Kat's METROpolitan: Retired May 2018

[ReefWeeds]

32 minutes ago, metrokat said:

@stellablue Alienz. You have alienz in the tank.

 

Ha yes I do! Luckily the alienz of the aiptasia kind are getting eaten ?

[Boggers]

tough decisions are no good. I have had 2 within a year, and not likely to make it longer than a year before I might have to do it again. 

[holy carp]

47 minutes ago, metrokat said:

In other news, my new article was published today

http://blog.marinedepot.com/2017/05/richard-bransons-newest-project-involves-sinking-a-ship-for-ocean-conservation.html

 

 

Cool.  Now they should add a program where they help reefers like us travel there to SCUBA dive and 'plant' a frag on the ship.  How cool would it be to think that our reef tanks could help re-seed / repopulate the coral reefs in the ocean?

 

Is it hard to acclimate a captive bred coral to natural oceanic conditions? 

[debbeach13]

I will say a little prayer for oreo. Congrates on the article.

[StinkyBunny]

The hardest thing I've ever had to do was tell M it was time for Charlie. I was sitting on the floor when she got home form work holding him because he couldn't stand up. We're a call away if you need to talk.

[metrokat]

3 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

I will say a little prayer for oreo. Congrates on the article.

Thank you. The cat is Bogi, Oreo was my 3 year old clam that died recently

1 hour ago, StinkyBunny said:

The hardest thing I've ever had to do was tell M it was time for Charlie. I was sitting on the floor when she got home form work holding him because he couldn't stand up. We're a call away if you need to talk.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

4 hours ago, holy carp said:

 

Is it hard to acclimate a captive bred coral to natural oceanic conditions? 

I'm not sure it should be tried. Everybody warms about not putting any livestock from your home aquarium back in the wild. 

[StinkyBunny]

I don't think we're going to have a choice about repopulating coral stocks with captive specimens in the not too distant future. I would not do this now unless it's sanctioned by your government and carried out under strict supervision. Releasing non-native species carries stiff penalties and jail time in some jurisdictions. We're fighting a lionfish scourge here in the Atlantic and Caribbean due to people turning them loose when they get too big. Walt Smith maricultures some species and replants them on reefs that have bleached which is a big reason I buy as much Fiji stock as I do.

[debbeach13]

10 hours ago, metrokat said:

Thank you. The cat is Bogi, Oreo was my 3 year old clam that died recently

I knew about Bogi but yesterday when I saw a post about Oreo I did think you had another cat and I was surprised because I could not remember a picture of a second cat. Bogi already in my prayers. First my people prayers then all the pet prayers. Sorry you actually lost Oreo. I hope some one can help you out with the computer problems. My old lap top misbehaves all the time. It is a real disappointment when technology is not working correctly.

[Pinner Reef]

[metrokat]

Bogi had a follow up vet visit. He is very vocal today, I take that as a sign that he isn't in pain even if he is uncomfortable. He yelled at me early morning to go check the litterbox for stinky surprises . He feels so much better himself when he has managed to make a poop. His pitiful cries on the way to the vet were more robust than the time we went to ER last week and the annual exam 4 weeks ago when his bloodwork showed he had inflammation. Another sign that he is not in the same pain he was 4 weeks ago. 

 

His pot belly is quite pronounced and his fluid retention is also plainly visible in loose underbelly skin. He is holding 2 pounds of additional weight, some of it might be natural weight gain from the steroids but it is mostly water weight. Earlier this week when he was on his 5th day without passing a stool I was quite distraught and that is when I had made the appointment with his vet. I basically wanted her opinion on his quality of life, I felt I was a monster and being selfish. The very next day after he used the litter box and was immediately better, I felt better too. That pain shot really really messed him up from the ER.

 

So anyway, she looked him over and checked his pot belly and we discussed his medications and such. And then I asked her am I being selfish, does he have quality of life. She took a moment to answer and said that he does. He is eating, pooping, he is alert, he does not appear to be in pain even if the fluid retention is uncomfortable. His lungs are clear which is what I need to watch out for, if the fluid builds up in his lungs that is the sign. 

 

He is nearly 18. He sleeps most of the time, when he is awake he drinks water, eats a bit, stretches and scratches the scratch pad, maybe he uses the litter box. He sits and cleans himself, he tries a new spot to sleep and inevitably chooses one of 2 places to go back to sleep. He still insists on jumping up and down on the couch, bed, ottoman even though I have pet steps in place. The sofa is okay but the bed is high and he won't use the steps unless I am guiding him. He smells good, his fur is soft and clean.

 

I don't feel that he needs to be awake more than he is. I don't feel that he needs to interact with me more than he does. I've had pets all my life even if he is my first cat. I've had to put a few pets down. It hasn't felt like it was time, he isn't ready to give up on life. And I have to trust that he will let me know when it is time. 

[debbeach13]

All and all that is pretty dam good IMO. Thanks for the update.

[metrokat]

Sometimes this hobby sucks balls

 

[holy carp]

Sorry. That super sucks.

[StinkyBunny]

Damn I know they're hard to come by and really cool fish.

[Christopher Marks]

That's terrible, what are the odds?! What a loss, sad to see  

[metrokat]

Thanks everyone. He was with me for a year.

 

In other news, I was going to send my cyano to someone wanting to test a few products on it. But maybe it heard me talking because it was noticably less yesterday. Ha.

 

Took some pictures with the real camera and some top downs last night. Will post today. 

[ReefWeeds]

I'm getting a bit of cyano in my reef tank. Bahhh. I hate the stuff. 

[Lula_Mae]

Awww sorry about the fish. Glad the kitty is feeling better!  Who knew pain meds stop animals up just like humans?

[Weetabix7]

15 hours ago, metrokat said:

Sometimes this hobby sucks balls

 

 

[StinkyBunny]

7 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Awww sorry about the fish. Glad the kitty is feeling better!  Who knew pain meds stop animals up just like humans?

Just about all critter meds can be used on humans and human meds on critters. There are a few exceptions to this.

[FishDooD65]

sorry to hear about your fish loss. one of the worst parts of the hobby.

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

Just about all critter meds can be used on humans and human meds on critters. There are a few exceptions to this.

That's pretty amazing...only critters I ever gave meds to are tiny hu mans! 

[StinkyBunny]

My LEAST favorite rotation, uggh.

[Lula_Mae]

37 minutes ago, StinkyBunny said:

My LEAST favorite rotation, uggh.

BEST ever!

[StinkyBunny]

Not my cup of tea, but somehow whenever a delivery comes into the ER, guess who gets roped into that duty?

 

<==== That guy, lol.