Last month, we answered a question from Mira on what she could do to help a cat that was going blind. This week, we received an update from Mira on her cat's condition.

Dear Sinéad and Siouxsie:
Thank you for your help! The cat in question, as we found out from her visit to the vet, had high blood pressure. Her retinas were hemorrhaging. We now have her on medicine for it...and she seems to be getting some of her vision back! Yay!

The cat who attacked her has been moved to my sister's place...where we hope she will be happier. Just letting you know how things turned out! Again, thank you!
--Mira

Sinéad: Well, Mira, we're glad to hear that you know what's going on with your kitty.

Siouxsie: We did a little bit of research on high blood pressure in cats, to see if there's anything else we could tell you about it. We found out that it's not like high blood pressure in humans, which is usually caused by too much cholesterol, obesity, or cigarette smoking (yuck!).

Sinéad: It turns out that hypertension in cats is usually caused by other conditions such as kidney disease or hyperthyroidism, both of which are fairly common in older cats.

Siouxsie: Our grammie-cat, Shaughnessy, is 15 and she's mildly hyperthyroid. Fortunately, at this point she doesn't need to take medicine for it.

Sinéad: Medicine is yucky! But as we know, sometimes we have to take yucky medicines to help us get well or to manage disease.

Siouxsie: We trust that your vet did blood tests to see if there may be an underlying cause for your cat's high blood pressure. If not, you may want to spend the extra money and find out the reason why your kitty's blood pressure is so high.

Sinéad: As in humans, hypertension in cats doesn't have any symptoms until it starts causing damage to other organs, such as the eyes.

Siouxsie: While we were doing our research, we found a forum that talks about eye conditions in cats, including another case of a cat becoming blind due to high blood pressure.

Sinéad: There are lots of places on the Internet where you can find information about health issues and lots of other information about cats. Two of our favorites are VetInfo4Cats.com and the cat forums at about.com. There's also holisticat.com, where you can find information and resources for holistic care for cats, and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, which can help you find holistic veterinary practitioners in your area.

Siouxsie: Cats can benefit greatly from therapeutic massage. This helps to relax the cat and lower blood pressure. And it feels good, too!

Sinéad: There are licensed practitioners who know how to do deep tissue massage on cats. But you can do something like massage by simply petting your cat slowly (slow massage relaxes, while fast massage stimulates), and gently kneading and rolling the skin. I imagine that techniques such as TTouch, developed by Linda Tellington-Jones, could also help.

Siouxsie: But remember, you should never massage inflamed, infected, swollen, torn or bruised areas. Also, don't massage a cat with a fever, a cat that's in shock, or one that is suffering from heat stroke.

Sinéad: Do not massage near tumors, bone fractures, dislocations or ligament tears, and don't massage cats with back or neck injuries--you could make these conditions worse or cause more pain. Leave treatment of these issues to your vet and other licensed and trained practitioners!

Siouxsie: Good luck, Mira, and thanks for writing back to us and letting us know how your cat is doing.

Sinéad: And now, on another subject: Apparently there are quite a few cats who enjoy water. After our column about the cat who thinks he's a fish, we got quite a few letters from people whose cats like water, too, including this one about a cat who loves to take showers.

Dear Sinéad and Siouxsie:
I'm a regular reader of your column and appreciate the information on cats and water dishes....I thought you might enjoy knowing about my niece's cat, Thor. He loves showers. Whenever anyone takes a shower, they have to share it with him. He is very forceful about "advising" them that they are blocking the water flow and is only happy when he is being sprayed full force. When the person is done showering, he jumps out, shakes off, licks himself dry and waits for the next human to turn on the shower for him!
--Karen

Siouxsie: Thanks for writing, Karen. We're glad to know that our Great Uncle Purr-Bear (may he hunt happily in the Great Mouse-Filled Fields and sleep joyfully in the Soft Warm Lap of Eternity) wasn't alone in his love of baths and showers!

Sinéad: And speaking of wet pets, Mama went to a book signing for "Wet Pets and Other Watery Tales," a collection of short stories edited by Hazel H. Wiedman and Jacqueline K. Teare. All proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League, a no-kill animal shelter in Rockport, Maine. If you live in the Midcoast area, you can buy a copy of "Wet Pets" from local bookstores, and if you live outside the area, you can order a copy from Trafford Publishing (this book is catalogue #03-1984). Mama says the stories in it are very sweet and well-written, and even though a lot of them are about dogs, there are a few about cats and other animals as well.

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.