BUDDY'S MEMORIAL PAGE

Buddy was a wonderful little personality. My little man was the perfect cat for two first-time feline parents. While Artie and I will never forget him, I need to acknowledge the fact that he's no longer with us by updating this site. Orphee is with us now and needs to take his rightful place on the 8 Paws and 2 Tails homepage.

With a heavy heart I've exchanged Buddy's picture for Orphée's but I have honored Buddy with his own memorial page. I loved that little guy and I will always miss him.

IT'S TIME TO TAKE A BREAK AND PARTY!

And with that thought in mind, I decided to join the 2013 Ultimate Blog Party hosted for the seventh year in a row by 5 Minutes for Mom.com blog. A great idea for bloggers and readers-of-blogs to find other sites in the blogosphere to visit, I came across UBP 2013 while reading a post at DogTipper.com a blog I follow faithfully.

Let me introduce myself. I'm Barbara - Brooklyn Pet Mom. There are plenty of Moms in the world only some of us have kids with paws and tails. That's what my blog 8 Paws and 2 Tails is all about - my experiences as a pet mom and all the trials, tribulations and unconditional love that come with having pets for kids.

Let me tell you about my kids. When I started blogging it was with the intention to share my experiences caring for my Maine Coon Tabby mix, Buddy, a cat with a chronic disease (renal failure). Since that time the blog has expanded to include my dog Annie's recurring urinary tract infections and her recent cancer surgeries.

Along the way, I've added any news article or information I've found interesting, useful or just plain fun - all animal related of course.  With the loss of Buddy, the blog expanded again to include my experiences with managing Buddy's illness during his terminal stage, dealing with euthanasia, cremation and the stages of grief. 

Currently 8 Paws and 2 Tails chronicles my brother Artie's and my decision to join Neighborhood Cats, become TNR certified, our experiences managing a feral colony of 6 and our decision to rescue one of the colony by making him the newest member of our indoor family. Christened Orphée, this 15-pound Main Coon mix upstart has been diagnosed as FIV+ and we are slowly getting him house, people and Annie-acclimated.

So welcome to my site! If you like what you read, visit with us awhile or better yet follow us! Leave a comment - let me know what you like, what you don't like and what you'd like to read about. And check out the UBP for other great blogs.

Buddy & Annie, definitely not the partying type.

Orphée, happy to join the party!

HOW I CAME TO LOVE CATS - PHYLLIS' STORY

Recently, I've been talking with my friend Phyllis about cats - our cats, our love of cats and our initial dislike of cats. I, for one, was never a big fan of cats until I met and fell in love with Buddy.

Neither was Phyllis who graciously agreed to be a guest blogger for 8 Paws and 2 Tails. Here is her story... 

How I came to love cats

For almost my entire life I had a real fear of cats. I’m not sure why. The only unsettling, yet infrequent experience I had was with two cats who lived in Massachusetts, Spooky and Thunder. These cats were aged, wise and loved to pounce on me. They so enjoyed seeing me jump.

Flash forward many years later

A dear friend was dying from cancer. She displayed so much courage in her fight. As a final request a notice went out to see if someone could care for her aged and cantankerous cat, Annie. No one was able to take Annie, so, because of how I felt about my friend I took her cat.  Annie came to me on a Saturday and spent the next three weeks under the bed in the guest room. She had come from a one bedroom apartment in Manhattan and now she was in a house.

 I cleaned her litter box and gave her food.  She gave me dirty looks. She was eating and loved running up and down the steps. We were not connecting and I felt so sad because I could not explain to her what had happened.

Then, according to her time frame, we met on the landing.  She put her paw on my hand. At last she had come to feel comfortable in her new home.  I moved her bed onto my landing and we became best friends. She always greeted me when I came home and loved when I sang to her. Her song was Annie Fa-fannie, I love my beautiful Annie. Her tail moved like a metronome.

All was well until she developed a severe case of pancreatitis. After six days in the hospital she recovered. Her very skinny legs had been shaved for some medical procedures and she looked like a poodle. I had her for another six months and then she really got sick. Although it was a very difficult decision, the vets encouraged me to put her down. Since they had been tending to her since I first got her (bless their hearts, they even made house calls!) I knew that they were right. After her passing I got a personal letter about her from each of the employees of the Vet hospital. I had Annie Fafannie 20 months. And, I grew to love her because she was so brave. feisty, independent. Not overtly loving but always happy that I was there.

Today

Currently I am in the process of removing the carpeting that Annie got sick on, and although I suffer from cat allergies, I know that there is another cat in my future.

Annie Fafannie

TAIWAN STRAYS

My blog has been getting quite a large amount of hits from Taiwan which prompted me to do some surfing to check out the stray animal issue there.

Apparently strays are an issue no matter where in the world big cities are. In the past I've posted about the dogs of Pompeii Italy and strays in Singapore, now Taiwan.

From what I've found on the internet, black dogs and black dog mixes are prized as guard dogs. Their lives are spent tethered by short leases. Dogs that are no longer wanted by their families are let loose to become strays living terribly hard lives.

Cats and dogs are still used for food. There is an old abandoned mining town populated by stray cats that has become a destination for amateur photographers and tourists. The cats there are fed an taken care of to some extent by local people and volunteers.

There are other websites that depict the suffering of animals in ways too upsetting to contemplate. Whomever is reading my blog in Taiwan please do what you can to get others to change their attitudes about animals. We have a long way to go here in the United States but there are many dedicated people doing what they can to improve animal welfare. The Taiwanese people can do it too. All it takes is one person to start and your actions become like a pebble thrown in a quiet lake; the ripples will move into bigger and bigger circles.

Gandhi said the greatness of a country can be judged by the way it treats its animals. All nations need to become more humane in our treatment of animals. Start by alleviating the pain and suffering, make citizens accountable for what they do to animals, institute spay/neuter laws.

DOGGIE PRESCRIPTION

One of my friends told me about a pharmacy for pets in Manhattan. New Yorkers are really wrapped up in their pets and apparently one pharmacy on the Upper East Side took it as a call to action.

Best Pet Rx carries all kinds of personal needs and has the standard prescription drug counter but this traditional drug store took it one paw further by catering to pets. The personal needs items are most likely for dogs, cats or birds. The pharmacists fill prescriptions from veterinarians.

During Buddy's illness, I injured my ankle and couldn't go to Hope Veterinary Clinic to pick up refills of his IV supplies. Doctor Young gave me prescriptions and my local neighborhood pharmacy filled them.

It looks like Pet Pharmacies will be the wave of the future.

REMEMBERING BUDDY

With Annie's illness, I missed Buddy's January anniversary. Today we start our 10th month without him.  It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since he died. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we'd have another cat ever again let alone in less than a year's time.

Orphee and I seem to be back on track, he's talking to me and acting more like an affectionate cat. I've pulled back a bit on the petting, scratching and rubbing; he's seems to like less of that instead of more like Buddy did. I'm really not making obsessive or unfair comparisons. Never having a cat before, I can only look to Buddy's behavior then compare Orphee's to that.

Anyway, I do so much miss my little man. No early morning conversations, no TV watching snuggle time. Who knows? Maybe someday Orphee will decide he needs someone to talk to and snuggle with and maybe I'll be that person.

SHELTER PETS

In one of our free newspapers I came across a 3 panel cartoon by The Shelter Pet Project illustrating the plight of a cat turned over to a shelter by an owner who accepted a job overseas. I decided to look up their website theshelterpetproject.org just to see what they're all about.

I encourage anyone who is thinking about adopting a cat or a dog to visit The Shelter Pet Project website as part of their search. It's easy - just put in your zip code and you will see pictures of pets at shelters near you along with their vitals and bios.

A great way to start a search and find some furry love...

ORPHEE'S JOURNEY

Our Orphee's journey, while not as epic a journey to the underworld and back as that of the mythological Orpheus, has been momentous none the less. From a life on the streets to one on our front porch then to our front hall it's been a big adjustment over the past weeks.

Orphee is becoming more and more curious about what's behind my apartment door. A few nights ago, I thought I heard scratching. It was late (around 3 AM) and I was heading off to bed but I stopped to determine where the noise was coming from. Could it be the cat? 

I opened the door and there he was looking up at me. He began to meow - talking incessantly  peeking into the apartment with all the curiosity of (what else?) a cat. Of course, I stepped aside to let him in but Orphee wasn't having any of it. Curious but wary, a surprising combination but I guess that comes from life on the streets. I see none of Buddy's fearlessness in Orphee.

He did venture in twice on his own but deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, beat a hasty retreat at the sight of Annie. And what of Annie?  She loves him, it's as simple as that. Annie will follow me into the hall trotting along happily while I feed him. They've been a few feet apart just staring at each other or more accurately he watching her and she looking at him longingly and crying. As soon as the intestinal parasite issues are resolved Artie and I will take the next step and try getting them together.

CRISES UPDATE

It's been a long time since my last post. It was not my intent to allow so much time to lapse between posts. The one-two punch of Annie's surgeries and the cat's FIV+ diagnosis were one medical issue too many to deal with at once. Artie and I both are still in recovery mode; so are Annie and the cat but I believe the furry members of this family are faring better than the human ones.

The cat's bite wound is healing nicely; he has finished his course of antibiotics.  One round of flea medicine needs to be administered in a few weeks. On to the worms, of course, we are dealing with two different kinds. One is handled by a pill but the other required two syringe doses of some yellow medication administered 14 days apart. We did get the first dosage into him over a two-day period by adding it to his meals. Better in the food than to further stress out an FIV+ feline. Next week we administer the second dose.

He didn't like the litter we were using so he wet a couple of rags we gave him to sleep on. He seems to prefer newspaper. For now, we are using old newspapers in the litter box and he's content to use them.

The front hallway where he's been hanging out is starting to lose its appeal. For the first time today, he ventured into my apartment to explore, the sight of Annie sending him scurrying back to the hallway and the perceived safety of the hallway stairs.

Annie is slowly recovering. Her ongoing health crisis will take a few posts and I will be documenting her story in the coming days.

AS WE START 2013

2013 is the year that came in like a lion with health crises for Annie with her diagnosis of a soft tissue sarcoma and the cat with his diagnosis of FIV+.

A blog functions as an online journal but I must admit emotionally I could not post each day while Annie's health crisis was enfolding. To do so would only increase my anguish; I found it hard to come to terms with what was happening to her.

This morning, Annie underwent her second surgery. A call from the surgeon confirmed she came through it and was recovering nicely. I cannot describe all the conflicting emotions I'm feeling - suffice it to say I am worn out from the emotional roller-coaster this diagnosis has me on.

Annie remains hospitalized overnight and I expect a call late morning or early noon tomorrow to let me know when she will be released. Now all Artie and I can hope for is the biopsy results will show clean borders if we are fortunate enough to receive such good news.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year is closing with a lot of drama - the cat is on the mend but we now know we face an incurable chronic condition with his FIV+ diagnosis.

Annie's battle is not over yet. Her surgery failed to produce clean margins; she will need a second surgery. So Annie, Artie and I go into 2013 with her health crisis unresolved.

I will not be posting New Year's Day - the first day of the new year will be for spending with my sweet Annie, the new cat (we need to come up with an appropriate name for him) and my brother.

In closing, I will say if you're reading my post and you have furry family members of your own, review my Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas posts for tips on keeping them safe this New Year's Eve (and Day).  Since everyone will be celebrating the end of the old year and the start of the new, watch out for balloons, confetti, noise makers and alcohol in addition to everything else mentioned in my other holiday posts.

Wishing all my readers a Happy, Healthy New Year filled with peace and all manner of goodness. We'll meet back here for 2013.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

I'm sure Davy's fans know Davy had four cats - two indoor and two outdoor. All the cats are going on to new homes, the indoor cats having been adopted to separate homes and the outdoor cats having their custodial care transferred to one new pet parent.

For anyone wanting to catch up on what's been going on, a Facebook page has been set up for the Davy Jones Memorial Equine Fund.  You can see pictures of the cats, the horses as well as Davy's daughters Talia, Annabel and Sarah.

To make donations or just read about what's going on with Davy's horses (and the cats) go to http://www.facebook.com/TheDavyJonesEquineMemorialFund 

DIABETES IN CATS

I've written extensively on renal failure in cats because Buddy had this chronic illness. Cats also can develop diabetes.

Our dog, Baron, a Beagle Manchester Terrier mix, was diabetic so Artie and I have also gone down the canine version of that route. Whether canine or feline you will find yourself dealing with injections, insulin, checking sugar levels, specialized diets and scheduled feedings.

Baron received scheduled feedings of special foods, had his urine checked to monitor sugar levels and was given daily insulin injections. He survived for about three years during which he went completely blind, finally succumbing to a stroke that left him walking in circles and howling. The stroke happened late at night and early the following day the decision was made to euthanize him.

What are the early warning signs of diabetes? Excessive thirst, increased appetite and loss of weight. If you have a cat that seems off his game or if you just want to familiarize yourself with this chronic disease WebMD Pets is a great place to start:

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/diabetes-symptoms-cats

NEW YORK CITY'S FERAL CATS

We're all spending more time outdoors now that summer is here which only serves to highlight the feral cat problem in New York's five boroughs. I'm sure everyone will admit this crisis is more evident during the warmer months especially when ferals and strays are breeding. There are many facets to this issue so I hope this post will cover all aspects of the situation.

My own sweet Buddy was a stray, tossed out by his original owners and that is part of the problem - irresponsible owners. Anyone who cannot care for their cat should realize they are not doing their feline a favor by turning them out. Fighting for food, looking for shelter, searching for water, dodging traffic and trying to escape from dogs or people who will harm them isn't preferable to turning them over to rescue groups or the ASPCA. Yes, euthanasia is a terrible prospect but a hard, uncertain life on the streets with a painful death is not a mercy either. And this act of abandonment, if coupled with the pet never having been spayed or neutered increases the homeless cat population, territorial fighting and injured male cats.

If you have a cat make your pet a house-cat. Keep your feline friend inside at all times to avoid communicable, incurable diseases, to prevent fighting or accidental injuries or death. If you are fortunate to have a backyard, invest in a cat containment system so your cat can enjoy the yard without escaping. You can find several different kinds on the internet. Don't want to spend the money or only have a porch or balcony? Consider a cage of some sort for your feline but remember it is very important to provide sun and shade simultaneously along with water and constant supervision. Buddy had a collapsible mesh cage, Annie would keep Buds company on our back porch and I would check on both of them every 10-15 minutes without fail. Don't have the resources or the time to do this? Open a window that has a built-in screen, attach a perch inside and your cat will be happy as can be to get that basic contact with the outdoors. if you live in an apartment building or have more than one floor to your house, watch out for high-rise syndrome which is the subject of yesterday's post.

City government does not have the funds (grants are running out) nor do they really care about the cat overpopulation issue. That's where we all come in. If you are a cat lover, think long and hard about managing a local feral colony. Remember this entails TNR (trap, neuter/spay, return) as well as providing food, water, shelter and medical care when needed. You could consider this even if you aren't interested in having pets or you could do this in addition to caring for your own pets. TNR will lower the amount of kittens turned into shelters and in turn the feral colony members help keep the rat population (another urban problem) in check instead of becoming euthanasia statistics.

At the very least anyone interested in helping in some small way can donate to low-cost spay/neuter programs or get in touch with the ASPCA, Humane Society, the Toby project and Maddie's Fund to find out more. Surf the internet to learn more about TNR, maintaining feral colonies and all other issues related to stray and feral cats:

http://tobyproject.org/

http://www.maddiesfund.org/Resource_Library/Maddies_Institute/Using_Data_to_Solve_Problems_and_Save_Lives.html

http://www.aspca.org/

http://humanesocietyny.org/

CATS AND HIGH-RISE SYNDROME

Everyone knows cats will climb to the highest point they can physically get to. Many of us have been exasperated by our feline companions as we attempted to coax them down from on top of the refrigerator, the china closet, a shelf and heaven only knows what else. Buddy's favorite place was the transom window above my back door, traversing my kitchen counter, stove and refrigerator to get there.

Cats do love high places as much as they love the great outdoors. During the summer, the lure of both can be a dangerous and possibly deadly one.  Apartment living above the first floor is fine for a cat as long as opened windows have closed screens. When we were young, my cousin had a Siamese cat. I recall one summer when all the kids on the block were yelling because my Aunt opened the front window and the cat was walking on the second floor ledge. Thankfully the cat allowed himself to be enticed back inside with a treat but that was certainly a potential for disaster. I never forgot it.

Buddy either fell or was tossed from a third-story apartment. When we took him in he had a scab on his chin. His first doctor visit turned up two missing front teeth. Since his 'owner' who lived in an apartment diagonally across from us appeared on our doorstep one year after we took Buddy in, I've always believed Buddy was tossed from the window. Judging from the amount of yelling and screaming from his former home, it was a safe bet to assume the family was abusive.

Always remember, felines believe they have nine lives, living life fearlessly and taking all kinds of chances. It's up to their two-legged companions to be ever vigilant when it comes to their safety. Only open screened-in windows. Better yet, designate one window for your cat's use and add a perch or window-seat so kitty can enjoy the great outdoors safely. Read the ASPCA link concerning High-rise syndrome:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/high-rise-syndrome.aspx 

LOST PETS AND SUMMER

Summer is officially here and many families include their pets in their summer travels and activities and once school is out families relocate in an effort to settle into their new home and community before the start of the next school year.

Now is a good time to consider giving your furry family members the extra-added protection of a microchip. ID tags are fine and good but isn't identification under the skin better? Granted, nothing is 100% foolproof but using whatever options are available certainly makes sense in terms of optimizing coverage and giving you peace of mind. And remember travel to some foreign countries will require your pet be micro-chipped as a requirement for entry.

We're not just talking about dogs here but also about cats and any other pet such as birds, horses, etc. The microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and can be implanted by your veterinarian during a routine office visit.

If you are interested in reading about microchip implantation in general or have specific questions that need answers, the Wikipedia and American Veterinary Medical Association websites are excellent sources of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(animal)

http://www.avma.org/issues/microchipping/microchipping_faq.asp

WE'RE HAVING A HEAT WAVE

Heat Wave was a very catchy song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer. Let me tell you there's been nothing catchy or fun about the heat wave we've been experiencing the last few days here in Brooklyn.

With sweltering temperatures and unbearable humidity, everyone in our house has been 'laying low'. Even Annie has curtailed her sunbathing activities as well has her regular outdoor turns looking for the cats, squirrels, birds and the possum.

This post is to remind everyone to look out for not only yourselves but for young children, the elderly and your pets. If you have elderly neighbors, check on them to see if they need any assistance. Remind the kids to take it easy. Keep the dogs (and cats) in. If your pet has access to a back yard have them use that as an alternative to walking which in this kind of weather is no good for anyone - pet and pet parent alike. Limit backyard activity to 5 to 10 minutes, that's what I do with Annie. Make sure there is always fresh water  and shade available for your furry family member. Light meals are a better choice and keep your pet in air conditioning with the rest of the family.

I always made it a habit to wipe Annie and Buddy down with a washcloth soaked in cool water. After wringing the cloth out, I start at the muzzle then work my way across the face, forehead and do the entire body. Both of them loved it. Your pet might not like having his or her face touched with a cloth and that's OK as long as you do the body and if your pet doesn't mind, the top of the head. It's a refreshing break for them.

When dealing with heat and your pet remember if you are uncomfortable they are too. After all you aren't the one with a built-in fur coat. Be vigilant, know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Read up on both conditions in the following link which covers heat related information as it pertains to seniors, children and pets and brace yourselves - summer is upon us!

http://seniorliving.about.com/od/healthnutrition/ss/avoidheatstroke.htm