Finally to the Vet - Blood Test

Yes. After 4 years, I finally brought Rossi gal in for her blood test. Yea, I know she is long overdue for her test. I'm guilty of procrastinating the inevitable. 

I know I have to get her checked at some point in time, but I really hate going to the vet.

My fat cat, Rubie, went along too for her test too. She has been with us for almost a year and has not been to the vet for any check (for the same reason).

Rossi gal's blood test results

I'm so glad that my Rossi gal cleared her blood test. :)  The vet said she is looking good, except for her skin.


Rossi is diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, a very common issue, according to the vet.

Since the day I took her home, she has been experiencing issues with the skin, fur loss...rashes...demodex.

She is especially affected by the weather and environment. When the weather gets hot, her rashes start popping out, only to subside when the weather gets better. Then when the environment is dusty, she also gets affected. It doesn't help that the haze is back now. Sighz.

Through Daddy and my observation, we do not think it's food-related. Now we know it's really not. Even if there is no cure for atopy, we will do our best to manage her condition.

The vet was saying, if we could move to somewhere with a cool climate, e.g. Australia, it would do good for her skin. I wish too, but not possible, yet.

What matters most now is, there is nothing wrong with her, other than her skin(something we have to work on). But all in all, she is a healthy gal. :)

I also did a comparison of her current test results against her results 4 years back. Her overall readings have improved significantly from her last test. :) I attribute this to her diet. I believe diet has played an important role in her well-being. 

Daddy & me believe too, that Dr Dobias' Green min has contributed to her health as well. She is into her 3rd jar of Green min now.

This also impressed upon me that we are on the right track for Rossi gal, what we have been doing for her. Daddy agrees. We will definitely continue in this direction for our darling.

Fat cat's blood test results

My fat cat, rubie, cleared her blood test too. :) I must say she is quite sturdy for a 10 year old gal. 

Other than having a higher BUN value, she is fine.

It's not a biggie. The vet just asked if we have been feeding her a lot of meat and advised us to reduce her meat intake. He told us to include some mashed pumpkin to her meals. Zzzzz.  

I simply smiled and looked away.

He is a nice vet, but I couldn't agree with him on this. Carnivores dun eat pumpkin. Neither is my fat cat getting any.

Till the next test. ;)

Signing off with a few fave photos of my darling & her nanny.

A Simple Celebration

I have my most important persons, Rossi gal & Daddy, and the new addition to our family, Rubie (aka fat cat), celebrating my birthday with me this year.

It was a simple & heart-warming celebration...with the people I love, a pretty cake & a short lovely message. How sweet. Nothing beats having the ones you love and who love you by your side.

Both gals are attracted to the glowing candle, in different ways. Rossi gal is watching the bright flame with a mixture of fascination & curiosity, while Rubie is staring down at it like it's some evil thing. ;p

There have been some nagging issues that I have been struggling with. Among them, there is a particular one that worries and frustrates me so much that my whole mind is totally overwhelmed by it, to the extent that I cannot concentrate & I get paranoid very easily. Luckily, I have Daddy going through it with me.

The celebration does help in distracting me for a while from it all. I needed this.

The maliciousness surrounding me is of no significance. I have no time or energy for petty stuff. There are important matters I need to focus on.

My only hope is for this particular issue to be resolved very soon. That's it.

Happy Moments

Our first family outing to Pasir Ris Park...

 

Together at Gardens by the Bay, Bay East...

 

My favorite shot of them...

Celebrating Daddy's Birthday & Rubie's first celebration with us...

 

Rubie's expression when she sees her cat condo for the first time, priceless...

Hoping for more happy moments to come in our journey of life together.

Life Together

A question I get asked quite often ever since Rubie joined our family:

"Can they (Rossi & Rubie) get along?"

A picture is worth a thousand words. I will share some pictures of them. 

 

 

One is a dog & the other is a cat. Many people seem to have the idea that dogs and cats are enemies & cannot get along. One is like water, the other is like fire & these two cannot blend in with each other. (A chinese saying) Even cartoons on TV suggest dogs and cats to be enemies. 

Rubie's first outing with us at Pasir Ris Park.

 Rubie has her own set of harness & leash,
but she simply refused to walk.

I used to think the same too, but I realised how wrong I am. Dogs and cats are not enemies & they can definitely get along. Even if they are not best of friends, they can still live in harmony with one another. I had known of those with both dogs & cats and they get along very well.

If you go into youtube and do a search, you will actually find many videos of dogs and cats playing together. They are really cute together.

Rossi & Rubie are not exactly friends, yet. But they are able to live with each other under the same roof in harmony. They can be in the same space comfortably. 

In fact, Rossi gal loves to watch Rubie play. She would sit on my lap quietly and watch Daddy play with Rubie using the lazer pointer & the fishing toys. She can watch for as long as Rubie plays. She smiles & wags her tail gently as she watches. When she gets excited by Rubie's playing, she would stand on her feet & wag her tail vigorously.

When we played with her sister, Cookie, Rossi gal would get so jealous & upset. She would bark furiously at Cookie, if either of us played with her. But with Rubie, it's so different. Rossi gal seems to like cats so much better than dogs.


They play the 'Staring Game' too. 
Who wins?
My Rossi gal won! The cat looked away & jumped off the chair. LOL.

An Update on Rossi & Rubie

Being nearly a decade old hasn't slowed our Rubie down one bit. Rubie is still young at heart & loves to play.

Rubie & the Laser Pointer 

 

  Rubie & the Fishing Toy

Hopefully, one day, Rossi & Rubie can play together too.

Now I'm just glad that the two gals can accept each other's presence in the house, though they are still not having any physical contact. They would just gaze at each other at a 'safe' distance.

The 'safe' distance between them is gradually getting closer. :)

Rubie loves to explore around the house too. She would walk around the house, careful not to cross Rossi gal's path. Rossi gal would walk outside of Rubie's path. Both gals would just do their own thing & mind each other's business.

From our observations, Rossi gal can tolerate Rubie's presence in the house so much better than when her own sister, Cookie, was at our house. It could be attributed to the similarites in their characters. Both gals are quiet & shy in nature.

We have never intended to get another dog, much less a kitty. But Rubie has been placed directly in our path and this makes her an exception. We also thought long and hard before making the decision. Daddy was saying, Rossi cannot get along with dogs, but with a kitty, it might be different.

Besides feeling sorry for Rubie's plight & Daddy's affinity with her, their characters' similarity is also another deciding factor in adopting Rubie. We know Rossi gal cannot tolerate hyper-active & bossy characters. Even we ourselves cannot too.

We believe the character aspect is an important consideration. If we see that the possibility of Rossi gal tolerating or accepting Rubie is Nil, it would not be possible & practical for us to take Rubie in. We do not like the idea of 'forcing' Rossi gal to tolerate or accept a furkid with a personality that we know she doesn't like. That's just us.

Perhaps some might not agree on this, but that's ok. Rossi gal being our foremost priority, we have to & will take her feelings into consideration.
 
I guess they just need more time to get to know each other. Well, they got all the time to do so. :)

Also, Rubie is getting faster in finishing up her raw meats. From more than an hour or even longer, now she finishes up her food in less than 15 minutes. She is loving raw. :D 

RAWRRRR...

She is on 2 meals daily now and would sit at my feet at the kitchen when I prepare her food. She would also start meowing at me softly, like she is asking me to speed up and feed her the food. ;p

I'm hoping to transit her to 1 meal like Rossi gal eventually, if possible.

Like Rossi gal, Rubie loves dehydrated treats too. She gets excited when she sees me holding treats in my hand. Previously, it's just Rossi gal asking for treats, now Rubie asks for treats too! Rubie would walk to the fridge area and wait there. She knows where her food is located. LOL.