Ping Christine Burel
LOL
entered the 2003 edition of the Great December Sprayfest. Mike just
*cannot* handle the changed routines that come with holidays. In
fact, Saturday morning he woke me up by spraying me in the face. I
know I'm not the only one who's had this experience (thinking of you,
Liz P!), but I must say I can't recommend it as a good way to start
your day. Mike checked out okay at TED just 2 weeks ago, so I am not
currently worried about any physical problems - he is just a lunatic
little animal. DH asked me how we'd keep him from spraying the
presents under the tree, and I pointed out that last year we *didn't*
- everyone on our gift list got the special bonus of at least a whiff
of kittypee. So we are extremely interested in any and all
appropriate countermeasures.
------
Krista
Who has never before gotten up and moving quite so fast on a Saturday,
and who loves her kitty (repeating that last bit to self, over and
over). ;-)
Christine Burel
carpetwise as my great plans for the weekend carpet treatment got diverted
so I'm going to try some more this weekend. So far I think it is going to
work really well re the smell because Midnight peed a huge amount that just
soaked the carpet right next to the computer desk the day this stuff
arrived. I poured a lot of the stuff onto the carpet, injected it into the
carpet also with that incredibly large hypodermic needle and I don't smell
anything at all there.-- I'm going to try treating a host of sprayed items
(gym bag, camera case, some winter scarves, etc.) that are currently out in
the garage and will post an update.
Re Mike spraying, if you've ruled out medical stuff, have you talked to your
vet about one of the anti-anxiety meds as a possibility, too? Megan told me
about Prozac -- apparently there are other meds, too. I'm currently trying
Prozac with Midnight since about a month (takes some time to have an effect
I was told) and she's definitely calmer and isn't peeing as much but I'm
still watching her every move. She also squats and pees rather than
spraying as it sounds like Mike is doing. I'm also trying out a new cat
litter called "Cat Attract" by a Dr. Eisley (Petmart - 20 lb. for $11) and
she actually used it the other day -- we'll see...
Purrs for Mikey to settle down and for you to have a less offensive alarm
clock!
Christine (will keep you informed though)
"LOL" <arbitrar...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6d072b68.0312...@posting.google.com...
William Berry
I can commiserate with you problems. We put up our first Xmas tree the other
day, and Little Momma and the kittens just loved it. The kittens seem to
spend most of their time up in it, and the water from the stand! But their
father, Red - well he just freaked out and started running around and scent
marking everything, including me. Its sort of like his is thinking - either
they planted a big tree in the middle of the living room, or although it
still look like we're in the house, we're really outside. Which means that
other cats or dogs could show up at any minute, so I had better run around
and scent mark everything in the house so they'll know that its mine. I'm
ready to toss the tree outside, if I could get the kittens out of it long
enough.
-
William Berry - Author of:
"Do You Hear The Cat Voices Singing?"
ISBN# 1-59113-445-5
www.angelfire.com/fl4/kittenheart
"LOL" <arbitrar...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6d072b68.0312...@posting.google.com...
Marina
"LOL" <arbitrar...@hotmail.com> wrote
> How did you like the Anti-Icky-Poo? I am interested, as we have
> entered the 2003 edition of the Great December Sprayfest. Mike just
> *cannot* handle the changed routines that come with holidays. In
> fact, Saturday morning he woke me up by spraying me in the face.
Eeewww, Krista, what a horrible way to wake up! You must really love Mike a
lot (I know you do). I hope the Anti-Icky-Poo (the thought that someone has
actually named a product that has me LOLing) helps.
--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
LOL
> Hey, Krista -- so far I've only used it on a few really bad places
> carpetwise as my great plans for the weekend carpet treatment got diverted
> so I'm going to try some more this weekend. So far I think it is going to
> work really well re the smell because Midnight peed a huge amount that just
> soaked the carpet right next to the computer desk the day this stuff
> arrived. I poured a lot of the stuff onto the carpet, injected it into the
> carpet also with that incredibly large hypodermic needle and I don't smell
> anything at all there.-- I'm going to try treating a host of sprayed items
> (gym bag, camera case, some winter scarves, etc.) that are currently out in
> the garage and will post an update.
>
> Re Mike spraying, if you've ruled out medical stuff, have you talked to your
> vet about one of the anti-anxiety meds as a possibility, too? Megan told me
> about Prozac -- apparently there are other meds, too. I'm currently trying
> Prozac with Midnight since about a month (takes some time to have an effect
> I was told) and she's definitely calmer and isn't peeing as much but I'm
> still watching her every move. She also squats and pees rather than
> spraying as it sounds like Mike is doing. I'm also trying out a new cat
> litter called "Cat Attract" by a Dr. Eisley (Petmart - 20 lb. for $11) and
> she actually used it the other day -- we'll see...
>
> Purrs for Mikey to settle down and for you to have a less offensive alarm
> clock!
> Christine (will keep you informed though)
Gee, I have quite a few items in an outside storage room awaiting
treatment too! :-P
DH and I talked to TED yesterday, and we are trying again with valium.
It didn't agree with Mike last year; it made him waaay too stoned,
and he was distressed by being so uncoordinated and not able to
understand why. We are trying 1/8 of the dose prescribed last year;
TED again recommended valium as a first try, mostly because it clears
out of the system faster, if it turns out not to work. TED said he's
gotten good results with prozac with d*gs, and we may end up trying
that. Mike has an appt. on December 22 for his bloodwork preliminary
to a dental appt., so we can discuss it again then.
Thanks for the purrs! We are returning them double. :-)
------
Krista
Stacey
"LOL" <arbitrar...@hotmail.com> wrote
<SNIP> In fact, Saturday morning he woke me up by spraying me in the
face.....
.... DH asked me how we'd keep him from spraying the
presents under the tree, and I pointed out that last year we *didn't* -
everyone on our gift list got the special bonus of at least a whiff of
kittypee.<SNIP>
After wrapping this year, I said "Where can we put these where they'll be
safe from the Mooginator?". DH said "The closet?". LOL. That's where they
are now!
Stacey :)
<SNIP>
Who has never before gotten up and moving quite so fast on a Saturday, and
who loves her kitty (repeating that last bit to self, over and over). ;-)
ROFL!!!!
LOL
> Hey Krista,
> I can commiserate with you problems. We put up our first Xmas tree the other
> day, and Little Momma and the kittens just loved it. The kittens seem to
> spend most of their time up in it, and the water from the stand! But their
> father, Red - well he just freaked out and started running around and scent
> marking everything, including me. Its sort of like his is thinking - either
> they planted a big tree in the middle of the living room, or although it
> still look like we're in the house, we're really outside. Which means that
> other cats or dogs could show up at any minute, so I had better run around
> and scent mark everything in the house so they'll know that its mine. I'm
> ready to toss the tree outside, if I could get the kittens out of it long
> enough.
> -
> William Berry - Author of:
> "Do You Hear The Cat Voices Singing?"
> ISBN# 1-59113-445-5
> www.angelfire.com/fl4/kittenheart
>
That scenario *does* sound awfully familiar. I would be more
understanding if this were Mike's very first Christmas tree, but it's
not - it's his twelfth. *sigh*
What you said about Red's thinking makes sense. I could believe
Mike's just picking up too many "outside" cues, if it weren't that
there's *always* a big (ficus) tree in the living room, and if it
weren't that Mike sprays whenever he disapproves of something (any and
all change, usually), and if it weren't that going outside for a
little while usually calms Mike down and actually reduces the spraying
for a bit. It's hard to apply kitty logic to PsychoMike. :-D
I am sending purrs that all the kitties at your house settle down
pronto!
------
Krista
Who intends to check out your interesting-looking site when she has
time enough to do it justice
LOL
>
>
> After wrapping this year, I said "Where can we put these where they'll be
> safe from the Mooginator?". DH said "The closet?". LOL. That's where they
> are now!
> Stacey :)
>
Good idea! I still have all presents put away in the boxes and bags
they came in, and I think I'm just going to wrap everything at the
last minute, so they won't spend a lot of time under the tree flashing
their big neon "pee on me" signs. ;-)
------
Krista
JP Hobbs
I can just imagine ,everyone unwrapping their xmas
gifts wondering what kind of iffy and whiffy perfume
you must have been wearing at the time of wrapping.
god love you, Jean P.
Christine Burel <cfb...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:br78ri$453g$1...@ID-199012.news.uni-berlin.de...
zuz...@webtv.net
>we are trying again with valium. It didn't
>agree with Mike last year; it made him
>waaay too stoned,
>and he was distressed by being so
>uncoordinated and not able to understand
>why. We are trying 1/8 of the dose
>prescribed last year; TED again
>recommended valium as a first try, mostly
>because it clears out of the system faster,
>if it turns out not to work.
I'm not sure why your vet feels 1/8 of the dose of Valium would be
effective. There are also concerns as in some cats valium can cause
*irreversible* liver failure. With so many other medications available I
would never consider using valium as a first try. Prozac is probably
your best bet as a first try as it has a relatively high safety margin
and has had no known side effects reported in cats. If it does not work,
however, it is a medication that the cat needs to be weaned off slowly
over a few weeks time. HTH.
Megan
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."
-Edmund Burke
Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com
Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22
"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."
- W.H. Murray
LOL
>
> I'm not sure why your vet feels 1/8 of the dose of Valium would be
> effective. There are also concerns as in some cats valium can cause
> *irreversible* liver failure. With so many other medications available I
> would never consider using valium as a first try. Prozac is probably
> your best bet as a first try as it has a relatively high safety margin
> and has had no known side effects reported in cats. If it does not work,
> however, it is a medication that the cat needs to be weaned off slowly
> over a few weeks time. HTH.
>
> Megan
We tried such a small dose to try to strike a balance between his
unmedicated agitation and too much sedation; we tried valium last year
around this time, and the recommended dose made poor Mikey staggering
drunk. Halving the dose made it better, but he was still more sedated
than we'd like to see. This year, we started with an eighth, and are
now using a quarter dose, which *does* seem to be helping. Last night
we were actually able to have a normal "crazy time" with chasing
mousies and shredding paper towels, a big improvement over his recent
obsessive behavior. He paces for *hours* and there's no distracting
him. Not petting, not conversation, not playing, not food, not
anything stops him. Whenever I try, he *looks* at me with the exact
expression of a busy human whose time is being wasted, and after a
moment goes right back to pacing.
I haven't insisted on trying any different medication mostly because
this is intended to be temporary -- holidays upset Mike because of the
altered routines, and Christmas, with the changed schedules, furniture
rearranged to accommodate the tree, new things coming into the house,
various people coming and going, etc., is a big upset for him. He
*likes* parts of all this (frex, he loves to sleep under the tree,
loves to "help" me wrap presents), but taken all in all it's just too
much for him, and he sprays *everything* and paces, literally for
hours without stopping, hissing and yowling at nothing. But after
Christmas, when things get back to normal, so does he, and it seems to
me that something like Prozac is meant to be longer-term, as it does
take some time to become effective, and then to work its way out of
the body. I don't expect to have to medicate him at all past early
January.
I did read up on the liver complications last year, when we started
with the valium, but honestly, I have crossed my fingers and hoped for
the best, since it is low-dose and short-term. I really don't know
what else to do.
I live in a very small town, right spang in the middle of a huge
expanse of very small towns, and when any of our animals have ever had
to have complex treatment, we've had to take them to the state
university's vet school, which is about a five-hour drive from here.
It's hardly worth hauling car-hating, vet-hating Mike that distance to
treat something related to *stress*, as the stress of that experience
would far outweigh the stress he's got now. *sigh*
I do appreciate your input, and would *very much* appreciate any
suggestions you might have. Poor Mikey is just not a happy cat right
now, and I hate to sedate him but am sort of out of other ideas,
without canceling all holidays altogether, which is not much of an
option as far as the human family is concerned. :-(
------
Krista
polonca12000
--
Polonca & Soncek
"LOL" <arbitrar...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6d072b68.03121...@posting.google.com...
> We tried such a small dose to try to strike a balance between his
> unmedicated agitation and too much sedation; we tried valium last year
> around this time, and the recommended dose made poor Mikey staggering
> drunk. Halving the dose made it better, but he was still more sedated
> than we'd like to see. This year, we started with an eighth, and are
> now using a quarter dose, which *does* seem to be helping. <snip>
Mary Pelis
I did read up on the liver complications last year, when we started
> with the valium, but honestly, I have crossed my fingers and hoped for
> the best, since it is low-dose and short-term. I really don't know
> what else to do.
>
> I live in a very small town, right spang in the middle of a huge
> expanse of very small towns, and when any of our animals have ever had
> to have complex treatment, we've had to take them to the state
> university's vet school, which is about a five-hour drive from here.
> It's hardly worth hauling car-hating, vet-hating Mike that distance to
> treat something related to *stress*, as the stress of that experience
> would far outweigh the stress he's got now. *sigh*
Krista, have you ever tried Rescue Remedy on him?
Mary
LOL
>
> Krista, have you ever tried Rescue Remedy on him?
>
> Mary
Hi, Mary, that's a good thought. I never have tried Rescue Remedy,
because I'd always heard about people adding it to drinking water, and
Mike refuses to drink out of anything but a dripping faucet and will
*not* drink out of a bowl (unless it has camellias in it, because he's
weird). But I saw it while flipping through the Drs. Foster and Smith
catalog the other day, and it said you could add it to food, so I have
been thinking about trying it. Thanks for the reminder!
------
Krista
Marina
"LOL" <arbitrar...@hotmail.com> wrote
>
>
> Hi, Mary, that's a good thought. I never have tried Rescue Remedy,
> because I'd always heard about people adding it to drinking water, and
> Mike refuses to drink out of anything but a dripping faucet and will
> *not* drink out of a bowl (unless it has camellias in it, because he's
> weird). But I saw it while flipping through the Drs. Foster and Smith
> catalog the other day, and it said you could add it to food, so I have
> been thinking about trying it. Thanks for the reminder!
Just a word of warning - when I first opened the bottle of rescue Remedy, I
was shocked at the strong smell of... brandy! Turns out it's something like
95% brandy, but when you mix a drop or two into a large bowl of water (or
food), of course it's diluted pretty much. I have one bowl of water with RR
and one without, and Frank seems to prefer the one with it, and seems
unsettled if I've forgotten to put some in the one bowl. We've had a little
less yowling in the middle of the night since I started doctoring the water,
but he does still yowl sometimes.
--
Marina, wondering if Frank is becoming an alcoholic