Buddy and the crazy horse

I decided to make an appointment at the speciality vet clinic since Buddy was doing so poorly and guess what? That did the trick! As soon as the appointment was made, he immediately perked up and stopped horking! He was back to usual self - lounging in the sun, playing with Nahum, wanting to eat and eat! 

When Max was dealing with his CRF, there were many bad days followed by the occasional good day where I started feeling hopeful, and then there were many more bad days. Not wanting to risk that this was a momentary good day for Buddy, he went to see the internist vet this morning even though he was looking good. After a thorough exam, they wanted to take a look at his innards and so recommended an ultrasound.

Buddy, chilling in his carrier bag while at the vet's office

The results from the ultrasound were good, they didn't find any extra innards (things that aren't supposed to be there.) They did notice the stomach lining and intestines were "thickened", which she figured might be due to inflammation - not a surprise considering his symptoms. I'm quite pleased with these results! The treatment plan is to change his diet to easily digested food so his innards don't have to work as hard - the kitty version of chicken noodle soup!

I go to retrieve him from the vet soon - yea! This is another moment when I'm glad to have my cats insured. It allows me to do whatever diagnostic work needs to be done without regard to the cost. I'm also thankful to have a large speciality clinic so close by - it's one of the VCA Veterinary Speciality Centers, which is like a huge medical center for animals, where they have all the typical speciality departments you would find at a human hospital.

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The other day, I was walking by the upstairs office window and I caught an unusual sight out of the corner of my eye. So, I went back for a better look and this is what I saw:

Crazy Oliver, out cold on the peak of the roof!

did someone call me crazy?

who's calling me crazy?

was it you horsey?

you looking for a fight crazy horse?

you step one hoof out of line and you're done for, got it?

scared him stiff, now back to the nap

update on the Budster

Not much change in Buddy's condition. There were a few moments each day when he looks more comfortable as you can see in these pictures from yesterday. More often than not, he's been all hunched in looking uncomfortable, so it was nice to see him stretched out and looking more normal.

This is Buddy's all-time favorite spot by the front door

When he gets to hot, he moves to the make-shift bed I created for Oliver

Then it's time for some more sun by the front door

Buddy went back to the vet yesterday (our regular vet rather than the emergency vet who saw him last). She looked him over and thoroughly went through the prior x-rays and blood work. In the end she admitted that she's not sure what's causing Buddy's troubles but suspected it's either a tumor in his intestine or his intestine might be inflamed. She gave us two options: 1) go to a specialist for endoscopy to look for a tumor or 2) try steroids for a possible inflammation. The problem with the steroid option is that it would take time to know if it's working and if it doesn't work then it would require another few weeks post-steroid use before they could do the endoscopy. That seems like a long time to wait.

We have elected to go right to the speciality vet internist at the nearby speciality clinic to see that they can figure out. We have worked with them before with Theo and Rose and know they do good work. So, now I'm in the process of trying to schedule an appointment for sooner rather than later. Thank you everyone who has been praying and purring for Buddy, it is greatly appreciated!

Printcopia

Remember this picture?

It was taken back in December of 2010, it is one of my favorite photos of Willow. She looks so content, snoozing in front of the fire on her special LL Bean cat mat. I just love this picture, so when I was approached by Printcopia to review a printed canvas, can you guess what picture I chose?

Printcopia, is an online company that specializes in photo to canvas printing, or as they state on their website, "transform your photos into stunning pieces of art." They do all sorts of prints from basic to special acrylic style and panoramic as well as canvas printing.

The process of getting my canvas printed was a breeze. The website is simple to navigate and they give you all sorts of options (but they don't inundate you with them). First you choose the size, which was easy for me because I was given the 8" x 10" to review.

The second step is to upload the image, or you can pull it from Facebook or Instagram.

Then you select the desired style for the edge and display option. I went with the black edge border as I like the look of the solid border better than the image wrap or mirror image. 

And the last step is to select any special options. 

Then it's a matter of going through the payment process and you're done! The hardest part is waiting for the finished product to be delivered. Thankfully, I didn't have long to wait as it was delivered 3 days earlier than the estimated delivery date.

First impressions are really important to me. The true first impression was the easy to navigate website. The next was the quality of the shipping carton when it arrived at my door. The box was in perfect condition, not a dent or ding. Sturdy corrugated cardboard was used and the print was packaged very well, so it arrived in perfect shape.

Take a look at the finished print!

The photo really pops off the canvas, it's so vivid! My first reaction was "WOW!" The matte finish really makes it easy to see from any angle in the room (no glossy reflections).

The black edge border is nice, as it gives the picture a bit more depth from the wall. 

Having my beautiful Willow on a canvas print is such a treasure! This is certainly an example of a photo being transformed into a stunning piece of art. She will hang on my bedroom wall, right under my Max print. Thank you Printcopia for creating such an awesome product. I love it!!

summer

The lazy cat days of summer are here.

health updates

A brief update on Oliver and Buddy.

Oliver is on the mend. Vet said the lump is just an abscess, so we are treating it with antibiotic and warm cloth. Getting him to sit still long enough for the warm cloth is a challenge!

Buddy continues to struggle. He continues to vomit a lot, and now doesn't really want to eat. Thankfully, he still nibbles on food occasionally. He's more lethargic and often looks uncomfortable. When I saw him not react to Oliver in the upstairs window, I knew he's really not feeling well. He probably lacks the energy to leap up onto the furniture to get to the window and put on a tough-kitty display for Oliver. 

Twice now he's horked while pooping in the litter box. This time he managed to get poop all over his back legs - poor guy. He got an quick bath, something he was not fond of but oddly didn't fight, another sign of his lack of energy. 

We were planning to go out of town for two weeks, leaving this coming weekend. But with Buddy as he is, I'm not sure I can do that. Hopefully, we will learn more on Tuesday, when he goes back to the vet. Please pray/purr for him.

long days

I'm not a big fan of the Fourth of July, mainly because of the people who set off fireworks in my area. The loud noises scare the cats. This year seemed worse than usual. Oliver was hunched up by the back door, all terrified. I couldn't just leave him nor could I bring him inside, so I did the next best thing. I grabbed my sleeping bag and setup camp in the mudroom.

I turned on some music and we spent the night cuddled up together on my sleeping bag. It was the best I could do for him.

In other news, Oliver is going to the vet this afternoon. He has developed a rather large lump somewhere in his chest. I noticed it earlier in the week and it just seems to be getting bigger. It feels under the skin a bit. I have no idea what it could be, but it is worrisome.

And Buddy went to the emergency vet on Wednesday night because he just keeps horking. He horked six times that day and had blood in his stool. Blood work and x-rays indicating no obvious signs of trouble, so we are left guessing. Meanwhile, he continues to hork. We're giving him Pepcid and Fortiflora, but other than that, not sure what to do now. If it continues we might return him to the vet on Saturday.

sleepy wordless wednesday