Rx Diet

Update: New pdoc, new hope (Re: At the end of my strength)

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

(snipped all) Just a brief "thank you" here in ASAPM as well, Margrove, for all the help and advice. Franziska The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

– The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear Margrove, dear Philip, thanks very much for your answers. I

OMG! I WON!!!!

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill

Wow, that is great, Jill! Congratulations! Ginger-lyn Home Pages: http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/ http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy) http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against Animals in Movies Website)

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww!

Gongratulations!! to both you and Persia of course — lewe lewemi at yahoo dot se | cats’ pics: photos.yahoo.com/lewemi

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill

That’s wonderful news! I’m so glad you wo something important. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

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You lucky dog!! (or cat). I cna’t believe you won that!! Congratulations.

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This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill

Cong-catulations Persia! Helen M — Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server – http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Response:

yodeled: And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill

Yikes! Wow. That is just amazing, and if I may say so, well deserved by both of you. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Response:

That’s great Jill&Persia, maybe Persia was online while you slept and entered ;o) Suz&Spicey

Response:

kewl!

Response:

Cgts to Persia. How do you think you got your name entered? Lily & her mama – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill

Response:

I wouldn’t be surprised. Persia’s no fool. =o) Concatulations to you both, although I think Persia will get the maximum enjoyment from this particular win. =o) But free food is NEVER a bad thing! Melissa

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Terrific! Good job, Persia! PatM

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And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL

And overall you’re still a major loser LOL

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How cool, Jill! Congratulations! And how is Persia taking the news? Christine

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How cool, Jill! Congratulations! And how is Persia taking the news?

She’s being all nonchalant, looking at me, "What? Did I do something?" I suspect it was Karen or Lisa at the vet who did this They both adore Persia and when I called to ask if they would honor the coupons (YES!) Lisa asked, "Wouldn’t it be funny if Peaches got something like that?" LOL They are not avian vets – Peaches has her own vet – but they board her when I travel and they love her. They play music for her Jill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Christine And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill — The person who rows the boat seldom has time to rock it

Response:

Congrats! Sandy

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Hey, that’s cool! I don’t get the loser part though, what’s that all about? — Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." — Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

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Persia’s on a diet. Loved the Vino pictures by the way. He’s getting a bit fluffy too it looks like? Or is that all orange sherbet colored fur? He is so pretty. Jo

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Ooooh, ok, got it. But I didn’t think she’s actually lost any weight, really. Loved the Vino pictures by the way. He’s getting a bit fluffy too it looks like? Or is that all orange sherbet colored fur? He is so pretty.

No, actually, quite the opposite. I was just thinking this morning that he’s looking skinnier to me. He’s not on a diet, so I hope he’s not losing weight for bad reasons. I’ll have to weigh him later on, but I don’t have a very accurate scale for small weights, just my hoomin scale. He’s been pretty much stable at 12 lbs all his adult life. I think it must be the fur. Orange sherbet, LOL! He’s not really short haired. I guess he’s medium haired and it’s very fluffy. — Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." — Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

Response:

That prize sure came to the right address! I remember it’s been hard for you to get the expensive rx food for Persia, and now you get it free! I’m happy for you! — Christine in Vantaa, Finland christal63 (at) gmail (dot) com photos: http://photos.yahoo.com/christal63 photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/chkr63

Response:

Wow, that’s just great! I would have to redeem the certificates and give most of the food away; it takes Kenzie about 6 months to go through a 20 lb. bag of food. She’s on a perpetual diet, but after years of different kinds of food, I finally got her weight from 13 lbs. down to 10.5 lbs, which TED say is ‘perfect’ for her bone structure and frame size. "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." -TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie. How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven. – Robert Heinlein Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. -Buddha

Response:

Cgts to Persia. How do you think you got your name entered? Lily & her mama

I either did it and don’t remember OR… Lisa or Karen (at the vet’s office) did it for me. They love Persia and they know what sort of food she has to eat since I order food from them When I called to make sure they’d take the vouchers, Lisa said, "Sure we will! Not like we’re paying for the food. Now wouldn’t it be funny if the same thing happened for Peaches?" Hmmmm. But they aren’t avian vets (they just board her) and Peaches is not on a diet. Damn, give her a gala apple or a carrot or a handful of greens and she goes to town! Don’t know where I could get a years supply of Gala apples! Jill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – And I didn’t even know I’d entered LOL No, this isn’t one of those lottery scam emails or something from Nigeria. UPS just knocked on my door with an envelope for me to sign for. Uh, okay. What the heck is this? I open it up, there is an envelope addressed to *Persia*. "Hi from your friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, You are a big loser! We have determined you are the big loser for July and as such, you’ve won a year’s supply of FREE Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet pet food!" They enclosed 12 vouchers for up to twelve 20 lb bags of free Rx food! OMG! This letter is so cute, too… addressed to Persia… it says they included 12 vouchers for Jill so "you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains!" It also tells her to bask in the warmth of a sunbeam knowing she will be well fed for free for a year. Wowwww! Jill

Response:

Concatulations on your windfall, I hope Persia won’t be too miffed at yet more boring diet food Purrs Gordon & the FF

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I think it’s the opposite of you’re a big WINNER. Loser takes the cake The letter says, "Stretch out your paws and take a deep breath… You won a year’s supply of Hill’s Science Rx diet food! That’s right, you were chosen as July’s loser of the month! We’ve enclosed the vouchers for Jill so you’ll be getting those tasty kibbles faster than you can climb curtains. Now go ahead and bask in the warmth of a sunbeam. After all, you’re the cats meow now!" Jill

Response:

She adores the Hill’s x/d to the point where they told me to stop free-feeding her. Now she has to beg for it and has two appointed times 6AM 1/4 cup and 6PM 1/4 cup. She’s a nice fluffy um, 16 lbs now (was 18) Jill

Response:

5000+ messages and I'm back

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I’m not familiar, so I’ll refrain from comment. This ain’t the same RPCA I left! :( There were far too many threads to reply to them individually so I’ll just say 1) "get better" purrs to those in need, 2) Happy Birthday where appropriate, 3) congrats on successful job searches – hope they turn out to be everything you hope for 4) housing purrs to those in need There are many more threads than I can recount. I hope nobody will feel left out. On topic: DW went to pick up the cats where they had been boarded. Missy was in her carrier, ready to go and Smokey was on his leash. Smokey, however, didn’t want to leave. He went exploring all over the boarding/office area. Took them almost 10 minutes to corral him to get him back into the car. Smokey’s exams while we were gone showed stage 1 renal failure. He’s on a prescription diet now – fortunately he loves the stuff and Mistletoe won’t touch it. Vet thinks the diet will give Smokey several more years. We’re optimistic. Glad to be back, Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I’m not familiar, so I’ll refrain from comment. This ain’t the same RPCA I left! :( There were far too many threads to reply to them individually so I’ll just say 1) "get better" purrs to those in need, 2) Happy Birthday where appropriate, 3) congrats on successful job searches – hope they turn out to be everything you hope for 4) housing purrs to those in need There are many more threads than I can recount. I hope nobody will feel left out. On topic: DW went to pick up the cats where they had been boarded. Missy was in her carrier, ready to go and Smokey was on his leash. Smokey, however, didn’t want to leave. He went exploring all over the boarding/office area. Took them almost 10 minutes to corral him to get him back into the car. Smokey’s exams while we were gone showed stage 1 renal failure. He’s on a prescription diet now – fortunately he loves the stuff and Mistletoe won’t touch it. Vet thinks the diet will give Smokey several more years. We’re optimistic. Glad to be back, Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe

Wow. That is great that he loves the food! I gave Pearl some senior Science Diet tonight (thinking that must be lower in salt than fancy feast) and she tore into it. I hope that she continues to like it so well.

Response:

Welcome back, Sam! Christine

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[[Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I'm not familiar, so I'll refrain from comment. This ain't the same RPCA I left! :( ]] From the look of things (as someone who accesses the ng via the internet), the holy-mess that took place over the past few weeks has died down considerably. Thank goodness. Purrs for Smokey’s successful treatment with the prescription food, and that you guys can buy him as much quality time as humanly possible. Skritches to both kitties! Donna, Captain, and Stanley

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Welcome back, Sam! So sorry to hear about Smokey – I hope the food does the trick and he get many, many more years with his slaves! Hugs, CatNipped

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yodeled: Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I’m not familiar, so I’ll refrain from comment. This ain’t the same RPCA I left! :(

That seems to have passed, fingers crossed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -There were far too many threads to reply to them individually so I’ll just say 1) "get better" purrs to those in need, 2) Happy Birthday where appropriate, 3) congrats on successful job searches – hope they turn out to be everything you hope for 4) housing purrs to those in need There are many more threads than I can recount. I hope nobody will feel left out. On topic: DW went to pick up the cats where they had been boarded. Missy was in her carrier, ready to go and Smokey was on his leash. Smokey, however, didn’t want to leave. He went exploring all over the boarding/office area. Took them almost 10 minutes to corral him to get him back into the car.

Sounds like some kids when you take them to their babysitter. It’s "Mom, I don’t wanna go!" Then when you pick them up, it’s "Aw, Mom, I was having a good time!" Smokey’s exams while we were gone showed stage 1 renal failure. He’s on a prescription diet now – fortunately he loves the stuff and Mistletoe won’t touch it. Vet thinks the diet will give Smokey several more years. We’re optimistic.

YAY Smokey! Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Response:

Welcome back Sam and purrs for Smokey to stay healthy, Suz

Response:

Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I’m not familiar, so I’ll refrain from comment.

You chose a good time to be away. Actually I was only thinking about you a day or so ago and wondering when you’d be back, so welcome back Sam. This ain’t the same RPCA I left! :(

It’s getting back there now. Purrs for Smokey, kidney disease can now be controlled for many years if found early like Smokey’s was. Tweed

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I’m not familiar, so I’ll refrain from comment. This ain’t the same RPCA I left! :( There were far too many threads to reply to them individually so I’ll just say 1) "get better" purrs to those in need, 2) Happy Birthday where appropriate, 3) congrats on successful job searches – hope they turn out to be everything you hope for 4) housing purrs to those in need There are many more threads than I can recount. I hope nobody will feel left out. On topic: DW went to pick up the cats where they had been boarded. Missy was in her carrier, ready to go and Smokey was on his leash. Smokey, however, didn’t want to leave. He went exploring all over the boarding/office area. Took them almost 10 minutes to corral him to get him back into the car. Smokey’s exams while we were gone showed stage 1 renal failure. He’s on a prescription diet now – fortunately he loves the stuff and Mistletoe won’t touch it. Vet thinks the diet will give Smokey several more years. We’re optimistic. Glad to be back, Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe

Welcome back, Sam! Purrs for Smokey that he may, like our Cosmo, have many, many years left with you. Ginger-lyn Home Pages: http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/ http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy) http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against Animals in Movies Website)

Response:

Welcome back! Lots of purrs and best wishes for Smokey, — Polonca & Soncek

Response:

Gone two weeks and what happens? A flood of messages. Many about a situation with which I’m not familiar, so I’ll refrain from comment. This ain’t the same RPCA I left! :(

I faced that same problem when I got back from the island. I soon realised I could just delete whole threads and not miss anything important, nice, funny, or cute. Glad to see that the group is returning to normal now (or maybe the trolls are still posting – I’ve killfiled them so wouldn’t know). There were far too many threads to reply to them individually so I’ll just say 1) "get better" purrs to those in need, 2) Happy Birthday where appropriate, 3) congrats on successful job searches – hope they turn out to be everything you hope for 4) housing purrs to those in need There are many more threads than I can recount. I hope nobody will feel left out.

I’m still optimistically hoping to read the 4,900+ messages I currently have left… On topic: DW went to pick up the cats where they had been boarded. Missy was in her carrier, ready to go and Smokey was on his leash. Smokey, however, didn’t want to leave. He went exploring all over the boarding/office area. Took them almost 10 minutes to corral him to get him back into the car. Smokey’s exams while we were gone showed stage 1 renal failure. He’s on a prescription diet now – fortunately he loves the stuff and Mistletoe won’t touch it. Vet thinks the diet will give Smokey several more years. We’re optimistic. Glad to be back,

Glad to see you back. Frank has been doing very well on his kidney diet (Waltham’s Renal wet food). The bloodtests in May showed that his kidney values are purrfect. Purrs that Smokey does well on his diet, too. — Marina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Response:

are my cats seniors? 10yr.

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

On 2005-07-30, yepp penned: So thanks, but I will not get all worried again from usenet feedback as it is worldwide.

What does being worldwide have to do with the quality of the answers? Regardless, I agree that one should always weigh free advice (actually, all advice) against information from other sources. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

In article Not only are the kitties seniors, but you might want to talk about their age and any special care they might need, the next time you bring them to the vet. When Harmony(RB) turned 10 years old, I asked the vet to do a feline geriatric blood panel. I know that tests for things like kidney function, diabetes, thyroid function, and other things that can become a problem for older cats. Well, was I ever surprised to learn that the recommendation is to begin doing a geriatric blood panel at age *6*! SIX years old? Surprise! I certainly didn’t think of her as "senior" at that age, but veterinary medicine apparently operates by a different theory.

Mr. Clark is about 6, and needs to go in for some dental work. I can think of very little difference between the lab work I’d want to see done in this case, and what would be involved in geriatric screening. A complete blood count and a comprehensive metabolic panel certainly would be common to both; a thyroid panel would probably be outside the scope of pre-anesthesia. I don’t know if hemoglobin A1C is a good predictor of diabetic activity in cats. For geriatric cats — or people — I’m not convinced it makes sense to run arthritis/autoimmune screening in the absence of symptoms. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You’ll probably want to talk to your vet about having the geriatric blood panel done on your cats, if they’ve reached age 6 or more. Better safe than sorry. Donna, Captain, and Stanley

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In article Not only are the kitties seniors, but you might want to talk about their age and any special care they might need, the next time you bring them to the vet. When Harmony(RB) turned 10 years old, I asked the vet to do a feline geriatric blood panel. I know that tests for things like kidney function, diabetes, thyroid function, and other things that can become a problem for older cats. Well, was I ever surprised to learn that the recommendation is to begin doing a geriatric blood panel at age *6*! SIX years old? Surprise! I certainly didn’t think of her as "senior" at that age, but veterinary medicine apparently operates by a different theory. Mr. Clark is about 6, and needs to go in for some dental work. I can think of very little difference between the lab work I’d want to see done in this case, and what would be involved in geriatric screening. A complete blood count and a comprehensive metabolic panel certainly would be common to both; a thyroid panel would probably be outside the scope of pre-anesthesia. I don’t know if hemoglobin A1C is a good predictor of diabetic activity in cats. For geriatric cats — or people — I’m not convinced it makes sense to run arthritis/autoimmune screening in the absence of symptoms. You’ll probably want to talk to your vet about having the geriatric blood panel done on your cats, if they’ve reached age 6 or more. Better safe than sorry. Donna, Captain, and Stanley

Hi all. I thank you for the feedback. I had taken in a Himmie last weekend and found a home for her, but she was here about 1 hour. Turned out she had fleas. So the new owner took her to my vet for the flea drop on the back of the neck. My cats were itchin too so I took them to the vet for the same thing. They didn’t have fleas. I took the opportunity to speak about senior cats to them and if I should be switching to those foods. And once again they told me my cats don’t need the senior foods because they are not lethargic – not overweight and overall, in excellent health. The foods they are getting are good. If I want to spend a little extra for the senior foods, go ahead. It won’t harm them. Cats can live to be 25 years old or more. Esp. if they are indoor-only as my cats are. There is no need to have them undergo blood work. They don’t show any signs of needing diagnoses. Cats are living longer (indoor cats) and it is just like people. The new human 40 is like a 30-yr. old. Cats are not seniors at 7 … that is, if they are kept indoors. So thanks, but I will not get all worried again from usenet feedback as it is worldwide.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In article Not only are the kitties seniors, but you might want to talk about their age and any special care they might need, the next time you bring them to the vet. When Harmony(RB) turned 10 years old, I asked the vet to do a feline geriatric blood panel. I know that tests for things like kidney function, diabetes, thyroid function, and other things that can become a problem for older cats. Well, was I ever surprised to learn that the recommendation is to begin doing a geriatric blood panel at age *6*! SIX years old? Surprise! I certainly didn’t think of her as "senior" at that age, but veterinary medicine apparently operates by a different theory. Mr. Clark is about 6, and needs to go in for some dental work. I can think of very little difference between the lab work I’d want to see done in this case, and what would be involved in geriatric screening. A complete blood count and a comprehensive metabolic panel certainly would be common to both; a thyroid panel would probably be outside the scope of pre-anesthesia. I don’t know if hemoglobin A1C is a good predictor of diabetic activity in cats. For geriatric cats — or people — I’m not convinced it makes sense to run arthritis/autoimmune screening in the absence of symptoms. You’ll probably want to talk to your vet about having the geriatric blood panel done on your cats, if they’ve reached age 6 or more. Better safe than sorry. Donna, Captain, and Stanley Hi all. I thank you for the feedback. I had taken in a Himmie last weekend and found a home for her, but she was here about 1 hour. Turned out she had fleas. So the new owner took her to my vet for the flea drop on the back of the neck. My cats were itchin too so I took them to the vet for the same thing. They didn’t have fleas. I took the opportunity to speak about senior cats to them and if I should be switching to those foods. And once again they told me my cats don’t need the senior foods because they are not lethargic – not overweight and overall, in excellent health. The foods they are getting are good. If I want to spend a little extra for the senior foods, go ahead. It won’t harm them. Cats can live to be 25 years old or more. Esp. if they are indoor-only as my cats are. There is no need to have them undergo blood work. They don’t show any signs of needing diagnoses. Cats are living longer (indoor cats) and it is just like people. The new human 40 is like a 30-yr. old. Cats are not seniors at 7 … that is, if they are kept indoors.

The idea of getting blood work as adults isn’t necessarily for diagnosis. While there are published normal and abnormal values for all standard tests, there can be individual variation. Just as a personal example, I tend to run low on serum potassium, which has several implications: a low-end (not REALLY low) may not be clinically significant if I’m tested for some other reason, and also that extra care should be taken with drugs that may lower potassium. In my own health, we will compare particular lab values, still in the normal range, over time. If there’s a consistent trend, it can warrant further investigation before there is a problem. For the cats, I want to have their personal normals available should I need to take them in for emergency care. So thanks, but I will not get all worried again from usenet feedback as it is worldwide.

OK. Just a different perspective here.

Response:

they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets?

Ask your vet for advice. Rusty’s vet let him stayed on his prescription food for urinary blockages when he became a senior. When he suspected kidney problems Rusty was put on a senior prescription diet. But he developed crystals so we went to another prescription food for urinary problems until he developed diarrhea. Now we are on Hill’s I/D which is not a senior cat food and Rusty is 11. The vet said as long as he is doing well, Rusty can stay on it. He is not overweight, ( actually a bit underweight) so he doesn’t have to go on a reduced calorie diet typical for many senior cat food. Rusty’s blood tests also show his kidney are just fine. Winnie, hoping we don’t have to switch prescription food again.

Response:

Well, they are definitely considered senior now. Mine are 8. That is considered senior.

What’s so interesting to me now is that cats are frequently living long enough for their so-called "senior" years to outnumber their "non-senior" years. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Response:

Not only are the kitties seniors, but you might want to talk about their age and any special care they might need, the next time you bring them to the vet. When Harmony(RB) turned 10 years old, I asked the vet to do a feline geriatric blood panel. I know that tests for things like kidney function, diabetes, thyroid function, and other things that can become a problem for older cats. Well, was I ever surprised to learn that the recommendation is to begin doing a geriatric blood panel at age *6*! SIX years old? Surprise! I certainly didn’t think of her as "senior" at that age, but veterinary medicine apparently operates by a different theory. You’ll probably want to talk to your vet about having the geriatric blood panel done on your cats, if they’ve reached age 6 or more. Better safe than sorry. Donna, Captain, and Stanley

Response:

they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets?

Response:

they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets?

Yes, they should be getting the senior food now. Just as with humans, especially human *women*, it gets easier to put on weight as they get older. They need a more nutritionally dense, but less caloric food. But ask your vet for his/her recommendation. Hugs, CatNipped

Response:

Well, they are definitely considered senior now. Mine are 8. That is considered senior.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets?

Response:

they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets?

We have three cats, one is 14 yo, one is 13 yo and the youngster who is seven. When the 14 yo went to TED three weeks ago for dental work we received the Senior Discount because he, Mr. Pumpkin, was 77 years old in cat age! The vet didn’t suggest changing his food at all. The 13 yo is a plumpster, DH calls her a double wide, humph! She has special diet food, she will eat it and then eat the other food too unless I can stop her. Can’t help you with the food, but yes they are definitely seniors. Charleen Mr. Pumpkin Aggie Marble Victor Velcro

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets? We have three cats, one is 14 yo, one is 13 yo and the youngster who is seven. When the 14 yo went to TED three weeks ago for dental work we received the Senior Discount because he, Mr. Pumpkin, was 77 years old in cat age! The vet didn’t suggest changing his food at all. The 13 yo is a plumpster, DH calls her a double wide, humph! She has special diet food, she will eat it and then eat the other food too unless I can stop her. Can’t help you with the food, but yes they are definitely seniors. Charleen Mr. Pumpkin Aggie Marble Victor Velcro

14 is 77 in cat years? Wow. I have been to the vet and they didn’t recommend changing food at that time. A year ago. My cats are not overweight. They said I could buy it but it wasn’t necessary. Real helpful those folks are. I didn’t know if there are special heart vitamins or some other minerals or something in the senior cat foods or not. I never think of them as old. Think that applies to myself too. lol

Response:

they are 10 now and still act like they always did. Should I be changing their food to seniors? They are not overweight or anything, but is there anything special they need in their diets?

Yes, you should be changing them to a senior diet to assist in keeping them good and healthy for many a year to come. Cheers, helen s

Response:

silent purr request

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, Can I ask for silent purrs for Mr Spock (i.e. I know the purrs are out there, so there is no need to respond to this post). He is straining at the litterbox *again*, so is off to the vet for the second time in a month. He is not happy and will be even less happy when he figures out what is happening to him. Poor boy, he’s *so* uncomfortable. Lucky for me, my boss is very understanding as Spocky’s trip to the vet means a day off work for me since I live a long way from work and the vet’s office only opens at 9am. I *bet* he’s uncomfortable! But I’m sure things will turn out ok in the end. Back when he was a young fellow, not more than 2 or 3, Tribble(RB at age 17) went through two bouts of this within a month. Once the blockage was dealt with by TED the second time, the only continuing "treatment" was to change his diet slightly. At TED’s recommendation (this was mid-1980s), Trib was changed over to one of the "urinary diet" dry foods (he was a dry food nibbler). Natasha didn’t mind eating the same food, and she’s still going strong, and Trib never had that trouble again. I don’t remember what specifically we were changing in his diet; does low ash sound right to anyone? Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha http://www.jhedge.com

Yep, low ash sounds right to me. I think that’s what they told me first to do with Persia before she had her bladder surgery; then they put her on a specific diet to prevent calcium oxolate which caused her bladder stones. Purrs for Mr. Spock-kitty. Jill

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, Can I ask for silent purrs for Mr Spock (i.e. I know the purrs are out there, so there is no need to respond to this post). He is straining at the litterbox *again*, so is off to the vet for the second time in a month. He is not happy and will be even less happy when he figures out what is happening to him. Poor boy, he’s *so* uncomfortable. Lucky for me, my boss is very understanding as Spocky’s trip to the vet means a day off work for me since I live a long way from work and the vet’s office only opens at 9am. I *bet* he’s uncomfortable! But I’m sure things will turn out ok in the end. Back when he was a young fellow, not more than 2 or 3, Tribble(RB at age 17) went through two bouts of this within a month. Once the blockage was dealt with by TED the second time, the only continuing "treatment" was to change his diet slightly. At TED’s recommendation (this was mid-1980s), Trib was changed over to one of the "urinary diet" dry foods (he was a dry food nibbler). Natasha didn’t mind eating the same food, and she’s still going strong, and Trib never had that trouble again. I don’t remember what specifically we were changing in his diet; does low ash sound right to anyone?

Low magnesium and probably some acidifiers in the diet if it is struvite crystals. After Rusty’s second blockage (2 years after the first blockage) the vet changed him from a prescription dry to a different prescription canned food. It is important to make sure he gets enough water in the diet. Winnie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha http://www.jhedge.com

Response:

Thanks All for your purrs and well-wishes. Mr Spock says "thanks" too. Taking him to the vet was the right thing to do. He has lots of crystals in his urine – at least two different types (styruvate? and oxalate) as far as the vet can tell, but because I took Spock in early, there is no infection. Instructions from the vet are: * a gradual change in diet to low-ash food (c/d), which is safe for all the cats to eat *more watering-points around the house (Spock’s urine was a bit too concentrated, so the vet would like to see him drinking more) *metacam (anti-inflammatory) for a few days until the swelling in his delicate boy-bits has subsided. The vet was very good and explained things to my satisfaction and let me see the crystals under the microscope. Mr Spock was *very* well behaved at the vet and on the drive (only half an aria on the way there and stoney silence on the way home), but he scooted under the bed as soon as I let him out of the carrier at home. Persephone is jealous because she thinks we had fun without her. On a lighter note, there were two *gorgeous* all-black 7 week-old kittens at the vet office, up for adoption – siblings, girl and boy. I wasn’t tempted, but I sure enjoyed watching them while wating to go in. Tish – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, Can I ask for silent purrs for Mr Spock (i.e. I know the purrs are out there, so there is no need to respond to this post). He is straining at the litterbox *again*, so is off to the vet for the second time in a month. He is not happy and will be even less happy when he figures out what is happening to him. Poor boy, he’s *so* uncomfortable. Lucky for me, my boss is very understanding as Spocky’s trip to the vet means a day off work for me since I live a long way from work and the vet’s office only opens at 9am. Tish

Response:

After his first blockage, Rusty was on dry c/d. But he got s/d first to dissolve the crystals before settling on c/d. There are 2 types of c/d, one for struvite and one for oxalate. Since Spock has both, which type is he getting? *more watering-points around the house (Spock’s urine was a bit too concentrated, so the vet would like to see him drinking more) *metacam (anti-inflammatory) for a few days until the swelling in his delicate boy-bits has subsided. The vet was very good and explained things to my satisfaction and let me see the crystals under the microscope.

If Spock’s still doesn’t drink enough, you can use an eye dropper or a syringe without needle to put water in his mouth. Be careful he doesn’t choke though. I add water to Rusty’s canned food, and his urine got very diluted that the vet thought he had renal insufficiency. Blood tests show his kidneys are fine. So I cut back on the water added. If there is not enough output in the litterbox for my liking, I add more water to his food. This way I control of the amount of water he gets. Winnie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mr Spock was *very* well behaved at the vet and on the drive (only half an aria on the way there and stoney silence on the way home), but he scooted under the bed as soon as I let him out of the carrier at home. Persephone is jealous because she thinks we had fun without her. On a lighter note, there were two *gorgeous* all-black 7 week-old kittens at the vet office, up for adoption – siblings, girl and boy. I wasn’t tempted, but I sure enjoyed watching them while wating to go in. Tish Hi All, Can I ask for silent purrs for Mr Spock (i.e. I know the purrs are out there, so there is no need to respond to this post). He is straining at the litterbox *again*, so is off to the vet for the second time in a month. He is not happy and will be even less happy when he figures out what is happening to him. Poor boy, he’s *so* uncomfortable. Lucky for me, my boss is very understanding as Spocky’s trip to the vet means a day off work for me since I live a long way from work and the vet’s office only opens at 9am. Tish

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks All for your purrs and well-wishes. Mr Spock says "thanks" too. Taking him to the vet was the right thing to do. He has lots of crystals in his urine – at least two different types (styruvate? and oxalate) as far as the vet can tell, but because I took Spock in early, there is no infection. Instructions from the vet are: * a gradual change in diet to low-ash food (c/d), which is safe for all the cats to eat *more watering-points around the house (Spock’s urine was a bit too concentrated, so the vet would like to see him drinking more) *metacam (anti-inflammatory) for a few days until the swelling in his delicate boy-bits has subsided. The vet was very good and explained things to my satisfaction and let me see the crystals under the microscope. Mr Spock was *very* well behaved at the vet and on the drive (only half an aria on the way there and stoney silence on the way home), but he scooted under the bed as soon as I let him out of the carrier at home. Persephone is jealous because she thinks we had fun without her. On a lighter note, there were two *gorgeous* all-black 7 week-old kittens at the vet office, up for adoption – siblings, girl and boy. I wasn’t tempted, but I sure enjoyed watching them while wating to go in. Tish

So glad he is doing better. Glad you got him into the vet. Those crystals can be nasty things to deal with. Purrs for continued health. Ginger-lyn Home Pages: http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/ http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy) http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against Animals in Movies Website)

Response:

At the moment some of the dietary changes are a little challenging because we have to manage both Spock’s problem and Ted’s advanced diabetes, but poor Ted is very ill and I’m afraid that we won’t be having to manage her diet for much longer :^(

You have my sympathy. I wish you luck. I hope Spock’s problem can be handled more easily. And I’m sincerely sorry to hear Ted is so sick, poor little lady. May I ask how old she is and how long she’s had diabetes? Our Hobo (13) was diagnosed with diabetes a year-and-a-half ago but it had gone unrecognized for months before that. He’s holding his own but it’s been a roller coaster ride. Up and down. He’s been through seven vets so far, seemingly each with different opinions – drives me crazy!! We have a little of your predicament. Hobo gets his insulin and a special diabetic diet. Speckles gets her special kidney diet. Speckles *loves* Hobo’s food. Hobo likes Speckles’ food. We have to keep an eye on both of them! Bottom line, we send concerned purrs for you, for Spock, and especially for Ted. Hugs. Jeanne

Response:

Many thanks to all of you for your suggestions of how to best deal with Spock’s crystals. At the moment some of the dietary changes are a little challenging because we have to manage both Spock’s problem and Ted’s advanced diabetes, but poor Ted is very ill and I’m afraid that we won’t be having to manage her diet for much longer :^( After we say a tearful farewell to Ted then we’ll be able to manage the kittens’ diet without having to worry about endangering the health of our geriatric monarch. Tish

Response:

Oh I’m very sorry to hear about Ted not being well. Purrs for Ted too!

Response:

Hi All, Can I ask for silent purrs for Mr Spock (i.e. I know the purrs are out there, so there is no need to respond to this post). He is straining at the litterbox *again*, so is off to the vet for the second time in a month. He is not happy and will be even less happy when he figures out what is happening to him. Poor boy, he’s *so* uncomfortable. Lucky for me, my boss is very understanding as Spocky’s trip to the vet means a day off work for me since I live a long way from work and the vet’s office only opens at 9am.

Many purrs on the way for Spock. — Marina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Response:

Oh, I was late with the purrs, but glad to hear Spock is doing well. Hope he has calmed down by now and come out from under the bed. — Marina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I *bet* he’s uncomfortable! But I’m sure things will turn out ok in the end. Back when he was a young fellow, not more than 2 or 3, Tribble(RB at age 17) went through two bouts of this within a month. Once the blockage was dealt with by TED the second time, the only continuing "treatment" was to change his diet slightly. At TED’s recommendation (this was mid-1980s), Trib was changed over to one of the "urinary diet" dry foods (he was a dry food nibbler). Natasha didn’t mind eating the same food, and she’s still going strong, and Trib never had that trouble again. I don’t remember what specifically we were changing in his diet; does low ash sound right to anyone?

Yes, it does. I’ve read that an ash content of under 2 % is to be preferred. I used to check that on all the packages, but most wet food seemed to have at least 2.5 % ash. Only the highest quality had less. Now I feed Frank his special kidney diet food (Waltham’s Renal), with sometimes a bit of Nutro Natural Choice Senior thrown in for a change. — Marina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Response:

Mr Spock was *very* well behaved at the vet and on the drive (only half an aria on the way there and stoney silence on the way home), but he scooted under the bed as soon as I let him out of the carrier at home. Oh, I was late with the purrs, but glad to hear Spock is doing well. Hope he has calmed down by now and come out from under the bed.

Thank you. Yes. He reappeared about an hour later – searching for a sunny spot to curl up in. He has forgiven me :^) Tish

Response:

Purrs for a peaceful passing for Ted when her time comes and a healthy life for Spock. MLB

Response:

Many purrs coming from here that Mr Spock’s problem is solved soon — Steve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Spot with loving memories of Rocky (RB) Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

Response:

Oh my. I am sorry to read about both Spock’s and Ted’s problems; we are sending purrs for all of you, whether furry or bare. —— Krista

Response:

Tish, I really had success putting water in various types of containers in various spots in the house. The most successful are not near food. One by the huge kitty window is a big success. Also, try even a couple of short tumbler glasses of water. For some reason, water in a glass is very attractive. I also put ice cubes in them at times and this is intriguing as well. I’m glad things went well. It’s odd he has both kinds. I don’t know if I have heard of that before. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

* a gradual change in diet to low-ash food (c/d), which is safe for all the cats to eat

Our Xoxo developed crystals a couple of years ago. He was on special prescription diet for a while too, but after doing our research, we just started feeding wet food primarily. He’s been fine ever since. It’s not the prescription, it’s the fact that it’s canned food. — Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

Response:

Purrs, gentle headbutts and meatloaf meditations for Mr. Spock to get to feeling better right away. Julie, Hobbes, Selena, Lacey, Sam and Barnab us

Response:

Oi!! That’s a bitch! Not sure how that one happened as one type of crystals are consistent with acidic urine, and the other with alkaline urine… Perhaps he has a lot of fluctuations? I’m thinking after eating, his urine is changing drastically enough to cause the one kind of crystal, while the rest of the time its at the other side of the neutral ph…. Poor guy… lots of purrs coming his way! Kristy

Response:

You bet. A whole flock of purrs coming from the Highland Kitties.

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Mega purrs for poor Spock. I’m glad you’re taking him to the vet, blockage is definitely something they need to see the doctor to have fixed. Melissa

Response:

Rusty, who had at least 2 blockages, sympathizes and sends purrs to Mr. Spock. Winnie

Response:

I *bet* he’s uncomfortable! But I’m sure things will turn out ok in the end. Back when he was a young fellow, not more than 2 or 3, Tribble(RB at age 17) went through two bouts of this within a month. Once the blockage was dealt with by TED the second time, the only continuing "treatment" was to change his diet slightly. At TED’s recommendation (this was mid-1980s), Trib was changed over to one of the "urinary diet" dry foods (he was a dry food nibbler). Natasha didn’t mind eating the same food, and she’s still going strong, and Trib never had that trouble again. I don’t remember what specifically we were changing in his diet; does low ash sound right to anyone? Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha http://www.jhedge.com

Response:

Oh purrs!!!! Blocking SUCKS! I hope you can get it controlled. Poor Spock. Keep us posted.

Response:

Thickening of the bowel and intestinal walls

admin — Mon, 30 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I have had two cats who were unable to eat ordinary cat food without it causing them to be unwell. Their names were Gemma and Thalia. My vet, husband and I decided that the best first course of treatment for them was a prescription diet called here in the UK "Sensitvity Control" and oral Prednisolone daily. From time to time it was thought necessary to give both girls tiny doses of an antacid. For years, this treatment was the perfect answer to Gemma’s and Thalia’s problem which was recorded as IBS. Several years after starting this treatment, Gemma and Thalia began to rapidly lose weight. As both were at that time getting on in years, my husband and I decided to not agree to their vet putting them through surgery in order to try to find out why this might be. Gemma had a good quality of life for many months after we decided to not put her through surgery and Thalia had longer than that. Thus my husband and I were able to think that by not putting them through exploratory surgery, we had chosen the right course of action. Sheenah

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I was talking to a friend today and she is worried about one of her cats. She took him to the vet because he had been alternately refusing food and being sick, and one of the things they did was an x ray. They found this thickening and have booked him in for surgery this week for a biopsy to find out if it is IBS or something else. She is going nuts with worry and will go see the vet to ask more questions, but in the mean time I thought I would ask here. What else may it be? She is worried that the surgery is invasive and may cause more problems. If it is likely to be IBS what would be the usual treatment? If it is a change of diet, then surely it would make sense to try that for a while first? The vet did not mention cancer, but that is a possibility that scares her. This is not a question of cost, she would spend her last penny on this cat ( and he is insured), but she was in such a state of shock she didn’t ask all she needed to. (It is also a holiday here and the practice is closed). Any knowledgable advice and calming purrs requested please.

The other thing I know of is Not Good, so here are purrs that it turns out to be IBD/S. It would be better by far.

Response:

Find out if the biopsy is "open" or "minimally invasive". The latter is also called endoscopic. Minimally invasive biopsies do involve anesthesia, but no incision. Depending on the area being examined and the instruments and training available, a flexible instrument is inserted either down the throat or the anus, and threaded through the patient. It has a fiber-optic viewing system, so the examiner can see as well as in an open biopsy, and also has flexible cutting tools so small biopsy specimens can be taken. The only real recovery time is from the anesthesia. There’s even a new technique used in humans that won’t take biopsies, but will give a complete inspection from one end of the digestive system to the other. I’m not sure if it’s available or feasible for cats. It involves swallowing what might look like a capsule, but is actually a disposable video camera and miniaturized radio transmitter, which sends images to receivers temporarily strapped to the body. With people, they walk around with this for a day or two; I don’t know if either the capsule is too large for a cat to swallow, and if the receivers can be put either on a sedated cat or in a manner that the cat won’t fight effectively. Another minimally invasive technique would be CT scanning, invasive only that a contrast dye might be injected. This won’t, of course, give a biopsy. She is going nuts with worry and will go see the vet to ask more questions, but in the mean time I thought I would ask here. What else may it be? She is worried that the surgery is invasive and may cause more problems. If it is likely to be IBS what would be the usual treatment?

Lots of possibilities, and it’s hard even to guess without a technical description of the X-ray. Was the X-ray done with contrast medium (e.g., barium)? Is there a description of where the thickening was noticed? If it is a change of diet, then surely it would make sense to try that for a while first?

In human medicine, there are some diseases along these lines that may involve eliminating certain things from the diet, such as gluten or lactose. An analysis of a bowel movement, or even a 24 hour sample, might be important in these diseases, of the general class of malabsorption syndromes (e.g., sprue). Again in two-legged people, one of the signs of malabsorption is noticeable fat (when the stool is in water), and typically a noticeably bad smell. Many of the conditions that come to mind, however, need drug treatment, which might be an occasional course or long-term. A variety of conditions can fall under the loose description of inflammatory bowel disease. The vet did not mention cancer, but that is a possibility that scares her.

The good news is that "thickening" is not a likely description of cancer, which usually would be in specific spots. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is not a question of cost, she would spend her last penny on this cat ( and he is insured), but she was in such a state of shock she didn’t ask all she needed to. (It is also a holiday here and the practice is closed). Any knowledgable advice and calming purrs requested please.

Response:

Any knowledgable advice and calming purrs requested please.

No advice to offer but lots of purrs coming for your friend and her cat. — Marina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Response:

Thanks to everone who replied, I will keep you posted. My friend will be devastated if it is anything worse. — Sandra

Response:

No advice unfortunately, but lots of purrs and best wishes for the problem to be easily treatable, — Polonca & Soncek

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Any knowledgable advice and calming purrs requested please.

Our Basho just went through pretty much the same thing. We decided to try metronidazole and diet first, but keep an eye on his weight. Tell you friend to buy an inexpensive baby scale (I got mine on ebay) to do that. We’re hoping it’s IBD because the alternative is not good. — Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)

Response:

Hi, I was talking to a friend today and she is worried about one of her cats. She took him to the vet because he had been alternately refusing food and being sick, and one of the things they did was an x ray. They found this thickening and have booked him in for surgery this week for a biopsy to find out if it is IBS or something else. She is going nuts with worry and will go see the vet to ask more questions, but in the mean time I thought I would ask here. What else may it be? She is worried that the surgery is invasive and may cause more problems. If it is likely to be IBS what would be the usual treatment? If it is a change of diet, then surely it would make sense to try that for a while first? The vet did not mention cancer, but that is a possibility that scares her. This is not a question of cost, she would spend her last penny on this cat ( and he is insured), but she was in such a state of shock she didn’t ask all she needed to. (It is also a holiday here and the practice is closed). Any knowledgable advice and calming purrs requested please. — Sandra

Response:

Hi, Sandra, One of my cats, Omar, has IBD, we think (although we’ve not done a biopsy — my vet thought the symptoms were pretty definite) and I’ve found that daily metranidazole has helped alleviate his symptoms. Right now we are also adding prednisone but that is because we suspect he has some other health issues, too. I would suggest reading online for your friend, too. There is a yahoo newsgroup for feline IBD also. Here are a few links that might be useful: http://www.bestfriends.org/members/health/felinflbwl.htm http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FelineIBD/ http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/ibd.html http://www.cat-lovers-only.com/inflammatory-bowel-disease.html hth, Christine

Response:

OT: the cats as of 29 August

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

29 August 2004 Full Moon. Corn Moon. I may be absent from all my Newsgroups 4 – 13 September. My Brother (Michel Andruschak) and I are flying together to Seattle to celebrate our Mother’s 80th Birthday on 5 September. Whilst I am gone, Wendy Andruschak will come over daily to scoop out the litter boxes, change and refresh the water bowls, top off the food dishes, and maybe interact with the cats. I will be paying her $100 for this. Family is family but we figure that eight litter boxes for four cats is $10/day. I am also making sure all eight litter boxes get emptied, scrubbed, and filled with fresh litter before I leave Saturday. As I often joke in AA, this is when I get on my knees and humble myself before my Higher Power, or at least her four Avatars. Pagans and Wiccans, of course, understand this is not a joke, but a simple statement of commitment. For reasons I do not understand, Fluffy and the rest of the cats stopped using litter box #6 in my bedroom, which was near the Altar. After a week of no usage, I moved it into The Harem where boxes 1 – 5 are, and they started using it again. Boxes 7 and 8 are in the Living Room, but only Silver seems to use those. For reasons of both weight control and hairball control, my vet had suggested I start feeding them Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline R/D. I have started the changeover, slowly mixing in more and more of the R/D and less of the IAMS. By next Saturday the changeover should be complete and Wendy will not have to worry about mixing the two foods. In spite of which Czarina still insists she is starving to death because I do not share my human food with her. The vet would also like to see Max on 14 September. His last vet visit was back in May or June of 2003. After that, Czarina should have her teeth cleaned on 15 September, and maybe Max should have his teeth cleaned on 16 September. I hope I can pay for all this once I get back from Seattle. I need to talk to Faith about the vet records for Silver and Fluffy. The four cats are otherwise healthy, loving, willing to "help me out" on all occasions, make sure I don’t oversleep, and otherwise get into everything. @@@ The Full Moon was technically at 7:22 PM earlier this evening, but at that time I was at my regular AA meting. I will do a small, personal ritual at midnight. A nice way to end my day off from work. Reply to HarryAndruschak AT aol DOT com Solitary Pagan, and Cat-Daddy to ^..^ Czarina, Max, Fluffy, and Silver ^..^ Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge: Tyler, Pearly, and Conway .

Response:

Harry, Happt Birthday to Mom. Very good of Wendy to do cat box duty while you are away. I like the image of your homage to Goddess while you kneel before the cat boxs. She must love that! ) Tracy

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happy 80th to your mom harry. enjoy your visit. mickey "Harry Andruschak aka Amethyst" wrote in message news:20040830005105.07102.00000025@mb-m12.aol.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> 29 August 2004 Full Moon. > Corn Moon. > I may be absent from all my Newsgroups 4 – 13 September. My Brother (Michel > Andruschak) and I are flying together to Seattle to celebrate our Mother’s 80th > Birthday on 5 September. Whilst I am gone, Wendy Andruschak will come over > daily to scoop out the litter boxes, change and refresh the water bowls, top > off the food dishes, and maybe interact with the cats. I will be paying her > $100 for this. Family is family but we figure that eight litter boxes for four > cats is $10/day. > I am also making sure all eight litter boxes get emptied, scrubbed, and filled > with fresh litter before I leave Saturday. As I often joke in AA, this is when > I get on my knees and humble myself before my Higher Power, or at least her > four Avatars. Pagans and Wiccans, of course, understand this is not a joke, but > a simple statement of commitment. > For reasons I do not understand, Fluffy and the rest of the cats stopped using > litter box #6 in my bedroom, which was near the Altar. After a week of no > usage, I moved it into The Harem where boxes 1 – 5 are, and they started using > it again. Boxes 7 and 8 are in the Living Room, but only Silver seems to use > those. > For reasons of both weight control and hairball control, my vet had suggested I > start feeding them Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline R/D. I have started the > changeover, slowly mixing in more and more of the R/D and less of the IAMS. By > next Saturday the changeover should be complete and Wendy will not have to > worry about mixing the two foods. In spite of which Czarina still insists she > is starving to death because I do not share my human food with her. > The vet would also like to see Max on 14 September. His last vet visit was back > in May or June of 2003. After that, Czarina should have her teeth cleaned on 15 > September, and maybe Max should have his teeth cleaned on 16 September. I hope > I can pay for all this once I get back from Seattle. I need to talk to Faith > about the vet records for Silver and Fluffy. > The four cats are otherwise healthy, loving, willing to "help me out" on all > occasions, make sure I don’t oversleep, and otherwise get into everything. > @@@ > The Full Moon was technically at 7:22 PM earlier this evening, but at that time > I was at my regular AA meting. I will do a small, personal ritual at midnight. > A nice way to end my day off from work. > Reply to HarryAndruschak AT aol DOT com > Solitary Pagan, and Cat-Daddy to ^..^ Czarina, Max, Fluffy, and Silver ^..^ > Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge: Tyler, Pearly, and Conway > > .

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Diet Problems

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Some of you have had problems keeping special-diet food separated from kitties with different dietary needs. It can be daunting, can’t it? Hobo is diabetic and on a high-protein diet. He has a special prescription DM food, both dry and canned, and fortunately likes it and eats both with gusto. However, Speckles has a kidney problem, currently has lost over two-thirds of kidney function. She also likes Hobo’s food, which is, of course, the complete opposite of what’s good for her. They are fed in different rooms but Speckles finds ways to get to it. She was prescribed K/D food last summer but refused to touch it, still does. Her vet says that’s not uncommon and has given her a special prescription food, which she ate heartily the first couple of days. No more!! She won’t even sniff at it!! So, while I feel like I’m murdering my kitty, I’ve given in and reverted to her beloved Fancy Feast, which isn’t good for her but beats starving, and believe me, she *does* starve herself rather than give in to K/D or the special Eukanaba. But I think FF is better than the diabetes-management food and try to keep her out of *that*. Once a vet would give my non-eating cat a dose of Valium which would make a cat eat *anything*. It worked but was only a temporary Band-Aid treatment. Maybe I should try that and *force* her to eat the prescribed food. Jeanne Jeanne Hajos spamguard:( u is i, and not is net) === "Anger improves nothing except the arch of a cat’s back." — Coleman Cox My SETI team: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/team/team_125874.html

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Some of you have had problems keeping special-diet food separated from kitties with different dietary needs. It can be daunting, can’t it? Hobo is diabetic and on a high-protein diet. He has a special prescription DM food, both dry and canned, and fortunately likes it and eats both with gusto. However, Speckles has a kidney problem, currently has lost over two-thirds of kidney function. She also likes Hobo’s food, which is, of course, the complete opposite of what’s good for her. They are fed in different rooms but Speckles finds ways to get to it. She was prescribed K/D food last summer but refused to touch it, still does. Her vet says that’s not uncommon and has given her a special prescription food, which she ate heartily the first couple of days. No more!! She won’t even sniff at it!! So, while I feel like I’m murdering my kitty, I’ve given in and reverted to her beloved Fancy Feast, which isn’t good for her but beats starving, and believe me, she *does* starve herself rather than give in to K/D or the special Eukanaba. But I think FF is better than the diabetes-management food and try to keep her out of *that*. Once a vet would give my non-eating cat a dose of Valium which would make a cat eat *anything*. It worked but was only a temporary Band-Aid treatment. Maybe I should try that and *force* her to eat the prescribed food. Jeanne Jeanne Hajos spamguard:( u is i, and not is net) === "Anger improves nothing except the arch of a cat’s back." — Coleman Cox My SETI team: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/team/team_125874.html

My vet said she used to prescibe strict prescription diet for her kidney kits, but after a while with the number that wouldn’t eat at all, it has become her policy to get them to eat period whatever they will as that causes less complications than not eating at all, which is what can happen. If it eases your mind any, I believe there is a healthy debate going on in the vet community that it is perhaps NOT a low protien diet that is the answer and some believe higher protien diets are more important. I say as long as you get her to eat it is better than not.

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If it eases your mind any, I believe there is a healthy debate going on in the vet community that it is perhaps NOT a low protien diet that is the answer and some believe higher protien diets are more important. I say as long as you get her to eat it is better than not.

Yes, it *does* ease my mind. Thank you. I’ve been truly concerned about it – we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that we’re going to lose Speckles since she has only 1/3 kidney function and has lost a pound in the past month – but I want her last to be "happy meals" and if she enjoys what allegedly is not good for her, well, I guess that’s all right. Jeanne

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Jeanne, I sort of had to face that with my RB kitty Frodo who had both kidney and liver problems. They started to show up when he was around 15. He wouldn’t eat the special foods either so I decided that quality of life was most important for him and I let him eat his food. In other ways I managed his conditions with daily lactacted ringer fluids for his kidneys and prednisone for his liver. He lived to be 3 weeks shy of 21 and actually had a good quality of life up until the last few months. Christine

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Terry, my dog through my middle years and early adolescence, was diagnosed with kidney failure and put on K/D. He hated it, and had been given only six months to live even with it. My mother decided to put him on Gravy Train, simply because he loved it. He filled out, and lived almost 3 years longer, dying of cardiac, not renal disease.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If it eases your mind any, I believe there is a healthy debate going on in the vet community that it is perhaps NOT a low protien diet that is the answer and some believe higher protien diets are more important. I say as long as you get her to eat it is better than not. Yes, it *does* ease my mind. Thank you. I’ve been truly concerned about it – we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that we’re going to lose Speckles since she has only 1/3 kidney function and has lost a pound in the past month – but I want her last to be "happy meals" and if she enjoys what allegedly is not good for her, well, I guess that’s all right. Jeanne . .snip thats what my Henri died of, you have my sympathy Jeanne Jean.P. Terry, my dog through my middle years and early adolescence, was diagnosed with kidney failure and put on K/D. He hated it, and had been given only six months to live even with it. My mother decided to put him on Gravy Train, simply because he loved it. He filled out, and lived almost 3 years longer, dying of cardiac, not renal disease .thats great, they used to say a little bit of what you fancy does you good

Jean.P.

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That’s a wonderful story! And encouraging to hear. Good for your Mom!!! So if Speckles is happier with her Fancy Feast, that’s what we’ll do. Thanks for posting. Jeanne

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The big issue with feeding a CRF cat is phosphorus levels in food. Most brands of Fancy Feast are much too high. This following chart has phosphorus levels for a variety of different foods: http://www.sugarcats.net/sites/jmpeerson/canfood.html You may be able to find something that has lower phosphorus levels that Fancy Feast that your cat will eat. Wellness or Innova Light are good options you might want to try. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu’s Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." – W.H. Murray

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Thank you so much!!! I didn’t know about the phosphorus angle. I’ve checked out the chart and will go by that. There *are* some flavors of Fancy Feast that Speckles won’t eat and I can avoid those with higher phosphorus content. She’s so darn picky she won’t eat the Iams or others prepared for "mature" cats. I’ll most definitely try the Wellness/Innova Light. The prescription foods are so dense she acts as though she’s trying to gag down peanut butter! I do want her to have what’s best for her. I’m already moved to tears sometimes when I think of what’s ahead for her. (As an aside, I’m indebted to Megan for her help when I was a terrified newby with Hobo’s diabetes. I knew absolutely zilch about the disease. Megan spent hours of her time talking with me and gathering and sending invaluable information, which I still keep handy and refer to. Hobo is stable now, doing very well, gained back the four pounds he’d lost, and looks and acts great. Also I found a vet who not only OKs home testing but recommends the best testers!) Jeanne

Response:

Bath time for Hestia

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Saturday Afternoon 14 February 2004 And so Hestia, the last of the four cats was taken to the groomer’s today. Anal glands expressed, claws trimmed, and bathed. Alas, she is still BADLY overweight. What is worse, she is no longer losing weight. She is such a sweetie that I would hate to have to give her up. But how do we get her weight down? The other three cats get along quite well with free feeding of Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline K/D. They eat in moderation. She doesn’t. Well, both the groomer, the owner of the Pet Resort, and my Brother said that the cats could get along being fed twice a day, an hour before I go to bed, and an hour after I wake up. During this feeding time, Hestia will be alone in my bedroom (The Slave’s Quarters), with her food bowl, 7/8 cup of food daily. The other three cats will free feed as before from the other four food dishes around the apartment: one in the kitchen, two in the living room, and two in the harem. After one hour, I will put all the food bowls away in a cupboard where they can’t get at it. It may take some time for the cats to adjust, but this will be better for them, I hope. I will go to work today, my last day for over seven weeks. (Six weeks of school, followed by a week of vacation time so I can revisit my old evening AA meetings and celebrate 20 years of sobriety.) This counts as overtime. Monday is holiday pay as I fly to Norman. I hope to use the extra money to build up my account at the Dentist for those six crowns. I have to pay her in advance, as I am not allowed any credit cards whilst in Chapter 13. Reply to harryandruschak AT aol DOT com Honorary Menobabe with golden toenails Abject, humble Cat Harem eunuch slave to ^..^ Conway, Czarina, Max, and Hestia (formerly Molly) ^..^ "Because Nice Matters"

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->From: >Harry >Saturday Afternoon 14 February 2004 >And so Hestia, the last of the four cats was taken to the groomer’s today. >Anal >glands expressed, claws trimmed, and bathed. Alas, she is still BADLY >overweight. What is worse, she is no longer losing weight. She is such a >sweetie that I would hate to have to give her up. But how do we get her >weight >down? The other three cats get along quite well with free feeding of Hill’s >Prescription Diet Feline K/D. They eat in moderation. She doesn’t. >Well, both the groomer, the owner of the Pet Resort, and my Brother said that >the cats could get along being fed twice a day, an hour before I go to bed, >and >an hour after I wake up. During this feeding time, Hestia will be alone in my >bedroom (The Slave’s Quarters), with her food bowl, 7/8 cup of food daily. >The >other three cats will free feed as before from the other four food dishes >around the apartment: one in the kitchen, two in the living room, and two in >the harem. After one hour, I will put all the food bowls away in a cupboard >where they can’t get at it. It may take some time for the cats to adjust, but >this will be better for them, I hope.

Ah yes..the quandry of dieting a cat whilst keeping the others from rioting. BTDT. Good luck,Harry. Sharon……..Don’t think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it as your inner child playing with matches.

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>From: frankenmel >quandry

quandary. Sharon……..Don’t think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it as your inner child playing with matches.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Frankenmel wrote: >>From: >>Harry >>Well, both the groomer, the owner of the Pet Resort, and my Brother said that >>the cats could get along being fed twice a day, an hour before I go to bed, >>and >>an hour after I wake up. During this feeding time, Hestia will be alone in my >>bedroom (The Slave’s Quarters), with her food bowl, 7/8 cup of food daily. >>The >>other three cats will free feed as before from the other four food dishes >>around the apartment: one in the kitchen, two in the living room, and two in >>the harem. After one hour, I will put all the food bowls away in a cupboard >>where they can’t get at it. It may take some time for the cats to adjust, but >>this will be better for them, I hope. > Ah yes..the quandry of dieting a cat whilst keeping the others from rioting. > BTDT. Good luck,Harry.

That must be a feat! Our chow hounds get fed twice a day, and all of them devour their food before the others can get to it. It does make it easier to put one of them on a diet, as needed. FurPaw — Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever. To reply, unleash the dog.

Response:

mental healing?

admin — Thu, 25 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -J wrote in message … > Pell Nilly wrote: > > Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! > > I just adopted a deserted cat. (Yay!) I seem to be allergic to her. > > (Boo! I haven’t been noticably allergic to anything except the direct > > saliva of one prior cat.) Having no intention of putting the cat > > through another traumatic life change, I’m thinking it’s time to fix > > my body’s habit of attacking things that aren’t invaders. Seems to me > > I ought to be able to help the lupus in the process if I can find some > > natural ways of redirecting my body. > Prescription catfood and bathing my cats at least once a year helped me > with that (and keeping the cats brushed and the place "fur-free"). I use > watered down plain head and shoulders and then towel dry in a warm > environment or let them sun dry (away from drafts so they don’t get sick). > But if the allergy is severe, it might not be a workable situation. You > might have to bath her once every few weeks. And some cats lick themselves > more after a bath..ie more saliva which contains proteins..hence an age > appropriate vet prescription diet. Now about bathing a cat…… > J

What’s the prescription for, for the catfood? What might be present or missing in such catfood that would make you less allergic? Yeah, it’s been a while since I had to full-shampoo bathe an adult cat. I wiped her down pretty well the other night, then dried and combed her. I also bought some lotion that’s supposed to be applied weekly to her fur, to reduce the proteins in her fur. I’ll try that later in the week.

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Who has a Ricky and a Lucy? I have two birds named that…. parakeets!!! They’ve been together forever and they are so attached to eachother and get along so well and cuddle all the time….. Nettie wrote in message

news:24354-3FEE6D0D-114@storefull-3218.bay.webtv.net… LOL! It’s kinda late now, but my next pet may very well be a slug! I think it depends upon what other responsibilities one has when deciding on a pet. I never intended on having two mutt bratts, but love’s a strange thing. I don’t have children, parents, etc., so I can put my energy into Lucy & Ricky more than another could. The mental healing is so true though. I don’t know where I’d be without these babies. So, again, it’s so worth it to me to be down & tired because of them. However, Lucy has taken to "climbing" the gate, so quote me while you can! :-