Wulfgeist

I lost Jasper on Tuesday and I am having a really hard time coping. There have been a few minor changes in my life recently including a move to a new place. I haven't let him out much just because everything is new and I've been busy moving things in mostly on my own as time allows. I was off work on Monday and in the late afternoon decided "hey bud, you want to come out for a while?". I put a paper down in front of his cage and opened the door, went about my business. He climbed around for little bit and then something spooked him, he tried to follow me..not sure. He still hasn't gotten full wings yet and hit the floor. What I am still trying to figure out even now is how I could have forgotten the cat.. Not long after I moved I took in another cat. He's just a slip of a cat but former stray intact male. Where I am currently living is only one room, a finished basement so there's no where to keep the cat apart from my others. When I can't supervise him he has to stay in a large kennel because his current cat skills are in direct opposition to living in a multi-cat household. I am not sure how I could have forgotten the cat. I had let him out and he was happily basking in a deep cushioned window sill in the sun with birds and squirrels right outside the window. He's a former stray, I know nothing about this cat aside from to assume he's a danger to the birds. I'm not sure where my mind was when I let Jasper out of his cage. After I plucked Crowley off of him and tossed him back in his cage I checked Jasper over but from what I could feel, I didn't feel any wounds. Then I saw a drip of blood..I had a hell of time trying to figure out where it came from..then there was another..I got him toweled and checked under his wings..found the blood..it looked like it was coming from a broken feather or two..no corn starch..run up to the store for some, come back and towel him again stop the bleeding and start calling vets. My vet doesn't do birds, try the emergency one..they don't do birds..by now it's 6 and everyone is closing. Nothing else I can really do now but see how he is in the morning, he really needs antibiotics just in case.. Tuesday morning I get up for work and he's not himself. I call in and start looking again, find a vet that does birds, office opens at 7. Call and get him right in. This is the part that upsets me and maybe some of you more experienced folks can tell me if this is normal or not. In order to examine him the vet requests to take him back to another room "where they usually look at birds". I just wanted him better so I said ok and that he isn't fond of toweling but when I had him toweled earlier I covered his face and he was calm. For at *least* 5 minutes maybe closer to 10 Jasper was screaming and squawking the whole time. They bring him back, vet tells me he actually has a puncture wound on his wing there (I told him about my examine and using corn starch to stop the bleeding the night before) and that he put some surgical glue on it. He gave me some pain killers for him and some antibiotics to put in water. That was it, good bye, let us know how he does. Get him home give him a dose of the pain meds. I just put it in his beak and let him do the swallowing. I mix up some dosed water and do the same with a little of it. I put him back in his cage and I'd say an hour or less later he was falling off his perch and was held up by his outstreched wings. I get him down from there and put a towel in the bottom of the cage, get him nested in it with food and water at hand but I'm watching him and he's just not looking right. He acts drunk and disoriented and before I can call the vet back he starts having seizures. He has a few close together and then he's gone. I would not have made it back to the vet in time if there was anything they could have done. I didn't bother with a necropsy. My guess would be he lost too much blood. I know birds can't lose much and at the time I only saw a couple drips. After the fact I started noticing there was probably more than I thought. Maybe there was nothing to be done for that, maybe I should have expressed more concern to the vet for it. I wish to hell I had not let them take him away from me, maybe I could have done something to keep him a little more calm. I can't help but think that stress didn't help the situation any either. Knowing the true cause of death will do nothing to bring him back. I'm just beyond upset at myself for spacing the cat. I can't be mad really at the cat, he probably just throught the bird gods answered his prayers. No more hearing "Want veg-ables" in the morning or being burped at (thanks Aunt Linda) everytime I'm on the phone. No more squawking like a chicken or cooing like a pigeon. No more having to constantly answer "What color?" (I think he was teaching *me*). His urn should be here on Saturday and I'm still shopping around for someplace to have him cremated. Or maybe I am putting it off because I can't believe he's no longer in my life. A couple times now I've taken his bundle out of the freezer to look at a moment, I can't believe he is gone. Please no flaming about the dangers of cats and birds. I have always been careful with my cats, I know the dangers. I just don't know what the hell happened to me this time to not even give it a thought. I miss you, Jas, my life will no longer be the same, but it is already different having known you. Thank you for the sunshine and the laughs when I needed them most.

That was just too darn cute!!

Work is going well and they have agreed to let me have some time off before I am needed on second shift so I am taking the Amtrak back to Wisconsin to visit for a week. I left a very good friend back there along with many former co-workers that I really liked. The down side is I can't take even Jasper with me. He, Tico and the cats will be in the care of my friend here until I get back. I'm going to miss them all while I'm gone. He's probably going to think that's the longest work day ever. I'll have to call and have her put me on speaker phone. The up side is we are going to go visit old haunts..Saturday will be the shelter to visit with the animals and take them a care package. Sunday will be lunch and the bird store to visit with Jasper's foster moms. They don't have any babies right now to play with though..awww...but I have a small shopping list of things from there to look for. Monday and Tuesday are unplanned so who knows. Maybe a visit to Animal Gardens is in order to visit Echo and Sarah again. Excited but going to miss my fur and feathered kids.

Hehehehe!! That's a *great* picture, Dan!!

Hmm no boing but the hook up on his playtop comes out and can be made to dangle over the side. I was pondering getting one of those for him had I remained where I was living as someone before me installed a ceiling hook over where I decided to put his cage. I will be returning to Wisconsin to visit at the end of next week. One thing on the agenda is to stop in at the bird store where I got him and visit. (Sadly he will be staying here with my friend, I'm going by train and don't have a collapsable travel cage). I shall have a look at the store while there and see if they carry them, if not I'll order one online. How wide is yours at the widest part? Not sure if the hook goes out that far, if not maybe I can move things around and put it in his cage. I will definately look into that, thanks!

I totally get where you are coming from, Dan. It's not the exploring so much that makes me put him back in his cage as it is the chewing on things he shouldn't. If I had much choice to keep that sort of stuff out of his reach I sure would. If I were in my own place and not crammed in a small guest room at my friend's house it would be a little easier. He likes to get on the bed and go look out the window. Things with that I'm fine with I just have to a) make sure he's gone poop first b) make sure the blinds are drawn up far enough out of his reach. Sometimes I get a couple of his balls on the bed and roll them to him, he will fling them back at me. Curiosity and exploring I can deal with. Telling him no dozens of times for doing the same thing wears me out. Frankly I'm rather shocked "no" isn't something he's saying yet LOL Also too my main thing wasn't that he wasn't happy to stay put up there but that he seemed freaked out by something now and I coudln't figure out what. Putting papers down helped a little, it gave him something to tear up but then he tugged too hard, something shifted and off he went again. The living arrangement is but a road bump and you're right, I should just regard it as such and realize that as long as so much stuff is in range of his beak now it's gonna happen. On the bright side if I let him destroy everything it gives me an excuse to buy all new stuff when I get to move out, right??? =D

Good valid points. When I am home he is right by me. I totally get he's growing, evolving and looking to discover new things. Recently he discovered another fun thing to do and does it alot

Yeah...I used to weigh Jasper regularly..stop doing it for a week and that scale becomes a thing of forgotten terror to them.

So in the last week I'd say Jasper has suddenly taken an interest in my chair. This room is small, everything is squished together and there is alot sadly within reach. I have to keep that end of the desk cleared off because he can reach it. He about bit my phone charger cord going to the computer before I realized he was being sneaky and messing over there. Now it's my chair, he leans over and keeps trying to chew on it. It's been beaten up over the years by the cats but I don't want to encourage distructive behavior towards the wrong items. The gist of this is he hasn't messed around on his playtop for a couple weeks I've noticed and when I try to put him back up there he freaks and tries to fly away. :confused: He acts like there's a monster up there and I can't figure it out. Tonight I took everything off, pulled out the tray, wiped it down. I then started showing him things to judge his reaction. Nothing really has been added to his foot toy box in a long time. The only thing that got a strange reaction was a little stuffed dog he's had around for a while but I chucked it anyhow. I put pine nuts in his treat bowls, he ate one and then acted like he couldn't get down from there fast enough. I am totally confused by this reaction. He used to spend lots of time happily playing up there, now I can't get him to stay put. He keeps getting into everything else and after a while I wind up putting him back in his cage because I get tired of chasing after him and telling him "no". I feel bad because since I'm working he has to spend a good deal of time in there as it is. Tomorrow I'll try putting papers down up there again. Other than that I'm not sure what to do.

So reminds me of the blizzard of 77? 78? We lived in a double wide in the country back a gravel lane. Power went, no heat, electicity or water. We did have a fireplace and Mom hung blankets up in the doorways, leaving us living in the living room. It was sort of like camping but in the winter, you wore thermals and knit hat to bed. I think we melted snow to use in toilet flushing. People were going around on snowmobiles to check on everyone and try to get basic supplies out to those who needed them. Across the hiway from us lived a dairy farmer who said "if you want milk, bring jugs and fill 'em". He had to keep milking but the milk truck couldn't get back his lane. Ah good times. I don't think I had gotten my budgies yet, I know we didn't have birds to worry about, only cats and a great dane. Those were good times.

I did a move this past fall from Wisconsin to Virginia with three cats, two birds and my van hauled on a trailer. They all couldn't fit up front with us so two of the cats had to ride in the van. I seatbelted their taxis into the seats and they made it fine. The birds were up front with the last cat, all piled between the seats. We made frequent stops to check on everyone and offer water. The cats refused but Jasper had a drink and nibbles here and there. Tico didn't have anything until we stopped for the nigt because he hates riding and always gets carsick. We were having trouble finding pet friendly places, most just allowed one dog and they were getting rid of that so we finally just stopped at a place and smuggled everyone in along with a litterbox. You'll just want to be careful of the climate, make sure it's not too hot and if you have to have the ac on make sure it's not too cold and it's not blowing directly on her. Do the pac-o-birds have cups in them? I'm not sure. If not just offer her some water when you make stops.

Dan, so sorry for your loss. =( It's never easy losing a special member of the family and my heart goes out to you. That guy was very lucky to have had such a great family.

Maggie..diet? That's a nasty 4 letter word!! That will be fun..I don't like sheets of paper telling me what I can and can't eat..I'm impulsive! We'll see what happens with this whole mess. I've had problems with my heart for quite a while but this is the first time it's been this serious. You all are just so awesome, kind and caring. I really appreciate all the kind words and prayers. From the moment I got home today all I am hearing is "work...work...workwork". Thanks dude, I get it, I need to be at work. I explained to him I wasn't feeling well and was at the hospital trying to get better. I apologized for not returning home for so long. They are just so adorable.

Thanks everyone, I got to come home today which thrilled myself and the kids. My friend was doing feeding and watering but there were cage cleanings and litter scoopings to do. I think they were all really glad to see me too. Once I feel safe taking off my iv bandages Jasper and I are going to both take a long much needed shower. At the clinic I was hooked up to the ekg. The nurse looked at it and left, returning with the doctor who hastily left the patient she was with. I was told I was in afib and needed to go to the hospital. I finally gave in and let them take me. I get there and get blood drawn, tested, xrayed..made to sit on a hard ole guerney for hours..ER doc comes in and tells me I have congestive heart failure and they need to admit me. I have fluid around my heart and need treatment. At this point I was refusing. I just started this new job, my insurance is due to start on Monday..I'll come back on Monday and do anything you want! He tells me no, I'm really stupid and if I go home I am looking at a stroke or heart attack. ::sigh:: So I agree to let them admit me, I get strung up with three iv bags. Yesterday morning one of the cardio docs comes and tells me I have thyroid issues, likely Graves disease. They let me come home this afternoon but I have to have an echo and go see an endocrinologist in a couple weeks. Pretty sad for someone not even 50 yet. It is what it is. I'm dreading the arrival of that bill though.

Started feeling sick this week, figured I wa getting a bug. Then it got to the point where I couldnt breathe so I went to the clinic on Friday. Next thing I know I am being packed off to the hospital. I have been here since, I had massive amounts of fluid around my heart. There are more tests to do but they think they know what is going on. Just started a new job and my insurance kicks in on Monday. A dat late and a dollar short. My friend is taking care of the kids for me but I cant wait to go home.