The State Of The Mews

Trying new things to fix "fuss&upset"...

Marley still has kidney problems and alway will.  But the kidney care Hill's Science diet (and some portion control for weight) has helped.  And he will be 14 in August.  Elderly cats usually develop some problem.  I can't do anything about that.  

Lori is still upset about Loki and Binq.  I can't do much about that either.  But things are slowly getting better.  Lori and Loki sniff noses and butts sometimes.  They walk past each other calmly sometimes.  They eat near each other sometimes.  

There are still hisses and raised paws, but not like at first.  I have seen them sitting calmly a foot apart a couple of times.

Lori is still having stress-diarrhea issues.  I say "stress" only because the Vet says it has gone on too long and meds should have solved any physical issues by now.  There could be something more serious physically and if Lori and Loki resolve their psychological issues and Lori still has diarrhea, we will try more serious tests (disease, blockage, whatever).  I want her around for a long long time.

But I can say the diarrhea problems are less frequent.  There are now several clean days to each bad one.  Which (to me) seems to fit the "stress" idea.  And to be fair to Loki, Lori initiates about half the "fusses".

Loki is still a problem.  He arrived with "eye-goop" and abdominal muscle spasms.  Those have both gone away.  Meds cleared the head infection and I have no idea why the abdominal spasms occurred or why they stopped.  Some problems stop and you know why (meds) and some stop and you never do know why.    

One day he just stopped having those abdominal spasms.  I didn't even notice at first.  It's like when an itch stops.  All of a sudden, you just realize it ended...

Loki's biggest problem is that he suddenly started peeing on my bed a month ago.  I didn't know which cat it was, but every few days, the sheets/blankets were wet.  First once a week, then every few days, then every day.  

I finally caught him "in the act".  I yelled (wish I hadn't; he must have had a reason).  Well, I was frustrated!  I don't know how many of you have ever had a waterbed.  I've been sleeping on waterbeds for about 40 years.  I love the "give" as my body settles onto it.  Some people hate them.  But because water absorbs warmth from the body, you need layers of sheets and blankets beneath you even with a heated one.

So I have 3 sheets and 3 blankets below me and 1 of each above.  Well, I was getting tired of laundering sheets and blankets every couple of days.  I put a plastic tarp over the bed, so that if he peed there his own pee would pool around his paws.  I thought that would discourage him.  Not at all...

THAT didn't even stop him.  And a few days ago, while I was right there next to him, he was sitting on the bed and I recognized the "litter box blank stare"!  And the pee rolled to the edge of the bed and wet the bedcovers.  I had to wash everything again.  And my washer/dryer can only handle 1 blanket and one sheet each cycle.  Took all day!

I decided that Loki was "too much trouble" and needed to be returned to the Shelter in hopes he would find a new home that didn't cause him stress.  I've thought that several times in the past month.  

I go between "Loki is never going to be quite domesticated" and "I need to find some way to keep him here".  I am angry one day and trying to be tolerant the next.  Loki loves me personally.  He seeks (and gets) all the attention I can give divided among 4 cats.  He seeks me out and follws me everywhere.  He is definitely happy around me.  And he is happy around Marley and Binq.

It isn't a litter box problem.  Loki happily poops in them.  And I know the "1 box per cat" guidance (so I have 4) and I clean them every day before I make my own dinner (makes it easy to remember to do).

So I've changed tactics.  The tarp stays on the bed as pee-proofing of the blankets and sheets below.  And that works because I put an old sheet on top of the tarp.  That way, any pee is soaked up by the old sheet.  I will launder an old sheet every day for his life if I have to.  

Because it isn't his fault that he is having a peeing problem.  It is mine to help solve (OK maybe the Vet too).  

I have occasionally mentioned that I am constantly amazed that some animals can share our human artificial spaces.   Dogs need to be walked, rabbits poop anywhere, I don't even know what ferrets do.  Cats usually just need a litterbox.  

That's part of the human/cat bargain.  We provide shelter/food/attention and they use the clean litterboxes.  But they have to use the litterboxes.

The old sheet on the tarp covering the bed has stayed dry for 4 days.  That is great news.  

Maybe, a few months from now, all The Mews will snuggle together, Loki will stop peeing on the bed, etc.  

Meanwhile, I will go about planting the garden and cleaning the house...  *Sigh*

Growing Tomatoes And Some other Garden Items

I have 2 major problems growing tomatoes the past few years.  First, my enclosed raised bed garden is shaded by neighbors' junk volunteer trees as they have grown larger.  Second, a sunnier spot where I've grown them for 5 years has built up levels of tomato diseases and insect pathogens that just kill them.  I'll plant corn and some other crops there for a few years.

One problem with planting them elsewhere is that tomatoes like fairly soft rich soil and I don't really have space like that elsewhere.  So I thought about planting them in the best sunlight I have.  But that's where my meadow bed is.  And tomatoes don't like competition.

So I thought of using pots.  Tomato roots need space, so 5 gallon buckets are a bit small for my large heirloom tomatoes.  I looked at small trash barrels, but they were too large and a bit expensive.  So I looked up large deck pots, which were also expensive.

I did, however, find 10 gallon "nursery pots" at only $10 each in a pack of 10 pots.  That sounds perfect!  They arrived last week.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the box were some pieces.  Sure enough, one had a broken rim.  I was quite annoyed of course.  But get this,  they sent 11 pots!  So I still had the good 10 promised.  And the broken was is still actually functional.

So...  I'll put the pots around the outer edge of the meadow bed for the best sunlight.  I'll buy a trailerload of mixed 1/2 topsoil 1/2 compost from the local nursery and grow tomatoes in it for a couple of years.  Then I'll add that soil to the raised beds.  Or I'll put plastic trash bags over them and solarize the soil.

Solarization is usually used on large flat areas, but should work on pots just as well.  It might even work better.  One warning I read is that some harmful soil insects can move deeply enough into flat soil to escape the heat.  They can't do that in a pot!

That may seem like a lot of work.  But I love heirloom tomatoes!  And once you have had a homegrown heirloom tomato (not a chilled-for-shipping store-bought) one, you will never look at grocery store tomatoes the same way.

So I am hoping for a decent tomato crop after several years of frustration.

Cat Problems

 Loki has decided the bed is a good place to pee.  Which is difficult for me.   I finally figured out that the pee spots on the bed were from Loki.  I caught him in the act finally.  I need to research "inappropriate peeing".

I have several alternating layers of sheets and blankets on the waterbed, so washing them all takes a lot of time and effort.  I did that today and placed a plastic tarp on top.  Let him pee on that and see how he likes it!

And he likes chasing Lori.  Unlike Laz (who chased Lori viciously toward the end) Loki wants to play "chase" (I hope).  But Lori doesn't like that either.

Binq thinks my hands are toys to grab at with claws out.  And that my legs are scratching posts.  But she is getting better about that.  

Lori still hates both newbies.  And still has diarrhea after almost 3 months.  It is less than it was, but sometimes suddenly bad.  I have a new med for her and will hope that helps.  She is struggling with the last few months of insanity and the arrival of the "Unwanted Newbies" (from her POV).

Marley is staring to resist his kidney food diet.  I add some regular food on top, but he stops below that.  Putting him in The Mews Room with his bowl usually works.  

Lori gets the bedroom for her mealtimes lately.  The peace helps her eat.  I may have to isolate Loki for meals too.  Binq eats everything quickly and takes Loki's bowl too.  He has lost weight, so I have to get him to eat more.  Oddly, Binq isn't gaining any weight.  Maybe that is because she is very active in playing with toys.  

So there are problems here.  Not everything is bad.  The bad parts are infrequent.  There are good things too.

Each of The Mews love me individually.  If I stand in a room a few minutes, they are all there.  Loki follows we around the house constantly and seems distressed by any separation.  He even sits in the bathroom when I take a shower, and few cats like to be around heavy running water.

Binq doesn't want to share the bed at night, but she nearly attacks me in the morning for attention.  She just has "her time" for wanting me to pet/scritch/stroke her.  She is not a lapcat, but stays on the chair (top or arms) near me when I watch TV.

As I've said, Loki follows me around the house everywhere.  Nothing stops him.  If I'm putting laundry in the dryer, he jumps in there.  If I pull him out, he sits in the washer.  He sits on my lap when I am watching TV, sits on the newspaper when I am reading it during lunch.  The only time he is happy away from me is at meals.  

Lori wants to stay near me too.  She has always been close to me most times.  If Loki isn't near me, she is.  And on my lap if she doesn't see Loki or Binq nearby.  

Marley is always perfect of course.  Lapcat, tolerant friend to all.

I may have made a mistake bringing Loki and Binq into the house.  I thought "playmates" after her once-good relationship with Laz.  But it isn't working well.  But they are all here and it is my responsibility to try to get them all adjusted.

Driving me damn near crazy though... 

Cordless Drill

ARGGH!

The 2 batteries on my 2007 Dewalt cordless drill finally died, so I needed replacements.  The original equipment batteries are no longer available.  So I searched for replacements.  Eventually, I decided I just couldn't trust the replacement sellers.  Doing reviews of the companies, 2 came up "suspicious" and I doubt the others were any better.

So, new drill needed.  I checked 3 sites about the best new drills.  Wood Magazine, Consumer Reports, and a "Best tool" site.  Each varied considerably in recommendations.  That sort of thing can drive you crazy!  You would think ratings from a woodworking magazine and Consumer Reports (both of whom do detailed tests) would mostly agree.  They didn't.  And a "best tools" site might have a commercial bias. 

Reviews of all of the top few drills had many negative reviews on other sites.  It is altogether maddening!

I settled on one Dewalt drill based on experience with Dewalt tools in general, their consistently high brand rating, and some ratings.  And then couldn't find it for sale ("not in stock").  So I gave up.  

I went to Amazon, thinking I had found it.  It had a 5 star rating.  Yay.  Ordered it immediately. When I got the order confirmation from Amazon, I realized it wasn't the one I thought I was buying.  (GRRR).

Well, a drill is a drill is a drill and it got 5 stars from purchasers.  So, I won't cancel the order.  It comes with 2 batteries, a case and a charger.  If it lasts 17 years like the previous Dewalt drill, it will be well worth it.

The old one built 400' of fence, a 2 level deck, paneled the basement, and did endless odd-jobs for 17 years.  That's enough.  Time for a new one.

Busy Day

Finally started cleaning the basement to start planting seeds soon.  What a MESS it had become!   I could barely move around in parts of it.

Part of it is Loki.  He's an explorer and a real climber.  And when he jumps up of some places, they aren't as sturdy or stable as he thinks.  Appearances can easily deceive a cat.  They think that anything that looks solid is solid.  A stack of stuff can fall over.

So my stack of soil-filled planting trays (ready for planting) wasn't as sturdy as he thought it was.  It all crashed down and spilled the soil out everywhere!  

But most of it is my fault.  Last year, I had a bit of a return to some of the results of falling off the extension ladder.  Sore back, sore knees, some general fatigue.  So when finished with yard/garden work, I tended to put stuff in the basement wherever I could fit.

Well, you run out of space eventually.  Things don't get put away as they should.  Buckets stay a bit dirty.  Seed packets sit out and expire in the warmth (I usually keep them refrigerated).  Fallen soil collects on the floor.  And I fell into a habit of just laying in bed every night for 10 or more hours (mild depression, long covid, aging?) and that didn't leave much awake time for other than basic stuff (and blogging, which I just have to do).

I'd been meaning to tackle cleaning the basement for a month, but there was always something more immediate to do.  The seductive comfort of the heated waterbed, doing laundry, cooking, shopping, etc...  

But I've been getting myself up earlier lately.  Yesterday I made lunch fast, just skimmed the newspaper (must read the editorials and comics), and got myself down the basement.  Where on earth to start?  Well, if I am going to cook dinner, I want the kitchen clean.  I know I will make some mess cooking, but I need it to be clean to start.

So, in the basement, I picked stuff up off the floor, then swept it (I have a shop-vacuum, but I don't like the noise).  And sweeping is rather "meditative".  Quiet, repetitive, calming...  I knew I would mess it up again cleaning higher spots later, but it gave me a good surface to work from.

I mix my own potting soil.  When I run out of it, I mix more.  Which means I have bags of various stuff (peat, sand, compost, lime, fertilizer) left over.  I also used to buy kitty litter in 35# tubs.  They make great containers for the leftovers.  

So I combined 1/2 buckets of some of those and stashed them under my potting bench after sweeping that area clean.  Then brushed the empty buckets clean.  Stacked them up and set them in the garage.  That got me some space.

Collected everything that should really be out in the toolshed and set them next to the patio door for moving there by wheelbarrow (today was for organizing, not moving).  That got me some more space.  Took the trays I grow lettuce and other small crops in and dumped them all into a large shallow bin.  Broke up the chunks of soil and mixed it around with some organic slow-release fertilizer.  Refilled the trays and stacked them aside for planting in a few days.  

That got me the small TV-Tray-size worktable back.  It sits next to the basement refrigerator.  I use it for  holding bulk fresh food while I fit it into the fridge and I also use it for planting.  I was glad to have it available again.

I have a large planting stand, 2'x4' and 5 shelves high.  Bought it many years ago and added fluorescent light fixtures to the underside of each shelf.  Fluorescent lights last well and are energy-efficient, but at 14-16 hours per day, they last only months and even then, they collectively use about 800 watts!  And the fluorescent tubes aren't free either.

So, 1 1/2 years ago, I bought special "grow-light" LED) panels to replace them.  I haven't done that yet.  I need to take all the fluorescent fixtures off and install the LEDs, but I didn't have space (or energy) to do it before.  I am ready to do that now.  The LEDs use 1/4 of the energy and should last many years.  That almost starts to feel like "free", and the seedlings will get better light!  

But it will probably take an entire day to get that done.  I will remove the old fixtures one half-day and install the new ones the next half day.  Because I know my hands/fingers will cramp if I try to do it all in one day (and may anyway in 2 days).  

And I still have to clean the potting table.  The soil from the stacked trays Loki knocked over a couple months ago is still all over it.  The seed packets are still sitting out on the table and are probably useless now.  I have a pile of seed labels that need to be sorted out.  I rinsed out the old 6-pack cells a few days ago, and they are dry and ready to reuse.

Aside from basement-cleaning for planting,  I need to re-order many seeds.  It's a bit late, so some I want will be "out-of stock" now, but that's my fault.  Vegetable seeds will be easier to replace, but flower seeds become unavailable fast.  

But at least I am making some serious progress in the basement.

 

Falling Apart

I don't know what to do.  The Mews are becoming too much for me to deal with.

It all started to go bad when Iza died of some sort of internal hemorrhaging in April 2020.  She was only 12.  I decided to find another Tonkinese female.  I went to the breeder who brought me Iza, but she didn't know a source of Tonkinese (Iza was originally thought to be a "smudged" Siamese).

But she had a troubled half-Siamese male who needed a peaceful home.  And she thought I was the right person to help (re-socialize) him.  I accepted him.

And that is where my long-standing happy cat-household went wrong.  I loved Laz personally and he loved me in return.  But adopting him ruined everything since then.  

Laz attacked Ayla (my Princess) for months and made her miserable.  She hid from him and restricted her life in the house.  She spent most of her days on a high windowsill just for safety.  She shouldn't have had to live her last year like that.

I finally found a Tonkinese female kitten from a championship breeder (didn't know about that at the time).  Laz and Lori became BFFs.  Until one day, Laz's bad memories returned and he started attacking her too.

Ayla succumbed to old age last Fall.  Stopped eating and all that.  Laz was going violently insane by that time.  I could only just finally release him weeks later from the terrors of his kittenhood, as he was attacking Lori daily and viciously.  The vet agreed.  Laz went to The Bridge.

Which left Marley and Lori.  Marley is a trooper and stayed calm.  Lori seemed lonely.  So I thought to find her a companion of her own age.  

I have avoided Shelters.  The contracts seemed a bit threatening about "right to visit and take a cat back:,  But I went to the Shelter because I saw a nice orange kitty on their website.  

She hated me.  But 2 others were very friendly.  I decided to adopt both.  The male (Loki) came with a head infection and spasmodic abdominal coughs (which he got over with meds).  The female (Binq) was clawy on my pants and claw-grabbed at my hands constantly.   She is getting better about that now.

But Lori hated them both (and still does).  Lori developed a diarrhea problem almost immediately.  I assume it is stress.  She dribbles syrupy poo everywhere she walks a couple times a day.  It has been this way for 2 and a half months.

It doesn't seem to be any physical issue.  On the Vet's advice, we have tried everything in that concern.  Lori just won't accept the 2 new ones.  The vet and I are convinced Lori's diarrhea problem is actually psychological.

We can't seem to solve that.  The vet suggested I lock Loki and Binq in a room for 2 weeks to give Lori control of the house.  I can't do that.  They are too active, they want my attention constantly.  I tried it one night and they banged the door, cried loudly, rattled the door, and scratched at it constantly to get out.  I couldn't sleep at all.

Lori is getting an orally-administered paste 2x a day and a pill (for biotics).  She also gets a half pill for "calming".  But nothing seems to help.  A few nights ago, she crawled under my blanket and driibbled as she went in.  She soled the sheert, the pillow, and my elbow.  She peess on the blanket too.

Last night, she dribbled while walking.  And on the blanket.

So I have to do something.  And all bad choices...

1.  Rehome Lori  (and that would break my heart).  I worked too hard to get her and I love her so much.

2.  Return Loki and Binq to the Shelter.  But they are so happy here and love me.  I've had many loving cats here who were "attentive' but Loki is nearly "adhesive".  He can't stand to be away from me.  Binq is getting rather "lovey" towards me.

3. Put up with the current cat-fuss.  And hope Lori calms down?

What do I do now?

This can't go on...

Lori Update, Part 3

 I can't keep track of Lori's meds in the brain.  So, I had to find a way to track them.  The Washington Post sends out a small cheap calendar each year to subscribers.  I had it in the recycle box and retrieved it.  Purrfect!

I labeled each med container with a code (L1, L2, L3, etc).  "L" for Lori, of course.  Then I wrote down each with the code and timing on a small notepaper and taped it to the cabinet door above where I set up their foodbowls.  

Every time I successfully get Lori to eat a med, I write the code number on the calendar for that day.  I may be retired, but I always was an information organizer.  LOL!

Now that I've gone through everything about Lori's problems from my POV, I'll return to Mark's Mews for  how things go for her and the other Mews.  

Thank you for reading all this...

Lori Update, Part 2

So we were at the Vet, 

discussing Lori's long-lasting diarrhea problem.  The vet has prescribed a few meds.  There was originally Fluoxetine to reduce her stress about Loki and Binq joining us, a pro-biotic to improve her digestion, and of course an anti-diarrheal (generic Immodium).    None seemed to help much.

Stress is hard to manage but Fluoxetine would help, and the Vet said the anti-diarrheal should work in just a couple days and the pro-biotic would help.  That was "then".  Lori's problems are mostly unchanged.

I say "mostly", because she does seem to be getting slowly used to Loki and Binq.  Hisses are not automatic.  She no longer ambushes them with an attack (mild ones because she is smaller).  

A week ago, I saw her sniff noses with Loki.  And most times now, she can simply walk past Loki or Binq calmly.  But it very slow progress.  There are still brief paw-whaps, but not like it was the first month.  Mostly, Lori just wishes they would "go away".

So the vet and I discussed other possible meds a few weeks ago.  Fluoxetine does mention diarrhea as a side effect (among many).  The vet said it is very rare, but has to be listed on the medical sheet if any cats in the testing had it.  

One suggestion was Amitriptyline.  I tried it.  She wouldn't eat any food with it for 3 days (and maybe a reason she had lost weight).  I gave up on that (and the Vet admitted it tasted bad to most cats).  And some of you warned against it as "zombie-stuff", which I appreciated, not knowing anything about it.  

So on the Friday vet visit, we decided to start over, with the idea that Lori was very gradually accepting the presence of Loki and Binq so physical distress was becoming the more likely problem.

So, more of the anti-diarrheal and pro-biotics, assuming the stress wasn't the major factor.  And the Vet suggested it could be the food.  Also, we are trying Metronidazole (as Benzoate) 125 mg/ml Susp 10 ml Chicken-Marshmallow.  It is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal medication.  The Vet tried a dose in-office of a formulation most cats will accept (butter/cream flavor).  She spit that right out.  So they called Wedgewood Cat Pharmacy, who suggested the "chicken/marshmallow".  It should arrive in 2 weeks.  Hopefully, Lori will accept that.

Originally they said (there are several vets and I trust them all) to give Lori one brand/flavor constantly.  So she has been eating Fancy Food 'Chicken Feast' exclusively for at least a month.  I'm going to change her to a fishy food and see if that helps.

She has happily eaten various flavors before, but the vet says there is a possibility she has developed a problem with one.  So we will see if a different one lessens her digestive problems.

We discussed various ways of getting meds into her.  I've tried about all of them.  Simply adding a pill to her food doesn't work (there is an empty bowl with the pill sitting at the bottom).  Pill-shooters don't work.  Pill pockets work for some meds (if dusted with powdered freeze-dried chicken).  

My best luck has been with crushing a pill with a spoon on a plastic placemat and scraping that into her bowl and mixing it in.  She will almost always eat that, especially if she has the privacy of the closed bedroom.

The newest pro-biotic comes with paste and pills.  Paste (orally from a plunger) and pill ground up.  Lori fights the oral paste.  For a small animal, she is suprisingly strong!  The towel-burrito trip barely helps.  But I've learned that if I just smear it on her lips, she will lick it off and ingest it.  

Tomorrow:  Keeping track of meds...

Lori Update, Part 1

I brought Lori to the vet for her rabies shot and to discuss her meds with the vet Friday.  The rabies shot went fine.  They clipped her nails too.

She is still having diarrhea.  It has been well over a month now, and I'm worried.  The vet can't really tell if it is a digestive problem or stress.  She doesn't even seem to know she is dribbling.  There will suddenly just be a line of little "chocolate syrup" drops as she walks around...

 A couple nights ago, she wanted to get under the covers with me.  And as she was getting in,  she dribbled on the pillow and sheet (and my elbow).   Sometimes it is on my blanket, sometimes the hallway, sometimes near or in the litterbox.  

It doesn't seem to connect to any immediate fuss with Loki or Binq, but maybe there is some psychological lag involved.   It is bothering me more than it is her.  I don't think she knows it is even hers.  She just knows she has to clean herself more often.

I've been doing a lot of floor-cleaning and laundry.  I soak the washcloths and soiled parts of blankets/sheets in the basement laundry tub with a 1/4 dose of bleach and then launder them separately with regular detergent and a spoonful of powdered Oxi-Clean.  

The mess itself doesn't really bother me.  When I was 15, Mom presented us kids with a new Sister.  Being the eldest, I was the natural baby-sitter.  And as such, changed a whole lot of diapers.  And back in the 60s, that meant reusable cloth diapers that had to be swished around in the toilet before being put in a special diaper bucket.  And sometimes I laundered them too.  

I probably changed and cleaned more diapers than most husbands back then.  LOL!

So the mess and the cleaning part are not unfamiliar.  But I sure wish Lori was cured of the diarrhea problem.  The mess is annoying, but I'm mostly concerned about her health.  She has lost a few ounces over the past couple months.  Not enough to threaten her health, but it can't continue.  She is down to 7.2 pounds (from almost 8).

I think I'll stop here and address the Vet visit more tomorrow.