Text 25185, 129 rader
Skriven 2012-02-10 17:58:36 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
  Kommentar till text 25166 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Cats
============
Hi Bob!

>>> with her. Called back later for private appointment, and that went
>>> well.

>> Nice that he would do that for you, for sure.

> Actually, that's not really that unusual here - I just hadn't done it before.
> The vets here operate like the human doctors - they have their regular hours
> when anyone can come and wait their turn in the waiting room, or you can make
> an appointment by phone and usually only have to wait 10-20 minutes. If you
> make an appointment, the waiting room isn't packed - sometimes you're alone,
> sometimes there are 1-2 others there - and the stress on the animal (and you)
> is less. I tend to do that for anything but routine vaccinations nowadays.

I've never asked for a private app't, I'm  not sure if they would do it here,
really.  That's a nice idea though.

>> When we can afford it, we have the vet come here.. it's not cheap to
>> do it that way but he does give you group rates if he's going to do a
>> passle of animals in one visit :)

>I don't know if that's done here, just no experience. Even the two emergencies
> I had with Effie last summer (fluid in his lungs, he could hardly breathe), I
> packed him into the carrier and went to the vet. Both times were during the

When I first started looking for a vet that would make home visits, it was
because our older black lab was over 100lbs, a very tall big girl for sure. She
started having serious problems with with vertigo and couldn't get up off the
floor..  and Ron and I were here alone then and couldn't get her to the car ...
and even if we had, the car wasn't of the type where she could have been put in
it easily.. luckily there was just one vet in the area who did make house
calls.  At first I thought it would be terribly expensive, but he's a great guy
who really gives good discounts on the "other animals" so it worked out well. 
Now we've got healthier animals who can all make it to the car on their own, so
it's really not such an issue.  I wouldn't take all of them at once though :) 
I guess if I had to pay for each of them for separate visits it might actually
pay to have him come here again, we'll see when everyone comes due for booster
shots, etc.

>> The main problem with that whole idea is rounding up the 4 cats before
>> he arrives <grin>  Sometimes, they just will NOT cooperate.

>This is also my problem when I want to take a cat to the vet. My nightmare has
>always been that the appointment time will come and I can't locate the cat. Bu
>luckily that hasn't happened yet. I take special care to keep the outside door
> shut on such days.

Here, we have an upstairs where the cats love to disappear into the nooks and
crannies up there <grin>  The house is quite large so if they run upstairs or
in the basement, they could hide out for quite a while :(

>>  I don't remember seeing the
>> meat sticks you're talking about though.. that would definitely have
>> been easier I think.

> If you have an Aldi store in the area, check with them and ask for something
>like "cat stick treats". I don't know what they're called in English, but they
> come in four different flavors here and are called "Edel Cat Lux feine
> Knabberroellchen". I see they're made by an outfit called Deuerer GmbH with a
> website www.edel-cat.de. They're soft round sticks around 14 cm long and are
> individually packed in metal/plastic foil, 10 sticks to a package (a line of
> sticks with perforations between the individual sticks).

I did find a number of companies that make them over here in the U.S. - several
flavors as well :)  Now to see if our local stores have them.. if not, at least
I know I can get them online.  Thank you for the tip :)

>But if you do buy these and try them out, be forewarned: they're addictive, an
> your cats will pester you for them ever after ;-)

I bet.. I know how my kitties go after treats (the regular type) already :)

> [Pills]
>>> It's also no problem with Effie, our old (15-16) male, who has a
>>> serious and chronic mouth disease that cost him all but two teeth
>>> (both canines are gone) and heart trouble as well (leading to fluid
>>> in the lungs).

>> Aw...  He sounds like a tough guy though.

> He is, and a big one - weight around 15 pounds and hard to carry without
> gasping for breath ;-)

We had such a hefty kitty once.. her name was Tazzi.. her trademark was to come
up to you and rub against you very lovingly, then take a nip at your leg :) I
always thought she was trying to tell me she wanted more treats or food to be
honest <g>

>> (frontline is the company name here).. All they have to see are the
>> blue plastic vials in my hands, and they take off either for heights
>> where I can't reach them, or out the door :)  I don't understand why
>> they care about this flea medication so badly.. I'd expect they can't
>> really feel much when it's put on them...

> Well, for one it's cold. And for another, I've read it gives them a bitter
> taste in their mouths after it gets into the circulation. At any rate, I use
> the same stuff on our cats. Some don't like it and fight, some submit without
> problems. It's very individual.

I hadn't ready about it giving them a taste in their mouths, but that does make
sense..

>> Yes, with Pete, it certainly was.  The poor boy eventually died of
>> cancer in the end.. he was a great cat though.. more of a dog than cat
>> in some ways.. he actually used to play fetch with q-tips :)

> Even as an adult? Wendy and Peter used to fetch short pencils when I'd throw
>them, but that was when they were kittens and were simply bursting with energy
> Nowadays they've given up the habit.

Yes, even as an adult - it was something he did until the end when he didn't
feel terribly well (the cancer was in his mouth).  This breed of cat, the Maine
Coon Cat (named after their very long raccoon like tails, and also of course
the state of Maine) are still considered 'kittens' at 6 years of age. They
normally live for a very long time in good health, unlike some cats which you
might find in the U.S. Some breeding  places have stated that the breed came
over here from England on ships long ago, a mix of short haired cats and long
 haired ones... could be :) Or it could just be the result of intense breeding
over here <g>. They are beautiful colorful cats, and really look like the cats
you see on Halloween cards (you may remember that picture of a black cat with
fangs on those cards?) The Maine Coon's really do have fangs :) and when they
get excited, they look JUST like those scary cats on the Halloween cards <grin>

Take care,
Janis

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