Welcome Home, Baby Boy Kittens

Five days ago, we welcomed two little bundles of furry chaos to our household.  If you're keeping track, that brings us to an even four; two girls, two boys.

We wanted to get another boy cat after having to put Apollo down in January.  I've always read males tend to be more loving and good-natured than females.  It made sense to me because my girls have always been slightly more standoffish.  Apollo would happily snuggle and enjoyed being carried around. The girls don't like to be picked up and accept love on their terms.  They are lovely cats, but they have boundaries.  Apollo had no boundaries. 

My husband and I started talking about getting another cat.  We were concerned about how the girls would react and decided we should get two kittens.  If they were shunned by the girls, the kittens would at least have each other. 

This has turned out to be a wise decision.  As expected, the girls are not entirely pleased with the new living arrangements.  Molly is tolerating it better than Emma, but the boys are sweet and I'm confident the noses currently bent out of shape will straighten over the next couple of weeks.  

On the right is Jack, named after Jack Bauer on 24. He is about 3 months old with fairly common tabby coloring, but more gray than brown. On the left is Ralphie, named after the little boy in The Christmas Story. About 2 months old, Ralphie has beautiful black spots on his sides that make me think of a wild cat.

Adopted from Pet Helpers, in Charleston County.    

Woman Eats Cat Hair

OK...I'm a cat lover, but I think this might be crossing a line. A random cat hair getting into your mouth via your peanut butter sandwich or while the cat rubs your face with his chin is a universal cat owner experience.

But you spit it back out.

By Kevin Dooley from Chander, AZ, USA (Cat hair forest) [CC-BY-2.0

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Saying Goodbye

On Sunday, we were forced to say goodbye to Apollo...Little Dude...Buddy. For 19 years, Apollo and I traveled down my bumpy road together. No matter what I did, where I went, or how I got there, Apollo was right there.

I sure didn't make it easy for him. We moved more times than I can count, including a move from Wisconsin to Florida and back and his final move with us to South Carolina a year and a half ago. He actually spent 2-3 months in Florida without me in the apartment I shared with my then boyfriend. We were taking a break...I was going back to Wisconsin for one school semester and "I'll take the best care of him until you get back." I wanted to believe it, but soon learned that was not what was happening. I flew down to rescue my fur baby and move us back to Wisconsin.

One time, he got out of the house through a window screen that wasn't secured during a home remodel. The neighbor kids brought Molly to the door. "Is this your cat?" But where was Apollo? We lived close to a train track on a busy road. I thought I might have a heart attack on the front lawn, imagining the possible scenarios. Fortunately, he hadn't gone far and with a few treats, I lured him out from underneath the front porch. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life.

When I met my husband, Apollo spent a few months living with Nana and Bumpa. My husband had been allergic as a kid and the only pet he'd ever had was a parakeet. He wasn't a huge cat fan, so to wear him down slowly, we started him with Molly. She wasn't as demanding of attention...more the typical standoffish cat...and it seemed she would be an easier transition for my husband to make.

During the one or two months Apollo was with my parents, he turned my cat-hating father into an Apollo lover. Many times in the years that followed, my dad asked if he could have Apollo back. It didn't take long for him to win my husband over either. Two anti-cat men came to the other side, all because of one small, gray, ball of fur.

Apollo loved everyone.  He always came out to see guests, let people pick him up, and settled on many of their laps. If I'd let him, he would have slept under the covers every night, flat against my stomach with his head on my arm. He would have spent every day rubbing his face on my chin.

When Apollo was diagnosed with chronic renal failure a few years ago, I was heartbroken. He went on a kidney diet and all was well for a while. After about a year, he started throwing up more frequently than was normal. If the food wasn't staying in his system, it wasn't doing its job. The vet started him on IV fluids and a Pepcid to settle his stomach. I was petrified at the thought of having to stick him with a needle, but he sat patiently. Even when I would accidentally poke the needle right back out and fluid would run all over the floor, he didn't budge or protest. Some days I cried about it, but he took it all in stride.

Again, this worked for a while, but he eventually started spitting out the Pepcid or retching intentionally to expel the pill from his stomach. He started to protest - loudly - when it was time to get fluid. He threw up even more frequently and refused to eat the kidney diet. I felt even worse about putting him through it. I stopped giving him Pepcid and on the vet's recommendation that eating SOMETHING was better than eating NOTHING, Apollo went back to eating his favorite canned food. He still got fluids, but we were getting less structured about it. Neither my husband or I wanted to force this on him. We imagined it was uncomfortable and painful and it broke our hearts every time.

Several months ago, when he started peeing outside the litter box, I knew we had trouble. He was getting to the box, but wasn't getting himself all the way in.  We have a two box system...a smaller box with litter located inside a larger box to help control litter tracking. Soon, I was moping up the larger box about three times a week. In the last month or so, I was cleaning it every day.

By now, our 15 pound cat had dwindled down to about 8 pounds. The vomiting continued and it got to a point where if I wasn't cleaning up the litter box, I was cleaning vomit. The stress of the situation made me terribly short tempered and angry. I knew he couldn't help it, but I also knew what the end result would be and it was beating me down a little bit further every day. It was a cycle...I found a mess, I cleaned up a mess. I was angry and frustrated and I would get upset with myself because I was angry.

On Sunday, I came home from work to find my husband on the floor with Apollo.  The cat couldn't walk...couldn't keep his back legs underneath himself.  He would try and then he would stumble, fall, and cry out. We had reached the point where we could no longer look the other way. Of the various signs that the end might be near, Apollo was exhibiting nearly half of them. How much more could we expect him to endure simply because we couldn't bear to part with him? He was 19 years old...surely he couldn't be expected to bounce back.

Even still, taking Apollo to the vet for this last time was more difficult than anything I've ever done. Even though I'd been subconsciously preparing myself for the last year, I was still not ready. I felt the same pain as I had when my dad died unexpectedly several years ago. For almost 20 years, this cat had been attached to my hip. He'd loved me unconditionally. He cast no judgement when I did something stupid. He forgave me even when I didn't feel like I should forgive myself.

Finally, my dad got what he wanted all these years.  I imagine Apollo is curled up in Dad's lap, having a nap. Take good care of him for me, Daddy.    

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.    

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cats and Allergies

As many of you already know, allergic reactions to cats is not caused by the hair floating through your home, but the a protein found in the saliva the cat used to lick the hair free. This protein becomes airborne and can be found on the floor, the furniture...basically, everywhere.

This being said, if you discover your child or new boyfriend are having allergic reactions to your cat, it doesn't have to mean the cat needs to move out. For milder allergic reactions, there are ways to help to keep the floating proteins under control.

My husband never had pets growing up because of allergies. Once we started dating, we spent most of our time at his place, just because of the potential allergy problem at mine. We talked about it and I made it clear the cats weren't going anywhere, and we started spending a few hours at a time at my place, just to see how it would go. He didn't seem to have any problems.

When we decided to move in together, we realized this was going to be a more aggressive test of his tolerance to the allergens and I agreed we would have one cat live with my parents temporarily so we weren't bombarding him with too much all at once.

It wasn't long before the cat living at Grandma's house returned home, but it required a fair amount of work to keep my husband's allergen exposure to a minimum.

1) Cleaning regularly is a must. The cleaner you keep your home, the fewer allergens will be in the air and on the furniture. This includes dusting, vacuuming, and washing bedding - yours and the cat's.

2) If you can, pull up carpeting and replace it with hardwood floors or vinyl. It's easier to keep clean as the proteins can be more challenging to get out of carpet. Proteins stick to hairs and hairs stick to fabric surfaces. Carpeting can harbor larger amounts of allergens than you might think. At the very least, purchase a pet hair vacuum cleaner. The more pet hair you remove from the environment, the more allergens you remove as well.

You may also think about replacing curtains with vinyl or wood blinds, use chairs without fabric coverings on the seats, and sofas with just enough fabric to be comfortable, but enough wood to cut down on the allergen storage.

3) Have a pet free space. The jury is out on whether or not this is truly helpful, particularly if the animal has already had free access to every room of the home prior to the allergic person coming onto the scene. But it can help control the amount of allergens a person is subjected to. A room that is inaccessible to the cat means no new allergens will be added to the space and following the above suggestions, you can successfully remove most of the existing allergens.

This can also be helpful if you are moving into a new place with the cat and the person with the allergies. Establish a cat free room right away. For my husband and me, that room was the bedroom. He was able to sleep in a clean space and breathe in air largely allergen free. Of course it's near impossible to not get small amounts of allergens in the room, but the quantity will be considerably fewer than a room where the cat has full access.   

4) Bathe and brush the cat regularly. I have seen some discussion about the pros and cons of bathing cats. Some people believe this dries out the cat's skin, which can cause more dander, which will then carry more proteins into your environment. For others, it's one of the best ways to keep shedding under control, which also releases proteins into your environment.

On top of which, if any of you have tried to bathe a cat, you know you have a better chance of surviving a lightning strike than surviving ten minutes spent in the tub with your cat. My husband and I wear swimsuits and work as a team. He holds them, I scrub them, he towel dries. Repeat.

5) Some people would rather invest in allergy medication for the human than put this much work into changing the environment. This is the simplest solution, particularly if you rent and ripping out carpeting just isn't an option.

The most important thing is do your homework. Don't simply get rid of the cat before you have tried to find another solution. If you must part ways with your furry friend, always try to place them in a new home yourself (a friend or family member). With so many cats finding their way to shelters every year - many for this very reason - do the responsible thing.

This cat has trusted you with his care and his life, don't let him down. 

National Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month

You've been thinking about it.

You've been doing your research to help you decide on the best pet for your family.

Now, you might be able to get that cat for free.

The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Fresh Step cat litter have teamed up to make it an even better time to adopt an adult cat from your local shelter. For the month of June, national Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month, shelters across the country are waiving the adoption fees for adult cats. Visit the ASPCA's website for a list of participating shelters.

According to a researcher for the ASPCA, it costs $13 a day for a shelter to care for each cat in their facility. Adults cats often spend more time in shelters than kittens and these costs add up quickly. When adult cats are adopted, the adoption fee rarely covers the cost the shelter actually incurred caring for the cat before you arrived to take him home. By offering free adoptions, the shelter is able to reserve their often limited resources while providing a loving home for the cats in their care more quickly than they might have otherwise.

If you've read my earlier post, you already know adult cats make the perfect addition to most families. Now there's no reason not to do it.