[OldFatJoe]

I'm not really sure what I'm asking right now. I guess I just wanted to rant about the incredibly bad sub zero month this poor little girl has managed to live through. Looking at her I seriously doubt she would survive many more days. I'm so thankful we have her back now. I'll make any sacrifice to get her in prime health again.

So, I already had my female Russian Blue Roxi and she's my little Princess. Then my son decided he didn't want to live in Alaska any more with the 30 below temps. He brought Carlos down with him on one trip. Carlos is a HUGE long haired Siamese and a barrel of laughs. Sriracha didn't care for the freezing temps either. My son decided it was time to move him and her to a warmer climate as in South Carolina a little over a month ago. Sriracha was supposed to be on the same flight out of Anchorage to Phoenix with him so they could visit me for a few days. Well, the complete moron baggage handler in Anchorage dropped her plastic cage which broke open due to the sub zero temps and she ran off into the way below zero snow and ice. They wouldn't allow my son to try and catch her. They were in the cargo area and NOWHERE close to the runways. Over one month later some fur baby ANGEL in Anchorage caught her and took her to see if she was chipped and she was. I now have her but she's in pathetic shape after a month of living in sub zero temps and lack of care by ALASKA AIRLINES AFTER SHE WAS GIVEN TO THEIR CARGO DEPARTMENT! She's emaciated and has wicked damage to her tail. I hope you can tell from the pictures just how starved she is and the tail problems. She's way underweight and that tail makes me wince every time I see it. Petting her is painful for me because I can feel every bone in her body. ALL THANKS TO THE MORONS AT ALASKA AIRLINES!!! NEVER ever, ever, ever, EVER fly Alaska Airlines with a pet! Unless you hate that animal and wish nothing but bad to happen to it! There was no food or water in her cage when I picked her up. I'm not sure they ever gave her anything.

While she was never before she is now very affectionate and will actually allow me to pick her up and hold her. None of us could ever do that before without massive blood loss. She's obviously starved for attention and is eager for any affection she can get after more than a month of living in sheer terror and sub zero temps. Poor little girl. I'm giving her all the affection she can handle. I can't believe she survived. We had all pretty much accepted that she hadn't survived. We're all now ecstatic to see she has made it alive!

I just got her home about 6 hours ago so she's still exploring the house. She has been here before but about 8 months ago. She has a ravenous appetite, but I don't dare over feed her now. Gotta work her into it. I have a bunch of salmon and tuna. Really can't overdo that because of all the mercury in tuna thanks to worldwide industrial polluters. I do need to pack some pounds on her though. I have over 5 pounds of wild caught salmon. Lots of good fats and other nutrients. I'll give her salmon maybe every two or three days. My daughter has an Amazon shipment being delivered to me tomorrow that is what Sriracha used to like. The food just like the litter she was buying was ridiculously overpriced supposedly super-duper "perfect" Nulo cat food that was left behind with me for Carlos. NONE of the three will eat it. Sriracha doesn't like it. She has been eating a little of Roxi's Rachael Ray dry food from Roxi's bowl. The shipment from my daughter is $80.00! It'll be returned.

I already "re-homed my sons Siamese. He's not fat. He's just freaking HUGE. Almost 19 pounds! Many have speculated that he has some MaineCoon in him and I seriously believe it. I don't really know what I'm asking right now. I guess I just wanted to post about the incredibly bad sub zero month this poor little girl Sriracha has managed to live through. Looking at her I seriously doubt she would survive many more days. I'm so thankful we have her back now. I'll make any sacrifice to get her in prime health again. He's dumber than a box of rocks but he does so much crazy stuff that he's a laugh a minute. I may be re-homing and keeping Sriracha as well. Wow. Three cats. I'll be seriously outnumbered!

Take a look at her tail Pix. I've had many stray cats in the way past (1960/1970's) and all the Vets did was cut off the bad section, rub some antibiotics on what was left and called it good. I'm not OK with that. Sriracha is a gorgeous Tuxedo cat and we can't cut a bunch off her tail off so I'm going to be busy researching how to put a very lightweight cast on her tail. I have lots of lightweight fiberglass cloth and resin. Also plaster of Paris.

Thanks for allowing me to ramble on for a while.

Joe

 

[marie73]

I know cats look bigger than they are when hunched over eating, so at that angle she doesn't look skinny. Again, it's just the angle and position. Part of me is glad I can't see how skinny she is. You might want to get some Nutrical or a product like that to help put some weight on her. It's a gel that's very calorie intensive and some of them have an appetite stimulant. My girls love it.

I already "re-homed my sons Siamese.

I can't tell if by "rehomed" you mean "taken in"?

 

[OldFatJoe]

I can't tell if by "rehomed" you mean "taken in"?

Thanks Marie. Taken in and re-homed are pretty much one and the same in Carlos' case. It would take too long to elaborate.

Poor Sriracha. I wear a BPAP mask (Extreme version of CPAP) at night and all three cats are scared of it. They won't lay near my face when I wear it. Siracha started off sleeping at my feet when I went to bed. About 1:00AM this morning she woke me up crying, squirming and in severe distress. I don't know if it was just nightmares or if she now suffers from PTSD. I know if I went through what she did I would likely end up locked away in a sanitarium. She had 4 more "events" so I removed my mask (Dr. will chew my buttocks for that) and pulled her up just within reach of my hand so I could stroke her and after I knew she was asleep again I left my hand on her midsection to hopefully give her a sense of security. This little girl has a STRONG will to live and I'm going to make absolutely certain she does.

I read that soft music helps to sooth cats in distress. I have 4 Alexas in separate areas of the house and all of them are playing Yanni for the day. I know Roxi just loves music. Especially Reggae which happens to be my favorite as well. I'll ease into reggae in a day or two.

Roxi is my biggest problem right now. I think she fears Sriracha is a usurper come to dethrone her as Queen of the Household. I closed the bedroom door at bedtime so Sriracha could sleep not being bothered by the two other lunatics. Roxi was at the door crying all night and tearing up the bedroom carpet at the threshold. She only cries to get out of a room. NOT to get in! Strange behavior from her. It looks like I now have two cats with mental issues.

Carlos? Well, he's just Carlos. Oblivious to everything around him. I can only compare him to a massive stoner dude. That's what makes him so bloody loveable and such a funny clown. I think he's on a constant natural high. Being cross-eyed doesn't help either.

This saga will continue. I don't think Sriracha will be any sort of quick fix though. It looks like she has already started bonding to me. I know my daughter loves Sriracha dearly and I doubt I'll be able to pry her from her hands when the times comes to part with her.

We're working on a first step food solution for her now. On the menu for kitty dinner tonight is salmon cooked in the air fryer with NO seasonings and Chicken breast steamed in the Instant Pot with NO seasoning then run through the food processor for easier digestion. Two of the highest protein foods I know of. They are a huge part of my successful weight loss diet right now. She is in serious need of calories and protein to rebuild that impressive muscle she had but sadly is no longer. I felt along her legs and found little muscle. I've never thought of myself as a cat person and now I have three. Soon I'll be known as the crazy old cat man down the street. Just being known as the crazy old man down the street is fine with me. I love all animals and simply can't stand to see one in distress. If I was 50 years younger, I would definitely start studies to become a veterinarian.

Joe

 

[marie73]

Sounds like these cats are in great hands.

 

[OldFatJoe]

Thanks Marie. Me, my daughter and son are all doing massive searches for the healthiest foods for her situation. Sriracha absolutely WILL survive regardless of cost!!! My son and daughter have spent in fees well over $1000.00 to get her to me in WAY south Arizona. Arizona city to be exact. Arizona City, AZ equals NOWHERE Arizona. LOL.

Joe

 

[miscellaneous]

Oh Joe. My heart goes out to both you and poor little Sriracha. What a horrible thing to happen! Your anger is completely justified and you can vent with us anytime you want. If there's anything else we can do to help, please let us know and we will certainly try.

 

[OldFatJoe]

Oh Joe. My heart goes out to both you and poor little Sriracha. What a horrible thing to happen! Your anger is completely justified and you can vent with us anytime you want. If there's anything else we can do to help, please let us know and we will certainly try.

Thank you so much. I live on Social Security alone and it's crazy hard to support myself let alone 3 additional mouths and their daily needs. My gorgeous daughter is an angel sent from God himself to help make certain no animal suffers. Like me we're both not rich but if we have to scrimp a bit to save an animal life then we're both all for it. My daughter should have pursued that offered modelling career 20 years ago. She would have made enough money to save ALL animals in need. I simply couldn't love my children anymore! I am in NO WAY asking for any handouts. We need DOCUMENTED nutrition reports on as many Cat Foods as possible. I couldn't care less what mega dollar food you feed your cats. I need to know WHAT will work for her to aid her progress.

I know some will love to reply and if you do then PLEASE FOLLOW TWO REQUESTS!!!

I'm sorry but, I IN NO WAY care what food works for your cat at this point in time. What that cat suffered during the re-homing process and mine from Alaska and her dietary needs is ALL I care about. I can guarantee Sriracha has been though much more stress than your kitty at this point.

Joe

 

[marie73]

At this point, feed her whatever she will eat. She needs to put on weight. And I know you can't feed her a lot at one time or she will (like most cats) puke it up. When Cleo needed desperately to put on weight, I fed her every two hours. Along with Nutrical between meals. I can't give you documented nutrition reports because at the time, I didn't give a crap. I wanted my girl to gain weight, and I would worry about switching to better food afterwards.

Just my two cents, but I would probably amputate her tail at the "kink" closest to her body. My Cali (RIP) had her front leg amputated and she was fine with that. I just think it would be less invasive as trying to fix it. Again, just my opinion.

But Sriracha is your baby and you're the one taking care of her and worrying about her best interests. Whatever you decide should be supported by other people.

 

[miscellaneous]

We're not experts here, Joe, and can only tell you what foods we've tried and what works well for us. If you need more information than that, you could call your Vet or local animal shelter and ask them for advice.

 

[OldFatJoe]

We're not experts here, Joe, and can only tell you what foods we've tried and what works well for us. If you need more information than that, you could call your Vet or local animal shelter and ask them for advice.

I can't ask for more than what actual pet owners have experienced and thank you so much. Replies here are MUCH more relative than what the feed baggers want us to believe if it drives their sales.

Joe

 

[miscellaneous]

Then until you can talk to a professional, I can tell you that they do sell high-protein wet and dry food for cats, lickable pastes, and protein supplements, but we never know what our cats can tolerate until we try it. I think what you're doing for now is great, but cats need more nutrition than people-food provides, so you may want to switch to cat food as soon as you can.

Yes, everybody has their own opinion about certain brands, and researching each one is mind-boggling! I don't buy the cheapest nor the most expensive, just something in between so everybody's happy and healthy. Just keeping doing what you can, and again, please call a Vet or animal shelter for more specific advice. We're rooting for you!

 

[OldFatJoe]

I just got an Amazon shipment that my daughter placed. Nulo Freestyle Perfect Purees Chicken and Mackerel in broth recipe. Plus a tube of Nulo Freestyle Perfect Purees Chicken recipe dinner treat. What robbery! My daughter bought this food and I won't let her spend $80.00 again for this stuff! I can give her MUCH more needed protein and just about all nutrients with good old fashioned steamed chicken breast and salmon for a fraction of the price.

Retailers are robbing all of us animal lovers. It's almost cheaper to provide monthly sustenance for a human than a pet! I refuse to support those scum suckers.

Joe

 

[miscellaneous]

It IS unbelievable what pet food costs these days, and I just read that there may be a shortage this winter. Great! It took FOREVER to find something my cats liked and tolerated so I'm stocking up a bit now so we don't run out.

It was very kind of your daughter to buy food for your cat. She, as well as you and your son, have such a good heart!

 

[OldFatJoe]

Thanks everyone. Sriracha is doing a little better. It still breaks my heart to see her in such bad condition. She's eating a bit more now too. I give her very small meals until her tummy has a chance to get used to having food in it. I got a small 3 cup REAL food processor today rather than try to use the dull bladed piece of junk that I had. I like the small size as I think it will be perfect for making small "test" meals to hopefully find something that all three cats will enjoy.

Being a cat poop inspector was never one of my goals in life but hey, sometimes you just gotta take one for the team. We've been waiting for her to use the litter box and she finally did this morning. Being the designated poop inspector, I dutifully inspected her poop. I cut it open lengthwise and found no blood or parasites crawling around. It was "fresh" laid and stunk worse than even Carlos and he can gag a maggot! That her poop was "clean" was good news. Once we get some weight on her and she has some energy She'll go to the vet even though she saw a vet 4 days ago as the airline will not allow critters to fly without a vet exam. The tail doesn't seem an issue for her. She uses her tail muscles to hold everything in position so hopefully it'll mend OK on its own. We'll let the vet make the final decision.

I'm off to Google to find DIY cat food recipes. They're gonna be eatin' good in the neighborhood!

Joe