How cosmic is this?

[lighter]

Oh Hops she looks like she's on a great adventure..... heading into her day...... busy and on the job, really: )

Maybe a little red cape for her service visits?

Lighter

[sKePTiKal]

Oh, the power of animals to heal those places it's hard to reach... this is why I'm so obsessed with trying to get mio-mio back to normal.

It's pretty clear to me, now - she is just having problems "going" and controlling it. The embarrassment is why she's hiding from me. When I go visit her - she wants to suck up all the lovins I want to give her. And she LOOKS like there is just nothing wrong with her. Canned fish and oil on her kibble is helping to soften the poops (and I have cod liver oil on the way to simplify that new routine) but the reason she moved her hiding place, is she peed her bed. Which was right next to the litter box. 2 ft away. So had workers here all day yesterday and because she'd always been a puter kitty, closed her in the office. It has a big window with a wide ledge she can sit on and a door that gets sun in the afternoon.

I'll bet this is the result of her stealing & eating toilet paper. LOL.

[Hopalong]

I'm really sorry your kitty's still having trouble, Amber. SO frustrating for you and for her.
Vet no help? No UTI, no nothin' diagnosable? Could it be just a reaction to moving/uprooting?
Are her kidneys okay?    Speaking of pix, maybe if we had one of her, we could send her
healing energies? Who knows?

Lighter, I love the little red cape idea for pooch. She's not reliable enough to BE a service dog,
but who says she couldn't wear the costume? Hmmm. Got me thinking for Halloween....Florence
Doginggale...

Her funny body is extra-long. I sometimes call her the extruded dog. She's part corgi, so got
that face and torso, but fortunately part beagle too, so she got real legs and a real tail. The rest is Traveling Salesdog. (My mother always had corgis, knowing deep withiN that she was royalty of
course, and those adorable things had to run around on stumps all day....sweet dogs though.)

What I loved about the glamour shot was that the photographer, a young woman with serious
equipment, lay down on the bricks downtown to get that angle. Gave this short little dog such
gravitas. I thought it was a brilliant move. I also love that the old bank where I used to go with
my Dad as a tot (soaring ceilings, all the marble) and where I have my safe deposit box now,
is in the background. And a cafe I'm often at with her and friends is just beyond.

It's my happy place and she's my happy pooch. Last night I was at a cafe there with friends and
a man at the next table was just in love with her. "Accidentally" dropped a big swatch of salmon
skin. (This is why she loooooves going downtown...) Enough said or y'all will start thinking I'm
obsessed.

Busted.

Hops

[sKePTiKal]

If you're gonna be busted for something, it might as well be doting on your pet, right? I think it's good for us to exercise that emotional muscle; keeps it flexible and functional.

So often, I read the memorials from crusty, gruff old guys for their dogs - and even they are totally heartbroken. Shamelessly blubbering like little girls. In public even. With not even a second thought for their reputations as "tough guys".

The vet couldn't get - and I didn't think to take a urine sample during our visit. He did give her a 7 day antibiotic shot that helped. He couldn't find a thing wrong with her physically or in the blood work, but he suspected a UTI. She has always been a skitzy fraidy cat - preferring to hide under my bed or in my bathroom if we had company. Even from Holly - who is a cat whisperer. It took her 5-6 years to let Mike pet her.

So it's POSSIBLE that she's gotten better from the infection but because she's smart enough to know that she had potty issues - and is now self-conscious about it - she is a little neurotic about the whole episode. (Animals are like their humans, right??? LOL) I've cleaned her box, right down to scrubbing it in case there were any germs and have always kept it scooped out. I'm beginning to think I need to try some plain old clay cat litter - instead of the tiny clumping stuff. There's an urban legend that when they clean their feet, after being in the box - they ingest the little granules and it does it's thing in their digestive system. The vets say no; that's not possible - as do the litter companies - but I'm running out of ideas here. LOL. The only other thing I can think of is that's had a kitty stroke of sorts and has simply lost complete control over what comes out when... but then, that's not quite right either.

It's a hilarious picture: but she runs through the house like her tail's on fire and shoots out "kitty snacks" while she's running... which is why I thought maybe some gentle stool softener would help. In case she's expecting it to hurt. I had to order cod liver oil, I didn't have any in my kit - so it should be here soon. In the meantime, I use an eyedropper to add a little olive oil to her kibble, and give her half a can of good oily fish cat food a day too. She seems to prefer salmon but will eat shrimp.

A friend passed on his vet's tip for for UTIs... just crushing a little Vitamin C into the water bowl. Guess who overdid on the second day? LOL... getting the dose right for an 8 lb cat by guess & by golly wasn't cutting it - so I found a homeopathic remedy at chewy.com - no color, taste or smell and I saw it had uva ursi in it so I've been trying that for a week. Last night, she got plain tap water for a break.

For whatever reason she seems to be "claiming" the downstairs as her space since I've gotten a lot of boxes gone and floor space back. It's not that she can't come up the steps - she's being hardheaded and doesn't want to. And I've caved and made her comfortable down there.

No; I'm not obsessed... LOL. The hardest part has been learning to just leave her be to rest and let her "hide" - it's her instinct when she's not feeling great - but only in a few places that it's not difficult to get her out of, when I have to confine her for work going on around here. She's lasted this long without stopping eating - so she must be drinking/peeing somewhere - and she's not lethargic; just not hanging out in the upstairs main living space.

[lighter]

:::SIGH::::..

So I wake up this morning to the Pug restless, and unsettled.  I think.... maybe she has two legs through one harness leg hole?

  I take it off..... she's still headbutting me and my pillow...... doing something odd with her hindquarters.  This is after she was shaved, and bathed yesterday..... and then we went on a nature walk down by the river.

I take a closer look at a spot I THINK is darker than the rest....and...... there's a huge tick near her neck, over her front leg..... OMG!

  I touch it and the legs start moving.

::skin crawling::

  I'm not the type to let things like that sit. 
I get a match.
I light it. 
I get the not still hot tip to the tick....Pug moves anyway, and I fail.

::dropping head::

Then I have a thought... GLUE GUN!  The really HOT kind.  I won't have to worry about lack of heat in this equation, no sir.
 
I load Pug's little pink Kong with almond butter.... a lot.... which was the smartest thing I've done today, then plug in the glue gun.

What could go wrong, right?

So, as I'm frustrated over the no longer moving bc it's glued into PUG fur TICK, and
 
I find 2 more smaller ticks, which makes me mentally wring my hands..... I can't get a very large tick out of pug skin.

::skin crawling::



Well, there's three non wiggling ticks on a paper plate.......I must of figured it out....
 it's a blurr, frankly.

The pug is napping off her trauma. 

I'll tick check her undercarriage once she's finished. 

::sigh::

Amber I'm hoping you get your kitty feeling better.  Maybe the water in your new area is bothering her?  Maybe purified water will help? 

Lighter

[Hopalong]

Well I had more than my share of UTIs back in the day. I wonder if she has a resistant UTI, that 7 days of antibiotic hasn't killed off. Sure can happen with people, why not kitties? Seems very strange that the vet would not get a urine culture for a firm dx, even if she has to be sedated to collect it. I sure hope a solution for her comes soon. (Courtesy, Dr. Hops who isn't one but plays one in her head...)

Lighter, I love the hot glue ticks attack. Very funny (and very smart!).

OOOO pets.


Hops

[Twoapenny]

Hopsie, she's a good dog to be obsessed about

I'd love a dog but circumstances aren't right at the moment (plus the cat wouldn't be happy, lol) but I'm still hoping to do voluntary dog walking once son's health is good enough that we can commit to a regular walk.  I think it's especially nice when you take on a rescue dog, it's lovely to give them a better life when they've not had a good start x

[sKePTiKal]

Hops, the vet said her bladder was really small... and they tried expressing enough to sample and couldn't get any.

Lighter, I've been giving her bottled water or using the reverse osmosis all this time. If it were the water, she'd had had symptoms by Christmas after we moved.

Any chronic disease would've shown up in her bloodwork.

So, I'm following her lead about what she wants and trying not to stress about it. She CLEARLY doesn't want to be upstairs. I found her under the power recliner the last time, after looking everywhere she could get to. Their instinct is to hide from potential predators when they don't feel well, to protect themselves.

It's going to start getting crazy busy around here, with a lot of physical disruptions in the house itself soon. That's going to probably just make things worse for her, unless I get her established into a particular space.

[Hopalong]

Don't despair, don't give up! ((((((Amber & mio mio))))....
There's this: https://www.amazon.com/Non-Absorbent-Reusable-Litter-Urine-Collection/dp/B00I2YTTNA and a funny explanatory (Aussie) article: http://www.smallanimaltalk.com/2014/05/collecting-urine-sample-from-your-cat.html

Sending peaceful thoughts for a comfy kitty cave solution too.

love,
Hops

[lighter]

Hmmmm... it makes you wonder what chemicals have been used around and inside the house.  Pesticides, cleaning solutions..... even off gassing from carpets, and building materials for pets and people sensitive to such things. 

Paint. 

Ahhhh....it's stopped raining, but there's wind and dark stormy clouds.  I wish I could be outside in it.... the rain started again. I really love the rain.

I worry about pets when dealing with the wood mice around here. 

It's got to be something with mio mio, Amber.

I hope you find it.

Light

[lighter]

Lighter, I love the hot glue ticks attack. Very funny (and very smart!).

OOOO pets.


Hops

Well.... I didn't feel very smart after I glued the tick in place, mitt head still inside the pug. 

For anyone interested, the glue gun tip has to be 100% glue free to be a good idea.

::nodding::

Lighter

[Hopalong]

Just curious, Amber...did you ever try the urine sample collection product for Mio Mio?

Hugs to you both,
Hops

[sKePTiKal]

No, Hops, I didn't.

I've been letting her try to lead me to a more correct observation/analysis of what's going on. Personality wise, she's changed - but she's PERKY. And she is still terrorizing Queenie - who will calmly and carefully sneak around the back of the couch to satisfy her curiosity about mio-mio when she's upstairs snuggling; always keeping her distance. The minute Mio sees her, the chase is on... And Mio-mio is clearly "the boss of this house".

Poops get better some days; and other days are still hard as little rocks. This is pretty common, from what I can see online - and the vets can't do more than we can at home - which is make sure they stay hydrated, feed more wet food, and add some stool softener. I'm using an eyedropper & cod liver oil -- and it DOES help. She still runs to poop - but the howling has stopped. But I don't think she has much control over peeing anymore. She did go in the box one day last week.

She's very lovey when I'm downstairs; I'm spending a lot of time trying to sort through everything that just got dumped there and figure out the best way for me to use the space. The constant rain for over a week here has put a kink in my outside work plans. And she's clearly mad at me that there's another cat in the house... LOL... she bites me and the tail goes a mile a minute, switching back & forth.

I've read a lot of vets comments about various diagnoses and treatments and such... and there is a general consensus that this happens for some unknown reason to some cats and about all they can do is treat the symptoms. She's happiest when I'm not fussing over her - or trying to force her to do what I think she wants. So, that's the space I'm trying to give her right now. Queenie doesn't venture downstairs much and as I've cleared floor space (and made new hiding places) mio-mio feels safe down there. I've been trying to get her to play a little bit with her favorite string toy, because exercise might help too. Animals do get depressed... so my job is to not make her feel like she's being bad, or stubborn (altho she is) and bear with the situation until she gets her head in a different place.

Other than the urinary/bowel issues - she's physically in good shape and is still alert and lovey. Since the round of antibiotics, she doesn't appear to be at death's door anymore. She still hides - because she is embarrassed and wants to be left alone. I gotta respect that. Lately, she's come running the minute I come downstairs to feed her or work. That's more normal for her.

[Hopalong]

Quick job update:
Got a new, regular client (90) who's a challenge but also an amazing learning opportunity. She reminds me a lot of Nmother, but is more of a "steel magNolia." Smart, very charming, and very manipulative. She drives her two sons crazy and can be frustrating to deal with. Nearly every time, I must set boundaries with her. Doesn't sound like "fun" but in a way it is, because I'm getting to experience a healthy response to manipulation. And also experience assertiveness. I can enjoy her liveliness and warmth but say "No" when I need to. (She wants me to be "on call" and rush to soothe her, and I've explained that if she needs more time, she does have to reserve me ahead.) Everything that pops into her head she describes as "urgent" or "very important" so she keeps people around her in a state of agitation. Yet she has very serious health issues.

I could go on and on with stories about her but there's also a lot to enjoy if I keep it light but professional.

Compassion is still job one. She is in very poor health (failing heart, only one kidney--I've taken her to the ER twice) and quite afraid. Being kind but strong with her at the same time is a positive experience for me. And being paid for my time makes a lot of difference in how it feels.

Originial geNt is getting crankier, for health reasons I think. Also because he realizes I'm not quite as available for him as I once was. I think he's scared and lonely but is so rigid and controlling that he won't let anyone truly "in". Like magNolia, he's putting a ton of energy into image management, and is in denial about where he is in life.

I get a lot of lessons from this work. From these two, the biggest I think is to understand that when my decline-time comes, I want to accept help with grace instead of resentment.

My third lady is a joy to be around---kind, maternal and appreciative. Only sad thing is to watch her deal with so much pain and disability because of obesity. Makes me sad to take her grocery shopping and see what she chooses. But she's not stupid, she is addicted. And it's not my place to tell her what to do. Poor thing takes so much medicine it takes us an hour to fill up her pill containers...and one day, she won't be able to walk. Still, she likes to laugh and is just a dear.

I finally have enough hours to feel that if I can keep my employment at approximately this level, I'll be okay. It's good that it keeps me active (very good) but it's also surprisingly draining. You have to be constantly "on" and attentive, unlike at an office where you can take mental breaks. On balance I'm grateful for it...but not making progress right now with my writing. Tend to come home and conk out on the couch.

Personal discipline is still a handicap and that's my biggest challenge. But I think it's going to continue to get better with practice. I've been at it about six months now, only recently up to about 20 hours or so. It's the right balance if I commit to better scheduling and...alas...less time online!

Btw, if you need work, this field that is mushrooming. I offer "companion" care, not "health aide" or significant medical, hygiene or heavy-lifting. My folks are all mobile (with walkers sometimes) and clean and dress themselves. I did some homework and found out what common agencies charge in my area (if you work for an agency you might make $11 hour while the agency pockets $25, but on your own, you can charge $20--more in some places). It's a decent rate for work that suits me well. If you like old folks, make yourself a flyer and get the word out! I worried for months but word of mouth has really worked. Took about six months to get three regulars--but they're all at the same assisted living complex, so I schedule time with them back to back. And some of them are friends, and others I meet coming and going have asked for my flyer, so I think it'll continue to grow in a sort of ebb and flow. Of course, built into the job is that I'll be losing customers one day when they pass away or must move to nursing care, and gradually gaining others. I accept it, and am grateful for what I am learning from folks in this chapter of life.

Hugs,
Hops

[Twoapenny]

That all sounds really good, Hops.  I think word of mouth is such a good way to get work, especially that kind of work as it's so personal.  People need to feel they can trust in someone and that's much easier with someone who's been recommended.

The lady with the good addiction is sad, there seems to be a growing problem in that area.  I've been watching a series about people who are morbidly obese and they go on an exercise regime and strict diet to lose the weight they need to.  It's so sad to watch, they're so unhappy with their weight and the health problems it brings but they really do have such a strong addiction it's incredibly difficult for them to change.  I think what's particularly hard with food is that you do have to eat so you can't avoid it completely in the way that you can if you want to stop smoking or drinking.  You never know, Hops, maybe some of your healthy eating habits might give her some ideas