Happy Cat Family

Hello furriends, Hope here!
It is so cold outside, you can't believe it! I think we are not in Texas anymore! I think a wind blew us away just like in the Wizard's movie and took us to the North Pole! My goodness furriends, Brrrrr... Brrrrr... With the wind it feels like 0F outside!
Thank Goodness we have a warm home with lots of blankets and each other to cuddle.... But I feel sorry for all the little furry critters out there, kitties and woofies... Furriends, let's purr and purr extra hard for them these cold days!
Hugs,
Hope~

P.S.: Meowmy wants to say happy birthday to her daddy! Happy purrfday grandpa Roberto!

Hello furriends, Meowmy here!
Friday I took Gracie back to the vet as she was still not eating well and it was concerning me there could be something wrong besides the medication (she had been over-medicated for thyroid)... Gracie would be an impossible cat to force-feed, so I wanted to get an appetite stimulant if all else was ok. By Friday she hadn't eaten well since the Saturday before :(
The vet ran a CBC and the results came back stellar - everything was perfect, not one number off range; GREAT for a 12-13 yr old little lady!
Her vet examined her mouth, which is good, told me to continue to give her temptations hairball treats as a laxative since she was constipated for the last few days, and put her on an appetite stimulant. I also grabbed some cans of Hills A/D.
As soon as we got home she gobbled down some A/D - that food is really great for kitties who are off food... I don't know exactly why, but it beats Fancy Feast by much!! I gave her appetite stimulant for a couple of days just to be on the safe side, but then she became TAZ-Gracie
I had to take her off of it.
For now I am feeding her A/D and Kibbles, and she is eating well. I am also continuing the Temptations Hairball treats.
Not this Wednesday, but the following she will have another T-4 test to check her levels and see if we need to lower her medication even more, or if this is ok for now.
Nothing really new going on with Bugsy... He is still having diarrhea, and yesterday marked 110 days. He was weaned off of Sulfasalazine and did not take any medication Sunday; today, Monday, he starts a new steroid called Budesonide. We are all praying this will be the one that makes a difference! He is doing great aside from the diarrhea though, and for that we are thankful! He is eating well, playing, running around, and not acting sick at all... That is what keeps me going... That is what helps me keep the faith!
I am sorry furriends if all we do is post health updates, but these two kids, especially Bugsy, are going through a long journey towards health; Gracie due to a long time of neglect, and just now having proper care... Bugsy due to a bad digestive tract that was thrown off with Clavamox and for some odd reason he just can't seem to get back on tract.
We will get there for both of them though, I have faith we will!
Thanks for all the purrs, prayers, and good wishes furriends, have a wonderful, Healthy Monday!

Hello Furriends, Hope here!
It's been a long time furriends! With all the health problems with Bugsy and Gracie, sometimes I feel sister Lucky and I are a bit in the background around here... So, today I decided to take over the compooter to give their health updates and also leave you with a picture of me, so you don't forget who I am!
Here are the updates, let's start with Gracie:
Meowmy got the results for the T-4 tests we ran Saturday...
She always thought she was way over-medicated - Her old vet, who we left and never looked back, put her on 3 (THREE!!!!!) Methimazole pills a day; at the time she was just 7lbs!
Because she was steadily gaining weight, which she needed, and doing well, and also because meowmy was pretty kinda broke with all Bugsy's issues and her surgery, she waited until this past weekend to have the test done - of course she had discussed with the new vet waiting and as long as she was eating and doing well, the V-E-T thought it would be ok to wait.
This week however, her appetite started slowing down, which is completely out of the ordinary for her. She went from being a great eater to being finicky even with Fancy feast. When looking at the side effects of Methimazole, one of the first ones is Lack of Appetite - Bingo. Her mouth has been checked, so it is not it. She doesn't have diarrhea... She is not stressed, or lethargic... Her thyroid numbers, below, can shed a light:
T-4 NG/DL Range 0.7 - 2.6 Gracie: 0.3
Free T-4 TMOL/L Range 9.0 - 33.5 Gracie: 3.9
T-4 Overall Range 0.8 - 4.7 Gracie: 0.8
Below, on the back, there was a note that said something along the lines of "Numbers below the range in cats almost always represent over-medication".
The V-E-T called meowmy and told her to immediately lower her medication to 2 pills a day, one in the morning and one at night, and that her appetite should increase in a few days time. Since she is not eating well, we should take her to the V-E-T for an appetite stimulant on Friday too... She will also have her blood stolen for another test in two weeks to see if her medication needs more adjusting.

Now onto Bugsy:
Bugsy felt nauseated last night furriends, I thought he was going to throw up all over the bed! Luckily he didn't, Yuck! The V-E-T called for a follow up and told us with this news and the results of the blood test, it is time to wean him off of the Sulfasalazine. So, from Wednesday through Saturday he will take 1/2 dosage, Sunday he has a day off, and Monday if he still has the runs he starts the new Steroid Treatment.
Then in a couple or few weeks he goes back to the V-E-T for more testing.
Whew! Thank Goodness at least Sister Lucky and I are healthy furriends, I tell ya, if just dictating the updates makes me tired, imagine taking care of those two high maintenance babies! (Meowmy says shosh Hope they are your brother and sister!)
Have a wonderful Thursday Furriends!

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here -
Gracie went for her post-op check up Saturday and she is doing GREAT! So Great in fact that she won't need a second surgery! She had such fantastic results from her first surgery, and her mouth is doing wonderful - for now that's all she needs! They said it is always a potential problem, and she might need to have a second surgery in the future, but for now she is a-ok!
We also re-tested her T-4 values as we (both I and the new vet) think she is grossly over-medicated - she takes 3 methimazole pills a day! The results are in, but I am waiting for a call from the vet to discuss. I will post as soon as I know.

Bugsy on the other hand... We went for a liver and kidney panel on Friday as Sufasalazine, his current medication, can affect the liver. Well... The results are not too good - he will have to be pulled from the medication this week in a few days. On his previous test his ALT was 165 of a high normal of 132. This time his Alt was 207 with a high normal of 100 (different labs).
His vet wants me to pay very close attention to his appetite and call him Wednesday - until then he will be taking it. All the other enzymes and kidney values are normal. He is stopping on Wednesday/Thusday because that's when we end his food transition... He wants to keep him on it until then.
Next step will be a newer Steroid, called Budesonide. He said it has much less side effects than pred and other more common corticosteroids, and it is very good; not really used as a first choice due to cost; it is very expensive. Oh well... I am just crushed right now... Just crushed...
We will keep checking his liver values often and if it doesn't go down we will do an ultrasound to see what's going on...
Please send my boy some purr and vibes... And if you can send me some too, I would appreciate it... My heart is on the floor right now, I am just so so sad... I have been going through this for 104 days, and it is just killing me... I just don't know where to get strength from to keep the hope up sometimes... Sorry to be a downer... Today was a sad day for me... I just want this to be over and my boy to be ok... :(
Thank you for listening friends!

Yawnnnn.... Hello furriends, Bugsy here!
Thank you for all the gotcha day wishes guys, really appurreciate it! I had a very nice day, meowmy made sure of that! She gave me sooo many extra hugs, squeeeezes and kisses that by the end of the day Lucky and Hope were jealous already! Luckily Gracie didn't see it as she stays in her office, otherwise I would get triple hisses from then on!
Furriends, it is so cold outside! So so cold that meowmy hasn't even opened the windows lately! I know some of you live in the white land where that fluffy wet stuff falls from the sky, but here in Texas this cold is not that normal... It is 27F right now, and tomorrow it is going to warm up to 45 or so... We miss having the windows open, but at the same time it is quite cozy laying on bed too... Yawnnnn....
I was all excited to tell you some good news furriends, but it backfired on me, quite literally actually! Well, the good news is, I had 2 days of good poop! Yey! After 98 days of diarrhea, that is really good news, and meowmy thinks the new medicine is really working!
The bad news is the diarrhea is back, and worst than before, much worst, but there is a reason for that - Let me explain:
A few weeks ago meowmy noticed that we started getting finicky with our dry food - all of us, me, Hope and Lucky... We all eat Hills Z/D, as it is All Hope and I can eat... So meowmy noticed we were eating less and less. She thought it was a bad bag, so she bought a new one, from another place... Same thing happened - no good, we still didn't like our food... So, meowmy bought another one from another vet clinic, and sure enough the same thing happened. Then meowmy weighed all of us, and all of us had lost weight - I am down to 16.4lbs (from 18.3 on 11/08 and 16.8 just a month ago), Lucky is down to 11.4 (from 12.5 a month ago)... So meowmy got on the phone with the V-E-T and asked him if it would be ok to change food to Royal Canin.
Meowmy is changing the food very very slowly, but as you can imagine, any change will affect my system... But for meowmy, her biggest worry is to have me eating well, as she always says, "I can deal with diarrhea, but I can not deal with Fatty liver disease" whatever that means, I agree with her!
The new food tastes SO yummy!!! I can't wait to be eating ONLY that one! It is the Royal Canin Hypo Allergenic HP 23. Strange, we are all vegetarians now, but it sure tastes good! We love-it!
Anyway, meowmy hopes that once we are done with the food transition I am going to be fine since this new medication proved to be actually working... We are all hoping this was just a bump on the road. We are going to call the V-E-T tomorrow to see if we need to refill the medicine. He will need to steal my blood for a liver test though as this medicine can affect the liver and needs to be closely monitored (Sulfasalazine).
As far as Gracie goes, she is going to the dentist Saturday for a follow up and for a T-4 test to check her thyroid levels. Then we will schedule her second surgery... Should be in the beginning of February or so... We have high hopes for her, since she had a wonderful recover from the first one!
Thank you for reading furriends, and sorry for the loooong post! Have a wonderful Friday!

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here!
Today is Bugsy's 2nd Gotcha Day!
I can't believe it's only been 2 years my baby boy... It feels you have been with me for a lifetime!
I remember the days right before your arrival... I was excited, but also confused and afraid - afraid I wouldn't be able to love you as much as I loved Lucky... Afraid I was "cheating" on Lucky by bringing another kitty in... Afraid I didn't have enough love for both of you...
Then you came in with your gentle ways and your kind eyes... I fell in love with you so quickly I don't even remember not loving you and just can't imagine my life without you anymore... You are so special Bugsy, if you just knew how special you are!
Meowmy loves you to the moon and back! Happy Gotcha Day my baby boy; to this and many more!

Hello Furriends, Lucky here!
Sorry it's taken so long to update the bloggie, but meowmy was away on a business trip and the lack of opposed thumbs makes it quite complicated for us to type... She is back now and ready to have our thoughts dictated to her. Auntie Kelly was here to take care of us while she was away and we had a great time - she loves us and we love her too; time goes by fast when you are having fun!
Here is what is going on with brother Bugsy and sister Gracie: Brother Bugsy is still having the runs, so the V-E-T changed his medication for Sulfasalazine. He will be on it for 10 days and if he doesn't get better he will go to a specialist to see what else can be done... He took many different medications already and at this point one solution being considered is that he might need to go into a special diet which makes things complicated since he is already on Z/D and he is also allergic to chicken; another complication is that sister Hope can only have Z/D or else she has BIG problems! We might need to be put on what mom calls a feeding schedule; doesn't sound too fun for me, but we will see... We all hope this new medication works and he doesn't need a food change.
Sister Gracie had a fantastic recover from her first surgery. She took her last antibiotic shot on Tuesday, and is eating like a champ! She is also grooming again and is in great spirits! She can't have a follow up visit until later in the month since the opening was not sutured for the infection to drain, and if they mess with her mouth it can split open again. She still can not eat dry food for the same reasons, but she loves her stinky goodness, so she is a happy camper! Her second surgery should be in the beginning of February -  this one will be a bigger surgery with a longer recovery, but taking from how well she did on this first one, we have high hopes for her!
Well furriends, I will go cuddle with meowmy now... We have been missing having her around... Thank you for visiting and for all the prayers, purrs thoughts and kind words!
Hugs,
Lucky ~

Hello furriends, meowmy here!
Today I am going to be reviewing the KatKabin, an outdoor cat house cute enough to also be used inside of any household!
Without further ado, here are our impressions of it:
The KatKabin arrives in a BIG box - the box is impressive, but surprisingly, it is pretty light... The whole thing probably weighted a little over 12lbs or so. When I opened the box, I was immediately wow'ed by the beautiful bright pink color. I am not too into bright colors myself, but the shade of the pink was just SO cute!!
There is no padding on the box, and the KatKabin just comes wrapped in a plastic, as seen below - there was no damage at all, the design of the product itself makes it perfect for shipping without requiring any extra padding...

Inside of the box, you find the KatKabin, an insulating cushion pad with a removable washable cover, and a front cover flap as pictured below. Also note the cute cat-face design - the KatKabin even has cute ears and whiskers!!!

As you can see below the entrance is not flat, there is an indentation of several inches, so the front entry is covered, which protects the inside chamber from the rain, sun, wind and snow.

The KatKabin also features an aerodynamic design with oval sides allowing the wind to go through it without turning it or carrying it away. The Front, back, and connecting middle strip also completely cover the plastic joints, making it further weather-proof.

The cat flap is thick, sturdy and very clear. It is also quite easy to install. The only assembly required on this product is inserting the cushion and the cat flap. I suggest using the KatKabin without the flap for a few days until the kitty is used to the unit, then installing it on. I can definitely see how it would help to protect the kitty from the hash elements, especially during the winter.

The KatKabin is elevated from the ground to keep the kitty protected from the cold and heat, and the feet has holes on it to make it easy to securing it to the ground, front porch, etc. If you live in an extremely windy area, this feature will come quite handy for you.

There are ventilation holes on the back, so the air circulates nicely throughout.

Now the very important part: the kitties' impressions: Since the moment I took it out of the box and put it in my living room yesterday, the KatKabin has been occupied non-stop by my three cats. If they could form a line to use it, the would! As I type this review, no joking - Lucky is laying inside of it, and Hope is trying to get into it... She looks quite disappointed that Lucky took her place! It has been a huge success.
Earlier today it was in my bedroom and I went to pick it up to move to the living room... As soon as I tried to lift it, I felt it pretty heavy... Out jumps Bugsy! The KatKabin has been used 100% of the time by all of them, no exception - this has never happened with any other cat bed in the house, aside from the cat tree, but then that doesn't qualify as a bed.

The KatKabin is a great product for both outside and inside kitties. It provides shelter, safety, and it protects the kitties from the elements. The design is quite cool, the colors are awesome, and it is definitely kitty approved. The body plastic is not very thick, but it is no doubt quality plastic; I do not see it getting damaged easily, especially considering the oval design. One thing I would recommend for those living in very cold weather who would be using this outside, is getting the extra insulating liner they sell on their site, the Winter Warmer for KatKabin DezRez. That way the kitty would be completely protected, cozy and warm during the coldest of the winters. I think the standard is enough for rain, wind, sun, and a mild winter, but not insulated enough for harsh, colder winters... In those cases you will need extra insulation. But that is not a big deal, as they do have that available... Just make sure to get it if that is your case!
The Overall dimensions are: L: 22"  x W: 16" x H: 13"

And exciting news Furriends! The good folks at KatKabin offered us to donate a KatKabin in Divine Purple to a Cat Blogosphere Auction!!! KC will be announcing that soon.... Oh, it is SO pretty! You can see it, and read about it in here.

*Disclaimer - KatKabin gave me a free KatKabin DezRez for reviewing purposes.

Hi Furriends, Bugsy Here!
Guess what? Auntie Kelly got me my very own mini-me! Doesn't he look just like me? Ok, he's got the silly hat and all and doesn't feature my oh-so striking blue eyes (eh-he), but hey, I think she did a very good job! What do you think, does he look like me?

So, since today is Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for my mini-me, and also thankful Gracie is doing so great! She is eating well and seems to not be in pain. I am eating all my food too, and no longer losing weight, which is great! 
Tomorrow Gracie goes back to the V-E-T for an injection, and Saturday she gets the final one.
Now if I only get my digestion problem straighten out.... then I will be very very thankful! Hopefully soon furriends! It's been long enough, whew!

Hello Furriends, Lucky here!
Meowmy is back home! Meowmy went away on a work trip Sunday and came back today... But it was ok really, because Sunday was the only day we spent "alone" (auntie Kelly, our sitter and V-E-T tech) came at night to feed us. Then Monday she spent the whole day and night here with us and only left Tuesday - we had lots of fun with her! She also gave the meds to Bugsy and even gave Gracie her antibiotic injection - ouch! You see, her surgery was on her front tooth, so it would be really hard to give her oral meds... She takes injections instead, that poor girl!
She is doing really well though! All she can eat is stinky goodness, but boy, she is eating! She leaves absolutely nothing behind! Meowmy even decided she was well enough to stop her pain medication today - if she does well, no more pain killers, yey!
She will go back to the V-E-T Thursday and Saturday for another 2 antibiotic shots, and then after another week for a follow up to schedule her second surgery - that is the big one.
Bugsy is doing well too... We don't know just when his poop situation is going to be solved, but he is in high spirits, and most importantly he is eating well and no longer losing weight. The V-E-T was concerned about his weight loss... He is still on pred every other day, metronidazole 2x a day, and Proviable-DC, his probiotics; hopefully he will get well soon... Meowmy needs us to be healthy in 2011, that's for sure! (I am doing my part, so far!)
Well, for now that's all furriends, Thank you for visiting, all the prayers and purrs!