Unutterably Silly So what are you doing RIGHT NOW?

[kindlekitten]

try baby food. I've brought a couple of cats back from the brink with that

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

try baby food. I've brought a couple of cats back from the brink with that

We might try that. However, if she likes it the problem will be to get her to eat lots of it. She likes a lot of things but is satisfied after a couple of bites.

She's walking a lot better today, only on soft surfaces such as a bed or a pillow is she still unstable. I have to admit, though, that she's never very stable on those surfaces anyway.

[poohbear_nc]

Kidney failure can cause cats to appear "uncoordinated" or "clumsy" - the build-up of toxins normally filtered out by the healthy kidney affects the nerves that tell the cat where she is, how far to jump, etc.
Make sure all the stuff she needs (litter box, sleep blankets, etc.) are at ground level.

Try canned kitten food first - it is high in calories and nutritionally balanced for cats. Some human baby foods can contain very high sodium levels (not good for an unhealthy kidney). You can smear a little baby food on top toe entice her to eat. Also, your vet may have lysine - daily dosing can boost healing & the immune system.

Also - some of the feline prescription diets (Iams, Science Diet, etc) have canned varieties with gravy - that are formulated for cats with kidney problems.

[Rumpelteazer]

Well, that was an interesting night...

I woke up around 3.30am coughing, there was smoke inside my room. I looked outside and I only saw smoke. There was a fire in the basement next door. We rent part of that and it's open to our basement. Luckily we have an extraction fan in the door to the garden, otherwise we wouldn't have noticed the fire!

We spend the morning in the store of neighbors (which is at a different location, a bit further away). The only real damage is to our stock in the basement. In the rest of the store and house there's a lot of soot and everything stinks.

I'm now at my friends' place where I was going to look after the dog. I'm trying to calm down, later I'm going to buy some new clothes and toiletries, so my parents can focus on cleaning their clothes and bedding today.

Nobody was hurt, the people living over the store next door weren't allowed back yet, the lingerie store is totally wrecked.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Well, that was an interesting night...

I woke up around 3.30am coughing, there was smoke inside my room. I looked outside and I only saw smoke. There was a fire in the basement next door. We rent part of that and it's open to our basement. Luckily we have an extraction fan in the door to the garden, otherwise we wouldn't have noticed the fire!

We spend the morning in the store of neighbors (which is at a different location, a bit further away). The only real damage is to our stock in the basement. In the rest of the store and house there's a lot of soot and everything stinks.

I'm now at my friends' place where I was going to look after the dog. I'm trying to calm down, later I'm going to buy some new clothes and toiletries, so my parents can focus on cleaning their clothes and bedding today.

Nobody was hurt, the people living over the store next door weren't allowed back yet, the lingerie store is totally wrecked.

Oh that is so scary! That could have ended badly. I'm glad all of you are okay. Is Lexie traumatized?

[ProfCrash]

I am glad that you are OK. Hopefully it sorts itself out soon.

[Rumpelteazer]

Thank you all. Lexie is okay, we got her into her basket before she knew what was going on. We brought her to the vet this morning and picked her up tonight.

The house is very dirty. My rooms escaped the worst, or so it seems at the moment. Despite it being filled with smoke last night the smell isn't as bad as in the rest of the house and although there's a layer of soot it isn't as thick and it isn't the sticky kind found in the other rooms. Probably because of the natural airflow on my floor from the stairwell to the attic.

The shower, work surfaces in the kitchen, toilet and washer and drier are now relatively clean, so tomorrow the real cleaning can begin. First the upstairs where we live and later the store, although it might take a while before we can open again.

Today there were actual customers who rang the doorbell telling us how sorry b they are for what happened and they understand we're closed but they only need a small thing. You just want to scream at them. Other people ring the doorbell to tell us they're sorry for what happened. Very nice but not helpful when you're trying to get organized.

Personally I'm doing so-and-so. At times I'm positive, other times I'm crying and feeling very negative and crying my irritated eyes out.

[kindlekitten]

any idea how the fire started?

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

any idea how the fire started?

Officially not, according to the firemen the fire was too hot to say for certain. From photos I've seen it looks like the fire started on our side of the wooden division up at ceiling level where both wiring and heating ducts for our neighbor are. When the store's closed all power to our own basement and the past we hire gets switched off completely, if you want light in the basement outside opening hours (when it gets switched off automatically) you have to turn it on manually upstairs otherwise switches won't work and no power outlet will work. Because of this it seems unlikely the electrical fault is caused by our electrics.

[Rumpelteazer]

Taking a short break from cleaning to do some laundry and walk the dog at my friends' place.

I just spend nearly 5 hours cleaning the closet we keep the towels in. Outside, inside, the drawers, the shelves, everything. At least we can now put our clean towels in a clean place.

[orlok]

That's lousy, Bianca. Hope you get it sorted out quickly.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Well, that was an interesting night...

I woke up around 3.30am coughing, there was smoke inside my room. I looked outside and I only saw smoke. There was a fire in the basement next door. <snip>

That was horrible and I am glad no one was hurt or worse. I hope it all settles down soon and you are able to get everything cleaned up.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by orlok

That's lousy, Bianca. Hope you get it sorted out quickly.

Originally Posted by dreams

That was horrible and I am glad no one was hurt or worse. I hope it all settles down soon and you are able to get everything cleaned up.

I wish cleaning would be easy, but our house is huge and if you have that much space you fill it. Tomorrow I'll start my rooms, which aren't bad. I picked up a cup from my nightstand today and there wasn't any soot on it. I've decided to get rid of a lot of things, I've been planning to do so for ages but never started and now I have the incentive.

Despite having washed my hear twice tonight it still smells of smoke. Yuk (the smell will go when my hair dries, but still yuk).

[Rumpelteazer]

Trying to decide what I want to read. I'm currently reading two books which are too complicated to concentrate on with everything that's going on. I need a nice light read with nothing really complicated going on. Maybe I'll start Robert Aspin's Myth Inc. series. I've heard they are funny (and I need that!) and not too long.

Otherwise busy with clearing my rooms. I think that my hoarder-apprenticeship is at an end. I'm now going for a minimalistic life.

I must say I'm glad I'm an ereader. Even if I only had half of the books I have digitally as paper version it would be a shame to get rid of them. I still have paper books, some can be thrown away, others I hope to salvage.

[Stitchawl]

Fire is the one thing that really scares the hell out of me... I was sort of trapped by a forest fire when I was a pre teen, and I still remember how frightened I was. I'm glad you are all safe.

Stitchawl