Pixel the Cat - Home Page

Yes, it's the obligatory web page about your cat! The ones that were so popular in the mid-90's, before lolcatz and CatBook ruined it for all of us.
Here it is in all of its outdated glory! Just be thankful there isn't a <BLINK> tag!

The Early Years

Pixel was born in February 1994, and given to me by the little red-haired girl from Safeway.
His first 7 years were spent at the White Palace, where he would slip in and out of the old-fashioned milk hatch that I converted to a kitty door.
Pixel's best feline friend Song lived downstairs, and the two of them would spend many hours running up and down the stairs to visit.

Middle Age

Pixel had developed a bad attitude by the time he was 3, and this continued until he was about 11.
During this time, his hobbies included being unpredictable, hunting birds / squirrels / mice / rabbits, being aloof, chasing other cats, and strutting around like he owned the place. Pixel's goal at this point in life was to depopulate the entire neighborhood of mice, and personally deliver each and every one of them to me. Ahhh.... good times.

Senior Kitty

No, that's not Señor Kitty - he hasn't moved to Mexico. From age 12 onwards, Pixel is in his golden years.
I spent a year working from home around Pixel's 12th birthday, and the extra attention seems to have mellowed his aggressive demeanor. Houseguests with painful memories of tooth marks or a swipe of the claws from previous visits were shocked to find a friendly Pixel who would jump up in their laps for a bit of purring and a good scratch behind the ears.

Geriatric Kitty

Starting at age 15, Pixel developed an increase in liver enzymes, probably due to hyperthyroidism (ie overactive thyroid). This is a common syndrome in older cats.

The thyroid is a "master gland" in the body that controls many aspects of the metabolism.

Cats with hyperthyroidism tend to lose weight, have an unkept coat, and may experience vomiting and/or diarrhea. Pixel has all of these symptoms.

Cats with hyperthyroidism commonly have kidney problems as well.

Pixel's last test showed that his urine is less concentrated than it should be - possibly due to kidney issues.

Treatment:
The starting point for medical treatment is a medication called Tapisol, which decreases thyroid levels.

Controlling the thyroid will hopefully deal with the other symptoms mentioned above. Please note that this is only a control, not a cure.

Tapisol is available in in a pill and/or a gel that gets rubbed in the ear. Anyone who has heard my horror stories about trying to get a pill down Pixel's throat will have already assumed that I am going with the ear gel option.

About 4 weeks after starting on medication, blood tests are run again. Kidneys and bone marrow are checked at the same time. This is basically a form of chemotherapy. Since all cats respond differently, the medication levels may need to be played with a bit till we find a dosage that works.

There is an injection with 95% success rate that may cure cats - but only if they have no associated kidney problems. We won't know if Pixel is a candidate for this treatment for a month or so.

Side effects of the Tapisol include vomiting, appetite loss, diarrhea. We need to keep track of this while he is on the medication to guage his reaction.

Etymology

What's the deal with the name? Many non-geeks have asked "What kind of a name is Pixel for a cat?".
Geeks already know the score. Pixel was the name of a cat in a series of classic 80's sci-fi novels. Ask the all-knowing Wikipedia for details.

Pictures

It just wouldn't be a web page about a cat without pictures!

(photos best viewed at 65000 colors or better)

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