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The Flight of the Cosmic Hippo

Last night I was lucky enough to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in concert. We got to LOTS of concerts, so not that unusual, but it had been a long time since we had seen them. They were the band that taught me to enjoy and appreciate instrumental music. They are all amazing musicians. When we got to the venue, I noticed there were little red hippos all over the stage to celebrate their 30 years together, and their Flight of the Cosmic Hippo album.

Can you see those little guys? So cute! I really wanted a Cosmic Hippo.  I tried to buy one, but it was the last night of the tour, and they were sold out.

Thankfully, we had seats right in the 2nd row. I enjoyed every second of the concert. Being so close, I caught the eye of the various musicians a couple of times and gave them big smiles. I always feel like it is important for the audience to give some energy and appreciation back to the artists on stage, and being in the 2nd row, the pressure was on, but it was easy to stay involved because I was enjoying the show so much.

After the encore, the musicians all took a bow, and I saw Bela reach for the Hippo behind him. I gave him a big smile and walked right up to the stage. He caught my eye, smiled, and threw me the Hippo!!!! Next thing I know, the guy next to me reaches out and grabs it! Oh no! That was MY HIPPO!!!  I looked over at the guy and gave him a sad face, and he gave me the Hippo!

I’m not sure what all that really has to do with pets, other than the fact that the Cosmic Hippo is now living on my desk, and Bean enjoyed cuddling him today.

 

Really the big news is that Bean went to the vet today for his final kitten shots.  The vet asked me when we were planning to neuter him and I told him I thought it was too early? The vet had forgotten that Bean wasn’t quite 4 months old because he is SO big! How big? Bean was 6.8 lbs! Our Puck, full grown, is only about 7 lbs! Bean gets to wait on being neutered until next year.

I spent some extra time at the vet’s office so that everyone could visit with Bean. The vet techs passed him around and he purred.  He is such a good boy!

Cali also came to the vet today.  She needed her nails trimmed, but I also wanted to have her feet checked because she had been chewing on her feet non-stop. The vet thinks it is her allergies and the dry weather that are making her paws itch, but he also thinks she has an infection now. Cali got a Cytopoint injection for the allergies, and some antibiotics to help with the infection. Hopefully, she should feel better soon.

Apoquel was on my mind, so I brought it up with my vet. I told him I had been seeing some reports of side effects from extended use, but he said he has been using it for a long time and hasn’t seen any problems from it. Considering how itchy and miserable Cali can become, I think I’m going to keep her on it for now, but keep my eyes open for any possible replacements for it.

Cali and Bean are both a bit exhausted after their vet visit. I don’t think it will be too much longer before Bean is bigger than Puck and Cali! I definitely think he will end up being our largest pet when he is done growing!

 

 

Snow Day

It has been snowing for well over 40 hours now, and the snow is still coming down. Yesterday and this morning as I work at my desk, all my furry friends are keeping me company. Cali’s open crate is right next to my desk.

When Cali doesn’t have to fight the cats for a spot in the crate, that’s where she will hang out while I’m working.

Logan and Puck often like to snuggle up in or on top of the dog crate. Puck also spends a lot of time on time of the dragon tank as he LOVES her heat lamps. Today, the two cats are hanging out at the extra desk next to mine, just watching everything that is going on.

From this spot, Puck and Logan can watch everything going on around them. They have a view of Hector, Wena the dragon, and me!

Speaking of the Dragon, she’s happily hanging out in her hammock, enjoying her heat lamp, oblivious to the heinous weather going on outside. Smart lizard!

And then there is the one and only Hector D. Byrd. While I’m working, Hector spends her time strutting around, chewing up boxes, and chasing the cats. She also likes to chat at me, especially if I happen to get on the phone.

Unfortunately, Little Bean hasn’t realized that he needs to leave Hector alone yet, so I have to be super careful. I’m working on teaching Hector to “Go Home” which means to go back to her cage. It’s really handy when the cat is being too playful and I can tell Hector to “Go Home” and she heads back out of harms way on her own. Again, I’m always within a couple of feet of them, making sure everyone stays safe.

I keep a folded up towel on one side of my desk, and Bean spends a lot of time there. Yesterday, every time I sat down at my desk, Bean would come over, meow at me, then attempt to climb up my leg. I’d scoop him up and settle him on his towel where he will cuddle up and sleep as long as I’m sitting at my desk. Today, Bean has decided to snuggle up on the chair behind me.

I really love having him snuggle up in the corner of my desk.  It’s nice to be able to reach over and pat him, but it’s also nice to not have him stepping on my keyboard!

Stay warm everyone. Hopefully this snow will end soon!

 

Innovet Multivitamin

A little over a month ago I received an offer from Innovet to try their new multivitamin at a discounted, pre-order price. I think the deal was 30% off the regular retail price. The vitamin has hemp, probiotics, krill oil, glucosamine, and more. I was a bit intrigued since I had already been supplementing my Morkie, Cali, with many of these things.

Cali has been taking this vitamin once a day for a little over a month now. She seems a little less itchy than she normal, which might be the colder weather. Her hair seems softer, and less oily. Besides skin problems, Cali also has some knee problems.  She may eventually need surgery to correct subluxating patellas on both rear legs, but up to now she has been Ok. The only time I see symptoms are when we go on an extra long walk. Occasionally when she is tired, I’ll notice she has a little trouble jumping on the furniture. With the colder weather, we haven’t been doing long walks, but I also haven’t noticed her having trouble getting onto the furniture lately.  I can’t be 100% positive that the results I’m seeing are from the new vitamin, but I feel good enough about it that I plan to continue using them.

Apoquel has been a required medication for Cali for several years now.  Without it, she scratches herself bald, ends up with hot spots, and often skin infections. Lately I’ve been reading that long term use of Apoquel can suppress the immune system and might not be as healthy as previously believed. I’m hoping that maybe with a combination of high quality diet, and this multivitamin, that maybe I can get Cali off the Apoquel. I plan to talk to my vet about this before changing her dosage of course, but I’m interested to see how she does.

The Multivitamin treats are about an inch long as you can see above, and they are soft chews. Cali seems to enjoy the taste and eats them right away. I do break them in half when I feed them to her, because they are thick and a little hard for her small mouth to chew whole. One thing I noticed is that the suggested use is 2 chews per day for up to 35 lbs. Cali only weighs 11 lbs, so I’ve just been giving her one chew per day. Since I seem to be seeing results, I see no reason to go up to two, but as I wean her off the Apoquel, this might be a good option.

According to the label, this vitamin is supposed to help with Skin & Coat, Hip & Joints, Digestion, Immune support, Heart & Circulation, Cognition & Memory. I just ordered another jar of the supplement, so I’ll update in a couple of months and see if I have noticed any other improvements. Innovet currently has the Multivitamin on sale for $29.50 per jar, with 90 chews per jar. Considering I currently pay about $40 per month for Apoquel, this could be a nice financial savings for me as well as it possibly being healthier for Cali.

The one thing I don’t like about this product is that it is Grain-free. With all the controversy lately over possible ties between Grain-free diets and heart problems, I don’t feed grain-free, but I don’t feel that a Grain-Free vitamin is really going to cause a problem when her regular diet contains grains.

Does anyone else give supplements or vitamins to their pets? What do you use? What do you like or not like? I find that I can sometimes get carried away with supplements, and I’m hoping that this 6-in1 Multivitamin might be a good way for me to consolidate.

 

 

Making Friends

Bean continues to do a great job fitting in here.  I was initially worried about him getting along with the cats most of all, but Bean is here to be everyone’s friend.

Bean and Hector D. Byrd are fascinated with each other. Of course they are always supervised when Hector is out, but they often chose to hang out together. This morning, I found the kitten chewing on one end of a cardboard box, while Hector chewed up the other! I’m going to have to break the news to Bean that he isn’t really built for chewing up boxes!

 

Friends

My worries about Puck and Bean not getting along are over. I think this photo says it all. Puck seems so happy to have a buddy. Logan is much older, and never really bonded with Puck. The best I can say is that they tolerate each other, which is pretty much how Logan is with Bean as well.

Puck and Bean are actually buddies. They love to wrestle together and they love when I have an extra box to leave out for them to climb and play with. I haven’t been able to get a video yet, but one cat will be in the box, one will be on top or on the side, and they will just pounce on each other over and over again.

Hector has always been obsessed with cardboard.  She always has a supply of boxes in or near her cage. Lately, she has been strolling across the floor and getting into the pile of spare boxes I keep. Last night, she decided she wanted the box the cats were playing with. She strolled over, looked at the cats, and went into the box and started chewing it up.  I saw Puck zip away from the box, and Bean was sitting just outside of it. I was wondering if Hector would feel trapped and get upset, so I was keeping a very close eye on things.  When Hector was done adding some ventilation to the box, she looked at Bean, chirped and strutted back to her cage. Bean just moved right out of her way, smart kitty already seems to know that Hector rules this roost!

About 5:30 this morning, I woke up to the sound of running cats. Bean and Puck has decided that was a good time for a wrestling match. While I’m really happy the cats are getting along, I’d prefer if they could pick another time or location for their escapades.

But look at that little face, even though I’m not a morning person, I can’t stay mad for long. At this moment, the little guy is curled up around the back of my neck while I’m typing. He’s so soft and warm, an excellent neck warmer!

 

The Little Bean

Sleepy baby cat

Little Bean is pretty awesome. We had some people at our house for a meeting yesterday, and we were all sitting around the kitchen table. Bean jumped up in to one woman’s lap, then onto the table. He hung out with her for a bit, got some pats, and moved on to the next person. He visited all 6 of us at the table. Eventually, he made his way back to me, and climbed up on my chest. He purred, loudly, then he climbed up to my neck and shoulder. He snuggled in and napped. I finished the meeting with Bean curled up on my neck, got up to walk around, and Bean was still sleeping on me. Carried him around for about 20 minutes before he woke up and ran off to play. Such a baby!

Today I had been out quite a bit, and when I came in the house I said “Where’s Bean?” Next thing I know, Bean comes flying down the stairs, and meows in greeting as I bend down to pat him. Bean meows a LOT! He meows when he is happy, he meows to say hello. He meows when he is annoyed or when he wants to be fed.  He meows when he wants to be picked up, or put down. He also meows when he is wrestling with Puck, which he does often. He is not a quiet cat. I wonder if that is a Maine Coon thing?

Bean is trying hard to make friends with Cali. He often tries to snuggle up next to her when she is sleeping, but so far all she does is growl. I hope they can be friends one day. I’ve been giving Cali treats every time she is nice to the kitten.

Snuggled Up

I haven’t weighed him, but he definitely feels like he is growing fast. He has a vet check up on Monday, so I’m sure we will get to see how much he has gained at the appointment. I know kittens grow fast, but this one seems to be growing really fast!

Update on the Little Bean

The Little Bean

This kitten has taken no time to adapt himself to our family. I’m keeping him confined at night and when we aren’t home to make sure he stays safe, but other than that he has run of the house. I guess I had forgotten how easy kittens can be compared to puppies. I didn’t have to housebreak him, and he isn’t chewing all the wood in our house into toothpicks. I have always loved dogs, but as I’m getting older, cats are definitely moving higher on my list. I do enjoy having a dog to walk, take for rides in the car, go on hikes, but for every day home life, cats really are so much easier. I think the older, always running, always busy me is really learning to appreciate that.

My biggest challenge so far, is working to get my older cats to accept him. I didn’t expect any trouble from our male cat, but he did a lot of hissing at first. They aren’t best buddies yet, but they are definitely starting to enjoy playing together.

Play Time

 

 

 

While we really like the name Dezmond in theory, it just doesn’t seem to fit this little guy. My daughter came up with the name Bean, and it seems to be sticking. Our family loves the book, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, and Bean is the main character.

Happy Halloween!