All Creatures Great and Small Archives - Page 10 of 24 - Ruffing’s

Posted on April 11, 2012July 28, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 2 Comments

Kitty update

After his vet visit on Friday, Maxie had a lot of unusual bloating, which kept getting worse. We were right back at the vet on Saturday, and Monday, and Tuesday.

I didn’t include in my last post, with all the other sad news, that our vet had had a terrible accident two weeks ago, and got kicked in the chest by a horse. He had shattered ribs and was in intensive care. Thankfully, he is okay, but in pain, and he was just released from the hospital. We visited with him when he stopped by while we were there. I’m so glad is is okay. We have been going to him for the past eleven years. We miss him, but even more in times like this, when we need guidance about our pet from someone we trust and know. His wife brought him in to visit, and it was clear he was feeling weak and tired. I was relieved to see him. I wish I could have asked him for advice.

There are two new vets handling patients, while our vet is away, and they had differing opinions about what we should be trying. We’ve been there for hours every day, and Maxie has had to hang out there even more than we have. Luckily, he seems content when he is there, and, remarkably, purrs for everyone.

The vet on duty on Saturday was worried about trying to get any abdominal fluid, and wasn’t sure any more tests would give us an answer. She indicated it could be risky to try to go in with a needle, in case there is a tumor, and didn’t seem to think an ultrasound would necessarily help. Most of the options she gave didn’t sound like they would have much effect in helping poor Maxie.

On Monday, we went back in, after taking our boy outside for a while, to lift his spirits. He loves the outdoors and the sun, and seemed to enjoy himself. Once at the vet again, we waited for three hours, while everyone there tried to get someone to do the ultrasound. The vet on on Monday said if she did an ultrasound, she could safely put a needle in to drain the fluids that were bloating his abdomen, and she was sure it would tell us what was going on. But they couldn’t get anyone to come until the next morning.

We were back yesterday morning, and watched them roll in the ultrasound machine. The ultrasound didn’t find anything definite, other than that he had a huge pocket of fluid in his abdomen. The doctor who came in to do the ultrasound didn’t drain the area though, which we were anxious to have done, since he was uncomfortable and not eating or going to the bathroom. She felt the vet on duty could safely do it herself, without the ultrasound, since the pocket was so big, but she had some surgeries. We waited some more. I felt like I was going to go insane in that office, if I had to stay anymore. I’ve lost count of how much time we’ve been in there. I asked if I could bring him back later, when the other vet could drain the fluids. They asked we leave him there instead, so the vet could get him started on draining.

An entire liter of fluid came out. Two pounds of fluid. He’s had his tummy shaved and he’s wearing a big bandage temporarily because there was some leaking from the procedure. He couldn’t walk so well when we got home, but he is doing better at the moment. He was able to eat, with the bloating gone, but it will likely come back, since the cause is unknown.

Today is my cousin’s birthday. He passed away from cancer less than a year ago. I remember he had to have the same things done so he could eat. Maxie may have cancer as well. That sounded like the most likely diagnosis, even though we don’t really know. They didn’t feel they could do anything much more, other than drain fluids, if they come back and he is still eating. We’re giving him subcutaneous fluids twice a day for dehydration. He’s also on painkillers and other medicines to try to make him comfortable. He is sleeping mostly, but ate and walked around this morning. We’ll have to stick around here to monitor him.

As you might expect, I haven’t gotten to much else. I put these three new Hug Me Kittens up. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

Sewing is probably as good a thing to do as anything, in stressful situations. I try to read, but I get so distracted.

Posted on April 6, 2012July 29, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Our home away from home

I feel like we’ve been at the vet office for a week. Or a week and a half. It feels longer. Our two oldest kitties are having health issues that need continued attention, and it is always distressing trying to do the best we can for them. Maxie has been getting fluids for kidney problems. We’re doing them at home twice a day, after he had all-day fluids at the vets.

The fluids seem to help him feel a lot better. Last Saturday, he was staggering badly, due to dehydration and toxins in his system. He’s gone in for tests a couple of times over the past week too. At first, the results hadn’t changed much, but today they were better. Hopefully, he’ll level out more, but we’ll be doing the subcutaneous fluids, twice a day, indefinitely. I find it stressful, and I feel guilty poking him with a needle, but today he purred at the vet, for the vet and for the tech, and he even purred in his carrier in the car, and so at least I know it is worth it to make him feel better. I have done fluids before, but it has been a long time. I hope I get better at it.

Maxie stayed in an isolated area at the vet’s, to be safe. Our two oldest cats are haven’t been vaccinated this year due to their health issues, and so we have to be careful. Zoomie went in for testing along with Max, and he has a low white blood cell count, which can make him more vulnerable to catching things too. He needed his medication for his thyroid adjusted. Then they both go back for more tests. Some of the neighbor cats come poking around the porch and deck, looking in the screened windows. I hope all of them are healthy with nothing to pass on to our cats.

That’s Santana the Peeping Tom cat below. He belongs to a neighbor. He likes to come look in our windows and doors. There are some other cats who show up at night, but I don’t know where they all live. They all look like healthy pets, as far as I can tell.

I noticed Maxie staggering when I had to come back home with a flat tire last Friday, but thought he must have hurt himself. I am so glad my dad was able to fix the tire and that the car was available when we needed it to get to the vet. I feel uneasy that I almost waited until Monday, thinking the staggering was due to an injury. At least he is doing better now, but it is still sad when pets get old and develop issues. We have to monitor Maxie for bloating he has too, in case he has any heart problems, or other possibly related issues.

We got out of the house a little today, to try to relax, and I saw a pregnant long-haired cat down at the plaza where Phoebe and Bertie used to live. I asked if anyone might be able to fit her in for trapping, but I am not sure anyone will make it here. I wish I knew more people to ask for help. Everyone at the rescue is already booked up on time. I can’t do it myself, and I can’t put any cats at risk, transporting her or bringing her here, not with our boys with health issues. So, that is additionally disheartening.

Everyone here is very adamant with me about that, no transporting or keeping cats here. You never know who you will trap either, if you’ll get the right cat, or if you’ll pick up a kitten too young for vetting but too old and feral for adoption, which is what happened with Phoebe and Bertie. After bringing the girls home from that steakhouse, and ending up keeping them, everyone made me promise not to do that again. I really don’t do well with any of it. It makes me feel so sad when I think about that whole project, or when I see the cats there. We started trapping, spaying/neutering, and vaccinating the cats in that colony, but never finished, which means the cats there keep breeding. From what I understand, the rescue needs to concentrate on another two towns at the moment for TNR, because of a grant, and there are never enough volunteers who aren’t already busy.

I initially went along on trips to make photo stories of various projects, like TNR, and ended up with both sad stories to tell, and some happy ones. The weekend before last, Jill and I ran a sick kitten to the vet who didn’t survive. I would like some more happy stories.

Some nice things happened too. Someone ordered all these toys, maybe for Easter. I thought they looked so cute and cheerful together.

And I added a couple of new toys to my shop, a Hug Me Sock Kitten, and a Hug Me Bug.

We posted some more miniature kitten art dolls by Max Bailey too. These are Dixie, the tabby kitten,

Libby the calico kitten,

Frannie the black-and-white tuxedo kitten,

and Rosie the Ragdoll kitten.

If I don’t post again before Easter, I hope you all have a lovely holiday. Easter is my favorite of the holidays.

Posted on February 4, 2012July 29, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Working on getting organized

These are some of the custom handmade Hug Me Slug stuffed animal toys that I sent out this past week. I’m trying to decide what to work on next, maybe some bunnies. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop

I got part of my workroom more under control than it was. My clothes are now barricaded into the closet in the corner though. It’s hard to cram all that I have into a small area.

I have more boxes to fill, and am hoping to get more of the piles of fabric organized.

I experimented with the remote control I had for an older SLR camera I have, to see how it worked on the newer camera. I took photos of myself surrounded by my supplies.

That is Beau Bear sneaking up on me, above. I made him a long time ago, from a Vogue pattern. Josephine used to nap on him when she first came here.

I am also working on the backlog of doll photos I have to edit. These are Randolf and Maizie, original, one-of-a-kind ginger tabby cat art dolls by Max Bailey. We posted Randolf here on our Ruffing’s blog, and Maize has her own post here.

This is Ginnie, a miniature version of Max’s art dolls. She comes with a dollhouse cradle. I talked Max into trying mini dolls in cradles, and so I hope people enjoy her and her mini-kitten friends we have to photograph next. Ginnie can be found here on our Ruffing’s blog. I have seven more sets of art doll photos to get edited and posted.

Our real-life kitties are doing well. Bertie is getting so big, we will soon be calling her Big Bertha instead. Phoebe is smaller, and shyer. Bertie has come into her own and is pretty confident. She wants to eat first and she wants the other cats to give her baths. Phoebe is making her own progress, visiting me at the computer and watching things I do.

Yesterday morning, I got a call from Princess Marie saying that two feral cats were being released from the Wake County Animal Shelter to go to Operation Catnip, which is an all-volunteer group with a clinic that spays and neuters and vaccinates feral cats. She was going to pick them up and asked if I could go along to take some photos. There has been some controversy over the cats, and whether they could be released, which hopefully is all worked out now, although there are policy issues still to be discussed, regarding feral cats in the community. From what I understand, these two cats will now be living in an outdoor home, instead of being returned to the colony where they were originally trapped. The people at the shelter were nice to us while we were there, and let me take some photos of the kitties’ big day. Lots of people are happy about the cats getting to go free. They have already been to the vet, and are now settling in comfortably in a safe place.

Posted on January 7, 2012July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Yellow kittens, blue kittens, and slugs

I have more Hug Me Kitten stuffed animal toy kittens. These are fleece and the ones below are sock dolls.

I was curious to see what would happen if I modified my Hug Me Kitten pattern to make a sock kitten, and they came out pretty cute.

I also finished some more 12-inch fleece Hug Me Slugs. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I’ve been sewing whatever I feel like sewing, while watching movies. Today, I added a few custom toy listings, since the holiday rush is no longer a worry.

It was strange to have some free time around the holidays, after the past two years. It was much easier to handle just making the custom tags for the toys, without having the time crunch to finish any custom colors.

This is my workroom, without me sitting at my table. We came back from a walk the other night and this looked cozy and inviting. So, I took a photo.

Bertie and Phoebe are sprouting up. These are the two of them bird watching, from yesterday.

Sunbathing is also popular here.

These are a couple of the cats from the feral colony near the area where I picked Phoebe and Bertie up, sunbathing outdoors. I think the one on the right may be a sister of theirs. We looked for the injured kitten, but couldn’t find her. Marie picked up three other cats to be spayed and vaccinated. I haven’t heard back if this is one of them, but I hope so. She said she picked up a kitten too, that may be tamable, but I haven’t heard if it was one I saw, or a new one. It’s been so upsetting thinking about the kitten out there, and the others that will likely be born there too. I kept checking, but didn’t see her.

I photographed some of the other cats while I was there. I wondered if this girl is a relative of Phoebe and Bertie too. She has eyes a bit like Bertie’s. There are so many cats there with a family resemblance. I hope they can be helped out, and that they can get spayed/neutered and vaccinated soon. There is so much demand everywhere.

This nice tom cat sits with me when I change the water bowls. I think he must have wandered into the colony looking for girl cats, since he seems tame. The past couple of times I have gone down to check, someone has thrown the feeders’ bowls and my water bowls into the ravine. Having food in bowls, and fresh water helps prevent sickness in the cats. Eating off the ground and drinking filthy water is very unhealthy. That is probably how Phoebe and Bertie got Giardia, which needed to be treated. It’s so disheartening when people are uncaring.

The manager at this location, another restaurant not far from the steakhouse where our kittens were, had seemed fine about the cats being there, when we talked to him, but maybe there is someone else there at a different time of day, who feels differently. It is very frustrating when you are trying to help animals in need, and it really is beneficial to everyone to have the cats healthy and fixed, instead of scrounging in dumpsters, etc. I hope things will get straightened out for everyone’s sake. It makes no sense to interfere with a rescue trying to help you with your problem. The cats are there because there are multiple restaurants with open dumpsters, not because of a couple of bowls of clean food and water.