I had talked to ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elisem on Monday about getting together again today, and last night she proposed that we both go visit Soren, as we had on Monday. He said "any time after noon," though I was skeptical after getting an email from him this morning that he had sent at 3:30 a.m. Nonetheless, I took the bus up to his neighborhood, had clams at Ivar's, and then walked over to his apartment. No answer; since the doorbell is hooked up to the phone, I left a message. Then I heard from Elise; Soren had told her "not feeling well, give me an hour" more than an hour earlier. She was worried, and a neighbor let me into the building, so I went up and knocked, loudly. Soren was sleepy and not up for company, but there was nothing seriously wrong, so I got back on the bus and met Elise in Fremont. We hung out a while in a burger restaurant while she had lunch and I drank iced tea, then walked for a bit, back to where she is staying. There was good conversation, again much of it about Velma (roadnotes.
Also, I posted about Velma's death and notifying people on the "I need a hug" section of the Friends of Captain Awkward site, using real names in the post because it was easier than inventing pseudonyms. I got a PM this morning from someone who knew Velma from a fountain pen forum, asking "I hope not, but is that the same Velma?" I've also gotten a Faceboorequest for Soren's email address from someone who says he's an old friend of theirs—I replied and asked him for a non-Facebook address Soren can reach him at—and a very ill-timed FB friend request on Sunday from an ex of hers, which I hope is coincidence rather than some sort of vulturine response to the bad news.
Meanwhile, our cat![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
julian_tiger has gotten very good at not taking pills, and had almost no appetite yesterday. (He was trying, but after a few nibbles of chicken sausage he had that "I want to be hungry for that" look.) This morning I tried him on bell pepper (again, he ate a little and clearly wanted to be hungry for more) and then plain yogurt. He was happy to lick some off my finger, then licked the bowl, so I gave him another tablespoonful. Then, on a hunch, I offered him some peach jam. Happy cat! He asked for seconds, and thirds, and fourths.
I found clementines at the supermarket this morning, and he was happy to help me with one. OK, he wants soft/moist things, and we're back in "orange food for orange cats." I bought salmon and a sweet potato for dinner. He was very happy to help us with them, in larger quantities than we would normally give him, which is a relief, because the vet confirmed that he can't live on just yogurt and fruit, he needs protein. Rationally, "orange food for orange cats" is as silly a basis for a menu as basing it on blood type, but everything there except maybe the peach jam is something I already knew he liked. We are much more optimistic than we were 24 hours ago, and I have at least enough cooked fish left to give him healthy treats tomorrow.
elisem on Monday about getting together again today, and last night she proposed that we both go visit Soren, as we had on Monday. He said "any time after noon," though I was skeptical after getting an email from him this morning that he had sent at 3:30 a.m. Nonetheless, I took the bus up to his neighborhood, had clams at Ivar's, and then walked over to his apartment. No answer; since the doorbell is hooked up to the phone, I left a message. Then I heard from Elise; Soren had told her "not feeling well, give me an hour" more than an hour earlier. She was worried, and a neighbor let me into the building, so I went up and knocked, loudly. Soren was sleepy and not up for company, but there was nothing seriously wrong, so I got back on the bus and met Elise in Fremont. We hung out a while in a burger restaurant while she had lunch and I drank iced tea, then walked for a bit, back to where she is staying. There was good conversation, again much of it about Velma (roadnotes. Also, I posted about Velma's death and notifying people on the "I need a hug" section of the Friends of Captain Awkward site, using real names in the post because it was easier than inventing pseudonyms. I got a PM this morning from someone who knew Velma from a fountain pen forum, asking "I hope not, but is that the same Velma?" I've also gotten a Faceboorequest for Soren's email address from someone who says he's an old friend of theirs—I replied and asked him for a non-Facebook address Soren can reach him at—and a very ill-timed FB friend request on Sunday from an ex of hers, which I hope is coincidence rather than some sort of vulturine response to the bad news.
Meanwhile, our cat
julian_tiger has gotten very good at not taking pills, and had almost no appetite yesterday. (He was trying, but after a few nibbles of chicken sausage he had that "I want to be hungry for that" look.) This morning I tried him on bell pepper (again, he ate a little and clearly wanted to be hungry for more) and then plain yogurt. He was happy to lick some off my finger, then licked the bowl, so I gave him another tablespoonful. Then, on a hunch, I offered him some peach jam. Happy cat! He asked for seconds, and thirds, and fourths. I found clementines at the supermarket this morning, and he was happy to help me with one. OK, he wants soft/moist things, and we're back in "orange food for orange cats." I bought salmon and a sweet potato for dinner. He was very happy to help us with them, in larger quantities than we would normally give him, which is a relief, because the vet confirmed that he can't live on just yogurt and fruit, he needs protein. Rationally, "orange food for orange cats" is as silly a basis for a menu as basing it on blood type, but everything there except maybe the peach jam is something I already knew he liked. We are much more optimistic than we were 24 hours ago, and I have at least enough cooked fish left to give him healthy treats tomorrow.
The annoyance is for reasons not directly medical: at yesterday's follow-up they did bloodwork, as well as giving him his fluids and all the pills we hadn't managed to get into him in the previous couple of days, since he has gone from "oh, a treat" to "I'm not going near that, it has medicine in it"). He perked right up after getting his appetite stimulant; not being willing to swallow that one leads to an unfortunate feedback loop. Based on the bloodwork, the vet recommended adding another medication, warning up both that it was expensive and that most pharmacies don't carry it.
( cut for length and lack of excitement )
The vet's office told me yesterday afternoon that I'd call it in, and that I should expect to hear from the pharmacy when it was ready. Not having heard anything by lunchtime today, I called the pharmacy. They'd never heard of Julian. So I called the vet's office. The receptionist asked me to hold on, and then told me that she just had talked to Dr. Todd, who was about to call it in, as soon as she "finished making a couple of notes on the prescription," and promised that she'd call me as soon as she'd done that. I emphasized the urgency of this even though Julian won't need the medication today: it would have been a lot easier for me to pick it up today than for one of us to do it tomorrow, or forcattitude to do it while I'm away.
I had hung up before I realized how implausible the explanation was—"a couple more notes" on a prescription that she wrote yesterday morning? Yes, the receptionist saved herself the risk of being yelled at for someone dropping the ball (and now I wonder whether it was her or the doctor), but at significant cost to her/the practice's credibility.
I got off the phone with the vet's office 40 minutes ago as I type. I am going to drink this tea and then call back to check. (My hunch is that a call now might mean medicine available this weekend; a call tomorrow probably means Monday the earliest.)
ETA: I have talked, in order, to Cattitude, who got a phone message from the vet's office, and then to a competent-seeming tech at the vet's, twice. It's not clear whether the original confusion was at the Costco pharmacy (which seems plausible, but the vet is obviously better off if I blame Costco rather than her staff), but it seems to have been sorted out. The medication has now been ordered, and is expected Monday afternoon; it has Cattitude's name on it rather than mine, since he's going to be picking it up while I'm away. The tech said that if Costco doesn't call him Monday afternoon, he should call them to check on whether the medicine has arrived.
( cut for length and lack of excitement )
The vet's office told me yesterday afternoon that I'd call it in, and that I should expect to hear from the pharmacy when it was ready. Not having heard anything by lunchtime today, I called the pharmacy. They'd never heard of Julian. So I called the vet's office. The receptionist asked me to hold on, and then told me that she just had talked to Dr. Todd, who was about to call it in, as soon as she "finished making a couple of notes on the prescription," and promised that she'd call me as soon as she'd done that. I emphasized the urgency of this even though Julian won't need the medication today: it would have been a lot easier for me to pick it up today than for one of us to do it tomorrow, or for
cattitude to do it while I'm away. I had hung up before I realized how implausible the explanation was—"a couple more notes" on a prescription that she wrote yesterday morning? Yes, the receptionist saved herself the risk of being yelled at for someone dropping the ball (and now I wonder whether it was her or the doctor), but at significant cost to her/the practice's credibility.
I got off the phone with the vet's office 40 minutes ago as I type. I am going to drink this tea and then call back to check. (My hunch is that a call now might mean medicine available this weekend; a call tomorrow probably means Monday the earliest.)
ETA: I have talked, in order, to Cattitude, who got a phone message from the vet's office, and then to a competent-seeming tech at the vet's, twice. It's not clear whether the original confusion was at the Costco pharmacy (which seems plausible, but the vet is obviously better off if I blame Costco rather than her staff), but it seems to have been sorted out. The medication has now been ordered, and is expected Monday afternoon; it has Cattitude's name on it rather than mine, since he's going to be picking it up while I'm away. The tech said that if Costco doesn't call him Monday afternoon, he should call them to check on whether the medicine has arrived.
I picked julian_tiger up from the vet at about 5 this afternoon. He is still thin and moving more cautiously than we would like, and they sent us home with several medications, as well as discharge instructions and a note to make an appointment for next week.
( details, nothing messy )
julian_tiger up from the vet at about 5 this afternoon. He is still thin and moving more cautiously than we would like, and they sent us home with several medications, as well as discharge instructions and a note to make an appointment for next week.( details, nothing messy )
julian_tiger is still at the vet's until at least tomorrow, getting IV fluids and such, but they are encouraging us to visit, have him sit on our laps, and so on. I asked if I could bring him some blueberries and the receptionist said she'd have to check. So I cut a few in half and put them in a ziploc bag, figuring that if he couldn't have them I'd eat them myself later.When I got there, the receptionist said that yes, he could have blueberries, and sent me into a room to wait. A tech brought Julian in, snuggled against her chest. She said nice things about him: he seems to be charming the entire staff. I offered Julian half a berry, and he happily ate it. And another, at which point she said something like "he really does like them!"
After the tech left, I fed him the rest of the berries, and then we settled in for a long session of head rubbing, scritching, and lap-sitting. He would have stayed on my lap even longer, had I let him, but our visits are an interruption to the treatment, and I want to get him home again as soon as possible. The first time I tried to move him off my lap he had hooked his claws into my pants, so I gave him a few more minutes, because he so rarely argues when we tell him it's time to get down.
Sorry, there's not much else interesting going on, as I get over a cold (and missed a party on the weekend rather than risk infecting everyone).
The summary is thatjulian_tiger is staying at the vet's for 3-5 days for IV fluids, for them to get his antibiotics into him, and so on.
( Read more... )
The summary is that
julian_tiger is staying at the vet's for 3-5 days for IV fluids, for them to get his antibiotics into him, and so on.( Read more... )
Tags:
We have started julian_tiger on a pill that is supposed to be an appetite stimulant in cats: 1/4 tablet every three days. Now, Julian is a fairly smart cat, and apparently has learned to recognize the sounds and/or motions of me opening a pill bottle and breaking a tablet in half on the kitchen counter.
His response to noticing this was to walk over and wait next to me. So I said "that's right, you're going to get a treat," used the pill cutter to slice a half-tablet in half again, wrapped it in the pill pocket stuff he likes, and fed it to him. Now, if only he could learn to like the subcutaneous fluids (which the vet recommends at least every other day).
Addendum: After three or four tries, we got Julian wrapped in a towel and holding still long enough to get at least some fluids into him. I think he got 75 cc today; the goal is 100-150, probably 150/dose if we're only doing every other day.
Also, I cut up some blueberries* as a possible treat/distraction, based partly on whatanne had said about getting fluids into her cat. It wasn't practical to give them to Julian before or while we were giving him the fluids, but he happily ate every bit of them afterwards. And then stalked off to his food bowl for some kibble, which is also good: maybe he's just feeling better, or maybe the appetite stimulant is already starting to work.
*despite the instructions for the Ideologically Labile Fruit Crisp, I don't think I need to consult a therapist.
julian_tiger on a pill that is supposed to be an appetite stimulant in cats: 1/4 tablet every three days. Now, Julian is a fairly smart cat, and apparently has learned to recognize the sounds and/or motions of me opening a pill bottle and breaking a tablet in half on the kitchen counter.His response to noticing this was to walk over and wait next to me. So I said "that's right, you're going to get a treat," used the pill cutter to slice a half-tablet in half again, wrapped it in the pill pocket stuff he likes, and fed it to him. Now, if only he could learn to like the subcutaneous fluids (which the vet recommends at least every other day).
Addendum: After three or four tries, we got Julian wrapped in a towel and holding still long enough to get at least some fluids into him. I think he got 75 cc today; the goal is 100-150, probably 150/dose if we're only doing every other day.
Also, I cut up some blueberries* as a possible treat/distraction, based partly on what
anne had said about getting fluids into her cat. It wasn't practical to give them to Julian before or while we were giving him the fluids, but he happily ate every bit of them afterwards. And then stalked off to his food bowl for some kibble, which is also good: maybe he's just feeling better, or maybe the appetite stimulant is already starting to work.*despite the instructions for the Ideologically Labile Fruit Crisp, I don't think I need to consult a therapist.
The short version: no evidence of cancer, yes symptoms of infection, we are giving him fluids.
( the long version of Julian's health )
( the long version of Julian's health )
Tags:
I heard from the vet this morning. julian_tiger has kidney disease.
We need to figure out/decide what to do next. There's a wide variety of possible diagnostics: so far I have authorized them to culture the urine sample [to test for occult infection], and need to schedule a time to take him in for an ultrasound, blood pressure check, and the rabies vaccine we postponed. One of my outstanding questions is whether the food she recommended is available at the pet store, or a veterinary prescription thing we'd have to get from them or some other more complicated method.
Also, the vet thinks that small amounts of fruit and vegetables are better tidbits than things with fat, salt, or protein, but "a few licks of cream" should be okay. So he will still get some cream, but significantly less.
( more )
julian_tiger has kidney disease.We need to figure out/decide what to do next. There's a wide variety of possible diagnostics: so far I have authorized them to culture the urine sample [to test for occult infection], and need to schedule a time to take him in for an ultrasound, blood pressure check, and the rabies vaccine we postponed. One of my outstanding questions is whether the food she recommended is available at the pet store, or a veterinary prescription thing we'd have to get from them or some other more complicated method.
Also, the vet thinks that small amounts of fruit and vegetables are better tidbits than things with fat, salt, or protein, but "a few licks of cream" should be okay. So he will still get some cream, but significantly less.
( more )
He's looking better already, because cattitude brushed off some of the schmutz.
( cut for size, photos can eat bandwidth )
cattitude brushed off some of the schmutz. ( cut for size, photos can eat bandwidth )
Tags:
He's looking better already, because cattitude brushed off some of the schmutz.
( cut for size, photos can eat bandwidth )
cattitude brushed off some of the schmutz. ( cut for size, photos can eat bandwidth )
Tags:
I bought a new camera a few weeks ago, and have been playing with it a little. Thus far it's mostly at the stage of getting a feel for how the camera works, and giving myself permission to take lots of photos I'm going to throw away. I took it into the park when it still looked like autumn, mostly for pictures of color, but also got a couple of shots of a tugboat on the river. I did very minimal editing.( tree, milkweed, tugboat, and cat )
Tags:
I bought a new camera a few weeks ago, and have been playing with it a little. Thus far it's mostly at the stage of getting a feel for how the camera works, and giving myself permission to take lots of photos I'm going to throw away. I took it into the park when it still looked like autumn, mostly for pictures of color, but also got a couple of shots of a tugboat on the river. I did very minimal editing.( tree, milkweed, tugboat, and cat )
Tags:
We took julian_tiger in for his annual checkup and shots. Julian was pretty cooperative about getting into his carrier at this end, which was unsurprising; not only is he a basically happy animal, he sometimes hangs out in there at random times. We had to tilt it to get him out at the vet's office, though.
cattitude has been concerned about Julian's sweet tooth and weight gain. I hadn't noticed the latter, but the vet confirmed that the boy has gained about a pound and a half in the last year or so. The concern is that this could lead to diabetes. We are supposed to stop giving him fruit, and to try moving him at least partly to canned food rather than kibble, and hope for him to lose some weight. The vet said a bunch of stuff about Atkins. We do not need to stop giving him human food generally: the lower-carbohydrate bits of our meals, like cooked chicken, fish, roast meat, and my morning cold cuts, are fine, as is the habit of giving him dollops of cream when I have my tea. But if breakfast is, say, salami and a wedge of canteloupe, resist the impulse to give him a piece of the melon.
I also have no idea why, when I described my current job, the vet immediately started trying to persuade me that I ought to start tutoring high school students instead.
I think I posted that the dial for my snazzy ice cream maker broke last month. I went to the Cuisinart Web site, saw that this part wasn't listed, and sent them email. There was no response for long enough that I was thinking I needed to call again, and then I got email saying that the part had been entered in their system and would be shipped in the next few days. It arrived Thursday. This morning, I tried installing it.
It turns out that they generously sent a piece that doesn't fit, so I'm going to have to take a close look at our machine, and then call them. Fortunately, along with the free replacement doohickey, they sent an invoice showing $0.00 and instructions on what to do if I need to return or exchange it, so it can probably travel with paperwork. Nonetheless, I may be stuck with commercial ice cream a while longer.
julian_tiger in for his annual checkup and shots. Julian was pretty cooperative about getting into his carrier at this end, which was unsurprising; not only is he a basically happy animal, he sometimes hangs out in there at random times. We had to tilt it to get him out at the vet's office, though.cattitude has been concerned about Julian's sweet tooth and weight gain. I hadn't noticed the latter, but the vet confirmed that the boy has gained about a pound and a half in the last year or so. The concern is that this could lead to diabetes. We are supposed to stop giving him fruit, and to try moving him at least partly to canned food rather than kibble, and hope for him to lose some weight. The vet said a bunch of stuff about Atkins. We do not need to stop giving him human food generally: the lower-carbohydrate bits of our meals, like cooked chicken, fish, roast meat, and my morning cold cuts, are fine, as is the habit of giving him dollops of cream when I have my tea. But if breakfast is, say, salami and a wedge of canteloupe, resist the impulse to give him a piece of the melon.I also have no idea why, when I described my current job, the vet immediately started trying to persuade me that I ought to start tutoring high school students instead.
I think I posted that the dial for my snazzy ice cream maker broke last month. I went to the Cuisinart Web site, saw that this part wasn't listed, and sent them email. There was no response for long enough that I was thinking I needed to call again, and then I got email saying that the part had been entered in their system and would be shipped in the next few days. It arrived Thursday. This morning, I tried installing it.
It turns out that they generously sent a piece that doesn't fit, so I'm going to have to take a close look at our machine, and then call them. Fortunately, along with the free replacement doohickey, they sent an invoice showing $0.00 and instructions on what to do if I need to return or exchange it, so it can probably travel with paperwork. Nonetheless, I may be stuck with commercial ice cream a while longer.
Tags:
We took julian_tiger in for his annual checkup and shots. Julian was pretty cooperative about getting into his carrier at this end, which was unsurprising; not only is he a basically happy animal, he sometimes hangs out in there at random times. We had to tilt it to get him out at the vet's office, though.
cattitude has been concerned about Julian's sweet tooth and weight gain. I hadn't noticed the latter, but the vet confirmed that the boy has gained about a pound and a half in the last year or so. The concern is that this could lead to diabetes. We are supposed to stop giving him fruit, and to try moving him at least partly to canned food rather than kibble, and hope for him to lose some weight. The vet said a bunch of stuff about Atkins. We do not need to stop giving him human food generally: the lower-carbohydrate bits of our meals, like cooked chicken, fish, roast meat, and my morning cold cuts, are fine, as is the habit of giving him dollops of cream when I have my tea. But if breakfast is, say, salami and a wedge of canteloupe, resist the impulse to give him a piece of the melon.
I also have no idea why, when I described my current job, the vet immediately started trying to persuade me that I ought to start tutoring high school students instead.
I think I posted that the dial for my snazzy ice cream maker broke last month. I went to the Cuisinart Web site, saw that this part wasn't listed, and sent them email. There was no response for long enough that I was thinking I needed to call again, and then I got email saying that the part had been entered in their system and would be shipped in the next few days. It arrived Thursday. This morning, I tried installing it.
It turns out that they generously sent a piece that doesn't fit, so I'm going to have to take a close look at our machine, and then call them. Fortunately, along with the free replacement doohickey, they sent an invoice showing $0.00 and instructions on what to do if I need to return or exchange it, so it can probably travel with paperwork. Nonetheless, I may be stuck with commercial ice cream a while longer.
julian_tiger in for his annual checkup and shots. Julian was pretty cooperative about getting into his carrier at this end, which was unsurprising; not only is he a basically happy animal, he sometimes hangs out in there at random times. We had to tilt it to get him out at the vet's office, though.cattitude has been concerned about Julian's sweet tooth and weight gain. I hadn't noticed the latter, but the vet confirmed that the boy has gained about a pound and a half in the last year or so. The concern is that this could lead to diabetes. We are supposed to stop giving him fruit, and to try moving him at least partly to canned food rather than kibble, and hope for him to lose some weight. The vet said a bunch of stuff about Atkins. We do not need to stop giving him human food generally: the lower-carbohydrate bits of our meals, like cooked chicken, fish, roast meat, and my morning cold cuts, are fine, as is the habit of giving him dollops of cream when I have my tea. But if breakfast is, say, salami and a wedge of canteloupe, resist the impulse to give him a piece of the melon.I also have no idea why, when I described my current job, the vet immediately started trying to persuade me that I ought to start tutoring high school students instead.
I think I posted that the dial for my snazzy ice cream maker broke last month. I went to the Cuisinart Web site, saw that this part wasn't listed, and sent them email. There was no response for long enough that I was thinking I needed to call again, and then I got email saying that the part had been entered in their system and would be shipped in the next few days. It arrived Thursday. This morning, I tried installing it.
It turns out that they generously sent a piece that doesn't fit, so I'm going to have to take a close look at our machine, and then call them. Fortunately, along with the free replacement doohickey, they sent an invoice showing $0.00 and instructions on what to do if I need to return or exchange it, so it can probably travel with paperwork. Nonetheless, I may be stuck with commercial ice cream a while longer.
Tags:
I came home from the Greenmarket with a bunch of beets and a bundle of leeks. We already had an acorn squash.
Prepping the vegetables was enough to make me wish for a compost heap, as I threw out huge amounts of greenery, squash seeds, and the like.
Then I put them all in to roast. I misjudged the timing, so we had roasted squash (with maple syrup) and leeks, then forty-five minutes later had roasted beets. (They'd cooled down enough that they needed to be started almost from scratch).
I'm not surprised thatjulian_tiger likes roasted beets. He likes most things. I am surprised that he liked them enough to do the pop-up pussycat thing, head over the table, to tell us he wanted more. And the paws on my lap thing, with the same meaning, asking for yet more.
Prepping the vegetables was enough to make me wish for a compost heap, as I threw out huge amounts of greenery, squash seeds, and the like.
Then I put them all in to roast. I misjudged the timing, so we had roasted squash (with maple syrup) and leeks, then forty-five minutes later had roasted beets. (They'd cooled down enough that they needed to be started almost from scratch).
I'm not surprised that
julian_tiger likes roasted beets. He likes most things. I am surprised that he liked them enough to do the pop-up pussycat thing, head over the table, to tell us he wanted more. And the paws on my lap thing, with the same meaning, asking for yet more.Tags:
I came home from the Greenmarket with a bunch of beets and a bundle of leeks. We already had an acorn squash.
Prepping the vegetables was enough to make me wish for a compost heap, as I threw out huge amounts of greenery, squash seeds, and the like.
Then I put them all in to roast. I misjudged the timing, so we had roasted squash (with maple syrup) and leeks, then forty-five minutes later had roasted beets. (They'd cooled down enough that they needed to be started almost from scratch).
I'm not surprised thatjulian_tiger likes roasted beets. He likes most things. I am surprised that he liked them enough to do the pop-up pussycat thing, head over the table, to tell us he wanted more. And the paws on my lap thing, with the same meaning, asking for yet more.
Prepping the vegetables was enough to make me wish for a compost heap, as I threw out huge amounts of greenery, squash seeds, and the like.
Then I put them all in to roast. I misjudged the timing, so we had roasted squash (with maple syrup) and leeks, then forty-five minutes later had roasted beets. (They'd cooled down enough that they needed to be started almost from scratch).
I'm not surprised that
julian_tiger likes roasted beets. He likes most things. I am surprised that he liked them enough to do the pop-up pussycat thing, head over the table, to tell us he wanted more. And the paws on my lap thing, with the same meaning, asking for yet more.Tags:
I have taken julian_tiger to the vet for his annual check-up. As usual, he took the whole thing, from being put in the box through car rides and the actual exam, quite calmly. He now weighs 12 pounds, and the basic exam found no problems. He's had his basic shots.
Also, after some discussion of the cat from downstairs, who roams the fire escape, and the way he and Julian sometimes hiss at each other, the vet took a blood sample to test for FIV and FLV. Assuming that those tests come back negative, we'll be getting him vaccinated against those. My vet doesn't generally recommend those for indoor cats, but the hissing is a risk factor, and Julian did have that adventure a few months ago. (On the other hand, it took until last night for him to venture into the hallway again, after having been lost, and he went maybe ten feet, and turned and dashed right back in.)
The vet also trimmed Julian's claws, while he had him in back for the blood draw. He didn't ask me first, but did comment that they'd been very sharp--which is unsurprising, given the amount of time he spends maintaining them. (He was just washing one front paw, which reminded me of this.) I trust Dr. Luckow, and expect no harm will come of this; he doesn't scramble up to high places, he leaps and lands smoothly.
julian_tiger to the vet for his annual check-up. As usual, he took the whole thing, from being put in the box through car rides and the actual exam, quite calmly. He now weighs 12 pounds, and the basic exam found no problems. He's had his basic shots.Also, after some discussion of the cat from downstairs, who roams the fire escape, and the way he and Julian sometimes hiss at each other, the vet took a blood sample to test for FIV and FLV. Assuming that those tests come back negative, we'll be getting him vaccinated against those. My vet doesn't generally recommend those for indoor cats, but the hissing is a risk factor, and Julian did have that adventure a few months ago. (On the other hand, it took until last night for him to venture into the hallway again, after having been lost, and he went maybe ten feet, and turned and dashed right back in.)
The vet also trimmed Julian's claws, while he had him in back for the blood draw. He didn't ask me first, but did comment that they'd been very sharp--which is unsurprising, given the amount of time he spends maintaining them. (He was just washing one front paw, which reminded me of this.) I trust Dr. Luckow, and expect no harm will come of this; he doesn't scramble up to high places, he leaps and lands smoothly.
I have taken julian_tiger to the vet for his annual check-up. As usual, he took the whole thing, from being put in the box through car rides and the actual exam, quite calmly. He now weighs 12 pounds, and the basic exam found no problems. He's had his basic shots.
Also, after some discussion of the cat from downstairs, who roams the fire escape, and the way he and Julian sometimes hiss at each other, the vet took a blood sample to test for FIV and FLV. Assuming that those tests come back negative, we'll be getting him vaccinated against those. My vet doesn't generally recommend those for indoor cats, but the hissing is a risk factor, and Julian did have that adventure a few months ago. (On the other hand, it took until last night for him to venture into the hallway again, after having been lost, and he went maybe ten feet, and turned and dashed right back in.)
The vet also trimmed Julian's claws, while he had him in back for the blood draw. He didn't ask me first, but did comment that they'd been very sharp--which is unsurprising, given the amount of time he spends maintaining them. (He was just washing one front paw, which reminded me of this.) I trust Dr. Luckow, and expect no harm will come of this; he doesn't scramble up to high places, he leaps and lands smoothly.
julian_tiger to the vet for his annual check-up. As usual, he took the whole thing, from being put in the box through car rides and the actual exam, quite calmly. He now weighs 12 pounds, and the basic exam found no problems. He's had his basic shots.Also, after some discussion of the cat from downstairs, who roams the fire escape, and the way he and Julian sometimes hiss at each other, the vet took a blood sample to test for FIV and FLV. Assuming that those tests come back negative, we'll be getting him vaccinated against those. My vet doesn't generally recommend those for indoor cats, but the hissing is a risk factor, and Julian did have that adventure a few months ago. (On the other hand, it took until last night for him to venture into the hallway again, after having been lost, and he went maybe ten feet, and turned and dashed right back in.)
The vet also trimmed Julian's claws, while he had him in back for the blood draw. He didn't ask me first, but did comment that they'd been very sharp--which is unsurprising, given the amount of time he spends maintaining them. (He was just washing one front paw, which reminded me of this.) I trust Dr. Luckow, and expect no harm will come of this; he doesn't scramble up to high places, he leaps and lands smoothly.
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