Mancat Monday: Evan and the Never-Ending Antibiotics

Sorry for the extra late post, friends! We were out of power for a good chunk of the weekend, just under 48 hours, thanks to a storm and some nasty wind. But here we are now. Finally.

Now, it's Mancat Monday, and today Evan is feeling pretty darn good. He didn't seem to notice or mind the power outage at all.

Though Evan really has been feeling good and hasn't been displaying any of the pain or discomfort that came with his recent UTI, he did start urinating blood again recently. I therefore contacted Evan's vet, and he eased my mind by telling me that he did an ultrasound while collecting Evan's urine recently and saw nothing on the imaging that would point to anything more malignant than cystitis and infection. He did, however, say that with Evan's chronic UTIs, we might have officially reached the point where Evan simply has to take antibiotics every day. Evan's hind limb paralysis and a variety of his other conditions predispose him to UTIs, and they've truly become a very chronic issue for him. So, he's going to get one more full round of twice daily antibiotics for 10 days, after which I'll start giving Evan one dose of antibiotics every single night.

Our vet and I did discuss the concerns with daily antibiotics, such as antibiotic resistance, but we came to the mutual decision that we're in a good spot to go ahead and start Evan on the daily antibiotics anyway. Evan just had a culture done a few weeks ago, at which point his infection was considered still susceptible to the usual antibiotic he takes. That makes sense, as within a few days of starting it last time, he was completely back to his usual happy, active self. He still is, actually, minus the whole urinating blood thing. What's more, should Evan's infections become resistant to this particular antibiotic, we still have a number of antibiotics that would work for Evan.

So, overall, Evan is doing great. He's not a fan of having to take antibiotics daily, as he thinks they tasty pretty darn gross, but both he and I are glad that they make him feel so much better. So, antibiotics it'll be.

Happy Monday to all!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I'm still in a spooky mood this spring and summer. That said, I still haven't gotten to any of the new spooky doodles I really want to scribble up. So, it's more flashback ones. Today's is one you've seen somewhat recently, as I used this image to create my cover for Pet Sematary in my bookish April A to Z Challenge this year. It's from when I drew Evan as a cute little zombie last summer.

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Tip of the Day

We are still discussing the ins and outs of bringing home a new cat or dog. Today's tip in this series offers some ideas on how to get a new furbaby acclimated to their new family and home. Especially when it comes to shy kitties or pups, be sure to be patient in helping them get to know you. In order to allow a shy or nervous cat or dog to learn to trust you or other family members, frequently visit with them or sit with them, and perhaps even give them an item or two of your clothing. Offer them food and sit with them while they eat, or offer them treats or toys if that does not stress them. Talk to them soothingly, or even read them a book. Make sure visits with them are calm, and always watch for cues that a furbaby is feeling nervous or stressed. Over time, if you remain patient and calm, a new furbaby who is nervous or shy can indeed learn to trust you.

It is not just you or other family members that a new furbaby will have to grow accustomed to, though. Every home and family has its own set of sights and sounds to which a new cat or dog will have to become acclimated. Think of the typical goings-on of your household, and, as needed, help your new furbaby become used to the new sights and sounds by slowly and calmly introducing them to new stimuli. Just as a couple of examples, some furbabies may have to get used to the sound of garbage bags or the sight of an open umbrella. Of course, don't bombard a new cat or dog with new sights and sounds all at once, but, as always, have patience and help them to acclimate to these things slowly over time.

That all being said, introducing a new cat or dog to other animals takes especial care and patience. Slow and proper introductions are of course best for both new and resident cats and dogs. We will further discuss these topics in the very near future.