cat-fight on Skins's island

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1161271

Oh my.

On this, the second anniversary of the appearance of the late Tangerine LaBamba on conservativecave, I wondered what her old nemesis, the witchbitch primitive, was up to. 

HoosierStateDem (40 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

My Cat Has Arthritis

I have a beautiful Persian cat who is 17 years old and she limps when she walks. She's so healthy in every other regard but it breaks my heart to see her limping like she does. She's had this limp for a few years now. We've tried just about everything - the Cosequin, Dasuquin, and we have even tried a small dose of Tramadol, which turned her into a zombie, so that's out.

Does anyone know if there is some sort of steroid injection we can get for her, kind of like they give to humans?

TygrBright (12,391 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

1. Yes, your vet can give her a steroid injection, if she's a good candidate for it.

Other helpful things:

Put a heating pad on low underneath a layer of memory foam or eggcrate foam, and cover it with a towel, and put this lash-up where she likes to park, so she can lay on it.

Be sure that the water you are giving her isn't too alkaline. Filter it and/or add a drop of white vinegar to it if it is.

Your vet may also be able to give you some mild analgesic pills or cream to give kitty.

It so hard to watch our old girls and boys dealing with the physical problems of aging. I'll hold you and kitty in the Light.

badgerpup (4,788 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

2. I've used selenium for an arthritic kitty...

...don't remember the dose though......Jasmine (aka FuzzyFace) went to the Bridge nearly 20 years ago at the ripe old age of 18 and a half.

Check your local health food stores...frequently they have some very knowledgeable people.

Also you might want to ask your vet about aspirin. I'm talking St. Joseph's baby aspirin or a reasonable facsimile.

DO NOT USE tylenol (aka acetemenophen)...it's poisonous to cats!

Esme suffered from the occasional arthritic flare-up and a baby aspirin helped her immensely.

DO check with your vet about the dose though; it goes by size. Esme was a pretty good-sized girl (13-14 lbs) so she was able to tolerate 1 whole baby aspirin every 2-3 days or so without problems.

She got to the point where she associated 'pill shoved down my throat' with 'my hips feel better and it doesn't hurt to walk'...at least, that's what I'm assuming by her behavior and super cooperation...smart girl, my Ezzle-may.

Good luck...old kitties are a treasure.

Merlot (4,086 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

3. When my cat had an injury to his back leg and was limping the person at the pet food store recommended feline enzymes and probiotics to help with inflamation.

While his was an injury instead of arthritis, there is a chance that the enzymes would help the inflamation. And the good news is they are always beneficial, even if they don't help the arthritis.

My cat seemed to heal much quicker when the enzymes were introduced to his food and is not limping anymore. He gets a dash of the enzymes in his breakfast every day.

HoosierStateDem (40 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

4. Thanks for the Suggestions!

I haven't tried any of those so I will. She's just the sweetest thing and I know she's winding down in her life so I want her to be comfortable. She's a domineering cat and has always been independent but in the last year or so she follows me around the house and now sleeps with my husband and me every night - maybe it's for the warmth we provide. She's also hard of hearing so she meows really loud.

She's going to be a hard one to let go of when the time comes. I dread the day. We've had other cats in her lifetime but she has outlived every one of them.

And here she is, the witchbitch primitive, the nemesis of the late Tangerine LaBamba:

TorchTheWitch (5,774 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

5. get advice from your VET

You're the responsible person when it comes to the health of your pets and how to treat them. Proper treatment comes from a competent licensed veterinarian, not random folks on an internet forum. A phone call to the vet is free. Call your vet for advice on what to do and always clear any medication whether prescribed or over the counter or homopathic through the VET. The VET is the expert on proper treatment and will know the proper dosage.

Did the Tramadol help for the pain? If it did whether making the cat lethargic or not, for the love of all that's holy put her back on it. It's FAR better that the cat get pain relief even if it does make them a "zombie". Tramadol is a pretty major pain killer. If that didn't help with her pain then there is nothing in the world that you can get over the counter that is going to help. Get with your vet and find some kind of strong medication that helps the cat without problem side effects. Maybe a smaller dose of the Tramadol would work better. You aren't going to know without working through your VET. There are many many varieties of medications either alone or in combination with others that the vet can try, and sometimes it just takes trying different ones until you hit on one or a combination of meds that will work without problem side effects. But still, you might end up just having to deal with problem side effects as long as they aren't as bad as the pain.

When my dog got bone cancer Tramadol was one of the medications he took. At first he barely moved and slept like a log most of the time for days. Why? Because for once he was pain free and NEEDED to do all that sleeping. It gave him RELIEF.

For heaven's sake, if the Tramadol gave your cat even some relief put her the hell back on it. SO WHAT if it made her a zombie - she NEEDS the RELIEF.

Frankly, years of pain is a cruelty. I know you don't want to hear it, but your cat is old and in constant pain. If you can't find any vet approved treatment to take that pain away then PLEASE do the right thing and let her go in peace. No animal should be made to suffer in pain.

HoosierStateDem (40 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

6. Wow!

Thanks for the lecture but I've had plenty of cats in my adult life to know when to let go and to tell when they are in pain. The tone of your reply is exactly why I do not post here much, even though I'm a staunch democrat and enjoy reading the posts here. I've seen the posters like you who can't read a post and respond kindly and frankly, I don't believe your tone is warranted.

Now would you consider yourself "random folk" on a message board? Yet here you are telling me to give my cat Tramadol. I will not give her more Tramadol. She sat in the same place for 24 hours straight staring out the window. No sleep, no eating, no drinking, no lying down, and her pupils were dilated. That's not a normal reaction. Where do you think I got Tramadol from? From my vet. He said to not give it to her again.

I was merely asking if anyone here found anything that worked for their pets' pain. She limps but she's still a lively, happy cat who is aging gracefully, except with some arthritis. She walks up and down the steps, she very carefully hops up on the furniture but we have bought her some of those pet stairs and she uses those.

I've had three cats euthanized in my adult life and it's never easy, and it still isn't to this day when I remember them. I do not believe in letting pets linger if they are ill. My husband and I will know when it's time to let her go. I've never had a cat who lived to this age. She's loved, well-fed, and given lots of affection. I'm home with her all day, every day, and I think I know better than some "random folk" on a message board what works for her. The other posters made suggestions - you are typing commands as to what to do and you sound very rude.

We saw the vet today, she had an x-ray, and she has arthritis which has advanced mildly in the last three years. He gave her a steroid injection and it has helped her. She's barely limping this evening.

Get off your high horse. The tone of your reply is uncalled for and just confirms my feelings about posting at this site. I don't need lectures from anyone about how to take care of my cats.

TorchTheWitch (5,774 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

7. if you were so knowledgable you wouldn't have posted here asking for help. Sorry, but a message board is the wrong place to go asking for health advice whether for people or pets. You didn't mention anything about your working with your vet, and if you are then WHY are you asking for advice here??? You also didn't mention about working with your vet concerning the Tramadol. You have only yourself to blame for how what little you said came across to others. The details about the Tramadol should have been in the original post.

Yeah, I have a BIG problem with people asking for and using health advice for their pets from non-experts on the internet because it's foolish and may very well be dangerous neither of which is fair for the pet. I have to wonder what the hell goes through someone's mind in posting on the internet for health advice for their pet in the first place when they should be consulting with their VET, and if they aren't satisfied with that VET then find a better VET. Random non-experts on the internet are not the people one should be getting health advice from - PERIOD. If you wanted to describe the issue for sympathy, fine, but asking for and using health advice over that of your VET is just stupid and wrong and unfair to the pet.

*******ed ironic that *I* care more about the health and proper treatment of your ill cat than YOU do since it's YOU here asking for medical advice from random non-experts and me having to tell you where to get PROPER medical and treatment advice from for your ill cat and warning you of the dangers of using medical advice from random non-experts. If all my "lecture" atop my "high horse" did was get you to use your VET instead of the internet then GOOD.

HoosierStateDem (40 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail

8. Oh geeeze

Now you're trying to tell me what I need to say in my posts so someone as dense as you can understand.

You know nothing of me and how I care for my pets. It is ironic that as you demand that I not ask for advice from people on the Internet, you command me to give my cat a prescription pain killer without knowing the details of her reaction. Perhaps you could have asked kindly what the reaction was before you commanded me to give her more.

I had a vet appointment planned for Friday for my cat. I came here merely to ask if anyone else had found something that worked for their own pet. I NEVER give her anything without talking to my vet first as she is an aging cat.

You are very ignorant to think you care more about my cat than I do.

Now run along and go lecture someone else about something you think you are an expert on. I wouldn't trust someone like you with your obvious anger issues anywhere near my pets or my children.

[Ballygrl]

Oh wow! the poor woman just had a question, she shouldn't be treated like that. They really are nasty to each other.

[franksolich]

They really are nasty to each other.

The witchbitch primitive is especially so.

Always has been.

[GOBUCKS]

Wow, the witchbitch could be a contender if she posted more and expanded onto GD.

She'll never get anywhere wasting her time in this Pet Group backwater.

Her only saving grace is her hatred for the despicable TLB.

You may recall TLB said the only fitting memorial for the victims of 9/11 would be a barbecue restaurant.

[chitownchica]

Wow - TorchtheBitch is a real piece of work isn't she?

[catsmtrods]

Sounds like a PETAfile 

[jtyangel]

Boy what a nasty one: "She cares more for the care of Hoosier's cat then she does". COME ON!

Sounds to me like she was taking suggestions that she intended to run by the kitty's vet next time they talked. To me that would be a given considering the medications she's used would have been given by prescript from the cat's vet and she didn't give any indication she questions her feline's vet's judgment at all! Plenty of people do a little research to carry back to that licensed professional to get their feedback and experience on it.

Good luck, Hoosier. You sound like a very responsible pet owner. Take the suggestions you got and go back to your old girl's vet and see what he/she thinks would be best for the old girl. Thanks for seeing to it your old gal is comfortable in her remaining days. Good pets who have given us years of companionship deserve to have those final years in some comfort.

[diesel driver]

Boy what a nasty one: "She cares more for the care of Hoosier's cat then she does". COME ON!

Sounds to me like she was taking suggestions that she intended to run by the kitty's vet next time they talked. To me that would be a given considering the medications she's used would have been given by prescript from the cat's vet and she didn't give any indication she questions her feline's vet's judgment at all! Plenty of people do a little research to carry back to that licensed professional to get their feedback and experience on it.

Good luck, Hoosier. You sound like a very responsible pet owner. Take the suggestions you got and go back to your old girl's vet and see what he/she thinks would be best for the old girl. Thanks for seeing to it your old gal is comfortable in her remaining days. Good pets who have given us years of companionship deserve to have those final years in some comfort.

Amen to that!

I have a 12 year old Dachshund who gets a glucosamine and chondroitin "treat" every 3-4 days, and a baby aspirin when the weather makes the arthritis in my hands act up.  Makes him feel like a pup again!

[jtyangel]

Amen to that!

I have a 12 year old Dachshund who gets a glucosamine and chondroitin "treat" every 3-4 days, and a baby aspirin when the weather makes the arthritis in my hands act up.  Makes him feel like a pup again!

Yep! As an aside, I love Dachshunds. My best friend always had long haired ones growing up. I'm pretty positive my next pooch will be of the Dachshund persuasion at least partially. Love those dogs!

[diesel driver]

Yep! As an aside, I love Dachshunds. My best friend always had long haired ones growing up. I'm pretty positive my next pooch will be of the Dachshund persuasion at least partially. Love those dogs!

I had an aunt that had one, it was the most hateful dog I had ever met.  I didn't like them at first, until I met my wife and her dog, Jake.

Now, I have 3 running loose in the house, 2 of my own and my step-son's.

2 of them (Jake and Dexter) are single color red smooth-hairs, the other one (Kinzie) is a long-haired brindle colored, light brown on black, and 100% sweetheart!  When we boarded them at the local kennel for a few days last year, even the owner said she was a sweetheart.

Dexter is somewhat aggressive until he gets to know you, Jake's the "old man" and could care less, Kinzie will lick you to death, and looks like a hairball with feet!

[franksolich]

Wow - TorchtheBitch is a real piece of work isn't she?

There were other anti-Tangerine LaBamba primitives of note, but I didn't have time to look around for them.

Their most marked characteristic is their meanness, their nastiness, their hatred.

The violently crumbling primitive, the "Violet_Crumble" primitive from Australia, was another one; now, there's a primitive who makes Yassir Arafat look pro-Israeli.  And of course there was the "hippywife" primitive, Mrs. Alfred Packer.....

Other than Anne, Ms. Ed, and and the defrocked warped primitive, the anti-Tangerine LaBamba primitives were, and are, perhaps the meanest of the mean, the foulest of the foul.

[franksolich]

Ooops, it appears I erred, folks.

Sorry.

It wasn't the bitchwitch primitive who was the anti-Tangerine LaBama primitive, but the "BuelahWitch" primitive instead (the misspelling of "Beulah" is one of those primitivisms, like "hippy").

My apologies to the bitchwitch primitive.

Now one knows why sometimes I re-baptize primitives with more-suitable names; it makes it easier to distinguish one from another.

I did also find the greatest lock ever by the Bayer aspirin primitive, cbayer the thread slayer.

cbayer DU Moderator Donating Member (1000+ posts) Fri Jan-01-10 07:56 PM
Response to Original message

748. Locking
   
We feel that this has gone one long enough and has devolved into a senseless debate.

cbayer
DU Moderator

[AprilRazz]

I have to sympathize with the Hoosier primitive a little. Our little 20 pound cat is getting on in years and he is getting a bit slower. He went from a kitten that was all feet and fuzz to the patriarch of our little pride.

[GOBUCKS]

No word on cbayer's application to join the Pay-to-Play DUmp's little lunatic Gestapo.

[Minky]

These kinds of exchanges are exactly why I love message boards. Seriously.

The thing that stuck out to me was, "I'll hold you and kitty in the Light."

Ugh!! All I get from that response is, "I'll hold you AT DEATH'S DOOR." Friggin' God-hatin' lunatics.

[Chris_]

I have to sympathize with the Hoosier primitive a little. Our little 20 pound cat is getting on in years and he is getting a bit slower. He went from a kitten that was all feet and fuzz to the patriarch of our little pride.

That looks like my cat when I try to pick it up.  "Let go of me!!!"

I still have my leather welding gloves on-hand if I ever need to try that again.  I have no idea how I'm ever going to get this thing to the vet and back.

Do they make knock-out darts for cats?

[Minky]

No, but they do have an affinity for paper sacks. Get a big one and then once it's inside, wrap that rascal up and go on your way.

[Chris_]

No, but they do have an affinity for paper sacks. Get a big one and then once it's inside, wrap that rascal up and go on your way.

I noticed that the last time I brought home a bag of hamburgers from McDonalds.  It was better than a new toy, and I got to have lunch.

[Minky]

You must have a small cat. My Minky needed one of those large grocery sacks to play in when she was still alive. One time I caught my son walking around the house with one of those sacks. He was swinging it back and forth, having a grand ol' time.

Until I realized my Minky was inside. Poor girl wouldn't get into a sack again if my son was around. Smart girl!

[Chris_]

It was just playing with the fast-food bag.  I would probably need a grocery sack now.  It was much smaller when I got it, but it's grown bigger since then.

It's not a cute kitten anymore.. it's a full-grown pain in the ass.

[zeitgeist]

No, but they do have an affinity for paper sacks. Get a big one and then once it's inside, wrap that rascal up and go on your way.

Actually, they do make kitty knock out drops. Been there, done that, rode the ride.  And what a wild ride it was.  The cat was wound tighter than a eight day clock when it came to and none too happy.  We were using a cardboard cat carrier which it completely shredded forcing me to buy a more substantial ($) wooden one en route and make an immediate stop at a vet because of torn claws.  (Long distance flight with unplanned delays, the Real Pan Am was the carrier, cat was allowed in the cabin) But yes, you can get kitty knock out drops.  And I would never do it again.  Ever.

As a side note the flight included a bunch of spinster teachers so the kitty was quite the object of attention.  As was the agent at the flights final destination when we were unable to continue with our original flight because of issues with the kitty.  (Seems there are different regulations on non stop overseas flights.)  The sweet old ladies, so I am told, attacked the agent en mass complaining about the shameless treatment of that poor young couple with the kitty.  Obviously the agent had no clue but they were relentless so my FIL(who was waiting for us) said.  He was rolling as he told us about it later.  

I give kudos to the now failed Pan Am who apologized all over themselves for the inconvenience and were willing to do what ever it took to make it right.  But that is another story for a different day.  

[Minky]

Yea, I should have said, "I'm not sure, but...." instead of no. I just couldn't wait to share the rest of my post. My thoughts are THAT important, don't ya know. 

I'm cracking up that we're talking about our cats in a cat fight thread from DU. Should I end this post with an, "How dare you correct me with facts, zeitgeist," so it all meshes together with the DU infantile behavior?

[Chris_]

The sweet old ladies, so I am told, attacked the agent en mass complaining about the shameless treatment of that poor young couple with the kitty.

Those old birds do come in handy on occasion. 

No way this cat is going anywhere other than cargo.  It's a mean little bastard.

[zeitgeist]

Yea, I should have said, "I'm not sure, but...." instead of no. I just couldn't wait to share the rest of my post. My thoughts are THAT important, don't ya know. 

I'm cracking up that we're talking about our cats in a cat fight thread from DU. Should I end this post with an, "How dare you correct me with facts, zeitgeist," so it all meshes together with the DU infantile behavior?

Aw shucks, you need to hear Vesta's stories of bathing her Coon Cats (or some such specie).  I think her poor hubby became a gallon donor on that one.  

It would seem this thread is useless without pictures. Since it is Dummies it would probably need a     alert.

[chitownchica]

There were other anti-Tangerine LaBamba primitives of note, but I didn't have time to look around for them.

Their most marked characteristic is their meanness, their nastiness, their hatred.

The violently crumbling primitive, the "Violet_Crumble" primitive from Australia, was another one; now, there's a primitive who makes Yassir Arafat look pro-Israeli.  And of course there was the "hippywife" primitive, Mrs. Alfred Packer.....

Other than Anne, Ms. Ed, and and the defrocked warped primitive, the anti-Tangerine LaBamba primitives were, and are, perhaps the meanest of the mean, the foulest of the foul.

Oh, I'm quite familiar with the horrid Violet Crumble. I've seen her on various message boards, and she's a nasty shrew.

I saw your note on the mistake over the two witches. They are interchangeable in my mind .