Friday, May 26, 2017

Fill-Ins and Fighters

TGIF! Let's kick off the eve of the weekend with the always fun Friendly Fill-Ins.


This challenge is hosted by our good friends over at 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader. Our hosts are clever as can be. See the fill-ins they crafted for us this week?

1. My idea of roughing it is _________.
2. I never get sick of talking about _________.
3. My youth _________.
4. My "golden years" _________.

And here are the kind of answers I mustered up this time around:

1. My idea of roughing it is losing power.
(You know those times when a thunderstorm blows through, or even a winter ice storm, and you lose power? No lights, no kitchen appliances, all that jazz.. And if your gadgets aren't all charged up, you're out of luck. To be honest, I kind of enjoy these moments of silent darkness. Of course, though, let's be honest, if I know a storm is coming, I do charge up some of my gadgets, so that I don't get too bored.)

2. I never get sick of talking about my furbabies.
(As if you didn't already know that.)

3. My youth has been good to me.
(Sure, life isn't always sunshine and daisies. Nevertheless, I feel like my years thus far have been priceless in their own way. I've been blessed with family and furbabies and friends, past and present, and I certainly can't complain.)

4. My "golden years" will probably be much like all the other years.
(I imagine my golden years will be much like my current years, to be honest. I think older me will still very much enjoy spending oodles of time with furbabies, writing, drawing, and just all around enjoying life in my own way.)


Now, Eddy is here to show you her pictures of the week. She's back to her same ol' I-refuse-to-look-at-the-camera and I'm-a-purrfect-blur shenanigans.



See? All shades of photo shoot uncooperation. It's no wonder, though. I brought Thimble home from her day long visit at the vet on Wednesday night, after she was diagnosed with a UTI. Thimble feels much better already. In fact, she's already acting like her old self again. However, she sort of smells different. You know, the V-E-T will do that to a girl. Now, Eddy is convinced that I brought home a strange cat. Despite the fact that Thimble is still, well, Thimble, Eddy is not so sure.

To be honest, this here momma is pretty disheartened right now. When I first brought Thimble home, Eddy sniffed her and acted normal. Then she went back for a second sniff, and promptly jumped back and ran off to hide under my bed. Then, last night, Eddy began growling at Thimble, puffing up and acting like she honestly has no idea who she is, like she even might attack her. It's to the point where if Thimble is in sight, Eddy now either hides under my bed or growls, or both. Eddy has always been a mixture of skittish and territorial. She came to me semi-feral. But, when I did bring her home as a kitten, the first one she took to was Thimble. What's more, for 2 years now we've had a peaceful coexistence amongst all the furbabies in our house. That is why I am so disheartened by the current situation.

I will likely have to put a gate up in my bedroom doorway while I am at work today, to keep Eddy inside my bedroom, which has always been her safe room. I want her to still be able to view the goings-on in the house, and get used to the sight and scent of Thimble again, but I want to be certain that she will not harm Thimble while I am away (or vice versa, although the former is far more likely as Thimble is far from a brawler). It looks like I may be going out to replenish my stock of Feliway as well.

Though I know that this sort of reaction to another furbaby coming home from the vet is actually not terribly uncommon, it still makes me feel more than a bit upset. If you can spare them, this momma and her furbabies could use some purrs and prayers as I work to keep the furbabies from ripping each other to shreds.

Well, a happy Friday to all!


***
Our Doodle of the Day:



***
Our Tip of the Day:
In a multipet household, when bringing one of the resident kitties or pups back home from someplace such as the vet, keep in mind that nonrecognition aggression or nonrecognition fear is possible upon homecoming. This might occur, for example, if one of the furbabies in the home reacts to an unfamiliar smell (such as alcohol from a blood draw) or behavior (such as acting sedated after anesthesia) of the returning furbaby. Some animals are more prone to this, depending on their individual personality as well as past experiences. In such a case of nonrecognition aggression or fear, do not force the animals to interact right away. It might even be best if you separate them, and even treat it as if they are being introduced to each other all over again, from the beginning. Separate them, allow them to sniff each from under doors, sniff and see each other through screens or gates, and so forth. You might also consider trying out calming products, such as Feliway in the case of cats. Patience is key, as always.

17 comments:

pilch92 said...

Thank you for participating in the fill-ins, you always have wonderful answers. I am glad you enjoyed your youth, to me, you are still a "youth". I had the same answer for # 1 :) I don't mind losing power for a while , but once we lost out for a week so I always fear it will be out that long again. I had the same answer for #2 too :)
Cute photos of Eddy, if you squeaked a toy or moved a wand toy, would she look at the camera? I am glad Thimble feels better, I added her to my prayer list yesterday. One time, Flynn's Mom told me that her vet suggested putting baby powder on both cats butts after the vet so they smell the same, it is worth a try :) Cute photo of Eddy- does she have a favorite baseball team?

Marg said...

It is disheartening, when one of the cats comes home from the vet. Eddy will get over it and hopefully soon. You all have a great day and glad that Thimble is better.

Anonymous said...

Your answers are very wise. You are young, so have lots of youth left! Ellen is right. *wink* I must say, losing power is a disaster, not roughing it. Well...to me, it is! HUGS!

The Swiss Cats said...

We're glad Thimble feels better, and hope Eddy recognize her soon. We always go together at the vet to avoid the problem. Purrs

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat said...

We're glad Thimble is feeling better. One benefit of having an "only child" is that I don't have to worry about different smells after visiting the vet. I know Paula of Sweet Purrfections and (I think?) Debbie Glovatsky of Glogirly have both talked about the issue. They might have some ideas ... I think Paula takes both girls to the vet even if only one needs to go. It's so tough when the kitties you love most in the world can't get along (temporarily or permanently). I can't live without power either - and I never get tired of talking about Bear ... get me started and I'm off!

catladymac said...

Have you tries scent swapping ? Put an old tee shirt of yours in with Thimble and and another with Eddy, so it starts with your smell and the kitty knows that. Then after a day or two, swap the shirts - so they get your scent and the other cat's. Along with Feliway.
So glad Thimble is better. That's the main point.

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

What you're going through definitely isn't uncommon but I'm sure it's frustrating. It's good that you have a long weekend ahead to help keep the peace. I had to smile at your answer to #1. I'm a bit different...loss of power is a real fear of mine. I'm very nervous during storms for that main reason. The total silence and darkness gives me the jitters.

The Island Cats said...

This happens with Wally and Ernie too...but only when Ernie goes to the vet. When he comes home, Wally treats him like he's a bad stranger. You could try rubbing Eddy with a towel or blanket and then rub Thimble...exchanging scents...though that never worked for Wally and Ernie. Now whenever Ernie goes to the vet, Wally has to go along for the ride. A little inconvenient, but it works and sure keeps things calm when they come home. ~Island Cat Mom

Annie Bear said...

There are a few cat bloggers that bring the other kitty to the vet with the sick kitty for this very reason. Hopefully, within the next few days, all will be back to normal again. I'm glad Thimble is feeling better.

I enjoyed reading your answers. I really like your answer to #4.

Eddy is always fun to see!

Lone Star Cats said...

Hope Eddy will relax about Thimble soon.

Johnny said...

And we never get sick of reading about you little one! We loved your answers :)

Cathy Keisha said...

People staff bring both of their cats to the vet even if only one needs to go go they smell the same. Oh, I see Annie said that already. And Sue. Oh well.

David E. McClendon, Sr. said...

We got one of those portable chargers to charge our gadgets when the power goes out. It does that a lot here on the Gulf Coast. You can also charge many devices in your car.

M. K. Clinton said...

It's great to meet you! Power outages are definitely roughing it! I never get tired of talking about my boys. I hope your furbabies get back to being buddies soon.

Suzanne McClendon said...

My main concern with loss of power is loss of air conditioning. I can't stand that thought. If it happens at night, it is just plain scary.

Eddy is a cutey. I'm sorry she's having trouble readjusting to Thimble. I hope that they will be okay together again very soon. Prayers going up!

Have a blessed weekend.

Kitties Blue said...

We are so sorry this has happened. Mom suggests taking a towel and wiping Eddy down with it and then wipe Thimble down with the same towel transferring Eddy's scent to Thimble. No guarantees, but Mom has had this work on occasion. Wishing Thimble a speedy recovery. Please forgive us for not being around to visit. Mom is still trying to get back to a normal routine. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo and Cooper Murphy

Stacy Uncorked said...

Love your answers! I do the same thing - make sure I've got my gadgets charged up when there's an impending storm that might knock out power. Of course the last power outage surprised me (the storm wasn't in the forecast, and it came along suddenly - so the 4 hours my power was out, my gadgets weren't charged...oops!)

I can totally relate to the furbabies not 'recognizing' the other furbabies...when the dogs were gone for a day at the groomers, upon their return, one of our cats got all puffed up and kept attacking the dogs (even jumping on the face of one of the dogs). It was disconcerting since the cat has always been extra friendly to the dogs. We had to keep them separated for several days until the cat figured out they were the same dogs...just smelled 'pretty' now. ;)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Camping, Youth and Golden Years – Friendly Fill-Ins for Friday Fun while Celebrating the Small Things