12/11 Autumn amps-233,+4-177

Every time I order from ADW I am so impressed with the speed of their service. I ordered her new syringes late on Sunday night, didn't pay for faster delivery and had them in hand and ready to use for last night's pm shot. :thumbup Really need to remember that I can also order my test strips for my Micro from them as well. Because we have now renamed our Walmart here to We're OUTmart! This last week I had to go to Walmart 5 different times to get enough Friskies to feed my bunch and that was even after getting them 3 days worth at another store that is much higher priced than Walmart simply because they carry flavors that Walamrt doesn't. Never did catch them with our litter in stock and ended up having to go to the farm supply store for that. :evil: grumpy_cat It is starting to get silly the amount of time, energy and gas I am having to spend to get the simple basics of life there. And with a limited access to other local stores that carry pet supplies around here I think I'm going to start the search to get most of it online. I'm usually one that likes to shop locally so that my money stays in my community even if that is in the way of wages to employees but when that is no longer more economical for me to do so I'm more than willing to pay a little more to have the luxury of walking of out my front door to pick up my supplies than running all over town to find 16 cans of cat food here, a 40 lb box of litter there and so on. Just the wear and tear on my vehicle, the cost of the gas to do the running and my time is worth the extra price point.

OMG I'm in LOVE with the Terumos! Super nice syringe although it is going to take me some trial and error to figure out where her dose is on them as opposed to the Relion's that I have been using since there is no dead space on the Terumos. Now that we have the new syringes in hand I am going to start walking her up again in dose and see if I can get her curve to lower overall. I'm also getting towards the end of the cartridge that I started before Halloween so it could also be losing some of it's punch as well, but I wanted to make one change at a time, so I know exactly what is making the change in her numbers.

With the loss of Angel I said that we were scraping the Christmas plans which isn't exactly true, some of what was planned is still planned in that we are still having our first Christmas tree, and we are still working on restarting some of the old traditions of our childhood like going out to look at the lights, going sledding (if we ever get snow), still planning on spending at least one day with DH baking and decorating cookies etc. What did get scraped was the gifts to everyone this year. There is only one gift that is going to be given and that is to the Fur Gang. They are getting their vertical highway and new cat trees, so they have safe places to jump on. If I can't stop them from doing what is natural which is wanting to jump into high places, then I have to make those places safe for jumping. Plus now that we are in a bigger house, there are bigger open spaces that some of mine that are very shy or timid around the other cats have to cross where they feel unsafe from the more aggressive cats. So giving them vertical spaces to reach the other rooms will also hopefully give them more confidence to join the rest of the family in the front part of the house as well.

I also just went out and purchased 20 craft Christmas ornaments the kind that you can fill and decorate yourself. One of the new plans for Christmas is that DH and I are taking a weekend to make an ornament for each of the animals, both those that are still living and one for Muse, Musette, Onyx and Angel. So that every year, when we put up the tree and place the ornaments on that tree our furry family will always be together at least on the tree. When new members join the family as the years pass then we will make them their own ornaments. And each year we plan on adding ornaments for our human family members as well. Just this year we will have enough to do with just the fur wearing members.

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

Re: 12/11 Autumn amps-233

I love your new plans!!! I can't wait to see the feline super highway. That will be awesome and sledding plans... jealous!!! It seems that you are working on healing and that's really great. There IS something you can do out of this tragedy and you have found it. I knew you would.

I am glad you are still doing your tree because Alska's contribution is ready to be picked up and sent to you.

I am also happy that you like the Terumo's. They are so much more accurate and I love the longer needle. I rarely get fur shots with these syringes. I didn't know I could get micro/confirm test strips at ADW. They are probably under that other brand name that I can never remember. My Walmart carries them only a box at a time. I am constantly buying "their last box." ADW is awesome and they do rush your order to you - I can agree with that.

Alska sends you and Autumn many headbutts!

 

Re: 12/11 Autumn amps-233

Yep the strips are here I just always forget that ADW carries them, because yep I'm always getting their last box or like this last month have had to use my back up Prime meter which I still detest because that was the only strips they had on the shelf and of course by the time I get there in the evenings their pharmacy is closed.

We'd already planned on giving them a kitty super highway here, just had it slated to go up this next summer so we could stain and lacquer the shelves outside, but now we will either use the basement or wait until summer to finish the wood completely. Getting it up is the priority. Just have to also figure out how to make it safe for Lady Jane Grey as well since she is going blind, but maybe just getting it up sooner rather than later will help her as well, because she can get use to where each platform is while she can still see so that by the time she completely loses her sight she can make the jumps safely. Since we moved in we have been trying to figure out how to get their trees up, since they are designed to attach to the ceiling with a spring loaded pole, and here all the ceilings are drop ceilings with another 6ft to the true ceiling. So figured those will just go on the back deck once we screen it in next summer and we will just buy them new free standing ones. Good thing they can't read a calendar because some of their gifts are going to have to wait until we get the tax refund back. Since we still need to pay off Angel's final vet bill and pay her cremation fee as well as get her an urn.

But yes, I've found a way around the tragedy of Angel's death. I always do. Nothing happens by chance, there are no accidents in life only lessons to be learned. And losing Angel who was our brightest star, was to pay more attention to the little lives that I have been entrusted with. They are my first priority and they need a safe and happy home to play in. I can not force them against their nature to give up natural behavior, but I can give them the safest possible option to perform that behavior.

It might have taken a cosmic 2 x 4 to make me realize that 99% of what they have been doing here that is driving me nuts is because I wasn't giving them what they needed to be happy kitties and expend the energy that their new home should be allowing. Of course they were well behaved at the old place, in the 6 years we lived there they had hundreds of places designed just for them. Because it was so cramped for all of us, we had made room by going up, they had shelves and ledges and trees to race around, here we were looking at this place like a human not a cat. What we saw as nice big open spaces to spread out in they see as scary big open spaces that have to be crossed where there is no cover to hide from someone else pouncing on your head. No wonder my once very social little deaf girl has been staying in the sun room and kitchen, she can't hear the other cats getting ready to pounce to start a game of chase so she's scared to venture out of the rooms she knows are safe. And of course we have had more spats between cats that normally have gotten along well together, because the seniors can't escape the hectic energy of the babies. Sometimes I'm just a slow learner.

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

Re: 12/11 Autumn amps-233

I am in the process of looking at life through the eyes of the cats as well. Lizzy is still being hissed at every time she gets near Sammy. But, it works. Lizzy "gives way", literally ducking her head in almost a curtsy when she passes Her Nibs. If Sammy is in a doorway, Lizzy will not pass her to go into the room, she waits until Sammy enters. Its very interesting.

I need to figure a way to create some raised spaces for these cats too. I really dont want my home decor to be carpeted trees, though. I nave to figure out what I can make that will go with my decor and not bother me. Pinterest to the rescue, I suppose!

 

Re: 12/11 Autumn amps-233

Linda,

Go look at Jackson Galaxy's website, he has some awesome DIY vertical highway ideas. Because we are the same way with the cats' needs as opposed to keeping the house decor intact as well, since this is a beautiful old home that we want to restore. We had always been looking and thinking that to do it we needed to buy fancy premade shelving not just simply brackets and shelving, even if that is just plain 1 x 12 boards that can be finished or painted to match the decor, then attaching fleece covers to provide traction. What we have drawn up for ours right now, some of them will be longer and have 'boxes' either in the middle or on the ends that the cats can go up and over and we can still use the insides to hold books (who doesn't need more book storage?) or knick-knacks etc. Jon is also trying to figure out a way to make openings in the false ceiling and walls so that they can pass from room to room without being able to jump off on to the false ceiling or having to come down off their super highway. Because right now we have some of that "You Shall Not Pass!" going on here as well at some of the narrower doorways.

Gotta tell ya, just being able to watch My Cat From Hell with Jackson Galaxy has more than paid for the expense of having the cable t.v. turned on over here. lol I'm seriously smitten with that guy and his understanding of troubled cats...He's my new hero! Now if I was only about 20 years younger and single....hee hee hee

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

Re: 12/11 Autumn amps-233

Thank you! I saw this guy on tv when I was in Mexico, sick with a fever of about 104, so I could NOT remember what channel or what his name was! I am so happy you posted this, now I can go make a point of recording this show!

 

Re: 12/11 Autumn amps-233

Animal Planet on Saturday nights here at least. Although I have On Demand on our cable system so I've been catching up on past shows. I hate to admit it but he's teaching me a lot about kitty cats. Some of those cats he works with would have me screaming and wearing a nice white jacket that ties in the back...lol but when he is done with them and the family they are the sweetest cats on the planet, just have to learn to think and see the world like they do.

I guess if when we have a baby in the house we get down on all fours to view the world from their prospective so why don't we do that for our furry babies. Dogs are pretty easy because of the pack mentality so they just have to learn their job and position in the pack dynamics but with a free spirit of a cat, it gets trickier.

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

Hot diggity! She is finally going the right way! Since I haven't changed out the insulin or the dose it has to be because I can now actually consistently measure the correct dose. Little too soon to call it, but loving what I am seeing so far. She was much happier first thing this morning too, so I know she didn't roller coaster over night either.

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

i also love Jackson. i have learned so much from him. we also made cat superhighways attached to little cubby holes and we also made arches through the rooms so the "highways" can go through each room. it definitely keeps the peace around here. nice numbers for Autumn