Roadtrip with Ringo #11

Jim had to work late last Friday night, so I brought Ringo over for a "kitty break."

Now Ringo has visited Jim's workplace a number of times. He immediately went into their storage room, something he hadn't done before.

Hey, it's a new room! What is that strange "television?"

He eventually lounged under a desk, and started rolling around.

Then we went to our favorite pet store!

Hey, I remember this place.

Mom, get that can of food! The one that's WAY up there on the shelf.

The cashier was thrilled to see a cat in the store, so I opened the carrier's zipper up a little and let him pet Ringo. It was also the first time Ringo was offered a cat treat (usually they have only dog treats at the counter).

Road trip with Ringo #10

We took a trip to Jim's workplace on a Friday night. It was quiet, with one other employee there (a cat lover).

He started the visit a little hesitant, and was wandering near the front door.

Do I remember this place?

It seems familiar.

Within 10 minutes, he was rolling around in a conference room and checking it out for bugs.

All in all, a successful, fun trip. Both Ringo and Jim enjoyed it. :-)

Exams for Ringo and Benny

Ringo and Benny had check ups last night.

A stack o' boys.

Ringo was a pro in the car again.

Benny had a blood panel, to check his levels, especially his liver. I'm happy to report that his liver values are back to normal! His BUN and creatinine are creeping up and are on the high side of normal. He just turned 15, so I know part of this is due to age. We'll recheck him in December.

Can we GO now??

Ringo had a check up and a distemper booster. He was the picture of calm and remained on the exam table watching the entire time (even when Benny had blood drawn!)

This place is interesting!

He didn't really want to leave, and was even scrunching at me. What a super good boy.*

*Today, Ringo is having side effects from the vaccine. He won't eat and seems to have a fever and sore joints. We're seeing the vet this afternoon. I feel terrible about this. :-(

Roadtrip with Ringo #8

All loaded up!

We needed litter, so we went back to Petco.

Mom, can I get a new cat tree for Christmas?

Scooping litter.

I wheeled up to the birds, thinking he'd be interested in their songs. However, I think they sensed a cat because they immediately went silent!

I think the trip tired him out, as he fell asleep in my lap shortly after we got back home.

Roadtrip with Ringo #7

Oh boy, oh boy, another trip!

First, we went to Dad's workplace again. Tuesday nights, after 6 p.m., is a quiet time with only a few employees there. Jim enjoys the kitten break, and there are a few co-workers who are cat lovers.

I don't have time to sit still, mom. I have a lot of things to explore.

Then we went to the local pet bakery. I need to get there more often. They owners are very nice, and they stock a good variety of raw, freeze dried, and high-quality canned foods.

The owners have two dogs, and they were very curious about Ringo (they don't get a lot of cat visitors). Ringo was very good--no hissing or growling.

We bought a bag of raw venison, and they gave us some freeze-dried chicken hearts to try. Sadie loved them!

Roadtrip with Ringo #6

This time we went to a different pet store. It's right near our vet's office.

It was already dark out, so I didn't take any photos in the car.

I'm getting good at this.

Mom, can we get some toys?

He's really calmed down when he's in the carrier and the car, and will sit quietly. He didn't make a peep at all during this trip.

Roadtrip with Ringo #5

Time to load up the carrier for another trip. As soon as I put him inside, he headbutted the side of the carrier.

We went to Petco again! I rolled up to the adoptable kitties from a local shelter. These two were about six months old and started meowing when they saw us.

Ringo heard them and started meowing back at them. It was adorable.

These kitties look nice, mom.

We got our supplies (litter and raw food).

Then, we surprised Daddy and drove to his workplace! He works late some nights, and we thought he needed a kitten break.

I let Ringo out and he acted like he owned the place.

If I could snap my fingers, I would.

Ringo is getting to be great in the car, and so far, has done really well with trips. He hardly meows anymore, and even relaxes in the carrier.

Where else should we take Ringo? A future idea is the local pet bakery. Years ago, we took Tucker there and had his photo taken for their brag wall.

Roadtrip with Ringo #4

Here we go again!

Ringo had another vet visit, to get his final kitten vaccines.

Here I go!

The windows in the waiting room were open, and there was a shrub full of birds. Ringo was fascinated.

I'm a big kitty and sat on the scale by myself.

The visit was mostly good news. He is growing, he's now parasite free (we had a small bout of giardia), his heart and chest are clear. The bad news: he has an ear infection in one ear, and unfortunately had some side effects to the vaccines the following day. We will no longer vaccinate him as a precaution.* However, with some antihistimine and TLC, we got him through and he's now back to normal.

* When Benny was a young cat, he had a bad reaction to a vaccine, requiring a trip to the emergency vet. We've since stopped giving him vaccines because of this, and will do the same with Ringo.

Roadtrip with Ringo #3I

This time, we went to our friend Susan's house. She's considering adding a third cat to her household, and wondered how her black beauties would react to a newcomer.

I brought the carrier in and set it down. They were immediately curious and came up, sniffing.

Ringo's eyes were wide open, but no one hissed or growled.

Mom, these cats are HUGE!

I let him out. Sophie pretty much ignored him, but kept watch from a distance. Grizzy was hissy, but still curious. After a while, we shut Grizzy in another room so no one would get too worked up.

Susan has a patio door, and there's a bird feeder and a bowl of bird food on the ground. Critters come up to snack on the food. Ringo was captivated. He would have stayed there all night if I let him.

We NEED one of these doors!

We stayed a while, then went back home. Ringo ate some dinner, then crawled in my lap and fell asleep.

It's hard work being a kitten.

All in all, another successful trip!

Roadtrip with Ringo! #2

Our friend Susan came over recently, and Ringo fell in love with her. He eventually fell asleep in her lap. 

We loaded him up for a trip to Petco.

Here we go again. . .

He did great again, meowing a little while at Petco. I think he was full of energy. He'd taken that nap on Susan's lap, and then we put him in the carrier.

Proud mama.

We bought some raw food, a couple of toys, and a small elevated scratcher (similar to this one). We had a similar one when Sadie was a kitten, and she loved it. Ringo went right to it--and gave it a paws up.