Introducing Little Tyke: A Tribute to Einstein

[Math Is Hard]

There is a little orange kitty that came to my backyard about 2 months ago. His name is Orange Juice, and he lives about half a mile away! (He had a collar on so we were able to call his owners.) Poor little thing had been gone two weeks. He was skin and bones but so sweet, wrapping himself around me and purring.

I thought I would never see him again, but guess who popped up again tonight! He meowed hello and ran to me. Good thing we still have the owners' number, because his collar was gone. He was all skinny and dirty like before. They said he had run away a couple of weeks ago. It's going to be hard to give him back if he comes again!

 

[GeorginaS]

That's a great comparison series, Tsu. Oh my goodness she was soooo tiny! And to see her getting so big and strong and healthy. It makes my heart feel so good that she found such wonderful people.

I can't get over how small she was.

 

[hypatia]

I love the photos, her dots and stripes are really looking leopard-ish.

She looks so healthy, could it be the arm snacks?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

That's a great comparison series, Tsu.

We thought it might be fun to take a pic every 4 weeks. So the three in series were taken at 4 ,8, and 12 weeks. [which I just added to the post above]

She is a total blast. Unfortunately, my hand looks like something that went through a hamburger grinder, but as Hypatia suggested, this probably provides her with vital nutrients.

We have had our share of problems. She seems to have an allergy, but as yet there is nothing definitive to tell us the specific problem. In the beginning she started fussing with her face by rubbing her whiskers forward and sticking out her tongue. The first time was while Tsu was gone, and though I didn't say anything here, it was so bad, and she was in such distress, and the vets were so stumped that they were suggesting that we may have to put her down. But, luckily the first episode only lasted about 24 hours, and since then the they have declined significantly in intensity and frequency. So hopefully she will just grow out of it. If not, it does seem that an occasional dose of Benadryl keeps it in check. And now, even when it happens, it is more annoying to her than anything. We haven't seen her in literal distress since about week six.

Also, although she took right to the litter box, she seems to think it is optional. We are still working on that one.

But, she is happy, healthy, and loads of fun. In just the last couple of days she has started gaining her independence, but she still stays pretty close to mom and dad. Now, she is very fond of dad, but she is definitely a big mama's girl. Tsu wanted another lap kitty, well, let me tell you, she got more than she could have asked for. And with Tsu's accident and her being chairbound for six weeks, Little Tyke showed up just in time.

The only real downside: When she pees on the carpet, unless I am there, Tsu can do nothing more than watch helplessly.

 

[Moonbear]

The only real downside: When she pees on the carpet, unless I am there, Tsu can do nothing more than watch helplessly.

Maybe Tsu needs to be armed with a squirt bottle. It's going to make it harder to convince her to use the litterbox exclusively if nobody can get to her and put her in it when she should be using it.

I love her little spots! So cute!

Hopefully you'll locate the source of her allergy sooner than later to keep her out of trouble.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Here's my window kitty!

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/5937/littletyke1012wksev1.jpg

I remember someone once wrote to Marilyn Vos Savant (of Ask Marilyn in Parade Magazine) and asked her if there was anything in the universe that is perfectly still. She replied, "With the exception of cats in windowsills, no."

 

[GeorginaS]

I remember someone once wrote to Marilyn Vos Savant (of Ask Marilyn in Parade Magazine) and asked her if there was anything in the universe that is perfectly still. She replied, "With the exception of cats in windowsills, no."

That's brilliant, MIH.

 

[GeorginaS]

Also, although she took right to the litter box, she seems to think it is optional. We are still working on that one.

The only real downside: When she pees on the carpet, unless I am there, Tsu can do nothing more than watch helplessly.

I've been thinking about this since I read it and it's been troubling me. I don't mean to alarm you, Tsu and Ivan, but may I suggest possibly calling your vet and telling them what Little Tyke is doing? Often, cats peeing outside of the litter box indicates some sort of urinary issue is going on related to bladder or urinary tract. Cats generally don't think litter boxes are optional and when they pee anywhere else, it tends to be because they are having an accident. I've heard of and seen this many times with cats.

Here are a couple links about the possibility:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1310&articleid=158"

http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=64&cat=cats"

Just to err on the side of caution, I'd suggest calling your vet.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yes, I had been thinking about that and your post convinced me to go. Also, as it turns out, because we had her in several times for the mouth problem, we never started on her vaccinations! She was too young then, and we never thought about it since they had seen her.

 

[GeorginaS]

I'll wait for word.

 

[Tsu]

It'll be later this evening. Her appt. is at 4pm PDT.

 

[Tsu]

OK. Well... we get to collect some urine from her. They could have gotten some by passing a needle through her abdomen into her bladder, but Ivan was not about to let them do that to HIS little baby! This won't be easy. Better give us another week or so...

 

[Moonbear]

OK. Well... we get to collect some urine from her. They could have gotten some by passing a needle through her abdomen into her bladder, but Ivan was not about to let them do that to HIS little baby! This won't be easy. Better give us another week or so...

Sure, NOW she'll go in the litterbox every time. Good luck with that. Maybe you could try not putting litter in the litter box for a night and see if there's a puddle in there by morning? But, would you know it's hers, or does she share with the other cats? I haven't had to try collecting urine from a cat yet. Ember tends to stop peeing if I accidentally get too close to the litter box while she's in it, so I don't know how that is accomplished.

Do you have a cup on a long stick to slide under her if you see her peeing?

 

[rootX]

passing a needle through her abdomen into her bladder:

That sounds so scary.
I am just phobic to doctors and needles

I think most animals pee during certain time/ when they get super scared.

 

[Evo]

That sounds so scary.
I am just phobic to doctors and needles

I think most animals pee during certain time/ when they get super scared.

Couldn't they keep her overnight and collect it?

The Evo Child just informed me I'm getting a kitten. In her search for a kitten, her friend found one, but they also found a second one at the same place who's last day to live is tomorrow. I am such a sucker, my life is ideal with the fruit bat and dr foofer. What have I done, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't take it after she was talking about how great it was.

Hopefully, she will find another home for it quickly. If not, I'll be posting pictures. I think Spawn needs a kitten.

 

[Moonbear]

That's it, invite Spawn over to see the kitten, then lock her in so she has to stay and take care of you. It sounds like Evo Child is slacking in her nursing responsibilities, taking better care of kittens than her mom.

 

[lisab]

Wow, I've never had to collect urine from a cat...but getting it from my Big Dumb Lab is easy! She's a typical lab, which means she drinks about 150 liters of water a day. The vet has a cup on a stick and you just walk behind her for about 2 minutes. She squats...now catch it quick! If you missed, no worries, she'll go again in about 5 minutes.

The down side: her urine is so dilute, we have to pay extra to get it concentrated so they could do the tests on it !

I'm glad you're seeing the vet about this. Better safe than sorry.

Is she still vicious :!) ?

 

[OmCheeto]

... my life is ideal with the fruit bat and dr foofer. ...

Don't tell us you ate the notagoshawk in your famished state. Please say it is not true!

 

[GeorginaS]

Wellll, I have had to collect urine from my kitty, Bean, and was successful even. Her litter box was in my bathroom, and I put a small plastic container lid on the bathroom counter. Bean had a habit of coming in and using the litter box while I was in the bathroom, and one morning I was there, in she came, she squatted in the box, and I slid the lid under her from behind. She peed on the lid and didn’t notice a thing. I removed the lid while she was stepping out of the box and dumped a bit in the box so she had something to bury. Into a glass jar the sample went and off to the vet’s I went. Easy peasy. (Okay, I know I got way, way lucky and Bean’s more comfortable if I stay put while she uses the litter box than move away.)

It’s actually better, Tsu and Ivan, if you can get a urine sample without the needle. (Although it is a really, really fine needle they use and, my vet has assured me, the cat barely even feels. If push comes to shove, it’s not horrible for them.) My vet said it was better because, regardless of how fine the needle is, they always get blood mixed with the urine if they get a sample that way. And then they can’t tell if the cat has blood in their urine, which is important to know, or if it was just a result of the collection. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. It may be tricky, it may be a breeze.

Thank you for the quick update, Tsu. You're an absolute doll.

 

[Tsu]

We're going to try strips of paper in her litter box. That way most of the urine will settle into the bottom of the pan and and we can suck it up with a syringe. Good times!

 

[Tsu]

Well, she checks out just fine. They're calling it 'behavorial problems'. We are putting her on antibotics as it's possible she has a low-grade infection that's just not showing up.

Meanwhile - Lisa - Yes! She is still VICIOUS. Right now she's attacking Ivan's arm and chewing on his hair. She just LOVES her dad.

So, Evo. When do you get YOUR new kitten?

 

[GeorginaS]

Well, she checks out just fine. They're calling it 'behavorial problems'. We are putting her on antibotics as it's possible she has a low-grade infection that's just not showing up.

That's fantastic news, Tsu!

 

[Moonbear]

So, Little Tyke is just a problem child? Did the vet have any suggestions of how to address those behavior problems?

Is there any pattern to where she pees, or is it just anyplace she feels like it? Maybe it's a territoriality thing, trying to pee over spots where she smells the other cats, trying to tell them she's taking over the house as her territory?

Well, if you know she's not just having accidents but doing it on purpose, then it's time to arm Tsu with the super-soaker so when she sees it happening, she can let Little Tyke know she's in the wrong place!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We put her on antibiotics and noticed a difference within about twelve hours - she was going CRAZY! We are now both pretty sure that she has been fighting a low grade infection of some kind all along. There is even reason to think that this may have been the problem with her mouth. They noticed some redness in the back of her throat this time, which is why they thought the antibiotics were worth a try. So we are hoping that this was causing some pain or irritation that would explain her behavior [pawing at the mouth and sticking out her tongue]. We are also adding flora to her food [good bacteria] because of the antibiotics. According to the vet, there is a good chance that this will cure her sensitive stomach issue as well. So hopefully we can get her off the Friskeys and put her on Science Diet soon.

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, that's great that she's feeling better and acting more normal (well, as normal as kittens are ever going to act ). Good thing you decided to try the antibiotics.

I'm curious, why Friskies instead of Science Diet for a sensitive stomach? I would have thought the other way around would have worked better. Doesn't Friskies have extra dyes and stuff in it that Science Diet doesn't have?

That's another consideration. My friend just got a new puppy last week, and took him to the vet mid-week just to make sure everything was okay (he's been kind of sleepy, but she wasn't sure if it was normal or not) and to check that all the vaccinations he got from the breeder were sufficient, no fleas, etc. Turns out that whatever brand of food she was feeding the puppy, she was told to switch to another brand. The one she was getting has a lot of dyes in it, and the vet thinks all the scratching he was doing was because he had a reaction to the dye making him itchy, and might be making him sleepy too (I don't know where she got this food, when she mentioned it, it was some brand I never even heard of), and sure enough, after switching foods, it just took a couple days for him to be a more active puppy.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm curious, why Friskies instead of Science Diet for a sensitive stomach? I would have thought the other way around would have worked better. Doesn't Friskies have extra dyes and stuff in it that Science Diet doesn't have?

It is the only food that she has been able to tolerate. Any other canned food caused a mouth problem, and as soon as we tried sneaking in some dry Science Diet with her Friskeys, she got diarrhea, and I think she even vomited once.

In fact, for a few days before I took her in again, she seemed to be losing her appetite. We were down to Friskeys shredded beef [not diced ]. It was the only thing that she would eat. But she was eating and her weight is fine, so it was hard to know what was going on.

Of course now she's been eating the kitty equivalent of McDonalds for eight weeks, so it won't be easy to change.

 

[lisab]

It is the only food that she has been able to tolerate. Any other canned food caused a mouth problem, and as soon as we tried sneaking in some dry Science Diet with her Friskeys, she got diarrhea, and I think she even vomited once.

In fact, for a few days before I took her in again, she seemed to be losing her appetite. We were down to Friskeys shredded beef [not diced ]. It was the only thing that she would eat. But she was eating and her weight is fine, so it was hard to know what was going on.

Of course now she's been eating the kitty equivalent of McDonalds for eight weeks, so it won't be easy to change.

I'm so glad she's on the mend! Good thing Tsu and you moved when you did.

I used to give my cat Iams pouches, but she got very sick about the same time so many animals were dying from melamine . So I switched her to Friskies canned beef (diced not sliced, and of course with gravy!) because it was the only one on the shelf that I could identify as made in the US. I've since tried to switch her to other brands but she'll have nothing of it!

 

[Moonbear]

So I switched her to Friskies canned beef (diced not sliced, and of course with gravy!) because it was the only one on the shelf that I could identify as made in the US. I've since tried to switch her to other brands but she'll have nothing of it!

I've been lucky with Ember. She is happy with her Science Diet regular dry food, with a sprinkle of Nutro indoor cat food on top each morning (the Nutro is her breakfast treat...her last cat sitter tried hiding it at the bottom of the bowl under the Science Diet food, and she dug through the Science Diet to get at it ...it seems to help keep hairballs under control, which is an ongoing battle with her, so that's why she gets that one). At dinner time, she gets a quarter of one of those little cans of wet food. She's not fond of the sliced or diced ones, but I can never remember which is which and some of the brands don't make it really clear on their labels...she'd rather have the mushy stuff. That's her daily treat. But with only a few exceptions, she'll at least nibble all of them or lick off the gravy.

I used to just stick with Science Diet for everything, but when they had that melamine problem, it occurred to me that I better mix up her diet a little bit so if there was ever a recall of Science Diet, it wouldn't be too hard to switch her to a backup brand. But, it's also amazing just how many of the brand names are all actually owned by Purina. I pretty much try to mix in every brand of wet food there is, except the PetSmart store brand stuff (it sounds so wonderfully gourmet, sardines and shrimp, etc., but the stuff had shells and fish heads in it, which left me doubtful there could be any consistency in the mix of nutrients from one serving to another, and it smelled bad and looked nasty, and most importantly, Ember turned up her nose and refused to eat it ).

Using the wet food as treats works pretty well. She doesn't even like the regular treats anymore...just bats them around like toys. And I know she is getting a nutritionally balanced diet.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I've been lucky with Ember. She is happy with her Science Diet regular dry food, with a sprinkle of Nutro indoor cat food on top each morning (the Nutro is her breakfast treat...her last cat sitter tried hiding it at the bottom of the bowl under the Science Diet food, and she dug through the Science Diet to get at it ...it seems to help keep hairballs under control, which is an ongoing battle with her, so that's why she gets that one).

We have had very good results using the Science Diet for hairball control.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Little Tyke is in love with her new boyfriend, Jack. We got Jack [already named] a little over two months ago, at age ~ six months. Jack is a calico tabby.

While he gets a little too rough - he is definitely ALL boy - he is a very loving kitty with a great personality. And most important of all, he too is in love with Little Tyke, who has him completely kitty whipped.

They are both fixed now, but there was a little hanky panky before we went to the Vet.

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/543/dsc00145lq5.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2616/dsc00127td3.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6554/dsc00130qd2.jpg