Spring Fever and other Calamities

Spring brings life to the world, one that has been sleeping all winter. It also brings life to mother cats and dogs. It is a time when kittens and puppies begin to populate the shelters, a time when adult pets are overlooked for all the cute, fresh faces in cages. This is also the best time to be sure your cats and dogs are spayed and neutered so they don’t add to the problem.

Another thing spring brings to the pet world is spring fever. Your pets will smell those wonderful scents and feel the warmth of the sun and hear all those curious sounds from the big world outside. They may be drawn to the experience. You may be like me and throw your windows open as soon as the temperature outside is warmer than that on your thermostat. Before you leave the room, however, be sure to check your screens. Your pets may get excited by the great outdoors and lean too heavily on the screens and if they aren’t secure she could fall out.

Also watch your doors more closely during this time. Any normal pet may be tempted to follow you out of the door as Mewdy Blue did one night. He is an indoor-only cat but gets spring fever every year. One night I was carrying something in the door and didn’t watch for sneaking cats. Mewdy Blue snuck out and was gone for nearly 24 hours before finally slinking meekly back home.

Spring also means severe weather in most locales so you need to be prepared. First figure out what types of emergencies might strike your area and make a plan for your protection. If you have to take shelter within the house will your pets follow you or will you have to carry them with you? Will they panic or should you cage them during the event? What if you have to evacuate, what will you do with your pets then? Many emergency shelters do not accept pets. Can they be boarded somewhere or will there be time for that?

Make a packet of emergency supplies for possible evacuation that should include food, water, bowls, identification papers, rabies certificates, leashes, medications and other necessities. Perhaps the best way to be sure your pet is easily identified is to have it microchipped. That way if your pet gets lost in the confusion of an emergency you have a better chance of finding him.

Your dog is going to enjoy his time outside even more this time of year but before letting him run loose in the yard check to be sure you don’t have any poisonous plants sprouting. In some areas you might also find poisonous or toxic critters running, or hopping, about. Be aware of what critters might be indigenous to your area and keep a watchful eye out for them.

Spring is a great time to renew and refresh the spirit but taking a few precautions will make that experience a safer one.

Japan's animals

Everyday I read about the animal victims of the Tsunami and earthquake and make a prayer for their health and recovery. Here's one article:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13217715&page=1


Then there is the video of a dog heroically guarding his ailing companion:


http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/steve-dale-pet-world/2011/03/from-japan-devoted-dog-wont-leave-his-injured-friend.html#more

But please be careful if you are going to donate money to any charity claiming to give aid to Japan's needy. Donate only to well-known, recognized charities like the Red Cross or
http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/zcom/donation/display.do?compid=98&prodid=8173
OR
http://www.worldvets.org/

PetFinder.com

Conspiracy, that’s what it is, a conspiracy that’s threatening to take over the internet. And I’m going to join in. Above you see my dog, Blizzard, perched on a cat tree. I adopted him from the Story County Animal Shelter in Nevada, IA.

You see the conspiracy is to take over the internet with stories and pictures of adopted pets as a tribute to PetFinder.com on its 15^th anniversary. Blizzard’s story with me goes like this:

I’d been visiting the shelter for some time and every time I stopped this same little puppy remained. I couldn’t understand it because puppies and small dogs usually go fast and he was less than 6 months old and about 15 lbs. Yet there he stayed. I could only guess that he suffered from the bad reputation dogs of his breed get. Yes some American Eskimos can be yippy, snippy dogs but not if they are raised right and taught some basic obedience. As far as I could tell this puppy was well mannered, housebroken and already begun on obedience. I had an Eskie many years ago and just loved her.

The problem was, I wanted a female dog. I wanted a dog that was different from my previous dog so that I wouldn’t compare the two putting the new dog at a disadvantage. Finally, I wasn’t completely convinced that I was ready for a dog at all. But when the puppy was still at the shelter after three visits I decided that it was destiny. I had to adopt him.

The day I picked him up the weather report warned of a possible blizzard that afternoon but my veterinarian was in Des Moines, nearly an hour away from the shelter. So I took him to Des Moines anyway. The roads were clear for most of the day. His vet visit went well and I decided to take my new puppy to my family’s house for a quick visit.

My sister had recently adopted a cat, Isis, from a local shelter as well. Amazingly Isis was at home the minute they released her into the house. Nothing, it seemed, fazed that cat. I was a little concerned about her reaction to a rambunctious puppy, however, so I watched their introduction very closely. But I needn’t have worried. The two animals were fast friends from the beginning. Or maybe I should say they tolerated each other very well. The puppy would run about between all the new people in his life and Isis would follow behind him from atop every perch she could find. Every time the puppy was in reach she would slap at him playfully, never using her claws and the puppy would smile and crouch toward her as if ready to pounce, but he never did.

Then the snow began to fall so I headed for home. By the time we were halfway home the blizzard was in full force but we made it just fine with only a few close calls along the way. The puppy’s name came to me that afternoon. He just had to be Blizzard.

One more event was waiting for that puppy yet that day. He had to meet my feline brood, cats that had mostly never even seen a dog. He was tentative at first, sniffing about the house wandering here and there and the cats were following him everywhere with their fur on end. Then Hobby saw the puppy. Within seconds Hobby had the puppy cornered and whimpering in the bathroom. That set the tone for Blizzard’s relationship with all of my cats.

He now respects them and has learned how to turn his nose away from swiping paws. Mostly the cats either avoid him or act like he’s just another cat. All that is, except Gooseberry who seems to think that he can control the dog. Goose started as a tiny kitten slapping at the dog that was a hundred times bigger than he. Now he only slaps at Blizzard if the dog seems to be getting out of line, that is anytime Blizzard walks in front of Goose, or tries to pass him, or well, you get the picture. They really are friends most of the time.

So you see, good dogs do come from shelters. Good cats too. Adopt a pet today from a shelter of your choice or check out PetFinder.com

Stressless Surgery

Gooseberry had a “lumpectomy” today. I noticed a small, pea-sized lump on his leg a few weeks ago but when it didn’t go away I made an appointment with his veterinarian. She examined it and determined that it was nothing to fool with so we scheduled the surgery for today.

Anytime your pet is due for surgery you should keep several points in mind to make it a safer, less stressful time for you both.

1.     Be certain to follow your veterinarian’s instructions closely before the operation. For instance in most cases you will be instructed to fast your pet several hours beforehand. That means no food, usually for 12 hours before the surgery. This way your pet won’t regurgitate or aspirate his food during surgery endangering his life.

2.     The day of surgery be sure to deliver your pet to the veterinarian by the prescribed time. This allows the surgeon and the assistants to have your pet prepared in time for the surgery. In the case of many surgeries your pet may be able to go home by the end of the day but only if the surgery is performed early enough so that she can recover from the anesthesia. Even if she isn’t going home the same day it is best if she is awake by the end of the day so that the staff can be sure she is recovering normally.

3.     When you bring your pet home be sure to get all the instructions you’ll need to properly care for him. Do you need to care for the incision at home? Do you need to administer any medications, if so on what schedule? Be sure to follow the medication instructions exactly, if you don’t they aren’t much good for your pet. What follow-up visits will be required? It is best to schedule these before you leave the hospital if at all possible.

4.     Make sure you know what to look for in case something goes wrong once you get home. For instance, how can you tell if the incision gets infected, what should you do if the stitches come out or what if your pet starts acting lethargic or stops eating.

5.     Follow all instructions as closely as possible and call the veterinarian if you have any questions.

When we came home this afternoon Gooseberry was wearing a collar to keep him from bothering his stitches but within 2 hours the collar was gone. So far he is leaving his stitches alone but now I will have to watch him even more closely. Because the incision is on his knee I’ll also have to keep him from being too active. He is the type of cat who loves to leap after toys and jump up on things so I’ll have to keep him from doing that until the incision is healed. However, he seems to think that everything is fine and is determined to get back to life as usual.

One last caveat, when your pet returns home she smell different to your other pets. They may not accept this “new” smelling pet and fights might pop up. To help diffuse this situation you can try a couple of different things. To even out the smell problem you could put a dab of vanilla on each animal’s nose to disguise the smell. Also the use of a pheromone diffuser (like Comfort ZoneÒ) can help if you start the diffuser a day or two before the surgery.

Hawkeye State Cat Club cat show

Last year I wrote an article for The Des Moines Register about cat shows and in it I said that I am addicted to cat shows. That is still true.

On a recent weekend I took part in the Hawkeye State Cat Club’s annual CFA cat show in Altoona, Iowa just to salve my addiction. My cats Mulberry Spot and Gooseberry (pictured) accompanied me and did their part to feed my addiction by bringing home their fair share of ribbons.

The weekend was perfect with temperatures in the 50s and driving conditions nearly perfect (there was a little frost on the roads in the mornings but careful driving kept me safe). I got to the show plenty early both mornings allowing the cats to acclimate before they had to go up to a ring. I was in charge of hospitality so as soon as the judges arrived I made sure they had their caffeine fix or water to wet their whistles. Then I was able to settle down for a few minutes.

But that would be one of the few moments of peace for me that weekend. I spent a lot of time visiting with friends, looking over the competitors and watching the judging. I love to take pictures of the shows too so I nearly filled my camera with photos. Unfortunately, I seem to have had a problem with shaking or something because at least half of my shots were fuzzy. I sent my better shots to the regional website at:

http://cfamidwest.org/photos.html

(Unfortunately the pictures aren't up on the site yet but I'll let you know when they are)

I wish I had a video of the most stressful time of the show for me – and for Mulberry Spot. I was talking with a friend and was showing her Gooseberry but forgot that the cage door was open. Suddenly my neighbor shouted that Mulberry Spot was out! I made a desperate grab for his tail but that was the wrong thing to do. It only served to frighten him more.

He hissed at me and took off at full speed under the tables. He snuck his way through the exhibit tables and made a beeline for the judging rings. Once there he darted back and forth beneath the two adjacent judging tables at least a couple of times. He stopped halfway between them only once and I thought I could catch him but then he took off again. I could tell people were trying to help with comments and suggestions but all I could think was he could very easily sneak up on the stage and disappear in the storage area behind it!

Luckily for both of us our show manager, a friend and fellow club member Bill Glunz, stopped him in his tracks by calling his name. Mulberry Spot walked right up to him and let him pick him up. Thankfully all was well and I carried my baby back to the benching cage where both of us rested up for a time.

The rest of the show went almost uneventfully and by the end I’d added up the points to find that two brother cats, Paddy and Drew were 3^rd and 2^nd place overall and Furby of Demigod was the overall high scoring Household Pet Cat. Unfortunately it was late by the time the judging was over so not many people got to see the awards ceremony but it was wonderful. Those three top cats were deserving of their awards as each of them had “sucked up” to each of the judges in their own ways.

So now we wait until October for the next local cat show when I will once again be able to feed my addiction. I can’t wait!

Show me those pearly whites

I came away from the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association’s Winter Conference with a new respect for dental hygiene. If you had seen the graphic photos I saw you would join me in cleaning my cats’ teeth tonight and examining not only their gums and teeth but the throat and under the tongue as well.

Of course you should be brushing your cat’s teeth at least weekly. But those pictures brought home to me that brushing is about more than teeth cleaning. While you’re brushing those teeth you would probably notice anything unusual in the mouth simply by looking more closely.

This is particularly significant now since February is National Pet Dental Health Month. The AVMA is promoting proper dental care for all pets this month. Check out their website for information and an instructional video.

http://www.avma.org/animal_health/npdhm/default.asp

Now, if you are like me, you are on your way to brushing your cat’s teeth.

What is normal?

What do you think is the most important part of pet ownership? Could it be good preventative care? Yes, that is important. Make sure your pets are vaccinated regularly. Brush their teeth, clean their ears and check their skin for lumps, bumps or scratches. But that’s not it.

Could it be keeping the pet under control? Use a good leash, identify your pets with tags and/or microchips and have your pets neutered. All of that is important but not the most important thing. No, the most important thing about being a pet owner is to know your pet.

1.     Know what is normal behavior for your pet: does he normally eat heartily or is he a finicky eater? Does she normally like to play at certain times of the day or she play at the drop of a toy? Does she warm up to strangers or are strangers her worst enemy? Is your cat normally a happy cat or is he a persnickety, grumpy curmudgeon? If you know how your cat behaves when he is healthy, you will be better able to notice changes in his behavior when he is ill.

2.     Keep track of your cat’s normal diet, how much he eats and drinks. Does your cat usually eat an entire can of a certain diet in one sitting or does he pick at it a little at a time? Does he prefer dry over canned food? Does he like to drink water out of the faucet or a fountain or will he drink from a bowl? Can you tell if your cat gains or loses weight?

3.     Watch for normal litterbox habits. Is she a shy cat preferring her privacy when she’s in the box? If so, you’ll have to learn to be a spy. Never sneak up on a cat while it is using the litterbox though, you may frighten it and give it a complex about the box or the room. Does she have well-formed bowel movements, not too hard but not too soft or does she have looser, smellier “stools?” Normal stool consistency is determined by the diet but you should be familiar with the norm so that you can tell when your cat is sick. Does he urinate regularly so you can keep an eye on the amount he produces? You can do this by watching him or better yet by judging the size of the clump (if you use clumping litter). For male cats, especially, get an idea how often he urinates so that you’ll know if he is having trouble producing urine. Males can develop plugged urethras very quickly and a plugged male cat is an emergency.

These are just a few things to watch for in your normal healthy cat so that you’ll know when she/he is sick or stressed. Take any change in normal behavior seriously and take action when necessary.