Wednesday, January 4, 2012

results are good

Good news! Buddy's test results all came back looking good. The vet said based on the results of his blood and urine lab work he is in "perfect health." I was thrilled to hear that his kidneys are both functioning at the factory settings, I sure hope that never changes. These results also mean that we don't really know why Buddy is not wanting to eat. She gave us an appetite stimulant to try and if that doesn't do the trick we are to take him back for more extensive testing.

Shortly after the first appetite stim, Buddy was ready to eat!


It's been 24 hours now since that stimulant pill and his desire to eat is waning again. He is still eating more than he has in the last few days, but with each meal it seems less and less. Trying to get a cat to eat is an incredibly frustrating experience. It would be so much easier if we had a shared tongue.



Last night, moments after I crawled into bed, I heard the sound of a cat crying out in the yard. I immediately thought Oliver must be tangling with an intruder, so I raced out of bed and scanned the front yard from the window - nothing. I glanced toward the window overlooking the back of the house, and noticed Nahum was hunched on the table, ears flat, gazing intently out the window. I went to see what he was up to and low and behold there was Oliver - parked on the roof of the kitchen, looking in the second floor office window! Moments later, Buddy was on the scene making his intense caterwauling raucous. 

Silly Oliver! I went out in the yard to try to get him down so Buddy would settle and I could sleep. 

In time, Oliver climbed down the lilac tree he had used to get on the roof. 

3:51am this morning, I wake with a start to the sound of Buddy caterwauling again - Oliver was back on the roof! He so much wants to come inside, he keeps seeking out new possible entry points. I'm gonna have to figure out something, because at this rate I won't be getting any sleep!



It is getting to be a regular thing now, seeing the kittens and other black cats eating at the Dining Hall in the evenings. It's hard to keep track of who's who, except for Oliver - he's the largest of them all.

The cat on the right, is one of the kittens. I'm not sure who the other cat is.
It's too relaxed to be Mama Kitty, as she would never tolerate the camera flash.

Oliver hanging out in the Dining Hall with one of the kittens.

Oliver is getting to be quite the large cat, especially around the middle. I have been putting out lots of food, so there is enough for the family. Oliver usually gets his share first and he seems to enjoy eating. I'm not sure what to do about this, because if I limit his food it means his family won't get much if any. I've been trying to get him more exercise by playing chase the red dot all around the yard. I would love to hear how others who feed ferals and strays handle this situation.

Can you find the red dot?

I use the laser pointer through the window to play with all the visiting kitties. The little red dot shows up really well in the dark and all the kitties had a great time zooming all around the yard trying to get the elusive red dot! It's fun to get to play with them from a safe distance because I know if I were to go out in the yard they would all scatter, except for Oliver of course.

8 comments:

  1. HURRAH for Buddy! I wonder if he's coming down with a URI and can't smell his food? Fingers crossed his appetite returns. Is he pooping? I know it's hard to tell in a multi-cat house.

    Poor Oliver, he has decided YOU are his people and he wants IN!

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  2. So glad to hear Buddy got a good bill of health. Just hope the eating gets better. Love looking at Oliver and the other black cats. Hope you can figure a way to let Oliver in the house or you might never sleep again! Good Luck.

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  3. I hope the appetite stimulant works. My 4 year old cat, Magic, went too long without eating enough after I adopted him and developed fatty liver disease. He has fully recovered, but I wish I would have known that some cats are prone to this if they stop eating for more than a few days.

    Oliver sure did pick the right yard to occupy! I can't wait to see how soon he works his way inside.

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  4. Poor Buddy....we hope he starts eating again soon. Sometimes it would be nice if we could just tell your humans what is going on.

    Mom laughed about Oliver....sounds like he is seriously trying to figure out how to get inside. Mom says not to worry too much about his expanding middle - it happens with ferals in the winter as they store up for the cold.

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  5. I wouldn't worry about Oliver's girth since he's an outdoor cat. We hope Buddy will be okay. They need to be able to tell us what is wrong!

    Sounds like you may have to obstruct the view with curtains or blinds. Your cats may not be happy about that, either.

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  6. Did the vet do an X-Ray or check Buddy to see if there was an obstruction? One of my eldest kitties, Suki, had two episodes of not eating both were the result of a hairball the size of my thumb and then some. Once that was expelled she returned to her normal eating habits. Since Buddy is older (Suki is 14yrs old) and has kinda lenthy hair, it could be a possibility, it's worth checking out. Giving him the soft food is great, especially if it is a hairball. By consuming the soft food the cats will get extra fluid versus the kibble. You don't want him getting dehydrated. Do you give the cats the malt hairball rememdy stuff? I had to start giving Suki that three times a day (the vet prescription kind) and now every week religiously. I guess the anti-hairball cat food kibble wasn't enough for her system.

    In regards to the feeding of the feral cats....I have two stations set up. One in my mini backyard and one in the alley. There are so many cats that come to feed, I do not portion control. I would be heartbroken if a kitty left hungry because I didn't put out enough food. Since Oliver (love his new name btw!) is an outside kitty, I'm sure he is getting more than enough exercise. I have a couple ferals who have grown to be chunky monkeys too. I would rather them be fat and happy then skinny and hungry. I wish all the cats who get along so you could bring Oliver inside. It makes me sad that he wants inside so desperately; I know that must be hard for you.

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  7. Good news on Buddy--so if it is not physical, it must be psychological ie. STRESS! What is stressing Buddy out? OLIVER! Doomed to be mortal enemies I fear as Buddy protects his territory from a young upstart male who is weaseling his way in!

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