The CAT room!

I'm so sorry MsOlga!

My sincere condolences, Ms. Olga, i know how much our little friends mean to us--i've not had such a companion since my last small friend left me, many years ago. Lovey's lil' doggies mean a great deal to me, and i'd be devastated to lose either of them.

I hope that you bear up well, and that you can find another little friend who will need your home and your love.

I'm so sorry i know how heartbreaking it is. hugs

Oooh, Msolga -- my heart goes out to you, particularly having had to do the same thing with my beloved old doggie last Thursday. Awful. We all miss her -- it's like losing a body part, isn't it...

I hope your wound is healing and that you will indeed find a huggable replacement soon.

So sorry to hear that, Tartarin. Here's hoping you can find another, too.

Olga - Oh no, I'm so sorry.

Oh, msolga, I hate to hear that. I was really hoping she would pull through. 18 years is a very long life, though, and I'm sure she was a very lucky kitty to have had you.

Sorry to hear about your loss, too, Tartarin. You're right, losing a beloved pet is like losing a part of yourself. Hope you have many wonderful memories to recall.

Sorry to hear about your dog, Tartarin. Extra hugs for my little critters tonight.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about both MsOlga's kitty and Tartarin's dog. It is very sad for the humans left behind. Our dog died in emergency surgery last year... it was heart-breaking. It did fill most of the big empty spot in our hearts when the new puppies came into our household, but even two of them couldn't replace her, really.

I was coming onto this topic to talk about my poor old 16-year old cat who is suffering, I think. He comes to me & cries, but then won't eat much -- he went off his food altogether for a while when the vet told me I had to change it and put in additives. Finally he's eating, but he doesn't relish it like I think he should, and rarely finishes anything. Stripe seems to be getting slower & slower. He drinks water so I don't think it could be his kidneys -- could it? We're having hot weather and that seems especially hard on him. It is worrying. He was never very playful, he's more of a cuddling kind of cat.

I hate hearing about someone losing their pet. It's a great loss and difficult to get over. I'm also sorry to hear the sad news.

I've taken both cats off the canned Science Diet and have been giving them only the dry food (which Irma prefers anyway). Dilly, the queen thoroughbred, has a fit when any can is opening, especially tuna and I've heard it's bad to feed a cat tuna. Anyone know if this is true? Opened some canned white meat chicken this morning to make Cobb Salad for lunch and Dilly began with her protest, vocalizing her desire at the top of her lungs. I gave her a few pieces and she was fine. She's an old cat so one day will have to the same loss.

LW - I believe that tuna should be restricted due to mercury building up in their little systems ('maybe' they say....). And, I know it's not wholy sufficient, nutritionaly, to serve as a cat's only food stuff. But, when my cat is really down and out with a pancreatic flare up, it's the only thing he'll eat for days.

I never give my cats much of the human canned food (and Dilly is a dinner table begger so gets some little pieces of whatever the entree meat is every day -- unless its cooked in wine, then she won't eat it). I buy the hairball formula dry food as it has lot of fiber in it and switch off from IAMS to Science Diet. The tuna Dilly got last time was the gourmet canned stuff I got on line from Oregon. Sure liked that and I don't think it has a problem with Mercury.

Lucky little kitties!

Both my cats LOVE the new (at least in this area) Purina kibble "for indoor cats." They're definitely outdoor cats, eat grass and I won't tell you what else, but the (presumably) veggie-filled Purina really grabs them. Once in a while (blue moon), they get to share one of those tiny tins of tuna, white meat, expensive, as a treat. It's not just the mercury, it's the magnesium -- which contributes to urinary problems in cats.

My cat loves dry food but the vet told me he had to be taken off of it... after 16 years... suddenly it is not good for him. It has too many carbohydrates she said. Trying to force him to eat canned food has been awful and not particularly successful. We're not supposed to be giving him any canned fish, either, because of the mercury (and apparently, the magnesium). Switching him to a new food has been a trial for him and for me.

I gave him a nice long brushing this evening, which he loved. He's getting older and can't groom himself as well as he used to.

Thank you so much, every one of you, for your comforting words. You "critter folk" of A2K are really the nicest of people! We really are a world community of animal lovers, aren't we?

Yes, it's terribly sad to lose a little critter whose been a companion for 18 years, through thick & thin. We have been through so much together! It really is like losing a family member. And you feel SO helpless in these situations. Of course, I keep expecting her to be in her usual spots, only to get a fresh shock each time when I realize again what's happened. And I feel particularly sad for my rather bewildered tuxedo cat, whose lost 2 critter friends in such a short time. Confused, he is, poor darling. I hope, before too long, to find another companion for him ... but can't do it just yet.

Tartarin, I am so sorry about the loss of your beloved dog. What can I say, but I know what you must be feeling & want to say how sorry I feel for you.

Piffka, all the very best with your 16 year old. I do hope he revives as the weather cools down a little. Do keep us posted. And good luck with it! (BTW excessive water drinking is an indication of kidney problems in older cats. Something to keep an eye on.)

(excessive water drinking is an indication of elevated blood sugar too.)

You put it into words well, MsOlga. I remember that sense of hopelessness. The poor dears can't even tell us what's wrong, what hurts, or how to make it better.

Someone (msbbg on abuzz, actually) once said "cats don't know that cats die." It seems true, and it's a blessing.

I'm going to ask the vet next time the cats go in what food is best for them. It better be the same for both as they both love to snoop in each other's dish! Now it's because I put some of the kitty plaque treats on top and if one doesn't finish those off, the other makes sure they're all gone. It believe the high fiber dry food is lower in carbs -- that vet must be advocating Dr. Atkins diet for cats!

MsOlga -- Glad to hear that you have one cat left in the household. He/she will be looking to you for extra love & attention. We had a cat who died at home several years ago. Stripe very carefully and completely sniffed the body, then quietly walked away. He seemed more confused last year when his dog companion was taken to the vet and never returned. He'd go to her usual sleeping places and meow. Of course, he meows a lot anyway, so maybe I was reading too much into his actions, but he sounded sad.

Thanks for the tips on water drinking... I don't think Stripe's is excessive, but I do see him drink every once in a while. (Cats are somewhat secretive, don't you think?) Stripe got his favorite food treat this morning, the meat jelly on top of the canned dog food. If I were really a good mom, I guess I'd make him his own demi-glace.