Pets Need Preventative Care

According to a recent survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association, released in their 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, there were 74.1 million pet cats in the United States at the end of 2011.

This is great news, but many of these cats aren't receiving regular veterinary care. About 27% only went to the veterinarian when they were sick and another (9.6%) have never seen the inside of a veterinary office.

In this economy, I understand having to control expenses and a routine trip to the veterinarian is a $100 bill you may not be able to part with. Think of the bigger picture though. A young, healthy cat only needs to visit the vet once a year. Wouldn't you rather pay the $100 to keep Fluffy healthy instead of spending $1,000 when something goes wrong? You can be sure a major illness is not going to plan itself around your budget.

You go to the dentist for cleanings to prevent teeth loss. You take your children for shots before they start school to prevent them from bringing something home with them. Make sure your furry family members are protected too.    

No Outdoor Cat, Example 7

A killer is on the loose in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Eight cats have been killed in the past few weeks. Authorities have found that at least the most recent victim had been hit in the head.

I'm a little disheartened that either the media or the authorities are down-playing this.  Are the deaths of these cats only important in relation to the fact that the killer may move on to humans?  Certainly we don't want that either, but these killings are unacceptable on their own.

Third Annual Pet Food Drive Starts Sunday at Petco Stores Nationwide

Third Annual Pet Food Drive Starts Sunday at Petco Stores Nationwide

What happens to families who can't afford to feed their pets?  Maybe someone just lost a job.  Maybe a medical crisis has made money tight.  Some pet owners will surrender their pet to the local shelter.  Others will sacrifice their own meal to make sure their cat eats.  I've done this...two of my cats are on prescription diets for medical conditions and when money was tight, I've gone on Ramen noodle diets so the cats could be fed.

Between now and November 11th, make sure you stop in at Petco and lend a hand.  For each bag or can of food you purchase for your cat, donate one to the food drive. This year's goal is 500,000 pounds of pet food.   Together, we can do anything.

Senior Pet Wellness Month

September is senior pet wellness month.  It's September 18th, but better late than never, right?

Please remember to make an appointment with your senior cat's veterinarian for a check-up.  Based on the estimate of one cat year being roughly the same as 7 human years, if your cat is ten years old, she's a senior.

Cats being notorious for hiding illness or pain, you may not realize something is wrong until its too late to do anything about it. 

Molly is gonna HATE me for this but...

Post kitty ER stay when she was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.

My Cat From Hell

Before you send your troubled kitty packing, give Jackson Galaxy a chance to lend a hand. Call him the cat whisperer.

Catch him on Animal Plant in "My Cat From Hell."

Feline Dementia

Add another human condition I had no idea cats could suffer from.  Acne, arthritis, allergies...my cats have had all of these things and we might soon be adding dementia to the list.

Molly, my middle child, is 15 years old. In the last couple of months, she's started howling at the top of her lungs, for no apparent reason. In the beginning, I would jump up to go see if she had gotten her head stuck between the rungs of a chair or if she had a bumble bee stuck in her mouth. Each time, she was casually sitting in the middle of the floor, staring at me. No distress. No blood. No limp.

It's a seemingly random behavior. She doesn't do it all the time, but usually when she does, it's late at night.  I wondered if she was seeing something outside, but she was never in front of the window or rushing back and forth from one window to the other.

My husband was sure the behavior was being caused by more than her generally surly disposition and he went looking for answers.

A few mouse clicks later, he sent me a link to a google search for feline dementia for which this was the first article.

Of the seven symptoms, Molly shows signs of 6 of them. Thankfully, the loss of litter box training isn't one of them.

We haven't taken her to the vet for an official diagnosis as some of these symptoms may also be related to her inflammatory bowel disease. Molly is generally irritable, but as the article suggests, we are watching to see if she's more irritable than what is normal for her.  Certainly many of the symptoms of dementia are signs of other illnesses and injuries, so it's important for kitty to see the veterinarian to rule out other medical conditions.

Cat Saved in House Fire

A cat was rescued from a house fire in Charleston, SC. His life was spared with a pet oxygen mask carried by local firefighters. I don't know if all fire departments have access to pet oxygen masks, but they should. The article appeared in The Post and Courier on Friday, August 3, 2012.

No Outdoor Cats, Example 6

A kitten in Arizona was found half-buried in concrete.

Sadly, one of the officer's responding to the call was quoted as chuckling and that "if it was up to him, he'd just throw dirt over (the cat)."

The kitten was freed from the concrete but died a few days later.

I've never understood the taking of a life in the name of religious beliefs.  How does a pro-life protestor rationalize killing a clinic doctor to make his point? How does a polygamy religious group justify killing an animal in support of their cause? Two wrongs will never make a right.  Fighting a law you don't want passed never means it's OK to break another law.

Emma

My husband claims Emma is "having bliss" everytime her tongue is hanging out like this.  Often, when you pet her, she purrs and sticks out her tongue.  Is it bliss, or is she just sassing the other cats?

Stray cat getting his 15 minutes...

While doing a live broadcast, a reporter ended up with a new...furry...co-host. Check it out.

Is your cat comfortable with the veterinarian?

When we moved to South Carolina, one of my biggest concerns was finding a veterinarian. One cat has kidney failure and one has inflammatory bowel disease and they both had just traveled halfway across the country in a u-haul. Happy cats, they were not.

Even without going cross country, none of the cats enjoy automobile travel and one of them actually hyperventilates for the entire ride. My biggest veterinary criteria is location. An office close to my home means less stress; for the cats and for me.

Apollo was the first one to visit the new vet. The veterinarian was gentle and understanding and Apollo was about as comfortable as he can be considering he was sitting on a metal table waiting for a shot.

Emma was next. She was seen by another of the veterinarians working in the office. Another successful visit.

And then it was Molly's turn. She saw a third vet and all hell broke loose. She was not a fan and, quite honestly, neither was my husband. The veterinarian was aggressive and heavy-handed. Molly hates to be touched and doesn't like strangers. She needs to be handled with kid gloves, not boxing gloves.

The next time one of the cats needed to go to the vet, we expressed our concerns to the receptionist. She noted in our file that we preferred not to work with vet #3 and assured us we could always request a specific veterinarian. Don't be afraid to ask for the care your cat needs. If there's a personality conflict, mention it to the office staff or ask to see a particular doctor when you make appointments.

If you're looking for the perfect veterinarian for your cat, the American Association of Feline Practitioners can help. Click cat friendly practice and enter your search criteria.

Visit the Catalyst Council and learn the questions you should ask the veterinary office before your cat becomes a patient.

Purina Cat Chow Real Stories Contest

Share the story of you and your feline companion with Purina Cat Chow and you could win $5,000! 

Did you rescue Fluffy from the side of the highway during a rain storm? Were you a cat hater until someone's cat won you over? Whatever your story - and we all have one - Purina wants to hear it.

In addition to the $5,000 grand prize, Purina will share a video version of your story on their Facebook page, YouTube and Twitter. Five runners-up will receive $1,000 and a year supply of cat food. Forty honorable mentions will receive $100 gift cards.

You have until July 31st to submit your story.  Gotta go...I have a story to write...  

Would You Rather Talk to Your Cat?

If you answered yes, you're not alone. According to a study conducted by Kelton Research for Del Monte Foods, 31 percent of respondents would rather speak with their cat after a long day than their best friend, children, or parents. Del Monte Foods is the company behind Meow Mix Tender Centers cat food.

Interestingly, 39 percent of respondents also thought their cat was a better judge of their mood than their romantic partner. And most cat parents are certain they could pick their own cat's meow out of a group of meowing felines.

Apollo and I have had plenty of conversations over the years. I talk. He follows at my heels, staring up adoringly and meowing. I talk some more...he rubs my chin with his face...

Japanese Cat Cafe

What a great idea!  I wonder if the U.S. has something similar. If I had the investment capital, this would be a fabulous way to indulge my love of cats.  In fact, I wonder if creating a cat cafe at local shelters or rescues would help defray the costs of caring for the animals while they await adoption.  Certainly there would be some expenses and health concerns, but overall, doesn't it seem like the perfect way to have a pet even if you aren't allowed one at your rental community? Or maybe your husband has allergies, but your son loves playing with kittens?

I'm not sure about the new law the Japanese government is passing to change the cafe hours.  And, certainly, if you are aiming the law at late-night pet shops and not the cafes, can't you make the wording more specific? We can make laws regarding specific breeds of dogs...I would think the government can find a way to allow the cat cafe to keep it's regular operating hours.

No Outdoor Cats, Example 5

The photo attached to this article is not G rated. Viewer discretion is advised.

It's truly disappointing that politics has come to this. If anyone has information regarding who committed this crime, please contact PETA or the Arkansas police department.

Pesticide-based Flea and Tick Products May Be Harmful

Pesticide use and the argument against it is not new. Pesticides have long been criminalized for their connections to human disease. Over the years, they have also been connected to heath issues among our pets.

Over the last few years, class action lawsuits have been filed - to the tune of more than 75,000 of them - due to injury or death of a pet because of spot-on (topical) flea and tick products. Any flea and tick medicine may cause adverse affects to pets or their humans, but permethrins are the specific chemical at the center of these lawsuits.

Honestly, I've never given much thought to flea and tick medications because my cats are strictly indoors and spent most of their lives in Wisconsin where the threat isn't quite as serious. Now that we are in South Carolina - where winters are too mild to kill mosquitoes, fleas and ticks - our veterinarian has recommended the cats receive a monthly treatment. So once a month we cat wrangle and do our best to keep them from grooming themselves for a few hours. You wouldn't think they could reach between the back of their skull and their shoulder blades, but they are amazing contortionists.

After reading this article, I went to take a look at the Sentry PurrScriptions Plus topical treatment we purchased at Petsmart. This particular treatment has etofenprox and pyriproxyfen. Seems its a different chemical, but it's got me thinking. Is any chemical better than another? Particularly when used on an 8 pound animal?

Talk to your veterinarian about the risks and consider an all natural treatment instead. I know I'll be shopping around.