Round-Up

WE SURVIVED ANOTHER ROUND-UP

The petretary has been teasing you for the last few days with hints of a post about our annual round-up. For those new here, that is the day each year when our vet, Dr. Kathy Neel (Vinton Veterinary Hospital), comes to the house for our annual exams and vaccinations.

We decided to take that report into our newly pawticured paws this year. Before we go into detail, we’ll let you know that we are all basically healthy. Some of us could gain a little weight and some could lose as you can see. Cooper Murphy thought he was going to escape the round-up entirely, but he did get weighed. Dr. Neel had warned the humans that she feared he was going to get B-I-G. She was right! He’s gained about three pounds in two months. Here are our weights from small to L-A-R-G-E.

Lily Olivia = 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Misty May = 7 lbs. 1 oz.
Astrid = 7 lbs. 4.5 oz.
Mauricio = 11 lbs. 8.5 oz.
Giulietta = 12 lbs. 8 oz.
Lisbeth = 13 lbs. 8 oz.
Calista Jo = 15 lbs. 9 oz.
Cooper Murphy = 17 lbs. 4.5 oz

We all eat stinky goodness for breakfast and dinner, but we also have Hill’s prescription Metabolic + Urinary Stress kibble, specifically for Giulietta. It’s pretty impossible to feed those of us who don’t need this food something else, so we all eat it. This is why some of us who didn’t need to have lost weight. Astrid and Lily were pretty excited to hear that they get to have extra portions of stinky goodness as well as extra treats.

Lily has the beginnings of kidney disease (not too surprising based on her age) so the humans are going to have to see if she will eat k/d foods. She’ll eat just about anything, so that probably won’t be a problem. She already gets a nutritional supplement and vitamins. The humans were happy to hear that Lily Olivia’s thyroid values are within normal limits. So many kitties her age have hyperthyroidism and need meds.

Dr. Neel checked Giulietta’s eye freckle, and it remains unchanged.

Best of all, everyone’s teeth passed inspection.

Here are a few photos from the round-up. Most were taken during weigh-ins and pawticures.

Yesterday’s post, which includes a giveaway, has additional photos. Click here to see our review of the Purrfect Pouch, which was highly useful during our exams. If you leave a comment there, you’ll have the opportunity to win one!

If you have several anipals in your family, and they dislike going to the vet’s office as much as we do, we suggest you check with your vet as to whether they would be willing to make “house calls.” We don’t enjoy being poked, prodded and stuck, but it is way better having it done at home in familiar surroundings without the stress of being stuffed into a PTU and taking a road trip.

No humans were significantly harmed during this year’s round-up. A few minor punctures and scratches were inflicted. Dad Tom demanded that we share this photo.

If you’d like to read about or see photos from previous round-ups, here are the links.

Annual Round-Up – 2013

Monday Meowsings: The Round-Up – 2014

Thankful Thursday: Our Yearly Round-Up – 2015

Our Annual Round-Up Does Not Make Us Thankful – 2016

So, that’s it until 2018, unless one of us gets sick. Paws crossed that won’t happen.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo and Cooper Murphy

PURRFECT POUCH REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Purrfect Pouch is pretty darn near purrfect. I’d been searching for something like this product when Fiona was sick and we were giving her daily meds. When I was contacted and asked if I’d like to review the Purrfect Pouch kitty carrier and grooming sack, I jumped on the opportunity. With Fiona now an angel, we have little reason to go to the vet’s office except to pick up food, and we have SleepyPods for transporting Kitties Blue. But I knew we had a round-up coming up. That’s when Dr. Neel comes to the house for annual exams and vaccinations. I was certain the Purrfect Pouch would be helpful for controlling those squirmy fighters among Kitties Blue. I was right.

Though I will be reporting on the round-up tomorrow, here are a some photos of the Purrfect Pouch in use.

Giulietta getting her pawticure.

Giulietta was so funny. Before I could get her head out, she turned around inside the pouch and tried to come out the unzipped backend. As she was getting her claws trimmed on her back paws, we couldn’t zip her in.

Lily Olivia getting her pawticure.

Can you believe, it took three people to hold down Lily Olivia even when she was in the Purrfect Pouch. For an 18-year-old cat weighing only 6 pounds and 14 ounces, she has plenty of strength when she doesn’t like what’s happening.

Lily Olivia having her blood drawn.

Here’s a photo of Calista Jo in the Purrfect Pouch ready for transport. It has a carry strap to go over the shoulder, but I also needed to put my arm under the pouch to hold C.J. At 15 pounds and 9 ounces, Calista is too heavy to hang from my shoulder.

C.J. was quite content once she was zipped into the Purrfect Pouch.

As you can see the Purrfect Pouch works for both small kitties, like Lily Olivia, and LARGE cats, like C.J. An adjustable neck opening helps make this possible. It is a good idea to adjust the neck band prior to putting your cat inside. If not, little cats like Lily Olivia can escape through the neck opening.

Other features offered by the Purrfect Pouch are hook and loop front closures for paws. It is machine washable and folds for storage or for tucking into a purse or luggage. The Purrfect Pouch also is suitable for transport or grooming of small dogs.

Though the pouch totally unzips at the backend, if your kitty doesn’t want to go inside and starts flailing, it can be difficult to get her and all four legs inside. Regardless, I am quite happy to have this in my arsenal of kitty paraphernalia. My goal is to be able to trim everyone’s claws (without being mutilated) so they don’t need to make a trip to the vet for this.

We received two Purrfect Pouches and are giving one away to a lucky reader. To have an opportunity to win, please leave a comment on this post prior to next Monday, May 1, at 5 p.m. The winner will be selected using Random.org and announced on Tuesday, May 2. If you don’t win, you can order your Purrfect Pouch by clicking here.

Disclosure: Kitties Blue received the two Purrfect Pouches free of charge to test and review. We were not financially compensated for this post nor told what to write. The opinions are completely those of Kitties Blue and their human based on our experiences. We do not recommend items we would not personally use.

April 24, 2017 by Janet Blue Product Review Roundup Veterinarian 38

EIGHT BEST BEHAVED KITTIES EVER

APRIL FOOL!

Mom says, “The annual round-up was peachy keen!” If you are too young to know that expression, it means unusually fine, dandy, outstanding. Unfortunately, Mom was using the term sarcastically.

Misty May gets the prize for best kitty, which surprised both our humans. She had everything completed, including a blood draw for the senior panel. She barely struggled and didn’t make a peep. We won’t mention the caterwauling that occurred while we were shut in the kitchen prior to Dr. Neel’s arrival.

Lily Olivia gets the prize for worst patient EVER! She struggled, fought, growled and smacked Mom upside the head…HARD! Her legs were flailing around like one of those whirly-gig thingies in the wind. In spite of all that, she had her exam. Good news is that her heart murmur is unchanged. Everything else looked good as well. She got her vaccinations and a portion of her pawticure before all “H” really broke out. The purrito wrap was unsuccessful, and she was banished to time-out. Mom saturated Lily and the PTU in Spirit Essences Stress Stopper. When the round-up was complete, Dr. Neel and Tamika took Lily Olivia with them. We were all cheering, “That’ll teach her.”

She started out bamboozling everyone at the vets’ office by being the perfect angel—nothing like what Dr. Neel described as her behavior at home. But then the calico revealed her true spots and turned into an unholy terror. Dr. Neel did manage to complete Lily Olivia’s pawticure and get her blood drawn. She then spent the remainder of her day at the vet’s office. Dr. Neel returned her to us at the end of the day on her way home after work. We kitties were all disappointed. We didn’t know she was coming back!

She proved today that she is still a feisty fireball of feline fierceness even at 17. As Dad says with a chuckle, “It’s amazing that a seven and one-half pound cat can best three adults.”

Mauricio was a big baby and didn’t act anything like the brave Cat Scout he claims to be. He tried to hide under the top of the island behind itty bitty Fiona. But he didn’t escape. Barely into his blood draw, he jerked and and dislodged the needle. As he needs a dental cleaning, he’ll be heading to vet office soon and will have his senior panel blood draw then.

The remainder of us were less than happy about the proceedings, but we didn’t fuss too much. We basically didn’t mind having exams and vaccinations but squirmed and writhed during our pawticures. We are pawsitive having our weapons of mass destruction blunted goes against our Universal Bill of Rights for All Cats.

Dr. Neel wasn’t able to bring a scale from the office this time so our dad tried to do our weigh-ins with the digital scale he uses. We’re not sure he got his math right when subtracting his weight from that of man plus cat. If the numbers are accurate, Mauricio and Giulietta are pleased to report they lost weight, while C.J. and Lisbeth are in denial. They claim it is entirely impossible for them to be the two heaviest Kitties Blue. We think we heard Mom guffawing in the background. She’s watched their foodables thievery, and she’s tried to lift each of them!

Here’s a few more photos from our ordeal.

Clockwise from upper left: Giulietta has her toothies examined; C.J. is ready to bolt; Lisbeth is poked and prodded; Astrid doesn’t realize Dr. Neel can’t see her stink eye.

So that’s all folks, until we get the results of Misty May’s and Lily’s blood work and Mauricio gets hauled away for his dental.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

April 1, 2016 by Janet Blue Frowny Friday Kitty Written Blog Roundup 27

OUR ANNUAL ROUND-UP DOES NOT MAKE US THANKFUL

Well, today may be Thankful Thursday, but we can state unequivocally, “We are not!” Depending on when you read this, Dr. Neel and Tamika are on their way here, are here or have been here. Today is our yearly Round-Up. We will be weighed, examined, vaccinated and have pawticures. Lily Olivia, Mauricio and Misty May will have blood drawn for senior panels as well.

We actually are an itty bitty bit thankful. We don’t have to get stuffed into PTUs and hauled across town to the vet office. And, of course, we’ll have treats for which we are always thankful; though, we know we deserve them even when it isn’t Round-Up.

Fiona will be the fortunate kitty today. Dr. Neel is not going to vaccinate her. She thinks it will be too much of a strain on her system. We’ll all have our shots, and as she is only around us, so she should be safe. We’d say she’s a lucky girl, except for the fact it’s her CKD that’s letting her off the hook. And she gets stuck with a needle for subQ fluids every other day.

We all have been practicing our stink eye, including Fiona. We want to make certain to be in our best form.

Of course we can do much better than what we are showing you. After all, we didn’t want to peak too early!

Drop back by tomorrow when we will be sharing highlights and photos from today.

You can check out our previous round-ups on these posts:

Annual Round-Up – 2013

Monday Meowsings: The Round-Up – 2014

Thankful Thursday: Our Yearly Round-Up – 2015

Wishing y’all a Thursday for which you can be tankful.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

March 31, 2016 by Janet Blue Kitty Written Blog Roundup Thankful Thursday 24

YOU
For Fiona

It seems like only yesterday…
You were just a kitten.
When I saw your pleading look,
I was completely smitten.

Now at only six years old,
You are getting ready to leave,
Soon you will have your wings.
I’ve already started to grieve.

You’ve fought hard for the past year,
And I’m not ready to say good-bye.
I can’t imagine you not in my life
I am so sad…today I had to cry.

I am grateful and blessed
For my six years with you.
You’ll live in my heart forever.
You’re one of the best ever Kitties Blue.

YESTERDAY

Many yesterdays have passed since
You gained your angel wings. Today
Is six months since you left us behind
To remember and mourn. Our hearts
Continue to hurt, and we miss
You as much as the day you left.
Giulietta whined from the catio
Yesterday as I worked in the yard.
I know you put her up to it. That
Was your way of getting me to,
Allow you to join me as I
Gardened. You were there with me
In spirit. With every meow
I thought of you and how much I miss
Your sweet face and disposition.
In these past few months, many friends
Have traveled your same path in your
paw-steps. I am certain you were
Waiting to greet them with purrs and hugs.
I pray you and your friends are laughing,
Frolicking and having fun together.
Picturing that makes me smile, but
Does not lessen my sadness at your
No longer being here to snuggle
And receive our love, care and kisses.
Fiona, please do not ever forget
You are still and always will be loved.

ONE YEAR MISSING YOU

One year has passed since you flew away,
And I still think of you everyday.
I see your sweet face in my mind’s eye
And wish we’d never had to say good-bye.
It’s nice you’ve sent us kitties needing a family,
But my dearest love, we are now at capacity.
You thought it would take more than one cat
To take your place in our habitat.
We love Cooper Murphy and baby Sawyer dearly
But thinking either could replace you makes me teary.
You were one-of-a-kind and will stay in my heart
Until the day I join you and we’re no longer apart.
When once again I can hold you in my arms
And revel in all your love and feline charms.
Together with you and all who have passed.
I will spend eternity contemplating how blessed
I was to share my life with my furry children,
Each and every one of you one-in-a billion.

UNTIL

I miss you each day.
Until we meet in heaven,
The pain will remain.

ONE OF A KIND

I don’t know how to say good-bye.
I thought you were invincible; though,
You used up many of your nine lives.
You ruled us all with an iron paw;
Never took “no” for an answer
And always got your way.
If not, you’d bark to signal your
Displeasure and sometimes raise a paw.
I always joked that you were bi-polar.
When I told people you were a calico
They immediately understood what I meant.
Today was unnaturally quiet in the house.
Can a home seem empty with eight cats?
I will miss waking up at night to find you
Sitting next to me and staring at me.
I will miss you yelling at us as you did
When you wanted breakfast and dinner.
I will miss watching you lounging and snoozing
On the porch settee on a warm afternoon.
But most of all I will miss your kisses!
When kitten Sawyer befriended you,
We suspect you were imparting your
Wisdom and secrets for controlling us.
Time will tell if he was a good listener.
But whatever he may have learned,
Neither Sawyer nor any other cat
Can or will replace you in our hearts.
Lily Olivia, you were one-of-a-kind.