Trimming the Eyes

One thing that causes excess tearing is hair in their eyes.  How do I know this?  Well, when I got my first show persian, I was told to and shown how to trim the eyes thanks to Lynda Knight Peace.  For show cats this is done to "open" the eyes - so no fur covers their eyes.

So, I went home and practiced on a couple of rescues.  What I noticed is that the cats with trimmed eyes had less tearing in many cases.

In Wendy's case, it made a huge difference. If you look at the before photo you can see the eye lashes are long  (over 1/4 inch) and over her eye.

So, after cleaning her eyes, I take my handy curved scissors and carefully trim the hair, starting from the outside working in. After much practice, I can get it evenly cut at about 1/32 of an inch.  But if it's a bit longer, it still will help.  You must hold their head steady and do the trimming carefully - you don't want to cut the eyelid or poke the eye.

But you can see in the comparison photo how open the right eye is compared to the left.

And in the top view, you can see how short the hair is.  Ideally on a show cat, I would then come back with thinning shears or a grooming stone and carefully blend the cut area into the head hair.

The result is Wendy keeps her eyes open more, there's less tearing, and I got to practice!

Cats: The Use of Colloidal Silver

Isabel

I have persian cats.  And as anyone who has had one knows, these cats have a tendency to have slightly runny noses.  Usually it's just clear liquid, but it can be slightly white.  It's not really a nasal infection as the snot isn't green and there's no fever.  It may be related to herpes but with some cats, even lysine doesn't help that.  I've even wondered if it's fungal.  Vets either don't consider it a problem or want to use steroids on it to cover it up.  It is a problem since some cats, like Isabel, are hesitant to eat if their noses drip.  And I refuse to keep a cat on steroids for life.  So, I've been trying to find something that will help.

One thing I'm thinking about using is colloidal silver.  I have used this on cuts, scratches, and ringworm with good results.  It does seem to have some antibacterial and antifungal properties.  I know people use it as a nasal spray and some people claim it is helpful for sinus issues.

To me, a natural extension would be to try colloidal silver as a nasal wash in a cat.  So, I posted this in a cat group hoping to get some suggestions on dosage, like I had with the MiraLax.  This sadly was not what I got.

It seems there are two camps when it comes to colloidal silver -- those that think it will cure everything, and those that think it will cure nothing.  And the two groups hate each other.  Yes, hate...  It's like all rational discussion goes out the door and what is left is grand pronouncements.  The 'cure nothing' group sees the words colloidal silver and then begin the automatic response to colloidal silver regardless of the question asked.

According to the "cure nothing" group, colloidal silver is also dangerous because:

• high doses can cause kidney damage in rats
• it's not a mineral found in the body
• high doses over long periods can turn skin bluish
• it may interfere with other drugs

Now these were all presented as reasons not to use 1-2 drops in saline as a nasal wash for a cat.  1-2 drops is not a high dose, so I'm pretty sure the bluing and the kidney damage won't happen.  And since the cats are not on other drugs, it will not interfere with anything.  As for the argument that it's not found in the body, so?  Most drugs are not found in the body but that doesn't stop them from being useful.  These dangers might be relevant for ingesting colloidal silver, but not really as a nose drop.

In all this was a quote from the Mayo Clinic stating that there was no reasonable research to support the claims.  Likewise there is no research to show that the claims are false.  There is no research.  Period.  End of discussion. So what was the discussion about if there is no research?  It should have then been based on actual experiences, but it was based on accusations for and against.  So was the discussion helpful?  No, because neither side listened to the other... Heck, some didn't even understand I had asked about nose drops!

Luckily, there is more than one cat group!  In another group (Fancier's Health Group on Yahoo, fanciershealth@yahoogroups.com), someone posted this:

I used Water OZ Silver full strength sucked up into a very small eye dropper found in the Rescue Remedy Pet Stress Reliever. One squirt in each nostril 3 X daily for 1 week, then 2x daily for two additional weeks. This cleared a upper respiratory infection that two rounds of antibiotics would not touch in a rescue cat that sneezed out 3 inch snot strings.

Does it work?  I have seen it work on skin problems.  

Will it work as a nasal wash?  I don't know...  But I will try it.  I can't see that it will hurt the cats -- annoy yes, hurt no.

In the end, the whole discussion left me wondering if there is any value in trying to have a discussion.  I'm sure some people would like to have a nice discussion -- based on facts and experiences -- but the problem is those that feel strongly about a topic will drown out all others by virtually shouting irrelevant ideas.

Cats: Colors and Personalities

I decided it was time for me to do some reading on feline genetics.  I knew some of the basics about genetics, but how the rules applied to coat color or other genetic traits, I was a bit uncertain.  So, I got a copy of Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians, by Roy Robinson.  This is the standard feline genetics book and is used in vet schools and by breeders the world over.  I'm about half-way through it for a second time (skimmed it quickly the first time) and it's fascinating.  But I have one major question left:

Is there a relationship between a cat's coat color and its personality?

Based on this book and on genetics, the answer really should be no.  But when I talk to people, owners, rescue people, and breeders, I get the same answer -- yes, there is a relationship between color and personality.  Here's a few of the color/personalities:

• Solid red -- shy, easily spooked
• Red tabby or red bicolor -- clownish
• Tortoiseshell and calico -- wild, outgoing
• Silver -- quiet, reserved, sweet
• Blues -- loyal, calm

So is there a relationship or not?  At some point, someone usually then states that it's how the cats were raised which make a big difference.  And for a while I agreed with this and I still do in part. But,...

Kami

This is Kami, a shaded cameo.  She's friendly, outgoing, and somewhat fearless.  She adjusts to new situations easily.  She comes for pets and scratches and did so from day 1.  

Khloe

This is Khloe, a solid red.  She's very shy, nervous, and scared of lights on the ceiling!  Her method of adjusting to new things is to hide, for days if necessary.  She does like to be petted but you have to slowly reach into her hiding place and pet her.  One week later and she's finally coming out of her cupboard, but only at night.

These two girls are polar opposites in terms of personality, yet both have the 'red gene' and the real interesting part, they are sisters!  They were from the same litter, raised by the same person, and have always lived together.  So, on the nurture vs. nature debate, they had the same 'nurture', which then would suggest it's 'nature'.

But that brings us back to my original question -- are personalities really genetically tied to coat color in some way we have yet to figure out?

Cats: Persian Faces

The Persian breed had always been known for long coats and a slightly shortened face.  Over the last 50 years, the faces of Persian cats have undergone a dramatic change. Today there exist almost two different breeds of Persians -- the doll-faced Persians and the extreme-faced Persians.

Kami -- Doll-faced Shaded Cameo

The doll-faced Persians are similar to the Persians of many years ago.  While they do have a shorter nose than a typical cat, they clearly have a nose.  Most doll-faced Persians do not have breathing or eye problems.  Their teeth are better aligned.  They have a cute round face.  In some ways, they are a healthier cat because their skulls are closer to a mixed breed cat's and because many do not have the genetic problems that the more extreme-faced Persians do. There are some doll-faced breeders who do care and prefer the less extreme face. In other ways these doll-faced Persians are not healthy.  Because doll-faced Persians are not accepted in the cat shows, some (not all) cat breeders who breed doll-faced Persians are clearly backyard breeders who breed only for the money and who care little for the animals involved.  Many of the Persians in shelters are doll-faced.  Because the prices are lower, in general, for this type, they are more disposable to some.

Extreme-faced Persians are the new version of Persians, with, as the name implies, an extremely flat face.  (These are the show cats!)  The nose leather sometimes does not extend passed the eyes in profile.  To get their nose so short, the internal structure of their skulls has had to be modified and compromised in many cases. (The veterinary term is brachycephalic skull.)  This shortening does come with many potential problems:

• breathing problems because of small nostrils
• breathing problems because of internal sinus structures
• breathing problems because the soft palate is not reduced in length
• frequent sinus infections
• blocked tear-ducts
• mild URI (upper respiratory infection) becoming very serious URI
• misaligned teeth leading to poor chewing
• misaligned teeth leading extreme tartar build-up and tooth decay
• overshot jaw because it was not reduced in length
• more frequent eye injuries
• diminished mental capacity due to smaller cranium

Peaches  -- extreme-faced shaded cameo

Now, some extreme Persians have few of these, some have many of these -- a lot depends on the internal structures in the skull.  

So why make a Persian nose so short?  Interesting question to which I have never received a sound answer. The most frequent reply is because this is what the cat breed guidelines say, but that is a bit circular.  The breed standard would not say a shortened nose if people didn't want it.  I personally feel there are two reasons.

1. When the breed standard began to emphasis a shortened nose, the cats with the shortest noses did better.  As more short-nosed Persians won, the race was on to breed even shorter noses in the hopes of winning.
2. The short nose with the big eyes and round face is a 'baby face'.  There is a term for this, which I can't recall, but researchers have shown we humans are hard-wired to have loving feelings for large eyes and round faces.  An extreme-faced Persian is much closer to this 'baby face' than a doll-faced Persian.  They are more appealing to us.

So what will the future bring?  Some of the non-US cat federations, such as in the UK, are moving away from the extreme-faced Persian to somewhere between extreme- and doll-faced.  They are doing so mainly on health reasons.  Will this trend happen in the US?  I don't know -- only time will tell.

Wendy's Teeth (or Lack of)

One of the things on my summer to-do list was to take Wendy to my vet and have her do a dental on her.  So, I made the appointment and then I proceeded to scare myself silly by looking up anesthetics.  I was a bit more nervous than normal when I got to vet.  (Thankfully, my vet is patient and we had a wonderful chat about anesthetics.)

I knew her teeth were bad as she had broken off two canines already.  Actually, they really rotted off.  Plus,

Wendy sleeping

I had scrapped off large chunks of plaque.  Doc took one look at Wendy's mouth and agreed -- dental!

So, I left my little girl overnight and Doc did the dental the next morning.  Usually a dental takes 20-30 minutes, even with an extraction or two.  Doc spent 1.5 hours!  Wendy apparently already had a number of missing teeth, other than the 2 canines.  Several of the remaining ones had large cavities at the gum line and had to be removed.  A couple of teeth looked okay but when she went to scale them, the teeth crumbled.  Apparently the tartar was holding the tooth together.  And one of the two remaining canines has infection at the root.  The bottomline is Wendy has 2 lower incisors (the teeny tiny front teeth), 1 upper incisor, and her one canine.  4 teeth total, and we both expect the other canine to fall out at some point.

But why were her teeth such a mess?

1. Her jaw and thus teeth were not in alignment so she never used her teeth to chew.  When teeth aren't used to chew, they just build up tartar.
2. I suspect her food allergies interfered with proper nutrition as a kitten, when her adult teeth were forming.  The teeth were weak to begin with.

Don't feel sorry for her.  Not having teeth hasn't bothered her at all -- she's eating, playing, and her tongue is cleaning.  In the long run, having her teeth removed will be good for her -- a lot less bacteria in her mouth, so I expect a lot less eye, ear, and tongue crud.

And she still can eat her greenies (treats).

Palm Springs Cat Show -- June 2013

 For a little relaxation, in early June, I when to the Southwest Region's award show in Palm Springs.  I had hoped there would be more cats -- only 140 entries -- but I had a fun time.  I met some nice people, talked to some old friends, and lusted after a number of cats.

This beautiful black Persian (above and to the left) ended up as Best in Show in 3 out of the 6 rings.  He was stocky, the coat of thick, he was very calm -- oh, and he is 14 years old!   It was hard to believe that he had such a nice coat at such an age -- an age when many Persians are sick and nearing death.  This boy, however, was still siring kittens.

A lovely chinchilla silver Persian

A 25 lb. Maine Coon

.  

Blue-cream pointed Himalayan

Flame-point Himalayan

The judge snuggling a black and white exotic

Two Years of Olivia

I can hardly believe it but Olivia, my ninja princess, has been with me for 2 years. 

A friend emailed me about a Persian cat in the local humane society shelter.  I went over to see her and fell in love with her.  The shelter staff told me that she'd been turned in by the owner who had left her outside and she became terribly matted.  She also got pregnant which was discovered when she was spayed.  Her mat was one giant mat from head to tail, which they shaved off her.

At the shelter, she played with me and climbed in my lap.  The shelter employees said she rarely did that.  They also told me how several people had wanted to adopt her, but they refused to let them.  It's not a good sign when someone comes in and asks, "I just want a black cat.  I don't care how old or what sex -- just black."

So, Olivia came home with a lioncut.

She also assumed her role as Ninja Princess and will chase, body slam, stalk, etc James and Tolstoy.  Some of it is her having fun and some of it is not.

She is not the most cuddly of cats, but she is loving in her own way.  After breakfast, her big thing is to lay belly up on the carpet for me to scratch her tummy.  If my husband tries he is clawed.  It's a girl thing....

She has also developed a fondness for soy milk.  While I am eating my bowl of cereal, she sits on the table and watches.  When I get to the point of drinking the milk from the bowl, she will stare at me from the other side of the bowl and maybe even use her paw to get me to put down the bowl.  Funny part is she only wants the soy milk if I have had granola cereal, but not with Shredded Wheat or Honey Bunches of Oats. 

Peaches Comes Home!

Nothing like getting the carrier out for a non-vet visit!  Which is exactly what happened yesterday morning.  I got my Peaches!

The plan had been to meet with Lynda half-way between us on Memorial Day weekend and for me to get Peaches then.  It would have meant waiting and driving 4 hours each way for both of us.

Instead, a friend of Lynda came down to a show in Arcadia and brought Peaches with her.  So, I drove 2 hours over yesterday morning and picked her up at 8:30am and drove straight home.  I would have liked to seen the TICA show, but not with Peaches and hubby in the truck waiting.

Peaches did very well on the trip.  Meowed a bit as we talked to her.  But I could tell she was exhausted.

I put her in the second bathroom to isolate her and she immediately hid in the cabinets.  I kind of expected that.  Later last night, she moved up to the bed on the top of the counter and did allow a bit of scratching.  She also ate a bit.

This morning she was more active -- pacing back and forth.  She's still VERY nervous about this whole thing.  And I can't blame her.  In 48 hours, she's gone from the home she knew to a 10 hour trip with strangers and 5 other cats to a motel room then to a carrier and then to another carrier, 2 more strangers, and a 2 hour trip, only to be finally plunked down in a strange bathroom with cat noises from the other side of the door.  I would be stressed!

But I am sure she will settle down -- hopefully sooner rather than later.  She is such a sweet, but somewhat hyper girl.

I just would like to thank Lynda for entrusting me with this girl.  Thank you!

Western vs. Holistic Veterinary Medicine

I mentioned a while ago that I lean towards holistic veterinary medicine, including herbs, homeopathy, etc.  I've heard some people say, "Yes, my vet is holistic".  But when I listen to what their vet does and what I see a holistic vet does, the two vets are miles apart.  So, maybe I should more clearly define what I mean by holistic vet.

Vets come in two main types:

1. traditional, western medicine vets
2. holistic medicine vets

The traditional western medicine vets are the ones most people take their pets to.  They are trained basically to use medicine and surgery to cure a specific problem.  And for some problems, such as a broken leg or a ruptured eye, nothing beats this approach.  Problem, treatment, cure!

The problem with this approach is that many cat problems are not simple.  Take for example Isabel.  She has a runny nose again, slightly dirty ears, and demands that I hand feed her.  The western medicine approach would be to treat her nose as one problem, her ears as another, and ignore her need to be hand-fed (because there's no medicine for that).

Isabel

Holistic medicine is suppose to look at the whole cat, and not just the 'diseased' part of the cat.  A good holistic vet would look at Isabel and immediately point to a general immune system problem.  The nose and ears are just symptoms of a deeper problem.  And the hand-feeding?  Yes, that goes along with it because her need to be hand-fed seems related to her emotional state which relates to her physical state.  A holistic vet looks at the big picture and works to bring the cat closer to the ideal.  If that means not immediately curing or suppressing symptoms with say steroids so that a long-term cure can be had, then a holistic vet will do it.

Just as there are specialties in western medicine, there are holistic specialties.  Some include:

• homeopathy
• acupuncture
• Reiki
• herbs
• nutrition
• Tellington touch
• Chinese herbs

The problem today is 'holistic' is a new buzz word for pet owners and vets are jumping on the holistic bandwagon.  Some of the vets are doing it right -- they go and get additional training and work on adding new skills, such as acupuncture or homeopathy, to their practice.  But some join professional groups and call themselves an expert in herbal pet medicine with no intention of ever using herbs.  It is a way for a vet to attract the growing numbers of pet owners who want an alternative to traditional medicine.  It is a dishonest practice that gives all holistic vets a bad name!

Wendy in her condo

As for my vets -- yes, plural -- the place I use in town is a traditional, by the book western medicine vet.  Both vets have serious questions about feeding raw, so we don't talk about it.  But when a cat needs immediate diagnosis, such as when Wendy was having severe vomiting and diarrhea, they do have x-rays, ultrasound, and in-house bloodwork to get answers.  Unfortunately, their treatment plans and my ideas on treatment are usually not in sync.

Now my main vet is also a western trained vet, but she has gone on to be certified as a classically trained homeopathic vet and is exploring other alternative medicines. She is a holistic vet in the purest sense. Her practice is small, without some of the bells and whistles, but when it comes to complicated, long-term problems, she has all the tools needed.  She doesn't use herbs or Tellington touch, but she is more than open to both being effective and she encourages me to use it when it is appropriate.  I will be taking Isabel up to her and working with her to improve Isabel's immune system (and energy level) -- we won't be directly treating her ears or nose.  An office call is usually 45-60 minutes long and she even asks questions about how the cat seems to feel emotionally.  She works hard at understand what is going on with a cat at the deepest level.

Two very different ways to practice and to think about veterinary medicine.  Each has it's place.  And my cats benefit from the best of both vet worlds.

Persians: Unhealthier than other Cats?

Isabel

 Are Persian cats overall unhealthier than other cats?  Interesting question and maybe not as simple as it seems.

The first problem with this question is to define "other cats".  There are mixed breed cats (mogglies) and then there are purebred cats.  I would suspect the answer varies depending on the comparison group.

The another problem is lack of data.  Vets in general do not report to anyone the number of visits by any type of cat.  My vets have made comments like, "We see that a lot in Persians", but this hardly can be translated in claiming Persians are more unhealthy than mogglies.

So, what one is left with is anecdotal evidence, usually based on cost.  Now, I have 6 Persians.  Here's their vet bills for the last year:

• Clarissa -- $700
• Wendy -- $400
• Olivia -- $150
• Isabel -- $150
• Spencer -- $0
• Anya -- $200

Are they more expensive than my mogglies?  Yes, but... here's the problem.  Two of my mogglies, Clancy and Dante, are CRF kitties which I treat at home for basically free.  So, do I include that in for comparison?  $150 per sub-Q fluids... The other thing to remember about my Persians, they are rescues and Clarissa, Wendy, and Isabel all had life-threatening issues when I got them.

Olivia and her mousy

I think, rather than pure cost, one should look at types of problems.  Olivia and Isabel had UTI which occurs in a lot of cats, so I don't think Persians have more problems than others.  Anya's bill was from a routine new cat check up.  Wendy's bill was from two things -- a scratched eye and digestive problems.  Now these are problems I might point to as more common in Persians.  Their eyes with no nose to protect them are so easily scratched.  

As for the digestive problems, well, Spencer can (and does) eat everything.  Wendy can eat poultry raw or Greenies treats -- anything else is a problem.  The difference probably comes down to breeding.  Spencer appears to be from better lines than Wendy and Clarissa, who probably are inbred.  The more inbred, the more problems such as severe food allergies.  Persians are somewhat inbred in general, but thanks to unscrupulous breeders, many are very inbred and so they develop these problems.  But this inbreeding could happen to any cat breed -- ask the Siamese enthusiasts.

Robby, domestic longhair

Another source of digestive problems is the hair.  Clarissa's bill was mainly from her $500 hairball of recent times.  But having had domestic longhairs, hairballs and digestive problems related to hairballs are not a Persian-only problem.  Any long-haired cat has issues!

Now, two areas that I do think are Persian problem areas are their noses and their teeth.  Both are from their  flattened faces.  The nose does cause breathing problems in some cats and must be related to internal structures and nostril size.  Their teeth are generally misaligned and do seem to build-up tartar more than mogglies.  This is especially true for Wendy.

But, interestingly, Persians are seen as much more unhealthy than other cats.  Why?  Well, several things pop into my mind:

1. Vets may remember a gorgeous Persian longer than the average moggly and ascribe more problems to Persians.
2. I hate to say this, but some vets see a Persian and assume the owner has money so the vet, consciously or subconsciously, sees more problems. 
3. Persian owners, especially those who bought expensive cats, may be more likely to take the cats to vets.
4. Related to #3, if owners are taking their Persians to the vet more often, then I would guess they are being vaccinated more.  I'm convinced there is a relationship between vaccinations and immune problems.
5. Persian owners are told and believe their cats are more unhealthy so they look for symptoms.

So, are Persians more unhealthy than mogglies?  I would say they have a few more problems or at least the potential for more problems.  Are Persians more unhealthy than other purebreds?  I honestly don't think they have more problems than any other popular cat breed.   

The answer to the opening question is a definite maybe.

CH Kistha Peaches-N-Cream

Peaches

CH Kistha Peaches-N-Cream is a shaded cameo girl, who is 3.5 years old.  She's being retired from a breeding program.  The truly special part about her is that she will soon be coming to live with me.

A dear friend, who breeds Persians, wants me to have a healthy Persian and wants me to have a cat I can show.  Peaches is the solution.  I am more than a bit honored that she would entrust Peaches to me.

And I'm terribly excited.

Now, I have thought long and hard about getting Peaches -- this is not a snap decision.  So before people criticize me for getting another cat, for not getting a rescue cat, or for getting a cat to show, please consider this.  I have taken in and cared for the 'unadoptable and unwanted' cats for 15+ years.  I donate considerable sums to help cat rescues.  And I have spent hours helping people with their cats.  At some point, I do think I have earned the right to have a healthy cat just to enjoy and play with (as in show). 

Anya's Peeing

Well, I spent most of yesterday cleaning the carpets in the bedroom and in my studio.  They really needed it in general, but the reason I did it was because this room began to smell.  With a bit of warmth from the sun, it was bothering me, and I'm not terribly sensitive to smells.

And what was the smell?  Cat urine... from Anya.

Anya is my 14 year old, one-eyed, lilac-point himalayan cat.  She also has herpes and on/off nasal infections, which I can control with lysine and echinacea.  But she's quirky at times.  She'll be asleep, wake up, stretch, and then howl.  She's also very loving and affectionate.

She just doesn't always use the litter box.... And this is probably part of the reason she was dumped at a shelter.  Anyway, sometimes she will go for 2-4 days with no accidents and then sometimes she will go 2-4 days without using the litter box.  Well, you know a cat has to pee, so she does it on the floor.  (And she occasionally poops on the floor too.)

Normally, peeing outside the box normally comes down to 3 causes:

1. Urinary tract infection -- Cats relate the pain of peeing to the litter box, so will pee outside the box.  The pees are usually small and frequent.  Maybe with a drop or two of blood.
2. Dislike of litter/box -- Some cats object to deodorizing crystals in litter, or the size of the grains, or the height of the box, or ...  If the cat doesn't like the box, the cat will find a place and substance it likes to pee on.
3. Dirty boxes -- Many cats object to using a dirty box.  And if you think about it, it's like going into a public toilet and finding "stuff" in the toilet.  With these cats, you need to get more boxes and/or scoop frequently.

None of these fit Anya.  So, I'm left with the more exotic causes:

1. Incontinence -- Cats can lose control of the bladder sphincter.
2. Dementia -- Older cats forget where the box is.
3. Medication -- Oral steroids can cause sudden urges to pee.
4. Not trained -- I know there are some cats who never were trained by mom or the breeder to use a litter box, but I personally think these are few and far between.
5. Tumors

The dementia and incontinence fit to some degree because she will walk along, pause, pee, and continue walking.  If I see her pause and especially if she's pawing at the carpet, I can call her name and usually that is enough to interrupt her and THEN she will use her box.  But I really can't sit here 24 hrs a day!  This is why puppy pads won't work -- she will pee anywhere and not just one spot.

I also wonder with her if her nose isn't a factor.  Cats are attracted to places to pee by smell.  Since I clean the litter box and remove the smells, the carpet ends up being smellier.  Now that I cleaned the carpet (and 90% of the smell is gone), I'm hoping she'll be more attracted to the litter box.  So far, it is working... knock on wood.

I know many people wouldn't tolerate this and... well, I don't know what the alternatives would be.  Dump her at another shelter?  Put her to sleep?  Lock her in a bathroom with hard floors?  These just don't seem viable options to me.  When I adopt an animal, it's for their lifetime, come good or bad.  Putting up with this problem does not make me a saint -- I just love her for who she is.

But she has helped me clean my house... win-win for both of us!  

Cats: A Health Survey of the Herd

Continuing on what I was saying about my cats and their health...

About every 6 months, I sit down and think about how my cats are doing individually and as a member of the herd.  It's a time to put my prejudices away and really think carefully about them.  I do this in part so I can adjust supplements, including herbs and nutricals.  There's no sense in using something on a cat for years just because it is a routine -- it wastes money, it may lose it's effectiveness, or it may actually harm the cat from long-term use.  But with herbs and nutritional supplements, I can't see the effectiveness of something in 2 or 3 weeks -- usually these products are slow to work.  So, each 6 months is a good time to reassess things.

So let's look at a couple of the cats:

Isabel taking a nap

Isabel -- She's my silver chinchilla Persian and about 4.5 years old.  To most people and vets, she's perfectly healthy.  I have a slightly less rosy opinion.

I did have to shave her this fall because her coat got terribly matted.  The reason it was matted was in the Spring of last year, she had a UTI and/or a large bladder stone.  The vet tried to get a urine sample by flipping her upside down, holding her down, and sticking a needle in her bladder.  It didn't work (and one vet tech has scares to prove it).  It did make her impossible to groom, especially on her tummy.  Eventually, she was so matted, I shaved her.  Since then, I have been working patiently with her to get her to trust me to groom her tummy and back legs.  That has gone very well, and she's back to trusting me.

On the down side, I know she has nose problems.  My vet says "It's just a Persian thing" but I disagree.  when she was antibiotics for the UTI, her nose improved.  I also know that with high doses of lysine, her nose and eyes improve.  (Her eyes water and stain her pretty face.)  So, it is a problem that can be fixed.  Lysine alone helps, but I have been giving her echinacea extract, off and on, for a couple of months, and this seems to hold it at bay.  But I'd like something more permanent, so I'm considering Chinese herbs, Immunoplex, and/or goldenseal nasal drops.  The last one may stain her fur yellow and is a fix for her nose, but not her immune system.  It would work to knock any infection down and then build the immune system to prevent it from coming back.

Her ears also have a lot of brown wax.  I'm not sure why, as she shows no sign of mites or food issues.  I'll thoroughly clean them this week and see what happens over a couple of weeks.  I do wonder if it's from the treats or the commercial food which hubby slips her when he feeds Clarissa lunch.

Psychologically, she's quiet and likes to be left alone.  Unfortunately, she's in the bedroom with Clarissa, the Tortie Monster.  While she has made great strides in trust since I've had her (she had spent the first 6 months under the bed), I'm wondering about trying some Bach flower essences.

I know I need to keep the lysine in her food (and at 150% the recommended level when she is have problems).  I'm going to try the Immunoplex for long-term immune building, the echinacea for another cycle, and maybe try just plain saline nose drops, which she will love (or not).

And then there is:

Robbie

Robbie -- He's a 10-12 year old Maine Coon/Persian cross.  He nearly died of liver failure when I got him ~6 years ago but has been basically healthy since then.  He did develop an intolerance to poultry products, so he get beef, rabbit, lamb, pork, and venison, plus some fish occasionally   When we got ringworm and ear mites, he did get both pretty bad and he got an allergic reaction to both.

Physically, I worry about him.  He has seemed 'off' for a year or so, but blood-work shows nothing and I can't point directly to anything.  He is thinner than he had been, and he has itchy skin in spots.  There is also a tendency towards constipation followed by a drop or two of blood.  But I can't say, "Look at this."  So to most vets, this would just be an over-anxious owner.  To my homeopathic vet, ... she does take what I say seriously, but can't figure out anything.

Psychologically, he's more timid, more likely to strike out in fear-aggression, and less snugly   I'm not looking the combination because it says to me he feels vulnerable.

I really think with him the problem is his immune system being overactive.  The allergies and skin sensitivity all indicate that.  I have tried various things, with minimal improvement.  He has eaten more enthusiastically since I have been adding commercial raw food to his diet, which is where the venison, rabbit, and lamb come from.  I feel kind of lost as to what to do.  If I knew more about acupressure, I would try it.  I know there are a couple of Chinese herbal combinations with mushrooms that might help, so I'll poke around the Internet and see what I can find.

So, two cats looked, more to go....

But my whole point is I don't wait for clinical problems to appear before I tweak their care.  There is what is ideal health for a cat in general and then there is normal for a cat.  My goal is to move my cats' 'normal' closer to the ideal.

Wendy's Food

I was hoping to wake-up this morning, feed the cats, have a nice breakfast, and then relax before doing something moderately useful.  My plans never work out...

I went to let Wendy out only to find she had thrown up food last night.  Sigh...

Maybe I should explain.  Wendy is my white Persian who was scheduled to die at the shelter 21 Dec 2011.  I adopted her the day before.  She came home, thin, with persistent diarrhea and a pink tail.

Wendy on her first day home, with her pink dyed tail.

She could not keep food down and if she did, she had diarrhea.  A trip to the vet showed she had no blockage (good) but had signs of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (bad) and the beginnings of megacolon (very bad).  The prescription food didn't work either, so I put her on raw food that I make myself.  I also discovered that she's allergic/intolerant of beef, lamb, rabbit, or any non-poultry meat except salmon.

And for the last year, she has thrived.

Wendy all healthy and relaxing on the table.

Until someone got terribly busy and skimped on the food.  Okay, it was me, and I'm terribly annoyed at me.  The last week of school before Christmas break was a nightmare -- I was sick, I had major tests to give, the students were crazy, and the world was ending.  So, I fed her some canned food and some plain raw turkey, with no supplements except for pumpkin.  (The pumpkin helps her keep regular in the poo department.)

Graphic Details Forthcoming

Well, with Wendy, if she doesn't get the right food, she has issues.  Since what she threw up was undigested food and it happened 3-4 hours after dinner, I think this is an owner created mess.  The issues I created this time is I think she's somewhat backed-up in her intestines.  Her poos have been larger in diameter than normal, which means the megacolon is lurking.  She's also not pooing daily, which means things are moving slowly.

The alternatives of her developing another food issue is unthinkable.  But honestly, if it had been a food issue,  the food would have reappeared earlier -- not 4+ hours later.  Fingers crossed!

Wendy has become my snuggle kitty.  There is something magical about her -- if I just look at her, and I really mean look, not glance, I feel happy and get teary-eyed about how precious she is.  I almost wonder if she's a gift from another special kitty I had....

Wendy after a bath -- all sparkly white!