Tubby's Big Day(pictoral)

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

First of all I want to apologize to those with dial-up connections. I've been checking PT from home yesterday and today, and I can sympathize with the long waits for pictures to download. I got spoiled at work with the DSL connection. This dial-up stuff has got to go, but we don't have many other options right now, so to those with dial-ups, I apologize for all the pictures.

As I had mentioned, Tubby had his 6 month check-up yesterday. I have to take him in every 6 months so they can monitor how his kidneys are doing. I didn't get any results yet because we have to wait for the lab tests to come back, but inspired by all the nice comments on his Big Night Out thread, here's the tail of Tubby's Big Day.

Here he is ready to go. He doesn't know we're going to the vet, he just knows he's got his rope on which means he gets to go outside. "Let's go Mom!"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p5f79c87c916b0eb18b7d45bffa6799ad/fd4befd8.jpg

"Oh, I don't know, it's kinda hot in here. Can't I stay outside with all the good sniffs and grass?"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p98d0a538c24f7dd8a526db2108a2059c/fd4befd4.jpg

"Oh boy! Look at all this stuff! What is that big red thing, and who are those people over there! Oh boy!" (we were stopped at a light so I could snap this picture, but Tubby maintained this pose the whole way to the vet. He loves looking at all the action)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p67f79a4ca6d9e588400bccde4ee1cfda/fd4bef05.jpg

"Ok, I don't even want to be here. LET ME OUT!!! "
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/pfebb96b23780294496629d8aee2831ef/fd4bef01.jpg

"Oops, gained almost 2 pounds (.9 kg) since I was here 6 months ago! I better get off this thing before they start mentioning the "D" word." And here I was worried that he was losing weight! Well, I knew his physic was changing, now I know why. :rolleyes: But this can only be a good thing. He is back to the weight he was before he started throwing up so much and was diagnosed with the failing kidneys, so something must be working right.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p673ac5c58e367928e92f1e7a8eed9a2d/fd4beefd.jpg

"Whew! Thank goodness that's over with. Hey, what's that over there?!!!"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p47a90772fe6927aee9196fe37051b6a4/fd4becf4.jpg

"Ok, I'm tired now, think I'll take a quick nap on the way home. Mom's lap is the best, isn't it?"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p6b7929ede2af03f0f48199cfb8369959/fd4becf3.jpg

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I smell funny. I had to go to the durn white coat. Hey, how come you didn't have to go?!!!"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid31/p48f6e8917abd3d58c515ad9ba9900e1f/fd4becf0.jpg

And that's the end of Tubby's trip to the vet. Shortly after the last picture, he crawled into one of his favorite napping spots and was out like a light. They had to take more blood than last time to do a full analysis of it, so I think he was a little more traumatized this time than last time. But later in the afternoon he was ready to go again, so I took him over to the motorhome with me. See part two coming soon. :)

[Former User]

Tubby, Casper here. Wow, as I was looking at your pics and reading about your day, I can't get over it how much we look alike! It's like I was watching me own photos :eek: I can't walk on a leash though, hoomans take us to the white coats inside a carrier.
Lucky you, you didn't hear that "D" word, but I did :( stupid white coat. Well, he actually didn't say the D word, he just said I can't gain more weight, and I could go into the light D food :rolleyes: Hoomans took it too literally (in my opinion) and I'm on a D-I-E-T now. I can't get ANY :eek: wet food until next weekend! And hoomans said wet food will be only a weekend treat from now on (pout pout, major POUT!!!). I guess the onlee good thing is that me sis is on diet too, so I have partner in suffering :D

Good pics man, you are da best!

[toughCookie]

that was really cute, and nice to see Tubby's day out with pics, thanks for posting them. looks like Tubby enjoys car rides? my cats, all but Patches, would hide under the seat, they are scared of going anywhere!Patches looks out the window, and seems to say, cool, where are we going? :)

[momoffuzzyfaces]

hi, tubby! dis is chester! you, casper and me may all be related. we is all beautiful dark angels. i tink you were such a brave boy riding in that people can with only a string. mawmee always stuffs us in a case. we would be hangin upside down from the lid of the people can and yellin our heads off if she didn't. i sure hope all the tests come back good. did ya get a special treat for bein so good? if not, you was robbed. try the old 'poor me, how could you do dis to me' look. it works for me.:D

[krazyaboutkatz]

Debbie, thanks for sharing the great story and pics of Tubby's big day out. :) He sure looked like he was enjoying himself. I wish my cats would act like him. They hate the car and the vets.

[tatsxxx11]

Oh Tubby! Mr. B and Oliver here. We sure enjoyed yer picktorial essay!!:D Yer Mom even got shots inna white coats' office!! So glad yer doin good!! Yer so handsome!! Love, yer pals, Mr. B and Olivvvvvver!:)

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Thanks everybody. :) Tubby always has been an adventurous sort, and got used to the rope and riding in the car at a young age (back and forth to my mom's on laundry day ;) ). He got extra special treats, and didn't even have to give me the ol' poor me look. ;) :D Although that does seem to work very well around here too. :rolleyes: He also got a trip to the motorhome in the afternoon where he had a great time too, so he really had quite the big day. I thought he'd be all dead beat tired today, but instead he keeps looking at me as if to say "Where we goin' today, Mom?" :)

Oh, and I also want to say thanks to all you guys for inspiring all these pictures. Even though the vet and his assistants probably thought I was nuts, I would never have thought of taking these pictures before coming here to PT. I had some pictures before, but now I have so many pictures of Tubby and Peanut that I know I will cherish someday. I just wish I had started sooner - like when they were still kittens. For those of you with really young kittens, start snapping away because those baby pictures are so precious once they get older.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I would never have thought of taking these pictures before coming here to PT.

Is't that the truth. Someone was looking at the photos on my disk recently and almost all of them were of Edwina! :o :o

Great photo essay Debbie!

[yumyum6970]

Hey Tubby..Duchess here it looks like you had more fun than I did when I went to the vets. I had to get two nasty shots and I hate to be held down so I pitched a fit. The lady that held me down had to get working gloves to hold me down with. I screamed and hollowered so loud the people out front heard me. I hate going to the vets...my mommy and daddy make us ride in those terrible cages..

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Well, we got the good news last night. The vet said his blood work checked out fine. I believe they check enzyme levels (or something like that) and they are all stable, at the same level they were at 6 months ago. And she said the fact that he has gained weight is a good sign that he is doing good. Her last comment was "So overall, he's doing extremely well for a guy his age." :)

So it's now a year since he was first diagnosed with "early stages of kidney failure" and he's doing better than ever. I have been giving him 1/4 of a Pepcid (which is an antacid) a day. He doesn't particularly like taking the pill, and if I don't stuff it in just right, he will spit it out, but we've both got the hang of taking/giving pills so things go much better with that these days. :) The vet said giving him the Pepcid wouldn't reverse any damage that had been already done, but it would slow down the progession of the disease, and it sure seems to have done that, and I believe it did reverse it a little because at his last 6 month check up, one of the "numbers" had gone down.

So I guess my old man will be around for awhile. :D :D

[Edwina's Secretary]

What good news Tubby! May you live 1000 years!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

That's great news Debbie. :D I hope Tubby will be around for quite a while.

[margaret]

Hooray for Tubby! You are so cool. :cool:

[Vermontcat]

Tubby is such a brave boy for being so good at the Vet's and letting you take photos even! I'm glad that he had a good checkup.:) Your thread reminded me that my cat Sam is due for her shots so she will be going next Monday. And no, there will be no photos of her, she is a handful for me, the vet tech and the vet! And she makes the most interesting sounds when she is there, long drawn out growls and hisses that she saves for the vet!:rolleyes:

[NoahsMommy]

Tubby! You are such a great kitty, letting your mommy take you to vet on your leash! You've inspired me to train Basil to walk on a leash...off to the pet store after work! :D

I am SOOOO glad your are doing well healthwise too! Yay for Tubby!! :)