Cat Enrichment

 I've seen these Instagram posts about providing indoor cats with fun things to do. Most of them involve hiding treats in something to make the cat work for them. I considered buying food puzzles, but they tend to be a bit expensive, so I thought using ideas from Instagram would be better.

One idea is to put treats into a paper bag and let the cat get them.

I tried this last night; it turned out to be very funny!

Poor Fluffy was just going round in circles! She got most of the treats; the rest I gave her for trying so hard!

I'm going to try a few other ones over the next few weeks. All the cats have now recovered from whatever they had, so now the fights are starting! I need to redirect their energy without exhausting myself!

Recovering

 The cats are getting better, slowly!

Frodo, who got sick first, is back to jumping on laps and wanting love! His voice is still a bit croaky, but he's always had a strange meow!

Mama and Sam are better. My son said one way to express good news and bad news in one sentence: Mama's voice is back! It's good news because that means she has recovered, bad news because she is very vocal!

Steve and Fred are a bit better; they had energy to start a fight yesterday, but their voices aren't that good!

Alan is still doing the silent meow and lying around a lot; Alfie and Toast are down, but not as miserable as the other cats- maybe a milder version. Fluffy is alright; she doesn't interact with the other cats so much!

I'm glad they are recovering; vets are too expensive to keep going!

Fluffy on the fridge

I didn't know she was up there!

I came into the kitchen last night and heard this meowing from above! At first, I couldn't see Fluffy; she was behind the box. When she came out, I jumped, she really gave me a fright!

Just the cats lying around!

Still Sick

 Most of the cats are still sick, but a lot better than a week ago.

Frodo, who was the first one to get sick, is a lot better; he's purring again, eating, drinking and using the litter box. He still isn't 100%, not racing around or fighting, but not hiding or just lying around.

Mama's voice is a lot better, but both Alan and Steve have lost their voices.

I think another week, and things will be back to normal; at least I hope so!

Having sick pets is not fun. It's so hard trying to figure out what's wrong; they can't say where it hurts or how they feel. It's a case of just watching them.

Fluffy drinking my water, as always!

Frodo looks a lot better.

Steve

 Steve has caught whatever the cats have been passing around.

He looked awful last night. He was lying with his mouth open and drooling.

I checked for an emergency vet, but the nearest place was 2 hours drive from here, and I didn't think the stress of being in a cage that long would be good for him.

I checked on Steve every couple of hours; he managed to sleep, which I think helps. This morning he was eating and drinking alright.

David took him to the vet; it's some kind of virus that the cats are passing around. Steve has antibiotics. 

Now seven of our nine cats have been sick. It's so quiet, as they have lost their voice. Frodo, who was the first one to get sick, is a lot better, still sleeping more than usual, but his appetite is back. I think in another week, everything will be back to normal chaos.

Steve

Fred's Turn

 Now Fred is down with whatever the cats have.

I think it's some kind of throat virus; the cats who have been sick have all lost their voices. This morning Mama was trying to meow, but she sounded very hoarse.

Frodo is much better; he is eating, drinking, and using the litter box. Mama and Sam still seem a bit down; they are eating a bit but not as much as usual.

I'm wondering if this is going to go through all the cats!

Fred is not looking happy.

Today, they got wet food for lunch, I think it's easier on their throats!

Enjoying lunch.

Sam was waiting in the other room, but not meowing!

Waiting like a good boy.

He really enjoyed his lunch!

He kept getting distracted by what was happening behind me but he really enjoyed this food!!

Now Three Cats Are Down

 I'm not sure what is happening with my cats.

Yesterday was Frodo; he's still the same. He was drinking water this morning but is off his food. He ate some cat snacks, which is good, maybe!

I noticed today that Mama and Sam are not their usual selves either. Both are off their food; neither has any energy. I'm planning on giving them some wet food tonight; if I can get them to eat a bit, it might help.

My one worry is that Mama cat got out last week, twice! I really hope that she didn't pick up something or ingest some kind of poison. I think another trip to the vet when they open tomorrow!

Sam, not looking good

Mama

Frodo

 Having nine cats means that there is always some drama!

Fights, racing around, knocking over water bowls and the occasional litter box accident. That's normal; one of the first T-shirts I designed said "81 lives, endless chaos", and it is!

The past couple of days, however, the cats have been very quiet, especially Frodo.

Frodo is one of the cats that always greets David when he comes home from work. Frodo purrs and meows, wanting to be held and petted. This morning, however, Frodo just sat, looking at David. No purring, no jumping up to get on David's lap, just sitting there. So David took Frodo to the vet; he thought that Frodo might have a cold. The vet checked but no cold, so they did a few tests, but there's nothing wrong. The only thing I can think of is the dramatic change in the weather, almost overnight! For the past couple of months, it's been in the upper 30℃, yesterday in dropped to the lower 20℃. 

I hope Frodo feels better soon!

Frodo checking out the box, hoping for cat food!