This is one of the longer – more intelligent and caring – and heartbreaking emails I have gotten . I want to share it with you – along with my reply – as a heads-up that we really need to be advocates for our cats and that even when we are, it can still be frustrating, to put it mildly.
Hello Tracie –
I actually have a few questions to ask you, along with a little story.
About 8 months ago I lost my best friend of 16 years, a wonderful and absolutely crazy fun cat named Frisky. We went through a lot in the last 4 months of his life. I grew up with this cat, and always just listened to what my parents told me to do with him for the most part, until 6 years ago. I was becoming more of an adult and Frisky started gaining weight. I researched Feline nutrition and switched frisky over to a wet food (Castor & Pollux Organix). He slimmed down a bit, but he continued to stay a slightly larger (but my vet said -not overweight-) cat.
The last 4 months of his life he began to lose some weight. The vet said he was still in great health, and not to worry… but I did anyway. I didn’t really freak until I noticed changes in his appetite, his behavior, and he started to vomit yellow, which scared me. This is when I decided my vet didn’t know a damn thing and took Frisky to other vets. It turns out he was having liver problems. While every place I took him to told me the same things about his liver, none of the vets or animal hospitals could tell me why it was happening or how to help him. They all prescribed Hills Prescription diet (which Frisky would not eat) and sent me home. Eventually his illness progressed and he became unhealthier and skinnier and his kidneys began to fail. He was taking medication for that, but his appetite waned to barely anything and I had to begin syringe feeding him. All the while Vets and Hospitals still could not tell me what was causing this and how to help or what to change or what to do!?
Frisky went through weeks of ups and downs. Right before he died he went through a wonderful month long period of getting better. I actually thought that he was going to get better for good that time. He even started eating on his own again. Then, during his last week it all went downhill. The vomiting started again, he had absolutely no appetite and despite all of our efforts, it got to the point where I was afraid to sleep because I didn’t want him to die while I was asleep, alone and in pain (I think, at the most, I slept 3 or 4 hours that entire week). So, we took him to the animal hospital and had him euthanized.
This was the worst experience of my life. I don’t say that because of his death… I am okay with him dying now. He was an older cat and I wasn’t expecting him to last forever. But I knew my cat, inside and out, and he had never had a serious illness or any health related problems his entire life. Up until his last 4 months, Frisky was acting just the same as he always had… Rambunctious, sometimes a little nasty, but always had energy and a big bad boy “I own this place.” attitude. Up until the night he died, he was still trying to get up and jump around and do all of his little rituals and routines. I know he didn’t want to die, and that hurt me the most of all. Knowing that this cat wanted to be better, but the vets and hospitals and clinics had no answer after thousands of dollars (I don’t regret one cent!), dozens of scary tests, hospitalization, and months of his precious time left.
It still upsets me, to this day, how horribly every Vet, Animal Hospital, and Emergency Animal Clinic treated me and my slightly mean old cat. Why do they know so little? Why is there no proven treatment for these illnesses? What is wrong with the animal health care community that they cannot treat a failing liver correctly and my cat had to suffer for months? In Frisky’s own words “grrrrrrrrr”.
So, I have to admit, my main reason for contacting you is for advice in a new veterinarian choice and information on holistic / total feline health care and nutrition.
I’m about to adopt a beautiful Tortoiseshell female from Bobby & The Strays (no kill) Animal Shelter in NY. She’s 2 and a half years old and overweight. From picking her up, I’d place her anywhere between 16-18 pounds. She’s currently on a diet of [1] 3oz can of wet food per day and a free feeding bowl of kibble.
What is the best way to transition her to a good quality wet food and routine meals? What is the best brand of food and amount to feed for this size cat to help her get down to a healthy weight? Or should I keep her food consistent with what was fed in the shelter for the first month or two at home and then start a transition. She is a rescued feral and my first priorities are making her feel safe, giving her a home and people she can own and trust, and getting her in good health and wellness. I had my Frisky from 10 weeks old, and I had very minimal, easy experience changing him over to a wet food diet… (even when he was fed dry food, he still had feeding times). So, I’m really unsure of how to go about this with a cat that barely knows me and has a history of neglect. She is a sweetheart of a cat (I have visited with her over the past two weeks to get a sense for her personality) but I don’t want to screw her up. She deserves the best after being rescued and I really want to make her transitions as smooth as possible.
I also want to know if you can recommend any books (besides your own, which I absolutely love!), that give a reliable approach to total Feline Health during all stages of a cat’s life. When Frisky got sick, I was absolutely astonished at the lack of reliable information on Feline health risks and the illnesses of senior cats. Beyond even that, I was abhorred by how little veterinarians actually know about feline health and treatment. What should I be looking for in a new vet this time around? I want to try to do as much right as I can this time, and make sure my new girl is as healthy and as happy as can be. Any Advice is greatly, greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
(and sorry about the length of the email…)
-Adrianna
Dear Adrianna
I took some time before responding because I share your rage and horror at the incompetence and even seeming disinterest of all those vets who could not diagnose nor treat nor protect your lovely boy, despite your relentless efforts to do the best by him. I wish I had some words of wisdom, but all I can do is offer the comfort of empathy for what you both went through.
I am going to share your email with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, the official vet of CAT CHAT® and a seriously generous woman with her time, wisdom, advice and her own sense of moral outrage at how cats are often mistreated by her profession.
I will tell you right off the bat that the book you are looking for is YOUR CAT by Dr. H – it is linked on my website www.TracieHotchner.com on Dr. H’s own page as the vet of Cat Chat® – you’ll be glad to have this excellent book as a complement to mine (by the way,send you address and I’ll send you an autographed bookplate to put in The Cat Bible and some goodies as well.
As for The Transition: go cold turkey, as they say. Get that kitty crack right out of your house – literally out of the building or the cat will smell it’s noxious fumes from wherever you stash it and may beg for more of what he’s hooked on, with all its downsides. Give what’s left over to a feral cat rescue or a private shelter/rescue – they all have financial burdens and that can be of use to them.
My website is filled with Q&A’s and Blogs about feeding – you’ll get all the info you need on how to offer two wet meals a day and in your case there is no issue about rejecting wet food, so it’s going to be a piece of cake.
The only other thing I would BEG you to do is sign up right now for pet insurance – with your bookplate I can send you a card for Pets Best insurance with a discount as my listener but don’t even wait – call the toll free number on my website and let them give you a quote – it should be really reasonable for a young kitty and the rate locks in for 8 years. You know only too well the cost of quality vet care these days (even when the outcome is not “quality”) so protect yourself from day one, please. And I hope you never need it!
Keep up your good spirits and enjoy life with your lucky new pussycat – he’s got a great guardian in you.
Tracie
