Can I use peroxide to treat my cat’s gingivitis?

Posted on | July 20, 2008 | 1 Comment

Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: 

Hi. I have an urgent question. My cat has been diagnosed with gingivitis and needs tooth removal. His mouth hurts so badly that he can’t eat hard cat food, just soft. Anyway, I’d like to treat his sore in his mouth. Can I put peroxide on it to help kill off the bacteria?
Thanks so much!

~Ariane

Siouxsie: In its advanced stages, gingivitis is indeed a very painful condition. And although peroxide used to be the wound cleaner of choice, it has recently become much less favored because it damages healthy flesh as well as lifting bacteria out through its bubbling action. Medical professionals also discourage putting peroxide directly on mucous membranes such as the tissue inside the mouth. Read more

Why did my cat die while she was in labor?

Posted on | July 13, 2008 | No Comments

Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:

My cat died in labor. what could have caused this? She was about 1 year old and was ready to give birth. She was already bleeding and we put her in a nice little bed. She was an outside cat, though, and as soon as we left her alone she jumped over the fence. She was gone for two days and we figured she had her kitties and she was just taking care of them. But when we went to look for her, we found her dead. We aren’t sure what killed her, whether it was the fence jumping or the birth pains. We are very sad over all of this. Do you have an idea of what might have happened?

~Liz

Siouxsie: Unfortunately, Liz, there are a few things that can go wrong when a cat has kittens, and it looks like one or more of these happened to your kitty. We are quite sure, however, that your cat’s death had nothing to do with jumping the fence.

Thomas: In general, labor and delivery problems are quite rare in cats. But occasionally they do happen. Read more

Why is my spayed 15-year-old cat acting like she’s in heat?

Posted on | July 6, 2008 | No Comments

Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:

I have a cat that is 15 years old. I had her spayed 12 years ago. Right now, she has been in heat constantly for the past 2 months. She also has been urinating all over the house, mostly on my husband’s things. She has also been drinking a lot of water and is constantly hungry. She has never urinated on my husband’s things before. Any suggestions?

~Laurie

Siouxsie: We’re pretty sure that the behavior you’re witnessing is not your cat in heat. Read more