I got this appeal from Dee in North Carolina — the length shows how attentive she is to her pets’ symptoms and how aware she is of dangers and nutritional issues too — a really great owner!
One of our cats, a 2 year old neutered male named Pumpkin (picture attached), has not been eating well the past few days. He’s one of three cats (two boys and one girl, all siblings) who each eat a normal 5.5 oz can of wet cat food (Friskies) twice a day — totaling 6 cans/day– and the only one not eating the food. We have a variety of flavors so I thought it was a specific one and changed which one he was eating. Still not interested… Would try to take some bites but then walk away. His urine and fecal movements are okay and we do have water down for them, too. Out of frustration and desperation to get him to eat, I cooked up some ground beef and he’s had about 1 C worth over the past 24 hours. Also ate a vienna sausage (I use those to give my12 year old dog a daily pill — gave him one without a pill obviously), and some baked ham so I know he’s hungry. Turned up his nose to some turkey gravy (also opened up a can of this out of desperation), but I’ll try him on some chicken tomorrow — still frozen.
Fur feels kind of oily like it gets when they are sick but not overly oily — he’s normally a very soft (almost angora like his sister) and fluffy kitty. I had been adding in the oil of one fish oil capsule to the boys’ food as they were having a bad time with flea dermatitis (their sister doesn’t like the fish oil at all) so I’ve stopped that for the meantime. He’s really not changed behaviors, just a little sluggish at times. Just gave him some more hamburger and he’s happy — I’m just glad he’s eating! What else should I give him besides chicken? He’s the known butter thief in the family too — but I’ve had it locked up and he can’t get to it (room temperature butter for spreading on toast — locked it in the cabinet above the toaster).
I’ve also attached two pictures of plants I’ve recently brought into the house when these freezing temperatures descended upon us last week. Nearly killed my huge Aloe plant and HUGE Macho fern (forgot them on the front porch — we use the carport for going in and out), two bridal veil plants (dark green pots), and my jasmine plant which I had in the back yard in full sun. Not sure if he’s chewed any of those — though the aloe is suspect as it was weeping for a bit when it thawed out (and STUNK! I need to trim the bad leaves off now), and he did play a bit with the macho fern (likes to play hide and seek under it). I do know someone or all three of them have been munching on my artificial Christmas tree as I’ve seen urps with that stuff in it on the floor. Nothing like more cleaning of carpets…
We have recently changed (in Nov) all of their flea meds from Frontline to Advantage and I’ve seen such a DIFFERENCE in their skin. They’re not breaking out anymore! We’ve been vacuuming (which the vet’s tech — their daughter — said activates the hatching of the eggs with the vibrations) every other day and cleaning the carpets with HOT water every two weeks to keep on top of it. The cats are indoors only but we have the large dog (1/2 Boxer- 1/4 German Shepard 1/4 Labrador Retriever) and our daughter’s year old Australian Terrier who do go in and out. We do try to remember to spray the yard during the spring and summer but it’s been a very tough season here in the south for fleas.
I do wish we could afford the Weruva and Vectra for the cats and dogs but we also have a horse (5 year old American Quarter Horse, sorrel/chestnut, named Buster) so our pennies are stretched out very thin for animal upkeep, and my husband will be retiring from the Army this next year. I don’t work, do homeschool our youngest daughter, and we have a wedding for our eldest daughter next year to pay for in October. Her dog and horse will go with her too–so then I could possibly afford the Vectra.
which I’d like to invest in as we live in a very sandy soil area (“sand hills” of North Carolina). I’ve also looked into the cost of making our own cat food and have found the supplements I’ll need online — just need to buy a meat grinder and find who has the best prices for the meat. That will be a gradual transition, too. Until then, bonuses of homemade meat balls once in a while are given to all of them (they like them raw and I don’t add anything to them).
which I’d like to invest in as we live in a very sandy soil area (“sand hills” of North Carolina). I’ve also looked into the cost of making our own cat food and have found the supplements I’ll need online — just need to buy a meat grinder and find who has the best prices for the meat. That will be a gradual transition, too. Until then, bonuses of homemade meat balls once in a while are given to all of them (they like them raw and I don’t add anything to them).There were a couple of things I told Dee when she called into CAT CHAT® that night (she doesn’t have SiriusXM satellite radio but I told her anyone can call the toll free number 866-675-6675 between 8-9 PM EST any Wednesday night!) First, I think something is definitely up with Pumpkin — his greasy fur and change in appetite is a big tip off so I think a vet visit is need for a physical exam and blood work. Secondly, while I understand financial constraints, the science behind Frontline is 17 years old so it is markedly less effective than Vectra, which has been formulated and newly developed with the newest technology and research. Also, Frontline is now sold over the counter and on websites and there is no quality control and no way of knowing you are getting a genuine product (there are a lot of websites selling fake product), even if it is less effective than Vectra! (many people find it stops working after about 2 weeks so they put on another application which is really unsafe and unhealthy since it is a 30-day product, even if it does not work effectively for that long). The really awesome Christmas Stocking Stuffer news is that Dee is going to get some complimentary Vectra for her kitties from Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins (the Official vet of CAT CHAT® who is now the head of Vectra’s Veterinary Services — congratulations Elizabeth!) One reason why is that Dee knows about Vectra from me, would want to choose it over any other brand, and has budgetary concerns right now — we know she’ll one day be able to be a loyal and satisfied Vectra customer for her dog and kitty cats!
Lastly, if she wants to make food at home it needs to be chicken-based and the grinder she gets must be capable of grinding whole chickens, bones and all, with added organ meat. Beyond that, she is going to need to supplement with Platinum Performance for a fully balanced meal (taurine, etc.) and overall health benefits (Dr. Elizabeth and many vets I know suggest all their dogs and cats are on Platinum daily, as are my dogs and mini-donkey and my husband and I!) so there are monetary considerations in all this, too!
Here were Dr. Elizabeth’s comments on Pumpkin:
The Friskies is not a bad alternative to dry food if the owner can’t upgrade to whole chicken or similar. The Platinum only costs 5 cents/day/cat so that really shouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, I doubt that cold weather is affecting this cat’s appetite. Hot weather can, but generally cats will eat more during cold weather. She doesn’t say how old this kitty is but I suspect there is something medical going on and if it persists, she will have to take him to be examined as it may be serious and it will be cheaper and easier to deal with the earlier she acts. The change in the fur is also troublesome so I think unless he snaps out of this soon, a vet visit is in order.
Here is a comment about Pumpkin from Dr Donna Spector, DOG TALK® and CAT CHAT® Official Second Opinion Vet (www.SPECTORDVM.com):
While the decreased appetite does happen to some cats… I wouldn’t necessarily want to just chalk it up to that. I took a look at the picture and he is looking a little greasy/unkempt. Being a young cat… they can get into a lot of things… sometimes GI foreign bodies look like this, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, etc. These are the questions I would ask of a client: with the holidays… do they have tinsel up or other decorations that he might have nibbled on? Does he have access to the tree / tree water? I once had a 3 year old cat who ate so many pine needles from the Christmas tree he was impacted from the stomach up to his mid-espophagus. No vomiting… just didn’t want to eat. So this isn’t necessarily something like that… but this can be a digestively stressful time of year… any parties? People who fed fatty treats? New treats recently?
I don’t think trying a different brand of food is a bad idea and in the short term (one or two weeks) she can home cook for him… especially if he is sick (like with a pancreatitis, etc) the very best thing would be lean meats she cooks at home. Sounds like he liked the burger she gave him and he actually ate a decent amount. But I think she needs to get the vet sooner rather than later.
Thank you to my wonderful veterinary colleagues who are so swift and generous with their time and knowledge! And wishing good health to Pumpkin, of course.
UPDATE: Pumpkin Pulled Out of It!
I was so happy to get this message back from Dee in North Carolina — who was ready to take Pumpkin to the vet, but was very glad not to have to!
Last night Pumpkin came and slept with us, something he’s not done in a very long time. This morning he ate an entire can of food (gave half with the others at breakfast and then the other half about an hour later), and again this evening he just ate a full dinner without any problem. His fur is feeling and looking almost normal again. Whatever it was it has passed (of course I was praying for him, too
. I’ll still continue to monitor him and will call in tonight as promised.
I am so thankful for this gift of Vectra! Honestly it is a true surprise as I was not expecting anything but a suggestion of what to feed Pumpkin, etc. I am truly thankful to both you and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins for this unexpected but very welcome gift.
We have two vets we use. One is the vet clinic on the Army base (Fort Bragg) where my husband is stationed and retiring from and they only carry Frontline for the cats. I take the cats there for their annual shots, but we can’t do much beyond regular check ups and minor things there. I can pretty much say it will be a no go for the military to add Vectra to their clinics — they’re extremely tough to get things changed there.
I will look into the Platinum Performance supplement Dr. Elizabeth mentioned, and the fish oil was normal human fish oil by Sundown Naturals (1000 mg). Obviously I have listened to you about fish oil but thought this would be as good as Nordic Naturals and even more obviously now I have a LOT MORE to learn! My cats have been off “kitty crack” since March and I will look more into what would be best for them at the level that I can afford. If it’s staying with Friskies then so be it unless there is something better out there which is better and pretty comparable in price. I can say our cost for cat, dog, and horse food/litter/meds is pretty expensive each month, but I love them all as I do my children. They are my furry children! I’ll be calling in tonight, I promise. Thank you, again, for all of your generosity and helping me get them on the right track.
I replied:
Dear Dee — It was terrific that you called into CAT CHAT® tonight – wonderful to get to know you in person! I have three things to straighten out for you which I didn’t have time for on the air.
1) The vet on the base is WAY “OFF BASE”! No cats should be getting annual shots of any kind — holistic vets and health-conscious vets of any kind have known for years that yearly vaccinations are unnecessary and possibly harmful. The AVMA (which is the organization all vets belong to) has a stated policy that vaccines should only be given every 3 years (although many of the more educated vets would say that is often overkill for many pets). So you can save some money and definitely some potential harm to your kitties right there!
2) WERUVA, my favorite cat food, is definitely costly because of the very high quality ingredients it contains, but they also make BFF (Best Feline Friend), a less costly yet high quality cat food. Both these foods and even the Friskies your other kitties eat and many brands both value-priced and premium can be found at my newest sponsor www.PETLFOW.com! With a minimum $60 order you will pay NO SHIPPING even for litter (all the Dr Elsey Precious Cat litters are there and imagine how nice to not have to lug them home but let the UPS man bring them without charge!) Simply put dogtalk (one word) in the code box at checkout and you will not be lugging stuff home from the market anymore! Also, Petflow.com carries the kibble I feed my own dogs — HALO — which I’d love you to try because you can feed less of it because of the high quality of the real meat they use to achieve the protein level. The brand you have been using was recently part of a pet food recall and instead, I’d love to see your dogs getting the highest quality nutrition from a company that does no advertising and instead uses that money for charitable contributions through www.Freekibble.com (you should sign up for their daily quick quizzes — it’s seriously fun and HALO food is donated even if you get the answer wrong!).
3) Other fish oils are definitely NOT like Nordic Naturals — for you, or your pets. There is no comparison between the seriousness with which the Norwegians treat their oceans and responsibly choose the fish they will use for their omega-3 oil — it is a country with a centuries old tradition of making fish oil in a safe, sustainable and healthy way. The oil is filtered with the highest level of care and is third-party tested for purity — one of the worst things you can put in your body or your pet’s body is oil that is tainted with pollutants or has become rancid, both of which would do more harm than good. So please get Nordic Naturals — you can puncture one capsule and squeeze a few drops on the cat’s paw each day to lick off — for the dogs, each pet capsule is dosed for 20 lbs of dog, so feed accordingly. If you are going to make the really good decision to include the anti-inflammatory and overall health benefits of omega-3 fish oil in your diet and that of your pets, an important use of your resources is to make sure you have a really fresh, pure product or it’s better not to do it at all (but I do definitely recommend doing it!)
–Tracie Hotchner