Acne…just Acne!

Posted on August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Just got back from the “Cat Hospital” where the Vet examined a very squirmy Rocky.

I noticed this morning that the swelling seemed to have subsided overnight and clearly it wasn’t as tender as he let me pet him with no “melps” or aversion. Still I felt as a senior cat that it was worth following up on.

Rocky has lost a little weight ( We can only hope that Buddy is losing too. ) but no temp. Rocky also let the vet look into his mouth and under his tongue and all was good there. Under his chin, nestled in his chin hair, was a pimple.

Maybe it was an ingrown hair or maybe he scratched himself or got a bug bite, but that little pimple looked like it could have been the problem. It still looked red and sore.

She also pointed out a ring of black heads along his lower jaw line. Diagnosis: Kitty Acne! Treatment: warm compress, Strident Wipes, and an OTC antibacterial cream interspersed with lots of petting. I am also going to toss out the plastic water dishes and switch them to ceramic. I did that with the food bowls years ago when I had Little Joe because he was prone to kitty acne too.

So I guess cats and humans have something in common. Adult onset acne!

So glad that’s all it is.

If It’s Not One Thing It’s Another!

Posted on August 20, 2014August 20, 2014 by Dusty Roads

So you all know that this year has been a rough one in my little household. First I played the klutz and got all bruised up on the trip to San Diego.

Then poor Smokey passed away.

Smokey

And most recently I came down with shingles.

Just when I thought things might be looking up Rocky started acting strange. Well he always acts strange but this time he started acting like he was in pain.

Yesterday morning he played fuzzy alarm clock and got me up by sticking his nose in my face. Cat whiskers tickle in case you didn’t know that. As I moved over to make room for him he plopped his chin on my hand while I rubbed his cheeks, chin and throat. He was the picture of contentment.

This morning was completely different. Once again he woke me up by sticking his nose in my face but when I went to give his chin a rub he gave a melp (that’s the cat version of yelp) and almost backed off the bed in an effort to get away. That got my attention.

I got up and tried to approach him but he kept running away. This is not normal behavior for the Rocket-man.

I decided to feed them fish cat food for breakfast. I usually save that for treats because I’ve heard fish flavored cat food isn’t good for male cats. Of course they love it. It’s Rocky’s favorite and I wanted to be sure he was eating. He is. And he had a drink of water after breakfast and he did some grooming. All good signs.

Except when he came over for his after breakfast petting session and I reached for his head…he almost fell over backward getting away. I let him go and he found a chair to his liking and curled up to sleep. If he’s sick that’s probably just what he needs.

He is now letting me pet his back and if I work my way up from his back to his neck to his head I can gently stroke his cheeks but I can’t go near his chin.

I called the vet and tomorrow morning we’ll find out what, if anything is going on. I’ll be sure to let you know.

Love the New Furniture

Posted on August 18, 2014August 18, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Rocky hasn’t really warmed up to the new furniture but Buddy loves the recliner.

He will settle for the love seat if I refuse to move.

It’s a Cat’s Life~No Words Needed

Posted on August 17, 2014August 17, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Physical Therapy and Cats

Posted on August 1, 2014August 1, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Well I seem to be in a holding pattern with the shingles. I’d say about 3/4 of the rash is gone and the redness is fading but there’s still a stubborn spot right in the middle of my back. I’m also still getting those weird cramps in my right side. But it’s not getting any worse either.

The physical therapist for my left hip called and I started there this week. The first appointment was an intake appointment and was pretty easy. They determined that my hip/leg pain was not sciatica(Yay!) and is really just overly tight muscles. They sent me home with a card full of future appointments and a couple of basic stretching exercises.

Back for my second PT session they tried to lull me by using heat therapy first followed by massage. It was a deep tissue massage and as always it hurt like crazy but it loosened up a ton of muscles. I should have made my escape then because the rest of the session was 45 minutes of stretching . By the time they cut me loose my legs were like jello but I was moving better and the tingling had disappeared so maybe this is working.

Back home my fuzzy roommates were happy to see me. They are used to me being around home most of the time so when I go out for awhile they gather at the door to wait for my return.

My cats are weird, no doubt about that. You know how Rocky has to have a heat lamp but Buddy does something even stranger than sleep in a sun spot. Buddy climbs to the top of the cat tree and drapes himself over the edge. Pretty soon you hear coughing, gagging and wheezing. Silly cat is choking himself. He does that to get my attention and he’ll only sit up if I bring him the tube of hairball gel. He loves that and when he sees me coming with that tube in my hand, well, lets just say, he has a miraculous recovery.