Ry & Scooter
Active Member
Well, I was looking back through my posts and realized that my introduction was rather... insensitive, and I think I might've come across as the kind of person I really strive not to be in life. So I wanted to reintroduce myself and Scooter, post a little bit about us, our lives, and what we do. And maybe you can introduce yourselves the same way too! This ended up really long!!! Sorry for the wall of text 
If you'd like to see any of my aquariums, artwork, photography, or any of that stuff, let me know! I'd love to set up a picture album to share with others
And... ah... how I wound up here is quite the story too.
When I was living with my mom, we had two lovely family cats, a snowshoe siamese male named Tao, and a little black manx girl we adopted from the SPCA as a kitten, named Izzy. Izzy was my baby... she slept with (on) me every night, knew when it was time to go to bed, would come running every time she heard me... unfortunately she was an inside/outside cat because my mom lives in a rural area. So I just couldn't bring myself to bring Izzy with me when we moved, because I live near a highway and didn't want to risk losing her. I still miss her sometimes. When I went to visit for Christmas, she slept on the spare bed with me like I never left Here is a nice picture of Izzy.
Anyways, Ben missed Izzy a lot too, so we really wanted to get a cat after we moved. I wasn't really up to having to deal with a hyper destructive kitten, though, so I opted to adopt an older cat. But the SPCA's ridiculous adoption fees for an ADULT cat stopped me from that option. So I spent the next few weeks looking at classified sites for cats up for adoption. A risky business indeed.
I found Scooter on a local site, and I fell in love with his pic. I called, and while the lady was reasonably nice, I should have considered it a red flag right away when she told me "We just don't have time for him anymore". That is #2 on the list of "lame excuses to dump an animal", second to only "we developed allergies". Bah.
Anyways one afternoon in September, I went over to meet Scooter. We hit it off right away, and he came home with me that evening. I was too lovestruck to really pay attention to what they were saying... but one thing echoed in my mind... "he likes water". I thought, "Okay, some cats like water." Tao used to sleep in the sink and play with the faucet. She told me "He HAS to eat this food, he HAS to have his cream in the morning at this time, he HAS to use this litter". I just nodded.
Three (3) days is all it took for me to know something was SERIOUSLY wrong with this cat. He was drinking 6-8 cups of water a day, flooding the litter box, eating more than I ever thought possible for a cat. I Googled until my eyes fell out, and I came with the conclusion that he was diabetic. He showed all the signs. Polydipsia, polyuria, hind end neuropathy, weight loss, etc. but I was broke, and I knew I couldn't afford it. So I put it off until my landlord started complaining until the smell. Scooter wasn't really meeting my expectations anyways. He was unaffectionate, lazy, and so on. I then relisted Scooter up for adoption... a few people called... but I took it down a few days later, as I couldn't bear to dump a sick cat on someone like his past owners did to me.
I fought many nights with Ben about taking Scooter to the vet. We knew we couldn't afford it, but what we didn't know was there were organizations like DCIN out there that were willing to help us. So after airing my grievances and getting some convincing from the forum, I pulled out the credit card, we took Scoots to the vet on December 22nd. Merry Christmas and $700 later, your cat is Diabetic. I sent his previous owners a VERY nasty email with the results... and I hope they never forget what they did to both me and Scooter.
Scooter is now a DCIN cat, and they supply me with his strips, lancets, and Lantus. Cost is really the only thing that was preventing us from treating him, I was totally OK with hometesting and needles but the cost was overwhelming. We're doing better now though
Now, Scooter isn't a lap cat. I don't think he will ever be. He might be a maine coon cross, some people suggested to me. However, with the treatment of his diabetes he's improved and changed so much, I sometimes wonder if I have the same cat. He really is a perfect boy, amazingly well behaved and low maintenance, diabetes aside. He is so good about home testing now. He really is just the most laid back and down to earth cat ever. But he has his crazy moments, too - he loves CATNIP!!! and he loves his scratching post... don't get in between him and his post... or else.
I am very glad to have Scooter in my life. He has taught me a lot. And I'm sure he's equally as thankful to now be with someone who has showed him what love is, and not neglect.
~~~~
My name is Rylee, but my online aliases include Ry, Jaguar, and Ghost. I just turned 20 on the 1st of January so... I'm still a youngin'. I have 2 older sisters, 3 nieces, and a nephew. My parents divorced when I was 9, and I lived with my fiancee in my mom's house up until August of last year. I moved to Kelowna, BC, Canada with the fiancee Ben, who is from New Jersey and here to go to university with a study permit. We're renting a cozy basement unit near the waterfront, and although we're broke all the time, life is pretty OK. I receive funding from my parents to cover half the rent and a bit of groceries, so we're tight on money a lot, but we make ends meet most of the time I don't go to school or work yet, but I keep myself busy.
My biggest hobby at the moment is aquascaping - it's basically underwater landscaping, in an aquarium. Yup. I keep water boxes full of plants. It's actually harder than it sounds... it's all about finding the right balance. But it keeps me busy, and it's very relaxing to look at the results. I have 4 aquariums on the go right now, and various other water-boxes for holding plants around the house. My highlight tank is my Aqua Design Amano 60cm Cube Garden - brought in from Japan. It's a beauty. Currently not filled, though it's growing emersed (partially in water) plants.
I am also heavily interested in music production but that is another expensive hobby I can't afford at the moment. Music makes my world go around. But lots of what I listen to probably hasn't ever been heard of by this forum's demographic
this song is my current jam.
I love to collect antique ceramics and pottery. I love vintage decor and apparel. I also love to cook, especially hearty italian foods I love animals of all kinds, and I have kept pet rats for the past 4 years. I have one male at the moment, and his name is Bernard. His lifelong buddy passed away not too long ago, so I'm waiting for a local rescue to help me find the perfect boys to adopt and add to the family. I used to do wedding photography on the side with my sister. I am a site administrator on RatForum.com, which is a forum dedicated to pet rats. I'm an artist, too - I love both traditional and digital medias. Whew.
I am really a kid at heart, and still have silly attachment to some aspects of my childhood, including but not limited to action figures, stuffies, my lava lamp, Neopets, and so on. Oh, I'm a gamer, too. I play Team Fortress 2, League of Legends, Left 4 Dead 2, and looots of other games. Mostly on PC but some consoles.
If you'd like to see any of my aquariums, artwork, photography, or any of that stuff, let me know! I'd love to set up a picture album to share with others And... ah... how I wound up here is quite the story too.
When I was living with my mom, we had two lovely family cats, a snowshoe siamese male named Tao, and a little black manx girl we adopted from the SPCA as a kitten, named Izzy. Izzy was my baby... she slept with (on) me every night, knew when it was time to go to bed, would come running every time she heard me... unfortunately she was an inside/outside cat because my mom lives in a rural area. So I just couldn't bring myself to bring Izzy with me when we moved, because I live near a highway and didn't want to risk losing her. I still miss her sometimes. When I went to visit for Christmas, she slept on the spare bed with me like I never left
Here is a nice picture of Izzy.Anyways, Ben missed Izzy a lot too, so we really wanted to get a cat after we moved. I wasn't really up to having to deal with a hyper destructive kitten, though, so I opted to adopt an older cat. But the SPCA's ridiculous adoption fees for an ADULT cat stopped me from that option. So I spent the next few weeks looking at classified sites for cats up for adoption. A risky business indeed.
I found Scooter on a local site, and I fell in love with his pic. I called, and while the lady was reasonably nice, I should have considered it a red flag right away when she told me "We just don't have time for him anymore". That is #2 on the list of "lame excuses to dump an animal", second to only "we developed allergies". Bah.
Anyways one afternoon in September, I went over to meet Scooter. We hit it off right away, and he came home with me that evening. I was too lovestruck to really pay attention to what they were saying... but one thing echoed in my mind... "he likes water". I thought, "Okay, some cats like water." Tao used to sleep in the sink and play with the faucet. She told me "He HAS to eat this food, he HAS to have his cream in the morning at this time, he HAS to use this litter". I just nodded.
Three (3) days is all it took for me to know something was SERIOUSLY wrong with this cat. He was drinking 6-8 cups of water a day, flooding the litter box, eating more than I ever thought possible for a cat. I Googled until my eyes fell out, and I came with the conclusion that he was diabetic. He showed all the signs. Polydipsia, polyuria, hind end neuropathy, weight loss, etc. but I was broke, and I knew I couldn't afford it. So I put it off until my landlord started complaining until the smell. Scooter wasn't really meeting my expectations anyways. He was unaffectionate, lazy, and so on. I then relisted Scooter up for adoption... a few people called... but I took it down a few days later, as I couldn't bear to dump a sick cat on someone like his past owners did to me.
I fought many nights with Ben about taking Scooter to the vet. We knew we couldn't afford it, but what we didn't know was there were organizations like DCIN out there that were willing to help us. So after airing my grievances and getting some convincing from the forum, I pulled out the credit card, we took Scoots to the vet on December 22nd. Merry Christmas and $700 later, your cat is Diabetic. I sent his previous owners a VERY nasty email with the results... and I hope they never forget what they did to both me and Scooter.
Scooter is now a DCIN cat, and they supply me with his strips, lancets, and Lantus. Cost is really the only thing that was preventing us from treating him, I was totally OK with hometesting and needles but the cost was overwhelming. We're doing better now though
Now, Scooter isn't a lap cat. I don't think he will ever be. He might be a maine coon cross, some people suggested to me. However, with the treatment of his diabetes he's improved and changed so much, I sometimes wonder if I have the same cat. He really is a perfect boy, amazingly well behaved and low maintenance, diabetes aside. He is so good about home testing now. He really is just the most laid back and down to earth cat ever. But he has his crazy moments, too - he loves CATNIP!!! and he loves his scratching post... don't get in between him and his post... or else.
I am very glad to have Scooter in my life. He has taught me a lot. And I'm sure he's equally as thankful to now be with someone who has showed him what love is, and not neglect.
~~~~
My name is Rylee, but my online aliases include Ry, Jaguar, and Ghost. I just turned 20 on the 1st of January so... I'm still a youngin'. I have 2 older sisters, 3 nieces, and a nephew. My parents divorced when I was 9, and I lived with my fiancee in my mom's house up until August of last year. I moved to Kelowna, BC, Canada with the fiancee Ben, who is from New Jersey and here to go to university with a study permit. We're renting a cozy basement unit near the waterfront, and although we're broke all the time, life is pretty OK. I receive funding from my parents to cover half the rent and a bit of groceries, so we're tight on money a lot, but we make ends meet most of the time
I don't go to school or work yet, but I keep myself busy.
My biggest hobby at the moment is aquascaping - it's basically underwater landscaping, in an aquarium. Yup. I keep water boxes full of plants. It's actually harder than it sounds... it's all about finding the right balance. But it keeps me busy, and it's very relaxing to look at the results. I have 4 aquariums on the go right now, and various other water-boxes for holding plants around the house. My highlight tank is my Aqua Design Amano 60cm Cube Garden - brought in from Japan. It's a beauty. Currently not filled, though it's growing emersed (partially in water) plants.
I am also heavily interested in music production but that is another expensive hobby I can't afford at the moment. Music makes my world go around. But lots of what I listen to probably hasn't ever been heard of by this forum's demographic
this song is my current jam.I love to collect antique ceramics and pottery. I love vintage decor and apparel. I also love to cook, especially hearty italian foods
I love animals of all kinds, and I have kept pet rats for the past 4 years. I have one male at the moment, and his name is Bernard. His lifelong buddy passed away not too long ago, so I'm waiting for a local rescue to help me find the perfect boys to adopt and add to the family. I used to do wedding photography on the side with my sister. I am a site administrator on RatForum.com, which is a forum dedicated to pet rats. I'm an artist, too - I love both traditional and digital medias. Whew.
I am really a kid at heart, and still have silly attachment to some aspects of my childhood, including but not limited to action figures, stuffies, my lava lamp, Neopets, and so on. Oh, I'm a gamer, too. I play Team Fortress 2, League of Legends, Left 4 Dead 2, and looots of other games. Mostly on PC but some consoles.
