Tinsel, Glitter and Baubles - the Excellent Cats prepare to knock Everything off your Christmas Tree

[TheShellBeach]

As we approach the festive season, they're already finessing their plans and recalling last year's successes............

You might have given him a taste for tea now.

Maybe it was all a dastardly scheme and he's not so dozy after all...

Hilarious! 😹😹😹

It's been raining like mad here, all day.

I've got two sad faces peering at me, clearly asking why I don't turn it off.

Even Linney has elected to spend the day inside the house, instead of sheltering under a tarpaulin outside.

Sitting on the table, wondering if it's ever going to stop raining

....... and lying on the carpet, also wondering if it's ever going to stop raining

Rain is no fun, poor animals.

Kettle and possibly assorted feline neighbours have been having a good time exploring in the snow here, to judge from the paw prints.

It's really nice seeing how well Gizmo has settled in Shell.

@Allergictoironing Leroy has FIV. I can't remember his slave's username, can anyone else? It's one of the ones that starts with "yes" I think. @YesItsMeIDontCare @YetAnotherSpartacus one of you?

Definitely @YesItsMeIDontCare.
Leroy is one of my favourite MN cats 😻.

Hello everyone 👋🏻 We're still here, just that life is very boring at the moment so I have nothing interesting or useful to add 😂 After the last 18 months I'm quite happy about that though...

Yes Leroy does have FIV. He's had no scans or intrusive tests or anything like that, we just bumble along. He has 2 check ups a year and has had one dental surgery so far (dental problems are common with FIV). Apart from that we just keep an eye on him and accept that he can't "fight it off". The only time he's had an infection was when he escaped and got in to a fight 🙄 Insurance won't touch him with a barge pole though.
He's 9 now and no different in any way to any of my other cats at this age.

I hope that helps you a bit Allergic. Ask me anything you need to. I can only claim to be an expert on Leroy, not FIV in general, but I can try my best 😊 (((hugs)))

Thank you @YesItsMeIDontCare . I've pretty much decided (with the help of family, friends, and The Litter Tray) that what you do is how I'm going to play it. Leroy is a magnificent cat (we're overdue some pics I think!) and I doubt I could care for Tobias any better than you care for him. Only real difference is Tobias has become a fully indoor cat long before this diagnosis so I don't have to work out how to get a spitting, clawing & biting demon into a harness!

Luckily I had him insured from day one of him coming home so this isn't a pre-existing condition. My premiums may go through the roof next year though.

The only exception is that I think I will have the GI Tract scanned. The only real symptom Tobias has had is the poo issues which is unusual & hasn't responded to all the usual methods like grain free, gastro food, pro-biotics etc, and was the reason he ended up being tested.

However I will get that done locally, not going to stress him even more by going to Potters Bar. He tends to respond pretty well to Cathy (usual vet) and is used to her so she will be with him when the Ultrasound specialist sees him.

Girlcat gets tested for it on Wednesday. No symptoms, but if she does have it that will mean she goes on to the twice yearly MoT regime now rather than later in life.

Specially for you Allergic, this was Leroy's first outing in his Christmas Coat this year 🥰

Thank you thank you thank you! He really is a magnificent boy 😍

Mrs G has just reminded me that one of our previous cats in the late 1990s had FIV. We only discovered this very late in his life when he had a blood test to check his kidney function. He continued to go outside - don't think we were aware of the issues then - but after he died aged about 16 (kidney failure - not HIV related) we had our other cats tested and none were FIV. Didn't seem to have any impact on him at all.
Picture enclosed (he's the black fatty 🤣)

Leroy looking magnificent and very dapper as usual 😁.

Getting involved

I really don't expect him to have passed it on to Girlcat, they do wrestle now & again but I've not seen blood or tufts of fur, and I've not heard screaming. The only injury (that I know of) was when they were still at the introduction phase, Girlcat took a swipe at Tobias & scratched him by his eye.

@YesItsMeIDontCare Always love a picture of Leroy! Are you using that for Christmas cards?

Leroy! 😍 Always so dapper.

I hope everyone and their cats are staying warm and safe in this vile weather. The wind here in Cardiff has been bonkers and so noisy! I am now huddled up on the sofa with the cats, under our customary two blankets (one heated) watching Die Hard!

@Breadcat24 - no, I've done donkeys this year 😁 I suspect most people I send cards to are sick of Leroy ones now 😂

Hi @Sparkles29 your cat looks rather like my cat.
This is Linney.

And I do love that picture of Leroy @YesItsMeIDontCare!

How's Mr.Yes now?

You've probably tried these already @Allergictoironing but they worked a treat for Gizmo when he had endless diarrhoea.

GIGI VET Instant Cat and Dog Diarrhea Treatment LINK

Tablets - for Tobias??? lol

I have enough fun trying to sneak Gabapentin into him when he goes to the vet - crushed to powder then a few grains at a time on a piece of cooked chicken. Won't touch his food if there's the slightest hint in that, doesn't even like lik e lix, won't go near pill pockets/putty....

I'm actually amazed that he tolerates the vit B12 I've started to add to his food on the vet's advice after the blood test results, as he doesn't tolerate even Zylkene in there.

We crush them into Lickelix and he scoffs them.