Happy Cat Family

Hello furriends, Bugsy here!
Things have been quite interesting lately around the house - first of all, meowmy stole our crunchy food from us - COMPLETELY - GONE! Can you believe it? All of the sudden, one day it was there, and the next it wasn't - no more crunchy goodness for us to mounch at throughout the day! The nerves!
Then she had this crazy thought that we are something called carnivores - or something like that. Means that we eat other animals like the one on TV! NEVER in a million years I would thought that!
Anyways, she is feeding us this thing called "Raw meat" three times a day now. And get this - it is ALL we eat. No treats, no crunchies, no nothing! We are now on day 20 - yep, I am counting!! And so far we had a huge animal called lamb, turkey and rabbit.
Frankly, I love it - particularly the lamb- pretty yummy stuff! In the beginning I was not too convinced, and meowmy was being very careful because of all my tummy problems and all.... But now I know exactly where to go at meal times to watch her kill the prey and make it nice and tasty for us.
One thing is for sure - for 1yr and 2 months I had the runs and was not feeling good at all.... All those vet trips didn't fix me.... I was taking a ton of meds and eating some crunchies that had an "ok" taste at best.... It took only 5 days on this new "Raw" diet, as meowmy calls it, for me to be all fixed up, and my poops are all normal and solid. I feel so good I am running all over the place and tearing the house down!
I am also off all my meds! I am only taking one probiotic and my stomatitis medicine.... That one I need to take....
Now meowmy just needs to convince Lucky to eat the meat - meowmy says she is a die-hard kibble addict, whatever that means - I think, she just feels bad for the other critters....
But we are working on it - she is already eating on a schedule (hehe, didn't see that one coming, did you lucky?!), and she is getting the meat as treats, dusted on halo freeze-dry chicken crumbs, which is her favorite thing in the world! Little by little meowmy is increasing the treats for her :) Hopefully it won't take too long for her to join us at the meat room! She doesn't know what she is missing!
Meowmy said my next step will be to try chicken...... it always gave me the runs.... maybe now that my system is better I will be able to deal with it - I hope so! I think it is yummy!

Pee Ess: Thank you so much for your support with Gracie's running to the bridge.... I was looking for her around the house for a very long time, and couldn't understand where she had gone :(
It's been a month now... We miss her so much... I loved her very very much... Meowmy is doing better, and our hearts are healing, but the house is still very empty. Gracie is very loved, and will be forever in our hearts <3

Happy Birthday to the love of my life, my beautiful, sweet, purring machine Bugsy!
Meowmy wishes a long, healthy life, full of love and the things you like the most!
I love you more than everything and anything my baby boy - more than you will ever know! Thank you for being part of my life for one more year!

Hi Furriends, Lucky Here!
Sorry we have been away for a little while... Meowmy has been just so busy, she has been keeping the compooter away from us... She's been traveling a lot from work... She just got back and is going away this Sunday again :( Auntie Kelly is going to stay with us so we won't stay alone, but we miss our meowmy all the same. It can be hard on us, but we are getting used to it I guess...
All is well around here - Bugsy is doing really good, and recovered completely, there is no crisis at the moment, thank goodness!
At night, when meowmy has a break from work, my favorite past time is to play the Star-Chaser/TurboScratcher with her. It is my favorite game in the whole World! Bugsy doesn't know how to play - he sits on it... Silly boy! Hope only watches, but meowmy and I really go at it! It is so much fun, we can play for hours!
Happy Friday furriends!

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here!
I am now back home after spending most of the week in Florida, on a Business trip... It broke my heart to leave Bugsy still going through his recovery, but I knew he couldn't be in better hands. Kelly, who is also a vet tech at the Dentist clinic he goes to, is my pet sitter and she is my angel on earth - I do not know what I would do without her! She absolutely adores my babies, and they just love her back... She sleeps most of the nights here with them, otherwise comes in either 2 or 3 times a day, so they are rarely alone - this arrangement gives me so much peace of mind and allows me to do my job without losing my mind over guilt!
Anyways, back to Bugsy - He is doing GREAT! Like nothing ever happened!
I left on the 5th day after the surgery - it was a bit earlier than recommended, but I decided to leave kibbles out to make sure he would have enough to eat since I would no longer be able to feed him around the clock. He also had to take a couple more days of injections, and frankly, I was glad Kelly was going to be the one doing it - Bugsy HATED the injections....
I left with a great deal of worry, but got home to four happy, healthy kitties who were not stressed out at all! They immediately followed me around the house, and Bugsy hasn't stopped following me ever since :)
I am just so glad to be home with my babies, and so relieved they are all ok!
Thank you so much for all the prayers and purrs, they are really appreciated!
Hugs,
Meowmy

Hi Furriends, Bugsy here!
Thank you so much for the vibes and purrayers! My Goodness, a truck hit me and I didn't even see it! All I know is meowmy put me inside of that carrier and the rest is no good. I just don't understand why... Why my mouth is in so much owy...
Meowmy already told you what happened, so I will just update you. That night she fed me with a syringe... ouch, it hurt so badly! I didn't want to eat, I was telling her, but she wasn't listening to me furriends! The next morning though I woke up hungry, so I ate on my own.... Well... not exactly - meowmy fed me with a spoon, but still, it was better than the syringe thingy. I can only eat stinky goodness, so she feeds me all the time, like 5 times a day.
There are also the injections :( Meowmy has to give me injections twice a day (antibiotics) and pain meds three times a day. As you can imagine and see on the pictures, my favorite place is under the bed.
I really really don't like this situation... I hope I am all better soon, back eating crunchies and stinky goodness, and more importantly not taking these injections - I hate them, they hurt furriends!
Anyways, I am doing much better... Now I feel I have been hit by a VW bug instead of truck hehe.
Thank you so much for checking on me furriends!

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here!
Bugsy's dental ended up being today instead of Monday, and was pretty rough... he is not doing "so sexy"... He had three extractions, the roots were very weak and brittle, and came out in pieces, so they had to go into the bone to clean it up. He did get a bone implant put in... His records show he had a small hemorrhage... He had little problem being intubated, and with pain after the surgery (they had to up his meds).
I spoke to the clinic later today as Bugsy was still not eating, and they said he had a "rough, big day". They said I might have to force feed him, but his mouth is SO sore...
I gave him more pain meds and he freaked at me touching his mouth the poor thing.
I am hoping he will eat soon now that he is medicated again. So far it's been about 24 hours since his last meal, and all he did was take a few licks of my fingers moments ago.
I hate the thought of force feeding him- he is clearly traumatized and in a lot of pain.
I will be giving him clindamicyn injections 2x a day for the next 6 days, as he can't have any more antibiotics with his digestive system messed up as it is...
To top it all off his glucose came high- 180 out of max 159. They ran a second panel and second test was 177. I was told by someone that this slight elevation could be explained by stress.
My poor little baby is a mess...
If you pray, say a little prayer for him... At least for him to eat... If you don't, send him some vibes... I am getting ready to mix some food to force feed him...
My poor baby boy :(

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here!
At last I have some good news... all around! sounds like this is the beginning of a much deserved break for all of us here, finally!
Let's start with miss Gracie: She made a full recovery from her tooth surgery, and we were since she got here working on getting her on the right level of thyroid medication - she was for a long time off meds, then was way over-medicated. Finally her test last week showed she stabilized right where she needs to be: she is now taking 1/3 of the dosage she was taking when she first got here!
We were doing blood tests every 2-3 weeks, and I am sure glad she doesn't need to go through that anymore, as she had to be put under every time and that is always risky for an old gal like her. Let alone the stress of constant vet visits! But now she is doing great, and that is behind her - ahhhh relief!
Now Lucky: After her blockage she was put on a hairball formula, and is eating like a champ. She is still constipated from time to time, but I am managing it with hairball treats as needed. She is doing very well and happy! I am glad she turned that corner - those were some scary days of not eating and being completely blocked... I am watching her like a hawk!
Now our prince boy Bugsy!
I am sure you all remember the months and months of diarrhea ordeal Bugsy went through. All the meds he was given took a toll on his little body and affected his liver - his ALT level went way up and kept escalating so he had to be completely off drugs, even of his stomatitis treatment. Yesterday we went to the vet for his liver panel, and he checked all clear! All his numbers are good - ALT and enzymes -all good!
He is now back on his stomatitis meds and has a dental scheduled for Monday, as being off meds made his gums suffer and now we need to bring him up to date on that. But he will be a-ok.
He still has soft poop, but not diarrhea, and certainly not explosive liquid diarrhea like he was having before.
His vet examined his belly and said he could feel no gas and he showed no signs of pain - he was not jumpy like he was before during examination. Also, during his diarrhea he was rapidly losing weight, and he has gained some weight back - even though he is overweight, that is a very good sign given the circumstances - a sign that he is absorbing the nutrients better.
So, the vet said for now, no meds - just continue with the probiotics and change his fiber to pumpkin - he read some studies that pumpkin works better than psyllium.
Hope went for her annual/vaccinations and checked in with flying colors. The vet said he could not hear the murmur she was once diagnosed with. He even tried to listen with a pediatric stethoscope. His protocol is to do only the rabies annually and the distemper vaccine once every 3 years - I like that.
So furriends, there you have it - for once I have great news all around! whew! All I want is a healthy 2011!
Now if you can spare a few purrs for Bugsy's dental on Monday, that would be great - I am sure in my heart he is going to be just fine though.... He is my boy,the love of my life!
Thanks for reading and for being there for us!

Hi Furriends, Lucky Here!
It is a bit cold today, and since we have no heater in the house, we feel purry snugly. Well, let me explain that - we did have heat until last week.... But you see, we live in an old old building, so it is either heat or air conditioner; since it was warm for a while the landlady had turned the air on... Good old Texas turned the weather the day that happened. Go figure - meowmy say's it is some gentleman's fault, I think his name is Murphy, or somefing like that. She said he is a lawyer, or has a law...
It is ok though... Don't you guys like cuddling when it's a little cold? Humm... so cozy!
Have a wonderful, super-easy Sunday furriends!

Hello Furriends, Meowmy Here!
For those who don't know, Gracie has been in her own little area, separated by a baby gate and SSSCat on my computer desk since she moved in. She is terrified of the other kitties, especially of Bugsy, who absolutely LOVES her and simply can't leave her alone :)
I have tried everything on the book - scent exchange, the vanilla trick, have feliway running in every room, sloooow intros, etc. with no luck.
Well, yesterday as I am seating on the couch the SSSCat goes off - I have it set up on my desk for Bugsy to not jump over to her area... Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was Gracie who was actually crossing over to their area!!! She came right over and laid on the couch next to me! Below is the dialog she had with Bugsy....... right before Lucky came running as a good old alpha and put her back on her place. She did have a small "fight" with Bugsy, it was kind of scary for meowmy....
Today she crossed over again! Right now she is laying down peacefully on the couch while Lucky is on the other side (also on the couch), Bugsy is on the cat tree, and Hope is on the floor on the living room! I think we might be making progress here furriends! As they say, when dealing with cats, it is all on their terms, and their time!

Hi Furriends, Lucky here to give a healthy update on effurybody in the house!
Let's start with the most impawtant kitty in the group - you guessed it: me! I am doing GREAT! Meowmy fed me with that syringe thing until Sunday night, then she started feeding me some yummy num-nums and I loved it! I am eating all on my own now! I was afraid I was going to get the runs like brother Bugsy because she changed my food just like that, but nah - didn't get it - I guess I was so plugged up and constipated my belly just averaged thing out inside... Purry cool, huh? The only special treatment I am getting is now I have a set time to eat, since Bugsy and Hope can get really sick if they eat my food. Meowmy says she is training me to be fed on a schedule - sounds scary, I know. Now I eat 4 times a day - in a month she wants me to eat only two. T-W-O. She says I better re-learn to snack on my brothers food or else I will just have to wait for meal time! I am going to rebel! Thing is, meowmy travels and auntie Kelly only comes in twice a day so... Oh, yeah I am also getting something that is called Vaseline every other day so I don't plug up again with the hairballs - yuck it is disgusting!
Ok, now onto Gracie, her update is super quick! Gracie is doing great too... Meowmy and the V-E-T are working hard on adjusting her thyroid medicine, and she goes to the doctor to have her blood stolen effury 2-3 weeks to check on her levels and adjust the dose. When she came here, she was WAY over medicated, taking three times as much medicine as she is taking now! She is going back to the V-E-T next Wednesday. She made a full recovery from her tooth problem, but in the last visit her doctor said she will need a dental sometime soon, her teeth are kinda nasty, she probably never had a dental before that poor girl!
Bugsy: Bugsy is doing good, but his poop is "iffy". I tried to make meowmy explain what that means, and here is what she said... "Iffy" means that it is not really diarrhea, but it is not really formed. It got formed after DiaGel, but now it is kinda mushy. Sorry for being gross furriends. Meowmy is not taking him to the V-E-T just yet because she wants to make sure what "side of the wall" he is going to fall on. You see, when he was having diarrhea, it was explosive liquid diarrhea, and it is definitely not like that anymore... We don't know if he is dancing the samba on the top of it and smashing part of it or what is going on... We just want to make sure before starting him on Steroids or taking him to a specialist. All the meds he took affected his liver, so he has a liver panel scheduled for March 25th. Also, because of that, his dentist took him off his stomatitis medication, so his gums are getting worst - he will need a dental as soon as he gets the all clear from his V-E-T, and hopefully at that time he will be able to go back to his treatment (I bet he will not be happy about that). Because of all these things, meowmy wants to be really really sure of what is going on before moving onto any kind of drugs again.
Anyways, although not 100%, things are WAY better around here, and meowmy doesn't seem so freaked out anymore. At least there is no crisis going on at the moment. Let's hope that from now on all continues to get better - meowmy deserves a break! I am doing my part - I promise to tell my brother and sisters to do the same!
Thanks for checking on us furriends!