Our blind cat Bobby has been undergoing treatment for a recurring urinary tract infection, and the week before last he had a relapse -- straining and peeing bright red blood again. He had only been home from the hospital a short while. After talking with Dr. Jennifer Rockwell, our vet who had been treating Bobby, she had me start him on a daily injection of Baytril. That seemed to work, but then last Thursday the infection came roaring back. Jennifer was off that day, so Dr. Brenda Culver at the clinic had me continue with the Baytril but begin giving him subcutaneous fluids.
It turns out that the type of urinary tract infection Bobby has can have new episodes triggered by stress, and we think we know what happened. Popeye the blind cat has increasingly become a bit of a bully in the cat house, and in particular he has been picking on Bobby. (Just because you're disabled doesn't mean you can't be obnoxious.) Alayne was putting dogs up in the cottage one evening last week and heard a cat screaming from the outdoor enclosure off the cat house. She went running over and found Popeye had Bobby turned upside down and was flailing on him. She broke it up, but that was the final straw -- Popeye was voted off the island.
We'd never seen Popeye do that before, but we don't want to ever see it again. Popeye is now living in the isolation cottage until we can figure out a better answer for him. There were a lot of cats doing high fives with their paws when I moved Popeye out that evening.
One thing we will not tolerate around here is that kind of behavior. We have an incredibly well-behaved, gentle, and social bunch of animals, but if we see a pattern like this developing, we have to do something about it. Jennifer suspects that the incident with Popeye was indeed the "stressor" that caused the latest flare-up.
So now Bobby gets a daily dose of fluids, about 200 mls under the skin, and will for the next few days. Alayne took the photo of Bobby getting his fluids this afternoon. He is getting better, and the cat house is back to being a mellow feline social club.
Yes, I know it's yet another photo of me on the blog, but I am really not competing with Widget for blog appearances. In my defense, let me point out that a) in this case, Alayne is allergic to cats (having Bobby in the house for five minutes is about all she can take) and b) getting my better half to appear on camera isn't always easy because, well, she needs time to prepare. (I think this is a gender thing, but I'm not sure.)
Hey Steve,
Whatever happened to Popeye?
Thanks
Shannon
Posted by: Shannon | May 07, 2008 at 09:15 PM
My two cats were occasional victims of the bully cat next door, appropriately named Psycho. Psycho was a young, neutered male, but still had all of the moxie and swagger of someone on the prowl. After Psycho turned 4 he decided it was time to calm down, get a pot belly and be nice to his friends. I hope Popeye calms down as he ages. My two, Bob and Stew, are giving virtual high fives to all those in the cat house.
Posted by: Shelli Smith | April 24, 2008 at 08:56 PM
I can't think of a better way to start my day than with your blog. Your writing style is fresh and witty and, of course, the subjects are best of all! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy days to keep us posted on wonderful RDR!!
Posted by: Jane Broshears | April 23, 2008 at 10:33 PM
I too check your site every day now. I am grateful for the person who sent me your website, the incredible self-less job the two of you do and your wonderful stories about all the critters. Thank you for caring :) Bobby is in my prayers - oh - so is Popeye.... let's hope he learns a lesson in solitary.
Posted by: Sharon | April 23, 2008 at 07:11 PM
Reminds me of the saga of Freda and Chelsea. Although they lived together for several years, Freda would occasionally decide it was her duty to encourage Chelsea to find a new home.
The attacks were always unprovoked but very efficient.
Sometimes, I could see what was about to happen. It was like Freda would see Chelsea walking past and she'd say to herself "What is she still doing here? I guess she didn't get the message last time." Then she'd walk up to Chelsea and give her a few brisk slaps about the head and shoulders. Then she'd walk away, victorious once again.
Poor Chelsea never knew why Freda wanted her gone. Fortunately, neither cat was ever hurt by these exchanges.
Posted by: Lisa Simonds | April 23, 2008 at 04:47 PM
Wow! Good luck figuring what to do with Popeye. Hope Bobby's recuring issue is now solved.
As for Steve's daily appearance on the blog, and scant few photos of Alayne, I'll give $100 for a picture of Steve in the Babushka (so you know what it's like to "prepare"). :o)
Posted by: Linda | April 23, 2008 at 02:21 PM
"Voted off the island," good one Steve!! :-)
I had a snarky female cat that liked to pound on everyone. The vet gave me kitty tranquilizers but when I tried to stuff them down her she pounded on me (and I have the scars to prove it). So I know there are medications if you can get them down the cat. I'm also told rescue remedy drops in the drinking water helps and sometimes aroma therapy (scents mixed with water and misted around the cat or cage or carrier). Good luck with that! Glad to hear Tribe Feline is again working well together now that Popeye was voted off.
Posted by: Mircat | April 23, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Glad things are settling down in the cat house. Poor Bobby!
I don't know much about cats, but could Popeye's bully behaviour be the symptom of something going wrong physically?
Posted by: Nina | April 23, 2008 at 11:22 AM
There were a lot of cats doing high fives with their paws when I moved Popeye out that evening.
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A day starting out with a Steve blog is a great way to start my day !!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Bibi | April 23, 2008 at 09:17 AM
I feel for Bobby; that sort of stress is not enjoyable!
I also feel for Popeye too; I hope you can find a peaceful solution to this. Maybe he's acting up because he's still young and oatsy.
Yes....photos are a gender thing; women need time to look glowing and camera ready; guys...they just take off their hats and say cheese.
Posted by: Boundforglory | April 23, 2008 at 09:11 AM
Poor Bobby! I have my own bully and he can make life miserable for the others...hope you guys can find a good solution for everyone
Posted by: Debbie | April 23, 2008 at 07:34 AM
Poor Bobby, hope your feeling better soon! And shame on you Mr. Popeye!
Posted by: Bebophebert | April 23, 2008 at 05:01 AM
i'm glad to hear that you figured out bobby's problem and that he should be on the mend. but i'm sorry to hear that popeye seems to have been the problem, and that he has been ostracized from the cat house (although i agree that that was the right course of action for now.)
my cat apollo looks a lot like popeye, and he too can be somewhat of a "punk" sometimes with his sister athena and even our (big) dog sebastian. pollo is full of mischief, but luckily it hasn't gone further than that. i do hope you can find a solution for popeye, and gradually mainstream him back in...a little more attention? a couple hours of playtime at a time and then back to isolation?
please keep us posted on how you decide to approach the popeye behavior situation.
Posted by: maggie | April 23, 2008 at 02:15 AM
Yes, preparing to appear on camera is definitely a girl thing. The nature of the creature. Nothing you boys can do about it!
Poor Bobby. That must've been awful! But, y'know, poor Popeye, too. 'Course, let him start in on my cat, and see how sympathetic I am to him.
Posted by: Vicki Small | April 23, 2008 at 01:04 AM
How cute, I love how the fluid bag is hung on the coat rack!
Posted by: Abby in Vegas | April 22, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Your writing style is great for us blog readers who love the mission and work of RDR. Glad there is peace in the valley.
Posted by: Shirley & James, Portland, OR | April 22, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Try a pheromone spray for Popeye - I have four cats and one of them was growing into a 'bully' as he aged. Couple of sprays of the the pheromones and he became a whole different cat!!
Posted by: Michele | April 22, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Poor Bobby! He needs lots of tasty treats to soothe his soul... and Little Mister Popeye needs some happy cat pills!
Who knows, maybe Popeye was cruising for more spacious private digs, away from the quiet hustle and bustle of the cat house...... might he settle down now?
Posted by: Gena | April 22, 2008 at 10:19 PM
Just wanted to pop in and say I love your blog. I spent some time with your blind Ashley (dog) in Davis. What a lovely puppy she was and it was fun to watch her blossom at Rolling Dog Ranch and move on to a forever home. I've started checking your site regularly.
Posted by: Bev | April 22, 2008 at 09:13 PM