Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Photos!)

Greetings, Lantus Land, and welcome to the Sunday Condo!

Yes indeed, the KCC is a day late this week! I do have a fairly decent excuse, though: I spent essentially two days at wretched, dreaded, blasted Home Affairs! A couple of months back, I was led to believe by the Motley Crew of Morons that populates the local immigration authorities that the final solution was imminent. You know, after they had told me a year ago that the solution was imminent. That is, after they had told me two years ago that the solution was imminent... Heavens forbid that someone beyond the dread portal of Home Affairs actually do any bloody work - perish the thought! Still, I suppose I ought to count myself lucky, since now, after spending another two days waiting and being told to go to another queue and waiting and being told to go to another queue and waiting and being told to go to another building and waiting, I am now in the happy position of waiting for another 4-6 weeks for the confirmation of my extended visa. Of course, 4-6 weeks might mean well-nigh anybloodything. Even so - hope springs eternal.

Caturday was spent recuperating :lol: And so, here we are on Sunday, ready to retrace LL's steps during the week that went by since Karre's 6th October Caturday Condo. As always, there are some LL Highlights to list, as well as a host of LL Overview Kitty & Bean Stories that continue to unfold in their particular ways. On with it, then:

Kathie/Zeus posted some good questions about bounces from a newbie's perspective in their 7th October Condo. I found it useful to re-read, because it's easy for someone like me who's been familiar with FD for a matter of years to forget in what way aspects of its treatment might be seen by someone who hasn't had that much time to absorb all the intricacies involved.

Lori/Atticus went through another typically challenging newbie situation when they went through their first low numbers and shots in their 8th October Condo. Again, personally, I like to go back over condos like this one to keep finding the best ways to offer advice and support when our newcomers are going through the trickier processes of FD. Lori/Atticus have since begun their OTJ Trial! Congratulations!

Lisa/Leo started a fabulous carbs percentages vs. calories and theory vs. practice discussion in their 9th October Condo. I bookmarked this one. Great stuff, Lisa, Carl, and further contributors :mrgreen: Thanks!

Dr. Lisa Pierson notified us all that she has added a great new section on Hyperthyroidism to her website. Well worth the read and bookmark! Thank you so much for all your incredible work, Dr. Lisa!

In Alexa/Reuben's 6th October Condo, there is a host of useful information on inappetance and how to try addressing it. Great tips and suggestions from everyone. Other than the food input, it also contains some great info on ABs (metronidazole in particular) - Thank you, Sienne, for posting that link and for all your input!

And, at last, The old FDMB Board is Back Online, so those of us who want to and have been around back in the day can go back and copy/download/save our old condos, other links we loved, and of course gallivant happily down memory lane in some of Jojo's shoes! Hooray! Thank you so much, Rebecca!!

And in other news, not only Lori/Atticus, but also Anne/Muffin, Karen/Greg/FurBall and Sonia/Katmandu are doing their OTJ Trial - congratulations!! Courtney/Kismet have celebrated their OTJ Party and have moved to the Falls - well done!! Of course, not only remission, OTJ trials and OTJ parties are important - though we do all love to celebrate around here :mrgreen: - but also those Kitties & Beans who keep on keeping on even if their cats continue to bounce wherever they like, and even if they have been at this for years. On that note: CONGRATULATIONS to all those of you who have been hanging in there despite it all - You are all HEROES of LL Some of our dear kitties are under the weather and/or recovering from a blip on their bill of health - Ann/Tess, Marje/Gracie, Melissa/Tarragon, Shai/Pirate Fitz come to mind right away, though I have probably left out some dear LL'ers, two- and four-legged in my scatterbrained state this weekend. MANY HEALING VINES to ALL those of you who need them, and please do check in here if you can and want to, and give us WCRs and WBRs! I'm afraid I'll have to wait until next Caturday to give a more expansive overview of LL goings-on. This week has been off the charts, and I feel like I'm still reeling. But again: Any and all of you are welcome any day of the week to just check in, if you like, and add your own WCR/WBR. Overall, it seems LL has had a decent week and is ticking along nicely :smile:

As I type, I've got two guinea fowl pecking at the glass sliding door to the garden. They spot their own reflections now and then as they wander past, and apprently there is something terribly provoking about that! Magpie - who has recovered beautifully from her dental, and thanks you all for the vines and thoughtful posts and prayers - is the only one who really chases them. Luca is still a bit too little, Karre is above it, and Henry is still, shall we say, exterminatorily challenged - the other day, I showed him the shrew Luca had caught and brought in (which I'd spent an interesting forty-five minutes, which included some novel contortions under the dining room furniture, recapturing in a cardboard box) and he took one look, shuddered from whiskers to tail, and scampered off to the safety of the garden :lol: Overall, the African Pride is faring well. I still wonder about our Emperor's numbers, since he persists in going above 120 regularly (though never really worryingly high). For now, I shall keep a close eye on him and take note of anything I think may be affecting his BG - as I do anyway, every day - and unless there seems to me to be cause for concern, I'll just be happy he's happy :mrgreen: Maggie, as I said, bounced back beautifully from her anaesthetic ordeal and is back to hunting anything that sparks her huntress-eye interest. This week, so far, that has been a little Cape White-Eye, a mole, a frog and a mouse. Not a bad tally. Luca, her partner in, well, not crime but mischief anyway, continues to come into the master bedroom around 5am each morning, announcing the level of remaining food in the kitty buffet bowls (five in all, daily, all nice and neat in a row) to be in dire need of replenishing :lol: When we're lucky, he lets us get back to sleep after the bowl are re-filled. Most days, though, he decides that now that we're up, we might as well do our job and entertain him :lol: Henry, apart from his disinterest in hunting (which, I suspect, will eventually subside, given how his paly techniques are changing), is engaged in life at every turn. Garden walks, demanding treats, soliciting belly rubs, getting brushed, racing Luca across the upper lawn, all these are among his favourite pastimes, trumped only by stretching out in his favourite cuddly bed (originally made for very large dogs), making sure to touch both ends so as not to allow the erroneous impression to arise in the minds of his feline companions that there may be room for one more :mrgreen: Jane and Jack are keeping on keeping on - busy, but good.

Here comes Jack now, in fact - it is lunch time! Meaning, *not* time for photos. But I promise I'll make up for it and post some after lunch :mrgreen: In the meantime, I hope all of you are having a peaceful Sunday. Thanks for visiting KCC, and do post here when you have time - we're here all week, as usual :smile:

Hugs to you all!
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Morning Jane

I do so love your weekly condos! such great stuff in here today.

oh my on your time spent with Home Affairs. :shock: Good luck with securing your extended visa.

I do was so glad to see the old fdmb board back, having begun Mannie's and my journey there.

awesome stuff on the African Pride. You really do have quite the family there.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Great condo and review and lots of important data in there, too. Lots of positive thoughts and vines for the Home Affairs issues and for your Visa extension going thru. The wait has to be so frustrating. Yes, what an awesome family indeed and so glad Magpie came thru the dental with flying colors. Glad to hear Karre is enjoying life at the Falls. Loking forward to pics. Have a great day Jane.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Hi guys .. what a great condo to read! Lots of stuff in here I missed during the week so thank you! And good luck with your visa extensions, I'm glad there is some light at the end of the tunnel for you now .. Thanks for the update on everyone in your household!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

I'm glad to hear things are going well for you and Jack and the African Pride. I hope you get your visa straightened out soon. Looking forward to the pictures.

I have started using calipers for Furball's dosing. I realized the lines on the syringes don't match, even when they come from the same box. I think some of Furball's bouncing around lately has been from me measuring 1.25 units inconsistently. The calipers seem to really help. Marje put together a wonderful condo (http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=79851&hilit= Dosing with calipers) on how to use calipers. I highly recommend using them to be sure you are giving a consistent dose. I bought my calipers at Harbor Freight Tools. If you don't have a local store, they can be purchased online here http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-digital-caliper-47256.html. Thanks to Rhiannon for that link.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Morning Jane

Great recap of the week, thank you! Loved reading about the African Pride :smile: Wishing you all kinds of luck with Home Affairs and your visa extension.

Enjoy your Sunday,
Hugs,
Kathie

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

--- Michelle, thank you so much, how lovely of you to say so! And thanks for the good wishes regarding Home Affairs - I sure can use them :smile:

--- Ann, thank you for visiting, it's always great to see you in here! I will take extra care picking out the photos to post :mrgreen:

--- Devon, thank you for your kind words! I do enjoy getting to write about our African Pride, and I'm so pleased you're enjoying the stories!

--- Carla, thank you for coming :mrgreen: Wow, calipers! Exciting - I hope they work well for you, and thanks you for that link to the thread Marje posted about calipers. Good stuff!

--- Kathie, you're a sweetheart, thank you for the compliment and for the good luck! Same to you with your lovely godly feline ;-)

Photos are coming, I promise. I have earmarked some time tomorrow morning to select them :smile: It's evening down here, and there's a bustering wind, so despite the springtime moving into the garden, we're going to have a little fire in the fireplace tonight. How nice it would be to have you all gather round with some hot tea and all your kitties!

Hugs
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Good morning Jane and the Pride! I wondered where your wonderful weekly "newspaper" was yesterday, and hoped all was all okay with you. But what a story - sorry to hear this is such a pain, but hopefully this is the last "last" waiting period.

Thanks for mentioning us. Nice when all those years of math come in handy Looking forward to pictures - always a nice break to surf through your photography. Have a great day!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

---Lisa, it's my pleasure! You *do* come up with some great posts and, of course, some of that fabulous drama we love so much :lol: Hope you had (or are having) a great Sunday!

Ours was just dipped in greeeeeeeeeeen: The Emperor's BG is 4.4/79 :mrgreen:
(Just to show me who's boss, and put me in my place with all my defamatory above-120 talk :lol: He sure showed me! It's going to be extra grovelling for a week, for me!)

Pictures mollow.
Hugs
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

:lol: :lol: Motley Crew of Morons!!!! :lol: :lol: Sad, but true! Hope things get sorted out for your extended visa. Lovely KCC, as usual!


My pretty purple orchid! Mom, I'm so over these pictures. Please go away!


Trying to get my attention. Please note the website that is on the computer!!


Hi, I'm Hamlet! Shasta's brother from another mother...and father!

Happy Sunday, Jane & Karre & family

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Well, curses on Home Affairs! I hope it is all sorted soon! Thanks for the updates on everyone and the wonderful links. I bookmarked them all. And hooray for the old board being back up!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Glad to hear the pride is in order. Was worried when I did not see your post yesterday. Figured you we really busy or some strong storms blew past. Jean Luc performed his tight rope performance in the green lagoon last night and earned a reduction. Of course, today he is wearing his regal red coat. Enjoy the fire tonight in the garden. It sounds magical.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

Jane, Nice KCC! Loved reading your update on the African pride , glad all furs are well and Magpie has fully recovered from her dental. Boo hiss on Home Affairs! Sadly bureaucracy seems the same everywhere, no matter how much we lower expectations, they still manage to at least disappoint and often infuriate. Hope your visa will get sorted soon. Enjoy your day!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo

--- Deborah, thank you so much for those lovely photos!! Hamlet is so beautiful! I wish I could have a horse again but at the moment there just is neither space nor time. I had an English Thoroughbred first, and then an Arab. Maybe, if all goes as planned and DH and I get to move a bit further out of the city onto a larger property, more like a farm-type property as they're common here, we can look around for horses. I'd love that so much. :smile: Thanks for this!! (And Shasta is lovely as always too, of course!)

--- Anne, :lol: yes, I think pretty much everyone curses them! They suck. I'm glad the links are helpful to you :smile: Zener is doing well, I trust? From what I saw in-condo, he's been ticking along quite nicely excepting the appy issues, which I hope are resolved/resolving!

--- Shannan, thanks for visiting :smile: I'm sorry I had you and some other a little concerned. It was just a crazy week! And yes, the windy season has begun - as I type, there is a very strong South Easter blowing. Luca and Maggie *love* it and do crazy garden races all over the show. Henry and Karre *hate* it and sulk Congrats on JL's redux!

--- Leslie, good to see you :mrgreen: How is Jasper doing at the Falls since you last posted? Boo hiss - I love that :lol: You're right, authorities like Home Affairs etc. do seem to bring misery regardless of what country they're in! Boo indeed!

And now, at last, the promised pictures... I thought I'd do a bit of photo story of a fairly typical day down here in the African Pride :smile:

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Once upon a fairly typical morning, down at the tip of Africa, dawn broke over a pride of slumbering cats, and the birds began their wake-up calls...


The King and Queen awoke slowly. The Little Prince, however, had risen early at the Emperor's behest, and came to summon the Lowly Minions for the Morning Walk With Lawn Cuddles...


Around the garden they went, helping baby frogs out of the pool, nodding to the various other visitors, and delighting in the sheer, shimmering beauty of the day...


When the walk was over, it was Bean Breakfast Time. Luca, ever the happy helper, generously volunteered to sample the smoothie ingredients. Spinach, as it turned out, did not receive favourable reviews, but the yoghurt at least was well taken...


Onwards then, to the preparation of a treat or two for Jack, who simply cannot live happily without cake. And chocolate. And Jane, who provides both as needed. What would it be? Cheesecake with Strawberry-and-Mint-Coulis? A Pacman Cake?...


The treats being ready, it was time to prepare lunch for later. Pesto running low, oh dear, that was no good - best to make more of that also. With a bit of luck, the culinary exploits would afford a few lucky moments of food-related levity. Food makes us smile. Sometimes, it even smiles back...


At last, the day's meals being prepared, Lowly Minion Jane had time to get to her work, under the watchful eye of her very favourite editor, Luca the Little Linguist-Prince. O ye of many talents... Queen Magpie looked on, thoroughly amused at her Lowly Minion's attempts to get work done despite Luca's "help" and of course, what with the goings-on providing her with such entertainment, rather disinclined to intervene...


As the African Pride eventually settled into their day, the Beans got to chase after what they had meant to get done, and for a few hours, all was quiet. As dusk drew nearer, it became time for the Afternoon Walk, with a view out onto the darkening bay as a storm drifted lazily towards it. The sun began to set. And they slept happily ever after, until morning...


Hugs,
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo (&

What a cute story

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Sunday Condo (&

What a story of a beautiful day!
hello Jane!

PS.Love that cheesecake...yam,yam!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

Thanks, Dyana and Bo Lovely to have you both visit!

Hugs,
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

That sounds and looks like a lovely day! What a neat idea - a picture book! Thanks for the mention this week Jane, and thank you so much, as always, for these fantastic KCC's! Now I'm off to check the links! :YMHUG:

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

((Anne)) Thanks so much :smile: I'm so happy that you enjoy the KCC so much! BTW, did I ever tell you how much Muffin's photo reminds me of our little lost girl, Pepita? She had such a similar expression on her face, often. She went missing, sadly - she was our resident African Wild Cat, and was never like our other cats. Always very independent. A real little wild cat. Maybe, when she left, she just went home... But we still miss her every day.

Anyway - I love seeing Muffin's avatar - it makes me smile every time. :YMHUG:

Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

HI Jane!

I love the story book! What a great idea and how sweet the fur kids are. They're always my favorite part of your condo.

Hugs,

Melanie & Racci

PS: I'm glad Karre's bg looks better!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

I love the pictures, as always. I love that you put it in story format. Thanks for sharing.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

Did somebody say cake? flip_cat
Mmmm cake...

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

Jane -
Thanks for all the work you do putting together the KCC. And I love seeing your pictures. Having a summary of the week is great as I realize how much I miss when I don't get to visit all the other condos.

Fur Ball also says thanks for all your support and help. He is enjoying the trial and really anticipating the party. Of course, this mommabean is all nervous about his low blues. I realize he is still in 'safe' zone but the greens were less stressful for me. :smile: Ah. I am just so grateful we are even at this stage of our journey as I realize how many aren't there.

Have a great week.
Karen

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

--- Melanie, thanks for saying that! Now that I know you enjoy this so much, I will make sure to add "picture book" sections more often :smile: Great to have you in KCC!

--- Carla, thank you for coming by, it's always lovely so to see you in here!

--- Mike, Hi! And come on down, it should only take you a day or two to get here for cake :lol:

--- Karen, you're very welcome. It's my pleasure! I'm thrilled at how well Fur Ball has done, and how lucky he has been to have such great beans and such wonderful progress all the way to remission! Soon we party!!

Melanie, last night I was lucky enough to get two pictures, an hour apart, of our African Pride's new favourite nap-and-play station: a little carpet DH bought in Turkey when he was a teenager, and which we had upstairs until, a few days back, I became convinced that the cats wanted a spot in the living room that they could hang out in and play in more comfortably than just on the tiled floor, so I took the carpet downstairs. It has hardly been catless since :lol:



Hugs to all!
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

What a beautiful condo this week Jane. I love the pictures of the storm over the bay, and of course the cat photos are a lot of fun. Funny about the Turkish carpet, Neko likes ours too!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

I'm happy to see the pictures for your condo - and I also love the storybook format. Kind of like WAPR - Whole African Pride Report! Of course, I love the Little Prince at the keyboard! Have a great day - my Sunday was fabulous - thanks for asking. Dinner date with DH and we watched the live space free fall, and the weather was wonderful.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

Jane -

That cheesecake looks awesome. Do you cook like that everyday?? Would love to hear what you do with the winter squash. Cooking often relaxes me.

Love the kitties on the rug photos... JL is happily enjoying his new spot on our back porch. Will try and upload photo later.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

As promised, JL is having a really hard day... Enjoy the sun in his favorite office chair.

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

Always enjoy your condos!

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

--- Wendy, I LOVE that photo of Miss Neko!! How beautiful she is, and what lovely belly fur - I want to put my face on it :smile: Maggie, our tuxedo queen, lets me do that when she's napping, and then she starts purring. I love that. Thanks for visiting!

--- Lisa, I'm pleased you got to have a relaxing Sunday! WAPR - I'm so going to use that from now on :lol: Thanks for stopping by!

--- Shannan, what an adorable picture of Jean Luc! He does seem to have a terribly hard life, all those naps to be taken... :lol: And thanks for the compliment on the cake :smile: No, I don't make a cake every day - even my darling sweet-toofus husband can't eat a cake a day :mrgreen: But I do try to make a treat for him pretty much daily. We both love to cook, and we love good food, and it makes him happy to get a nice little culinary treat, so I love making them. The cakes in the photos are both cheesecake, but with different coulis and slightly different ingredients - I have lots of recipe books but most often, I'll take a recipe and then change it and experiment with it. One week, I made 4 cheesecakes, one every 2 days. My parents-in-law helped eat them :mrgreen: Oh and the winter squash - we call those butternut pumpkins :smile: That day, I made green pesto and red pesto. I add butternut purée to the red pesto (sundried tomatoes, oven-roasted red bell peppers, cashew nuts, coriander, feta, lemon zest, peperoncini and white pepper, and of course olive oil and some salt) to make it less acidic. What kinds of thing do you like to cook? Do you bake, also?

--- Sonia, thanks for the compliment! It's good to see you - I hope Katmandu is loving life at the Falls! What a terrific job you did with him :smile:

QUESTION:
I read in Anne/Zener's condo about dental care options. CET rinse, biotene gel. I still keep thinking about Melanie/Racci's great input on dental care. Our Magpie, who came through her dental beautifully last week, will not tolerate having her teeth brushed (she was severely abused and kicked in the face, which broke a tooth). But if I could find products like the ones mentioned, maybe I could try if she will allow me to rub her gums with a Q-tip, as Anne described? Does anyone else have experience with this technique, or this method of dental care? I want to do the best I can for our cats, but of course I don't want to force Maggie to have to deal with a daily ordeal that would traumatise her further. I'm just wondering if others have experience with this. I'd have to see if I can even get such products here in South Africa. Just mulling over this.

Yesterday totally kicked my butt. But today is a new day! Isn't Wednesday also called "hump day"? I'm hoping it's also "over the hump day" :mrgreen:
Hugs all round!
Jane

 

Re: Karre's Caturday Condo (14/10/12) - The Late Condo (Phot

I put some Advanced Tartar Control with Enzymatic Action Chicken Flavor Toothpaste on the tip of my index finger, and rub it lightly along J.D.'s teeth. I don't do it everyday, like my vet says I should, but he gets it about 3 times a week. It's hard to get to the back teeth, but I think (hope) it spreads around his mouth with his saliva.