Thursday, February 27, 2020

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

It's Thursday. Whew. We've almost reached the weekend. First, though, we need to do some rhyming. It is, after all, time for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.


As always, our host shared a photo prompt to help guide us. This week's prompt is this image here:


I'll be honest and admit that I can't really remember exactly how I got from the above image to my final product. Sometimes I have a very distinct thought or point of inspiration for my poem. That wasn't really the case this week. This time around, I simply pondered various options to go with the above image, of course wanted to figure out how to get a kitty character snuck in there, and then ultimately ended up with this ridiculously lengthy rhyme:


The Golden Years

John and Jane were what folk might call old and grey,
But they lived quite the active life back in the day.
They used to don their dancing shoes every evening,
Waltzing until even the stars and moon were sleeping.

John and Jane once traveled the world all year long,
Dancing for a great many audiences the tango and foxtrot.
With them traveled Milton, none other than their cat,
Who, now also very old and grey, was currently sleeping Jane's lap.

Every now and then, John and Jane disagreed,
Which is nothing all that abnormal, no siree.
The topic of their arguments was usually the same,
Often initiated by John and sometimes by Jane.

On one particular afternoon, the bickering began.
John and Jane each took their usual opposing stands.
"I think we should start dancing again," said John.
"Good grief," Jane said, "those days are simple done and gone."
"I disagree," was John's reply,
Which was met with only a grunt and a sigh.

John, as usual, stood his ground and refused to give up.
"Come on now, Jane," he said, rising from his chair in a manner quite abrupt.
John continued, "Let's just try a bit of a cha cha.
Or what about even just a simple salsa?"

Jane shook her head.
"We're too old for such things," she said.
"Age is just a number," John told his wife,
And then he added, "We don't have to live a dull, boring life.
We don't have to live with dread and fear.
After all, Jane, we're living the golden years!"

Yet again, Jane dismissed John's thoughts.
She said, "I am not moving from this very spot.
This old body isn't dancing, no it is not."
John stomped a foot, his ears growing red hot.

Milton huffed and jumped from Jane's lap.
He was not what you would call a very tolerant cat.
As John and Jane continued their argument in the living room,
Milton strutted to the room oft treated like a tomb.
It was not visited often, especially not by Jane.
It housed trophies that boasted John and Jane's youthful dancing game.

The room had enough space for a duo to dance,
But for years and years it had not seen a single person prance.
The room also housed a neglected piano,
And it was to the instrument that Milton did go.

He jumped on the piano bench and sat for a second.
The sounds from the other room were still just as unpleasant.
John and Jane were still and yet still arguing.
And so, Milton jumped right onto the piano's keys.

The cat stomped and stomped and stomped some more.
The sounds coming from the piano could've shaken the dead to their core.
John and Jane's arguing at least had ceased,
And suddenly their heads appeared as they tried to see.

"What on earth are you doing, Milton?" John asked.
What the cat did next prompted Jane to gasp.
Milton moved to a shelf and knocked a trophy to the floor.
Then he returned and stomped on the piano's keys once more,
And then jumped down and pranced and turned on the floor.
After that, Milton turned his nose toward a turntable over yonder.
At that, the old couple slowly nodded as they seemingly pondered.

"See, Jane?" John said. "Even Milton wants us to dance again."
Jane put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
Nonetheless, she threw her hands in the air and said,
"Fine, you two old coots, have it your way.
I'll put on my shoes and we'll try a dance or two today.
If I break a hip, you two will do the chores yourself every day."

John clapped, did a little jig, and put on his dancing shoes.
Hanging from the walls was more than a memory or two.
John glanced at not only the trophies sitting here and there,
But also nostalgic photos of John and Jane dancing with flare.

Jane finally returned wearing her own dancing shoes.
She said, "All right, then, let's see what we can do."
John loaded the turntable with one of their favorite tunes,
And Milton sat on the piano bench to watch and perhaps snooze.

John and Jane started with a waltz.
Though rusty, they danced with very few faults.
They then moved right on into the foxtrot and the cha cha,
And then both agreed to go right ahead with the salsa.

They smiled and laughed and danced for hours.
By the time they finished, neither John nor Jane spoke a word that was sour.
"I told you, Jane," John said. "We're still dancers, no matter our age."
Jane shrugged and replied, "I guess I didn't realize you were so wise and sage."

On that day, John and Jane's love for dance was yet again obvious.
Thereafter, they would oft put on music and dance with Milton as their audience.
John and certainly Jane had finally learned to live without fear.
After all, these were none other than the golden years.




***

Now, who's ready for Thimble? Today, on Thankful Thursday, Thimble is grateful for none other than belly rubs.


That rather candid photo may not make it very obvious, but Thimble had just gotten herself a belly rub just before that picture was taken. This tabby girl loves her a belly rub. She's the most likely furbaby in the house to roll her belly up and ask for a tummy tickle. I'm always happy to oblige.


As always, we are of course also incredibly thankful for this community and all of you in it. What a kind and supportive community this is.



***

Now, who's looking forward to tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? If you'd like to participate, just grab the fill-in statements below and fill them in. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.


1. I know spring is almost here when _________.

2. I find _________ confusing.

3. I have a strong opinion on _________.

4. _________ is the strangest thing I have ever eaten.




We'll see you tomorrow, friends!



***
Tip of the Day

We have three days left of National Cat Heath Month. For these last couple of days, we'll be discussing some methods for administering medication to that kitty of yours. We'll be starting today with oral medications. 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. We will be discussing transdermal medications and subcutaneous injections over the next two days, so if either of those are a solution your veterinarian proposes, we'll be sharing tips on those as well.

6 comments:

Catscue Catmom said...

Lovely poem, lovely doodle and LOVELY Thimble!

Pam and Teddy said...

What a sweet poem - these two older folks have the right idea - you're NEVER "too old" unless you allow yourself to be. I had a feeling at the end of your poem that they carried on after that and enjoyed themselves with dance! Thanks for being poetic with us every week - we look forward to your poetic stories every week. Thimble looks quite pleased with her belly rub. In fact she looks ready for "Round Two" !

Hugs, Pam and Teddy

Eastside Cats said...

Thimble, I'm grabbing my car keys and coat...to get to your house to rub that belly!
Milton is a wise cat, but we humans know that cats are far smarter than us!
The Hubby and I make a good team when administering meds, although thankfully or sadly, we don't have that job right now.

messymimi said...

Such a lovely poem, i am glad they are dancing again.

Thimble is smart to love belly rubs, only a few cats do.

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

I give pretty good tummy rubs too, Thimble! Love that doodle as I used to take piano lessons.

pilch92 said...

I love the poem, you are so creative. Cute drawing too. And Thimble is always adorable. Excellent tips too. Some cats are so tough to medicate. My Polar Bear is one of them.