oldest daughter (Vonna) and I are going to look in on Vivienne at 1pm. Been busy last night talking to various relatives and giving updates.

Hoping the day continues to be positive.....

me too.

Well, another day has just about passed.

I think Vivienne's made good progress today. she managed to sit up in bed, and, actually at one point, was able to sit on the edge of the bed with her legs over the side. It doesn't sound like much, but believe me, it took a lot of effort to achieve something that sounds so simple.

The goal for tomorrow that she may be able to take a short walk. Hmm, we will see. I'm a bit skeptical.

The operation was much more extensive than was originally thought to be. The doctor said to her this morning that the upper incision was high enough to see her heart.

I just realized how tired I am. The cats continue to eat, than heavens. I'm so glad that it all turned around.

Think I'll say goodnight to all and hit the sack.

Bye for now guys....