Q: Miz Kitty is recovering from a long illness, during which
she had three different antibiotics and surgery. Her vet says she's
doing well, but I'm still concerned because she has no energy and
seems to lack interest in life. Any suggestions?
A: Look first at what Miz Kitty is eating. Cats always benefit from a diet of fresh whole foods supplemented with essential nutrients. The
intense stress of illness, medication and surgery greatly increase
an animal's need for high quality nutrition without chemical additives. Both
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS & CATS by
Richard H. Pitcairn, D.V.M., Ph.D, & Susan Hubble Pitcairn, (Rodale
Press) and THE NEW NATURAL CAT by Anitra Frazier with Norma Eckroate
(Plume/Penguin,1990) offer comprehensive guidelines for meeting the
general nutritional needs of all cats, and the special needs of convalescing
animals.
To replace friendly intestinal bacteria destroyed by the antibiotics, your
cat will benefit from acidophilus. Acidophilus is available at natural
food stores in both liquid and pill form.
Another approach I highly recommend to help restore Miz Kitty's vitality
are flower remedies. The flower remedy STAR OF BETHLEHEM
is indicated to help deal with the traumatic after effects of her
illness and surgery. The remedy OLIVE is indicated to help in overcoming
the exhaustion resulting from her ordeal. The remedy WILD ROSE is
indicated here to help deal with her "lack of interest" in life. Because
her prolonged illness and the accompanying stress are very likely
to have created a toxic condition in this cat's body, we also recommend
CRAB APPLE, which is the flower remedy for cleansing. Mix together
equal parts of these four remedies and administer several times daily
until her vitality is restored. Add several drops to her food and
water, and squeeze directly into her mouth, or you can rub the drops
on her lips and in front of her ears where the fur is thin.
Q: My four-year-old cat Bart has very long fur. He used to love
for me to brush him. He would purr a lot and rub his face on the
brush. Then his fur started to get big mats. Now he tries to bite
and scratch me when I go to brush him. If I keep trying he runs away. My
mom says to cut the mats off, but Bart won't let me. He looks awful. What
can I do?
A: Don't blame Bart for running away--mats hurt! Cutting them
off is tricky, and you could accidentally hurt Bart pretty badly. Talk
to your mother about having the mats removed by a professional groomer
or at the vet's. If Bart's getting mats in spite of regular grooming,
he may need some changes in his diet. To help reduce Bart's immediate
stress and ease his discomfort, give him CALMING ESSENCETM, a brand of the stress-relieving formula we've been using,
and like. Three to four drops of this can be put on your finger,
directly from the concentrate bottle, and rubbed into Bart's gums,
then gently rubbed just in front of Bart's ear where the fur is thinner. Repeat
every few minutes before, during, and after grooming, until his stress
eases.
The information in this column is not intended to replace veterinary
care. For all conditions requiring medical attention, see your vet
immediately.
Products in this column are included for the reader's convenience. However,
inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by either the author
or this publication.
(Extracted from Your Animals Emotional Health Column appearing in the November-December 1994 and January-February 1995 issues of Natural Pet Magazine. Reprinted with permission from the author.)
© Copyright 1995, 1996 Penny Case