Wow, it sure has been hot! All we want to do is sleep in nice, cool places these days. The rest of you must be feeling the same way, because it seems that nobody worked up the energy to sit in front of their computer and send us questions to answer this week. Mama tells us we shouldn't be sad about that, because this does happen occasionally. With all this heat, though, it is a good time to remind you that it's very important to remember your animal friends, too. Make sure all your animal companions have plenty of water and a shady spot they can go to if they live outside.

Whatever you do, don't leave your animal friends inside a car, even with the windows open! It gets very, very hot inside a car, and while you're indoors getting some groceries, your pet could die of heatstroke. And that's a horrible, painful way for a pet to die.

Since we have the column all to ourselves this week, we thought we'd tell you about some wonderful things our mama did recently to help some cat friends in need.

Sinéad: Yes, that's a great idea, Siouxsie! Our mama is wonderful, and we're very proud of her.

Siouxsie: Ordinarily, we'd be upset if Mama disappeared every day and came home smelling like the Vet and Other Cats!

Sinéad: You're getting ahead of yourself. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Siouxsie: Of course.

Sinéad: Okay, then. Last week, one of Mama's person friends called her and said that her cat was very sick. He was at the Vet and his kidneys had stopped working!

Siouxsie: Whatever kidneys are.

Sinéad: They're parts of our bodies that filter poisons out of our blood and put them into urine, so when we pee, our poisons go away.

Siouxsie: Smarty-pants!

Sinéad: Anyway, Mama's friend asked Mama to talk to her cat and see how he was doing, if he wanted to keep living, and if we could do anything else to help him. So she talked to him for a little while and he said that even though he was in a lot of pain, he wanted to keep living, and he thought that Reiki could help him.

Siouxsie: That's the Warm Hands stuff, right? I love the Warm Hands stuff! When Mama gives me Warm Hands, I just purr and purr and purrrrrrr . . .

Sinéad: Yes, Siouxsie, it's the Warm Hands stuff. Hee hee hee! So Mama called her friend and told her all this, and Mama's friend said that Mama could go and visit her cat at the Vet and give him some Reiki if she wanted to. And she did!

Siouxsie: Mama went over to the Vet for four days and gave her friend's cat Warm Hands. She also kept talking with him to see how he was feeling. On the last day, her friend's cat purred for the whole treatment. We were so relieved to hear that, because we were worried about that cat. But it looks like he's doing better now, although he still needs to get stuck with needles and hydrated twice a day.

Sinéad: I don't know what made his kidneys stop working, though. Mama, do you know?

JaneA: I don't know for sure, but there are a lot of poisons that can cause kidney failure in cats. Antifreeze is the best-known of these poisons. Antifreeze smells and tastes sweet to cats (and dogs, too), so sometimes they drink it. Since antifreeze is deadly poison to cats, they can die in less than 24 hours from drinking it, so if you ever suspect that your cat or dog has ingested antifreeze, get them to the vet right away!

Siouxsie: But you don't think your friend's cat got into antifreeze, though, right?

JaneA: When I talked to him, the messages I got didn't indicate antifreeze to me, but he did convey that he went into an old barn and smelled something that aroused his curiosity, something that got on his paws and made him sick when he licked it off. Cats are very sensitive to chemicals and I'm sure there are a number of other things they can get into that will poison them and cause kidney failure. If you know your cat, you'll be able to tell if he's acting sick. Sometimes you'll see other signs of poisoning or illness, like ulcers in the mouth or things like that.

Sinéad: There was another cat there with your friend's cat, too, wasn't there?

JaneA: Actually, several. A tiny little mama cat and her four newborn kittens. Mama Cat had a very bad infection in her uterus, and she had pneumonia, too. But she really touched my heart because despite being desperately ill, she was nursing her kittens, grooming them, and caring for them.

Siouxsie: Mama talked with her, too. She told Mama Cat how proud she was that she was being such a good mother to her babies even though she was sick and wasn't sure she wanted to stay in her body.

Sinéad: And then Mama Cat had an operation, and then she couldn't nurse her kittens anymore so they got taken away to be wet-nursed by another cat with kittens. And poor Mama Cat was just in total shock. It was so sad!

Siouxsie: But Mama had a chance to give her some Warm Hands, too, after her kittens had gone away and she was alone in her cage.

JaneA: Of course, I did all the hygienic stuff you're supposed to do, like washing my hands after I worked on my friend's cat and before I worked on Mama Cat. The sweetest and saddest thing of all was that toward the end of the treatment, Mama Cat started trying to purr. But her lungs and nose were so congested she couldn't breathe and purr at the same time. I told her she didn't have to purr if it hurt her.

Sinéad: But she wanted to. She was thanking you for helping her.

Siouxsie: Can you believe some people think animals are just mindless machines? Just because our consciousness is different from people's consciousness . . . Humph!

Sinéad: She visited you later that night, too, you know. She said thanks and goodbye.

JaneA: I hope that didn't mean what I thought it meant. But if it did . . . Mama Cat, wherever you are, walk in beauty.

Sinéad: Oh, stop! You're making me cry!

Siouxsie: And would you kindly stop telling yourself that doing healing work with cats is silly? It's the noblest calling a person can have!

JaneA: In your humble opinion.

Sinéad: Well, on a lighter note: Unless you want us to keep gossiping about Mama, please feel free to ask us questions. Even if you think your question is silly, rest assured that you're not the only person who's thought to ask it.

Siouxsie: And if you want to know more about us, you can read our very own web journal. Of course, Mama does our typing for us, but if we had opposable thumbs . . .

Sinéad: If you want people to read our journal, you have to tell them where they can find it, or at least include something they can click to get to it, like so: Sinéad and Siouxsie's LiveJournal.

Siouxsie: Stop being such a smarty-pants, or I'll bat you!

Sinéad: I think you need to go lie down in front of the fan or something. You're getting cranky because you're too hot.

Siouxsie: Grrrrrr.

JaneA: Ladies . . .

Sinéad: Well, until next week. Stay cool, and make sure your animal friends stay cool, too.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail Sinéad and Siouxsie at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the advice in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.