I’ve been missing Fang dearly during my recent extended absence – but he’s with his grandparents and they’ve told me he has become quite a ham. Apparently, he sleeps with his grandparents (taking up most of the bed, as only a kitty can), wakes grandma up in the wee hours of the morning for breakfast (and she actually delivers!), and cuddles on their laps throughout the day. This, of course, is totally un-Fang-like cuddle-cakes behavior, but I was so happy to hear that he had become such a cuddle bug! When I get home in a week or two, I’m gonna cuddle that boy to pieces!
Anywho, my mom sent me a video because I’ve been missing him terribly, and do you know what I saw? He’s FAT! No wonder he’s been so cuddly! She’s spoiling the hax out of him!
Part of me has to laugh, because I always told my mom that if I wasn’t always there to get on her about giving the babies too many treats, all the cats would be chubby – and it actually happened! And this, despite my insistent warnings that cats, especially tripawds, should stay thin to stave off arthritis later in life, along with other health issues. But I guess I can’t be too mad – grandparents are grandparents after all. 😀
Fang’s not gonna be too happy when mommy comes home though. 😛
(She didn’t believe me that he was fatter, by the way. I had to show her pictures of him from two months ago (only TWO months!) as a comparison. She stopped and said “…. oh…. well, I guess he WAS lean.” Hahahaha)
OMG Jill must’ve heard about this and gotten jealous because guess what Jill is FAT TOO!…Took her to the vet last week and she is getting FAT! I’m mortified….she’s up to 11 lbs 14 ozs, that is TOO MUCH for her……..FANG STOP BEING A BAD INFLUENCE!!!!!!
Looking good there Fang, you look so so so happy on those rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahahahahaha, psh don’t tell him he looks good! It’s awful! 😀
Our kitties know how to push us around, eh? 😛
Hey Chantal! We hope you’re having fun overseas. It will be GREAT for you to get home and Fang will be so hoppy to see you he won’t even notice you’re cutting back on his food.
Yup, he’s a little hefty there but he still gets around pretty darn good. Love that video! Be sure to make it (and other videos) available to the public (it’s currently unlisted) so that others can find it in “tripawd cat” searches on YT.
Yay Fang! our hero!
Fang has become a snuggling cuddle bear of a cat! Love that!
It’s really god to see how well ne’s getting along and how wonderfuly he’s cared for by his Grandpawrents! Okay, i guess I’m the onl one who doesn’t think he looks fat…I think he looks fit and strong!!
This update has me grinni g over here! Thanks for the smiles!
CUDDLES to all!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Handsome guy. We love kitty cuddles too around here, so enjoy the heck out of them once you get home. As for tubby? Well… my Mathilde is a bit “big boned”, so Fang looks pretty darn good to us. 😀
Karma, Adelaide and the crew, and our forever angel Brendol
That is a great video of Fang. He still looks good 🙂
Its not fat its husky 😉 Grandparents of course spoil them that is what they are supposed to do. He looks very content.
hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Hahah thanks guys! Yes…. maybe not fat, just husky/hefty. Alright, alright, I’ll go with that. 😀
Grandparents do what they do!!
I think this was the first time in some years that I heard my 16 year old voice come out of my mouth, like: “MoooooooooOoooOOOOOM!”
Jim – When I get home, I’m going to move that video to my other YouTube account and then I’ll set it up as listed. This account is connected to my work etc. so I was mostly sharing it with the Tripawds peeps so far. 😛
I wanted to thank you so much for posting Fang’s story. My wife and I just had to make the decision to amputate our cats (Milo) front leg. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Having come upon your story it really eased our fears and really supported the decision that had to be made for our Milo. He had a rough week or two after the surgery but he’s now doing just great! But we wanted to thank you for having Fang’s story out there for people to read and know that your cat will be okay after the amputation. Thanks again.
I’m so glad that Milo is doing well, and that you and your wife found some solace in Fang’s blog. Amputation is not the end of the world! Its a door to a wonderful life that you would never otherwise have unless you have the courage to go through it. I’m so glad for you. 🙂 Please let us know how Milo continues to improve in the future! 🙂
Thanks guys!
Hi! Just wanted to say – what a story! I read what looked like posts when you were trying to decide if amputation was the route to go. You were great about asking questions to help you decide! And Congrats that you had the bravery to make a difficult choice!
I have a cat. Tizzie and she does not have any disabilities. But if it ever came up. I would sooooo go the amputation route. After reading all the posts you and people have made.
Any way wishing you and Fang the best!
=^..^=
–Ian & Tizzie.
My cat had her front leg amputated in July and I have been getting very discouraged. She isn’t living with me right now because our apartment wont allow it. Instead she had been living with my best friends grandparents. In the past few months she has lost a ton of weight and she refuses to eat. I try to go and see her as much as I can but it just isn’t enough. I know that she can get through this but I don’t know what to do for her. Do you have any advice?
I’m so sorry that things aren’t going so well with your baby girl right now. Since she had her leg amputated in July, by now her incision should be pretty much all healed up and she shouldn’t be too tender anymore. However, she likely has not gained a lot of strength in her remaining front leg yet and is probably quite tired a lot of the time from getting around. This can be discouraging (for us, and for kitty).
How long has she been living in another household? If this is a new move, it’s very common for kitty to feel frightened and, because she is also feeling vulnerable due to not having the strength in her remaining front leg, she might be spending a lot of her time hiding (and therefore not eating, etc). Remember, when cats are sick or vulnerable, their natural tendency is to hide. Moving is stressful and would increase that tendency. This would be the same with other changes in her environment (i.e. grandkids coming to visit, or bringing a dog or other animal into the house that she’s not familiar with or is too playful for her in her current situation). Could any of those things be changing her behaviour? If thats the case, they may want to move her food into a safe, hidden, quiet environment where she can get to it without worrying about anyone or anything getting the jump on her. I know that this was necessary for some of my cats.
Similarly, cats are pretty picky about food – is it possible that they’re not feeding her what you used to feed her? Are they feeding her wet food? (this is absolutely necessary for a healthy cat). If they have changed her diet, have you considered food allergies? (A lot of cats have them. Many foods make one of my cats throw up and lose weight — I have to be picky about what I buy).
If you’re really worried about her health, I would take her to see a vet. Cats are good at hiding illness and its possible that she’s feeling sick. But in the meantime, try putting her food in a safe location, spending more time with her (as you are familiar to her), and making sure stranger-people and pets don’t bother her too much while she figures out how to feel stronger and get around like she used to. Like I said, gaining that strength can be discouraging, and that would be amplified in a new environment.
Please let me know how she does and if she improves. I’m sure things will get better 🙂