Looks like we can use an open thread!
Mr. Bear is having some health issues, so we are all struggling a bit. He’s still my beautiful boy, though.
Though he doesn’t exactly look pleased, does he?
I can’t blame him. I have to give him a pill that apparently smells repulsive, I have to stick medication in his ears, and he acts like I am stabbing him, and he has to wear the collar because he has a big sore on his face that was not responding to antibiotics. The vet did an imprint of his face and sent it off to the vet school, so 5 days later, we now know what antibiotic to use from because it’s an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria.
Hope things are going better for everyone else!
Open thread.
trollhattan
Sleep with one eye open. Just sayin’.
ETA, fence replacement mostly in, they finish on Monday. Victim of last winter storms, so it’s become a hobby, including at least six bids.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: I was in a panic this morning because I couldn’t find him anywhere. But he did come out for food, so there’s that!
Alison Rose
Poor buddy. I hope he’s on the mend very soon. And yes, cats seem to view us trying to give them any kind of medicine or treatment as a murder attempt, and they respond in kind.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl: Food doesn’t solve everything, but it solves some things.
Hope the little dude heals fast.
WaterGirl
Between Henry and Mr. Bear, I just submitted $2,100 of claims from the past 60 days to my pet insurance. Putting that together was nearly as much fun as trying to put the meds in Mr. Bear’s ears.
What else is going on? I haven’t had the heart to keep up with the news.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
Nothing much. We did learn the way to get yourself shot by the IDF is to take off your shirt and wave a white flag, filing that away myself.
greenergood
Oh! So sorry to read this! I hope your fur-guy heals soon – so handsome in his photie – I have a similarly handsome 12-yr-old black fur-girl, Cassie Cat – they’re a conundrum: everything’s going just fine, and then something screws up, and we’re like ??? halp – how did this happen!! Fingers crossed for you, and especially Mr Bear …
mvr
Glad they could at least figure out the right medication. And the collar looks good on the cat.
NotMax
Open thread?
Something off the beaten track on Prime, To Life!. Not at all what I was expecting going in cold. Poignant with a capital P. Editing leaves something to be desired, to the point of becoming muddled at times, but versatile veteran actress Hannelore Elsner still firing on all cylinders in her penultimate film role.
BigJimSlade
We’ve had luck with pill pockets recently, so pilling our cat (a daily thing) is no longer a stressful thing. In fact, it’s a happy thing. We get to ask her if she wants a treat – she loves pill pockets!
RaflW
It is a beautiful looking day up here a 9,000 in the Colorado rockies. But we’re really starting to look grim in terms of snow. My favorite ski area is 35% below normal snowpack, and the next 10 days are likely to be bone dry, which is not normal.
Book-o-face reminded me yesterday that I was feasting on 3 feet of powder from one storm this weekend two years ago. Le sigh
And back home in Minneapolis, it’ll be in the mid-40s for Xmas. And brown lawns. So heading back won’t offer much relief/hope either. *Yes, some of us love snow!!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: Sorry to say that JoyceH in the next thread down got bad news about Jazzy — she may have a cancerous growth on her foot.
Raven
My wife was walking Artie this morning and she alerted when she saw a little fawn that had gotten caught in a fence. She called me and I was at Costco and told her to call the cops. In the meantime an runner came by and, when my wife got back, they all pitched in and saved the little dude!
https://flic.kr/p/2pmYGa8
WaterGirl
@trollhattan:
That’s horrible. Good to know that the universal symbol for peaceful surrender immediately gets you killed.
WaterGirl
@BigJimSlade: Huh. I have used them for dogs but not cats.
After 25 minutes of trying the first time before it went down, which is good because I was running out of food items to try from the fridge.
The next day it occurred to me that I could pull apart the yummy fish-flavored cosequin capsule he gets every day in his food, put the 1/2 pill he gets in the empty side, and close it up again. Then I open another capsule and empty the yummy fish-flavored powder on top the capsule. So far so good, 3 times. Fingers crossed, but I will keep pill pockets in my back pocket (figuratively) in case that stops working.
DO NOT TELL MR. BEAR I AM DOING THAT. :-)
NotMax
@RaflW
Bone issue 1: Winter comes to the valley.
:)
Jay C
@WaterGirl:
The additional reports are even worse: apparently the third hostage ran for cover, and shouted out his “surrender” – in Hebrew – and was shot down anyway.
WaterGirl
@RaflW: I love snow! It’s the only redeeming thing about winter.
WaterGirl
@Raven: aw, sweet thing, is the fawn okay, or did it need medical attention?
JWR
@Jay C: Yeah, it’s worse:
From NBC’s live blog:
WaterGirl
@Jay C: That’s beyond horrible. How do we even know about this? Did someone catch it on film? The leaders in Israel appear to have completely forgotten why the country exists in the first place. Horrible.
Timill
@WaterGirl: All cats are different. With our Sugar Plum I tried pills in a food bowl covered in Churu. Miss Plum duly licked all the Churu off the pills, and then ate both the pills for dessert…
WaterGirl
@JWR:
Just like cops in America. You don’t even need to be threatened; if you feel threatened, the murder is free. So fucked up.
WaterGirl
@Timill: These are foul-smelling. Mr. Bear took his previous pill with a little bit of swiss cheese. Not this one, though!
Subcommandante Yakbreath
He’s a handsome guy. I hope he responds to treatment; the gang here have their paws crossed for him.
JoyceH
I have an old cat with an infected ear. I give her ear drops but it doesn’t really work. The vet says that the infection is deep and the only way to really get to it is to operate. On the other hand, she also said that every cat she’s ever known that had surgery on the ear ‘was never the same’, plus Abby is 14. So basically I’m considering Abby in Hospice Care, but she’s been in hospice care for six months, so there’s that.
About Jazzy, I’m frustrated because I won’t be able to even make an appointment with the specialist until Monday. Her foot is bandaged up – when the vet got the area all shaved, it really looked bad. I’m giving her antibiotics and other than an occasional limp she’s acting normal, eats enthusiastically and plays with the pup – I have to referee to keep them from getting too rough.
About pets and medical issues – when I was young, I had more of an inclination for Heroic Measures. But those never ended well. It’s one thing to put a pet through a long and stressful series of treatments or operations and the problem is resolved and they go on to live for years happy and healthy. But at least in my experience, that never happens – you put them through all that and they die anyway. So. Anyway, won’t know anything specific until we can get to the specialist.
Yutsano
Poor kitteh. I do hope he feels better soon and that your sushi grade ahi budget is ready to please him for these indignities.
I’m apartment hunting and it bites. I did one application and I have a couple more pings to work on this afternoon. It still sucks.
WaterGirl
@Yutsano: Where are you staying in the meantime? Do you like the new job?
JWR
Another day, another Ye:
I guess this is what he does now, goes out and shows what an ass he can be. Kind of like the infant who proudly indicates to it’s parent that it’s just dropped another load.
WaterGirl
@JoyceH: Whatever happens, I am glad that you all have the new pup to add joy to your lives.
Waiting sucks.
WaterGirl
@JWR: Sad that these crazy, awful people like Trump and Kanye don’t have anyone in their lives who loves them enough to get them help.
SandyZ
@BigJimSlade: Thanks for the tip! Our cat has to be medicated before we can clip her claws. She’s too smart to take a pill, but she loves greenies.
indycat32
One of my outdoor kitties (Nicky) had bad diarrhea. Vet put him on two meds, twice a day, for 10 days. Fortunately they were liquid, and tasteless (yes I checked) so I used a syringe to get it down him. Also fortunately, he’s a big friendly cuddle bug so it wasn’t a huge fight to dose him. Now I’m on poop watch to see if it worked. So far, have not caught him in the act.
FelonyGovt
@WaterGirl: Aww, poor Mr. Bear. He does NOT look best pleased.
And wishing for the best for Jazzy.
Glidwrith
@WaterGirl: We could have lost our new kitty Nox. Caught him late Sunday night chewing on a lily leaf. A quick net search and we found out lillies are deadly poison to cats. Grabbed the leaf, grabbed the cat and were at the emergency vet in 10 minutes.
$2,000 later, it looks like we got to him in time to avoid fatal kidney failure.
Geminid
I saw some good North Carolina news, in an article from The Center Square titled “Filing closes with Democrats in all but 2 of 170 legislative seats.”
Last year, Democrats left 15 Senate seats and 29 House seats uncontested. Observers credit the surge in Democratic candidates to the energetic new State Chairman, Anderson Clayton.
At age 25, Ms. Clayton is the nation’s youngest state party chair. She graduated from Appalachian State in 2019 with degrees in journalism and political science.
Elizabelle
@JoyceH: I think you are wise. That said, I hope Jazzy is treatable. In our jackal thoughts, and please keep us posted.
WaterGirl
@FelonyGovt: Mr. Bear is the sweetest guy. I have never seen him look mean, or even pissed before.
WaterGirl
@Glidwrith: Oh, I am so happy for the good outcome! Totally worth the money. Yay for happy endings!
Kathleen
@JoyceH: I am sorry to hear about Jazzy.
Geminid
@WaterGirl: The Israeli Defense Forces reported the hostage deaths. The Times of Israel has several stories about this, including a statement from the IDF Chief of Staff on the preliminary findings.
WaterGirl
@Geminid: I could be wrong, but I think she was interviewed on one of the podcasts I listen to – maybe the one with Claire McC?
If I am thinking of the right person, she was very impressive!
And she was super positive, basically trashed the polls that say folks don’t like Biden, and said she trusts what she is seeing on the ground.
Kathleen
@WaterGirl: I hope Mr. Bear gets well soon!
Scout211
Poor Mr. Bear! I hope he gets better soon. With the correct antibiotic, he should heal quickly.
Our older cat recently stopped eating and drinking. We were panicked because that behavior was the end stage of our previous cats. The vet gave him all the tests and determined that he had a painful injury (he stays outdoors in the daytime). Cats often stop eating and drinking when they are in a lot of pain.
It’s tough to give a cat medication when they aren’t eating. At least one the meds was liquid.
We had to give him water by syringe and and wet food by syringe as well. Luckily, once forced into his mouth, he ate the food. But no greenies or pockets for him.
The extra strength NSAID pills helped a lot but we stopped giving him the gabapentin because he could not tolerate it. Once he was off the gabapentin he started eating and drinking on his own. That is super strong stuff. Yikes.
TaMara
Oh, poor baby! Antibiotic resistant sounds so scary. I hope this solution works. Who deserves scritches? House panther does!
Steeplejack
@trollhattan:
Thank you. I couldn’t think of a non-spittle-flecked way to comment on that incident, but you handled it perfectly.
Alison Rose
@JoyceH: Sending good thoughts for Jazzy <3
trollhattan
@JWR:
This fuckin’ guy. Can’t waive it away with the “it’s the mental illness talking” defense, either. As a large-fraction-of-a-billionaire he has access to the planet’s best healthcare. Fucking use it you wasted bag of human flesh, or stay in your bedroom.
MomSense
My bathrooms are finally done! Those were the last projects. Putting everything away and cleaning. Photos tomorrow.
mrmoshpotato
He looks spaced out! Not sorry.
Hope he feels better soon!
WaterGirl
@Scout211: Yikes, glad there was a happy ending there, too.
Re: gabapentin
I had to give my little Henry gabapentin after his ACL surgery, and holy shit, he HATED that so much, he fought me so much when I tried to give it to him that I started taking him to the vet for his dose so they could give it to him.
That worked well for the first 2 times, then I got a vet tech who was very forceful, and Henry broke his ankle in that altercation. At that point I told the vet NO MORE GABAPENTIN for us.
Alison Rose
@JWR:
Listen, I ain’t great at math either, but I’m pretty sure 14.7 million and 60 million are not the same number.
Fuck this fucking asshole. I don’t care what mental health issue he might have, I’ve know a LOT of people with bipolar, BPD, etc, and none of them were raving antisemites. I loathe when people use mental health or substance dependency as an excuse for bigotry. That stuff only comes out of you if it’s in there to begin with, doesn’t matter what finally dragged it out.
WaterGirl
@TaMara: Yes, so scary!
It’s MRSA, only it’s MRSAP in cats. She said it’s possible for humans to catch it from the cat but that unless I’m immune compromised we should be fine. (Still scary for me, though and scared for Mr. Bear.)
And yes, I am trying not to let my mind go to what happens if this doesn’t work, but it’s definitely a worry. Today I started worrying about whether the infection could go septic. She didn’t do a blood test so maybe they aren’t worried about that? In any case, I’ll be calling and asking more questions on Monday.
I am also not good with open sores and medical stuff like that, so this is a challenge on oh so many levels.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Sometimes all the “fix this before I sell” stuff leaves you wondering “this is great, why the hell am I leaving?”
But you are leaving for work and family elsewhere, so you’re probably not having second thoughts, even for a micro-second!
Joy in FL
Mr. Bear does not look happy. I hope he will be ok again soon. What a perfect kitty he is : )
JWR
@WaterGirl:
Yep, that was my first thought as well. Shows just how militarized our police have become. As for this whole War business… Israel is going to have to deal with a post-Hamas reality, and not to mention the degree to which they’ve managed to isolate themselves in the eyes of the civilized world, but they’ve made a whole lot of new enemies with this incursion. Biden warned them, they (read: Bibi) chose not to listen.
jnfr
Hugs to the grumpy cat and his family. These things are always hard.
Yutsano
@WaterGirl: I’m currently in a long stay hotel until the 1st. It’s a really nice place although they did give me a crappier rate because of the holidays. It’s understandable but this round definitely wasn’t cheap. It will work to my advantage in the end and I still have money for a deposit etc. But the drive in (there are no good bus/light rail options from where I am) can suck during the week. Friday tho….
I’m learning more and more about the job and it turns out once I’m fully trained I have a lot of discretion about how I solve my cases. My manager only steps in when I need managerial contact with the other division beyond what I can do. My job now is to make the IRS do their job. And see it through until the taxpayer has been taken care of. It’s going to be fulfilling work and I can’t wait to get started!
Scout211
OMG! Poor Henry.
Yeah, we just did what the vet told us to do by giving him the gabapentin doses. But something was not right. He was barely eating what we were giving him via syringe and every time we gave him the gabapentin dose, he vomited and then we had to try to get food and water down him, once again. He also appeared heavily sedated, dizzy, and confused. I finally looked up the side effects of gabapentin in cats and found that those side effects are not unusual.
Maybe the vet should have given us a warning about the possible side effects?
Yeah, no more gabapentin for our guy, either.
WaterGirl
@Yutsano: So if we can compare this to HR for a moment, you would be like the HR person who is actually working to help the employee (taxpayer) and not the HR person who is working to screw the employee and help the company (screw the taxpayer and help the IRS)?
Maxim
I’m so sorry to hear about Mr. Bear’s health challenges. I hope he heals quickly and completely, and with minimal damage to you in the meantime.
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
“I’m not angry. Just disappointed.”
MomSense
@WaterGirl:
Sending healing to Mr. Bear. Hope he feels better.
WaterGirl
@Scout211: I’m so sorry you guys had to go through that.
Yes, when the vet suggested gabapentin for Mr. Bear with his bladder stones issue, and for Henry after a teeth cleaning, I asked for an alternative medication.
So Henry and I had our broken ankles at the same time. Same leg (left side) and the same bone in the ankle.
Quite the pair!
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack: Funny! But no, he was mad, mad, mad. I didn’t know he had it in him.
But he also has to feel like crap and I’m sure his face hurts.
SO GLAD that I had the vet do the imprint thing so they could culture it. Nearly $500, but he was going in the wrong direction and I said I wanted to do whatever we could to fix this. I feel very lucky that we found out it was resistant before trying 2 or 3 different antibiotics.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: I’m hoping all the good thoughts will hep get him through this. It’s scary.
PBK
@WaterGirl: Hugs to Mr. Bear and you! Have you tried a pill shooter? Can you grind the pill into a powder and put it in a syringe with some liquid?
@JoyceH:Hoping for good news for you and Jazzy!
WaterGirl
@PBK: I have never heard of a pill shooter. The smell is so vile that I think liquid would be a disaster.
Me, upthread:
This has worked 3 days in a row. Fingers crossed. Mr. Bear has to have this antibiotic for 14-28 days, depending on how things look at the end of 14 days.
PBK
@WaterGirl: I’ll cross my fingers with you!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: I hope he gets better soon!
HinTN
@Yutsano:
That is fantastic and should be incredibly fulfilling. Congratulations!
Mike in NC
We’re feeling a bit melancholy since this will be our first Christmas in 14 years without our little buddy Pierre, who had to be euthanized this past summer because he had a tumor in his mouth.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, … Phys.org:
(Emphasis added.)
Paying attention to what contemporary people are doing in an environment should inform more of the thinking about what their ancestors did than what it apparently often does. Humans who like being at 23C all the time may not have the best intuition about what humans were doing during an ice age. ;-)
Neat stuff.
Cheers,
Scott.
Jackie
@BigJimSlade: My kitty was also suspicious of pill pockets after she eagerly ate the first one… there must have been a pill taste residual. Skipped the pill pockets a few days and meanwhile squished up some liver worst, put that and a few pill pockets in a ziplock bag; semi squished the whole caboodle together and retried the medication with the liver worst dosed pill pockets. She wanted MORE! LOL I was smart enough to have a few chunks of liver worst sans medicine ready! Her most favorite treat by far.
WaterGirl
@Mike in NC: So sorry you lost your little guy. So hard to lose them.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, … Dean Baker at CEPR:
As usual, FTFNYT has their agenda and doesn’t let the facts get in the way.
Grr…,
Scott.
raven
@WaterGirl: They just let it run.
Miss Bianca
@WaterGirl: They might – accent on the “might” here – have people who love them enough to try to get them help, but as the psychiatrist in the lightbulb joke says, “The lightbulb must *want* to change.”
Neither Ye nor Trump strikes me as humble or self-aware enough to want to change, regardless of who is currently surrounding them.
Miss Bianca
@Geminid: Go, Anderson Clayton! That’s great news.
Timill
@Miss Bianca:
As PDQ Bach has it: Knock, Knock, S. 4/1: II. Recitative and Chorus. How Many Psychiatrists
Another Scott
Dead thread, but too good not to share.
Make sure you contact Chevrolet of Watsonville when you need a script to solve the Navier-Stokes equations…
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
wjca
@Another Scott:
Solving Navier-Stokes for incompressible fluids and no vorticies at the boundary??? Color me underwhelmed. I was writing code (in FORTRAN!) to do that circa 1970.
prostratedragon
Mr. Bear: Aw, you shouldn’t have. I mean really, you shouldn’t have.
BigJimSlade
@Jackie: liver wurst as a pill pocket – that’s a great for it!
BigJimSlade
@WaterGirl: yeah, we have been using Greenies pill pockets, but someone else mentioned mixing them with liver wurst – that sounds like it might be the real winner for cats!