July’s creature thoughts is going to be a bit different. We have once again had our family life derailed. Many of you already know what is going on, but I’m sending out July’s newsletter to catch my friends up to speed, and to ask for your good thoughts for Ryder, and for our family.
I am working, though may be a little harder to pin down for a session. I am restricting sessions to email-only unless the client has no possible access to email. This has actually been a policy for a while, but I haven’t always been strict about enforcing it. I would love to take time off to dedicate every minute to Ryder, but the vet bills need paying, and the family (two-legged and four) need to eat. Plus, the ability to help you all with your dear ones is a comfort to me right now.
Please read the following post on my website for an explanation:
I have a box of about 50 first-edition copies of the first novel in my Junior Handler Mysteries series, The Corpse That Wasn’t There. In order to help with the vet bills, I’m offering autographed copies for $15 US. That should help a little with expenses, and cover the cost of flat-rate priority shipping within the United States (for international orders, I may ask for the balance of postage). I realize that the book can be purchased on Amazon.com for less (due to their free shipping policies), and if people prefer to do this, that’s fine. However, it takes quite a while for royalties from Amazon to arrive, and they only come to a fraction of what the book sells for. I do understand, though … I always search for the best deal when shopping, too. Please use the contact form on gazehound.com or email me at gayze.starr@gmail.com if you’re interested.
Although the series is written with upper elementary and middle-school aged kids in mind, many dog-loving adults have written to tell me how much they enjoy them as well.
As a bonus, the Saluki who modeled for the cover image was Ryder’s sister Arya. The talented Jennifer Hawkyard, the niece of Ryder’s first human, Lin, is the artist.
A Thank You From the Heart
I also want to thank those friends who have reached out with help and support, and so much love, for Ryder. The kindness, and the love people have for this dear boy, overwhelm me with emotion. I have spent many days weeping in the past week or two, and not all of the tears have been sad ones. Some have been tears of gratitude and love for the support of friends.
Thank you for thinking of us kindly as we travel this road once again. Send light and love and gentle prayers for my boy. We are determined to keep him happy, strong, and feeling well for as long as humanly possible.
Blessings,
Ryder, in the car on his first ride home as a Nastasi, December 2015.
I’ve had a really hard time getting to the point that I can write this post. I’ll start by saying that, as of right now, Ryder feels fine. He’s 13, of course, and is slower than he was a year or two ago, sleeps more, and has lost a bit of his hind end strength. All of those things are pretty normal for a 13-year-old Saluki. Though I know there are Salukis who have lived well beyond that age, I think many people who know the breed well would agree that 13 is, well … 13. In 40 years of living with this breed, I’ve yet to have one live to 14. But right now, Ryder’s happily lying here begging for my lunch (which I’m eating as I type, because it takes my mind off the painful words a little bit).
To the point, I guess….
Ryder has a heart arrhythmia for which his cardiologist couldn’t really find a cause. He has mild mitral valve disease, but that doesn’t explain the irregular heartbeat. So, on the 8th of July, Ryder went in for an abdominal ultrasound.
The cause of the arrhythmia turned out to be a mass on his spleen that is stretching the capsule. He also has a smaller mass on the liver. The liver mass is solid and according to the report does not have a lot of malignant characteristics, though it does have a blood vessel running through it. There are chances that it’s benign. The splenic mass, however, looks like hemangiosarcoma.
I have spent many hours doing research into many aspects of the disease, and the decision making process. I’ve consulted with professionals and with friends who have much Saluki experience, as well as experience with this horror of a disease. After many tears, much heartbreak, and a great deal of list-making, option-weighing, and discussion, our decision is to not put a 13 year old Saluki through major abdominal surgery. Am I certain it’s the right choice? I wish I could say I was. As I said to my vet, the batteries in my crystal ball died years ago. But it’s the best choice I, and my family, could make for Ryder under the circumstances.
Thanks to dear friends who have helped with information and medical research on Chinese Medicine treatments (turkey tail mushroom and Yunnan Baiyao), I will be adding these to the protocol I used for Kai. That came from The Dog Cancer Survival Guide by Dr Demian Dressler and Dr Sue Ettinger. With Kai, of course, I was trying to maintain a dog who was very, very ill before we ever knew he had cancer. With Ryder, we have a boy who feels good, and honestly has no idea that he’s sick. I am cautiously hopeful. My own vet approves of the plan.
I am going to do my best to give our Mister Handsome the very best life possible for whatever time he has left. I hope that is a long, long time, but will take whatever he is able to give. And, when he is too tired, or too sick, and ready to stop fighting, I will, with broken heart and many tears, send him home to Lin.
I will close this post with my undying love and gratitude to the friends who have been so supportive and loving over the past week. The list it so very long, and I know you all know who you are. I hope you also know how much I love and appreciate you. Thank you for the shoulders to cry on, the gentle advice, the extremely helpful information, the gifts you have sent, and for loving our Ryder so very much.
That’s not a fatalistic outlook speaking. You don’t get a cat to stop scratching, because scratching is absolutely essential for a cat’s mental and physical health.
Scratching exercises all major muscle groups in the cat’s body, as well as many fine muscles of the paws, legs, shoulders, neck and back. It clears old, dead sheath tissue off of the claws, helping them to remain healthy and clean. It releases energy, diffusing that which might be otherwise channeled to more disruptive activities. It is a great stress reducer, both because of the exercise, and the fact that cats use scratching to claim ownership of their home and belongings. There are scent glands in a cat’s paws which, like the glands in their cheeks and the base of the tail that mark with scent when a cat rubs, place the cat’s own scent on their favorite items. A cat who feels like he owns his space is a content, secure cat.
What a cat-parent must do to save their home and furniture is not prevent the cat from scratching, but help him to know what surfaces are acceptable.
Providing your cats with appropriate items to scratch will go a long way toward preserving your belongings. The wide variety of scratching products on the market today means that every cat’s preference can be satisfied. Some cats like to reach upwards to scratch (couch and wall culprits). Some prefer to stretch out on the floor (carpet diggers). All cats, whether horizontal scratchers or vertical, like to be able to really stretch out.
Avoid scratching posts and boards that are too short for your cat to reach to their full length. Make sure, whatever type you choose, the post is solid and does not wobble too much. If a cat likes floor scratching, the “wobble factor” isn’t as much of a priority. Of all the scratching options we have provided Missie, the ones she likes best are those cheap cardboard scratching boards that just lie on the floor. Vertical scratchers, however, will often not use a post that wobbles. Some cats like to use broad surfaces, so might prefer a board to a post. There is much to choose from.
Observe your cat’s preferences. He will show you just how he likes to scratch. Shop around a bit, and find just the right type of scratching surface to suit his natural tendencies. Once you have the product in hand, it is not difficult at all to train a cat to use it. Play with his favorite toy near the scratcher. Try rubbing a little catnip into it. Don’t force his paws onto it–that is uncomfortable to a cat, and you don’t want to create a negative association. If it’s a vertical post, try laying it down at first till he has discovered it. Be sure not to hide it in an out of the way spot, but set it up in an area where your kitty already likes to hang out.
If the cat has already started using an inappropriate surface, set the new scratching post up near that area. When you see the cat start to scratch the wall or couch, move him gently to the new scratcher and encourage him: “Scratch! Good boy!” Give lots of praise and maybe even a treat when he complies. Be sure to make that his favorite interactive-play spot for a little while. You can encourage him to stretch out and scratch by drawing his favorite wand or fishing pole toy along the surface. If you enjoy clicker or lure-reward training with your cat, that can be a very quick way to get the “This is where you scratch” message across.
You may have to, for a short time, cover the old item or spot with something that will deter the cat, if he has already developed a habit. Double-sided tape works, or some cats will be deterred by aluminum foil. A temporary furniture throw can help if it’s a couch or chair arm that is his target. Since you are also actively encouraging and praising the cat for using the correct surface, your funny-looking deterrents won’t be there for long, don’t worry.
Whatever you do, don’t punish the cat or use a squirt bottle to deter him from scratching. All this does is make the cat wary of your presence so he won’t scratch while you’re watching. That will simply make the training process take much longer, and damage your relationship with your cat. Instead, your goal is to make his new scratching board or post the most inviting place to exercise those claws and muscles.
Every cat needs to scratch. By providing a variety of appropriate places for him to do so, you’ve created a happy cat, a happy owner, and a delightfully un-shredded home.
With thanks to my buddies Tristan and Kieran, Manx cats who live in the beautiful state of Kentucky with their mom, Dede.
News and Information
Remember that you can always follow my availability, and any changes to my schedule via the Gazehound.com website, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
If you have young animal lovers in your life (or are a young-at-heart animal lover yourself) who are looking for something to do this (rather odd and limited) summer, take a look at my Junior Handler Mysteries. Perhaps they would enjoy some fun reading.
