Category Archives: Medical & Health Care

Medical & Health Care, Rescue & Adoption Stories

Fostering Mama Cat and Kitten – From Misery to a New Home

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The deep satisfaction that comes with rescuing and fostering homeless, abandoned, and at-risk cats comes when you finally find the perfect match for their adoption. Fostering cats and kittens can literally save their lives. Here’s a happy ending for my foster cat and kitten.

Rescuing and Fostering Mama Cat and Kitten from Severe Neglect
Fostering Mama Cat and Kitten - From Misery to a New Home
Happy Mama and Baby

Two months ago I received a desperate phone call from one of my fosters. She told me the family across the street from where she was working had two litters of pit bull puppies (15 puppies in all) along with a mother cat who had a litter of kittens, and eight of the kittens had just been killed by the pit bulls. The last remaining kitten was weak, thin and vulnerable due to the dogs and the mama cat was showing signs of extreme stress having just lost her kittens. Thankfully, she was able to convince the owners to give the mama cat and kitten to her, since they were clearly overwhelmed with the dogs and had been very negligent with the cats. She then proceeded to bring the mama and kitten to my house to foster them and provide for their needed medical treatment and recovery. Continue reading Fostering Mama Cat and Kitten – From Misery to a New Home →

Cat Care Tips, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Cat Stages of Life: What To Do At Every Stage of Your Cat’s Life For Optimal Health and Well Being

CAT STAGES OF LIFE: WHAT TO DO AT EVERY STAGE OF YOUR CAT’S LIFE FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH
Image by K L from Pixabay

From kittenhood—to adulthood—to becoming a senior and geriatric cat, it’s important to understand the healthcare and social needs of cats at all of their different and distinct life stages. Cat’s experience six distinct life stages, and each one has its own care, wellness and feeding requirements and needs. Learn how to provide your cat with the very best nutrition, care and well-being support at each life stage, why it’s important, and how it can make a difference for them.

Overall, cats should get a complete veterinary examination or routine wellness checkup at least once a year. Kittens should see a veterinarian every 3-4 weeks until they are five months old. Cats over the age of two years, should start getting an annual checkup every year. Senior cats should see a veterinarian twice a year, and geriatric cats every 4-6 months. Because the sooner you learn about your cat’s illness or chronic disease, the easier it will be to treat and manage, the better the outcome for them, and the less suffering your cat will experience as a result.

Continue reading Cat Stages of Life: What To Do At Every Stage of Your Cat’s Life For Optimal Health and Well Being →
Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

A Guide to Checking Your Cat’s Vital Signs at Home

Knowing how to check your cat’s vital signs at home is easy to do and can be a helpful way to keep track of your cat’s health. Checking their vitals can also  help you identify when your cat is sick or not feeling well,  and when it’s time for a visit to the vet. Learn what the normal vital signs are for your cat, and how to step-by-step check your cat’s vital signs at  home.

Capillary Refill Time (CRT) or Profusion Rate (Normal is 2 seconds)

A Guide to Checking Your Cat’s Vital Signs at Home
Checking Cat’s Capillary Refill Rate (CRT)

Capillary Refill Time or CRT, is done by checking your cat’s gums. This measurement checks the rate of blood flow in the blood vessels called capillaries, of your cat’s gums. By pressing on the gums with your finger, you are forcing the blood out of the capillaries, and when you remove your finger, you’re allowing the blood to refill the capillaries.

Continue reading A Guide to Checking Your Cat’s Vital Signs at Home →

Medical & Health Care

Gallstones, Gallbladder and Bile Duct Inflammation in Cats

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Recently my cat Simba suffered from severe gallstones, gallbladder and bile duct inflammation with many calculi in his gallbladder and one large gallstone obstructing his bile duct. There was no warning for us until it was too late and his case was too severe for medical treatment. So after much research, I want to share what I’ve learned through my vet, the ultrasound radiologist, and the best medical sources of information on the Internet about gallstones, gallbladder and bile duct inflammation in cats.

My cat Simba had apparently been making gallstones for some time without showing any apparent symptoms until they posed a medical problem and he stopped eating and was in severe pain. When the symptoms appeared, Simba had stopped eating and Mirtazipine (an appetite stimulant) was not jump-starting his appetite, he isolated himself and didn’t want any interaction, he was lethargic, vomiting, and I knew he was suffering and in pain. Our vet confirmed he had a fever and his abdomen was sensitive to the touch.  He proceeded to give Simba a senior blood panel and X-rays and while we waited for the blood test results, our vet kept Simba for gavage feeding (since he would no longer eat on his own) and gave him intraveneous fluids and pain therapy for 1-2 days.

Continue reading Gallstones, Gallbladder and Bile Duct Inflammation in Cats →

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Why Your Cat Needs Good Dental Care

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February is dental month! Dental disease has become the number one health concern in adult cats. Your cat needs good dental care just like you do. Without it, cats are more prone to problems associated with poor dental hygiene and can get serious and painful dental diseases. Without good dental care cats can suffer from having a painful mouth and as a result, can even stop eating. Good dental hygiene is as important to cats as it is to humans and contributes to your cat’s overall well being, comfort and happiness. The good news is most periodontal disease in cats is completely preventable with good dental care and annual wellness checks.

Roughly 4 out of 5 cats develop periodontal disease. Why? Partly because dental care in cats is often overlooked and left untreated. Cats hide their pain very well though they may be silently suffering, and many cat owners don’t take their cat for regular annual wellness exams each year. Untreated gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) often progresses into gum infection, chronic disease and can even impact vital organs.

Continue reading Why Your Cat Needs Good Dental Care →

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

How to Find a Great Veterinarian For Your Cat

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Whether you have recently moved, adopted a new cat or kitten, or are having some concerns about your current veterinarian—finding the very best health care available for your cat is one of the most important decisions you can make for them. While there are many excellent veterinary practices out there, there are also significant differences between practices, so you want to carefully evaluate and choose a veterinarian that meets your expectations and one you can feel comfortable with. Overall, you want to look for a practice that offers the highest level of standards, medical expertise and quality of care possible in an office that offers both modern diagnostic and state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology.

Continue reading How to Find a Great Veterinarian For Your Cat →

Medical & Health Care, Rescue & Adoption Stories

Rescuing a Cat With Special Needs – A Story of Transformation

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Rescuing a cat with special needs is gratifying, but when you see their transformation to health and well being, there’s no better feeling.

I remember the night well. It was winter—another dark, cold, rainy and windy night. But this night was different. A new cat appeared at our back patio doorstep—a big orange tabby male was hungrily eating our feral’s food outside. When he lifted his head from the food bowl, he saw me, and quickly ran away. Or more accurately, hopped away. I could see something was terribly wrong. But he was gone. He returned the next night for more food, and again I came to the window to see him, and as he was hopping away I saw that he was missing one of his hind legs. The leg was completely deformed and twisted backwards, and he was severely handicapped.

Well, they say the third time is a charm—and sure enough on the third night I was prepared. Trap was set, tuna fish inside, and I waited! Bang—I got him! Thankfully, he was not a trap-savvy cat! So I took this big, heavy boy upstairs in the trap to our bathroom. I could quickly see that he was friendly. Very friendly. I was relieved that he wasn’t feral, which would mean I’d have to release him back outside, but there was just no way that I would do that with this injured back leg. The next morning, as I was driving him to the vet, I named him “Piev.” I have no idea where this name came from, I had never heard of it before—but it sounded beautiful when I said it, and it seemed to fit him. He was masculine but gentle, and the name was as unique as this special boy was.

Continue reading Rescuing a Cat With Special Needs – A Story of Transformation →

Food & Nutrition, Medical & Health Care

Causes and Treatments of Food Allergies in Cats

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Allergies are caused by our immune system overreacting to an allergen and triggering a reaction—to a specific food or type of food, airborne or environmental substance. The reaction is an intolerance or hypersensitivity to the allergen, and it can be immediate or delayed depending on the allergen. Cats are not born with food allergies but develop them over time and at any age.

Causes of Food Allergies in Cats

Food allergies in cats have increased in recent years with commercial diets using processed meats, bone meal, meat by-products, grains and cereals as fillers, yeast and artificial preservatives. Cats do best on a diet that most closely mimics nature as they’re carnivores, but the pet food industry has built a $15 billion dollar industry around producing a commercial diet that many cats cannot eat or tolerate well.

Domestic cats have not evolved to consume a processed, cereal-based diet but it’s convenient and available—but it will make some cats highly allergic with an inflammatory response to the ingredients used.

Continue reading Causes and Treatments of Food Allergies in Cats →

Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

The Dreaded “H” Word – Treating Hyperthyroid Disease in Cats

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Hyperthyroid disease in cats is very treatable and manageable, and though I had always feared being told one of my cats has “hyperthyroid disease,” I have found that it isn’t the dreaded word or disease that I thought it would be.

Hyperthyroidism in Cats
Beautiful, blind Godiva

Godiva was our first cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  She’s a beautiful blind chocolate Persian who as a kitten, was taken to our local animal shelter where she was adopted by a volunteer. But at five years old she was given up again, and found her way to our rescue group where we became her foster parents. When Godiva was never adopted, we adopted her ourselves and have found her to be a courageous, determined blind girl that navigates our house beautifully, despite her blindness and many cat “obstacles.”

Continue reading The Dreaded “H” Word – Treating Hyperthyroid Disease in Cats →

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke Causes Cancer in Cats

Was your New Year’s resolution this year to quit smoking? If it wasn’t and you’re a smoker, it may be time to quit smoking for your pets’ sake. An increasing number of research studies show that animals face significant health risks exposed to the toxins and carcinogens in second and third-hand smoke. And numerous research studies have revealed that cats exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke causes cancer in cats.

Toxic Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke

Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 chemicals including hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia and urea among them. Second-hand smoke is considered the smoke that is exhaled or comes from the cigarette itself and can be inhaled by non-smokers including our pets. Third-hand smoke is the residue from smoke and smoke particles that can be found on clothing, furniture, bed linens, skin, and fur even after the air is clear of smoke. Cats get into problems with third-hand smoke when they lick smoke and particles from smoke off their fur.

Continue reading Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke Causes Cancer in Cats →