Cats and more cats
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I recently adopted a new cat from a shelter in Sonoma County. I love my new “Samba” but he has taken over my life. He not only pushes me around the house, but he has me on a new schedule. He decides when we eat, play, and sleep. What I’m trying to say is he is wonderful but bossy. Now I will tell you my dilemma. The reason I adopted Samba was because my dear kitty Lorna Doone ran away several months ago during the 4th of July fireworks and I’ve been lonely ever since. But last week my dear sweet Lorna showed up at the back door all wet and soggy in the middle of the rain storm – I couldn’t believe it. Samba did not welcome her with tears of joy like I did. He hissed at her, scratched her and then ran under the bed. I have been in a living hell ever since. I don’t know what to do but I may have to take Samba the bossy guy back to the shelter or give him away. These cats hate each other and I know I can’t keep them both as they are. Lorna was my special love and now she is back. Samba is acting jealous and hateful and I am caught in the middle. I need some advice before this cat war claims me as the first victim. – Going into battle
Dear Battle: Congratulations on getting Lorna Doone back. It’s a blessing that felines have a built in tracking mechanism and can find their way home and surprise us in situations. This clearly is an example of serendipity for you – not so much for Samba.
In my opinion, when you made the decision to take Samba into your home, you made a commitment to him that was not contingent upon your previous pet returning unexpectedly at your door. While I validate your concerns and empathize with the difficulty of your situation, I highly doubt that the contract you signed at the shelter where you adopted Samba had a clause that said “P.S. I will keep him unless I have problems and then I will figure out how to get rid of him.”
I do realize that I am answering harshly, but this topic really puts my panties in a bunch. I feel the responsible thing to do is separate the cats into different rooms. Speak with an animal care specialist (veterinarian, trainer) about the most ideal way to gradually introduce them safely and slowly to each other in order to enable them to cohabitate. I suggest you accept responsibility for the war that is erupting and solve it rather than accusing a fluffy housecat of being bossy and hateful. In the veterinary world bossy and hateful are euphemisms for superior and “better than thou” cat. In case you didn’t know better, this is typical for a fabulous, “owns the world cat.” It is most likely his personality and Samba’s gift to you and the world. I urge you to go into solution mode for the sake of your family and your conscience. Good luck, I hope things go well. – Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe: My cat is a diabetic but is doing very well. I monitor her as well as I can but I went away on vacation last weekend and the girl I have who pet sits didn’t show up to give the insulin.
When I came home “Max” was not well. He seemed sluggish and irritable. I noticed that the water bowls were all BONE dry and even my small fountain was dry. Naturally I was worried about him but he seems okay. How serious a problem is this? What actions to I need to take? Does he need a glucose test right away? – Mrs. G, Sonoma
Dear Mrs. G: First of all, I would get him in for a regular check up to make sure he is doing well. Not having his insulin for a few days didn’t apparently do any massive harm to him this time, but it would be a good idea to check his blood sugar level and urine to see where his levels are and make sure there are no ketones in his body. Ketones are an indication of serious problems with unregulated diabetes and could indicate a problem with Max.
Next, I would have a talk with the girl who didn’t show up for the pet sitting job. Doesn’t she realize that Max is a diabetic who is on life saving medication? Is this person a flake who only appears when the wind moves her? I would let her know that Max could have died because of this. In other words I would find a nice way of gently and sweetly letting her know to begin sleeping with one eye open from now on!!!
Max does not need a full blood glucose curve done right away (the test where we look at blood glucose levels all day, every two hours). The reason for this is that after missing insulin for a few days Max will most likely be poorly regulated now so it will take him a few days to get back to normal. It would be better to simply dose him as usual for a couple weeks and then test him again to make sure his is getting the correct dose and doing well. In addition, he should have a blood Fructosamine test. This is a blood test that measures the average blood sugar level that the pets has had over the previous few months. It is a good indicator of how the cat has been doing overall rather than in one narrow point in time.
Diabetes in cats is a very important disease. You may want to consider boarding Max at a veterinary hospital while you go away next time to ensure he gets his proper injections and care. Good luck with him. I’m sure he’s a real “sweet” guy! – Dr. F
