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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / October 2004Bad Fez!
I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a problem with the fish tank. It seems one of the cats got into the space underneath the tank and stepped on the button that cut off all electricity to the pump, lights, heaters, etc. Fez is the only one who has figured out how to open the access doors, so he's the guilty party. Tom restored power and we're hoping the filter was only off for a couple of hours or so. Any more time and the bacteria in it would have died and that would probably mean a death sentence for all the fish in the tank. So far so good, I tested the water as soon as I got in and it seems to be ok.  SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com > I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a > little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov > Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com Do you have a salt water tank? Usually fresh water tanks are easier to take care of (we have 2, a 40 gallon and a 20 gallon), but salt water tanks are *SO* much more colorful and beautiful - but I've heard they're really hard to keep "balanced". Hugs, CatNipped For those who asked, it's a freshwater tank. I had Tom call around to see if any of our local fish stores had Biospira in stock. It's the only bacteria product out there that is actually scientifically proven to work. None had it, unfortunately, so we went without. The fish seem to be doing fine, there is no ammonia and no nitrites in the tank, so I think we're ok. The bacteria in the filter (canister) can die quickly because of lack of oxygen and food, since there is no water circulation. In case of a power loss, the best way to keep your bacteria live is to put the biomedia in a mesh bag and dump it in the tank. SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com > For those who asked, it's a freshwater tank. I had Tom call around to > see if any of our local fish stores had Biospira in stock. It's the only [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > loss, the best way to keep your bacteria live is to put the biomedia in > a mesh bag and dump it in the tank. On the subject of fish, if one has to euthanise a fish, what is the best way? I thought about it and figured freezing was probably best with a non-tropical fish, water slowly got colder & coler and fish slower & slower until evything just stopped. Flushing sounded the worst of all. One of my fish got cancer started onthe tail fin and was fine for a long long time, but after a whle you could see 'he' was really struggling, so I froze him in a large container of water. 'He' didn't look like 'he' suffered but I'll never know till I ask. Yowie >On the subject of fish, if one has to euthanise a fish, what is the best >way? I thought about it and figured freezing was probably best with a [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Yowie Oh bless you for thinking on those lines. Because I'm seriously thinking about whacking the upside-downy-fish. It swims OK, just upside down, but it can't can't seem to catch any of the food and it's going to starve to death. :-( > On the subject of fish, if one has to euthanise a fish, what is the best > way? I thought about it and figured freezing was probably best with a There are two humane ways of killing fish: using clover oil (never tried it, don't even know how it works) or using physical force (chopping it's head off, putting it in a plastic bag and crushing it), which is the one I use. It's not for the squeamish, but it's the most humane way. Freezing hurts, or so I'm told, so does vodka. BTW, Fez did it again this morning. I'm off to the hardware store to buy some form of lock for the tank stand doors. SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >There are two humane ways of killing fish: using clover oil (never tried >it, don't even know how it works) or using physical force (chopping it's >head off, putting it in a plastic bag and crushing it), which is the one >I use. It's not for the squeamish, but it's the most humane way. >Freezing hurts, or so I'm told, so does vodka. I don't have any fish myself, but they're such tough creatures that I don't know if a mechanical method would kill them quickly. I once caught a couple of trout and a couple of bass one lazy weekend afternoon, and I took them home in a bucket. By the time I got home, the trout were dead, because they have high oxygen needs. The bass were still very much alive. I cleaned the trout, but I didn't want to gut a fish alive, so I put the bass in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, I took a now quiescent bass out of the fridge, and proceeded to clean and gut it. But as the fish warmed up, it started to struggle. With half its internal organs in the sink, no less. I whacked the bass a few times on the head. It still moved. I cut off the head. It still moved. I was at a loss as to what more I could do to make sure it was really dead. So I cut out its heart and put it on the cutting board. The heart *kept beating* for about a minute after I cut it out. I stopped fishing after that. :) Vicky's freezing idea sounds pretty good to me, though I would also be interested in that clover oil idea, especially if it can make the bass taste even better. > >There are two humane ways of killing fish: using clover oil (never tried > >it, don't even know how it works) or using physical force (chopping it's [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I don't have any fish myself, but they're such tough creatures that I > don't know if a mechanical method would kill them quickly. When I was a student, I took part in an annual ecology 'experiment' that involved fishing a lake in North Wales. We caught a fair number of char (a kind of trout). The idea was to look at their gills to establish how old they were. It was basically an annual check on the health and age of the fish population in the lake. Well, I was upset by the sight of the fish 'drowning' on land, so one of the lecturers gave me a little hammer to hit the fish on the back of the skull, to destroy the brain. It worked instantly, and a couple of us put all the fish out of their misery quite quickly. Because I had experience (as I said in an earlier post, I worked on a fish market) I gutted and filleted the fish once we'd made our observations, and we made a bonfire on the beach the next evening and had a lovely fish barbecue. I was happy because the fish didn't go to waste. Jeanette [horrible story snipped] > The heart *kept beating* for about a minute after I cut it out. I > stopped fishing after that. :) Oh my god - I don't blame you! That sounds very upsetting! The poor thing - not that you knew it was going to suffer like that. I don't think I could fish again after an experience like that either. Joyce > [horrible story snipped] > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Joyce If you go deep sea fishing on a charter boat, they will have a large mallet that they use to whack a fish upside the head to kill it. Of course this isn't so much humanitarian as it is to protect themselves as some of those fish bite. As in can take off a finger if you aren't careful. I go the zip lock bag in the freezer route myself. I've had to use it for a couple of injured or ill birds as well. Wringing their necks would be quicker but not much and I just can't bring myself to do it. Jo > > [horrible story snipped] > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Jo Fatally injured birds get put on a brick, their heads covered with a cloth, and then I smash them with a hammer. Yuck. I hate doing it, but I hate to see them suffer even more :( Thankfully I don't have to do it very often. Jeanette >Fatally injured birds get put on a brick, their heads covered with a cloth, >and then I smash them with a hammer. Yuck. I hate doing it, but I hate to [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Jeanette My grandmother used to raise parakeets.When she had a badly injured or really sick one, that's also what she used to do. Sherry > >Fatally injured birds get put on a brick, their heads covered with a cloth, > >and then I smash them with a hammer. Yuck. I hate doing it, but I hate to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > My grandmother used to raise parakeets.When she had a badly injured or really > sick one, that's also what she used to do. Wringing necks isn't effective. Smashing head is better. The 'why' is down below, so people don't have to read it if they don't want. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . they still live for a while and they know exactly what you've done to them, you can sense it. Whats worse however is that *feeling* of their necks cracking in your hands and the scream. I've only made the mistake once, when a cat (not Shmogg) left a sparrow for dead, but it was still living. I wrung its neck and can still feel and hear that pop-pop-pop of its neck breaking, and its tiny little scream as it desperately bit me in defense (with its neck broken, yes). I wish I had thought of just smashing its head first, but have to live with that horrid disgusting godawful memory for the rest of my life. I can assure people it didn't suffer long, I did figure out what to do pretty quick, but I"m left with that memory, and it haunts me from time to time. I've never felt so bad and so evil in all my life, and still ask God to forgive me from time to time for making that creature suffer unnecessarily. :-( Yowie > The 'why' is down below, so people don't have to read it if they don't want. > . > . snipped. Yowie, I agree with you, that's why I go for the head smashing. I've never wrung a neck in my life, and I don't want to. I once had an awful nightmare in which Izzi was dying, and I wrung her neck to try to help her out of her misery, and made things worse. One of the worst experiences of my life was when I was hand rearing sick kittens. Very sick kittens. After the midnight feed, (ends at 1:00 a.m) I was sure that one of them was dying, and I had to leave him. If I'd had a humane way of killing him there and then, I would have done it. As it was, he was gone when I got up at 2:30 to start the 3 am feed. I still mourn that little creature. Jeanette >I go the zip lock bag in the freezer route myself. I've had to use it for a >couple of injured or ill birds as well. Wringing their necks would be >quicker but not much and I just can't bring myself to do it. Putting a fish in a freezer, I conjecture is okay, because a lot of fish spend the winters hibernating painlessly under the ice. Putting a bird in the freezer though, reminds me too much of something Bev wrote a while back on RPCA: >OK, here's another. > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >Bev >>The man was astonished at the bird's change of attitude and was about >to ask what had made such a dramatic change when the parrot continued. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> >>Bev That's funny. Suz Macmoosette Thank Heavens There's Only One =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= Waiting for inspiration. Please hold while I contemplate my navel. |\__/| (=':'=) (")_(") > Putting a fish in a freezer, I conjecture is okay, because a lot of > fish spend the winters hibernating painlessly under the ice. Not tropical fish at all. SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com Time to get some of those 'child-proof' cabinet 'locks' on the cabinet doors ;) SignatureThe ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)? email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep >I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a >little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >mean a death sentence for all the fish in the tank. So far so good, I >tested the water as soon as I got in and it seems to be ok. >I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a >little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >So far so good, I tested the water as soon as I got in and it seems to >be ok. ach - purrs that the fish will be ok. Sammy or one of her sibs used to do that with the computer UPS switch. Thankfully, she lost interest when she grew up. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html Just a few lines, Victor, to say that I hope the fish are okay. I once had an aquarium. I also have a special feeling for your mom, as she had surgery the same day as me. How's she doing? Give her my best regards. Tweed >I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a >little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >mean a death sentence for all the fish in the tank. So far so good, I >tested the water as soon as I got in and it seems to be ok. > I also have a special feeling for your mom, as she had surgery the same day > as me. How's she doing? Give her my best regards. Mom's doing great, thanks for asking. She's very touched that so many people around the world were thinking of her. She just went back to Mexico City for a follow-up visit last week. Everything is normal, but she's a bit annoyed that she's going to have to be coming back for follow-up visits for a while. Lots of tests too. She says she has more energy and mental clarity than she has had in years. The only negative side effect she's experienced is what she's calling "rage". She says she no longer controls herself when she gets angry and she says things she used to only think before. I guess that's going to get her in trouble and make my dad's life a bit more difficult... :) SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com > > I also have a special feeling for your mom, as she had surgery the same day > > as me. How's she doing? Give her my best regards. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov > Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com How long and how often will she have to go for follow-ups? That sounds like it would be inconvenient as well as expensive after a while. We're still sending purrs that she continues to heal quickly and completely - also purrs for you dad to have plenty of patience. ;> Hugs, CatNipped > How long and how often will she have to go for follow-ups? That sounds like > it would be inconvenient as well as expensive after a while. I think she'll be going every couple of months for the next 6 months or so, then probably once a year or so for chekcups. It is inconvenient, because she has to take the bus to Mexico City, it's a 4 hour trip (or 3 hour trip, but with the toll roads, it's cheaper to take the bus), then take the metro to the hospital (though I think my sisters have been taking turns picking her up at the bus station). > We're still sending purrs that she continues to heal quickly and > completely - also purrs for you dad to have plenty of patience. ;> The man is a saint, I tell you. He'll take a lot of abuse and not even flinch... :) SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com > The man is a saint, I tell you. He'll take a lot of abuse and not even > flinch... :) We're purring for both your parents to get through this ordeal. Sounds like they are doing fine. SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > > I also have a special feeling for your mom, as she had surgery the same day > > as me. How's she doing? Give her my best regards. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > going to get her in trouble and make my dad's life a bit more > difficult... :) Any chance your Mom is taking prednisone to keep the swelling down from her surgery? That sounds like a classic steroid reaction. (Been there, done that, Charlie says I'm fine as long as he remembers to use a stick when poking raw meat thru the bars of my cage. I've had to take huge doses for asthma) If so I doubt she will take it indefinitely. Tell your Dad "good luck" for me. Jo > Any chance your Mom is taking prednisone to keep the swelling down from her > surgery? That sounds like a classic steroid reaction. (Been there, done She is taking that! I'll mention it to her when we talk on the phone later today. SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com > > Any chance your Mom is taking prednisone to keep the swelling down from her > > surgery? That sounds like a classic steroid reaction. (Been there, done > > She is taking that! I'll mention it to her when we talk on the phone > later today. Just make sure she keeps taking it until her doctors say not to, but that she tells them how she is reacting to it. And let your Dad know this is only temporary. Jo > > Any chance your Mom is taking prednisone to keep the swelling down from her > > surgery? That sounds like a classic steroid reaction. (Been there, done > > She is taking that! I'll mention it to her when we talk on the phone > later today. Sam, at three years old, went nuts on the same stuff. Susan M Otis and Chester Hope your fish are okay, Victor! I'm sorta surprised you say the bacteria would die off that quickly -- is it a salt tank? You probably know this already, but there are live bacteria you can buy from the pet store to add to your tank; I think one brand is called "Cycle." Purrs. Christine > I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a > little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > So far so good, I tested the water as soon as I got in and it seems to > be ok. > I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a > little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a > problem with the fish tank. It seems one of the cats got into the space > underneath the tank and stepped on the button that cut off all > electricity to the pump, lights, heaters, etc. Fez is the only one who > has figured out how to open the access doors, so he's the guilty party. Maybe Fez thought he should provide the family with dinner while Paw was away. Fishy dinner. ;o) Purrs for the fishies to be OK. SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a >little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >So far so good, I tested the water as soon as I got in and it seems to >be ok. Purrs for your fishies. Funny you brought up fishies tonight. I think I have killed all the guppies with good intentions. Several of them are, for lack of a more articulate description, dragging their butts on the gravel. Now, to me, anything that engages in this activity is wormy. So I bought a fish parasite remedy. Two went belly-up within an hour. We changed the water. So far no more casualties but I kind of dread seeing what surfaces (pun intended) in the morning. Another guppy story. I was catching the babies two days ago and I guess injured one of the big ones 'cause now it swims upside down. It's been swimming upside down for 2 days. I feel so convicted every time I look at the poor thing. Sherry Lots of purrs and best wishes for the fishies to be ok, SignaturePolonca & Soncek > I was in Phoenix at a diversity conference this week, I just came back a > little while ago. This morning I called Tom and he told me there was a > problem with the fish tank. It seems one of the cats got into the space > underneath the tank and stepped on the button that cut off all > electricity to the pump, lights, heaters, etc. <snip |
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