Grandcat having extended 'sleepover'!

his_missus

Oh Slinky, I hope you find the cause of any allergy soon. Scrappy seems to have stopped overgrooming so I'm going to try and wean him off the Ovarid again. He's been spending a lot of time outside so I'm hoping that bully cat has moved on.


Mum's dog was attacked by a cat in her back garden over the weekend (she says there's been a few unfamiliar tom cats around recently - maybe a female in season?) and he's on antibiotics as the wound got infected. Hope these cats have moved on by Scrappy's next holiday to Grandma's in a few weeks or I may well end up back at square one!

Slinky

The vet says we'll try changing her food next if the steroid and tablets don't work. He says Hills do a Venison and Pea one (!). Venison and peas don't figure much in standard cat food so if she were to eat that and the allergic reaction stops, what's in her food previously has to be suspect.

We had the carpets cleaned about 3 weeks ago in case it was fleas/dust mites, that doesn't seem to have had much effect (other than she's stopped clawing the bottom stair - hooray!).

It could be something like pollen. The vet says he sees one cat every year in the 2nd week of August that is reacting to pollen, gets treated and he doesn't see it again for a year.

meritaten

um - just how popular is Venison as pet food? I find that a bit strange.and Venison is rarely fed to cats so of course it wouldn't feature highly on list of 'allergic foods'!
I bet that food is very expensive!


son suffered allergies and lamb and potatoes seemed to be top of list of least allergic foods. along with chicken. With him it was 'dairy'.


I strongly suspect 'hay fever' with Barnes! the teabags are helping enormously! but when he has been outside, his eyes and nose are 'runny' when he comes in! oh well, its 'tree pollen season this month'. if it gets worse will take him up vets but he seems ok in himself. ahhh bless him - he is enjoying the time in the sun enormously - it would be a shame to keep him indoors because his nose is running! You can SEE him enjoying it - stretching out on the decking in the sun - and when he gets hot he finds a shady patch. then having a lovely roll on the gravel...........I don't think I would like that much, but Barnes obviously likes it.
and the new growth coming up - Barnes is acquainting himself with it all. his 'perimeter checks' take longer now. lol - he makes me think of a 'head gardener' going round and noting what's coming up etc.
I was watching a film today - Barnes kept coming in and squeeking at me then going back out - I think he thought I was 'wasting' all this lovely outside time! he was ever so pleased when I joined him outside! Purred like mad and got up and rubbed against me before settling happily back down.

Slinky

Yes the point of the venison is that it's not in other pet foods. So many cat foods say 'chicken' for example but will contain all sorts of other meats and fillers, so you can't say that if the cat shows an allergic reaction to the 'chicken' food, it's chicken that's the cause, it could be any one of the other ingredients.

If we have to go down the food route it'll be try her with the venison, if she's OK with that I guess we can then try introducing other foods back into her diet whilst checking that what we're giving her doesn't set off the allergy again.

You could say why not try her with things like chicken or fish we buy for ourselves rather than pet food - we've tried her with 'human' food, she turns her nose up at it!

meritaten

oh right slinky - I see the logic now, I think! Barnes wont eat human food either - unless its prawns. He does like a nice slurp of tea and coffee though - you cant put your cup on the floor - he thinks its inviting him to partake in your brew! rofl - he has been known to drink the lot!!
he was so eager to go out this morning (I slept a bit late) that he dashed between my feet on the way to French door and I nearly got upended.................!
then we picked up one of the grandgirls this evening and brought her down and he came running to greet us, spotted C and that I was behind her taking my shoes off and the two of them did that 'get by you' dance in the hallway! now THAT was funny!

meritaten

no grandkids tonight - three of them sleptover last night. Barnes and I put them to bed and they like me to do a 'guided meditation' with them before they go to sleep. they have a choice of that or a 'story' and they usually want a meditation. They each choose a crystal to hold and it takes about 5 minutes before they are all FAST asleep! Barnes, now he realises he doesn't have to hide behind the curtains, likes to come on the bed and lie by their legs. he stays when I come downstairs again - but, he has stopped staying in with them all night - at some point he will come in with me when I am asleep.
I got up fairly early this morning - but Barnes was ready for breakfast and 'garden time'. but, it was raining! so he sniffed a bit and declined to go out - and went back to bed with the girls. lol. it wasn't long before the sun came out and one of the girls got up - so Barnes got up with her, had more breakfast and went out.


the girls went home about 11.30 and we have had a very quiet day! its a lot colder than yesterday - temp dropped at least 8 degrees! and a bit breezy - which Barnes doesn't like, so he has been in and out. which means I have had the job of opening and closing the door for him - roll on warmer weather and I can leave the door open for him to come and go as he pleases!


oh well - its a form of 'exercise' I suppose - equivalent to having to change tv channels on the tv itself in the days before 'remote controls' - remember those?

meritaten

I don't like Sundays! to paraphrase the song.
I slept badly and slept late! luckily OH was up and let Barnes out and there was more than enough dry food for his breakfast. I think OH got him his fresh water too.
was enjoying a peaceful morning when I got a flurry of phone calls off the grandchildren - four of them invited themselves to lunch! so had to do a Roast dinner.
its been windy as hell here - NOT Barnes' favourite weather or mine! I had planned on sowing some annual seeds in some of the bare patches in the garden - but, there is no way they could be sowed today.
lol - Barnes and I were on the settee when what looked like a 'dementor' from Harry Potter appeared above the decking! it swirled around and Barnes rushed to the French door.... I let him out and he tried to catch it.... but it went over the fence! I think it was really a black bin liner - but Barnes didn't like it one bit! his fur was all standing up! if he was a dog I am sure he would have been growling at it! I like to think he was 'protecting me'!

meritaten

Flipping Eck! got up to cloud and drizzle - skies cleared and sun came out - but it was still COLD! I got a hellova lot of exercise letting Barnes in and out today!
and I broke three nails - now I ask you............just how can you break a nail knitting? the other two broke when I waved a fly away from my face and my hand caught a shelf. Yeah its been that sort of day.
was grooming Barnes and was wiping his eyes with teabags when I felt something round and hard down in his face crease - managed to tease it out - but cant for the life of me tell what it is! I thought at first it was 'gunk' from his eye which had solidified - but, its rock hard - like a stone! anyway, checked down the other face crease and that was ok. Barnes seemed relieved it was removed - licked my hand anyway. I cant think how I managed to miss that when 'doing' his eyes. He has very deep face creases from the inner corner of his eyes each side of his very flat nose and his chunky cheeks! I usually wipe there when doing G&T as I am aware that Persians can have problems there. and I have never noticed anything like that before!


Since then however, his eyes don't seem so runny.
OH is 'On call' this week - so Barnes hasn't got his TV buddy right now. lol - he is in living room on his own as I am here on puter and OH gone to work - I have left TV on.

meritaten

Barnes eyes are so much better today! still, I am being careful about wiping down the crease though.
not really much to tell you - he has had a good day - in and out of the garden as its been fine but rather breezy.
Grandgirls came after school as usual - so he was happy to see them.
OH been out on a 'callout' since 5.30 - so Barnes is napping on settee back.

meritaten

Barnes is not pleased with me! in fact he is really 'Pussed off'!
OH was late coming home and I needed bread and milk from the shop (plus some cash from cashpoint), so we just headed on up the village. I totally forgot Barnes was outside! Got back to find him sat outside the French doors staring in. let him in and he was really 'off' with me. Uh Oh! I have the feeling he saw us getting in the car and leaving. he wont let me touch him! but, it didn't stop him from eating his supper though! He has shown he prefers OHs company since - no change there then, as he does this every evening as OH sits and watches tv! while I play on the computer!
Thank the goddesses it has been warm enough to leave the French door open from about midday! he has had fun chasing bees, flies and wasps in and out of the living room!