Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cat, cats, grief, loss, Rumpelmintz on June 16, 2013| 7 Comments »
Rumpelmintz is gone. My friend Barb used to say “Rumpelmintz is too stubborn to die.” I guess she was right. In the end, we did have to give her a little help. It was time, and she needed to be told it was okay to let go.
My little girl, a princess napping on a pillow
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cats, grief, Kitty.com, loss on July 16, 2012| 9 Comments »
Kitty.com has left us today. She fought a valiant battle, but she looked tired and ready to go. I assured her she could rest now, and left her in the incredibly compassionate and capable hands of Dr. Olsen. Kitty.com seemed unsure for just a moment, before tucking her sweet face into Dr. Olsen’s chest, ready for her battle to end.
Posted in Feline nutrition and health, tagged cats, plants, poison, poisonous on June 27, 2012|
Unfortunately, I’ve had a few conversations with friends recently about substances toxic to cats. One general rule of thumb – if you don’t know for a fact that something is NOT toxic to cats – assume it is!
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cats, grief, Jellybean, loss on September 7, 2010| 9 Comments »
I lost Jellybean today. Jellybean was my firecracker, with lots of “tortie-tude”. The spark of that firecracker has sadly gone out.
Jellybean in their window enclosure
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, Life of the Lintee Bean, tagged cats, hungry on November 3, 2009| 4 Comments »
I have four cats. Most people consider that a LOT of cats. People react to the information on the size of my furry family in many ways, including comments like:
Most of the time, I do really like cats. But you know, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes the cats drive me BONKERS.
Posted in Feline nutrition and health, tagged asthma, cats, Studley on September 30, 2009| 1 Comment »
When a caregiver contacts me regarding a cat having difficulty breathing, coughing fits, and/or wheezing – my first guess is asthma. My second guess would be heart disease. Then again, it could be as simple as an upper respiratory infection (the cat’s version of the common cold.) There’s not a lot you can do for a cold – but if it’s progressed to bronchitis/pneumonia, an antibiotic would be appropriate. Obviously, the first step is to get the cat to a vet. Any cat having difficulty breathing should see a vet IMMEDIATELY! I’d start with a chest x-ray.
Posted in Feline nutrition and health, tagged cats, cholongiohepatitis, feline, IBD, Latifah, liver, lymphoma, pancreas, pancreatitis, Rumpelmintz, triaditis on September 29, 2009| 46 Comments »
Feline triaditis is actually three conditions occurring simultaneously: pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), cholongiohepatitis (inflammation of the liver), and inflammatory bowel disease or IBD (inflammation of the intestines).
There may be no known “cure” for triaditis, though I would argue that proper nutrition is the absolute BEST method of treatment and prevention. By proper nutrition, I mean a raw diet or a canned diet – and most definitely no dry food/kibble of any kind.
Posted in Feline nutrition and health, tagged cat food, cats, fat, feline nutrition, obesity on June 15, 2009| 5 Comments »
Is your tabby too tubby? Is your cat extra-fluffy and not in a good way?
Omaha in 2002 - over 20 pounds
Well, if you haven’t already, start by eliminating ALL DRY FOOD. ALL OF IT. Attempting to get a cat to lose weight on dry food is a losing battle. I know, I tried it for over a year with my cat Omaha. We tried cutting portions again and again until he got only 1/8 cup dry food daily and lay by the bowl crying – and still not losing weight. “Lite” (lower calorie) dry foods DO NOT WORK, they are too high in carbohydrates. Low-carb grain-free high-protein dry foods DO NOT WORK, they are too high in calories. Your cat needs to eat only WET food – not only to achieve an ideal weight, but to avoid a lot of other serious health issues (like diabetes, urinary tract disease, etc.)
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cats, Louie on February 20, 2009| 3 Comments »
Louie went to the vet January 24, just for a routine check-up and anal gland expression. The vet noted he could use a dental. I asked if it would be okay to get it done in March or April, and he said that was fine. I scheduled it for March 10.
Louie the goof
Posted in Chi-Town Fur Gang, tagged cats, Studley on January 14, 2009| 2 Comments »
Well, apparently when I reassured Studley about his punk “furcut” after his recent pancreatitis episode, I was TOO reassuring. I thought he looked embarrassed (not to mention COLD), coming home from the hospitals with a shaved belly, shaved sides, and three shaved legs. So, I told him patchwork furcuts like his were ALL the rage now. All the trendy kitties were wearing them.
Sexy furkini
Life of the Lintee Bean 