I took today off work so I could meet with the contractors about my hot water tank options in the morning and take Duncan for his first checkup in the afternoon.
The two contractor guys work for a company that works for a company that works for Ottawa Hydro. This company does all the hot water heaters for Ottawa Hydro west of Bronson. They seemed a little…um…well, shit, I don’t know how to say it without sounding mean. But here’s a sample of the conversation that took place while they were working together at preparing the written quote:
Guy #1: Uhhh, what’s seven times seven?
Guy #2: Uhhh, forty-five?
Guy #1: okay, thanks.
They quoted me $665 to install a power vent gas water heater in my basement, which would replace the current electric one (both are rentals). It would be more if I wanted a conventional gas water heater, because then I would need a new chimney liner. They were clearly not interested in installing a tankless water heater, because they said I’d never recoup my costs, since all the plumbing lines in my house would have to be replaced with 3/4″ lines before they could even begin.
On the bright side, they said the quote might change after they submit it to their boss. (Maybe the boss knows his times tables or has a calculator or something.)
The trip to the vet was a bit traumatic for Duncan and me. First off, he had to be squished back into his Humane Society cardboard box, and he didn’t like that. But I will say he’s better at it than Flea ever was. Flea, even though he was a lot smaller than Duncan, somehow managed to turn into an octopus with claws every time he saw the cat carrier.
Then I had to carry him down the street, 484 steps to be precise, to the Cat Hospital. He was very heavy.
We had to wait half an hour in the waiting room, with him still in the box. I ran into Sally there with her cat Sugar. (Sugar has to have eye drops every five minutes for 40 minutes, and then return to the hospital tomorrow. Doesn’t that sound like fun?)
We met with the vet who seemed very nice, especially compared to the office staff. She gave Duncan his rabies shot and weighed him. He has lost a whole kilogram. I’m not sure over how long a period, but the paperwork from the Humane Society says he weighed 10.1 kg, and now he weighs 8.99 kg.
That single tablespoon of food twice a day wasn’t nearly enough food. Thanks to input from a number of you, I had increased it to about 1.5 tablespoons twice a day, but apparently that’s not enough either. He should be eating a can a day, plus some dry food.
The goal is to get him down to 6kg over the next year and a half. Cats are supposed to lose weight slowly, or they get liver problems. She says his liver seems tender right now because I’ve been starving him, but it was only for a week so he should be okay.
On the bright side, now that he won’t be starving anymore, he’ll probably stop trying to eat my head in the middle of the night.
We love him and this whole series. Rob and I had our first real laugh in days while reading your last paragraph. The picture shows how big he actually is…wow. Can’t wait to meet him.
I’m happy you guys liked it Deb. Duncan can’t wait to meet you either. He thinks you sound tasty.
This photo has replaced a lake scene as my computer background. Kenya recognizes dogs in movies but hasn’t noticed Duncan on my screen yet … but she likes cats almost as much as dogs anyway. As for her sleeping through my 4 a.m. risings and not doing her job. She’s unionized and is not on 24 hour duty except when there is an emergency.
she’s my cats’ vet too! she’s very nice.
Oh Zoom he is just enormous and lovely!!!
I’m glad he’s getting fed more! We were trying to figure out how much Luna eats and I KNEW it was more than a couple of tablespoons of food! But I have no idea…we’re such lackadaisical cat owners we fill the bowl with crunchies to overflowing when she yowls in the middle of the night, and I fill the water dish when she wakes me up by thrashing about in the blinds so she can lick the windows.
The dog is a lot more demanding, she comes and gets me as soon as the water dish is emptied and talks to me about the food situation in the daylight.
Found your site via Yarn Harlot.
We had a very overweight cat. The best solution for helping her lose weight was to mix a tablespoon or two of canned peas or green beans in with her food. It works the same as it does for people, it adds fiber and volume without a lot of calories.
Good Luck.
I’ve heard about this cat!