Hello, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.
1. I rue the day _________.
2. One thing I wish I had closure with is _________.
3. _________ recently took a turn for the worse when _________.
4. My _________ has improved thanks to _________.
My answers are below in bold. I rambled on and on and then on and on some more, and for that I apologize. Feel free to skim or skip my longwinded answers. I wouldn't blame you one bit.
1. I rue the day that I took my previous job as a veterinary assistant.
(This answer is mostly truth, but also partly a lie. Nearly 15 years ago, soon out of college, I took a job as a veterinary assistant at a new feline veterinary clinic in town. My boss was the founding and only veterinarian. She was a very controlling, caustic woman. Within a couple months of me starting, all of my fellow vet assistants and the one certified vet tech all quit or were fired. The vet never hired anyone else, and for over 2 years I was the only employee at this full-service veterinary clinic. I stayed because I was fresh out of college and wanted a job that used my animal sciences degree. I often worked 10-12 hours per day Monday through Friday, and the vet would often call wanting me to come in on weekends for one reason or another. She didn't like when I said no, but I started doing it anyway because I was exhausted. Finally, I resigned. She didn't like that either. All that said, I learned more about feline diseases and veterinary care in 2.5 years at this clinic than I did in 4 years of college. I will always be grateful for that knowledge, but not for the stress and exhaustion. The clinic is no longer open.)
2. One thing I wish I had closure with is what happened to the adoptable kitties at the aforementioned clinic after I resigned.
(The clinic I mentioned above had some adoptable kitties that we acquired over a couple years. We also had boarders, sometimes a dozen at a time, and so some mornings I was the only worker there to take care of 15+ kitties temporarily living there while also setting up for surgeries and appointments. But that's beside the point. When I left, there were 5 adoptable kitties at the clinic, one being a sweet little lady I was heavily considering adopting. Before I left for the final time, I said goodbye to all of them and gave them lots of kisses and cuddles. I often wish I knew what happened to those kitties. For all of her potential faults, the vet loved cats and so I know she wouldn't just dump the kitties, even after she closed her clinic. But, I still wish I knew they all had happy endings.)
3. My car recently took a turn for the worse when it refused to start.
(This is a bit of an exaggeration. I actually did get the car started, but it took at least half a dozen attempts before it finally decided to turn over. This was all related to the issues it had a few weeks ago, which had seemed to improve. They had apparently only done so temporarily, though, and so to the mechanic's shop my car went. Luckily it was fixable. The bill was a painful one, but this car is paid off. It's also 16 years old and so my car insurance payments are absolutely miniscule compared to those for newer cars. I'm really hoping to avoid car shopping for as long as possible, so I'm trying to keep this 16-year-old car going as long as possible.)
4. My writing habit has improved thanks to my attempts to stay disciplined.
(Though I haven't yet succeeded at writing in my book-in-progress every single day, or at least close to it, I've written more days this month than I haven't. Writing is a huge passion of mine, and publishing my weird stories is one of my greatest goals in life. I have some rather experimental publishing plans I'm determined to try out this year, so I've been staying as disciplined as possible when it comes to consistently writing. I'm participating in a writing challenge in March, and I hope to write 50,000 words over the month, so I need to ramp up my discipline, time management, and consistency even more.)
Now it's your turn!
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And now it's time for the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop, hosted by none other than Melissa and Mudpie of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.
Eddy is, as always, our resident blooper queen. It's especially easy to get blurry shots of her when she's annoyed that I'm taking her photo, as was the case below.
Don't worry, Eddy got kisses and treats after those shots were snapped. That made her much happier, especially when it came to the treats. Eddy doesn't dislike kisses and cuddles, but she much prefers treats.
Happy Friday, friends!
Flashback Doodle of the Day
We've shared a couple other doodles from a witchy winter series I scribbled up a few years ago, so how about yet another one today?
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Tip of the Day
We're still in National Cat Heath Month, and today we'll be discussing some methods for administering medication to that kitty of yours. This is going to be a long one, so kudos to anyone who makes it to the end.
To begin, if your kitty is prescribed a medication in the form of a pill, tablet, or capsule, there are a number of methods for attempting administration. If possible, and if your kitty is open to the idea, you can use pill pockets or another form of treat in which to hide the medication, and then your kitty might simply eat it up that way. Sometimes pills, tablets, or capsules can also be hidden in a bowl of canned food. If it is small enough, the entire pill can be left intact and hidden whole in the food. Or, some pills can be crushed and then stirred in and masked by the moist food. That being said, some pills, tablets, and capsules are not as effective or sometimes not truly safe to crush and expose in this way, so always ask your veterinarian first regarding this method.
If a kitty will not voluntarily ingest a pill in the above ways, though, then you may very well have to manually pill your cat. First and foremost, be gentle with this method, and make sure your kitty is as comfortable as possible, and of course not harmed. It's also important to ensure that you are not bitten. One of the best methods for pilling a cat involves placing your hand over the cat's head and more or less using their cheekbones as a handle. This way, you can gently tilt your kitty's head back, and they will often then open their mouth on their own. As long as you do it safely, you can also place the tip of a finger on the incisors (not the canines!) of the lower jaw in order to help open the mouth. When your kitty's mouth is open, you can carefully place the pill inside, trying to get it as far back on the tongue as is possible and safe. You can try doing this with the pill plain, or put it in a small treat to better mask it. When the pill is inside the mouth, close your kitty's mouth and gently hold it shut. Sometimes, if needed, blowing on their nose or gently rubbing their throat will prompt them to swallow the pill.
There are also pilling devices on the market. I personally do not prefer to use these, but for kitties who need it, you can try this method. When using a pilling device, you can use the same methods as indicated above for opening your kitty's mouth, and then use the device to place the pill as far back on the tongue as possible.
For kitties who simply do not tolerate being pilled, there is also the chance that the pill can be suspended in a liquid form. Do discuss this with your veterinarian, though, as this method is not effective with all medications. If the medication at hand is able to be given in liquid form, though, sometimes you can do this yourself, simply by crushing the pill and dissolving it in water or a safe broth or gravy. Other times, pharmacies can prepare a liquid solution for you. For tips on the administration of liquid medications, see below.
Next up, we have liquid oral medications. With these, you use the appropriate syringe or dropper to pull up the prescribed dosage. If your kitty does not sense it and refuse to eat it, you can sometimes mix liquid medication in moist food. If your kitty will not eat food laced with medication, though, then squirting it directly into their mouth is your likeliest option. It is typically recommended that liquid medications be injected into the pocket of space that is between the cheek and the teeth. As needed, you can use the methods indicated above for opening your kitty's mouth for easier administration of the liquid medication. However, do not tilt your kitty's head back when administering liquid medications, as aspiration is possible.
What's more, keep in mind that larger quantities of liquid medications, such as over 0.5 or 1.0 mL of medication, may need to be injected into the mouth in multiple rounds. This is because squirting larger quantities of liquid into your kitty's mouth could be dangerous, such as by potentially leading to aspiration. So, depending on the dosage prescribed, it might be safest to squirt in half or so of the liquid, allowing your kitty to swallow that, and then squirting the rest into the mouth.
Other tips include using having a partner-in-crime to help you administer your kitty's medication. One person can hold the kitty, for example, while the other gives the medication. Whether you are by yourself or have help, you can also use the help of a towel or blanket. You can wrap the kitty in this, to keep them and their legs still during the process.
If you have trouble giving your kitty oral medications, even when using methods such as those discussed above, of course discuss this with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian might be able to suggest other options for medication administration. For example, some medications can be given in a transdermal form on the skin, so this is one option to discuss with your vet if needed.
