Cat Care Newsletter
Vol. 1, No. 24
Table
of Contents
Assist
Feeding - When and How to Ask for Help
Feline
Nutrition - Designer Foods
Pro-Active
Cat Care - Keeping It Simple
Feline
Obesity - Time to Step Back and Punt
Kitty
Potpourri - Morris & The Kitten That Roared!
Assist Feeding - When and How to Ask for Help
by Kathy FathereeI want to
start off by saying. If you are syringe feeding your cat. I think that
you are an absolute saint! The time and emotion involved with syringe
feeding can be immensely draining! This is especially true if you are
having a difficult time with the process. Many of my initial feeding sessions
ended with me crying. Some kitties are easy to feed; others will fight
you every time. If they do fight you, be thankful that they still have
a fighting spirit. that's for sure.How are the
feedings going? Are your able to get the proper amount of food in your
cat's belly each day? I suggest that you keep some kind of log so that
you can record the time that you fed, how much you fed, what you fed and
any medications given. Tally up the mls that you fed each day so that
you'll know if you are meeting your goal. What if you
don't meet the daily required amount? Do you find yourself saying at the
end of each day. "I'll do better tomorrow." If you do, then
it is probably time to ask for help. It's almost impossible to make up
lost feedings since your kitty doesn't feel like eating in the first place.I know that
syringe feeding is a very personal thing and that many people don't talk
about it much less ask for help. Don't be embarrassed or worry that someone
will tell you that you are ridiculous for doing what you are doing. or
that you have been doing it all wrong. or that you are a terrible person
for letting your cat starve. (If someone is so rude as to say something
like that, let it roll off your back and forget them!) Take action
NOW! Get on the phone and start asking for help!First, call
your vet, who more than likely knows that you are syringe feeding your
cat anyway, and tell them that you need help. Know upfront that sometimes
the vet doesn't really know how to syringe feed! You may want to ask for "a technician who knows how to syringe feed and will show you
how." When you take your cat in, tell the vet tech that the
goal of the session is to learn AND to get the full amount of food in
for that session.If your vet
cannot provide you with quality help, they may tell you that your only
option is to have a feeding tube surgically implanted. This will be something
that you will need to discuss in detail with your vet. The main question
to seriously talk about would be "Is my cat healthy enough to
survive the operation?" You may choose NOT to have a tube implanted,
either because of personal beliefs or because your kitty may not survive
the operation, and that is perfectly fine. However, do what it
takes to find a way to syringe feed enough for your cat to gain health.Next, I would
call rescue shelters and start asking the "Do you know anyone" question. Make a zillion phone calls and even ask cat people you meet
on the Internet and try to find someone in your area to help you. If you
are diligent with seeking help, you will more than likely find someone
to help you.
Ask for help as soon as you know that your cat is not getting the right amount of nutrition. Weight loss is gradual and when you are with your kitty everyday and everynight, it is almost impossible to see the weight loss. We also go into denial and don't really see what's happening right before our eyes (that kitty is slowly starving.) Step forward and find the help that you need. It will be a blessing for both you and your kitty.
Feline
Nutrition - Designer Foods
by Garry White Let me pose a controversy that will probably
generate some flak: Have we gone too far in the development of 'niche'
foods for our cats? It doesn't take much research to discover that the
world of pet foods is mind-dizzying maze of options and choices. And while
choice is a good thing, it seems that every week a new "discovery"
is made, declaring that we must change Kitty's diet right now. And I have
to ask: Is this onslaught of new designer foods really intended to enhance
pet wellness? Or is it commerce-driven, with goals to increase the bottom
line.profits? My research into the world of feline nutrition leaves me
with no firm answer to those questions. Certainly, feline medical research
has leapt forward in the past few decades, and that's to our benefit.
Also, the veterinary world has come to realize that our furry friend isn't
"just a cat". She's as important to us as any other family member,
we're demanding more (and better) attention, and we're getting it. But
in that realm, are we being taken advantage of? Is the focus more on our
emotions than on the pet? When my Lewie was ill, one clinic had him scheduled
for nearly $4,000 worth of tests that were unrelated to his condition.
When I challenged this, I was told: ".because it's clinic policy,
and this way we have the results if we ever need them." Not so.most
of those test results were valid for only a few days, maybe a week. Is
that not capitalizing on our emotions? And how about this vast panorama
of specialty foods; can we assume that many of them are nothing more than
profit centers? I think so, in many cases. We see the ads with a beautiful,
healthy feline specimen eating Acme Cat Food and loving it. It reminds
me of Cindy Crawford sipping a can of diet soda.one can probably assume
the soda isn't what made her look that way. I ask again: Are we being taken advantage
of? Are some of these marketers playing to our heart (and wallet), and
not to Kitty's best interest? Face it.we love those little beings, and
when we're confronted with ".This is the only food your kitty
should be eating", we listen. So what's the gripe, you ask? Hey, we've
got a lot more choices and that's just wonderful! Right? Not necessarily.
Yes, many of the new designer foods are based on extensive medical research,
and they will help to maintain wellness. But let me tell you, my
research has taken me into the bowels of some ingredient lists that border
on the bizarre! Yet the claims are just as strong (and just as touching)
as those of a bona fide manufacturer.
Okay, here's the stickler: Whether a specialty food is developed by a major manufacturer, or whether it comes from a garage-kitchen in Toledo, we need to be sure it really is right for our kitty. We need to make sure the kitty will eat it, first of all, and we need to make sure it's not depriving him/her of some crucial nutrient. In sum, we need to select with our head, not our heart.
ProActive Cat Care - Keeping
It Simple
by Garry White During the past months, we've discussed
a number of proactive steps we might take to help assure long-term wellness
and safety for our kitties. The range of topics has been broad, and the
details within go almost to infinity. Watching for signs of ailments,
for example: The field is nearly limitless, yet we as caregivers must
always be on the alert. Problem is, most of us have busy, active lifestyles,
and it's easy to lose track of the details. But remember that the real
story is in those details. Good proactive care is all about catching a
problem or condition in its infancy, and the only way to do that is by
tracking the details: Fur condition, weight, eating/drinking habits, litter
box visits, stool color, demeanor, and a host of other "indicators"
that we should be watching for. But as I said, it's easy to forget what
we last monitored, or when. So I'll recommend a solution. In the world of industry, they call it
PM.Preventive Maintenance. When the situation (equipment or environment)
is crucial, routine inspections are done periodically, and the results
are stored. Again periodically, someone reviews the results of those PM's
because, other than crash failures, a degrading situation shows up in
the numbers. There's no reliance upon someone's memory, or someone's opinion.the
numbers tell you when something is going bad. Sounds pretty clinical,
I know, but doctors and hospitals do the same thing with patient records.
So.why shouldn't we be following a proven method like this for our kitties?
We should! I recommend a simple, uncomplicated system
that highlights the areas we want to keep track of (as mentioned above,
and others). Make sure there's a place for dates when you last monitored
a particular issue or activity, a place for the results, and then store
the whole thing in Kitty's binder. Or if you happen to be computer-handy,
a spreadsheet would work well. And once a week.without fail.sit
down for a few minutes with that binder or spreadsheet. Make appropriate
entries for things you've noted during the week, and by all means scan
the other entries. We're looking for trends - a "2" that
seems to showing up as a "3" more frequently, that sort of thing.
This means, of course, that we're setting enough time aside to monitor things in the first place. For example: Seeing your kitty in the litter box is not information, and it confirms nothing. Tracking her litter box activity for a day, maybe once a month, is information. We check for stool color and consistency, approximate amount of urine, and whether or not she's struggling with either function; these things are information. The same thing holds true for the many other "indicators" we've outlined in previous Newsletters: Monitor, Record, Review. This simple process (good record-keeping) could easily stop a crisis from ever happening.
Feline Obesity - Time
to Step Back and Punt
by Kathy FathereeNot
your cat. the cat food! Whew. ok there. Some of you had me worried.
(and you know who I'm talking about!)Is your cat
on a diet? I mean a real diet where you monitor food intake and have weigh-ins
once a week? Has kitty lost weight? If not, it may be time to re-examine
the food. You may have the best diet food your vet carries and if it's
not working. it's not working. It all comes down to whether or not the
food is right for your kitty.When I had
Bubba on a diet food, he was ravenous and actually gained weight! It wasn't
until I threw my hands up in frustration and started letting him graze
all day on his diet food that he actually lost weigh! Now I'm not promoting
grazing. what I'm actually trying to say is that your cat may not be getting
the nutrients he or she needs from the diet food. In Bubba's case, he
wasn't getting enough of something until I let him eat all he wanted.
then his body finally allowed him to shed some weight. I regret all those
years that I deprived him of the complete nutrition he craved. After I
determined what the problem was, I switched him to a non-diet food and
monitored his daily intake and he did just fine. Just as there
are many kitty personalities, there is a wide variety of nutritional needs.
A good diet food for one cat isn't necessarily a good diet food for your
kitty.Give each
diet food you try a solid effort for at least 2 months. Don't switch after
a few weeks or a month thinking the food isn't working. Sometimes it takes
a while for the body to let go of that fat. But after a few months, if
your cat has not lost or even gained. it's time to switch to something
new!What's the
best food for your cat? It really depends on his or her nutritional needs.
Every cat is different. Genetics may come into play as well. You know
those people who can eat anything and never gain a pound! Our Garry
has found a new food that we are going to research. It's a holistic food
with natural ingredients. It NOT a diet food, but if the meal portions
can be controlled, your cat may not need a diet food. This food that we
are going to research is called Solid Gold. If you've tried it...
let us know! They only have one canned food on their web site,
but Garry found out that they are coming out with a second variety. We
will follow up on this and let you know.
Bottom line, if your cat isn't losing weight on your current diet food, find a new food, gradually switch your cat over, and try it for a few months. Remember to transition to the new food over about a week's time by mixing more and more of the new food into your current food. Don't run the risk of digestive upset by switching too fast!
Kitty Potpourri - Morris
& The Kitten That Roared!
by Dan Malenski This
week, let's talk about cats who achieved fame because of their own personalities,
not due to "owning" a famous human being. Of course. the most famous cat, however, is the one that is probably sitting in your lap,
purring like a jet engine, or perhaps performing household chores such
as "fixing" your curtains. The girls helped me with my research
on the Internet and we turned up lots of interesting things about Morris®,
the famous orange tabby and the MTM® kitten.Everyone who has not been living on Mars
for the last several decades knows Morris®, the famous orange tabby
spokespurr-son for 9 Lives® cat food, but how many know much else
about him, aside from the fact that nearly half of the orange tabby males
on earth are named after him?Morris® was discovered in a Chicago
Animal Shelter by 
professional
animal handler Bob Martwick in 1968 and Morris started his meteoric rise
to stardom... and just in the nick of time, being that he was scheduled
to be euthanized within the hour! His first task was to take over the
role of spokespurr-son for 9 Lives® cat food. Over the years, in addition
to pitching 9 Lives® cat food, he starred in movies, wrote books,
and was invited to co-sign (with a paw print) the National Animal Protection
Bill by President Richard M. Nixon. He also has been responsible for giving
needy animal shelters with millions of dollars worth of cat food and outright
donations. In 1988 and again in 1992, he entered the race for President
of the United States, achieving greater name recognition than all candidates
expect the existing President, George H. W. Bush. Listing all his numerous
contributions to society, particularly to the animal kingdom, is far beyond
the scope of this article. You may view the complete biography and story
of Morris® at his official web site. Click
HERE for a details of Morris' Biography and Story.Next in line is the MTM® kitten! How
many thought that
the MTM® kitten, seen at the end of many popular television shows
was just a spin-off of the lion mascot for Metro Goldwyn Mayer films--shame
on you if you did! The MTM® (Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises Inc.) kitten
was a real kitten named Mimsey, rescued from a local animal shelter in
1968 when a mascot was being sought for MTM. After joining MTM, she soon
was known as the "kitten that would roar" and appeared at the
end of each show, at which time, she would utter a sweet and short "Meow".
The photo shows her adorning the MTM® logo as it appeared at the end
of most shows. If
you wish to refresh your memory of her by listening to her "Meow",
you may do so by clicking on the following link and then selecting MTMKitten.WAV among the others on the window. Click
HERE to listen to Mimsey's "Meow" at the Mary Tyler Moroe Show
Sound Directory! On
some shows, Mimsey would take on a characteristic of the show. For example,
she would wear a police officer's hat for a police show (Hill Street Blues),
a surgical mask for a hospital show (St. Elsewhere), and a Sherlock Holmes
hat for a detective show 
(Remington
Steele). Mimsey lived a full and productivelife, and after she retired
from show business, she spent the remainder of her life with a MTM®
staffer.
This photo shows her with
Mary Tyler Moore.
Extra Bonus! Do you use Outlook Express (Windows) for your email client? If so, would you like new mail arriving to be announced with a cheerful "Meow" instead of the terribly sounding default in Windows XP? My technical adviser, Melissa, tells me that replacing the sound with one of your choice takes just a few seconds and is a standard option of Windows. Of course It would not be proper to use Mimsey's "Meow", but using one made from one of your kitties would be just fine. If you are interested in knowing how to do this, just write, and I will ask Melissa to provide you with the details.
Email Dan and Melissa at: daniel.malenski (at) verizon.net
Site Sponsors
Home | Privacy Policy | Site Map
Typos? Please email me at Kathy (at) AssistFeed.com
Copyright © 2003-2011 by Kathy Fatheree. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: Kathy Fatheree is not at all a medical expert. Contents of this web site are a collection of Kathy's assist feeding experiences as well as the experiences of other cat owners who have assist fed their cats. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Kathy Fatheree or anyone associated with this web site cannot be held responsible for anything that may happen as a result of using the information on this site.