My senior cat has stopped using the litterbox. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I’vve got an old cat who just sleeps all the time. Recently it started peeing and pooping everywhere on the first floor. It’s never done this before; it always used the litterbox on the second floor. What, if anything, can be done about this? ~Cote Siouxsie: Well, Cote, this is your lucky day: this is a pretty easy problem to solve.
Seeking your feedback: Feline bereavement and pet loss support
It has come to our attention that our readers have a real need for a venue in which to talk about losing their feline friends. Our most-commented column was about the sudden death of a cat friend, and we’ve received a number of comments and e-mails from people who are really suffering as a result of their cats’ death. We’d like some feedback from you, our readers, on what we can do to help those of you who are dealing with a cat friend’s death or facing that issue in the future due to a terminal illness or simply from old age. What would you like to see in a venue such as this and…
Public service announcement and urgent appeal
As we researched financial assistance resources for pet rescuers, we found out that the Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is out of funds. Because the US economy is in such a shambles (regardless of what the politicians and talking heads tell us) and prices for even the most basic human needs have gotten so high, animal shelters all over the country are suffering terribly from a lack of donations. Not only that, but their populations are increasing steadily as people either give up or abandon their pets because they can no longer afford them. Animals they have at their shelters are not getting adopted for the same reasons, so no-kill shelters are literally overflowing with…
I rescued a stray kitten and I need some help to help her
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: This is very urgent, I found a kitten about 5-6 weeks old. She apparently was dumped and has not eaten in quite some time. We have taken her in along with our 5 other cats (who are not happy with us). We do not have the money to take her to the vet. She is eating and drinking, but her stools are loose and she is weak. What can we do to help in her recovery? We have named her Phoebe. She is adorable and loving. And we cannot understand how someone could do that to one of God’s animals. But we are here to be adopted by her….
Why do male cats mount each other?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My two 8-month-old brother cats, are usually very loving and clean each other. Recently I noticed one of them won’t stop crying at night on our bed; then I caught the other one grabbing his neck with his teeth and apparently trying to mount his brother! The little brother had tears and was crying! I pulled his brother off him, but then he kept this up all night. I’m scared! Can my cat actually hurt and try to mate with his brother? I never thought this possible. Please help! ~Sade Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have two cats, both male and altered. They are approximately 4 and…
Is it OK to feed young adult cats senior formula cat food?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have three cats, two sisters that just turned 7, and another female that turned 4 in Februrary. All three are part Siamese, although a few generations back — the sisters are Tuxedos and the other is solid black. My question is this: I’ve recently put the older girls on a 7+ diet and have been continuing to feed the 4-year-old the previous food, but they tend to graze out of each other’s bowls to the point that I might as well feed them all the same food. It’s also expensive to keep buying two different kinds of food, when they all wind up eating all of it. Is…
My cat has bad dental disease and I can’t afford the treatment. Is there something I can do to treat him at home?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have a 14-year-old male cat. He’s in great shape, still eating and active, but his teeth are bad. He’s definitely got gingivitis: reddening around the gum line around his teeth. His back teeth are gross, they don’t even look like teeth anymore. I’m hoping he’ll lose those teeth at the top on both sides. I know they’re bothering him and I can’t afford to take him to the vet. The vet quoted me $1,000 to get his teeth fixed. I want to keep my little buddy comfortable. Is there a holistic antibiotic or something else I can do for him? ~Sam Siouxsie: Periodontal (gum) disease is one of…
