Act Natural - Waffles' Quickee Dental Update

WAFFLES:  Uh oh, how did I end up back here at the VET??? This can't be good. 

WAFFLES:  Something about checking my teeth again and making sure they're ok. The last time they did that, they STOLE some.

WAFFLES:  Ok, act natural. Maybe if I sit here really super still, no one will notice me. 

Nothing to see here. Just us cat statues. 

* moments later...*

WAFFLES:  Nope, not gonna do it. 

WAFFLES:  Not opening my mouth no matter how handsome you say I am. 

Waffles Dental Update

Waffles took another Jeep ride to the vet this week for a quick look-see to make sure he was healing properly from his recent dental procedure and extractions. 

Everything checked out 100% perfect. Of course, Waffles already knew that. 

That's Brittany, our super-sweet Vet Tech, checking out her orange crush, Waffles. One thing we love SO much about the staff at our clinic (Uniquely Cats of Boulder) is how they don't even hesitate to get right down to the same level as their cat clients. In fact, every time Katie or Waffles has been there for an exam, our vet and the techs sit right down on the floor with them. 

The exam rooms don't even look like exam rooms. They're peaceful, comfortable and not a stainless steel table to be found.

Katie & Waffles' Vet Adventure

WAFFLES:  Over the river and through the woods, to Grand-girly's house we go! ♫♩

KATIE:  I hate to break it to you, Waffles. But there is no Grand-girly's house.

WAFFLES:  Then where are we going over the river and through the woods to?

KATIE:  Right, right, left. Freeway. Left, left, right. That can only mean one thing. 

WAFFLES:  Cool, we're going in circles! Like at the amusement park!

KATIE:  VET, Waffles. We're going to the vet.

WAFFLES:  What a ripoff. No cheese fries and no roller coasters?

KATIE:  Waffles, you're not supposed to eat cheese fries and as for the roller coaster, well life is already enough of a thrill ride when it comes to you.

WAFFLES:  I still say cheese fries would be better. So who's going first?

KATIE:  After you, Waffles. Way, way after you.

WAFFLES:  Ok, Boss. Wish me luck!

WAFFLES:  What do you mean I have to cut back on my cavalries?

KATIE:  Calories, Waffles. Not cavalries. That means you're supposed to eat less.

WAFFLES:  Eat LESS? You mean like less FOOD?

WAFFLES:  Ok, can we go back to the part where we all get cheese fries?

WAFFLES:  It's your turn, Boss. Watch out for the one with the gloves. 

KATIE:  Oh, I'm watching out for her alright. And if she's smart she'll be watching out for me.

About Today's Vet Visit Photos

Not even 24 hours after National Cat Day, and the day before Halloween, Katie and Waffles found themselves road-tripping to the vet for their annual physicals. Sounds like way more tricking than treating. 

Waffles' Results

Waffles is a happy, healthy mancat. But a little too healthy, according to the scale. His ideal weight is 10.5 pounds and he's inched his way up to 11. Nothing serious, but his portions are going to be scaled back just a tad. According to the vet, his daily calorie intake needs to hover at about 185. Sorry, Waff. No cheese fries for you. 

Katie's Results

At 10 years old, Katie is now considered a (shhh!) senior cat. She came home with the senior blood panel bandage of honor. (Orange for Halloween) No results yet, but we're not expecting any surprises. Still, it's a good idea to make sure all is well, what with cats being such masters of disguise when it comes to any ailments.

Because of Katie's IBD, she's been given as much food as she's wanted for the past few months. Mostly in an effort to keep her eating regularly and bring her up from 9 to about 10 pounds. Well that worked a little too well. Let's just say the Waffles won't be the only one trimming back his calorie intake.

One thing that Glogirly is doing to help Katie feel more full so she's not asking for 5 or 6 meals a day, is adding some warm water to her food. For example, in the morning when Katie gets 1/4 cup of whole ground rabbit, Glogirly adds 1/4 cup of water. So far, Katie is lapping it all up and hasn't been begging for multiple meals. 

Comfy, Cozy, Safe
We get so many great comments and questions from people at out vet's office whenever we show up in our Sleepypods. Did you know that they're the only company that conducts actual safety crash tests on their carriers? Whenever we ride, we always buckle up!

  

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Thank you!

Love Your Vet #Cat2VetDay

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss! YESTERDAY was Take Your Cat to the Vet Day. We missed it! 

KATIE:  Oh darn.

WAFFLES:  Should we go today instead?

KATIE:  Waffles, we were just there. Let's not wear out our welcome.

WAFFLES:  But it was Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, Boss. And we missed it. We have to go.  

KATIE:  Waffles, what matters is that we remind everyone how important it is to see their vet regularly. 

WAFFLES:  Why? Is it so the vets don't get lonely and stuff and miss us?

KATIE:  Waffles, you do know that Dr. Karlin's world doesn't revolve around you, right? 

WAFFLES:  Yeah, but every time I see her she makes me feel like it does. 

Don't let your vet miss you.
Schedule a wellness check today.

It's true. We love our vet. In fact at one point, Waffles wanted to marry Dr. Karlin. His hopes were dashed though when he realized that not only was she taken, she was seeing untold numbers of other cats. Dogs too. But that hasn't stopped him from flirting. Or amassing more girlfriends than he can count.

In all seriousness though, we're very passionate about the importance of regular veterinary visits. Living healthy, happy and long lives with our forever families is what it's all about.

Our own vet and the dedicated staff at Westgate Pet Clinic in Minneapolis are like family to us. They take the time to get to know us. They're incredibly gentle and caring each time we visit. They spend time talking to Glogirly, answering her questions and never, ever seem to be rushed. Even when the waiting area is chocked full. When there's a health concern or problem addressed, we always get a call back after a visit to check in on how things are going. And if we ever have a question, any question at all, they're happy to take our call. Our own vet has called us on many occasions. Like we said, we love her.

Click here to learn about the five reasons regular veterinary visits are so important to the health and well being of our furry family members. 

Do you love your vet?
If you're not happy with your vet, it's time to shop around. We have a feeling there are lots of Dr. Karlin's out there. You just have to be willing to look for them. 

WAFFLES:  My vet loves me SO much, I got to star in a Westgate Pet Clinic VIDEO!!!

KATIE:  Waffles, you were only in the video for like 4 seconds. 

WAFFLES:  Uh uuuh! It was at least FIVE.

(You can see Waffles at the 33 second mark)

Katie's Quick Bounce-Back to Feeling Frisky Fine

KATIE:  I feel Friday-frisky-fine! It's almost Caturday... International Cat Day no less. And nothing's going to get this kitty down!

 WAFFLES:  Uh, Boss? Hate to tell you this, but the treats are gone.

KATIE:  What do you mean the treats are gone? 

WAFFLES:  I mean the treats are gone. 

KATIE:  Gone how? 

WAFFLES:  Gone gone. 

KATIE:  Gone, you broke into the treat cabinet again gone?

WAFFLES:  I didn't break the treat cabinet. I just opened it. 

Update on Katie
Thank you SO much for your concern and well wishes for Katie yesterday. She's doing just fine and is already back to her footloose and fancy free self. We'll be giving her a small dose of a steroid for just a few days to safeguard against any inflammation in her digestive track... something that is very common in cats with Inflammatory Bowel Disease - IBD.

The steroid Katie takes occasionally is called Prednisolone. In the form of a pill, it's very bitter. So to make it more palatable, our vet compounds it for us. That means she turns it into a liquid and flavors it. Katie's flavor is bacon.

It's fairly easy for Glogirly to administer. She holds Katie in her arms and uses a small plastic syringe to squirt the medication into her mouth. Even if a little spills, Katie still gets a good amount of it.

We're pretty excited though to try out something new our vet has looked into for us. The next time Katie has a flare up, our clinic is going to have the Prednisolone compounded into a soft chew chicken-flavored treat. We think that's a brilliant idea. ...of course it will only be successful if Katie likes the taste. But talk about easy! Katie doesn't like to be picked up and isn't exactly crazy about a syringe of liquid squirted into her mouth.

If you find yourself struggling when it comes to giving your cat medication, check with your vet about compounding. As we understand it not all meds can be compounded, but many can! It's made a huge difference for us and it might be something that will help you and your cat.

NOTE:  We have an awesome vet, but we are NOT vets ourselves. Please seek out your own veterinarian whenever you have questions or need medical advice. Compounding is not something you should do on your own. Please leave that for the qualified medical pros!

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An Unexpected Vet Visit

WAFFLES:  So Boss, is it your fault that we're going to the vet again?

KATIE:  I didn't do anything. Don't try and pin this on ME, Waffles.

WAFFLES:  But Glogirly says I'm a ride-along. That means YOU'RE going to the vet.

KATIE:  Yeah well If I'M going to the vet, how come YOU'RE sitting in the seat next to me?

 *2 hours later, back at the Townhouse...*

WAFFLES:  Wow, Boss. Your Sleepypod really smells. 

KATIE:  Yeah Waffles... I wouldn't talk. 

Hello Again, My Vet ♫♩

Our friends that have been with us for awhile know that Katie is being treated for IBD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She's been doing SO great on her whole food diet. It's made all the difference for her. She's feeling so much better - enjoying eating, enjoying affection, playing... enjoying life. 

But not everyday is all sunshine and rainbows. Every once in awhile her symptoms will flare up, which for her means vomiting. It doesn't happen often... in fact the last flare up she had was about 4 months ago which was the longest time she'd gone without any problems at all. But when her breakfast didn't stay down and neither did a few treats, Glogirly knew she needed a little help.

Some cats with IBD take a daily steroid to help with inflammation in their GI tract. Fortunately Katie takes one only occasionally, whenever she has a flare up. Just to be on the safe side, Katie saw her regular vet to make sure everything was ok and there wasn't anything else we were missing. 

Despite her disdain for the clinic and staff (she's got a reputation to uphold) Katie did so well. She allowed the doctor to fully examine her and she's in great health. Perfect weight (9.5 pounds), healthy vital signs and the silkiest coat of any cat her vet has ever touched. Katie and Dr. Karlin have a special agreement about taking temperatures too. They've agreed it's just not going to happen. 

Katie will be taking just a little bit of Prednisolone (a steroid) for a few days. She had one dose at the clinic and no trouble with her dinner when we got home. 

Waffles– Along for the Ride

As for Waffles, he did great as a ride-along. He comes with every time, even when he doesn't need to see the vet, because he's not too fond of how Katie smells when she comes home from the vet. (It's an actual thing and is called Displacement Aggression) Bringing them both means that any strange vet-smell is on both of them. 

In case you missed it, we did an article on Displacement Aggression last November: 

When Being a Brat is Normal: 
7 Tips to Dealing with Displacement Aggression in Cats

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Vet Vacation

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss, what's a rabies vacation? Are we going to Mexico or something? I hope it's all inclusive.

KATIE:  Vaccination, Waffles. We're here for rabies VACCINATIONS. 

WAFFLES:  You mean we're NOT going on a trip? 

KATIE:  Waffles, we're at the vet. What about this looks like a vacation? 

WAFFLES:  I don't know. I just thought the computer said we were getting vacations. I hear Mexico is nice.

KATIE:  We're getting our rabies shots.

WAFFLES:  Like with NEEDLES???

KATIE:  Like with needles. 

WAFFLES:  What you talkin' about, Boss?  Boss???

WAFFLES:  Boss!!! Let me in! Let me in!

When Fashion Turns Dangerous: PSA from Katie

WAFFLES:  Officer Waffles, Fashion Police Cat, reporting for duty!

#SundaySelfies from the VET???

KATIE:  This is NOT how I expected to spend my weekend. Scooped up in my Sleepypod and carted off to the VET???

 It's not the kind of #SundaySelfie I had in mind either.

WAFFLES:  *from across the room*  Hey Boss! Are you having fun yet???

KATIE:  Waffles, you're only here as a ride-along. No commentary is necessary. Or welcome, for that matter.

WAFFLES:  Are you going to play Where's the Thermometer?

KATIE:  Not if I have anything to say about it. But by all means, go ahead. Have fun. Make it a party.

An Unexpected Vet Visit

Though I'm always the first in line for breakfast in the morning, Glogirly became concerned when I didn't show up Friday for my usual AM chicken pate. Even my favorite snacks weren't enough to coax me out of my cushy sleep spot.

After a quick phone call to our vet, it was decided that if I was still showing signs of a hunger strike the following morning, I'd need to get myself hauled in. So the whole family took a field trip to the Vet yesterday:  Me, Gloman, Glogirly and Waffles.

Please don't worry about me...it's nothing serious. I'm just having a little GI flare up and to be safe am now taking an antibiotic and appetite stimulant. Oh, and the appetite stimulant? WORKING! Bring on the chicken pate! 

Ride-Along Waffles

Since Waffles has a tendency to get his furry undies in a bundle whenever I come home smelling like the vet, he joined us as a ride-along. So now we both stink. But it's all *peace and harmony* back at the Townhouse. 

The moment we got home, and I do mean the MOMENT, Waffles apparently decided the ride-along was so much fun, he hopped out of his own Sleepypod and right into MINE.

Two minutes later... this is Waffles' #SundaySelfie:

WAFFLES:  ZZzzzzzzz.

We ♥︎ Our Sleepypods

Many of our friends ask for advice on pet carriers. We just can't say enough great things about Sleepypod.It's truly the best of the best when it comes to pet carriers and beds. They make trips to the vet much easier and less stressful and the vets LOVE how easy they make the examination process. We even love using them at home for hiding, playing and of course... sleeping.

Disclosure: Our Sleepypod link is an Amazon affiliate link. That means that we receive a small commission if someone clicks it and makes a purchase. 

Sunday Selfies

Today's blog post is part of the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop hosted by our dear friends at The Cat On My Head. Hop on over for more Sunday Selfie fun.

Meanwhile, at the Vet...

KATIE:  One minute I'm minding my own business, lounging at home in my Sleepypod. The next minute I'm at the VET...

KATIE:  ... with WAFFLES. As if the Vet isn't bad enough on it's own

WAFFLES:  Hi Boss! Are you having fun yet? 

KATIE:  Oh yeah. Fun times. Riding in the car with you while you're singing the song of your people. Getting wrapped up in a towel like a burrito while some Vet feels me up. 

WAFFLES:  Are you going to play Where's the Thermometer???

KATIE:  This isn't a party, Waffles. 

WAFFLES:  Are you sure? I was told there'd be snacks and games and stuff.

KATIE:  And to think Glogirly actually PAYS this place money to bring us in. 

WAFFLES:  Yeah, and there weren't even any party hats. What a ripoff. 

The Results!
Katie and Waffles have each been given a clean bill of health. Waffles, now 2 years old, is a strapping young mancat weighing in at 9½ pounds. At 10 years-old, delicate Katie is maintaining a healthy weight of 9½ pounds as well. Maybe they're not so different after all.

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