Weruva's Oldest Kitty Celebration
Announcing the Winners of Weruva's Senior Kitty Celebration!
I want to thank people for sharing so many wonderful older kitties who joined in the celebration. As I told you there is not just one winner but many -- a dozen, actually! All the entries were winners in every way, but the most special Senior Prize goes to THUMBELINA who was 17 years old when April adopted her from the shelter where she had been in a small dark metal cage for three months (and would probably never have left if she did not jump right into April's arms!) Thumbelina will receive a case of WERUVA food sent to her by Petflow.com and also a coupon for $20 worth of Dr Elsey's Precious Cat litter, too! Sandy's 18 1/2 year old TOBY won a case of WERUVA from Petflow.com and Fran's one-eyed 21+ year old kitty MAXWELL (adopted from ARF in the Hamptons) gets a case of BFF (Best Feline Friend) sent by Petflow.com; the Waggoner family switched their aging kitties to Weruva and noticed a huge improvement and their 17 year old MR. BILLUMS, an April Fool's baby, will also get a case of BFF. Kirsten's 13-year-old kitty POOCHIE (found in the streets of Paris!) will be getting a copy of my book THE CAT BIBLE inscribed to him, as will Caroline's cat TIFFANY. The following kitty cats will will each get a coupon for up to $20 worth of Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter: Justin's cat ELLIOT, Ruthann's HANNIBAL, Norma's GIZMO (a dryer survivor!) Susan's cat LUCY, Jacqueline's 21+ year-old Siamese manx BULLET and Kevin and Jennifer's seafaring kitty SPUMONI.
The Entrants!
LUCY
Lucy: 17 years old. I called a couple of weeks ago about her dementia/late night meowing. We're still working on it, but thanks for all of the good advice!
ELLIOT
My senior kitty Elliot is battling hyperthyroidism. He is a former alley cat fighter turned lover. At one point he weighed 19 pounds in his younger years. Now he's 12 to 13 pounds but had dipped to 9 at the height of his disease before it was finally revealed after a repeated series of blood tests. He wants you to know this disease is common in older cats and in general. The vets estimate his age to be approximately 13-14 years old. If your kitty is suddenly losing weight and fur, it's not because he or she is old necessarily. It could be hyperthyroidism which is treated rather inexpensively with medication. He loves Weruva food, especially the new Cats in the Kitchen line!
GIZMO
This is my Gizmo, the one where at 10 mos jumped in the dryer and I turned it
on, of course not knowing he was in there. When I found him only a few min
later he was passed out with no pulse, I did CPR on him put him under water and
call 911. when they told me that this service was for Humans, I reminded them
in choice words that I needed help right now. They patched me into a ER vet and
the rest is history, Gizmo is now 14 yrs old and doing great. If anyone is
deserving to win some amazing food is Gizmo.
MAXWELL
This is Maxwell ARF cat from East Hampton, he's 21 plus yrs. old and only has one eye working. My Father had died, we had a house fire and we adopted him from ARF for my son that year. Our daughter separately adopted his brother Oz ( since deceased ) the same week unbeknownst to anyone. He was raised by a golden retriever name Harley.
He is the house "pirate" now keeping our weimeraner Mako company. We thought he was on his way out when we had to go away for a week, but when we came home he had rallied.
POOCHIE
My cat, Poochie, is 13. I found him in the streets of Paris while I was living there, when he was a flea-infested kitten. I took him in and we've been best friends ever since. When I moved back to the US when he was 8, of course I brought him with me. He was a hefty 21 pounds a few years ago, but after listening to you and your kitty crack message, he is now a little bit over 13 pounds (seriously!). I weigh his food every meal on a food scale. It took about a year and a half for him to steadily lose that weight. Weruva IS his favorite food, especially paw licking chicken and sometimes I give him Mediterranean Feast as a treat. He loves being outside and, though I planned to use this container for tomatoes in my balcony garden, he loved sleeping in it so much that I planted cat grass in it and let him do what he wanted with it. He looks pretty happy!!! I love your show and have been listening for years - thanks for being on the air.
TOBY
Toby is 18-1/2+. He won't be the oldest cat in the contest but he has an interesting story. When he was about 6 years old, he accidentally got outside and was lost. Someone working in the house (ironically we were building a window seat for the cats) left the door open. We live in a very wooded area and there are over 100 acres of open space behind out house. I stayed up all night calling him. We sent out flyers, called neighbors, looked everywhere and he was nowhere to be found. 5-1/2 weeks went by. It was fall and it snowed that year. I cried every single day. Finally we got a call from a neighbor who had spotted a Siamese cat. I went to her house 3 days in a row calling all around. The third day he came running to me from across the street. His collar was up over his paw because he had lost so much weight. His fur was bushy. He was barely recognizable. I didn't want to bring him to the vet because I didn't want to let him go again. My vet came to my house and got him and put him on fluids and stabilized him so we could bring him home. He was 18-1/2 on June 5. We have an almost year old kitten that he wrestles with. He sleeps on top my my desk hutch or the kitty tree. He comes upstairs to bed every night and has no problem jumping on the bed. We're so lucky to have him!
HOMER
Famous blind kitty Homer poses in front of his book cover - he's 14 and going stronger than ever.
BILLY (a.k.a., Mr. Billums)
Billy, aka Mr. Billums, is the last of an April Fool's litter we had and he turned 17 on April 1st. We did switch from dry food to wet about two years ago when we started to notice a decline in health with his brother, Tigger. After hearing a suggestion from Cat Chat® to try Weruva, we noticed a dramatic change in both cats. They had more energy and Tigger's health improved. My husband swears that the food change allowed us to have our Tigger one more year. Mr. Billums on the other hand seems relatively healthy and I foresee us enjoying his company for a few more years
BULLET
My siamese Manx female is 21+. Her name is Bullet . There is a story, of course.
HANNIBAL
Hi, I'm Hannibal. This picture is from my 16th birthday. It's only 4 months until I hit 17. I don't mind the birthday so much, but the stupid ribbons got to go! I mean, what's the big deal!
SPUMONI
Spumoni is 16 years old and has been with Kevin and Jennifer since he was adopted at 2 - what a sailor he is!
TIFFANY
This is Tiffany, 19 years young, who lives with Carolyn in San Clemente California who says: "Tiffany first came to me 7 years ago as a foster cat. (She was owned by a rock musician who used to take her on tour with him. She came to the rescue group I volunteer with after he went to jail for domestic abuse.) She is very sweet and hugs and gives kisses. She is now only eating Weruva and off insulin. (I also have Pet's Best for my older dog and it really is the best! I got the stem cell therapy for his arthritis a few years ago)."
MERLYN
Richard's Merlyn is still going strong at 17 after radioactive therapy to cure his hyperthyroid.
THUMBELINA
Thumbelina is 17 and just recently adopted by April: "I adopted a 17 year old cat early February from a shelter in Los Angeles. They had given her the name “Grandma Sara” but I changed it to “Thumbelina” because she has those cute little thumbs. She had been found as a stray and had been in the shelter for 3 months. She was in a very small steel cage with no sunlight and only newspaper, food, water and a litter box. The minute I opened the cage, she meowed and jumped into my arms. I had to adopt her. She now has a loving home with lots of room to play, a nice warm bed to sleep in, and she loves to look out the window at the birds and trees. She especially loves to wake me up at 6am every morning. She gets as close as she can to my face and screams a big good morning meow. And at night, she loves to sleep next to me cuddled into a little ball. I love her more and more with each day that passes by.
MISTER WISTERS
Sandy says of Mister Wisters: "My old man cat (I rescued him as an abandoned kitten at only 5 weeks old, far too young to be away from his mother, and fed him warmed baby foods), turns 17 years old on Saturday! I switched to canned food after going on your website after hearing you on the radio and read your suggestions for the best food and settled on Weruva. I just ordered my 3rd case of Paw Lickin' Chicken - because he took to it like a fish takes to water!
MARMIE
Erin had Marmie from the time was four years old and here he is at 21," an indoor/outdoor cat who survived all those years in coyote country"
HAVOC, MAYHEM with MISTER TIBBS
Sherrill's cats Havoc and Mayhem, along with one of their friend a 1 year old poodle, Mister Tibbs - he thinks his two friends are poodles in cat suits and the cats are convinced that he is a cat in a poodle suit. They are such fun!
In Memoriam
SNOBBY (IN MEMORIAM)
Snobby (14 yrs) passed on July 9th 2008, made his 14th b-day by a week. I still love and very much miss him. He had cancer. he will always be my baby beautiful boy. He touched my heart and will always be in my heart for ever. He was a very very sweet and smart loving cat. He was also yasmine's step older brother. she had a great example to follow.
God bless and thanks,
sharon, CT
THE BEEZER (IN MEMORIAM)
Jill in California nominates The Beezer (named for Mr Beasley in "Family Affair") in Memoriam, who passed away between 15 and 20 years old. Jill says: "He was, in one word AWESOME - at least that is how he characterized himself. The coolest kitty that walked the earth - always calm, cool and collected, and, disturbed. You could have a freight train run by him and he wouldn't flinch, he would just give you that "you disturb me" look. But wait until bed time, he had the LOUDEST purr motor and never hesitates to use it! I was lucky enough to become his mom when my step- daughter found him and his sibling on the beach in California - lost, alone and disheveled. She kept him for a few days and found a home for the sibling. She shortly pawned him off on me and it was one of the greatest days in my life."
