Ashley and a Mafia cat

[vilakins]

I am so encouraged by the response to my last post; there are a lot more of you still here than I'd feared.

In the latest cat news, Jasmin now has a small notch out of one ear, the result of a fight (though with one of the other two or an invading cat, I don't know). It gives her a certain toughness so we decided that her Mafia name was Jasmin "Notchy" Zampetta (her surname meaning "little paw"). It then struck me that "Notchy" sounds just like "noci", the Italian for "walnuts"--fans of The Sopranos will enjoy that one--so Jasmin's now Jazzy Walnuts.

On to Ashley.

Ashley started having difficulty peeing so I took her to the vet and they found her bladder was like a hard little, yes, walnut due to the pain making her think she had to pee all the time, which of course only made it worse. They put her on painkillers which made a huge difference, then did a test on her urine which had crystals in it. So she's now meant to eat a special dry food which will dissolve them, then go onto a maintenance diet.

Actually she should be eating a lot more wet food than she does, but she's always been a kibble-grazer which has probably caused the problem. Jasmin and Sebastian get almost all their nutrition and water from wet food, but finding one Ashley will eat is a major source of stress and frustration: what she'll like one day she won't touch the next--you'd think she was the pedigree, not a rescue cat. But she's already vastly improved, so much happier and more playful and even cuddlier than before. She's almost like a kitten again, full of joie de vivre (if not wet food).

Some photos

One of the cutest things she does is stand on her tail. She'll wrap her tail around herself, than deliberately lift one front paw and place it on her tail, then the other (while we count, "one, two").


Ashley standing on her tail. This one's from about three years ago, part of a larger photo, but I only recently realised I'd caught her in the pose.


One taken recently.


Ashley in a favourite spot in the garden. She's made a little nest in the dry leaves so we've left them there for her.


An Instagram of her in the driveway with a leaf.


Another Instagram of her on our bed one morning last week.

Comments

[kerravonsen]

Jasmin "Notchy" Zampetta
(grin)

Another Instagram of her on our bed one morning last week.
Prrrrrrrrrrrr.

[vilakins]

She made an almost perfect circle!

[corvuscornix]

Beautiful, beautiful Ashley...! Sorry to hear about the bladder problem but relieved that she's improving! (I'm a bit concerned for Tosca about the wet food thing; she refuses to eat anything but dry. She doesn't even eat the animals she catches - at least not that I've ever seen - though Selma happily eats them instead...)

[vilakins]

My last two preferred dry food and they never had a problem. These ones have always loved their "squishy food", though Ashley only ever ate a teaspoon or two at once. At least she's the only one eating the special expensive dry stuff.

[trixieleitz]

Such lovely photos of Ashley - she is like a sweet-faced white tiger :) I hope her bladder issues clear up soon *scritches*

I love Jasmine's nickname. We have started calling Maggie "Beaker", after the Muppet, because she sometimes walks around going "meep meep meep!". Usually when she has an egg on the way :)

[vilakins]

Ashley is a very sweet little girl, and her fur is just so soft and face-buryable!

Awww, cute! Ashley's the Flag-Tailed Yogurt Cat and the Dairy Queen for her love of yogurt, and Sebastian's Nibbler after the Futurama character and his black-holeness. But really, if we want their attention, it's only their names they know.

[pebblerocker]

I love Jasmin's mafia name!

Poor Ashley, another one with urinary problems. My Cliff had it, both my brother's cats had it, now Monty has it - he was at the vet a couple of weeks ago when we found that he was weeing blood. There seems to be a definite flaw in the feline plumbing which is susceptible to stress and diet. We had to return Monty's special food because he wouldn't touch it even after several days of offering it to him - though Geoff was happy to finish it for him if allowed into the room! I'm glad Ashley is responding well to treatment. Let's hope things go well for her!

[vilakins]

Luckily the other two eat enough wet food not to want much of the special crystal-dissolving biscuits I leave out, so it's mainly Ashley eating them.

She's the first cat I've had with problems! Does Monty eat wet food? That's meant to be one of the best ways of avoiding the problems according to my anxiety-fuelled reading online. My brother had a Monty, a tabby whose beast friend next door was a white cat--called Minty!

[pebblerocker]

Every male cat we've had has had urinary problems. Apparently the urinary tract layout in male cats and the changes caused by neutering make them highly prone to it. I wonder if the SPCA's early neuter policy is harming them, and if Geoffrey, who was a private rescue and stayed entire until 6 months, will be unaffected.

We feed our cats one squashy meat meal in the evenings and biscuits at other times - about half and half. I know biscuits aren't exactly the best food for cats, but they're not so messy and it's easy to feed just the amount they'll eat without wasting it. Considering how rife the problem is in our cats, perhaps we should change. The high cat population in our area (house cats and semi-feral) is a contributing factor with the constant territorial stress, especially for timid cats like Cliff and Monty.

[vilakins]

My previous cats ate mainly biscuits and never had a problem; Ashley must just be prone. Someone else sad to avoid biscuits with fish in them; doing that really helped their cat. I'd heard fish could cause stomach upsets and did try to buy chicken-based biscuits, but now I'll be extra-careful.

It would just help with water content if Ashley ate more wet food, but I'm hoping I'll be able to go back to a quality biscuit when she's pronounced better.

[gwendraith]

Just beautiful!

Glad Ashley's bladder problem is getting better. Poor wee thing.

[vilakins]

Great icon! Both Ashley and Sebastian are from the Lonely Miaow rescue charity, and four previous cats were personal rescues.

Ashley is a sweetie, a soft little cirrus cloud to hod and cuddle. She's probably on the end of our bed waiting for me to go upstairs.

[capri0mni]

Ashley: My tail! Mine! :-)

I also love the photo of her with a leaf: "I see you... Don't try any funny business!

[vilakins]

Ashley's haiku:

This tail is my tail
There are many just like it
But this one is mine.

Yes, she's saying "One move and I have you!"

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

She is a pretty cat, it's good that she's feeling happier.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's never looked unwell with her thick, soft fur. The vets have always remarked on her excellent condition; it was just luck that I happened to see her trying to pee and got concerned.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

*EPIC HUGS* to both kitties! And I love that paws-on-tail thing:3 Noki always likes to curl her paws over my arm every time she curls up under my arm when we go to bed. She digs them out from underneath my arm and drapes them over it and only then does she slump into a satisfied, purring ball. *more hugs to you and the kitties*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We love the tail thing! She rarely does it in front of others; our boarder last year never saw her do it to her great disappointment, but a couple of times saw her in the pose.

Awww, Tessa used to do that! Sebastian embraces my arm with his paws which is heart-melting, but his attempts to groom my hair are somewhat less so.

I hope you had a good birthday!

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaww, hope you guys can catch the hair-grooming on video, because I'm sure that looks hilarious :3

I had a good birthday, thank you! I spent it with some cheap wine and a Veidt film I hadn't seen before, so that was grand. *hugs*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

My hair's not that long, but he'd put his neck out trying to lick much of it! One morning I work up to find a strange zig-zag patch in the back of it that had to be the result of determined licking. :-)

Sounds like a very good birthday! [hugs]

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

but his attempts to groom my hair are somewhat less so

That habit is not confined to cats, Kandi does or rather did try that with me when we were in bed. Thankfully dogs can be trained out of habits we don't like.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Sebastian has two habits I'd like to train him out of--kneading and grooming--but they're signs of affection so all I do is pull away or put something between me and his paws so his claws don't get me. He's such a sweetie, leaning and smuggling against me and following me like a dog.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

My friend Jenny has the same problem with her youngest, and only female, cat a beautiful all black rescue called Sheba. ATM she is eating the most expensive cat food there is in the UK. It's called Sheba and she will only eat certain flavours of that. I love the photos of Ashley standing on her tail, you've got to keep your tail under control you know or the do things that will get you into trouble.%D

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I wish Ashley would consistently eat the Dine and Fancy Feast and various other brands I try her on (I'll have to see if they sell Sheba here) as then I wouldn't have to buy her vet-only special kibble for the rest of her life.

We thought she might be keeping her front paws off the cold kitchen floor, but she does it on carpet and outside too. Maybe it gives her a feeling of security to be so compact and orderly; I dunno!

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Yes fresh human grade boiled chicken and vegies would be cheaper than vet supplied food. When Sue was in her cat phase(11 of them at maximum)she fed them on pussie stew. A mix of rice veggies and boiled chicken necks which she could get from local chicken producers (she lives in the Breadbasket of Britain(East Anglia, Cambridgeshire and a couple of other counties whose names escape me now). Perhaps you could try something like that with Ashley with some sort of cheap animal protein, a fish perhaps.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I do give her human-grade cooked chicken which is a lot cheaper than the vet stuff, and she generally eats it. Rice and veggies cats shouldn't have much of because they're carnivores, but that mix is great for dogs. Mum used to make something similar for hers.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Sues cats were all fit and healthy on the mix as far as I remember but I do remember one of them moving out of her house and living down the road, she was never sure if it just wanted to be an only cat or that he preferred tinned cat food. The rice, or some times pasta, just added bulk to the meat and kept the cats slim.

[quabazaa.livejournal.com]

Omg the tail thing is just tooo adorable!

Poor Ashley, I hope she's feeling better soon :(

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It is!

She's so much better, full of energy and obviously a lot happier. We just need to get her tested again to see how she's going.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

She is very beautiful... pity about the food fussiness (one of ours did that for a while, got over it, thank goodness!) I hope you find a solution.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She ate a good dinner, but didn't even bother coming down for breakfast; it's a bit hit-and-miss. Maybe she'll get over the pickiness; I hope so.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you found out what Ashley's problem is! I try to keep an eye on mine--they get wet food in the morning, and they rush to drink water out of the bird water bowl outside (!!) so so far so good.

The tail thing is totally cute :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think part of Ashley's problem is that she doesn't drink as much as the other two. We keep fresh bowls of water out but I don't see her drinking anywhere near as much.

The tail think is adorable. We always stop and watch. :-D

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Gosh, she is such a pretty cat. And I'm glad she's feeling better. Good thing you noticed her problems in the litter box!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And that was just because Sebastian got another abscess in a fight and I got litter in the hopes of getting them to stay in more at night. That seems to be working too; at least he hasn't been in any more fights.

Jasmin "Notchy" Zampetta is another matter.

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

Ashley is such a pretty cat. I love the contrast between the silver and black fur and her emerald green eyes.

Skiffle was prone to cystitis. The vet said that fish flavoured dried food seemed to be associated with it, so I stopped feeding that and her problems cleared up.

My three live almost exclusively on dried food and none have had a problem so far, and Diesel's 12 now.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I often tell her she's a work of art!

Claudia and Tessa lived on mainly dry food and never had a problem either. I heard that fish can be bad and tried to choose the chicken-based ones; Ashley must just be prone to problems. She was a very thin little thing when I adopted her from the shelter so she had a tough start in life.

When she's better I'll try to find a good dry food that definitely fish-free; you have to read the labels as most seems to have fish, the wet food too.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it because Ashley is a tabby cat, but K'zin, our tabby, has a similar problem from time to time and has to be put on Hypovase for a while when it flares up. Fortunately he is not a fussy eater and so feeding him wet food is not a problem.

I hope Ashley continues to improve and can be tempted to try a more varied diet.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She ate a good dinner tonight, but didn't even bother to come downstairs for breakfast so it's a bit hit-and-miss. You're lucky with K'zin.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos there.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's very photogenic.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

great mafia cat name!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She suits it - she's the naughtiest. She broke two necklaces when she tipped the lot down on my shoes in the walk-in wardrobe (which I usually keep shut because she wreaks havoc in there).

[ultrapsychobrat.livejournal.com]

God, she's so cute. Hope she keeps feeling fine.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's very cute: so small and soft and adorable! She's certainly full of energy these days but not eating any better. At least she has the prescription dry stuff.

[jthijsen.livejournal.com]

I'm glad she's doing better. Have you tried raw chicken? I give that to my cats all the time and they thrive on it. It contains more moisture than the boiled variety. When I have boiled chicken, I've also given them the resting broth, which they like very much.

I love the mafia name.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I just realised I hadn't replied!

I do give them raw chicken when I'm cooking it for us, but they're not that keen on it. They seem to prefer cooked - and they love the broth or any tasty liquid like that, sometimes licking it all up and leaving the meat. Sebastian and Jasmin are no problem; it's Ashley I have to coax to eat. This morning she refused to have anything.

Jamsin's getting used to being called Nochy! :-)