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Expert: - 5/20/2009


Question

Maggie n Mia
Hi Ali!  Just wanted to let you know that my little girls are doing well!  Just in case you don't remember (I know you have answered alot of questions!) they are the sisters that were spayed and declawed that turned aggressive towards each other.  Well, they are back to their happy selves and I really owe it to you!  You were there to reach out to a complete stranger and gave sound advice that worked like a charm!  I am so glad I found you and that you had the answers!  I also thank you for enlightening me on the whole declawing scene without passing judgment on me.  Now that I know the how the procedure affects our furry friends, I have been educating others.  If only one feline is spared from the pain and trauma of this surgery due to a non educated owner like myself, then their suffering was not in vain.  
Once again, Ali, thank you so much for your help!  Take care!

Answer
Christy,

I'm so glad to hear that Maggie and Mia are doing so well, they look like they're enjoying their window seat! I've actually been wondering how the girls have been doing because the last time I heard from you they were better towards each other, but still a bit iffy in terms of not really being sure whether to be friendly towards each other. I'm glad that I was able to pass along information about declawing without you taking it as a personal insult or feeling like I was judging you for the choice you'd made. many questioners get upset when I try to pass along the information, in fact it's often mistaken as rudeness although a good friend of mine who is a practicing psychologist says that's likely because they really weren't informed and were horrified to hear what declawing actually is.

It's wonderful to know that pet parents such as yourself are making an effort to get the word out about what declawing means and how it affects cats of all sizes, maybe one day this procedure will be outlawed in favor of training cats to use scratch pads/posts and cat trees. I sincerely hope that veterinarians who do perform this procedure will begin educating their patients' human caregivers so that before they agree to the surgery they are well informed about what is involved and the behavioral issues that so frequently show up in declawed cats at some point during their lives. Sadly in North America the leading cause of death for cats is euthanasia due to behavioral issues, maybe someday this grim statistic can be changed through education about declawing, early spaying/neutering, what constitutes normal cat behavior and the general husbandry required to keep a happy, healthy cat.

It's nice to see that Maggie and Mia are so much happier with one another. I'm so glad to hear that their close friendship has been repaired since we last talked. I did want to pass along some information that may be helpful for you at some point, you can save this stuff for when you have time to take the information in. I'm certainly willing to offer my help in dealing with any number of issues that could possibly come up as the girls get older, but I always encourage pet parents to take time and do their own research when it comes to common health and behavioral issues. This helps loving, responsible pet parents understand more about what makes their feline friends so unique when compared with other common domestic pets and in my opinion knowledge is power, the more you know the more powerful you will be when it comes to providing your cats with the best possible lives.

I often recommend that pet parents seek out a holistic veterinarian because as we're well aware when it comes to human medicine there are certain situations when conventional medicine just doesn't have any good answers. Holistic vets are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies which may include homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine or massage to name a few options.

My family vet is an absolutely fantastic holistic vet and she uses homeopathy in addition to or in place of conventional treatments when appropriate. It's been my experience that cats respond very well to homeopathy and I've heard very positive feedback about the alternative therapies that I mentioned earlier. If you're interested in learning more about natural cat care I'd highly recommend that you consider picking up a book called The Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier and Norma Eckroate, it provides a great overview of how to keep things as natural as possible when caring for our cats and trying to provide care that benefits the whole cat instead of treating individual symptoms that conventional medicine doesn't treat until they become part of larger health and/or behavioral problems.

You might find some of the information about providing the best possible nutrition for our cats interesting as well. I've got an article that is somewhat disturbing, but educational, it provides information about what all of the unpronounceable ingredients on the cat food bag are and what terms like 'by-product' or 'digest' actually mean in a practical sense of the word. A few years ago when most pet foods manufactured by Menu Foods were pulled off store shelves because they tainted ingredients from China I learned some tough lessons.

My oldest resident cat MC almost died as a result of acute renal failure. Two different veterinarians told me that with kidney values as high as hers were I'd likely have to consider euthanasia and that just broke my heart. Luckily after a few days in the hospital receiving IV fluids and homeopathic remedies MC's kidneys showed signs of improvement. The other vet that works in my vet's office was astonished, MC managed to beat the odds and she was ready to come home. I spent a year maintaining MC's healthy kidney function by giving fluids under her skin each day. Today MC's surprised everyone, her kidneys are functioning so well that my vet is trying to help me wean her off of the supplemental fluids and if all goes well MC's got several years left before we have to say goodbye.

I really hope to hear from you with updates on how Maggie and Mia are doing, it's great to hear about their great improvements since we spoke the last time...By the way, I'm curious about something else - did you ever try the Rescue Remedy on the quarreling children you mentioned in your last question?

Ali

Expertise

I am the proud guardian of 5 mixed breed cats ranging from 12 weeks to 13 years old and one purebred ragdoll. I have 20+ years experience working with mixed breed cats from a variety of different situations. I have fostered cats/kittens with special needs/behavioral issues. I have rescued/rehabilitated/re-homed a variety of stray/abused cats. I can offer advice on managing feral cat colonies, rehabilitating strays and finding them forever homes. I can help you to determine whether a cat is stray or feral, there IS a significant difference. Improperly introducing a new cat/kitten can result in aggression between newly introduced cats because cats are territorial by nature and they don't like sudden changes in their environment. To learn more about a peaceful way to introduce a new cat into a home with other cats please check out my previous answers on this subject. Proper nutrition for cats can be confusing, I recommend checking out catinfo.org which was created by a veterinarian (Dr. Lisa Pierson) who takes a common sense approach to explaining feline nutrition. Cat behavior and instincts are different from those of humans, I can help you understand your cat's needs so that you can meet them adequately and have a balanced, psychologically and physically sound kitty. Cats vary in personality, energy level and intelligence, different approaches may be required to achieve results in terms of training and interaction with your feline companion. An intelligent, high energy cat must be kept busy or they will make their own fun. I am NOT a licensed veterinarian and I can't offer medical advice. If your cat is ill/injured my advice is always the same: get prompt medical treatment provided by a veterinarian. If finances are an issue I will try to find resources in your area that can help with medical costs or make other choices to ensure the welfare of your cat.

Experience

I have fostered feral and stray cats, rehabilitated and homed cats that many people recommended euthanasia for. I am willing to make an effort to do the research and ask questions because I care enough to find solutions to behavioral problems rather than giving up. I have an interest in the use of alternative therapies to help provide the best possible care for all cats and I can say in all honesty that I've seen some incredible things happen for some incredible cats and their human caregivers when the right alternative therapeutic modality is used by a qualified veterinarian with expertise and experience in the field.

Education/Credentials
I've earned my diploma as a veterinary assistant with honors.

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