Quoted from carmour:

The husband was not happy about this. Maybe the glass shouldn't be left off? Haha

Quoted from klr650:

Our giant cat likes to remind me that frequent breaks will help me to avoid repetitive stress injuries...

Quoted from klr650:

We were told by someone that our cats might be "Norwegian Forest Cats" but I haven't got a clue. We got our cats (two brothers) from the Humane Society.

Quoted from Deerlakes6:

Garth unhappy to see gorgar go
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Quoted from Pecos:

I have recently lost my Gato. I put her out on New Year's Eve at 2:00 AM. When I went out at 4:00 AM to let her in, she was nowhere to be found. I haven't seen her since.
In honor of Gato's life and what she meant to me, I present to you:
A Gato Story
How a Black Cat Stole My Heart and Taught Me to Love
I am not a cat lover. I have good reasons for that. During my second year of college, my girlfriend, her room mate and I would meet each evening for dinner. Both were good cooks.
Before dinner, the room mate would feed the cat, the male long-hair yellow and white cat, Roscoe. The food that went into this evil creature was disgusting and smelled awful. What came out the other end smelled even worse. For some unknown reason, the cat litter box was placed next to the dinner table and next to where I sat. Guess when the cat decided it was time to use the litter box. Right, during the eating of my tasty home cooked meals. I hated that cat. It wasn't friendly and it ruined my dinners.
Several years later, my girlfriend bought me an Abyssinian cat. I never warmed up to the cat. It was always in the garbage and wasn't very friendly. My girlfriend got the cat.
Thirty some odd years later, I was gardening in my backyard when a black cat strolled into my yard and sat her butt down on the ground. It was curious, even interesting, but I thought nothing more of it at the time. It just sat there watching, eventually getting closer and closer and finally ONTO MY back porch. This cat had some nerve! I didn't WANT a cat so I completely ignored it - for three long months. There was no petting, no food and no water, no nothing. I wouldn't even look at her. If it had been a male, it would have been chased away immediately. Feral males are disgusting. They spray everywhere and, after Roscoe, I had bad vibes about male cats.
The cat would catch her own food and bring it back to my back porch to eat it. She officially 'moved in' and decided this was the place for her. After three months though, three months (!) of this strange relationship, I finally gave in and bought her a bag of cat food. That was a sad day in my life - imagine ME actually paying good money for cat food!
I called her 'Gato', the Spanish word for 'cat.' It stuck.
Gato, the year she decided to make me hers:
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I taught her some tricks. Some were meant to keep here safe. She had to sit, wait and look at me at the sliding back door before she was allowed inside. I didn't want a cat under foot. I could hurt her. When in her cat bed, I would cover her with a 'blanky' and whisper. "Go to sleep Gato!" She would put her head under the blanky as if she was going to sleep. Then she got a Gato Goodie. I taught her to lean backwards and 'meow' when I would meow. I called this trick the 'back-breaker with report!' Of course, she got a Gato Goodie for such an awesome trick. I got an idea after hearing her on the roof. I put some food in the rafters and she would jump up to claim her prize.

In her later years, she was no longer able to perform such feats of gymnastics. When it was time to eat, I put her food in a dish and held it up. She would sit up and touch the dish with her paw. Then I would spread some food on the ground and she would sit up again before she was off to find the food on the ground. It wasn't exactly hunting for her food, but I think it was more fun for her to seek out some of the food than just having it handed to her. Most of the food ended up in her dish. I put the dish up on the window ledge where it was easier for her to get to instead of the rafters.
It's been more than fourteen years now since Gato plopped her butt on my landscaped yard. Gato was as good a cat as a cat could be. She was only allowed into my bedroom when I slept. For a while, she wouldn't pester me to try to get me up. She waited until I got up. She did all of her 'business' outdoors so there was no litter box and litter to buy. She was very healthy, saving me from expensive vet bills.
The last few years she has decided that she wanted to be fed three times a day, breakfast at 4:00 to 5:00 AM, lunch at 10:00 to 12:00 and dinner at 10:00 to 11:00 PM. She yowled, 100 decibel yowling! I finally learned to let her out when she wanted out.
Gato was part mystery and part miracle. Vets here in Tucson say that outdoor cats have a two year lifespan. I live only a block away from the Pantano wash and a lot of predators use this wash to travel. They often make their way into my neighborhood and back yard looking for food and water. I have seen skunks, raccoons, javalina, hawks coyotes and rattlesnakes. My neighbor's small dog was killed by a Red Hawk. So, it is a small miracle that she managed to live this long. She was totally bonded to me. She wouldn't go anywhere near another person or animal and she was a wonderful companion for an old bachelor who doesn't interact with a lot of people. How did she live so long? She must have more than 9 lives!
The last pictures I have of Gato:
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I keep telling myself that nothing much will change in my life, but, of course, it will. I'm not ready for another pet - maybe someday, but there won't ever be another Gato. It's going to be lonely here at Pecos' Palatial Pinball Parlour. I will miss Gato, truly, and that is something for someone who didn't like cats.

Quoted from CoolCatPinball:

That's typical after an extended vet visit. One cat doesnt recognize the others scent. It will get better shortly once that nasty vet smell wears off

Quoted from NYP:

try brushing him and they make a slightly scented pad you wipe them down afterward to take the loose hair, they smell real good afterwards. Can get you the name if you need it LMK.

Quoted from Spyderturbo007:

He's getting better, but still not 100%. We had him back on Monday for another $500 in blood tests and they found that he had really low levels of Potassium, so they gave us yet another set of pills. He is now on 10 pills a day along with liquid twice a day. We are hoping that changes as his levels return to normal.
I'm sure you can all imagine how difficult it is to give a cat one pill, let alone 10. We'll know more in the weeks to come.
The vet maintains that he is in no pain and is just tired so we are going to continue the pill route for now, but as he regains his strength, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get him to take his pills. This would be so much easier if the little guy would just cooperate.
Thanks for asking about him.

Quoted from JimB:

Had to start pilling my tabby for thyroid problems and it's changed his behavior. I wish there was another way to get treatment to cats. Food helps some but not with all pill types. He now runs from me when it's pill time. Also is timid about coming up for pets or when it's time to come in from the patio. It's not hard to pill him just he's fearful of getting picked up cause he knows whats coming.

Quoted from dmacy:

My helper...[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from wolfemaaan:

I found this thread a little too late. Last night my cat who loved pinball passed away. It’s going to be very hard knowing she’s not going to be around rubbing against the legs and mine. Life is short, but your cats life is much shorter. Enjoy them everyday while you can. She was my girl, and I’m gonna miss her very much[quoted image]

Quoted from RGR:

19!

Quoted from Pinkitten:

Here’s a sad story with a happy ending. Last Friday my wife was driving to work at a pharmacy in Target. She noticed what appeared to be a dead cat on the edge of the highway. Except, it wasn’t on its side, but huddled down upright on its paws as if frightened. For some crazy reason, she pulled onto the shoulder and walked back. The cat was alive, and terrified. It let her approach and then pick it up. She could see some wounds and then a collar with a tag. She put the cat in the back of her suv on a towel. She called the number on the tag and a young woman answered. The owner was a young (19-20) woman who worked at a different Target. She was very worried and said she didn’t know what to do. My wife said “come get your kitty and take him to the urgent vet care now.” She did, and called my wife later to thank her. The cat suffered dehydration and some wounds, probably from another animal. He had been missing 4 days. He was an indoor only cat. He was placed on IV fluids and given shots and wound care. The vet expected him to survive, but said he might not have lasted another day. (Especially if near a highway). My wife was focused on the cat’s rescue, so no pics yet. But a reunion is being planned, so she can meet and thank the kitty for making her a hero! I was very proud of her courage!

Quoted from Birdnest:

Guarding the kitchen sink
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Quoted from jibmums:

This is our cat Willie, who we foster-to-adopted three years ago. He belonged to a veteran for 9-10 years, who lost his residence and couldn't keep him any longer, so we adopted him. I stay in touch with his former owner to let him know how he's doing.
Yesterday he began having trouble breathing and we took him to an animal hospital this morning. The diagnosis unfortunately was heart failure, and she believes he may have 3-6 months left. He's really the most affectionate little guy and this is tearing me up. If you're reading this and could just have a good thought for him, I'd appreciate that.
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Quoted from jibmums:

This is my goofball Willie, who I first wrote about in post 3606. He lost his battle with heart failure today. I've been his caregiver since New Years Eve, seen him through his good days, which thankfully were many, and his bad days, which thankfully were few. He dealt with his disease like a real champ for three months, and took a turn for the worse earlier this week, which even for a few days he was able to deal with. His breathing turned much worse yesterday and we knew we had to let him go. We parted ways at home in one of his favorite spots (I highly recommend this instead of taking your dog or kitty to the vet for their last visit), and as he feel asleep, he gave me the gift of one last kiss on the cheek. We'll miss you so much, Willie, until we meet again.
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Quoted from Neal_W:

Putting a towel around a cat and holding at the shoulders is usually safe for nail clipping and unpleasant activities while avoiding scratches and nips.

Quoted from NYP:

Thanks for the replies! My vet did give me Gabapentin but I don't want to use sedatives unless I have to. I tried it and it calmed him down but it just makes him sleepy. So far, by controlling his skin itch and dandruff, it hasn't happened so I'm praying that's what it was. Spraying him with Burts Bees dander spray and his dandruff is almost gone. I ordered some omega 3 fish oil that I can mix with his food. Similar to adding salmon oil, which I've tried in the past and it really works. For those of you with cats with dry skin, you might want to try it, it's amazing for their skin and coat, makes it nice and shiny and healthy looking. I stopped because it was a little fattening but the pros outweigh the cons so I'm starting again.

Quoted from pinwiztom:

We are about at that point. Though he does not appear to be suffering .
He still has a very good appetite. He basically lives to eat.
He sleeps/naps most of the day, except at mealtime or when we take him out to Pee & Poo.
He can no longer climb stairs/steps that is why we now have ramp on the front porch.
A lot of his mobility issues relate to our slick hardwood floors,
when Dewey dog is on carpet or the lawn he moves about fine, slow but fine,
but on the hardwood flooring his rear feet get no grip and tend to slip out from under him.
He is at his worst when first getting up from bed, like his hind legs are asleep,
but after some massaging, he becomes more mobile.
Also Rimadyl pills tend to help with his mobility.
He gets around fairly well despite his cataracts and deafness,
(maybe he just refuses to listen to us anymore)
relying more on the nose to guide him.
When he has lost his appetite and/or no longer able to get around on his own, even with our help,
We will make that hard decision to ease his suffering,
but in meantime we will continue to see to his needs and pick up after his accidents.
We will all miss him when that time comes, including his cat brothers and sisters.