New Catster!!!

Meet this handsome lil' dude *Truffles* awwwwwwww isn't he cute?!?!

He's from the family of Picasso and is coming home TONIGHT!! Yes tonight!!! Auntie Barbi wanted to adopt a cat from the shelter for her birthday and also in remembrance of Kashmere. Call it fate, but Truffles is adopted from the same shelter as Kashmere 8 years ago!!!

He has a pawsome family and we can't wait to see him grow up!!! WOOHOO!! He is CUTE!

OH! I'm a DDP!!!

I bet you can guess who in the family is jealous... *coughBOOGERS* But alas, tis I, Fido, who rules the family today!

Thank you for the pawmails and rosettes concatulating me on my DDP!!! From the looks of things, many of you had a pawsome Meowmy's Day!!

We were just glad the weather was nice as the rain was getting tiresome. The landscaper dudes came by and mowed the lawn since it's day 2 of no rain. It's super green here in No. VA and we all get excited when we look out from the porch and hear birdies!

Thanks for the continuous purrrs for my bro Tiskers. We're waiting to hear from the Cardiologist again 'cause he seems to be barfing when he eats dry food. He keeps his Diltazem pills down (which are the ones that the Vet wants to monitor) for 6 hours, eats moist after (to help the pill be in his system) but when he eats dry he yacks...

*bonks*

Happy Mother's Day!

Dang, Tiskers and Porkers just got back from a long stroll. Generally I stroll with Boogie. I wanted to go but Boogie didn't so the two dudes went. Boogie will pay....

In the meantime, today is Mother's Day and I'm trying to be a GOOD Fido! TRYING to give mom lovies and not JUST daddy... We shall see :)

We all surprised mom with a medium sized heart SS locket from Tiffany's. She was super surprised and had been eying that for a while. The chain we bought wasn't the kind she liked, and since it happens to be the most popular one (what ever that oooo link looking one is) it's back ordered but we'll be getting a call Wednesday to pick it up. While we were there, mom also picked out her late Bday gift. She wanted the travel case and picked out Tiffany Blue.

And yes, Hondo was mad that we didn't get the pink one :)

Happy Mother's Day to all you pawsome meowmy's!! We are all lucky to have kick tail meowmy's!!!

My brother Tiskers needs purrrs...

This is taken from Boogie's diary:

Mommy Samantha here. I am home with my baby Tiskers but it is with great difficulty that I report that the news isn't great.

I had noticed 2 days ago that Tiskers was breathing differently. He was on the computer desk with me and had a bad dream. When he woke up and calmed down, his breathing seemed more labored than normal. I could see that his sides were going in and out more than normal. Looking at the others, it was obvious that Tiskers breathing pattern was different.

Having never really payed attention to his breathing, for all I knew, this was "normal" but it wasn't normal for him as I would have seen this.

He had an appointment today at 11AM with the vet. While the vet heard no heart murmur, and things felt fine (other than a full bladder), we agreed to do blood tests and a Radiograph (x-rays of his heart/lungs).

The heart looked fine from the Radiograph, but near the lung area, there was what appeared to be some blockage (I forget what he said). So they took 2 more from different angles. We laughed as poor Tiskers had a lot of poopie in the x-ray...

I agreed that we should look into this more and he was able to get me into the Cardiologist in Leesburg, VA (15-20 min drive). Dan dropped me off as he had to go to class as it's finals week.

They took me back and I gave them the Radiograph CD and blood results (which were great!). They did an Ultra sound and Eciograph (spelling?). And while he told me the results, I just stood there numb.

Diagnosis:
-Moderate to borderline severe juvenile onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
-Severe posterior wall and apical left ventricular hypertrophy
-Mild left atrial chamber dilation
-Congestive heart failure manifested by pleural effusion

He is on Diltiazem 30mg 2x a day, Lasix/Furosemide 12.5 mg 2x a day, and Children's Apsril 81 mg (1/2 tab 2x weekly)

The outcome depends on how he takes the medicine. If he vomits and doesn't eat, then there's plan B, aka different meds.

Basically, to dumb it down... He had mild heart failure when we brought him in (he did get a Lasix shot), the left side of his heart is affected. The walls are thick in the left ventricular and there was fluid in the left av___ (forget what part of the heart). Unfortunately he won't have the long life we had hoped. The Cardiologist said he had a cat earlier with very similar readings who was here today for his 5 month checkup. But he did say, unfortunately, not to be morbid, since he is so young, he's guessing a year... As long as there's no clots (which can paralyze a cat and are PAINFUL), there will be no suffering and it would be quick.

Please keep my baby in your prayers. He's such a mommy's boy and I'm just devastated. We have been aware that Main Coons and Raggies are prone to getting Cardiomyopathy. They are not born with it.

I'd like to thank Barbi for being there the moment I got the news and for doing a diary entry for me and my baby Tiskers. Catster is a great place and a wealth of knowledge. I can't thank you enough for your purrs.

Dan is going to Target to fill the prescriptions and I'm going to spend time with my baby...

Thank you,
Samantha and Tiskers

Laxatone

Ooooooo mom will look into this and good idea Gimme... Put Petramalt on my paw and that'll force me to lick it! GENIUS!! Although, now that I know about this evil trick, we shall see. I run when I see that huge white tube come out!

Pumpkin was suggested by Inigo Montoya, but unfortunately, we ALL hate the stuff!!!!

I'm going to have mom look into Laxatone, 'cause I received an annonymousie rosette and this so-called *HAIRBALL REMEDY SERVICE* sorta... scares me!!!

This is what I love about Catster. The friendships, seeing everyone's cute pictures, reading diaries, and the endless help and suggestions from other cats! *hugs*

Hairball relief :)

Awww thanks guys for getting back to me via pawmail and via "comment" on my last diary.

Interesting about seasonal shedding Gimme, that makes sense! My Allie knows that while I am not a huge fan of getting brushed, when I do, not much hair comes off other than 3 strands MOL. But perhaps it IS seasonal shedding, so mom is going to have dad furminate me (Good idea Hazel Lucy) 'cause I only let him brush me (I run from mom :)

I laughed when my bestest twin Riley wrote me :) I told him when I yacked that hairball, it reminded me of him 'cause he catches REAL mousies, and I yacked up a faux mousie hehe!

Jobél said I gave mom an early Mother's Day gift!! That's one less thing I gotta get mom now!!

And of course, Nurse Margo was able to diagnose my problem... She is after all a NURSE!!!

Another friend Mickey said try some hairball food or Petramalt. I don't like Petramalt, but mom is going to force me to eat it even if it means I gotta wait for daddy to put it in my mouth (he puts it on the top of my mouth, 'cause I'll spit out the big brown blob jell stuff otherwise).

Good to know that others have had HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE hairballs. Hondo gets them every so often, and they're THIN small dime sized pancake shaped. Mom was just concerned about the size of mine. It was THICK! Me and Colleen share that honor MOL!

*hugs*

*ACK* Literally!!!!!!! NEED FEEDBACK!!!!

Ewwwwwwwwwww I just threw up the hugest hairball. As mentioned before in many of our diaries, mom didn't like cats 7 years ago... So she's still new to the whole cat thing...

My hairball was the size of a furry mousie!!! You know, the kind we all get from various pet stores...

Mom felt so bad she freaked!!!

"...OH FIDEY!!!! ARE YOU OK!?!?! OH NO!!! FIDEY!!! IT'S OK!!! DON'T WORRY!!!!"

So is it normal for a cat, such as myself, who doesn't get hairballs other than maybe, 1x a year, to be the size of a wet furry mousie?!?! Mom was SHOCKED! She worried I might have choked had it excited horizontally!!!

HELP!!

New Page!!!

Ok, Ok!! I get the hint!! Mom just made Boogie and I a new page as a couple friends said we "kneaded" a new page MOL!

I threatened mom with her FB account if she didn't and that seemed to work.

Also an update. I didn't realize Paws (Allie's brother Murray's, fiancee) is also a DDP!! Pawsome!

Now if only both our moms would stay off FB :) hehe!!! Ok, now to work on Mittens' page!!

Oooooo! I'm a DDP!!!

*yawn* Mrowwwwwwww

I just woke up along with mom as we're trying to get our sleep back onto a night schedule as dad is on nights this month.

So what a huge surprise to see I'm a DDP!!! Thank you for the pawmails, and for helping decorate my page!

I see Calvin left a comment (love this feature) saying mom and I knead to get off FB and fix my page as it's still Easter MOL!!! True that!! I'm still hoping I can find a better secretary. Like seriously... Mercy, Calvin, and Picasso's mom are always on top of things!!!

My mom used to until this thing called FB came along. Weird thing is that we've been on FB for almost 2 years, but until the past year, we weren't active MOL

Thanks for making my day spiffers!

Strollin'

Yup, it's true... Boogie wasn't lying... He and I went strolling this week with grandpaw as he was in town for a week. He just left and mom was very sad :(

Grandpaw said I behaved MUCH better this time! In the past, I've ran away from him MOL! The first time I met him was 2-3 years ago and it was on the day he was flying back to MN.

So I've come a long way! I showed him my beautiful wife Allie's picture and Catster page. He just laughed and said I had a pretty wife :) *duh!*

Ok, I must catch up on what's going on with friends!