The internet is made of cats

As we all know, the internet is made of cats. And there's a special part of the internet that is made of cats in boxes. Why do cats like boxes? I don't know. But if you put a box on the floor, a cat will try to get into it. Just watch this marvellous film featuring the fabulous Maru and many too small boxes.

Here are the witch's cats in boxes:



It is much tidier around here now, and I'm sure the cats are less entertained for that fact!



Sharing nicely. Well played, kitties.



I put this on the floor while she was in the room, and two minutes later, she was in it. Very amusing.

Cats in boxes. Hours of fun.

Continuing Rodent Ulcer/Eosinophilic Granuloma

Well, it's sort of getting bigger, but completely not bothering him at all:



Don't worrry that it looks like we're strangling him, it's fine, and only for a few seconds. Not a great picture due to the flash, but the left side of his face, just above the lip, has swelled up a bit. It's a little "crusty" under the fur, and some has come out. It's been a bit weepy but is quite dry today. It doesn't seem to bother him at all.

So, I'm wondering what's going on with it really, and thinking that the food is actually helping the situation, instead of being random advice.

As I've said before, when the previous rodent ulcer came up, his lip was a bit swollen on the Monday and by the time I took him to the vet on the next Wednesday, less than three days later, it had become red, crusty and oozy. Disgusting.

This one has been going on for about three weeks. It is a bit crusty and oozy from time to time, but not red and not in a place that's going to cause him any bother. It does look like an eosinphilic granuloma, but nothing like as bad as some of the pictures I've seen on the internet. I'm making the assumption that the hypoallergenic food is doing some good and reducing the amount of time the reaction is taking to develop. Or perhaps there is far less of whatever he is allergic to. Or perhaps it's something completely different.

The best result for me, would be if it went back down and we could try him on some other food to see how that goes. It would be useful to take him for a biopsy, but I'm not keen at all on the idea of a general anaesthetic and the cost is rather high. Poor little cat's had a lifetime of being messed with so it would be nice if this would just resolve itself.

Funny things cats do #1

Nathan does this weird thing where, when he's all relaxed and chilled, he rolls. He's usually lying on something that he can roll off, sadly for him. He's rolled off the footstool thing in the picture below, our bed and the sofa.

Today, I was in the shower and often, when we're in the bathroom, one or both of them will sit outside the closed door. I'm not sure why, and it's actually probably completely unrelated, but there it is. When I came out, he was waiting for me. I stroked his head and bit, and said hello. Then he tried to attack my slipper. Naughty cat. So I made to leave, and he did his stretching and rolling thing.

Problem is, our bathroom door is at the top of our stairs, so as he rolled over, he fell off the top step and began to fall down the stairs, like a mountain climber sliding down a sheer rock face. Fortunately, as climbers have ice picks, Nathan has claws, so he managed to dig in a claw, shake himself down, and run away from those nasty stairs that tried to scare him

Silly boy.

Very silly boy, he doesn't even like snooker:

Vet book

I'm reading this guy's book. I am very amused to see the cat on the splash of his website is a dead ringer for my Natalie.

I haven't read much of the book, but I always enjoyed James Herriott when I was a kid, and another vet series who's author I can't remember. I never thought I'd end up owning two naughty black cats though!

The beginning of a rodent ulcer

I just pinned Nathan to the floor with one hand and took a picture of the burgeoning ulcer with the other. Quite proud of myself, and him. He did attempt a scratch with a back leg, but I moved too quickly for him. Dopey cat. Today he managed to get himself lost in a fitted sheet that he was lying on (we are not keen housekeepers) and he's currently having a fight with a curtain. Bless his lack of brain cells.

Anyway, it's rather blurry but I want to document the progression of the ulcer. It's not coming up too quickly, really. With the last one, all of three weeks ago, his lip was swollen on the Monday, and sore, red and weeping by the Wednesday. This has been trying to rise since before the weekend. Of course, he still has some steroid in his system, but perhaps the special diet is helping in some way. I'm sure it'll still come up, and then it's off to the vet for a general anaesthetic and a biopsy, leaving us a little lighter in pocket. All the biopsy will tell us is whether the problem really is eosinophilic granulomae, but doesn't tell us what is causing it.

The vet said 90% of the cause of the condition is an allergy to flea bites. I've read on the internet that just one or two flea bites can cause the ulcer to start. We do treat him with Frontline regularly, and the vet checked him all over again for flea dirt, finding none. But I'm sure a treated cat can be bitten and thus cause a reaction. Apart from keeping him inside, and possibly his sister too, which they'd hate, what else can be done? Then, there's the 10% of cause which may be food allergy.

In order to find out what the food allergy could be, we'd have to cook him food ourselves and a food he's never had before. I read somewhere that cats like variety in their diet, this means that the only meat he's never had is....venison. Yeah, as if I'm going to buy venison for a bloody cat! Not going to happen. Well, I say that now. I also said that I'd never allow a cat on the bed, in case it pissed on it. Guess what happened yesterday morning...This cat is pure trouble, I'm telling you.

Face Herps

Just back from the vet with Nathan. We've just finished a course of steroids for his rodent ulcers/eosinophilic granuloma and it's starting to come up again.

The vet, however, had slightly different ideas. We'd had in mind asking for a long supply of steroids to try to keep it at bay. The vet said that wasn't a good idea and he'd only be willing to treat if the granuloma/ulcer comes up badly as it has done previously. That'll be in about three days then.

I think we're going to stop treating him with the steroids, in spite of being given a few, and then go in for a biopsy when the burgeoning ulcer inevitably makes an appearance. This will make sure the condition is actually eosinophilic granuloma. And then, perhaps we'll have to see what happens with the medication at that point.

I'll try to get some photos of it as it progresses, as it will be useful for records. I'll have to figure out how to do a "jump" or "cut" as us LJ types put it. Watch this space. Or not, if you're squeamish.

Sunday lie-in with Natalie

A triptych, of sorts.

Asleep.



More relaxed:



VERY relaxed:



And then she went outside to hunt bees.