Understanding Cat Health Problems – Introduction
I’ve lived with companion animals for most of my life. When I was younger I had dogs. For the past 13 years or so, I’ve had cats. I lost my last dog to congestive heart failure and what I learned through that experience made me vow to treat my animals differently. I always thought I was giving him the best food (because it was the most expensive and it was widely advertised). I always thought I was doing the best for him by taking him to see the vet regularly, getting all his shots and so on.
By the time I learned that what I had been doing for him turned out to be affecting his health in a bad way, it was too late. But from that experience I was determined that I would apply what I learned to my animals going forward. That has been good news for my cats, because they have benefited from that knowledge and experience, and I have continued to learn and study as much about what affects their health as I can.
I’ve had three cats, let me introduce them to you:
Boots was 8 years old when we adopted her from the Humane Society. She had been in a shelter for 4 years and previously had some liver problems. She died 2 years ago at the age of 17.
We adopted Flugel at the same time as Boots. He was 2 when we adopted him and he’s now 14. Apart from having some issues with his teeth, Flugel had a severe hernia issue. He had a small hole in his diaphragm and ended up with most of his organs (gall bladder, spleen, etc.,) moving through the hole and ending up near his heart. We almost lost him, but he had surgery and everything is back where it should be – now he’s doing very well.
We adopted Tinkerbell about 6 months after Boots died, since Flugel was missing her so much and he clearly needed a companion. She was a year and a half when we adopted her and is now 4. Tnkerbell was originally adopted by a family when she was a kitten. She was returned because she wouldn’t use her litter box. It turned out that the reason she wouldn’t use her litter box was because she had a severe urinary infection and was in a lot of pain. Her infection was treated, and fortunately for us, we found her shortly afterwards – she happily uses her litter box and has never had a problem since.
I want to use this blog to bring attention to the main causes of cat health problems and how to treat them. I believe that most health issues can be avoided if people understand what causes them, so your cat can lead a long, healthy and happy life. Boots, Flugel and Tinkerbell will help me as I share information with you – and I hope you will contribute and share your own stories on this blog.
