BS: The Cat's Whiskers

Subject: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 22 Jan 10 - 09:49 PM

I have noticed that the Mudcat Cafe is quite a haven for people who love cats and know all about them.

Today we had the privilege of a visit from our former resident cat Moston who came to us in about 2001 and moved out about three years ago, shortly after our rescue dog Roger moved in.

The original plan was that Roger and Moston should be 'friends' but as Moston is totally neurotic and Roger is just plain nuts,it was never going to happen. So Moston took himself off and took up residence somewhere in the vicinity (probably in several places, as cats are wont to),only making an appearance every so often to check on us and see if Roger is still about.

Which he did today.

But, to come to the point, Moston, who is a completely black cat and came originally equipped with black whiskers, has now swapped these for some natty white ones since we last saw him.

It's definitely Moston. He's an unusual moggy - a kind of mongrel version of a Maine Coon, with a very distinctive 'miaow' which is unmistakeable.

So why should he have switched from black to white whiskers? Could it be that he's just getting old?

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: ragdall
Date: 22 Jan 10 - 10:17 PM

Maybe the whiskers were damaged and grew back differently coloured?

Many years ago I had two sibling Siamese. When they were still very young the female decided to give the male a beauty treatment, chewing all of his whiskers down to stubble. When the whiskers grew in again, they were striped and remained that colour all the 18 years of his life.

rags

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Jan 10 - 11:17 PM

Some INFO on cat whiskers...relevant bit at the bottom.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 23 Jan 10 - 04:25 AM

Thank you both. It looks like Moston was a little unusual in having black whiskers in the first place, although I thought it was the norm for black cats.
Anyway, it was nice of him to visit.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 23 Jan 10 - 06:03 AM

My whiskas are white too. Purrrrrrrrrr!   ;0)

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 23 Jan 10 - 06:04 AM

Oops, too much cat food! That should have read 'Whiskers' LOL

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Anne Lister
Date: 23 Jan 10 - 01:46 PM

Our cat has black whiskers ...just all part of her colour scheme!

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Jan 10 - 04:59 PM

My black cat has black whiskers too. And he is nearly 17 years old.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 23 Jan 10 - 05:33 PM

My Cat's Whiskers' EP is 27 years old!

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 24 Jan 10 - 07:43 AM

Perhaps Moston has donned these white whiskers as a kind of disguise, so that he can carry out his covert surveys of the house without being recognised, in much the same way as an old fashioned spy would wear a false beard.
If this is the case, he should learn to keep his mouth shut. That distinctive 'miaow' is a dead giveaway.
I don't know what they teach them in cat spy schools these days.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: GUEST,Becca72 lost her cookies
Date: 24 Jan 10 - 10:57 PM

Both my black cats (brothers)have black whiskers; one parent was siamese and the other a tuxedo cat and my boys each have a blaze of white across their bellies and random single white hairs all over

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 10 - 11:25 PM

My peach-colored (apricot?) Siamese mix has one black whisker. (Alas, he is 16 and has kidney failure, so as of this week is on borrowed time, and we're going to try the twice a week IV with saline solution and a new diet.)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Jan 10 - 02:03 PM

Good luck with that, SRS, but don't expect your dear little friend to stand it for long. We went through it last spring with Perdita, age almost 19. My efforts to pique her waning appetite put the "ick" in "finicky." Her kidney problems led to what was probably a heart attack. At least she died doing what she did best -- leaping for the kitchen table, one last time.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 25 Jan 10 - 03:04 PM

Sabine who is all black except for a small white patch on her chest came to us (from a broken home) when she was 3. All her whiskers were black. That was 9 years ago. About a year ago, one whisker turned white. Now, her whiskers are about half and half -- slightly more are all black, but the rest are all white.

I think it's just that she's getting older.

She's a healthy cat and enjoyed a life of exterior excursions until a little over a year ago when she got trapped in a neighbor's cellar. After that escapade and the sighting of a fisher in our area (right off the quarterdeck, fer-pete's-sake!), we decided to make her an indoor cat -- and she has acquiesced and is now comfortable with that decision.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Ebbie
Date: 25 Jan 10 - 10:41 PM

I have a question that I hope someone has an answer to.

My cat, archy, (from archy and Mehitabel, remember?) as I said is almost 17 years old. I inherited him almost five years ago when an acquaintance discovered that one of her adopted kids is allergic to cats and had to find a new home for him. I am happy to have him, he is a sweet, affectionate, wise cat with a distinct personality.

But more than a year ago he developed a need for subcutaneous hydration; a vet taught me how to do it. He has always bounced back; within a day he is back and eating. Hydrating him has worked well; at first I had to do it every couple of weeks and then he started going like two months before he needed it again.

Then a couple of months ago he developed severe constipation, eventually resulting in a visit to the vet, an enema, xray and a bottle of syrup to take twice a day and a traumatic memory- to the tune of more than $280.

He was OK for a couple of months then last week he became scrawny, needing hydration. I called a couple of friends over (the last two times I had hydrated him by myself, he resisted.) and we gave him one syringe full and started on the other when he decided he'd had enough and freaked out. (He was yowling and biting at my fingers and then licking them desperately.) I felt awfully bad for him and promised myself I'd never make him go through that again.

Then he went six days without a BM; he wasn't eating much but he was eating.   I told those same friends that if he didn't have a BM by the next Tuesday, the 19th, I was making an appointment to have him put down. The main thing I have tried to do with him is to make sure he is happy and not in pain. I cannot bear an animal in pain. At this point he does not seem to be in pain.

Then on Tuesday morning he had a large clean out- you can imagine my relief.

This is now a week later and he has had two decent BMs since. That way he is doing OK. Not fine, but OK. However, it looks to me like he's getting scrawny again and needing hydration.

And he has also decided that he no longer will tolerate the syrup. After having his twice daily plunger fulls by mouth, he says he's had enough. I've given him only one dose in the last week. I could force him but that does not seem fair to him. He had been so patient with it.

Anyone have any ideas they will share?

Sorry for the long post but I know we have a lot of cat lovers here...

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 10:40 AM

As far as Erica and I are concerned, a house isn't a home without at least one cat.

One of our two, Smutts (so called because of the big black 'blaze' across her face) is tortie (US - 'calico,, I think) and white. Regardless of the 'blaze', she has pure white wiskers, the sort that a kiddie would draw on the cartoon of a cat.

My daughter has a cat, Sascha, whom we think is at least half-Siamese from her yowl, is as black as a fireback but has pure white whiskers.

Ebbie - daft tho' it might sound, try your puss with an ice cube which has been rubbed in cat food.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Ebbie
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 11:33 AM

An ice cube? To what end? (no pun intended)

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Becca72
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 03:22 PM

I'm no expert but it seems to me the dehydration is causing the constipation so if you fix the one problem the other should take care of itself. Sadly, I have no quick fix for getting the cat to agree to the hydration. Sounds like the poor dear is just fed up with the whole process.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: Ebbie
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 05:44 PM

That is my suspicion, too, Becca. If he were human - and verbal - I think that may well be what he is trying to get across to me.

Subject: RE: BS: The Cat's Whiskers
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 09:01 PM

I agree, Ebbie. I think they will take it for just so long and then, esp. when multiple "systems" start failing, they just get tired of it all. He's sorry to be nasty to you and so gives you kisses after biting and such. It's a tough call, but one I've had to make a few times. It sounds to me as if he's ready to go. Sorry, darlin' he sounds like a really sweet boy. How lucky for him to have you care for him in the last years of his life.

luvyakat