I called in to your show a couple of months ago. I began listening to your show about a month before I called in. I have a six year old female cat and she was overweight and her coat was very coarse and flaky. After listening to your show for the first time I switched her from "kitty crack" to wet food. Lacey (my cat) was driving my husband crazy by mewoing and going crazy all day. He complained so much that I took her off the wet food and put her back on the "kitty crack". This is when I called into Cat Chat. I asked why my cat was being crazy to the point she was driving us crazy. You had a guest on the show that night and we talked about how cats can actually go through withdrawal. I really believe that my cat was doing this.

I wanted to follow up and let you know how we are doing. I put my cat back on wet food and began to feed her three times a day instead of two (when I was home). She still meows and goes a little nuts before we feed her, however she does not do it all day anymore. My husband still doesn't like her crazy behavior and it drives him crazy, but he tolerates it. He recently stopped drinking soda's cold turkey and has not had one for over two months. I think he now understands addiction and I when he complains about the cat's behavior I often remind him how hard it was for him to quit drinking soda. 

My cat's coat is so soft and she has lost weight. She looks great. And the best thing is that my allergies to her are not as noticeable as before. I could not even pet her before without having an allergic reaction.

Thanks for the great advice.

Ginger
Wyoming

Dear Ginger -

It means so much to hear back from people we've helped and learn that it really did make a difference. I truly appreciate that you took the time to get back in touch.

Great news about the cat calming down over the removal of her kitty crack - what Dr. Hodgkins was saying that night was that there may be a physical addiction to carbohydrate itself, which goes beyond the addictive substances that are sprayed into commercial dry cat food. If Lacey has this "double addiction" to overcome, don't be shy about giving her protein treats and tidbits (chicken, fish, cheese) whenever you feel like it, which may help speed up "detoxifying" her body of the carbs.

You made a great decision to make an explanation to your husband that related directly to him. Tell him to hang in there, Lacey is going to settle down. In the meantime, give her as much protein and affection as you can, not necessarily in that order!

Tracie Hotchner