OT: The cats on 6 December 2009 >^..^<

Today's listing of Roman Catholic saints includes St. Nicholas of
Bari, an obscure saint of whom little is known except for the ususal
fantastic legends. But he was very poular in the Middle Ages, and
wound up as Patron Saint of children, bakers, pawnbrokers, mariners,
and Russia. We do know that he was Bishop of Mira (in present day
Turkey) during the 4th Century.

Meanwhile, I did an inventory of the cats heated beds, to see which
ones needed to be replaced due to failure of the heating element. Two
of the five will need that. Four of these beds are in the windows, so
the cats can be warm and comfortable while looking outdoors. The fifth
is on the kitchen chair beside my own kitchen chair, a heated cup bed.
Lucas especially likes this one. Fluffy sticks to my bed and the
heated blanket there. She looks so serene when stretched out and
napping.

The long, dry spell in the Los Angeles basin seems to be coming to an
end. Heavy rain is predicted starting tomorrow and lasting through
Friday. We need the water for the extremely low reservoirs, and the
dangerously lowered water table. However, the rains could also cause
flooding and mud slides in the areas of the recent fires.

"Harry Mary Andruschak" <adoptsoldcats@aol.com> wrote in message
news:7be71e9d-25a1-47c7-a7af-3f2395649281@u8g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>
> Meanwhile, I did an inventory of the cats heated beds, to see which
> ones needed to be replaced due to failure of the heating element. Two
> of the five will need that. Four of these beds are in the windows, so
> the cats can be warm and comfortable while looking outdoors. The fifth
> is on the kitchen chair beside my own kitchen chair, a heated cup bed.
> Lucas especially likes this one. Fluffy sticks to my bed and the
> heated blanket there. She looks so serene when stretched out and
> napping.
---------------
Where do you get these heated beds, and how much do they cost? Is it
dangerous to leave them on when you're not home?

Eva

"Eva" <EvaDStructionNO@NOverizon.net> wrote in message
news:udSdnSfdpYffPoDWnZ2dnUVZ_uqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>
> "Harry Mary Andruschak" <adoptsoldcats@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:7be71e9d-25a1-47c7-a7af-3f2395649281@u8g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> Meanwhile, I did an inventory of the cats heated beds, to see which
>> ones needed to be replaced due to failure of the heating element. Two
>> of the five will need that. Four of these beds are in the windows, so
>> the cats can be warm and comfortable while looking outdoors. The fifth
>> is on the kitchen chair beside my own kitchen chair, a heated cup bed.
>> Lucas especially likes this one. Fluffy sticks to my bed and the
>> heated blanket there. She looks so serene when stretched out and
>> napping.
> ---------------
> Where do you get these heated beds, and how much do they cost? Is it
> dangerous to leave them on when you're not home?
>
> Eva

See if this link to the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog works - it's the pages
with their cat beds - regular & heated:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/cat-su...ps/c/3261/1883

I don't know about leaving them on while you're not at home, because I don't
have one. Instead, the wicker double-decker cat basket is in front of one
of the wall heating vents - so the top bunk gets direct warm air from the
furnace. So I'll leave Harry to answer that one. (There's a blurb to
clickon the first cat bed page, but it doesn't mention the electrical safety
aspect, AFAICT.)

How's Rosie doing? She must be... in her mid-late teens?

Cathy



>
>

"Harry Mary Andruschak" <adoptsoldcats@aol.com> wrote in message
news:7be71e9d-25a1-47c7-a7af-3f2395649281@u8g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> Today's listing of Roman Catholic saints includes St. Nicholas of
> Bari, an obscure saint of whom little is known except for the ususal
> fantastic legends. But he was very poular in the Middle Ages, and
> wound up as Patron Saint of children, bakers, pawnbrokers, mariners,
> and Russia. We do know that he was Bishop of Mira (in present day
> Turkey) during the 4th Century.

I know virtually nothing about saints, but... heh - I was baking Xmas
cookies today, incl. recipes I've never tried before, & they turned out
well. ;-)

Cathy

"Cathy" <clfr@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
news:goidnUZuq9D6N4DWnZ2dnUVZ_vSdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>
> "Eva" <EvaDStructionNO@NOverizon.net> wrote in message
> news:udSdnSfdpYffPoDWnZ2dnUVZ_uqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>
>> "Harry Mary Andruschak" <adoptsoldcats@aol.com> wrote in message
>> news:7be71e9d-25a1-47c7-a7af-3f2395649281@u8g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, I did an inventory of the cats heated beds, to see which
>>> ones needed to be replaced due to failure of the heating element. Two
>>> of the five will need that. Four of these beds are in the windows, so
>>> the cats can be warm and comfortable while looking outdoors. The fifth
>>> is on the kitchen chair beside my own kitchen chair, a heated cup bed.
>>> Lucas especially likes this one. Fluffy sticks to my bed and the
>>> heated blanket there. She looks so serene when stretched out and
>>> napping.
>> ---------------
>> Where do you get these heated beds, and how much do they cost? Is it
>> dangerous to leave them on when you're not home?
>>
>> Eva
>
> See if this link to the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog works - it's the pages
> with their cat beds - regular & heated:
> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/cat-su...ps/c/3261/1883
--------------
Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
----------------
>
>
> How's Rosie doing? She must be... in her mid-late teens?
------------------
Rosie is 17 1/2. She isn't sick, but she's old and frail. And very skinny.
She eats, but she keeps losing weight. She weighs less than 4 lbs. I
started to cry when the vet weighed her. The vet did blood work (I cried
even more when she drew the blood) and it came back with nothing abnormal
for a cat her age. The vet says I should not try to give her high-calorie
supplements.

For a while there she was going outside her box all the time. That was
actually why I took her to the vet. But she tested negative for a urinary
infection, and the vet said she didn't show signs of dementia. She said the
cat had to be unhappy about something. I started changing her litter more
often and spending more "quality time" with her. I also closed off the room
where she most often "went." Now she uses the box 95% of the time, so
that's a good thing.

But I don't think she's long for this world if she keeps losing weight like
this. I'm going to be miserable without her. She's one of a kind. I
never knew another cat like her.

Thanks for asking. Feel free to update us on your crew!

Eva

x-no-archive: yes

Eva wrote:
-------------
> Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
> between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
> ----------------

I just buy the fleece covered pet bed liners and place them on or near
radiators; one's on a shelf in built in cabinetry, one's on an ottoman
in the LR, one's near a window in my closet, not near the heat. They
move around depending on where the heat or sun is.

Very cheap, and they really love curling up in the oval shaped bed
liners. Easy to toss into the wash, too.

Susan

"Susan" <susan@nothanks.org> wrote in message
news:7o79h0F3oq7e6U3@mid.individual.net...
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Eva wrote:
> -------------
>> Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
>> between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
>> ----------------
>
> I just buy the fleece covered pet bed liners and place them on or near
> radiators; one's on a shelf in built in cabinetry, one's on an ottoman in
> the LR, one's near a window in my closet, not near the heat. They move
> around depending on where the heat or sun is.
>
> Very cheap, and they really love curling up in the oval shaped bed liners.
> Easy to toss into the wash, too.
>
> Susan

Yep, similar to my (well, the cat's) bed next to the heating vent. They
never use that bed during the summer - despite no warmth coming out of the
vent, but as soon as the weather definitely turns... they start using it
again. Tells me for sure when it's spring (the no longer sleep there) &
when it's late fall/virtually winter.

There're also the pads & bed that aren't heated, but have a reflective film
lining to reflect the cat's own body heat back at them.

Cathy

On Dec 7, 4:52�pm, "Eva" <EvaDStructio...@NOverizon.net> wrote:
> ---------------
> Where do you get these heated beds, and how much do they cost? �Is it
> dangerous to leave them on when you're not home?


I bought the heated cat beds from Drs. Foster and Smith, via the
internet and their printed catalog. Given the low wattage of the
heating element, I know of no danger.

On Dec 8, 8:18�am, "Cathy" <c...@roadrunner.com> wrote:
>
> There're also the pads & bed that aren't heated, but have a reflective film
> lining to reflect the cat's own body heat back at them.
>

I have several of those as well, scattered all over the apartment,
especiaslly on chairs and sofas that the cats like to relax on.

"Eva" <EvaDStructionNO@NOverizon.net> wrote in message
news:GpqdnRMI1-LyQoDWnZ2dnUVZ_uCdnZ2d@giganews.com...
>
> "Cathy" <clfr@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
> news:goidnUZuq9D6N4DWnZ2dnUVZ_vSdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>
>> "Eva" <EvaDStructionNO@NOverizon.net> wrote in message
>> news:udSdnSfdpYffPoDWnZ2dnUVZ_uqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>>
>>> "Harry Mary Andruschak" <adoptsoldcats@aol.com> wrote in message
>>> news:7be71e9d-25a1-47c7-a7af-3f2395649281@u8g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>>>>
>>>> Meanwhile, I did an inventory of the cats heated beds, to see which
>>>> ones needed to be replaced due to failure of the heating element. Two
>>>> of the five will need that. Four of these beds are in the windows, so
>>>> the cats can be warm and comfortable while looking outdoors. The fifth
>>>> is on the kitchen chair beside my own kitchen chair, a heated cup bed.
>>>> Lucas especially likes this one. Fluffy sticks to my bed and the
>>>> heated blanket there. She looks so serene when stretched out and
>>>> napping.
>>> ---------------
>>> Where do you get these heated beds, and how much do they cost? Is it
>>> dangerous to leave them on when you're not home?
>>>
>>> Eva
>>
>> See if this link to the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog works - it's the
>> pages with their cat beds - regular & heated:
>> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/cat-su...ps/c/3261/1883
> --------------
> Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
> between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
> ----------------
>>
>>
>> How's Rosie doing? She must be... in her mid-late teens?
> ------------------
> Rosie is 17 1/2. She isn't sick, but she's old and frail. And very
> skinny. She eats, but she keeps losing weight. She weighs less than 4
> lbs. I started to cry when the vet weighed her. The vet did blood work
> (I cried even more when she drew the blood) and it came back with nothing
> abnormal for a cat her age. The vet says I should not try to give her
> high-calorie supplements.

Eating (good thing!), yet losing weight made me think her bloodwork would
show hyperthyroidism. Huh. Yeah... 4 lb. is really tiny. Too bad it can't
be pinned down to something specific cause-wise, so that she could be
treated for whatever is causing the weight loss.

> For a while there she was going outside her box all the time. That was
> actually why I took her to the vet. But she tested negative for a urinary
> infection, and the vet said she didn't show signs of dementia. She said
> the cat had to be unhappy about something. I started changing her litter
> more often and spending more "quality time" with her. I also closed off
> the room where she most often "went." Now she uses the box 95% of the
> time, so that's a good thing.

A very good thing.

> But I don't think she's long for this world if she keeps losing weight
> like this. I'm going to be miserable without her.

I'd be worried about her weight loss, too.... :-( Here's good thoughts
going out to her - & you! Plus pets, or chin scritches, or what ever she
likes, for her.

So far, I've been lucky in that I've always had one or two other cats still
at home when one died - so at least there was a cat in the house & it didn't
feel quite so empty without the recently departed cat. And helps since
there's still another one to take care of - can't dwell quite as much on the
one who's gone.

She's one of a kind. I
> never knew another cat like her.

Being a calico, Rosie esp. has the right to be one of a kind. ;-) Demelza
(also calico) was definitely in a league of her own, too.

>
> Thanks for asking. Feel free to update us on your crew!
>
> Eva

Thanks. Well, they're now probably 10 & 12. I don't know when either one
was born since Herrie (B&W tux, w. white bowtie mustache) was a stray in the
large kitten stage in Aug. '99, & Kenya (tortoiseshell) was adopted from the
Humane Society with age 10 given on her surrender/entrance papers in Feb.
'08. So far, except for Kenya being way too tubby, acc. to blood work & vet
exams they appear to be healthy. And other than being feline, they are
*nothing* like Sabina - first cat who was a 1-person cat & quite feisty!, or
Demelza - who had enough personality for 5 - 10 cats rolled into one. ;-)

They are both fairly laid-back; Herrie likes *everybody*. He'll walk right
up to people - or cats - he's never met before, ready to say "hi". (I
wouldn't be overly surprised if he liked dogs, too, given the chance to meet
some.) Kenya was understandably quite shy & timid when I first brought her
home, but she settled in more quickly than I thought she would. What I've
noticed the most lately is that she'll engage Herrie in play-fighting, or
playing "paws" around a doorway or through the stair rails, now & again -
initiating it; & no longer flinches as much as she used to if you go to pet
her with your hand above her head. And if one of the neighbor cats comes
onto the front porch & looks into the front hall at her - or comes into the
house (2 of them are allowed in), she's cool about it - no hissy fits. She
reminds me the most of (RIP) Debbie cat - very quiet, placid, &
affectionate. Sort of a benign presence. Not a dual personality -
affectionate, yet hell-on-paws - cat; she's definitely not holding up her
end of the stick re: the calico/tortie personality trait!

Cathy

"Eva" <EvaDStructionNO@NOverizon.net> wrote in message
news:GpqdnRMI1-LyQoDWnZ2dnUVZ_uCdnZ2d@giganews.com...
>
> "Cathy" <clfr@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
> news:goidnUZuq9D6N4DWnZ2dnUVZ_vSdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>
>> "Eva" <EvaDStructionNO@NOverizon.net> wrote in message
>> news:udSdnSfdpYffPoDWnZ2dnUVZ_uqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>>
>>> "Harry Mary Andruschak" <adoptsoldcats@aol.com> wrote in message
>>> news:7be71e9d-25a1-47c7-a7af-3f2395649281@u8g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>>>>
>>>> Meanwhile, I did an inventory of the cats heated beds, to see which
>>>> ones needed to be replaced due to failure of the heating element. Two
>>>> of the five will need that. Four of these beds are in the windows, so
>>>> the cats can be warm and comfortable while looking outdoors. The fifth
>>>> is on the kitchen chair beside my own kitchen chair, a heated cup bed.
>>>> Lucas especially likes this one. Fluffy sticks to my bed and the
>>>> heated blanket there. She looks so serene when stretched out and
>>>> napping.
>>> ---------------
>>> Where do you get these heated beds, and how much do they cost? Is it
>>> dangerous to leave them on when you're not home?
>>>
>>> Eva
>>
>> See if this link to the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog works - it's the
>> pages with their cat beds - regular & heated:
>> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/cat-su...ps/c/3261/1883
> --------------
> Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
> between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
> ----------------
>>
>>
>> How's Rosie doing? She must be... in her mid-late teens?
> ------------------
> Rosie is 17 1/2. She isn't sick, but she's old and frail. And very
> skinny. She eats, but she keeps losing weight. She weighs less than 4
> lbs. I started to cry when the vet weighed her. The vet did blood work
> (I cried even more when she drew the blood) and it came back with nothing
> abnormal for a cat her age. The vet says I should not try to give her
> high-calorie supplements.
>
> For a while there she was going outside her box all the time. That was
> actually why I took her to the vet. But she tested negative for a urinary
> infection, and the vet said she didn't show signs of dementia. She said
> the cat had to be unhappy about something. I started changing her litter
> more often and spending more "quality time" with her. I also closed off
> the room where she most often "went." Now she uses the box 95% of the
> time, so that's a good thing.
>
> But I don't think she's long for this world if she keeps losing weight
> like this. I'm going to be miserable without her. She's one of a kind.
> I never knew another cat like her.
>
> Thanks for asking. Feel free to update us on your crew!

My Maui is almost the same age. She was losing weight too and I thought
this was a good thing because she had been overweight. I assumed the weight
loss came from not eating as much when I switched her to a gluten free diet.

Turns out she has a heart problem and is hyperthyroid which may in fact be
the reason for the heart problem. She had been throwing up a lot but now
rarely does it.

The problem I have now is finding a food she will eat. Seems she likes one
food until I stock up on it and then she wants another. I was spoon feeding
her for a while. She loves being spoon fed. But then I found a food that
she wolfs down. Now if I am home, I give her a third meal of the moist
food. She has dry food all the time but she doesn't seem to like it as
much. I also give her all the treats she wants.

She doesn't look like an old cat. She can still jump up on my bed. I did
put some steps there for her but she doesn't always use them.

"Susan" <susan@nothanks.org> wrote in message
news:7o79h0F3oq7e6U3@mid.individual.net...
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Eva wrote:
> -------------
>> Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
>> between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
>> ----------------
>
> I just buy the fleece covered pet bed liners and place them on or near
> radiators; one's on a shelf in built in cabinetry, one's on an ottoman in
> the LR, one's near a window in my closet, not near the heat. They move
> around depending on where the heat or sun is.
>
> Very cheap, and they really love curling up in the oval shaped bed liners.
> Easy to toss into the wash, too.

Maui prefers to sleep on Angela's or my bed. We leave the quilt and some
fleece throws bunched up on the top. She likes to burrow under there with
just her head sticking out. I never had any luck getting her to sleep in a
cat bed.

"Cathy" <clfr@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
news:MLKdnQ-rhZWh4YPWnZ2dnUVZ_sWdnZ2d@giganews.com...
>
> "Susan" <susan@nothanks.org> wrote in message
> news:7o79h0F3oq7e6U3@mid.individual.net...
>> x-no-archive: yes
>>
>> Eva wrote:
>> -------------
>>> Yes, the link worked and I see that the heated beds/pads/blankets cost
>>> between $60 and $80. Good thing I live in a warm apartment!
>>> ----------------
>>
>> I just buy the fleece covered pet bed liners and place them on or near
>> radiators; one's on a shelf in built in cabinetry, one's on an ottoman in
>> the LR, one's near a window in my closet, not near the heat. They move
>> around depending on where the heat or sun is.
>>
>> Very cheap, and they really love curling up in the oval shaped bed
>> liners. Easy to toss into the wash, too.
>>
>> Susan
>
> Yep, similar to my (well, the cat's) bed next to the heating vent. They
> never use that bed during the summer - despite no warmth coming out of the
> vent, but as soon as the weather definitely turns... they start using it
> again. Tells me for sure when it's spring (the no longer sleep there) &
> when it's late fall/virtually winter.
>
> There're also the pads & bed that aren't heated, but have a reflective
> film lining to reflect the cat's own body heat back at them.

I had some of those Purr pads. They reflect the cat's body heat. They got
very ratty looking in a short period of time though.