A cat was found drowned with a five pound weight tied around its neck.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19263775
Friday, November 4, 2011
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.
Monday, June 27, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, June 20, 2011
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.
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.
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