If you don't smarten up...

I'll take you back to the vet!

What do you tell bored, grumpy cats who fight all over the house?

Well, after a trip to the vet the other day - they didn't complain all afternoon! Quite content to curl up and have a big nap!

They want to go outdoors, but with -30 C. temperatures last night they whined an whinged in the morning. 
Oliver meowed the whole 45 minute trip in the car.

Sady sat quietly awaiting her fate. She is the old pro. Like those of us in middle age, we know that wellness and prevention is better than curing disease.

I wish that family physicians gave us Wellness Binders full of information!


Sady thought that her crate was the safest place to be! "Nope, not coming out. I've done this 7 times and know the indignities I must suffer!"

It is important, in cottage country, to keep their shots up to date. The vets poke and prod and ensure that their parts are in working order, give them a rabies shot, and worm pill and shove a thermometer up their butts.

With one cat having food allergies, the others have a special diet, too.  We have to watch Sady, she's not a cheap date!

The other issue: you could pick up a zoonosis from your animals.
Zoonoses consist of: rabies, avian influenza, but the Center for Disease Control (USA) estimates that between 1 and 3 million of their 300 million population are infected with a zoonisis each year. [Novartis Animal Health, 2006]

Those most at risk, as with H1N1, include the very young, or those with chronic diseases, or spend time in high-risk envronments such as landscape gardeners, breeders. Pregnant women, especially, are most susceptible.

Our vet explained that the bats have rabies, and cats are notorious about swatting at flying things, as well as bringing home a mouse or mole per day (each!).

There are round worms, mosquito-born illnesses, and all sorts of sand fleas out here in the wild, as well. Children play outdoors where round worms may be, and young children put their hands in their mouths. A problem, obviously, in sand boxes. Fleas can cause allergic bites on human skin.

Ringworm, actually a fungus - but lesions in the skin look like a worm.  Sarcoptic Mange is a skin mite. Ticks suck blood, and can transmit diseases, (Lime Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erhlichiosis, Tularemia).

Roundworms are shed in feces, and the parasite can be transmitted to hands, end end up in internal organs, or eyes where they live as larva. Raccoon Roundworm is found in 'coon droppings, and can cause a fatal brain infection in humans.   Dogs, in turn, can eat raccoon feces, or pick up the infection, shed the eggs in their feces, posing a rick to family members.

Cat feces hosts toxoplasmosis, normally found in uncooked meat, but also in the litter box. Bartonella causes cat-scratch disease, found on cat claws. In people they have a small red area, and can develop a fever, blisters, muscle aches, fatigue and headaches.


The solution to all these issues? Visit your vet for professional advice, and don't forget proper hand washing techniques. Keep litter boxes clean, wear gloves with cleaning them. Deworm animals, watch for wounds, control their fleas, and keep toilet bowl lids closed!
 
But, back to our adventure!

Oliver had a blast! He is a 'curtain climber', loves the attic, too, and got up onto the vet's counter. Of course, the treats were up there, and he began sniffing at the dog treat bag. He'll eat anything, even removes the tin foil wrapping from chocolate kisses and eats those!

He was happy looking out the window, watching the dogs arrive. He did the "Na, na, na, na, boo boo!" dance. Safe inside.

He gazed strangely as Sady was having HER worm pill, thinking - little food thief that he is, that she was getting food and he wasn't!

We know that cats live longer as indoor cats, but we love walking them on the ice, and around the property.  They like the outdoor life as much as we do.

They keep down the mice population and sit beside us as we sit on the deck or read by the lake shore.

Pets

This is the kind of story that warms my heart. After 9 years, and 2000 km away, they find this poor dog, Muffy (see the video!) suffering from flea allergies, but otherwise well.

Do look after your pet, if it goes outdoors, especially in cottage country and on holiday. There are stories of losing animals in such situations.

I know what it is like to lose an animal.
What a story that advocates for microchipping a pet.

This photo is our dog, Jenny, (don't ask, I don't know, or cant recall why we'd name a dog, when I was 'Jenn'). The photo has to be about 30 years old. Great memories.

Pets were an important part of our family life. Not so for every family, I know. Some of my blogger buddies have all sorts of incredible creatures. What is ironic is that some of my kids have allergies to cats, and we have 3! Fortunately, they are all adults and have their own residences...

What kinds of pets do you have?

Pets at the cottage

Camera Critters #67

Dear Mitz, I know some have asked about her. She is feeling better. We know not why or how. But she is still eating food by raking it out of her dish, and pulling it to her mouth. (See the video below!)

As I stacked 3 cords of wood, and she was my moral support. She has gained weight, and she is much more vocal than before, meowing quietly when she wants more food. Her weight is better, too. She will eat out of Oliver's dish, standing up for herself. Speaking of Oliver...


I like to give warning. As will all of us, the bugs are terrible this year.
With cool temperatures, and no July heat to kill off the May blackflies, they are still around.

We have now: blackflies, mosquitoes, deerflies, horseflies. Really.

But then, since these cool temperatures help the wicked critters multipy and, indeed, thrive, we know that our pets are similarly suffering from fleas. The fleas live all year under our cottage, which remains warmer from the heat of the house, but slow down in deep winter.

I can tell the fleas are rampant - when Oliver snuggles up at night with me. Unlike normal cat-twitching dreams, he is awakened with a start and has to scratch like stink. Now, normally he cannot bear sleeping with me; he sleeps with my hubby. I have nightly power surges, as well as back issues, and I fling off the covers, burying both hubby and any cats. Or I roll over in a mighty earth-tremour, that rocks the boat, exacerbated by painful back spasms and limiting my movements.

When we took the cats in for their regular checkup, the vet took a fine-toothed comb, and combed them just above the base of their tail. Sure enough, flea poop, along with much loose car fur! It is important to look after their needs.

Sady lets us know she has excess fleas when she become irritable. Hubby will pass by her and she will whack at his ankle.

The solution has been a neat little ampule of Rx medicine, placed behind their necks where they are unable to lick it off. We all sleep better.

Now, all pets must be monitored and supervised when visiting cottage country. You cannot allow your dog to wander; neighbour's pets, and the wild animals, do not appreciate it. In addition, there are many critters (like the fisher - although Sady treed ours, porcupines, skunks) that do not appreciate your pets running around. There may be dire consequences. The critters have regular patterns of wandering for food. For example, the fox runs our road every morning, as does the bear. Rocky Raccoon has a regular lakeshore patrol, but she and Sady have a mutual agreement. They respect each other's right to be here. Don't know why!
~~~~~~~~~~~

Cat's eating habits are bizarre. Oliver makes so much noise, hungry teenager!