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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!

 

1st Vet Visit

Looks like the new fuzz ball is going to be Dezmond. He seems to like the name so far. I’m trying to break the habit of continuing to call him “Baby Cat.” The older cats are starting to settle in and spend more time with him, so overall the adjustment is going well for all. I even had all three cats eating together on the kitchen table for breakfast and dinner today. The big cats don’t usually get wet food twice a day, so they are really happy with the little treats they have been getting!

Dezzi is definitely the neediest kitten I have ever encountered.  He wants to nap on humans, not just near them. We let him sleep with our son last night, and apparently  he spent the whole night on top of him.  If our son moved, the kitten moved back on top of him.

Today I was working on the computer and Dezzi came over begging to be picked up. I scooped him up and he started purring and snuggled up on me. The problem was that I had to be all slouched down to make the kitten comfortable on my chest, but it was not a comfortable way to sit! What I did next might qualify me for Crazy Cat Lady status, but it was a back and sanity-saving decision. I went and found my old baby sling, and I snuggled the kitten right up in it. He was so happy, and I got to sit up straight without having to hold the kitten. It was perfect. He napped happily in the sling for a good half hour before I had to get up and disturb him.

Today’s other big event was Dezmond’s first vet visit with us. He didn’t seem to have any problem with being put in the carrier, or being handed around to strange people.  He explored the exam room and liked climbing around on the scale. He weighed in at a big 3.6 lbs! Not bad for just 10 weeks! He didn’t need any shots today, but he did have an exam, worming, and a Feline Leukemia test. All looks good!

Someone didn’t want to stay on the scale for very long!
Scale was calibrating, he did NOT weigh 6 lbs!

Back to the vet for another kitten check, worming, and vaccine in 2 weeks. I’ll be curious to see how much he grows in two weeks.

Make sure you check out PetMomma.Co on Instagram for more pictures. It’s hard not to constantly take pictures of him. Of course also check back here for more updates. What do you think, does Dezmond fit?

Today’s Compromise

Yesterday was a LONG day! We spent over 7 hours in the car, but we were able to watch our son’s hockey game in one part of the state, and then have some lunch and drive over to Peconic Maine Coon breeders in another part of the state before completing the triangle and driving home.  Thankfully it was an absolutely beautiful drive around the White Mountains, and through some pretty foliage.

I wish I had thought to take pictures while we were at the breeders, but I was so busy playing with kittens I didn’t even think about it. There were 5 kittens, and 10 adults at the house. The adults were gorgeous! Big, spikey-eared hairy beasts.  Every single one of the kittens was amazing.  I’m glad we had pre-reserved one, because I don’t think I could have chosen on the spot.

This precious little 10 week old morsel came home with us.  He doesn’t have a name yet, so right now he is just Baby Cat. Let’s hope that doesn’t stick!

It is not taking Baby Cat long to settle in at all.  He’s pretty much taken over the house. We have him set up in his own room for now while everyone gets to know each other. When I’m around, he’s exploring the house.  He runs around and checks everything out, but if I get out of sight, he starts howling as soon as he notices.  I’ve never been around a cat this obsessed with people!

I sat down to work on my computer, and Baby Cat played on the floor for a while, he explored near by, then he wandered too far and started howling so I had to find him and show him where I was. He tried to climb up my leg, so I helped him into my lap.  He climbed onto my chest, kneaded my neck a bit, and then settled in for a nap. That was all very sweet, but I can only type one handed for so long, so we compromised and I found him a new spot:

I’m not sure how this is going to work out when he gets bigger, but for now, he is all snuggled up and I have a nice neck warmer!

Cali, the dog, loves the kitten. She’s a tiny bit jealous, but as long as I pat them both at the same time, she’s happy and they are already playing together.

Logan and Puck, our older cats are another story. Puck is really easy going and we thought he would be super accepting of the new kitten, he’s not. Last night he sat outside the living room peering in. When the kitten got too close, Puck hissed, and left. Today they are doing a little better.  They are in the same room together now. Baby Cat really wants to make friends, but Puck isn’t ready for that. I got a pheromone collar for Puck to see if that helps ease his anxiety about the transition.

Logan is carefully watching from a distance. She’s doesn’t seem stressed about the new addition, but she also isn’t interested in being friends just yet. I was going to get her a pheromone collar as well, but the pet store only had one, so I have one on order from amazon for her.  This is what I bought if anyone is interested:

The clerk at the store said she had used them and it seemed to help.

Baby cat is laying on my chest again, purring, and licking my chin.  I think we are going to get along just fine. Let’s hope the big cats learn to like him soon.

Vet check tomorrow.  Let’s hope the vet think’s this little guy is as perfect as I do!

Check back soon for more kitten pictures and updates.  Hopefully we will come up with a name soon!