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.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, November 4, 2011
No Outdoor Cats, Example 4
A cat was found drowned with a five pound weight tied around its neck.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19263775
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19263775
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Letting Go
My oldest, Apollo, has been living with kidney disease for several years. Originally put on a prescription diet and monitored with regular blood tests, he's maintained his young-cat-ness until a few months ago. He was hardly eating and his veterinarian determined he was dehydrated and needed additional fluids to keep his system running smoothly. Now he gets 100ml of IV fluids every other day. Initially, it seemed to be working and Apollo started eating again but soon started vomiting more than was normal for him. The vet prescribed a dosage of Pepcid to help settle his stomach and once again, we were on our way.
A month later, he started throwing up even more often, including the Pepcid that was supposed to be helping him keep food down. On top of this, I found blood in his urine. Back to the vet we go for more care.
Instead of getting better, Apollo's eating habits grew worse. I think he may have been associating the prescription diet with not feeling well and stopped eating it altogether. The night before I called the vet yet again, Apollo hopped up on the sofa, stood on my chest, rubbed my face, and stared into my eyes.
He was giving up. He was tired. I could see it, I could feel it. He appreciated my efforts, but no longer wanted to fight the battle. I've loved this cat for 18 years and I'm sure if he could speak, he would say, "Enough" and limp off to the bedroom to have a nap in the window.
When I talked to the vet the next day, he advised another test and a day of IV fluids. But I know we are only prolonging the inevitable. We cannot fix kidney failure. At what point is the care you are providing your cat no longer really helping him? When does it become more about protecting yourself from having to let go?
The vet recommended getting Apollo to eat; whatever he was willing to eat. I bought his favorite Fancy Feast dry food from the local grocery store and he's been inhaling it like he hasn't eaten in years. I watch him and I can't help but think of inmates on death row requesting their last meal. I don't bother with the prescription diet anymore. I don't make him take Pepcid anymore. He still receives IV fluids every other day to keep him hydrated and comfortable, but I'm no longer putting him through the stress of fighting a battle we both know he's not going to win.
He's doing well right now. Hopefully, he will continue to be well for a long time, but if he's not, I will honor his wishes and allow him to move on. I know he will be in good hands. I know my dad has been patiently waiting for his favorite nap cat.
A month later, he started throwing up even more often, including the Pepcid that was supposed to be helping him keep food down. On top of this, I found blood in his urine. Back to the vet we go for more care.
Instead of getting better, Apollo's eating habits grew worse. I think he may have been associating the prescription diet with not feeling well and stopped eating it altogether. The night before I called the vet yet again, Apollo hopped up on the sofa, stood on my chest, rubbed my face, and stared into my eyes.
He was giving up. He was tired. I could see it, I could feel it. He appreciated my efforts, but no longer wanted to fight the battle. I've loved this cat for 18 years and I'm sure if he could speak, he would say, "Enough" and limp off to the bedroom to have a nap in the window.
When I talked to the vet the next day, he advised another test and a day of IV fluids. But I know we are only prolonging the inevitable. We cannot fix kidney failure. At what point is the care you are providing your cat no longer really helping him? When does it become more about protecting yourself from having to let go?
The vet recommended getting Apollo to eat; whatever he was willing to eat. I bought his favorite Fancy Feast dry food from the local grocery store and he's been inhaling it like he hasn't eaten in years. I watch him and I can't help but think of inmates on death row requesting their last meal. I don't bother with the prescription diet anymore. I don't make him take Pepcid anymore. He still receives IV fluids every other day to keep him hydrated and comfortable, but I'm no longer putting him through the stress of fighting a battle we both know he's not going to win.
He's doing well right now. Hopefully, he will continue to be well for a long time, but if he's not, I will honor his wishes and allow him to move on. I know he will be in good hands. I know my dad has been patiently waiting for his favorite nap cat.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Cross Country Escapes: Traveling With Cats
I apologize for my absence; my husband and I recently moved ourselves and the kitties across the country from Wisconsin to South Carolina. Some of you may gasp and ask, "How did you manage to move three cats across the country without a) leaving cats at the side of the road as the howling became more than you could handle or b) jumping out the truck window yourself because the feline protesting had gone on for 10 straight hours. Finding your way through the mountains to the nearest town to begin life again may just have been the easier option.
There were trying times in that rental truck during the 16-hour drive from Milwaukee to Charleston. For some reason, each cat wanted to spend the duration of the trip curled up underneath the brake pedal, requiring regular frantic disengagement from under my husband's feet. By the time we entered Tennessee, the level of floating cat hair threatened to close my husband's throat (he had allergies as a kid). We couldn't open the windows because we didn't want one of the cats deciding they were going to escape by way of jumping out the window.
This might be a good time to explain that we decided to travel with the cats able to roam free in the truck. Cats in cat carriers assume they are going to the veterinarian and howl the whole way as if they are going to slaughter. Cats riding in laps, while still distressed, seem to weather the trip in a calmer fashion. Years ago when I moved to Florida, the howling from the cat carriers was intense even with kitty vallum. Apollo had a second dose about 2 hours into the trip. It seemed this might be a less stressful way to get them there.
We were still concerned because two are geriatrics and the kitten hyperventilates when riding in the car, but short of leaving them with my mom, we had few choices. Overall, it worked fairly well. We were driving a rental truck and had a little more space for movement than would have been available in a car (and certainly more than in their cat carriers). This allowed each cat to have their own space and Molly only needed to interact with her siblings when everyone was changing location. This happened frequently. Aside from her desire to bite me as we neared our destination (I was once again forced to drag her out from underneath my husband's feet), the trip was made more annoying by the mechanical condition of the rental truck than by the behavior of the cats riding inside.
The tricky part was trying to get them to drink water during the 16 hour trip, but worse than that was when they DID actually drink water and then had to use the litter box. Sitting next to the kitty toilet isn't exactly how I recommend you spend your day. It was hot outside. The air conditioning in the truck didn't work as well as it could have. The aforementioned windows were closed. I think you can probably imagine how nice this was.
I don't encourage folks to travel with cats running free in the truck for the obvious reason that they will attempt to get to the one place you don't want them (under the brake). Certainly this is a safety risk. We tried to limit the dangers by having them on leashes with body harnesses instead of simple collars. This did help make it easier for me to remove cats from situations we didn't want them in, but it wasn't completely fool proof. Leashes got wrapped around my leg, the seats, the cats...
If there's ever a next time, maybe they should fly.
There were trying times in that rental truck during the 16-hour drive from Milwaukee to Charleston. For some reason, each cat wanted to spend the duration of the trip curled up underneath the brake pedal, requiring regular frantic disengagement from under my husband's feet. By the time we entered Tennessee, the level of floating cat hair threatened to close my husband's throat (he had allergies as a kid). We couldn't open the windows because we didn't want one of the cats deciding they were going to escape by way of jumping out the window.
This might be a good time to explain that we decided to travel with the cats able to roam free in the truck. Cats in cat carriers assume they are going to the veterinarian and howl the whole way as if they are going to slaughter. Cats riding in laps, while still distressed, seem to weather the trip in a calmer fashion. Years ago when I moved to Florida, the howling from the cat carriers was intense even with kitty vallum. Apollo had a second dose about 2 hours into the trip. It seemed this might be a less stressful way to get them there.
We were still concerned because two are geriatrics and the kitten hyperventilates when riding in the car, but short of leaving them with my mom, we had few choices. Overall, it worked fairly well. We were driving a rental truck and had a little more space for movement than would have been available in a car (and certainly more than in their cat carriers). This allowed each cat to have their own space and Molly only needed to interact with her siblings when everyone was changing location. This happened frequently. Aside from her desire to bite me as we neared our destination (I was once again forced to drag her out from underneath my husband's feet), the trip was made more annoying by the mechanical condition of the rental truck than by the behavior of the cats riding inside.
The tricky part was trying to get them to drink water during the 16 hour trip, but worse than that was when they DID actually drink water and then had to use the litter box. Sitting next to the kitty toilet isn't exactly how I recommend you spend your day. It was hot outside. The air conditioning in the truck didn't work as well as it could have. The aforementioned windows were closed. I think you can probably imagine how nice this was.
I don't encourage folks to travel with cats running free in the truck for the obvious reason that they will attempt to get to the one place you don't want them (under the brake). Certainly this is a safety risk. We tried to limit the dangers by having them on leashes with body harnesses instead of simple collars. This did help make it easier for me to remove cats from situations we didn't want them in, but it wasn't completely fool proof. Leashes got wrapped around my leg, the seats, the cats...
If there's ever a next time, maybe they should fly.
Monday, August 1, 2011
When To Let Your Pet Go
When Molly was sick, there were several days when it seriously looked like we were going to have to make that final decision. We were already several thousand into her care at the kitty E.R. and knew we needed to be on the same page about when we wouldn't put her through any more trauma. For Molly, it was cut and dried; if we learned her illness was caused by cancer, we were going to let her go and if it was something we could fix with a little medicine, a dietary change, and love, we would keep going.
Now Apollo, who is 18, is starting to show his age. He's been on a prescription kidney diet for a few years now and it has been challenging getting him to eat it. Until recently, I had been mixing it with Friskies canned food. At his most recent veterinary check up to monitor his kidney values, his numbers were way up. He's been vomiting and the vet is concerned that he might be dehydrated. When he's not hydrated, he doesn't want to eat and the prescription food isn't getting into his system. So essentially, his kidneys are processing toxins right back into his blood stream.
So now he is getting intravenous fluids three times a week. Which I have to administer. This is not fun. With 1 1/2 inch needles, I have to poke through the extra skin above his shoulders and pump in 100ml from an IV bag like you find at any hospital. Pump is probably not quite the word...it's more like a fast drip. Twice I have accidentally poked back out and had fluid all over the floor. All the while, he sits there and takes it. We have 18 years of trust built up and while he doesn't like it, I think he understands it's necessary.
For the first time, the vet used the term chronic kidney failure. I'd never quite looked at his condition with such finality before. Obviously, this is what will eventually take him from me. Kidney failure. Why I had never connected the dots is beyond me...well, maybe I just didn't want to see. But it begs the question again -- where do you draw the line? When is it too much. It's near impossible to tell when cats are hurting because they are so good at hiding their pains. How do I know when he's just had enough? When does the help cease to be helpful?
I've watched people go to great lengths to keep pets alive when it was obvious to me that the animal was far more miserable than the owner was willing to see. Please, Lord, let me be strong enough to see when they have had enough. Please let me recognize when my efforts to help are no longer helping. Help me be strong enough to know when to let go.
Now Apollo, who is 18, is starting to show his age. He's been on a prescription kidney diet for a few years now and it has been challenging getting him to eat it. Until recently, I had been mixing it with Friskies canned food. At his most recent veterinary check up to monitor his kidney values, his numbers were way up. He's been vomiting and the vet is concerned that he might be dehydrated. When he's not hydrated, he doesn't want to eat and the prescription food isn't getting into his system. So essentially, his kidneys are processing toxins right back into his blood stream.
So now he is getting intravenous fluids three times a week. Which I have to administer. This is not fun. With 1 1/2 inch needles, I have to poke through the extra skin above his shoulders and pump in 100ml from an IV bag like you find at any hospital. Pump is probably not quite the word...it's more like a fast drip. Twice I have accidentally poked back out and had fluid all over the floor. All the while, he sits there and takes it. We have 18 years of trust built up and while he doesn't like it, I think he understands it's necessary.
For the first time, the vet used the term chronic kidney failure. I'd never quite looked at his condition with such finality before. Obviously, this is what will eventually take him from me. Kidney failure. Why I had never connected the dots is beyond me...well, maybe I just didn't want to see. But it begs the question again -- where do you draw the line? When is it too much. It's near impossible to tell when cats are hurting because they are so good at hiding their pains. How do I know when he's just had enough? When does the help cease to be helpful?
I've watched people go to great lengths to keep pets alive when it was obvious to me that the animal was far more miserable than the owner was willing to see. Please, Lord, let me be strong enough to see when they have had enough. Please let me recognize when my efforts to help are no longer helping. Help me be strong enough to know when to let go.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
No Outdoor Cats, Example 3
Davie, a black cat in Columbia County, New York required a leg amptuation after an unknown assailant shot him with a .22-caliber gun. Davie's owner assured police that he never leaves his yard. Whether this is actually true or not, it is one more example of why cats needs to be kept indoors. Even Davie's own backyard wasn't safe.
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