Friday 17 January 2014

Birdies, Mice, Yoda and other Rich Food…

I thought you might like an update about our lovely puss, Tom?
281213_On_the_Sofa
This photo was taken on December 28th and was one of the first times Tom settled down on the sofa.  This has now become his very favourite spot and he’ll happily snooze there, or sit next to a human and graciously accept fuss and strokes!
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He’s also started to discover that sitting on someone’s lap can be rather nice… This is our new chair & footstool – a pair of legs stretched out flat makes a very good cat-lap!
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He’s also discovered the tv – and videos on the laptop!  This is him watching a video (excuse the weird hand in the corner)…
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…and watching a wildlife programme on television.  He loves to watch anything that’s moving – especially other animals or birds.  Mind you, just after this bird was shown, some elephants appeared – Tom ran and hid under the table!
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He is the only cat we’ve had who likes to watch tv.  He has a very favourite video too…
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He’s pretty fascinated by this video of two mice running on their wheel… He gets right up close and stares…
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… he even gets his paws up on the keyboard (and then wonders why the video stops!).  
(BTW please ignore the very crumpled curtains in the background – they were only put up two days ago and they need some steam to remove the creases!)
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He even likes children’s tv…
          But this is his Nemesis…
Yoda
To a small fluffy cat, this image is truly terrifying!  He hid in a corner for ages. 
* * *
More scary still though, for Tom, was today’s trip to the V.E.T.!  Poor Tom hasn’t been 100% for the past four days.  He kept being sick whenever he’d eaten.  We initially thought it was a furball problem, especially as he didn’t seem unwell at all – except for the being sick.  However, as he still hadn’t recovered today, I took him to the vet this evening. 

He was not happy to be tricked into his carrier (even though it’s very comfortable!).  He was less happy about being in the car and he complained very vocally for the majority of the drive.  Then he was examined by the vet, who prodded and squeezed him, listened to him with a stethoscope, took his temperature (how undignified!)…
 
The vet said there isn’t anything serious wrong; Tom has possibly had “a bug”, but his symptoms show that he has “acute gastritis” – in other words, an upset and acidy tummy.  She gave him an injection of anti-emetic, which should give him 24-hours of not being sick and let his system have a chance to recover.  He also has Zantac – human tablets, broken into tiny pieces!  
But worst of all?  He can’t have his nice, posh cat foods any more! We bought him very good cat food – the expensive tinned and foil-tray stuff.  We wanted to make sure he was well cared for and had “the best” we could afford.  However, it turns out these are two of the richest foods on the market.  Our Tom has been a stray and has lived in a foster kennels for a year.  His tummy was used to whatever he could scrounge and then the basic, less expensive brands of food.  He just can’t cope with the stuff we have been feeding him and his system has finally had enough! Which explains why he was a bit better when we gave him small amounts of tinned tuna in plain water.  
So, unwittingly, we have made a problem for him.  We now have some sachets of food for “sensitive digestive systems”, for him to eat over the next few days.  Then he is to have “supermarket brand” or Felix… nothing richer than that.  The vet thinks this should settle his stomach and he’ll be fine.   
Otherwise, he’s a huge (6.15kg), fluffy, healthy and beautiful cat!

12 comments:

  1. He's certainly settling in very well - you can see that in the photos LOL
    I guess you guys have to adjust to his needs as well - hope he's on the mend soon.

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  2. He is being very well dared for and much loved :). Hoping his digestion sorts itself out soon and you find a plainer and simpler diet that suits this lovely character!

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    1. It does show that spoiling someone is never a good idea! And yes Alexa, we love him to bits already!

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  3. We have a dog that watches TV as well.....but only if there are animals on.......she once tried to leap into the TV. Sounds like Tom is really settling in now.

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    1. Tom loves anything that flies or scurries on the screen. But not big animals, or strange faces - like Yoda!

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  4. Glad you worked out what the problem was and have a solution. He looks very happy too :)

    Little Miss used to watch tv if there were birds on it - otherwise she ignores it. We always called the fishtank 'cat tv' as both would watch for hours.

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    1. Ha! Dave calls the huge big windows "Cat TV" because it's a great place for Tom to sit and watch the world outside. He likes to look at birds on the decking and in the trees.

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  5. So cute that he likes to watch videos. Mine don't watch but they do respond to sounds. If a dog barks on tv while Smoke is in the room she will look around and hiss at everything.

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    1. He didn't mind a barking dog, but hid from elephants.
      Sherlock never seemed to notice tv or voices on the tv or video - when Dave called us from Stockholm by Skype, Sherlock didn't even respond when his name was called. So it seems really strange that Tom is so interested.

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  6. I can't believe that it is the same scaredy Tom cat on laps and watching tv. you have worked wonders with your patience and love.

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    1. Thanks, but I think most credit goes to Tom - he's a brave little cat and so very sweet.

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