Life sucks ...
- Thread starter redhead
- Start date
Isinglass
At the Start
Thanks for the update, poor snail! :lol:
Hmm, we want the tale and we want to know about your signature too. Why are Unicorns busiest so late in the night?
Agree with Kri, write a book.
Hmm, we want the tale and we want to know about your signature too. Why are Unicorns busiest so late in the night?
Agree with Kri, write a book.
My signature was just a sentence from a book that appealed to me. The book was Lyall Watson's Supernature - a cult book during the 70's.
At that time a lot of research was going on that has led to procedures and operations that are commonplace now, such as nerve conduction studies. These are a routine test that my consultant uses to determine whether someone has nerve compression in their wrists or elbows, which were just being experimented with at the time of the book being published.
The particular experiment that my signature was taken from was to do with the various metabolic rates of different creatures but, as there were so many that they were dealing with they needed a control group, so they decided to allocate some figures to a fictitious beast - unicorns - not expecting any results, but discovered that unicorns are at their busiest at 3 o'clock in the morning, presumably when they are rampaging through someone's dreams.
The "jackboot" was a desperate attempt to keep a bandage on a young and very active cat - and it worked!
I will reveal my secret later ...
At that time a lot of research was going on that has led to procedures and operations that are commonplace now, such as nerve conduction studies. These are a routine test that my consultant uses to determine whether someone has nerve compression in their wrists or elbows, which were just being experimented with at the time of the book being published.
The particular experiment that my signature was taken from was to do with the various metabolic rates of different creatures but, as there were so many that they were dealing with they needed a control group, so they decided to allocate some figures to a fictitious beast - unicorns - not expecting any results, but discovered that unicorns are at their busiest at 3 o'clock in the morning, presumably when they are rampaging through someone's dreams.
The "jackboot" was a desperate attempt to keep a bandage on a young and very active cat - and it worked!
I will reveal my secret later ...
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Isinglass
At the Start
Wow ... interesting stuff. You never know what goes on do you? 
Are you sure Unicorns are fictitious?
thnks for updates .....
Are you sure Unicorns are fictitious?
thnks for updates .....
It's interesting to read the book 30-odd years after it caused such a sensation, because many of the things he talked about then were still very much in the experimentation stage, but are so commonplace now that we think nothing of them.
He was making the point that what we called "supernatural" then was really only a natural process that science had not yet caught up with. Now those processes are a matter of course these days, but there are other things going on now that may seem almost miraculous but, in another 30 years or so, will again become commonplace.
When I was growing up, telepathy was pooh-poohed, but now in paranormal and other scientific investigations it has to allowed for.
As to unicorns ... depends on what you call "reality", I suppose.
He was making the point that what we called "supernatural" then was really only a natural process that science had not yet caught up with. Now those processes are a matter of course these days, but there are other things going on now that may seem almost miraculous but, in another 30 years or so, will again become commonplace.
When I was growing up, telepathy was pooh-poohed, but now in paranormal and other scientific investigations it has to allowed for.
As to unicorns ... depends on what you call "reality", I suppose.
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Isinglass
At the Start
Yes, you are right.
My GrandMother was very forward thinking and lived to be very old, as did my Great GrandMother. They both saw so much change in their lives, it is hard to comprehend. They believed that one day people would have some method of talking that was better than the telephone, something easier. Computers had just begun to be used for business when Grannie died and I was working with them. She was fascinated that I could be working on a doucment which was being transmitted 'live' to somewhere far away and someone there could pick it up and work on it. She kept talking about a wider thing which everyone could see. Very much like the internet!
Life has always been thus, remember that great minds once thought the world was flat and nearly all maps had 'Here be dragons' round their edges.
My GrandMother was very forward thinking and lived to be very old, as did my Great GrandMother. They both saw so much change in their lives, it is hard to comprehend. They believed that one day people would have some method of talking that was better than the telephone, something easier. Computers had just begun to be used for business when Grannie died and I was working with them. She was fascinated that I could be working on a doucment which was being transmitted 'live' to somewhere far away and someone there could pick it up and work on it. She kept talking about a wider thing which everyone could see. Very much like the internet!
Life has always been thus, remember that great minds once thought the world was flat and nearly all maps had 'Here be dragons' round their edges.
The changes in the past 30 years have been staggering, so I cannot imagine how the world must seem to someone in their 80's or 90's. Some, like your Grannie, have been forward-thinking enough to enjoy the changes, while others haven't, although I'm sure the advances in medical science must be a relief to many of them!
Dougal went for another dose of chemo on Wednesday and has been a bit down for a few days. It probably makes him feel a bit queasy, added to the hot weather, but the trip to the vet also seems to knock his confidence for a while. He was very clingy on Thursday, but wouldn't talk or let me stroke him. Yesterday he was still being a bit cool but has bounced back to his usual affectionate self today.
Tilly is a bit naughty when he is like this, as she has started to bully him. Maybe her way of reasserting herself as top cat because he is getting a lot of fuss.
Someone has given my mother a gorgeous shearling fleece off a Ronaldsay sheep. I have said that I will help to pick it over and card it for her, provided she knits something for me once she has spun it, as she is much better at that than I am. (I can spin, but my tension is too tight so my yarn tends to be a bit thin and "springy". We won't talk about the knitting.)
I had the fleece spread out over a shower curtain on the floor (to protect the carpet from the lanolin). Tilly wandered over to investigate and spent a few minutes sniffing it all over, then decided it was nothing to worry about and put herself to bed in the breeze under the window.
Dougal came in about half an hour through the picking/sorting process and stopped dead in the doorway. His eyes were huge and his nose was twitching like crazy. Being a bit of a wussy cat, he skirted the fleece watching it all the time in case it jumped on him.
After a while, he came over to sit near me, and was chatting away. Then he got really brave and put a paw out to touch the fleece. It didn't move or bite, so he crept a bit nearer. Nothing happened. Suddenly he flattened, the tail spun like a helicopter rotor and he launched himself into the middle of the fleece and rolled around, bashing it.
One smelly cat.
Tilly is a bit naughty when he is like this, as she has started to bully him. Maybe her way of reasserting herself as top cat because he is getting a lot of fuss.
Someone has given my mother a gorgeous shearling fleece off a Ronaldsay sheep. I have said that I will help to pick it over and card it for her, provided she knits something for me once she has spun it, as she is much better at that than I am. (I can spin, but my tension is too tight so my yarn tends to be a bit thin and "springy". We won't talk about the knitting.)
I had the fleece spread out over a shower curtain on the floor (to protect the carpet from the lanolin). Tilly wandered over to investigate and spent a few minutes sniffing it all over, then decided it was nothing to worry about and put herself to bed in the breeze under the window.
Dougal came in about half an hour through the picking/sorting process and stopped dead in the doorway. His eyes were huge and his nose was twitching like crazy. Being a bit of a wussy cat, he skirted the fleece watching it all the time in case it jumped on him.
After a while, he came over to sit near me, and was chatting away. Then he got really brave and put a paw out to touch the fleece. It didn't move or bite, so he crept a bit nearer. Nothing happened. Suddenly he flattened, the tail spun like a helicopter rotor and he launched himself into the middle of the fleece and rolled around, bashing it.
One smelly cat.
Isinglass
At the Start
Ha ha ha ha! :lol: Can just picture him and the fleece, so funny. Cats never cease to entertain me. Bless.
How much longer does Dougal have to have the chemo? And do they do a scan after a few weeks to see hos progress has gone?
Mine love sheepskin rugs, next door had one and when they snuck thru their cat flap they could be found curled up on the rug. Would give up eating the food of neighbour cat to get to the rug first. One day I was looking for all 3 of them and found them, squashed together tight on rug with neighbour cats (2) sat glaring at them.
We lived in an ancient terrace of farm cottages which were like a Devon long house, it was hard to tell where one house began and another ended, even for us, the gardens all ran together with the farm at the back. The cats thought it was Heaven, 3 cottages, 7 cats, and one stray visitor who came and went, all happy.
How much longer does Dougal have to have the chemo? And do they do a scan after a few weeks to see hos progress has gone?
Mine love sheepskin rugs, next door had one and when they snuck thru their cat flap they could be found curled up on the rug. Would give up eating the food of neighbour cat to get to the rug first. One day I was looking for all 3 of them and found them, squashed together tight on rug with neighbour cats (2) sat glaring at them.
We lived in an ancient terrace of farm cottages which were like a Devon long house, it was hard to tell where one house began and another ended, even for us, the gardens all ran together with the farm at the back. The cats thought it was Heaven, 3 cottages, 7 cats, and one stray visitor who came and went, all happy.
Cats amaze me. We had a little black cat who Mother called Hillary, on account of his curtain-climbing prowess (Sir Edmund, etc.). We moved house and after a couple of weeks, Hillary disappeared. Any amount of searching and calling, checking with new neighbours, etc., proved fruitless. After something like three months, Mother opened the front door to go out, and there was Hillary. He ignored her completely, stalked through the house, and went straight to the fridge, where he demanded food as if he'd merely strolled in from an hour in the garden.
Sounds like Cat Heaven. 3 homes and The Wild out the back. Close enough to run home from if things get too scary!
That sheepskin rug must have been a big attraction if they were prepared to give up the neighbour's food. Such a subtle hint for Mum to buy us one.
It's nice when they feel free to wander in and out of each others' territories. I often used to find a neighbour's cat curled up on the sofa when Oscar was alive. Poor Henry was a very neglected Persian and Oscar obviously felt sorry for him as any other cat would have had its ears ripped off if it had dared to even put its head through the catflap, but Henry was not only allowed inside, but on the furniture too.
Dougal has a free run of the gardens for about 4 (small) blocks of houses, but then starts the territory of his arch-enemy. They haven't had a run-in for a couple of months, but its not unusual to find the garden covered in great tufts of black and white fur. Luckily there is nothing but fields behind us, so he can range as far as he wants that way.
He has to have chemo once a month now for as long as he lives, to attain and keep remission, with a steroid tablet every other day. Jackie, his vet, is pleased with his progress and the fact that his glands have gone down so well. I think they do a blood test every time he has his jab, to check that there are enough white blood cells and also for anaemia, as Vincristin can cause this.
He's outside enjoying the sunshine at the moment. One of our neighbours has a patch of mint in his garden, and Dougal often has a snooze in the sun there, coming home smelling gorgeous. Not quite sure what a mix of mint and fleece will be like though. :blink:
That sheepskin rug must have been a big attraction if they were prepared to give up the neighbour's food. Such a subtle hint for Mum to buy us one.
It's nice when they feel free to wander in and out of each others' territories. I often used to find a neighbour's cat curled up on the sofa when Oscar was alive. Poor Henry was a very neglected Persian and Oscar obviously felt sorry for him as any other cat would have had its ears ripped off if it had dared to even put its head through the catflap, but Henry was not only allowed inside, but on the furniture too.
Dougal has a free run of the gardens for about 4 (small) blocks of houses, but then starts the territory of his arch-enemy. They haven't had a run-in for a couple of months, but its not unusual to find the garden covered in great tufts of black and white fur. Luckily there is nothing but fields behind us, so he can range as far as he wants that way.
He has to have chemo once a month now for as long as he lives, to attain and keep remission, with a steroid tablet every other day. Jackie, his vet, is pleased with his progress and the fact that his glands have gone down so well. I think they do a blood test every time he has his jab, to check that there are enough white blood cells and also for anaemia, as Vincristin can cause this.
He's outside enjoying the sunshine at the moment. One of our neighbours has a patch of mint in his garden, and Dougal often has a snooze in the sun there, coming home smelling gorgeous. Not quite sure what a mix of mint and fleece will be like though. :blink:
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Wow Krizon, wonder where Hillary had been all that time. (Love the name, btw.) Probably had a sulky fit about the move and decided to teach your Mother a lesson. Did you ever find out where he had been in the interim?
They really are such complex characters. No wonder people like Moehat are fascinated by them once they get to know a cat.
My great-aunts in the far north of Scotland always regarded cats as outdoor animals, only for the farm buildings. Then one day they adopted the cat of a neighbour who had died and were absolutely fascinated by it. She had her own chair in the parlour, blue-and-white crockery of her own and the run of the beds in the house - and I thought mine were spoilt!
They really are such complex characters. No wonder people like Moehat are fascinated by them once they get to know a cat.
My great-aunts in the far north of Scotland always regarded cats as outdoor animals, only for the farm buildings. Then one day they adopted the cat of a neighbour who had died and were absolutely fascinated by it. She had her own chair in the parlour, blue-and-white crockery of her own and the run of the beds in the house - and I thought mine were spoilt!
Yes, once we got over the shock (and joy) of his return, we figured he'd done exactly that - had a hissy fit and stalked off. What was weird was that someone thought they'd seen him where Mother worked - at a big industrial site some four-five miles out of town! We did wonder if he'd stowed away in her car and then got out there (and got left) one day, but how odd was that? Could he possibly have somehow scented her, crossing big roads and then a major road out of town, to where she worked, yet not actually presented himself there? There was also a railway there and very nearby, the stables where we had our horses. Did he somehow scent himself to where the smell of horses was - as we always, no doubt, came home smelling of them? Who knows what went on - it would always be a mystery, but it was great to have the little fellow back. Like several of the cats we had, he was jet black, quite smallish and lithe.
Isinglass
At the Start
Funny isn't it how cats decide when to stay and when to go? Some are just free spirits.
Red, I did not realise that Dougal had to have chemo forever. That is much different to humans isn't it? Well, more or less, we seem to go into remission, if we are going to, and maybe it works, at least for a few years. Poor soul, but as he has such a good life it is worth it.
My cats are very fed up with me now, been up playing on PC and they all want to go to bed. Ha ha! off now zzzzz
Red, I did not realise that Dougal had to have chemo forever. That is much different to humans isn't it? Well, more or less, we seem to go into remission, if we are going to, and maybe it works, at least for a few years. Poor soul, but as he has such a good life it is worth it.
My cats are very fed up with me now, been up playing on PC and they all want to go to bed. Ha ha! off now zzzzz
My two squint at me as if the light is hurting them. You can almost hear a chorus of little voices saying "put the light out, it hurts." After a while they get a bit more fed up and start throwing themselves around on their beds, like a partner in a bad mood - "I can't sleep and it's all your fault!".
Someone once told me that all cats are just little old men in fur coats.
Someone once told me that all cats are just little old men in fur coats.
Bit of a down day yesterday. Dougal was clingy, nervy and wouldn't go out. Just wanted to sleep all day. He sat on me while I was eating breakfast and almost had to be peeled off. He then made himself a nest in the cushions on the sofa before I left for work and was still there when I got home.
While I was making a cuppa he dragged himself into the kitchen for a fuss and I found that his glands were up again. This happens every time his steroids are cut to alternate days.
Spoke to the vet who said that I may increase the dose to daily until Monday but then she wants to persevere with the reduced dose until he goes for his next injection on the 21st.
I think she wants his system to start coping by itself, but watching the way he drags himself around on a bad day is a bit worrying. Still, she has done this before, so I will trust her judgment and try not to worry.
He had a scrap with his arch-enemy last night and has a(nother) large scratch across his nose. I console myself with the fact that they are on his face and not his behind! That he is standing up for himself and not being bullied.
He looks unbelievably tatty at present. His lovely, thick, fluffy breeches have all gone and his upper hind legs are almost bare on the inside.
It seems that he held onto his winter coat until we got the heatwave in May and then has gone mad since in trying to get rid of it to match those temperatures. His coat on his upper body is still tufty, but underneath he has lost most hair where skin meets skin, such as his armpits and between his hind legs.
He did manange to eat half of a sardine and a few biscuits, though. It is difficult to tell whether he is off his feed due to heat or illness.
Poor, scruffy little chap.
Isi - I have been told today that flaxseed oil can be a great help in boosting the immune system and blood. Have you heard anything about this? Apparently you mix the oil with yogurt or cottage cheese (yogurt for him, I think) to ensure that the linolenic acid "binds" to the molecules that it is supposed to help. Thought that I would give it a go if vet approves.
While I was making a cuppa he dragged himself into the kitchen for a fuss and I found that his glands were up again. This happens every time his steroids are cut to alternate days.
Spoke to the vet who said that I may increase the dose to daily until Monday but then she wants to persevere with the reduced dose until he goes for his next injection on the 21st.
I think she wants his system to start coping by itself, but watching the way he drags himself around on a bad day is a bit worrying. Still, she has done this before, so I will trust her judgment and try not to worry.
He had a scrap with his arch-enemy last night and has a(nother) large scratch across his nose. I console myself with the fact that they are on his face and not his behind! That he is standing up for himself and not being bullied.
He looks unbelievably tatty at present. His lovely, thick, fluffy breeches have all gone and his upper hind legs are almost bare on the inside.
It seems that he held onto his winter coat until we got the heatwave in May and then has gone mad since in trying to get rid of it to match those temperatures. His coat on his upper body is still tufty, but underneath he has lost most hair where skin meets skin, such as his armpits and between his hind legs.
He did manange to eat half of a sardine and a few biscuits, though. It is difficult to tell whether he is off his feed due to heat or illness.
Poor, scruffy little chap.
Isi - I have been told today that flaxseed oil can be a great help in boosting the immune system and blood. Have you heard anything about this? Apparently you mix the oil with yogurt or cottage cheese (yogurt for him, I think) to ensure that the linolenic acid "binds" to the molecules that it is supposed to help. Thought that I would give it a go if vet approves.
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Isinglass
At the Start
Oh poor Dougal. 
I think your vet is right to try and see what his immune system does on it's own for awhile. When winter sets in it will give him a knock and it would be good to have something of a secret weapon in hand to use if needed, rather than taking a high dose all the time.
I hear great things about flax seed oil for cats, and oddly enough am going to give to one of mine who has constant sinus trouble, and coughs from having had cat flu young.
I have experience of it with humans, good if you are having chemo, a friend who had breast cancer took it and her skin and hair looked good even during treatment, side effects seemed less, and her liver inflammation vanished! They warned her she would be very tired during treatment but she was not.
There is controversy about whether a cat can digest it, but I think they can, you can read all of the info on the net, it's freely there.
My homepathic vet also recommends fish oil for cats as well.
Discuss with your vet and see what they say - do not want any inter-reactions that would be bad for him.
We can compare notes as to how the cats do on this, but I think it takes at least 3 weeks for any difference to become visible.
I think your vet is right to try and see what his immune system does on it's own for awhile. When winter sets in it will give him a knock and it would be good to have something of a secret weapon in hand to use if needed, rather than taking a high dose all the time.
I hear great things about flax seed oil for cats, and oddly enough am going to give to one of mine who has constant sinus trouble, and coughs from having had cat flu young.
I have experience of it with humans, good if you are having chemo, a friend who had breast cancer took it and her skin and hair looked good even during treatment, side effects seemed less, and her liver inflammation vanished! They warned her she would be very tired during treatment but she was not.
There is controversy about whether a cat can digest it, but I think they can, you can read all of the info on the net, it's freely there.
My homepathic vet also recommends fish oil for cats as well.
Discuss with your vet and see what they say - do not want any inter-reactions that would be bad for him.
We can compare notes as to how the cats do on this, but I think it takes at least 3 weeks for any difference to become visible.
It is brilliant for hair and skin. I have been taking it for about a year now and, apart from when I am really unwell, my skin looks great. You do have to take a fair bit, though. The 1000mg capsules are not enough by themselves, you need to take between 3 and 6 per day.
It is also great for bringing down blood pressure and is the highest source of Omega 3 and 6 that nature provides, not to mention a fair bit of Omega 9 as well. So skin, hair and braincells get a boost, while the blood pressure comes down!
There is also evidence that if taken with a fair bit of cottage cheese it is a powerful anti-carcinogen. The reason that I am going to give it a bash with Dougal.
The only problem with Dougal at present is that he is so off his feed that his catsuit is beginning to hang off him. I am worried that I won't be able to get enough yogurt and flaxseed oil down him to be effective, so I may just have to resort to a syringe, Heaven help me.
I've just got home, his glands are still up but he has eaten half a sardine and a handful of biscuits.
Before I gave him his pill I noticed that his mouth looked a little puffy and that he was dribbling on one side. Checked his mouth and ... bloody gingivitis!!! Poor little lad.
There is only one tooth/gum area affected at the moment and I am hoping that it is the aftermath of last night's scrap, but his breath smells so I strongly suspect the former.
It is also great for bringing down blood pressure and is the highest source of Omega 3 and 6 that nature provides, not to mention a fair bit of Omega 9 as well. So skin, hair and braincells get a boost, while the blood pressure comes down!
There is also evidence that if taken with a fair bit of cottage cheese it is a powerful anti-carcinogen. The reason that I am going to give it a bash with Dougal.
The only problem with Dougal at present is that he is so off his feed that his catsuit is beginning to hang off him. I am worried that I won't be able to get enough yogurt and flaxseed oil down him to be effective, so I may just have to resort to a syringe, Heaven help me.
I've just got home, his glands are still up but he has eaten half a sardine and a handful of biscuits.
Before I gave him his pill I noticed that his mouth looked a little puffy and that he was dribbling on one side. Checked his mouth and ... bloody gingivitis!!! Poor little lad.
There is only one tooth/gum area affected at the moment and I am hoping that it is the aftermath of last night's scrap, but his breath smells so I strongly suspect the former.
walsworth
Journeyman
Isn't flaxseed oil a posh version of linseed oil?
Oh, that reminds me, Redhead - my very last cat got gingivitis when her kidneys began to fail. Breath that could knock down an elephant at 40 paces - but as they're our Beloved Pet, and not our Beloved Other, we kiss and fuss them all the same!
Sure is. I guess they thought it might put a lot of women off taking it if they thought that it was something also used to oil cricket bats to stop them cracking during the winter.
Isinglass
At the Start
Yes Kri, when my TB was on it her coat literally gleamed. And she was a sickly child, but coat was grand. I think I ought to go back on it too!
Dougal - could have bad gums from the chemo. When I had cancer and was going to hospital several people being treated had gum ulcers and under tongue etc. It is a known side effect for people, not sure about cats. Discuss with vet, could explain a lot if Dougal is getting it because of this. Hospital decreased dose when this happened.
At least this may be a reason why he was feeling bad, and off food.
With any toxin, such as chemo, you need to boost the liver to help it get rid of it, dying cancer cells make a real mess apparently, so my oncologist told me. I had awful muscle ache, headache, jaw ache, you name it. Thought I was dying - very good oncologist told me no, it was my body killing off the cancer cells and their dying debris clogging up my glands and liver.
I went on pro-biotic yogurt, flax seeds and oil and drank a lot of water. I rebounded to help clear blocked glands - shame Dougal cannot have a little jump!
The heat makes them lose weight too, my wild and crazy big guy looks dreadful, real baggy trousers under belly at moment.
Someone else I know swears by Aloe Vera. I'm not sure if it is good for cats though ....
Dougal - could have bad gums from the chemo. When I had cancer and was going to hospital several people being treated had gum ulcers and under tongue etc. It is a known side effect for people, not sure about cats. Discuss with vet, could explain a lot if Dougal is getting it because of this. Hospital decreased dose when this happened.
At least this may be a reason why he was feeling bad, and off food.
With any toxin, such as chemo, you need to boost the liver to help it get rid of it, dying cancer cells make a real mess apparently, so my oncologist told me. I had awful muscle ache, headache, jaw ache, you name it. Thought I was dying - very good oncologist told me no, it was my body killing off the cancer cells and their dying debris clogging up my glands and liver.
I went on pro-biotic yogurt, flax seeds and oil and drank a lot of water. I rebounded to help clear blocked glands - shame Dougal cannot have a little jump!
The heat makes them lose weight too, my wild and crazy big guy looks dreadful, real baggy trousers under belly at moment.
Someone else I know swears by Aloe Vera. I'm not sure if it is good for cats though ....
Well, it certainly did you some good, Isi, and I guess when your system is so compromised, first with the disease, then with the toxic treatment, it needs a light but highly supportive touch to help it recuperate and regenerate. It's a huge stress, but it's wonderful how so many people do survive nowadays. One of my colleagues at Lingfield is pretty poorly with the treatments at the moment - it seems you can feel even sicker with those than with the damned illness.