If you read my post you’ll know that I’m determined to get some walks with Maisie in during the later part of our Canadian winter here in SW Ontario. I never know how much of my half hour walk will be on clear sidewalks. Walking on the road may not be an option if it hasn’t been plowed and personally I’d prefer to keep us both safely on the sidewalk.
Last year I had the experience of attempting to push the pet stroller through thick, trodden snow. It was even worse when I had to push over solid frozen ridges of ice/snow on the sidewalk. It makes for a rough go. Stroller wheels are just not made for pushing on densely snow covered surfaces.
In upping my winter walking gear, I decided to invest in a new product I recently found online when looking for stroller skis (recommended by another Canadian stroller cat-mom.)
The Grippy is a tire cover with extra grip and studs to enable the stroller wheels to maintain traction on snow and ice. This product was the answer to my dilemma about how hard it had been to push the stroller on snowy sidewalks. I ended up ordering the set of Grippys and one stroller ski. *
I couldn’t wait to test The Grippy. The covers were very easy to put onto my two rear stroller wheels. Next to put my precious cargo, Maisie the Cat, into the stroller covered in blankets and off we went. The walk was amazing!
*Although the stroller skis are sold in a set of 3 or 4 skis, I contacted Premier Ski with my idea of combining one ski with the set of two ReTyre Grippys and they happily sold me the custom set.
We’re in the middle of winter. And I still feel blah. There are more days with grey skies than blue. The sun might grace us with its appearance for a few hours or if we’re lucky we may get a whole day of sunshine.Boredom has set in pretty much. The tv lost its excitement after a couple of months. I’ve knit so many little blankets for the Humane Society I’m all knit out. I’m stuck in a rut between finding something to do and actually having things to do outside.
While this winter’s weather has been a relatively easy (albeit still a struggle for someone challenged by s.a.d. (seasonal affective disorder) on top of clinical depression) I have not been one to go outside for a walk in the wintertime. But when you’re responsible for the emotional well being of your emotional support cat it definitely brings a challenge to the forefront. And I really need to consider someone other than myself.
The life of an adventurecat in Canada can be a challenge during the winter. When the lovely days of hanging out in the grass watching bugs or dogs walking by, parents with babies in stroller and little children on bicycles cease with the drop in mercury.
Last fall I upgraded the lightweight pet stroller for one made by the same company, PetGear, which has three sturdy knobby tires and comes with a weatherproof cover. My goal was to keep going on walks as long as I could into December and begin as early as possible the following spring. If there was a way to “shorten” my winter, I was certainly going to try.
With the mild winter we have had this year, Maisie and I have been able to get out in February for a total of six walks. This may not sound like many but it was 100% more than February the previous year. This meant we had the opportunity to break up a day and get fresh air at least once a week.
The process of preparing to go for a walk in winter is a lengthy one. First I have to put a harness on Maisie. There are some days where this is a big deal and only the use of a creamy cat treat can keep her attention diverted to where I can secure the harness around her midriff. (The IBD has always made her tummy a sensitive spot) Then there is the addition of a sweater and a coat. These tasks are not the easiest with my spicy sassy firecracker who knows what she wants and what she will not tolerate (winter coats or hats). There have been times where I have given up at just putting on the sweater but I always bundle her under a mountain of blankets.
Along with the heavy duty stroller, I added a portable power bank powered heating pad. The investment of just $25 for the heating pad and $20 for the power bank provided warmth under the blanket where Maisie lays and allowed me to feel more at ease about going for walks on colder days. I still tried to avoid going out if the windchill was more than -8C (we are usually only out for a half hour and she was very cozy)
Since getting out benefits both our mental wellness, the purchases have been a win-win investment. With my mobility challenges, the exercise helps keep the blood flowing and the joints moving. The fresh air (and if we’re lucky a dose of natural vitamin D) is a great mood enhancer too. It’s an investment in Maisie’s mental health as well. Having an emotional support cat fighting the blues alongside the patient can make for some dark days.
While it may seem like “spring” is right around the corner because we’ve turned the calendar page to March, it will be weeks away from saying adios to winter and the blues. Just saying the word spring has such a good vibe to it even if we will still experience snow up until mid April here in SW Ontario.
Whereas our days used to run according to when temperatures were freezing and above, the Kat team will now be out in full force with the stroller for walks in colder temperatures. For now, I look forward to keeping an eye on the daily temperatures and planning a walk here and there to keep us from going completely stir-crazy.
After a record breaking five-plus months with a healthy gut remission from IBD, or inflammatory bowel disease, Maisie had a sudden relapse just over a week ago. The usual symptoms began; vomiting bile, diarrhea and food restriction. I wasn’t overly concerned as her energy was decent and she still had the same level of spicy sassiness.
I give credit for this long spell of gut health to the daily dose of cbd oil from Resolve and using slippery elm bark syrup (which I prepare myself). Life was going so well that once we hit the record remission length at the twelve week mark, I stopped counting the good weeks. Remission is a benefit to both of us, as Maisie is my emotional support companion and taking her out for walks is what gets me out.
Her gut health took a turn for the worse on Friday February 10th. I wasn’t too concerned with her vomiting bile although if she has tummy upset, it usually happens in the morning with that horrid retching sound (wakey wakey MamaKat!). The next few days were hit and miss with eating, vomiting and diarrhea. But on the sixth day it became clear that I needed to attack whatever was ailing her gut with the big guns.
I dug out the bottle of antibiotics that Maisie had taken intermittently over the past three years. Since Maisie’s condition is chronic, I was able to have a prescription available on an as-needed basis from the vet clinic without the need to book an appointment for a veterinarian to access her (or stress her out, as she needs to be sedated just for the examination). The last bottle I had picked up from the clinic was in August 2022. Here’s where the story gets interesting.
I dug out the bottle of metrondazole (Flagyl) and gave her what the label said (1/2 tablet twice daily for seven days). Although I questioned the dose amount as being too high, I told myself that this is what the vet had prescribed. I vaguely remembered the vet saying, all those months ago, to begin her on ½ tablet (her dosage had always been ¼ tablet 2x day).
Maisie slept all afternoon. I attributed this to her having had a rough week. I told myself the rest was good. But you know when you get that nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right?
That evening I Googled the antibiotic metronidazole (Flagyl) to see what I could find online. I found a website (Goodrx.com) and while the info read that the recommended dosage was 7.5 – 10 mg per 1 kg of cat’s body weight I went ahead and gave Maisie her second dose. On the one hand I wondered whether I was over-doing it and on the other hand, with my tired brain, I told myself this was what the vet prescribed. I needed to trust that the vet was right and I was wrong. The website did mention that if giardia was being treated the dose could go up to as much as 25 mg per kg of body weight. So that makes the dosage 125 mg and that was what I had given Maisie. Even the photo of the cat on the website being given the pill looked like the same size as I had in my bottle.
I didn’t sleep well that night for fear I had given too much of the medicine. By 5 am I was ready to start the day and when I turned on the light, I was saddened by the sight of Maisie STILL in her bed. By this time, she had not left her bed to check out her food dish or to use the litter box. I looked at my baby laying there and began to cry. What have I done? Is she going to be ok? What is actually going on? I call ed the vet’s answering service to see if I could get a vet to call me but no one was available until after 7 am. Tick Tock Tick Tock. At 7:03 I called back and told the answering service girl the story again. The vet called me within 15 minutes and told me to bring Maisie in. When I picked Maisie up from her bed she was limp. She just curled up against my chest. Now if you know anything about Maisie’s personality, you know this is NOT her demeanor. She is a spicy sassy firecracker. I have never been able to hold her like a baby and while I admire all the cat peeps that have furbabies that snuggle like that, this moment was not a loving happy one. It just meant my girl was not well at all.
The vet suggested blood work and giving her some fluids. Despite Maisie’s downgraded spiciness she mustered up enough sass to require sedation for the procedure. I left my girl in their capable hands and awaited the results. I wasn’t worried at all because I felt so much better now that she was in their care. The call came and all results were in normal ranges. This was good news. Ok so then what was going on? The vet felt that the lethargy was due to the potentially toxic level of the metronidazole. She also advised me to go back to the ¼ tablet 2x day dosage but not to give anymore this round. She didn’t need to tell me twice not to give anymore, this scare was enough of a warning.
I take my girl and we make our way home. She’s awake and I poke my finger through the crate door to touch her on the top of her head and scratch under her chin. She rubs against my finger and my heart gets warm and the edges of my mouth curl up. I smile. Everything is going to be ok.
At home I let her out of the crate and she staggers a bit which I attributed to having been sedated that morning. My heart is light and I am grateful to be home. I let her settle and began to prepare some lunch hoping that she would have an appetite (which she didn’t but this did not worry me). On a great note she had a 5 star poop! Woo Hoo! Happy Happy Joy Joy!
I go back online to do a bit more reading about metronidazole. None of the warnings applied to Maisie such as taking caution in using the antibiotic on senior cats or cats with kidney or liver issues. None of the side effects seemed to correspond to what Maisie was experiencing. She had only had two doses. There was a section for life-threatening side effects yet these were indicated for cats that had been on high dose for a long period of time. So once again, I didn’t feel she had been at risk for any of these side effects.
Maisie was not settled enough to nap. Her eyes were fully dilated and she would just sit in the middle of the room or at the entry to the hallway and stare at the wall for a good twenty minutes. She finally went to her bed but she just sat there staring out the window. Oh brother! We go from lethargy to being in a stupor. What is going on??? She did not sleep and she did not groom herself all day. She also did not pee all day, despite having had fluids administered at the vet’s. I was able to encourage her to eat some canned food which relieved both of us. It was a good sign that she was eating. The evening continued with Maisie being unable to settle and sleep. That’s when I went back online to search neurological side effects from the metronidazole.
Let me tell you, it’s scary being in the position where you look up damaging side effects from a drug that your cat has taken and tolerated on several occasions prior. This is a drug that is generally prescribed for diarrhea and to treat IBD. It’s been around since the 60’s.
Since I had never read up on the medication before, the whole process of being in the position to find out what could happen when that something has already happened is very scary.
The next morning I called the vet’s office to let them know I was emailing a list of symptoms I had witnessed since bringing Maisie home from their clinic the day before. I asked to have the vet check over things and let me know what she thought. I received a call within the hour and she believed it was still the metronidazole causing a reaction. We are both in agreement that Maisie won’t be given this drug again and it’ll be noted in her chart (not that I would forget!) and that a different option would need to be put into place.
The notes on the Goodrx website for metronidazole say “these severe side effects may not appear for a few days after starting, so be sure to watch for them the entire time your cat is taking the medication.” On a good note, it does say the side effects stop as soon as you discontinue the medication. When I read that “it may take up to two weeks for nerve-related side effects to completely resolve (such as tremors, trouble walking, etc)” my gut did a flip. This is some really toxic stuff.
I am so very grateful that the side effects began almost immediately and that the return to “normalcy” was generally short lived (although for this MamaKat each hour hovering over my baby waiting and watching was sheer torture and emotionally exhausting). I know now that the nagging feeling in my gut should not have been dismissed. More Mama guilt.
Have you noticed that when a human goes to the drug store and receives a prescription, most often they are given a sheet with pertinent information and side effects listed? Perhaps the doctor has discussed what side effects you might encounter. Your fears can be set aside now that you know what to expect or how to react if they do happen and how not to worry. You also have the power to ask for an alternative if you aren’t comfortable with risking the side effects.
Shouldn’t this kind of information be provided to pet parents when they are prescribed medicine for their animal companion? I suddenly feel guilty for never having questioned this prescription for Maisie. Am I a bad pet parent? Is this the universe’s way of giving me a wake-up call? Well, I hear you loud and clear.
What are your thoughts about drug information and side effects being available when you received medication for your pet from the veterinarian? Please leave a comment below.
My work as a photographer takes me many places in our area as well as often driving in rural areas as a bypass on my way to the city. The country roads are great for one’s mental health. I would much rather take an extra half hour to get somewhere by taking the back roads and receiving the benefit of seeing cows in pasture, horses out grazing and farmers working the land. The concrete jungle can be a bit overstimulating and the wide expanse of rural areas is, to me, eye candy.
Ever since the day I had come upon that wee little kitty in the heat, on that horribly hot and humid August day in 2018, I had wondered where the farm she came from was located. I had thought maybe I’d stop by again one day, making it a good day and full circle to the story that started out so sadly. You might ask yourself, how could you forget? Don’t you know where you were that day?
Well, you see, driving the backroads, often means just that, driving. I pay no attention to the name of the sideroad or even what little “blink and it’s gone” town I drive through. I’m more apt to just take in the beauty of the landscape.
Although I did have the receipt from my corn purchase and had looked online for the name of the farm, I was not successful. How could a business not be listed on the internet? Isn’t that where you find everyone and everything?
I had kept that receipt in my wallet for three years. It was the only memento I had of Maisie’s birthplace.
So, last week I was driving to a client’s home with Maisie as my co-pilot. After checking Google Maps, I found I could bypass the highways during my rush hour drive. This was my bonus! A fun country drive would certainly do me some good. On that particular morning, in an area I had driven many times before, a barricade was set up to close off my chosen route. Thankful that I had entered my destination into the GPS, I continued on the detour route. It was gladioli season and many Mennonite farms had gorgeous stalks of vibrant flowers for sale in buckets at the ends of their farm laneways. I thought about stopping to purchase a few stalks to gift my client. I mean, who doesn’t love flowers?! I passed a farm market sign and although it didn’t advertise flowers for sale, I thought I’d take the chance as I was on the outskirts of the city and this might be my last opportunity.
As I made my way down the long farm laneway, lined with fields of tall stalks of corn, my brain did a little “blip”. I didn’t really understand the why of that blip until I parked the jeep. It happened to be the exact same parking formation I had chosen three years earlier at a farm market similar to this one. Could this really be happening? Was my hopeful mind just playing tricks on me? Somehow my memory and the vision in front of me didn’t quite match up. Things were different. New buildings were on the property. I looked at the name on the market building. All it said was FARM MARKET. I got out and let Maisie walk where she wanted and sniff what she chose to investigate. All the while my brain was going a mile-a-minute. We walked to the front of the market where three years ago, at the market I found Maisie, were rows of potted ferns and some trees. On this day’s visit the space seemed so bright while my memory remembers a dark area where I had hardly seen the little kitten until it came out into the open from between the pots. I questioned my memory of that day in 2018 that was undoubtedly a sad emotional one. So much happened in such a short time (namely the decision to take a sickly farm kitten with me to the city)
While it seemed familiar, I just wasn’t sure. I could be at any country farm market. All the laneways looked the same. Fields of corn looked the same. Farm markets were standard and very similar. I decided to go inside. An older Mennonite woman appeared from the back. It was at that very moment I had déja vu. I was swooped back in time to when I entered that very same farm market store to inform them of the sick kitten out front. The woman glared at me for bringing a cat inside but I dismissed her reaction and handed her the flowers I wanted to purchase. And something I was so proud to have thought of so quickly, was asking for a receipt. I had barely spent $2.00 but I needed that little piece of paper. I also found a colour brochure, laying on a little table by the door and grabbed that on my hasty way out.
As soon as I got in my vehicle I looked at the receipt and saw it was the EXACT same farm. This was my proof that my suspicions and mind blip had infomed me that I, indeed, did finally locate Maisie’s birthplace. I can’t explain the elation I had or why it mattered so much to me. I can’t explain why I felt so emotional other than how dire the found day had been to the current day where I had my best friend and Emotional Support Companion helping me manage my mental illness. Both of our lives that initial day were upside down and to see the two of us now is like night and day, obviously for the better.
Top Row L:to R The drive up the laneway and the MIND-BLIP. Checking out the front area for clues. Inside the market. Bottom Row L to R: Does it look familiar? Maisie at the front door. Maisie by the vegetable bins where she once laid under in the shade.
It’s an amazing time right now as I celebrate Maisie’s third Gotcha Day. For those of you who might never have heard of the phrase “Gotcha Day”, it’s the day your pet companion came into your life. I do celebrate Maisie’s birthday on June 6th but the Gotchaversary is very special. I celebrate this event on the first Monday of August as it’s a holiday here in Canada (Ontario calls it Simcoe Day or the Civic Holiday).
Would you like to know how my girl Maisie came into my life? It’s a sad story so you might need a tissue or two. Don’t let the very first photo of her upset you. It’s the first time I have shared this photo publicly. Miracles really do happen!
Be sure to visit Maisie’s Instagram page as there is a giveaway celebration happening to celebrate her reaching her first big milestone on Instagram, the 1 k in followers, as well as her Gotcha Day. You can find Maisie’s giveaway by visiting Instagram @maisiethekat (yes there is a k for kat. I had no idea there were soooooo many cats out there named Maisie but since I’m Kat with a k it’s only fitting my cat has a k too *big smile*
It has been an exciting ten months as Maisie’s mama and I’ve found myself living a life I had never envisioned.
This wee kitten made her way into my home, my heart and has become my everything.
Yes folks, I wholeheartedly admit that I’ve become one of THOSE cat ladies. It’s true -I put a seatbelt ( made for pets ) on her (it’s purple too, my fave colour and matches her collar minus the sparkly gemstones) and then I plan my day around providing something fun for her. A happy cat makes for a very very happy MamaKat.
Now back to my eccentric cat ways……As a baby & child photographer I am frequently planning and photographing cake smash photo sessions for the milestone first birthday.
It’s only right that my little diva kitty has her own fun session. Okay, I’ll admit that I did this more for me than Maisie. But knowing how many people love Maisie, love cat photos, why not give them some fun Maisie photos. You only turn one once so this Mama was aiming big.
We all know cats have their own agenda so planning this needed to take into consideration the patience of a young cat- still a kitten in most ways. She is feisty, sassy and intelligent.
Take a peek at some of her photos I put on Facebook
The day is young and more good things for Maisie are planned. And……a birthday party next Tuesday!
It was time to take Maisie to the vet for her pre-spay wellness check and vaccinations.
As we have been frequent visitors to Heartland Veterinary Hospital the girls in the office are always happy to see how well she’s doing. Her near-death demeanour and her current sassy-cat attitude are so far apart on the energy spectrum that she brings a smile to so many faces at Heartland.
Our weight is now up to 2.89 kg (6 lb 6 oz). Considering her first weigh in did not even register on the scale (which begins at 8 oz) she’s come so far in just under three months time. Now here’s an interesting situation; when Maisie was checked over that first week coming into my care, a vet tech looked into her mouth and judging by the progression of teeth, estimated her age to be 4 – 5 weeks.
She was so very tiny, I gave her a birthday one month prior to finding her (that being August 6).
This visit the vet looked into her mouth and said, okay she has all her adult teeth, therefore she’s 5-6 months old. So now Miss Maisie has a new “birth-date” of June 1st. She’s officially a Gemini kitty.
Maisie is an old hat at getting weighed and visiting with the vet techs. All was good until Dr Mary attempted to listen to her heart with the stethoscope. OH MY! The devil-kitty personality emerged and it was a bit of a challenge to get the exam done. I was surprised at my normally good-natured kitty. With Taylor, the vet tech, assisting, the two vaccination needles in the butt were swiftly accomplished and we were on our way.
A big thank you to everyone at Heartland, as always, you take such good care of my girl.
The visit must have wore her out because she slept the drive home as well as most of the evening and night. We are due back for boosters in December. Let’s see how THAT visit goes.
As a photographer, I’m always up for taking themed portraits. While Maisie’s photos have been taken mostly using the same colour backdrop (for now) I was ever so excited to bring in a splash of colour and some wardrobe items too!
I began taking photos weeks ago to see how it would go. It was just my luck the stores began displaying Hallowe’en gear the day after Labour Day. I must admit, the thought of putting a hat on a kitten was going to take some fancy dancing on my part. I almost felt as if I was dealing with Exorcist-Kitty with flailing limbs while teeth flashed and claws lashed out at me. I had good sense to curb the attempts very quickly. I do, after all, want to see how future endeavours turn out. Don’t you?
We didn’t go out today dressed up but we did stop in at Global Pet Foods to pick up some food. It was our luck that Cole, who adores Maisie, was handing out catnip treats for Hallowe’en. He got a good laugh watching Maisie stuff her face into the bin of treats. Oh ya, wire up krazykitty and send me on my way! LOL
A 3 1/2 month old kitten is similar to sharing your days with a toddler. Wild is wild in my books. When toddler-kitty is bored – watch out! The kitty starts getting into mischief. As Maisie grows (and oh how she’s grown since I first brought her home) she is able to reach higher, jump higher, thus exploring a whole bunch of new objects in the apartment. Today I seemed to have reached my breaking point with patience.
In the morning Maisie would have swung from a chandelier, had there been one on the ceiling. Her next best option was to climb up on top of places she normally wouldn’t attempt. This process involved knocking over anything and everything in her path. There was chewing of envelope corners on the desk. The clipboard. The kitchen drawer handles.
Maisie hanging (and chewing) the kitchen drawer handles.
The timing of what seemed to be the birth of “crazymaisie” is also whereby we are at the end of a full moon. October’s moon is called the Hunter’s Moon and this was so aptly named for the behaviour exuded by Maisie the past while. My ankles were repeatedly attacked. She loves to bite my toes through my big thick winter socks (thank you Mark’s Work Wearhouse) of which she doesn’t penetrate or more likely her play isn’t to kill my toes just grab them (I’m still learning the art of kitty prey play)
Either her energy peaked today or I’ve used up all my patience in the past two days. The full moon peaked on the 24th. Whatever the reason, the two of us cooped up in the apartment was just a recipe for getting on each others nerves. She, ever the curious kitten, doing normal kitty exploring activities seemed bent on getting her way. Negative attention is just as good when you have a kitten needing some human interaction. When Mama’s face is glued to the computer screen for work, there is one surefire way to get her attention.
There was some serious selective hearing going on with the refusal to acknowledge or respond to the word “no”. From ankle attacks to clawing at the recliner upholstery(right beside me I might add) to flinging litter across the floor, it was one heckuva trying day for this kittymama. Even the squirt bottle didn’t evoke a response. I swear she just looked at me and emitted an evil laugh. She simply proceeded to leap at my arms and bat at them. Since I have been distracted with work (it’s my busy season) I let her nails grow a bit too long.
The score today sits at Maisie 1 – Mama 0
Thanks to Jackson Galaxy (the cat guru) it was evident my hunter cat was simply taking my ankles for prey. His recommendation of placing an overstimulated kitten/cat in another room for a timeout was just what I needed. Maisie spent the next 10 minutes in the bathroom and I in my recliner with peace, glorious peace. It was definitely the right tactic and I wish I hadn’t waited until I was at my wit’s end to bring this forth. After the time out Maisie did seem a bit calmer and go figure she rubbed against my leg. She got me right where she needed. My mood softened and my voice sang out “awwwww pretty kitty. You feeling better now?” Then she went into the bedroom and took a nap. I should say so – that was quite the display of energy output!
Although she continued to be “bad” (so to speak as in there really are no “bad” kittens just as there are no “bad toddlers” ) the break made the rest of the evening manageable.
My question is: Had the full Hunter’s Moon hyped up Maisie another notch? Was the sharpening of claws with such frenzy and frequency her need to be ready for the next round?
I’ll be happy when the moon wanes to a point where, hopefully, her wild moon energy decreases to a much more tolerable level. A wild eyed and equally wild bodied kitten is no match for the “No” command or the squirt bottle. What do I have to face next month’s full moon? (The Beaver Moon)
As Jackson Galaxy said – cats can get over stimulated easily and it’s our job to pay attention to the signals. Today was definitely a learning curve for me.
Thanksgiving arrives in Canada on the second Monday in October.
New to the immense varieties of kitten and cat foods available on the market, I couldn’t resist purchasing a tin of Thanksgiving Dinner for cats. Priced higher than I normally pay for wet food, it didn’t take long to decide to spoil the wee one. After all, I’m repeatedly thanking my lucky stars that Maisie came into my life.
I purchased this can of food at Global Pet Foods in Stratford. I never, in all my years, thought that there would be a market for a product such as this, or that I would be that kitty mama that actually purchased a can of Thanksgiving Dinner for her kitten.
And how did Miss Maisie like this food? She LOVED LOVED LOVED it.
Maisie the Cat 