Iowa State Fair Cat Show

It’s Iowa State Fair time again. Time for all the livestock to pile into the fairgrounds for judging and time for all the human herds to pile in for judging, as well. You know what kind of judging that is. I’m a state fair addict enjoying so many aspects of it I can hardly wait to get there. I love watching the draft horses parade down the street on their way to the ring. I can’t get enough of that luscious state fair lemonade but only from the trailer by the swine barn – none of the others are as good. I get a kick out of playing the games that the Des Moines Register puts on each year (this year it is pictures again that we have to find around the fairgrounds). I like people watching and love the smells associated with the fair.

I’ve participated in several ways over the years. I’ve entered vegetables from my garden and taken home ribbons for my eggplant and kohlrabi. One year my photograph took second place and I even won some money for it. I made a bead necklace and took home second place for it in the Arts competition. But the very first competition I took part in at the Iowa State Fair was the very first cat show.

My cat, Screamin’ Demon, was the first cat to win first place at the Iowa State Fair cat show. As usual for August in Iowa, it was a hot, steamy day and we were crowded into a small room on the second floor of some building without air conditioning. I don’t even think that building exists anymore. The show was such a curiosity that the spectators overflowed from the judging room and down the stairs. Those of us showing our cats couldn’t even get inside to watch our cats being judged. I’d never even been to a cat show before so I had no idea what was really going on. When they called Demon back into the judging room for a second time I didn’t think much of it. But when I went back to pick him up there he was with a trophy on top of his cage. I was thrilled and addicted to cat shows for the rest of my life.

This year, unfortunately, may be the last cat show at the Iowa State Fair. Over the past 36 years the competition has dwindled as we’ve been shifted from building to building suffering through all sorts of weather conditions until finally a few years ago they moved us to an indoor venue. The damage had been done though and we just aren’t attracting the number of entries we used to. Don’t get me wrong, the Iowa State Fair Cat Show is still very popular with the spectators. We get crowds so large that we’ve never had enough seating for everyone no matter where we’ve been situated.

So if you are in Iowa visiting the Iowa State Fair this Friday be sure to stop by the new Jacobsen Building at noon to see the cat show. If you aren’t in this area, please support your own state fair and their cat show if they have one.

Feline Hyperthyroidism

Well, I'm back. Had to take a break from blogging for awhile so I could get some other writing done but now I'm returning to the blog. Hope you all are still around! Here's an short piece about an important feline condition.

Lady Butterfly was never a big eater and was always thin, hence her nickname, Pretty Little Lady. As she got older she gradually started demanding more and more food but she didn’t put on any weight. Otherwise she seemed active and playful so I wasn’t sure anything was wrong. We had never run any bloodwork on her except to check her for FeLV and FIV so according to my veterinarian’s suggestions we ran a panel on her.

Bluebird, recently started losing weight and developed a bad case of diarrhea. She also seemed a little more lethargic than usual even though she was never a very active cat. We ran a panel and found nothing very remarkable though her glucose and one liver marker were slightly elevated. I elected to take her home and give her fluids for support and encourage her to eat anything at all. Eventually she lost a drastic amount of weight so several months later we ran some more bloodwork.

Both of these cats were diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism a condition that is becoming more and more common as cats are living longer. Some signs of hyperthyroidism include weight loss, increased appetite (or sometimes decreased appetite), vomiting and/or diarrhea, rapid heart rate and sometimes hyperactivity. It is usually seen in senior cats and is caused by a benign tumor on the thyroid gland.

Hyperthyroidism is successfully treated by one of three methods: medication (typically methimazole), radioiodine treatment or surgical removal of the abnormal thyroid gland. Your veterinarian will help you decide which treatment is best for your cat.

So far Lady has been doing well on methimazole twice daily. Bluebird has just been on it for a week now so it is too early to tell if it is working for her but I believe she may be putting on a little weight already. She will go back in 30 days for a recheck.

As your cat gets older she should be examined regularly by your veterinarian. By the time she is 10 years old (or even younger) you’ll want to have bloodwork run to check not only the thyroid but other organs as well.

How old is your cat? Have you taken her for a geriatric check-up yet? Are you treating

Benefits of living with Cats

June is Adopt a Cat Month and in recognition of this the AVMA has posted a podcast addressing the benefits of owning a cat.

http://www.avmamedia.org/display.asp?sid=361&NAME=Benefits_of_Cat_Ownership?utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email

Rescue - Joplin

The tornado that hit Joplin, MO created such havoc and tragedy but so many heartwarming stories are coming out of that mess. Here’s the story of a dog that saved a dog:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8156506&cmp=twi-kabc-article-8156506

Tornado survivor

Here's a video you just have to see. I'm still in tears, happy tears over this story. God bless Ms. Judy and her cats.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110520/us_yblog_thelookout/adorable-lady-finds-missing-cat-during-interview-outside-tornado-ruined-home

The Cat's Meow, a book review

I read a good book this week. “The Complete Cat’s Meow: everything you need to know about caring for your cat” by Darlene Arden is written with a light, engaging style that feels as if the author is talking directly to you. It is an excellent cat care guide but even more it is a totally readable book. What I mean by that is you could use it simply as a guide book referring to it only in need or you could read it cover to cover just like a storybook. I recommend reading it through to get all the information the author can offer.

What I really liked about this book is the way it follows the needs of a cat in a chronological fashion from kittenhood to the adult. The author has done her research talking with breeders, veterinarians, behaviorists, nutritionists and trainers to get the best information out there for the cat owner. As a veterinary technician I am especially impressed with the way she discussed vaccines and the diseases they protect against. I liked the section that dealt with many of the diseases that affect cats although she did leave out one condition, hyperthyroidism. I may have to blog on that in the future since my own cat Lady suffers from that condition. Arden also included a section on many of the more popular and the less well-known cat breeds using information garnered from people who know the breeds best. Most interestingly she included mixed breed cats among the breeds, definitely a plus in my opinion.

The author takes us on a journey that includes choosing a kitten, introducing a new cat/kitten, cat behavior & nutrition, a list of feline diseases and ways to train a cat. Though she uses the example of raising pedigreed cats she treats it in a way that is useful for the person who is raising mixed breeds and rescues. Included in the center of the book is a selection of full-color prints of lovely cats. In the back of the book is a good list of references including a list of sources for shopping for cat toys and supplies, a list of websites that provide information about cat care and finally an index that is easily explored.

I read a lot of cat books but keep very few, this one, however, will be staying on my bookshelf. “The Complete Cat’s Meow” is a great addition to any cat book library.

Ghost cats

B.W. Huckleberry

I’m proud of the fact that all of my present cats are ex-ferals or the offspring of them because it took a lot of work and dedication to work with them. Yet I miss something that only traditional, domestic cats can give. Whenever I have visitors my cats all disappear, well except for a couple of brave souls who venture down after a time. When I had normal house cats, way back when, they were always present for visitors and even tried to force themselves on people.

Lando Calrissian was one who refused to be ignored. If someone didn’t pick him up he’d jump up in front of them expecting them to catch him. I don’t have to tell you that he startled many people that way. Lando’s brother, Zeit Geist, made his presence known in a different way. You see, Zeiter had muscular dystrophy so he couldn’t jump but if you sat down he’d be on your lap, glued to you as quickly as he could. If you remained standing he’d glue himself to your feet so you couldn’t move.

Haberdasher remained a little aloof but he did accept the occasional petting, waving his tail haughtily in the air. Baryshnikat was more of a show off. He liked to be in the middle of everything so if you brought anything with you he’d be in or on it. He was usually the first to find visiting coats and boots too. Gabrielle’s Galaxy was the lone hold out. She never lowered herself to accept visitors. No one was worth her time. But she did have to be in the room just out of reach in order to see what was happening.

Now in most cases no one even sees the cats I have now. If they stay for any length of time they might see Mewdy Blue or his brother Question as they come downstairs to investigate. And once in awhile Fargo will peer down the stairs and maybe even slink into the room but you’d never touch him. No, my cats are like ghosts that leave only their toys behind to attest to their presence.