June 19th, 2009
Dear Tracie and Kate:
Max’s battle with cancer ended at 7 p.m. this evening. Unfortunately, cancer won and took my Max from me. He fought with every ounce of strength he had in his very tired body. He wanted to stay with me. But he just couldn’t fight anymore, and I had to give him the peace he deserved. I will love and honor him forever.
Upon returning home, I found the little girl, Heather, who comes to play with my dogs, sitting on my doorstep crying. She had in her hand a paper she said she wrote this morning before leaving for school. Nothing I can write here now can honor the memory of Max more than what this amazing little girl wrote about him. I share it here with you:
Max is one of a kind. Max is now a three-legged dog that makes him even more special. Also, that Max has a long nose makes him special. You could play tug of war with Max, and if you threw the ball he would go and not leave it until he had that ball in his mouth. Max is that dog that is so friendly to anyone even if you don’t know him. When he hears something, he perks his ears up and listens. Max is that dog that you could look down at and say what a dog. You could say so many things about him but it wouldn’t be enough. Max would be so good if he wanted something like a treat or a toy he would just sit there and watch until you would give it to him. Max went through a lot of things, and that is also why he is so special.
Max is 10 years old like me. We had a birthday party for him and Gabriel and the rest of the crew came over to Pam’s house. I made Max a t-shirt that said he was the best dog in the world and I wrote to him on the back. I made him his cake, and Max got the first piece. Max’s birthday is February 8th. He was getting old. I found out on the 8th of June something I didn’t want to hear. Have you ever read the book Marley and Me? Well, Marley did everything different. Marley would jump on people. Max would stand in front of you wagging his tail waiting for you to pet him. There is only one thing that happens the same. If you read the book you will probably cry because I did, and just beware because it is sad. I wrote this all in memory of Max in every Good Amazing way (because there was nothing bad about Max). You would not want to forget Max, the one of a kind dog, because he will remember you forever, too. I also wrote this to remember his birthday, and to say that you could NEVER in history replace HIM in the WORLD. So MAX, THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD will ALWAYS be here with us FOREVER.
Love Heather
Out of the devastation of losing my Max, some extraordinary beauty has come into my life. This essay from Heather is just one beautiful example.
I am going to sleep now. It will be the first night I will sleep in my own bed in a very long time. In the morning I will try to figure out how to live without Max. It will take awhile, but I know my boy will show me the way.
Goodnight, Max, my Love, my Heart. Sleep peacefully, my Angel.
I am going to sleep now. Tomorrow I will wake up and try to figure out how to live my life without Max.
Max the Golden
Tags: cancer, max the golden
Posted in Dogs, General, Grief, Health, Insurance | No Comments »
June 18th, 2009
I’ve been getting so many (very welcome) requests for bookplates and goodies — especially the free coupon for up to a $20 bag of the wonderful Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter — but this one really touched me from Beth in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The kitties for the inscription are:
Kuma (my first, now gone)
Koala
Kimiko
Koji
Knudl
I hope that is not too many names! Koala and Kimiko are sisters and Koji and Knudl are males. Kuma was my first baby and I lost him at 7 1/2 to hypertrophic cariomyopathy after months of treatment from some fine veterinarians. He threw a blood clot and I had to make the most difficult decision of my life to euthanize him. It was truly heartbreaking and still is 12 years later.
The others are my best buddies and I love them dearly. Koala, Kimiko, and Koji are all just about 12 years old, and Knudl adopted us from our backyard. His age is estimated at 14. They are in good health. After listening to CAT CHAT® and readings on your website, I have ordered Weruva canned food and will be switching them over from kitty crack and Nutro canned food to Weruva. Thanks for arranging for the 20% off coupon for PetFoodDirect! I look forward to more of your radio show and the DOG TALK® podcast.
So then I wrote to Beth:
Was just thinking that you might get some surprising satisfaction from calling into either of my radio shows on the first broadcast of each month and see if my quite extraordinary animal communicator Ann Marie Sawicki can give you some sort of peace of mind or closure about your loss so many years ago?
I can see you’re a highly educated woman (you have a PhD!) and might not put much stock in this, but a lot of people have been really touched by a reading. You can see Ann Marie’s own page on my website and contact her privately if you prefer. Just a thought…
Tracie
The Cat Bible
Tags: animal communicator, ann marie sawicki, dr. elsey's cat attract litter
Posted in Cats, General, Grief | No Comments »
June 17th, 2009
I’ve been recommending Cat Attract litter for years and recently this lovely man and his private company became my newest Website sponsors — and to celebrate that, they have given me coupons for a free big bag of Cat Attract. This note really touched me. So off went two bookplates and some Whisker Smackers from Dr. Harvey’s, some Liv-a-Littles from Halo Spot’s Stew, information about Weruva, my favorite canned cat food, and a little bottle of Nordic Naturals omega-3 pet oil to drizzle on their paws.
Hello my name is Holly and me and my mom heard about the Dr. Elsey’s cat litter and we wanted to try it because with me and my mom we have 15 cats we have rescued. As you know, all cats have different personalities and we wanted to see if you could send us a couple of coupons and a book plate — both of us have Cat Bibles [the book and] your show have helped us a lot. Thanks so much we would really appreciate it if you could sent us those.
Thank you for having such a helpful talk show.
Holly and Cindy
Tags: cat attract litter, coupons, dr. elsey's, special offers
Posted in Cats, General | No Comments »
June 13th, 2009
Red Sox Frank in Connecticut is so-named because he is such a fan of CAT CHAT® that he has actually taped Red Sox games on Wednesday nights just so he can listen to CAT CHAT® live. I have never had a bigger compliment, that’s for sure (and only part of the reason that his kitty Tiger is going to be Cat of the Month for August!)
Dear Tracie: Quick question: when reading the label of “Elegant Medleys” (Fancy Feasts Gourmet line), one of the supermarket approved foods listed on the approved cat food list, I noticed most, if not all of this brand contains wheat gluten, which I remember you saying isn’t good for Mr. Kitty. Am I doing my little Tiger a disservice by giving him this brand? He loves it, but will take him off it immediately if this wheat gluten will eventually do more harm than good.
Hey Red Sox Frank!!
You did everyone a big favor because you caught an error in my CAT CHAT® approved list of foods. Elegant Medleys are NOT supposed to be on that list! And now it will be fixed thanks to you & Tiger! This is what the last listing SHOULD say:
Lynette at Feline Outreach does not like the Fancy Feast “Elegant Medleys” on principle. She says:
This is their answer to the popularity of foods like Merrick and Wellness. They responded by adding unnecessary vegetables to their food. Added vegetables should not be why people are buying Merrick or Wellness: they should be tolerating vegetables and fruit in order to get higher quality meat, to avoid “meat” (which may not even be meat) of unknown origin, and no “byproducts.”
As for wheat gluten:
Lynette says it is not desirable, but it’s also not the worst thing. Gluten is the protein part of the wheat. It’s most often found in the gravy-style foods, which she also does not recommend.
Tracie
The Cat Bible
Tags: fancy feast, feline outreach, recommended canned food, wheat gluten
Posted in Cats, Nutrition | No Comments »
June 13th, 2009
Roxanne called into the show to say her boyfriend (whom she calls her spousal equivalent) had talked her into kicking the “kitty crack” and giving wet food only to their kitties. But now they were worried that the cats weren’t drinking anymore and he insists on putting down water anyway. I explained that cats eating the right diet don’t need water. She wrote:
How can we get our cats to sleep in? Our cats used to get us up at 4:00 am, and a week ago we switched them to canned food only (because of your book) and now they get us up to feed them at 2:30 a.m. (coincidence?) HELP! We would love to train them not to bother us at all until we get up at 5:00 am. Any tricks to that?
Your darling “spousal equivalent” (great word by the way) can keep putting that water down for as long as it makes him happy – since he got your pussycats onto the right food!
I realize I have an email from you from a few days back with your feeding question - but here are some basic ideas to consider:
1) Garth is obese - so getting off kitty crack is harder for him. He needs MORE QUANTITY - AS MUCH AS HE’LL EAT at two or even 3 meals.
2) Lots of high protein snacks are fine to help him make this transition. With your bookplate you’ll be getting some Whisker Smackers from Dr. Harvey’s from me and you can use those or any protein treat to help with his hunger issues, like little pieces of cooked steak, a bit of deli meat, etc.
3) Play with him before bed to tucker him out.
4) He has taught you to get up to feed him. The hour has improved or worsened, but he has you trained. You have to hang tough and not get up and give him food or attention. Try closing him in a laundry room or other room as far from bedroom as possible at night until he realizes you won’t be getting up.
5) Call in next Wednesday and tell me if this has worked and if so, great - if not I’ll give you a plan B.
Tracie
The Cat Bible
Tags: dr. harvey's, kitty crack, protein snacks, transition to wet food, water, wet food
Posted in Behavior, Cats, Nutrition | No Comments »
June 12th, 2009
Somebody posted on my blog that they used Vectra and their dog still had fleas so they were off to buy another product. I suspected that this was a planted comment, put there by the competitors to Vectra who are very nervous about the “new kid on the block” having newer better technology and taking a bite out of their apple. But if I was wrong — and there truly were still fleas after applying Vectra — I turned to Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins to see if such a thing was possible. Here’s what she explained about how flea infestations are destroyed by Vectra — if you give it a chance:
When I hear a comment like this, I always ask for particulars, like what (if any) product was used previously and how many doses of Vectra were used. When a pet that has had no previous product or an inferior one that does NOT rid the premises of flea immature forms, applying Vectra for the first time will occasionally result in what appears a lack of efficacy during the first week after application. If there are lots of immature fleas and flea eggs in the environment, as when no product has been used or when products like Advantage (with no insect growth regulator (IGR) at all), or Frontline (with its light-sensitive IGR) is used, there are still hundreds or even thousands of immature fleas developing in the environment off the pet because the flea spends 90% of its life off the pet in the home environment. When the flea becomes an adult and jumps onto the Vectra-treated pet, it begins to move around frantically prior to death. At this point, it may appear that these new fleas are unaffected by the product, but this is not the case. If owners just wait a day or two they will see that the new adults arriving on the pet die off as we guarantee. Continued use of Vectra will start to eliminate even the immature fleas in the environment, because of its superior IGR, and eventually no new fleas will be around to jump onto the pet.
Another problem is that Vectra will cause healthy fleas that are living at skin level at the time of application to quickly move up the hair shaft and move around to try to get away from the product. These fleas are essentially “dead fleas walking” but people may not realize that they are trying to flee from the surface of the pet, and they will subsequently die. According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council (www.capcvet.org), all pets should have regular, year-round application of effective ectoparasiticides in order to control not only the adult parasites, but all of the generations waiting patiently in the carpets, furniture and hidden corners of the home for their turn to infect the pet and even the people who live there.
We know Vectra works as Summit says it does, not only because it has been tested by Summit during research and development of the product, but because it has been tested by all of its competitors, with the same, excellent results.
Tags: companion animal parasite council, ectoparasiticides, elizabeth hodgkins, insect growth regulator, vectra 3d
Posted in Dogs, Health | No Comments »
June 12th, 2009
You spoke on the radio the last week about taking your dogs to the dog park and the essences you used, your dogs that had an immediate reaction. And the other is oil that you can rub 5 drops on their paws or on their ears.
I have two other females unsprayed. Both are parti- colored cocker spaniels .The first has irritable bowel disease and will be spayed. She just had her season and I want to wait until she is a little more stable. The second is a 10-month-old female cocker spaniel (no problems) She is also being shown.
I’d love to have more information about your dogs- what breed they are, for starters and whether they are spayed or neutered? Being show dogs, they may be intact, which would help explain some dominance issues. However, there are certainly some Spirit Essences she should be trying immediately, the most relevant being a set of 3 essences called “Ultimate Peacemaker.” It is a combination of Pacemaker, Bully Remedy and Self-Esteem. If you go to my website and to the Spirit Essence page there, you can read the intention of those formulas. Also, be sure you put DOGTALK in the coupon code box so you get the 5% discount.
I just had an INCREDIBLE experience once again with the Essences tonight a friend came for Christmas with her sweet small non-threatening Black Lab Ollie and one of my dogs- Scooby Doo was horrible towards him. When Ollie approached Scooby on his bed Scooby stood up snarling, showing his teeth and growling quite seriously. After trying to manage it with discipline and “go to your place” and putting a leash on Scooby, I suddenly remembered the Spirit Essences: I gave Scooby a little squirt in his mouth of Stress Stopper and rubbed some on his head, then I sprayed Scooby, Ollie and the dog bed areas with Safe Space for dogs. I had two witnesses one of them Ollie’s owner see Scooby stop the whole hostile routine, go into a comfortable sleep on his dog bed and lie right net to Ollie an hour later as if they were old buddies. It was simply mind-boggling! My enthusiasm for Spirit Essences grows by the day!
Tracie
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
June 11th, 2009
I have rarely read anything as heart-rending as this plea for help on my blog. In the midst of a blog and comments about something mundane, this popped up:
This doesn’t have anything to do with the question in this blog but I need some help. 2 days ago I was sitting in my recliner watching TV and without knowing it our 2-month-old kitten was underneath. When I closed the recliner, it broke her neck and she died. I am having a horrible time trying to accept the fact that it was an accident. To be honest I don’t know what to do. I know I am grieving because every time I think about it I cry can you help me? Please email me.
I did write Jason as follows:
Thank you for reaching out to me, because it is so hard to say that you need help in time of crisis and grief and you certainly do need some support and help
I recommend that you call the Animal Medical Center in New York City, which has one of the finest Pet Grief Loss Counselors in the country. They are actually without charge but you can make a donation to this non-profit teaching hospital. Susan Cohen is the head of this support team and you can reach them at 212-838-8100.
Please let me know what I can do beyond telling you that I am thinking of you and your sweet kitty with great sorrow for your loss and sadness, and for the little one.
May I ask you to send a photo so I can post it as a memorial? And maybe you want to write a few lines about her?
Stay in touch, let me know how it goes at the Animal Medical Center. I want you to know that you are not a bad person — you are a good person to whom a very bad thing happened.
In friendship,
Tracie
Tags: accidental death, animal medical center, pet grief loss counselor, recliner, susan cohen
Posted in Cats, General, Grief | No Comments »
June 10th, 2009
A newcomer to my universe! And already using the term “Kitty Crack” — way to go! But also a question about the addition on Vitamin K in canned seafood — the answer to which (from the owner of WERUVA) seems worth sharing with others.
I just recently discovered you and your website when I was doing some online research on Weruva. I recently adopted a 10yr old cat from my local shelter. From the paperwork submitted from his previous owner, he was fed a dry food (or “kitty crack”) diet only. I am trying to incorporate some canned food and he is taking to the Weruva brand pretty well.
One thing I’d like more information on is the ingredient menadione bisulfite complex (also known as Vitamin K?). Weruva uses this in their seafood products, but I want to know if this really is an ingredient to avoid or not? Can you enlighten me on this ingredient and is it safe for my cat?
The first thing I can tell you is that fish is NOT a correct daily protein source for a cat. Cats can have fish once in a while but chicken or turkey-based foods are the most natural meat for them (you’ll find many of my Blog postings about this, and Q&As on The Cat Bible part of the website.) However, it has been determined that fish-based formulas that do not contain menadione may expose cats to serious health risks. So the bottom line is that you should feed your cat fish-based foods only infrequently, at which point the amount of menadione she is taking in will be minuscule.
I passed this Vitamin K question to David Forman, the owner and co-founder of Weruva cat food (my favorite high quality cat food in a can) and he explained that the AAFCO requires that seafood-based cat food includes menadione in order to be suitable for everyday feeding. At this time, the pet food regulations do not permit the supplementation of different forms of Vitamin K. Weruva has removed menadione from non-fish formulas, though some cans may have old labels so none of the chicken or beef items contain this form of Vitamin K.
Tracie
The Cat Bible
Tags: aafco, canned seafood, kitty crack, menadione bisulfite complex, vitamin k
Posted in Cats, Nutrition | 2 Comments »
June 5th, 2009
I got a call from Regina on CAT CHAT® asking where to find the flourescein tablets I had mentioned in THE CAT BIBLE as a way to dye the pee of one cat in a multi-cat home to discover which one was urinating outside the box. Since I didn’t know the answer off the top of my head I asked her to write me for further information, and she did:
I spoke with you last night regarding locating fluorscein tablets for my cats. I called a number of vets, drug stores, pet stores and even swimming pool stores. I was told it is sometimes given to small children to see if they pee in the pool! Unfortunately I have had no luck. I appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you!
So I wrote her back, having had no luck myself in finding flourescein:
Dear Regina - I am so pleased you wrote in because it turns out it’s quite a bit more complicated than I realized (I might have to revise that part of the book!) I turned to “Dear Sally” (the wonderful behavior consultant of the show) jumped through a few hoops to find this out and here is her answer:
I called Cornell because I remember Dr. Haupt from Cornell mentioning flourescein MANY years ago. I talked with Don Personius, who was very helpful. He said between 2 and 4 flourescein STRIPS are rolled up and placed in a #4 capsule and given to the cat by mouth. The end result should be evident within a few hours and last 24 to 48 hours. Results depend on the pH of the urine, detected with a black light. He warned that it could stain fabric. So I went back and searched for the strips, which are indeed used for ocular stains. Here’s a link I found: http://www.dogcatetc.com/006ak1-0mg.html
I don’t know if you have to be a vet to order so Regina should probably go back to her vet and ask him to order the strips. She’ll need the strips, the #4 gel caps and a black light. Might be easier to set up a video cam!
So Regina- if you have the determination for all this I hope you’ll let us all know how it worked out! Maybe a phone call to me on he show next week might help figure out the issue a different way? Good luck - let us know your results!
Tracie
The Cat Bible
Tags: black light, flourescein tablets, urine
Posted in Cats, Elimination Issues, Litterbox Issues | No Comments »