Our BlogBehind the Scenes, Cat News, Product Reviews & More!
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Our BlogBehind the Scenes, Cat News, Product Reviews & More!
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After a bad weekend, I called Benny's vet first thing on Monday morning. I was surprised, they had a diagnosis! It completely stumped me, but it totally made sense.
Benny has a liver shunt. I never suspected liver issues. Benny's blood work had come back normal during this ordeal. He wasn't showing any signs of struggling to use the litterbox, or having other digestive complaints. He wasn't throwing up. There are two types of symptoms that liver shunt cats suffer from- neurological and digestive. Neurological? Yes! It makes complete sense why he was suffering his odd symptoms- altered mental states, behavioral issues, drooling, shaking, seizing, blindness, deafness, and paralysis. The liver controls bringing in blood from the system, cleansing it, and pumping it back out. When they have a shunt, it acts like a bypass, letting toxins escape back into the system. Its not uncommon for many of these toxins to enter into the brain, thus affecting their functions. Benny was very lucky that he was only affected neurologically, and the vet told me this happens when the system reacts negatively to the excess ammonia, that comes with unbroken down proteins. So, cats with liver & kidney disorders don't properly break down proteins found in regular cat food. Cat food is typically high in proteins, between 30-40% is most common. Cats suffering from these issues should have as few proteins as possible, along with a drug that acts as a laxative, basically it bonds to the proteins, making it easier for them to digest and pass. There are two types of treatments for liver shunts. 1) First is to run a series of tests and then operate on the shunt. Depending on the cat's condition, it can be extremely risky, and not all survive. You have to stabilize them before surgery, and they can suffer from complications post-surgery. 2) The other option is controlling the condition with a low protein diet and drugs. If the cat is seriously ill and suffer from digestive problems, they will need to be on antibiotics to help take the toxins out of the blood. Others may be milder (like Benny's) and only need a laxative with their low protein food. We are going with the latter, and will be controlling his diet. Benny will need to eat smaller meals of the Hill's Prescription Diet l/d Liver Care Chicken Flavor Dry Cat Food. I also bought special wet food to give with the dry food- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Renal Support D Morsels in Gravy Canned Cat Food. I will give an update on how the food and laxative is working for him in the coming days. Its been two days now since he's had any issues, and he has only been getting a little bit of wet food at a time, and this morning I was able to start him on Lactulose, the laxative the vet prescribed. I really had absolutely no clue that his food was causing him so many troubles. I should have been able to put two and two together, and it was the only part I ignored. It wasn't too long after he had a hearty meal, did he start showing symptoms of a problem. It would start with drooling, and if he ate a lot, would move into that strange altered state, and it might progress to shaking and possibly a seizure. The last seizure was really scary, I saw signs that he was starting to press his head against objects. I thought at first he was blind and just running into things, but it didn't seem right. If you ever see your cat press its head against anything for more than a moment, VET ASAP. Here are some links to very helpful liver shunt articles- http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/PortosystemicShunt.cfm http://www.cat-world.com.au/portosystemic-shunts-in-cats http://www.catlivershunt.com/ The other tell tale sign of potential liver problems in cats, is the presence of copper colored eyes. It means they have an excess of copper in their system, and they're more prone to liver problems. I never knew this either, and I really appreciate my observant vet! The prognosis of cats diagnosed with liver shunts vary. Some are mild enough to recover from with a simple change of diet, while others need life saving surgery. Liver shunt cats can lead a full life, and its really hard to say if their life will be short or long. Some survive months after diagnosis, some live a very long time with proper care. I definitely wouldn't discourage anyone from adopting a copper eyed cat, or one with known liver issues. Educate yourself, and learn the alternatives (if there are any) to expensive treatments and surgeries. Had I listened to a lot of the articles out there, I'd be getting ready to put him down because I didn't have the $3-7,000+ needed for the surgery. Instead, we found out through forums and actual owners of liver shunt cats, that many cases can be managed with diet and drugs. Its not a death sentence. If your cat has any weird symptoms or has seizures, the vet may push you to consider putting them down, instead of figuring out the problem. If their quality of life hasn't been affected too greatly, or there is severe damage done, definitely stabilize them and start researching! Talk with people, post to cat health forums, ask for a 2nd opinion. I nearly put Benny down after his first seizure because at that very moment, we thought he had suffered permanent damage. Cats go into what is called a postictyl state, and they will have altered and compromised function while they recover. It can be anywhere from 10 minutes, 2 hours, a half a day, 2 days. It depends on the cat and severity. It makes me sick how many cats were probably improperly put down because the vet didn't understand how cat seizures work. I really hope Benny's story can help owners understand what goes on, and to be able to get them correctly diagnosed and treated. I know I threw a lot of knowledge out there today, and in the coming days I'll be breaking it down in more pieces. Please let me know if you have any questions about anything, in the meantime! I'll do my best to answer them, or point you somewhere, where you can get answers. My email is [email protected], or you can leave a comment. Thanks so much!
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I had another awful evening with Benny last night. I really thought he was going to be ok, because I didn't allow him to play with his sister, Gracie, in a couple of days. I thought his issues were caused by over stimulation. Yesterday proved my theory wrong. Benny spent most of day following us around, playing with an occasional toy, and curling up in cozy spots. I had been using some cat aromatherapy herbal sprays called Hydrosols. They are basically herbs diffused in water, which are safe for cats, unlike their cousin, essential oils, which can be highly toxic to their sensitive systems. Benny was by all means normal at this point. Just after 4pm, he wandered into my study. He was walking a little stiff, and his gaze was a little fixed. He walked around, batting at a few toys, but as it went on, his gaze got more fixed and he started going after my legs. I followed him out of the room with my video recorder on, and he made aggressive looks at my other two cats, which he never does. He went after Angie's tail while she ate, and she was so surprised that she had an asthma attack. She's fine, but she has a hard time with being startled. After that, I put him in the bedroom for a little cool down time of his own. He normally recovers from these odd episodes on his own. My fiance got back just after 5pm, and I let Benny out of the bedroom. He came out a minute later, staggering and he was drooling. I knew what that meant- seizure. We got him isolated in the bathroom and watched him closely. This episode was different from the last. There was a few small jerks but no actual convulsion or marked fainting. He was breathing hard, drooling a lot, and he was having a hard time standing. He was tilted a little and he would occasionally press his head against something. By this time, I really believe he was blind and possibly even deaf. We put him into a carrier and continued to monitor him carefully. His drool turned into a lot of heavy clear mucus. He was trying so hard to stand but gave up. I assume he was paralyzed for a time, this happens with every seizure to date. He laid down and was comforted by my fiance gently stroking his head. The only good news is that although his episodes/seizures have become more frequent, they are less severe and he's recovering quicker. He was down from about 5:15-7pm, which is still too long. For a typical cat seizure, they are seizing less than 5 minutes total. The actual recovery time can vary, from moments, to hours and even days in rare cases. I was very happy, but definitely puzzled, when we let him out of the cage at 9pm, he was completely normal again. He tried wrestling with Gracie soon after, and yeah, right! Wrong! The only odd behavior he had was searching around the house excitedly for something. I have no idea what it could have been. He has piles of "buried" toys, including many cat toy prototypes he's stolen from me. (this is why I haven't been able to get any new toys listed in awhile!) This afternoon he was playing with his puzzle box and it really got me thinking. Its a wooden box with 9 small holes where you can stuff a variety of toys for them to bat around and take out. Benny's really good at it. He has very precise movements and can grab a toy out like nothing. He does this today, after another seizure. I really feel this revelation is key, because his ability to navigate this box would mean normal neurological function and motor skills. Right? He has no damage to speak of from any of the seizures or episodes. He has no decline in his health, that I can tell. He eats, drinks and plays like a normal cat, before and after seizures. I did a lot of research and talking to different people online about his story. People suggested heart problems, liver problems, poisoning by my houseplants, parasites, bacteria and fungus. I can narrow the list down this way: - Heart problems possibly, but his gums and tongue are very normal, his skin has level temperature (meaning no hot and cold zones, which could be a sign of clotting or improper blood flow), no vomiting and no fever. I have no way of measuring his heart rate currently, which may be the only way of diagnosing this - Liver problems, probably not because he is not jaundiced, no fever, vomiting, eating and eliminating normally (that I'm aware of), and his blood tests came back normal. Its possible there may be a spike going on when this happens, but I would assume there would be something abnormal in the tests presently. We'll see. - Houseplants, no. I have two small lilies, which are known to be poisonous to cats. I know this, and I keep them where the cats normally are not. I tend to them all the time, so I would be aware of any damage to the leaves. They aren't able to lick any water from the plant, because the water is housed within the pot and not in a saucer. They have always ignored my plants, in part because I keep grass & catnip plants for them on the floor, and I monitor my pets. If there was a danger, I would have removed them immediately. But still, if something like this was going on, there would always be symptoms, and he would be vomiting. - Parasites, Bacteria & Fungus. Still a possibility, but many can be ruled out if they're contagious because my other cats are fine. He has no lesions that I can see, meaning the chance of a fungus problem is low. Fungal infections can occur with exposure to birds, rodents and rotting garbage. Benny was a stray the shelter picked up, so its a possibility. Any of the three might have a long incubation period, so he would have more than likely been fine for the month he was at the shelter. Its odd that it started just shy of two weeks into his new home, it hopefully is just an unfortunate coincidence. I researched Ataxia, which is sensory dysfunction, and he has many of its symptoms. I also read about Staggering Disease, which is a non treatable progressive disease. The latter I'm not so sure about, since he has no decline in his health, fortunately. I will be calling the vet first thing in the morning and see if they have any more ideas to help Benny. Until then, I will be thinking and researching hard! If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to comment or send me a note at [email protected]. We all cannot wait to get a diagnosis and treatment going. His poor buddy, Gracie, misses wrestling with her cool brother! Meet BENNY, the newest Oddball Cat Toys family member!
On June 22nd, I fell in love with Ronaldo, now Benny, at the Rapid City Humane Society. They were having a sale on kitties, and I couldn't resist stopping to at least go play with them! With so many precious souls needing home, its impossible to leave empty handed. So, we took Benny home with us. The first week was great. By Day 2, he was integrated with my 3 cats and allowed to roam the house at his leisure. He was very good with them, and minus a little grumbling, his presence was accepted. Benny got his name after Benny Hill, because he's a total clown, he loves doing goofy things to make people laugh. We noticed he was a bit clumsy and had a few odd traits, like shaking his paw right before he took a drink. He loved to cuddle with you... so long as he could sit still! He got the nickname "Wiggy", short for wiggles. Benny is also very curious and just has to be into everything you're into. He got a second nickname- "Snoopy". I really thought I had gotten lucky with the coolest cat in the world! Little did I know what was coming... The troubles began shortly before the first week was over. My fiance had been away for the first several days following the adoption. Benny didn't come downstairs to greet us immediately when we returned from dinner that night. I thought that was odd because he was very social. When I went upstairs to check on him, I noticed a trail of drool from his mouth and he was walking just a little odd. I have cats with PTSD before, so I figured he had been nervous about being left alone while we went for dinner. I wanted to check his mouth for injury, just to be safe, and when I did, he got a little nippy with me. I left him with my fiance to calm down. All was well for another week and a half. He had become really good buddies with my black cat, Gracie. The two loved to tear around the house and wear each other out. On Thursday, July 7, I thought it was odd that Benny had been sleeping most of the day. In fact, he was sleeping so hard that the only way he stirred to get his beloved canned food dinner, was to put it under his nose. He got so excited, that he fell out of the tree trying to go after the bowl in my hand! He wasn't hurt at all. He ate well too, he polished everyone's bowl off after he scarfed his down. I had forgotten about the bowls on the floor and accidentally kicked the cheap glass bowl, which split in half and wound up just inches away from Benny. Benny had a very shocked face, and I tried my best to chase him around the house like a crazy cat lady, bawling, "I'm so sorry, Benny! I didn't mean to scare you! Oh, poor baby, its ok!" (now I'm joking about most of that, but I did try to calm him thinking he may have PTSD) Benny went upstairs for about a half hour, and when he came down, he had a lot of drool around his mouth. He was walking very funny. He staggered under the bed and threw everything he had just eaten up. I got him out from underneath the bed, but one of my cats spooked him back upstairs. I got him into a carrier and brought him into the bathroom. I set him in the middle of the floor and monitored him. At that point, he was breathing hard and looking really bad. I got my cooling blanket out and put it around him, and also dribbled some water in his mouth. I still thought it was heat related. He suddenly let out a horrible howl and curled up into a seizure. I panicked. He looked like he had been poisoned! I had absolutely no clue what was going on with my poor cat! He was indoors only, we have a very safe house with no toxins, and everyone else was fine. My first aid training kicked in and I made sure he kept calm and couldn't hurt himself. I continued cooling him down. The closest vet is at least an hour away, so I was forced to take care of him by myself. He took almost two hours to come out of the post-seizure state and get on his feet. I had a local vet watch him for the night, thinking if the worst happened, he might be able to help him out. The next morning, Benny was back to normal. We took him to the vet and all his blood work came back very normal, he was a very healthy 2 year old. We were stumped, but assumed it then meant he had idiopathic epilepsy. I did a lot of research and found out they normally don't medicate cats for occasional epileptic seizures, so all we could do was watch and hope for the best. If he had another one within the month, he would need to go back for medicine to help control it. All was well for another 6 days. That following Thursday, Benny and Gracie started playing really rough around 3pm, and by 4pm I had to break it up. It wasn't too long after that, Benny got weird. I noticed he was walking weird and his gaze was very focused. He got nippy with me when I stretched out my hand to direct him, and he started going after my legs because I was walking in front of him. I tried putting him in timeout in his room upstairs. While I was trying to get the a/c unit to work, he jumped up on the desk to "help" me. He went after my cell phone, which is completely unlike him. When I took that away, my arm became a target. He got down on the floor and it was then my legs again. I pushed him into the kennel next to me and brought him downstairs. A kennel timeout didn't do anything, he was still in that weird state. I then placed him in the bathroom for an hour, and he finally returned back to normal. A few days later on Sunday, Benny had a particularly bad episode that morning, right after wrestling with Gracie. His mouth was open a little, he was breathing hard, and he was walking very staggered and slow. His gaze was very fixed and he just wasn't there. I really had no idea what was going on, so when he went upstairs to his room, I closed him in there. I took video of all the events. My videos later became very valuable clues to what was going on with him. Benny didn't have a seizure, but after this particular event, I was able to safely conclude that anytime he was overstimulated, like heavy play, he had what I called an episode. No seizure, but just a weird altered mental state, in which he became unpredictable and unstable. It happened again this past Tuesday, he had another seizure. He was playing with Gracie, and we broke it up before it got too rough. So I thought. Benny wandered into my study not too long after, walking funny and I swore his head was slightly tilted to the side. His tail was really swishing around. I figured he was just having another episode. I kept a close eye on him. He went and hid under the bed. While we were calming him down, he let out a really bad yowl, and I knew that sign- seizure. We quickly got him isolated in the bathroom and placed him in a shallow box with a comfy blanket. The seizure was different from the last, there was no curling, no shaking that intensified over time. He started having a lot of mucus production after the shaking subsided. His breathing got shallower and shallower, and we didn't know what was going on. Every once in awhile, he'd give out a loud deathly cough. It dawned on us suddenly- he was slightly upright on the box, as we assumed that would help the saliva drain out of his mouth. Actually, cats need to either be laid flat or downwards for their bodies to properly flow. After realizing our mistake, we quickly got him flat. I've never been so terrified and horrified in my life. I had a little animal first aid training, but never in my years did I expect to have to use my knowledge on my own cat! I didn't know enough either, I've only had healthy cats. Benny was back to normal a lot quicker this time with no lasting effects. We took him back to the vet and again, nothing found. The vet concluded his symptoms weren't consistent with feline epilepsy, that there was something else going on, something neurological. They forwarded all my carefully written notes, photographs and a series of videos, to a well known neurologist. I'm going to end this post here since its so long, but please look for the follow up post tomorrow! I want to talk more in depth about Benny, his problem, and how I've been able to help him during these tough times. We recently moved eight hours from our home to a new city. We thought we had everything planned out carefully, but plans started falling apart one by one. I have three cats, and my biggest fear is their comfort. I have always done the best I can to make sure they're as comfortable as can be, and they're well taken care of during the journey.
I was so upset right before we hit the road, and I said, "If I didn't have cats, this would be so much easier! We could just go to the city and check things out, then come back for our belongings". Of course when you have cats, you can't just leave them alone while you do that. The choices are one of you goes to check out the new city and reports back, or the cats go with you, which might lead to them stressing out, which you definitely don't want. I swear my cats knew exactly what I said. For a brief moment I was angry about having them, because it led to so many complications, so much extra money spent. They looked so sad and alone right then. It absolutely broke my heart! I got REALLY angry with myself. I absolutely would never even think twice of NOT having them. They are the biggest joy in my life. They keep me going each day (I work from home by myself and the hours get long), and at night we cuddle together in bed. I couldn't imagine how empty my life would be without them around. So yes, sometimes they do complicate things. Yes, sometimes they cost you more money. What they give in return is well worth the sacrifices. I can't tell you how upset I get when people do move and leave their "pets" behind. They look up to you and they love you for the stupid human that you can be! Then you just up and desert them? What about their choice? Sure, they don't necessarily enjoy traveling, and sure, they might get stressed out by a new environment, but what are YOU doing for them? Their discomfort is your discomfort. If you're willing to be a friend to them, show them they can lean on you when they're scared, they'll be just fine. They can make that move with you. They can ride in the car and learn to enjoy it. They can settle right into a new place and love it. YOU have to try. YOU have to make the effort. I will never accept the excuse that you cannot move with your pets. If you're going to be that selfish, NEVER own a pet. PLEASE. How do you find a pet friendly place? Its very easy! I use Craigs list or Apartment Finder to look for rentals. All you do is click the "cats ok" box on the left hand side by the search. That will pull up a number of cat friendly rentals. I then email the places I'm interested in, and ask them about their pet policies. I've had several rentals with my 2-3 cats, and I've never had an issue. That's all it takes is a click to find pet friendly apartments. If you cannot do that, NEVER own a pet. If the deposit amount is too much, look around some more. If you don't feel like handing over an additional $100-200 for your pet, then shame on you! Give your "friend" to someone who will appreciate them! So, back to my moving horror story. We ended up spending several nights in a hotel before we got into an apartment, and that was after two days of driving 4 hours each. The girls actually enjoy hotel rooms. They each have their favorite blankets that we spread on the beds and floor. We put out a few toys and of course, food bowls! They settle right in. How do you find a pet friendly hotel room? My advice is to go to Expedia or Hotwire. They have a "pet friendly" checkbox in the amenities section. Check it, then run your search. If you call Hotwire and book directly with an agent, if the hotel you get decides to refuse your pet for some reason, they will help you find another hotel free of charge that will. When you check in, tell them you have PETS. Not cats, not dogs. PETS. My experience in Minnesota was awful, they are extremely cat unfriendly there. Their policies state they accept PETS, but many of them refused cats. Had I said PETS, I probably would have been ok. I've had no issues in South Dakota or Iowa with PETS in the hotel room. Give it a try! As for riding in the car, for the move I had to keep everyone kenneled. Normally I can let them out and they're much happier looking out the windows. Cats prefer to see what's going on in the world, whether its upsetting to them or not. I recommend if you can't let them out to at least have a carrier they can see out of. I have a soft sided carrier with mesh on two sides. They love it, and they'll sleep in there sometimes when we're not traveling. Moral of the story. You WILL make a lot of sacrifices when you have pets in your life. Either its going to be the biggest sacrifice for a deep love, or its a burden too big for you to handle. Before you decide, take a deep breathe and look into their loving, trusting eyes. If it doesn't melt your heart and get you thinking smarter, then I don't know what else to say. My girls will always be with me, no matter the sacrifice. I will never again look at them as a burden, because their sadness shatters my heart. I know as a strong family, we roll together through whatever life puts in our way, and we make it out just fine in the end. :-) From all of us here at Oddball Cat Toys, Happy Thanksgiving! I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for the furry friends that I have in my life. To Angie- my little peanut. We found each other when we were both going through a rough time. She's been my support, and I've been her counselor. We've known each other only 7 years now, but it seems like forever. Angie is the reason Oddball Cat Toys exists. She believed my knitting could be something other than boring squares, that I could be so much more with my basic skills. To Dee Dee- my Southern Belle. Dee is the most gentle soul. I saw her picture a year ago on Facebook, she was about to be put to death in a NC kill shelter. I networked with some wonderful people to save her, and she was then flown to me. From the moment she arrived, she was a purrfect match. Dee hasn't had an easy life, but she has really grown to become the sassiest cat I know! And she loooves head bonking you! To Gracie- because she keeps me on my feet! She challenges me to do better than the rest, to keep her entertained and out of trouble! She taught me to pay careful attention to what attracts a kitty's attention and why. To Tuxie- the outdoor feral kitty I have yet to win over. Tuxie is a very gentle cat, who wants to trust but isn't quite ready to make the contact. He tries his very best to come over and get a meal from me, at least once a day. Tuxie is very thankful for the kindness that we extend to him. I'm sure he doesn't get the same reception at other houses. Ferals are such wonderful souls. I wish people would take just a moment out of their busy day to do them a special favor. Put some food out. Give them some fresh water. One kind gesture means so much to their hard lives. To Sunshine- the neglected cat that was about to give up on life. We took him in and provided him a safe place to live. He is recovering more and more every day. He is the silent victim so many of us ignore. Underneath the mess he was, I could see his old shining soul calling out for love, and acceptance. We are currently searching for a wonderful home for Sunny, that best suits his specific needs for an only cat, quiet household. Please feel free to comment below how thankful you are to the furry friends in your life. I would love to hear your stories!
I had a very upsetting day yesterday. It started out as a curiosity, and wound up something completely different and it brought up a lot of questions needing answers.
I have only read stories online of owners dying and family not caring for the deceased person's cats. The sad fact is, very few cats in these situations are properly cared for. They're not given the love and understanding they need through THEIR difficult time. Yes, cats grieve, like people do. Many find themselves swept into carriers and thrown at the attendants of the nearest (kill) animal shelter. Others may given lesser regards and thrown outside to fend for themselves. Here's my sad tale. We were visiting with a couple of people yesterday, and they wanted to show us the RV on their property. As we walked around it, they casually mentioned there was a cat living in there. Since the RV was parked, I knew it was by itself, and I had to ask, "Why?". The cat had traveled for years with its owner to various RV parks around the country. When the owner died, the cat was left with the RV. Nobody knew what to do with it, and nobody cared to take care of it. The cat had some food and water, and an unkept litter box that spilled onto the floor. It was a terrible sight. The cat herself was very scared and upset. You could tell in her eyes just how much she missed her owner. She was waiting for his return. Nobody explained to her what had happened, and why she's suddenly living by herself in that filthy RV. The two people that gave her food reported she was mean. That's a common mistake people make about cats. This particular cat had been abandoned, and she was no longer being taken care of. She was hurting, not just physically, but emotionally. She was lashing out in fear at everyone who came near, because she didn't know better. She didn't see friend from enemy. She only knew her world had collapsed, and she was trapped in a world she no longer understood and nobody was there for her. My fiance, Kevin, knelt down near the floor where she cowered. He spoke to her gently for several minutes. The growling and hissing subsided, and he eventually got her to calm down. He was able to offer a hand for her to sniff, and casually started to stroke under her chin. She gave in and started purring away! Whenever he'd remove her hand, she'd yell at him as if to say, "Hey! You stopped! What gives?!" We took her home with us, needless to say. We prepared a suite for her in our spare bedroom, away from the other cats. She will need time to adjust to her new surroundings, and have a healthy period of grieving. She will be surrounded by loving people that can't exactly understand or know what she's been through, but will provide a safe, loving environment for as long as she lives. We've gently explained to her what happened to her owner, and why she is with us now. I can tell in her eyes she comprehends the words, and is trying to find comfort in them. All she knows is her world has changed again. I wish more than anything I could give her back the happiest days in her life, but I can't. I couldn't leave her in the only home she's known, because she wasn't being cared for. This raises a lot of questions and concerns. I couldn't imagine how upset her daddy would have been, had he known what happened to his beloved cat after he died. There was nobody to take care of her, no provisions for her future. We don't know when we're going to die. It could be today, it could be next month, next year, or forty years from now. It is so important that we all take a few minutes, to both write it down and verbally tell people, what we want to happen with our cats when we're not around. If you love them and care about them, please make sure they're taken care of. Imagine your cat in this same heartbreaking situation. Its not anything I would ever wish on an animal. They think and feel, just like a human does. The only difference is they cannot rationalize or comprehend like we can. When their world is turned upside down, they need someone they can trust in their lives to guide them through. They need a warm, loving home to live in. They need proper care. It is absolutely NEVER a burden to have one more animal in your home. I have a lot going on in my life and I admit its overwhelming to have someone in need of counseling right now, but that didn't change my decision to help. We are all in a way responsible for the well being and happiness of the animals on earth. I see it as being part of a greater Good, the greater Meaning, of life to unselfishly help someone else in need, be it a person or animal. To feel the love and trust of a broken spirit is like no other. If you absolutely cannot care for an animal in need, please enlist in the help of a no kill shelter or animal rescue. Don't ever neglect, abandon, kick out, or give these animals to a kill shelter. Don't ever think of them as an object or a burden. They have every right to a good life as you do. Please plan for your animals. In the coming days, I will write more about how our new cat, Sunshine, is doing, and what we are doing to help her heal through this difficult time. |