Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleaning for Cats — Warning, Proceed with Caution

There’s no shortcut to giving cats good dental care. Beware of the new trend in anesthesia-free dental cleaning for cats and dogs, and my advice – is avoid it like the plague.

The best dental care is always at the vet under anesthesia checking for and filling cavities, cleaning plaque and gums, extracting teeth if needed, and polishing the teeth. Beware of petfood stores advertising “Teeth Cleaning Without Anesthesia for Cats and Dogs.” Though it sounds good, my experience with two cats could not have been worse, and could have led to serious, long-term dental issues if I hadn’t gone straight to my vet afterwards for an in-hospital dental cleaning under anesthesia. Continue reading Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleaning for Cats — Warning, Proceed with Caution

Treating My Cat’s Chronic Diarrhea and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Through Traditional and Holistic Medicine

Learning how to treat my cat’s chronic diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease has been a long challenge and effort.

Simba was a feral cat that lived in our back yard for a couple years until he was wounded by a severe cat bite that became infected and caused an abscess. We had trapped Simba the year before and neutered him and released him, feeding him daily and building an outside shelter for him. But with this wound, he needed medical care and surgery. So we trapped him again and brought him to our wonderful vet, Four Corners Animal Hospital in Concord, who promptly gave him the surgery he needed. After two weeks of wearing his e-collar—which he fought daily—we decided to keep Simba indoors and care for him for the rest of his life in the safety of our home, and not release him back outside where he could get hurt again. Continue reading Treating My Cat’s Chronic Diarrhea and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Through Traditional and Holistic Medicine

Rescuing and Fostering Cats – The Story of Gigi’s Rescue and Rehabilitation

Fostering cats is a rewarding and satisfying experience that I am honored to have. By fostering a rescued cat you provide a needed home for a cat that otherwise would remain homeless, or stay in a neglectful or abusive home, or possibly would be euthanized at a shelter. But when you take in a new foster cat, especially an adult cat, you never really know how long it may be before they are adopted—or how long it will take to find just the right home for that particular cat.

Rescuing Gigi
Rescuing and fostering cats
Gigi’s first night at home, after her rescue – She was very, very sick

I found Gigi—a beautiful, graceful Calico—abandoned and living along the Iron Horse Trail in Walnut Creek between two busy streets–just after receiving a hotline call to the cat rescue group I belong to called Community Concern for Cats (CC4C). The caller was concerned about a calico cat that looked thin, sick, and weak, and was seen falling down outside of the local feed store near the trail. Living close by, I walked the trail to see if I could find her near the described spot. I started feeding every night—putting wet and dry food out by some bushes along with a bowl of water. Two weeks later, I finally saw her! She appeared from a ditch right beside me that was completely covered by tree branches, probably hiding while waiting for me. She knew it was feeding time. Scared, hesitant, but trusting me—she allowed me to touch her and pet her. Once her trust was gained, I ran home, grabbed one of my cat carriers, walked back quickly to where I had left her, and the rest is history.

Continue reading Rescuing and Fostering Cats – The Story of Gigi’s Rescue and Rehabilitation