Dahlia Tells All: Horror Upon Horror!
I hope you’ll forgive me for bringing this week’s chapter to you late. It’s just so traumatic … I have all I can do not to break down in hairball-horking, wretched, tearful terror when I think about it. So I’m going to make this as short as I can. Thomas is here grooming me and whispering sweet purr-songs in my ear. But it’s still hard. *sniffle* So, as you recall, last week I told you about the hole... Read More
My fat cat has lost his will to live. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My kitty is 7 years old and weighs 32 pounds (14.5 kg). Recently he had some pain in his back leg. I took him to the vet, who thought he pulled a disc in his back or had a thrombus. Tests for both of these conditions were negative. The vet gave him pain medicine and sent him home. Now my cat acts like he doesn’t know us — and doesn’t even know his name! He doesn’t eat... Read More
I’m afraid my cat might have had rabies. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I had a 9-year-old Russian Blue mix. He was an outside cat due to the fact that even though he was neutered, he still sprayed. I brought him in the house last night in a small kennel because the weather has been so bad. He was fine when I put him in. I picked him up and he seemed normal. But this morning when I went to put him back out, I found he had died during the night. He was laying as... Read More
My husband likes to pull our cat’s tail. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My husband insists on pulling our 15-year-old tabby’s tail. He says he read that cats like this type of thing. There doesn’t seem to be any ill effect from his actions, but because our cat is a senior now and we love her so much and I feel this is a rather violent act, could you offer advice regarding the damage tail pulling can do, not to mention the emotional insult to the cat?... Read More
Can my tiny, sickly kitten have a good quality of life?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I would like to ask a question about our kitten, Belle. When Belle was six weeks old, something terrible happened to her and me: I was feeding mum and the 7 kittens and even though I was trying to be careful, I took a small step backwards onto Belle. She was badly hurt, unconscious and with blood coming out her mouth and nose, so we rushed her to the emergency clinic. They x-rayed and treated... Read More
My kitten was attacked by a dog and she’s really sick. What should I do?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My 5-month-old kitten, Sofie, was attacked by a big dog. It happened yesterday afternoon. She’s breathing and is alive, but she’s not moving. It’s like she’s in a coma. She’s just a little farm kitten but I love her. What should I do? ~Mitchell Siouxsie: We sent this reader an e-mail as soon as we got this, because the only answer is to get that cat to a veterinarian... Read More
My kitten has a sore mouth, and I’m really worried. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: This seems pretty urgent to me! I got a wee kitten about 4 months ago. He’s about 6 and a half months old now, but I noticed yesterday his gums were bleeding right at the line of where his teeth come out. I thought perhaps he’d bitten a stick and it had just left a little cut, but now he’s barely eating anything and it’s clear it’s painful for him when he does.... Read More
