bath tub hockey

[rabidbadger]

Oh, puke warning (cuteness)

OK. My kittens are teens now. Their favorite game these days? Knock-hockey in the bath tub. They (actually, Lil Cody) grabs a beer bottle cap and then drops it into the tub. then lil Decka jumps in with her and they bat the cap around for hours.

keeps me up til 3 am, but I dont care...

[ariastar]

Oh, puke warning (cuteness)

OK. My kittens are teens now. Their favorite game these days? Knock-hockey in the bath tub. They (actually, Lil Cody) grabs a beer bottle cap and then drops it into the tub. then lil Decka jumps in with her and they bat the cap around for hours.

keeps me up til 3 am, but I dont care...

LOL, sure beats having eight month-old puppies pooping and peeing all over the placem chewing on each other and making each other cry, growling, barking, falling asleep in the middle of the hallway, biting cords, biting my ankles (as one is literally doing right now), trying to nurse on the cat...

What the hell did Big Cody get himself into? :D

Gotta love animals.

[rabidbadger]

see, now you know why I'm a cat person. they know where to poop instantly.

[ariastar]

Yoko didn't. She refused.

[rabidbadger]

actually, lil Decka prefers a shredded box of newspaper to the litter pan.

[tokenuser]

Not sure if we will get another dog for awhile ... and DEFINITELY not getting a cat (insane alergies to cats).

But - Google Streetview did proide a little surprise for us when it went up for our neighbourhood last week.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2301437750_bd2e5039da.jpg

Suzi guarding the neighbourhood ... one of her favourite summer pasttimes, just sitting back on the front verandah watching the cars (and people and other dogs) go by.

[rabidbadger]

oh dude. you mentioned that on Pownce. Thanks for showing us the pic. I wanted to see it, but didn't wanna ask so soon.

[md2389]

LOL, sure beats having eight month-old puppies pooping and peeing all over the placem chewing on each other and making each other cry, growling, barking, falling asleep in the middle of the hallway, biting cords, biting my ankles (as one is literally doing right now), trying to nurse on the cat...

What the hell did Big Cody get himself into? :D

Gotta love animals.

Well, atleast they learn fairly quickly that they're supposed to do it outside. ;)

[heyseuss]

Ping-pong ball in the bathtub used to make my kitty go nuts. Unfortunately, kittys like to play at 1am, unfortunately, my kitty was deaf.

[phatlip12]

Not sure if we will get another dog for awhile ... and DEFINITELY not getting a cat (insane alergies to cats).

But - Google Streetview did proide a little surprise for us when it went up for our neighbourhood last week.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2301437750_bd2e5039da.jpg

Suzi guarding the neighbourhood ... one of her favourite summer pasttimes, just sitting back on the front verandah watching the cars (and people and other dogs) go by.

Thats amazing. You can ALMOST see me hiding in the bushes....

;)

[esophagus]

Thats amazing. You can ALMOST see me hiding in the bushes....

;)I've got you beat.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n243/esophaguss/xx.jpg

That's me watching.

[ariastar]

Seeing Suzi must have been a shock emotionally, but sweet. See? She's still around.

[tokenuser]

Seeing Suzi must have been a shock emotionally, but sweet. See? She's still around.Emotionally shocked? No ... Pleasantly surprised? Yes.

It brought a smile to my face.

I lost a dog when I was 18 (a 14 yo fox terrier to a tick bite - we didn't live in an area that normally had ticks). Losing her wasn't as hard as losing Suzi ... mainly because I was the one that made the decision to put her down. Its amazing how quiet the ouse is during the day without her.

BTW - I adore your puppies. If I didn't live on the east coast, I'd put my hand up for potential adoption.

[tokenuser]

I've got you beat.That was you standing out front in the rain coat holding a pine tree upside down?

GET OFF MY LAWN YOU FREAK!!!!

[ariastar]

Emotionally shocked? No ... Pleasantly surprised? Yes.

It brought a smile to my face.

I lost a dog when I was 18 (a 14 yo fox terrier to a tick bite - we didn't live in an area that normally had ticks). Losing her wasn't as hard as losing Suzi ... mainly because I was the one that made the decision to put her down. Its amazing how quiet the ouse is during the day without her.

BTW - I adore your puppies. If I didn't live on the east coast, I'd put my hand up for potential adoption.

Losing Suzi is like losing a child. *hugs*

We'd have no qualms about you taking a puppy. You'd provide a good home, we know. :) Have you been watching their blog?

[esophagus]

I lost a dog last year. He had a seizure in the morning, and obviously lost his memory. He barked at us, and couldn't find his bearings. After a few hours he just started acting like he was a puppy, despite being around twelve (could have been older or younger, he was a stray. A friend of ours took him in, but didn't want him. I took him). He ran circles around the house, played with his toys, etc. It was both heartbreaking and adorable. We thought he'd move past it, and aybe we'd get him to the vet on Tuesday (it was a long weekend, no one was open). Later that night he had another seizure out by our hot tub. I took him into the washroom to sit, because he couldn't figure out where was, and kept losing his balance. I sat with him until three in the morning as he had 14 seizures, his condition getting worse the whole time, before he finally died. To add insult to injury, as it was only Sunday of a long weekend, we had nowhere to take his body to be cremated for two days.

I started typing this to say I feel your pain, but then it just felt good to type. I don't think I've ever gave anyone the details.

So yeah. I feel your pain.

[tokenuser]

I sat with him until three in the morning as he had 14 seizures, his condition getting worse the whole time, before he finally died. To add insult to injury, as it was only Sunday of a long weekend, we had nowhere to take his body to be cremated for two days.Suzi got sick about 4 months back, and we almost had to put her down then,. but a does of anitbiotics through a drip, and she was good again ... not 100%, but well enough to come home. She regained a little weight, but then stopped eating again. Then one morning, we got up, and she was unstable on her feet. She knew where she was, and since she had spent the night sleeping up against me, I knew she hadn't had a seizure suring the night, so I took her to the vet in the AM to get her shecked out. THey asked to keep her there for the day on a fluid and vitamin drip. I called about 4:00pm in the afternoon (Valentine's Day) to ask if I could pick her up, and the vet told me she had just had a seizure, and they had to give her valium to reak out of it. We knew at that point that it was the end, and decided that she needed to be put down humanely rather than suffer for the night at home.

Why is it legal to euthanise a family pet but not the elderly? If we can put a pet down to relieve their pain, why can we not allow a human being to die with some dignity as well?

Sorry for the segway - back to bathtub hockey.

Suzi had this strange curiosity about the bath tub, and I would occassionally hear a "clunk" followed by a puzzled "ruff" as she realised it was a one way thing - she could get in, but couldn't get out.

[rabidbadger]

I lost a dog last year. ...
So yeah. I feel your pain.

And I feel yours. I was a little luckier with my beautiful Grace Kitty, but the last day was both hell and heaven, could not find a vet to put her to sleep til late in the day, so we cuddled on the lawn all day together. My ex came to visit and say goodbye. fucking heartbreaking day.

http://b4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00730/48/17/730387184_m.jpg

[autodas]

My dog died laying next to me in the car. I saw the mouth snap open to get a breath of air and then she stopped breathing. We had just arrived at the veterinarian office.

[rabidbadger]

boy this is NOT were I expected this thread to go, but good place to share.

[esophagus]

Yeah, the fact that it was a long weekend was killer. We knew even if he survived he had to go through two days more of it. I'm not sure I would have had the strength to put him down (definitely weould depend on what a vet said) but I would have done my best to do something for him. It was just completely mind-shattering. My mother and sister were in the basement bawling, while my dad and I were doing the same with him in the washroom. Buddy was definitley a trooper, but it was so sad. You could just see it in his eyes each time that he stood up and hit his head off of the wall when he lost his balance that there was no giving in, but he knew all was done. Anyways.

I have a new dog now. A girl. It took a while, but again we took her in from a bad home. Like last time it was hellish training with immense pay-off. Her name is Abbie and she is the cutest thing ever. Bath tub hockey sounds right up her alley. For now she just likes Tug-O-Wars with me though.

[ariastar]

Why is it legal to euthanise a family pet but not the elderly? If we can put a pet down to relieve their pain, why can we not allow a human being to die with some dignity as well?

Liability. Families of the elderly often don't care when throwing them in nursing homes, but the day someone dies, there's a chance of a lawsuit. Dying of old age at 98 is no longer a valid reason for death. It MUST be specific. Cardiac arrest, whatever. And then questions about whether it could have been prevented or could the person have been resuscitated. It's nuts. My mom is a geriatrics nurse and it bothers her how no one cares until someone dies, and then it's payday.

So instead old people are forced to stay alive, in pain, shitting in their beds, needing others to wipe them, catheters to pee into tubes.... NO dignity at all, and good luck getting a private room and a bit of privacy instead of an open door.

Today's elderly are the ones who kept this country a free place during WWII. And we thank them by treating them like fucking shit. It's so god damned angering.

[popltree2]

Our cat Yoda, who is happily going on 22 years, had a "Gandalf the White" moment not too long ago. He was really sick. He had no bladder or bowel control, could stand, milky eyes, throwing up anything that was put in him. Then one day Aria was over at a friend's house. They opened the carrier turned away for a moment, looked back and he was gone.
Two weeks later, she got a call from one of her ex's roommates asking what Yoda looked like. She described him and they said it was him. At this point, she thought they had just found his body.
"This a little thin," they said, "but we can send you a picture if you want."
"I don't think I can see him like that," she said.
"Well, he is eating a little bit."
Amazement. Somehow, Yoda had managed to return from the brink of death and was in better condition than he had been in ages. He is still with us and should be with us for a few more years.

[ariastar]

And I feel yours. I was a little luckier with my beautiful Grace Kitty, but the last day was both hell and heaven, could not find a vet to put her to sleep til late in the day, so we cuddled on the lawn all day together. My ex came to visit and say goodbye. fucking heartbreaking day.

http://b4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00730/48/17/730387184_m.jpg

Bad vet. When I worked at a vet hospital, euthanazias took priority over regular wellness appointments, and people whose appointments were bumped usually understood. They still had their healthy babes while someone else was losing theirs.

Beautiful pic, Joel.

[ariastar]

Our cat Yoda, who is happily going on 22 years, had a "Gandalf the White" moment not too long ago. He was really sick. He had no bladder or bowel control, could stand, milky eyes, throwing up anything that was put in him. Then one day Aria was over at a friend's house. They opened the carrier turned away for a moment, looked back and he was gone.
Two weeks later, she got a call from one of her ex's roommates asking what Yoda looked like. She described him and they said it was him. At this point, she thought they had just found his body.
"This a little thin," they said, "but we can send you a picture if you want."
"I don't think I can see him like that," she said.
"Well, he is eating a little bit."
Amazement. Somehow, Yoda had managed to return from the brink of death and was in better condition than he had been in ages. He is still with us and should be with us for a few more years.

No bladder or bowel control at all. I was crying on the couch holding him while I was laying down and felt warm liquid and knew he had no control, and I looked into his eyes, very nearly completely white. He couldn't lift his own head. Most people would have taken him in the next day to be put down, but I believe miracles can happen, being one myself (same thing - expected to die, was dead multiple times, still here). It was one of the most heart-breaking nights of my life. But I couldn't give up on him. He wasn't in any pain that I could see. So I couldn't give up. As long as he was comfortable, better to die relaxed at home, unless he somehow lived.

When he disappeared, I was dead to the world. Wasn't returning phone calls, going to work, eating, sleeping without medication...

But now I'm sitting cross-legged on the couch with my laptop on my lap and Yoda in front of it, head butted against my right wrist, purring as he naps.

It's the literal closest thing possible to the feeling of a beloved one resurrecting.

[popltree2]

I had the misfortune of not being able to say goodbye to either of my dogs before they were put down. They lived with my dad and so it was harder on him than anybody. They were two Golden Retriever sisters named Ginger and Leah. I got a phone call from my dad after he put down Ginger. Apparently she was in a lot of pain due to cancer that had eaten away at a good portion of the inside of her nose.
After that, Leah wasn't the same. About 9 months later, Leah was put down. I got a call after he put her down too. It completely sucked that I didn't get to say goodbye. I still have a hard time with it to this day. But I can understand why my dad did it and why he told me after.
I have also lost two cats. One ran away after a move, which is pretty common. The other my parents put down because they knew it was time. Skeeter crawled under the house and was just trying to be comfortable while she passed. Thankfully we had vets that would make house calls and so none of my pets had to spend their last moments in a cold, sterile vet's office.

[ariastar]

That Cody still cares so much for Leah and Ginger is touching to me. When what's loved is gone isn't the end of loving them, and they are still held very near and dear to his heart. It's hard not to love someone who still so openly loves and misses his canine-sweethearts. I'm very glad we've got a picture of them on the bookcase. If we can find more pictures of animals present and past on, I'd like to frame them and put them up too.

Yeah, cats running away after moves is very common. I got Yoda in Massachusetts. He's since lived in several locations with me, and has never run off. I keep him inside a few days, and leave the door open for him to wander out. I know he won't go further than he can find his way back. Although now, here, he'll go out on the balcony, not out the front door. I think he'll be happy with that.

[damnedeyez]

My dog died laying next to me in the car. I saw the mouth snap open to get a breath of air and then she stopped breathing. We had just arrived at the veterinarian office.

Same thing happened to me and our last cat. Except he was in my lap.

[popltree2]

LOL, sure beats having eight month-old puppies pooping and peeing all over the placem chewing on each other and making each other cry, growling, barking, falling asleep in the middle of the hallway, biting cords, biting my ankles (as one is literally doing right now), trying to nurse on the cat...

What the hell did Big Cody get himself into? :D

Gotta love animals.

Damn little fell beasts. They are so going over the balcony!

[ariastar]

Damn little fell beasts. They are so going over the balcony!

You stopped me when I threatened to throw one over. But you're sleeping now...and there is a puppy underfoot...! :D

[tokenuser]

1. I concur with the Aria on the photo Joel.
2. Grace Kitty is a great name for a cat.
3. Nothing funnier than watching puppies play ... except watching kittens play (and I am a "dog person" ... but there is something about a kitten stalking and powncing on the unsuspecting "victim").
4. JetBlue has free wifi at JFK :)

[rabidbadger]

actually her name was just Grace, named after Grace Jones cause she was black and sleek, Grace Kitty was just her "pet" name. ;)

[skyz]

my beautiful starlight was born in my closet and 17 years later died in my arms (the vet came to my house to put him to sleep) - he was sick for about a month before but not till the very end was it labelled terminal

he was not in pain till the last day when he came to me and gave me a look that told me 'it's now' so i gave him the tranquillizer the vet had given me and called the vet - he was sleeping so sweetly that i wanted to call the vet back and change the appointment to give me another day with him but i was afraid he would wake up in pain

that cat (all white) was jaw dropping beautiful even people who were not into cats were stunned

on my last visit to the vet as i came in i saw this little white kitten in a cage and he gave me this look 'and where have you been keeping me waiting' so we all went home together

three weeks later starlight was gone leaving a hole in my heart but the cosmos had arranged that i had this tiny white thing to take care of

i should have named him 'tender mercy' but i named him tadzio after a character in a thomas mann novella

[tokenuser]

actually her name was just Grace, named after Grace Jones cause she was black and sleek, Grace Kitty was just her "pet" name. ;)Grace Jones ... Grace Kelly ... two sides of the same coin in a certain community :)