Facebook friends, Vote for PJ today!

I entered PJ into a 'Cutest Cat' photo contest on a Facebook Animal Rescue page. You can vote for PJ 1 time a day, each day until the 17th. I don't think he'll win with only just entering him today and there's only a few days left to vote. Besides that, everyone who sees my post asking for votes seems to be also entering their cat photos into the contest LOL And all the photos really are very cute so it's hard to pick just one to vote for. It's not impossible for him to win or even come close but without exposure like promo from this blog and the like, it'd be like trying to score high on the GMAT test without proper GMAT prep! Aint gonna happen :) So go log into Facebook and follow my link to vote...everyday AND tell your friends on Facebook!! Here's a sneak peak at the picture of PJ, see, isn't he the cutest!?!?!?!

Chill-axin' in the sun!

PJ update

Well, it's time again for PJ to return to the vet for a check up. They will draw blood to check his levels and determine where he is with his kidney disease and diabetes.

He has been on twice a day insulin shots that are 3 units of U40 type insulin, which is better formulated to the way an animal would process the insulin vs. human insulins. He also take 1 pill a day of a med called Benazapril, which is a medication that helps slow the progression of the kidney disease. A side affect of the kidney disease causes his tummy to make too much acid, which in turn gives him an upset tummy. He desires to eat but he would just go to his bowl, smell his food and then look up at you with a sad look on his face. So the vet prescribed Omeprazol which is the medication inside over the counter human meds for the same reason, like Prilosec. This medicine is in the form of tiny pellets. Each capsule has .5 mg inside and his daily dose is .25. So I get 2 days out of 1 pill, a little creative finanical ploy going on there since you pay for each pill, not what's inside apparently!

So PJ is at home right now, not knowing that in a few short hours, I will arrive home early and figure out a way to get him in his carrier, not an easy task usually. And off we go to the vet's office and to pick up a RX from the drugstore. It will be a couple of days for the test results so I'll post that info when it comes in then.

All I want for Christmas...

We had great weather here in St. Louis for the Christmas holiday. We had a wonderful day visiting with family. I think despite the state of our economy these days, people have been getting quite creative with their gift giving. You'd be surprised how sentimental gifts like dad's old basketball trophies and a photo of him in uniform will really tug at your heart strings.

For me this year, all I wanted for Christmas was to come home to discover my cat had finally eaten some food. I have 2 cats and the youngest one (now 14 years old) PJ, was recently diagnosed with feline diabetes and kidney disease. Right now both are out of control but we have started him on twice a day insulin injections. Yesterday was the first day, last night was the first dose I gave him at home and I know he didn't get all of it because I pulled away before I finished pushing the meds and when I rubbed the spot, it was wet.

Basically he has been drinking more and not eating much and so on. I happened to notice he hadn't eaten much since yesterday and I know I can't keep giving him the shots of insulin if he isn't eating. I locked him in the bathroom with running water, his food dish, his litter box and a bed near the radiator. I felt a bit sad about leaving him in there as if he were in trouble but honestly, I had to know if and how much he had eaten. If I left him and his food out, the other cat could have eaten some and I wouldn't know for sure about his intake so I had to do it.

All I wanted for Christmas was to come home and find his bowl partially eaten. My Christmas wish came true :)