Wednesday with Rezki

...nuff said

My letter to san

dear san

I think it's time I tell you that a cat needs some dignity. I am tired looking like a flying saucer. You said I need to wear this for only a week but since this is my third collar, it is going to be three weeks. If I promise not to pull the fur off my back will you take it off? No? You actually want to see the fur? Really?

Then I only have this to say to you.

Pffbbtfft!

All dressed up on TGIF

Finally I found this collar at a pet store when I was online. It is not a virtual store but it did offer online purchases.  It came yesterday and I immediately make Akira wear it. 

 

I was afraid it would be too heavy as Akira goes to Adrian for spine alignment as well as her muscles. But I saw she was able to manipulate the collar by herself and this collar does flop down on her body if she hits a wall. This means she can move around quite freely and won't be hindered at all. 

 

This pic shows that she can sit on my lap quite comfortable and rest her head on the petals. It's also soft and pliable but not floppy. I am hopeful that we have found a solution for Ms Akira. 

TGIF

             Finally ...some rest ....

I am NOT amused! We thought it's time we try a collar with a larger circumference but could only get this one. It's a dog collar. So she has a medium one behind it as the neck circumference was too big for her. 

Acupuncture Update

            Is it time for food yet?

Tanaka has been eating better ever since he went to acupuncture. He behaves very well there ever since we have him in his blue inflatable collar and would relax more. Sometimes he even naps. 

Since he is the latest one at the acupuncturist, I decided that he should go weekly still. I am thinking of having Akira go twice a month now as she has improved tremendously in terms of being more relaxed and calm. She has not bitten through her skin for many weeks already and so her skin is cleaner and less stressed.

She is still quite bald but as long as she does not break through her skin it is a tremendous improvement and she takes no steroids as well! 

Bujang's backache has not improved though but possibly this is so because he gets so angry at the needle doc and all that testosterone will affect his back as well. He has been much calmer at home though and I hope the kidney medicine is helping him. 

Both the boys and Popps will go for their half-yearly checkup for blood work as all have kidney issues that needs monitoring. 

Akira 0.1 Acupuncture Protocol (1&2)

Ok. I know I look a little silly with needles on my head but san made me so it.
She told Fern that "It's not too bad".

We went to the vet last Tuesday for her annual checkup. She behaved well and the vet took blood very quickly. She had the CBC and we were glad to see that she had excellent results. Her teeth needed cleaning but the vet said I could schedule her for next year. As usual we discussed her over grooming issues and the vet said there was nothing else that they could do for her as she had gone through the clomicalm as well as the ovarid route to very little effect. I was advised to put her in a collar just so she can't lick and bite her lower limbs. I know at the back of my mind that I may have to do this but I thought maybe I could try one more route - Acupuncture. So the vet made the appointment for us on that same day.

This is Akira undergoing a 30-minute acupuncture procedure on Friday 5 Dec. She was relaxed under the lights. She sat quite still the whole time, better than the first time we had tried it last Tuesday. I had asked Dr O for permission to use the pictures and he gave us the ok. I told him that I would like to document such a process as it would allow me to think about it and I thought others who may chance on our blog can see if acupuncture is something their own companion animals may benefit from. At this point I need to say that I do not know if this will work for Akira at all but I am willing to try.

A very short video of the 1st 3 needles. She had about 25 needles on her body. You can also see it here

Dr Oh's very calm and mild manners relaxed us both the first time we saw him. He saw her blood test results and asked the usual questions about diet and behaviour. Then he put her on the floor so he could see her walk about and take pictures of her bald parts without disturbing her at all. Then he said for me to put her on the table and proceeded to do the acupuncture. He explained what he was doing and then he left us for 25 minutes or so. On Tuesday she was rather nervous and came very close to me but yestetrday she took everything in her stride. The following pictures are from yesterday's session, which was her second one.

 Here she was just relaxing. The light was warm and quite comforting. She liked it a lot more yesterday.

 Akira undergoing the procedure in the quiet of the very simple room. On Tuesday she had only one lamp but yesterday she had 2. 

 Close-up of her needles

Akira looking at her personal chart. 0.1 means 'female'

Dr Oh explained the 5 elements and started to explain that all the organs affect each other in turn and it was crucial for all of them to be balanced. In Akira's case, her fears and stresses affect her liver, which in turn affects her spleen. An overactive spleen will affect the kidneys, the kidneys affect the heart and the heart affects the lungs. She is also 4.8 kg, which is not the optimum weight and this may be caused by a slow metrabolism as she eats very little.  The numbers at the bottom of the page correspond to where the doctor would place the needles.

Dr Oh was very optimistic that she would be able to overcome her overgrooming problems. He said she was a 'very good cat' and 'very easy'. But when it comes to the TCM herbs she was very difficult. She has to take a full spoonful twice a day but I have only managed to give her once a day and not even a spoonful as she would swallow a little, spit out a lot and some of it would go onto her fur, It is powder and I have to give it to her in a syringe. Dr Oh said this was ok and yesterday we experimented on the right consistency of water to powder themixture  needs to be in order for her to swallow more. 

We have to see Dr Oh twice a week and tomorrow is her 3rd appointment.

Saturday Easy

               

I told san that I have not been in the blog pictures for many many days and today should be my turn. So here I am sitting by san's window this morning before breakfast. The teddy bear behind me belonged to my rainbow brother Totoro but we like him there as it was his favourite place and we feel his spirit close to us everyday. 

                  

san: Since Bujang is doing well with Craig, the Reiki teacher who is helping him with his emotional traumas, I thought Akira might be able to get the same help from Craig to help her with her overgrooming.  The little fuzz that was growing over her limbs is now no more. 

But at least the skin is not red nor were scabs evident so she has not bitten through it. It surprises me as she is more confident than before and is so much calmer and happier. So it may be the case that it is a habitual action. 

                

                  No worries san. We will soon get all this sorted out as well. 

Just Because

 I am cute

The fur on my legs are growing slowly but well enough. I do groom them (too much san thinks) but just enough. But the fur on my belly is just the same - I have not much of it there at all. 

The stress stopper works well for me and my brothers. It allows us to just be. san sprays this in our spaces for everyone in the morning and at night or in our PTU when we go to see Adrain.

 This is what san uses for me in place of Clomicalm or Ovarid these days. 5 drops 4 times a day. san puts it on my ears and fur in the morning. Before she uses it, she taps it a few times on her palm and then rubs her plams together. I recognise the sound and would stay still for san to put it on my head, ears and rub it on my back. san puts 5 drops on my wet food for breakfast and dinner and 5 in my water bowl.

This is what I think san will be giving me now that my hair is growing a little and my confidence is also growing. Watch Out Tanaka!

Of course the flower essences go hand in hand with the vet, the osteopath and walks. She also gets time outside to walk about and hang out with family while Tanaka has to be in the computer room. Once she goes to the kitchen, Tanaka gets out and hangs out. So essentially every night all the cats are outside in their different safe spaces.I am glad its worked out a little better.

Bujang: They should both just relax san, like me. Do things slowly and think first before doing anything. I gave them advice already but kids don't really listen do they?

Rest and Relax

Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon outside. The naughty boys were rounded up. It was a good quiet day that I spent with san and grandma.

However I worry that she has continued to overgroom after the vet took her off the Ovarid for psychogenic alopecia and now she is licking what fur had grown during that period and she is not stopping. So now more of her abdomen is bald. I really do not know what can be done as she is not depressed, she gets out more now than before and she gets homeopathic meds as well. I had tried to put her back on clomicalm (in her food) but to no avail as she can smell it. She gets very stressed if I give her the clomicalm  in a mixture of honey and water in a syringe. Any ideas anyone?

However, Bujang has no such problem :)

 I spent the late afternoon outside. I just felt like sitting with the bicycles. I really love them.

Then I pretended to look at some insects as I know san wanted me to walk home. I didn't feel like it. It was a good pretend game as san played it as well :)