Duffy exam report (good)

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
. ..
Duffy had his exam this week and received an excellent health report. The
reason I'm reporting is that the vet said he has "extraordinary" muscle
tone for a blind cat, especially around his hind legs. I have frequently
posted suggestions that people get a good cat tree, and I especially
emphasize that for blind cats. I think this report shows one of the
benefits of a cat tree. In addition to the pleasure it brings, it also
has noticeable benefits for physical strength. The only thing Holly can
do that Duffy can't do is Holly can run full-speed through the house and
quickly turn directions, leap high, etc. That is Duffy's one limitation,
but he more than makes up for it by being a little gymnast on the cat
trees and other climbing poles I installed for him. He will trot around
at a surprising rate of speed for a blind cat, but he would run into
things if he tried to emulate Holly on that. Incidentally, the vet also
mentioned that his teeth are in excellent condition (no dry food
whatsoever).

Super report!!

Did you notice in the first Christmas pic that Duffy is about to get into
(onto?) the Christmas tree, and Holly can be seen crouching in the
background watching him?

MaryL

You opted for "living decorations" rather than living tree!lol

May I ask what you are feeding Duffy, to keep him in such fine fettle?

Thanks!

wrote in message
...


Did you notice in the first Christmas pic that Duffy is about to get into
(onto?) the Christmas tree, and Holly can be seen crouching in the
background watching him?

MaryL

You opted for "living decorations" rather than living tree!lol

May I ask what you are feeding Duffy, to keep him in such fine fettle?

Thanks!

Duffy and Holly both get Wellness canned cat food (alternating three
varieties). When Duffy was at the shelter, he got "whatever" dry food had
been donated. Prior to that time, I had been using Science Diet Hairball
Control (dry) for Holly. Duffy was very thin and looked like a little old
man when I adopted him. Holly was in good health, but she had quite a bit
of dandruff (which showed up clearly on her black fur). It was about that
time that I began to read about the benefits of using premium canned food
with no grains. The benefits for Holly became obvious almost immediately,
and Duffy underwent a truly remarkable transformation. If you looked at the
photo of Duffy when he was at the shelter (the first pic in the Duffy album)
and compared them to later pictures, you probably saw what I mean.

There are also numerous health benefits to a canned food that are not
obvious from photos. For example, the incidence of diabetes is much higher
in cats that are fed a dry diet. In fact, cats with diabetes can often be
brought into normal range by the simple act of switching from dry food to a
totally canned diet. ...time to climb down from soap box.

Yes! Living decorations--I like that. I gave up on having any living
plants indoors because my cats will eat them. So, I opted for the most
"realistic" arificial plants I could get, and I have *lots* of the real
thing outdoors.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e
Duffy in the Christmas tree: http://tinyurl.com/clal7

MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:

Duffy and Holly both get Wellness canned cat food (alternating three
varieties).

That's what I'm feeding my gang as well. It's expensive stuff, but I
buy the big cans and feed them all 1/2 can per feeding (which comes out
to one can per day). And the store where I buy it will give you 4 for
the price of 3, which helps a lot. I worked out the math and found out
I was spending about $4 per week more on cat food than I was when I
fed them the equivalent amount of Friskies. Well worth it!

And luckily, they like 6 or 7 of the varieties, so they have lots of
different kinds to eat, and I don't open the same kind two times in a
row.

There are also numerous health benefits to a canned food that are not
obvious from photos. For example, the incidence of diabetes is much higher
in cats that are fed a dry diet. In fact, cats with diabetes can often be
brought into normal range by the simple act of switching from dry food to a
totally canned diet. ...time to climb down from soap box.

I have just decided to try eliminating dry food from my cats' diet, also.
As I've recently posted, Licky has a sensitive urinary tract so he needs
to be on prescription dry food, if he eats dry at all. This, of course,
means that everyone got it. At first I thought this was going to work
beautifully - they all *loved* the c/d dry. Two days in a row, I came home
to find the bowl of dry food completely empty, which never happened when
I gave them a premium, organic dry food that only had "good" grains (rice,
mostly, but no corn, wheat or soy).


(Grossness warning on the next paragraph. If you're eating right now,
you might prefer to skip over it.)


The happiness was short-lived, though. On the third night, I came home
to find vomit on the floor. That's not so unusual, although most of the
time it's either a hairball or some cat grass. Then I went into the
bathroom and found diarrhea on the floor, in the litterbox, and tracked
all over the bathroom. It was a mess! Both the vomit and the diarrhea had
a suspiciously similar color to the little pellets of c/d dry...


So, I took away the dry food, and I'm just feeding them the wet. They
walk around looking hungry more often than they used to, so I sometimes
will give them an extra spoonful of the wet stuff between regular
feedings, just to help them adjust. When I go to work, they have a full
day to get through with no extra feedings, so they will get used to it.

I think this will be much better for Licky, and probably for all of them.
I did hope that the c/d would work out, but it obviously didn't agree
with somebody (I suspect it was Roxy, because she has the most sensitive
stomach).

I gave up on having any living
plants indoors because my cats will eat them. So, I opted for the most
"realistic" arificial plants I could get, and I have *lots* of the real
thing outdoors.

The same thing is true here. My balcony outside is full of plants, but if
I were to bring anything inside, they would all want a bite. Occasionally,
people have given me plants or flower bouquets, and I've had to either
refuse, or keep it outside, because it contained something bad for cats.
One time a friend gave me a poinsettia plant, which I put on the balcony.
Another time, I got flowers containing lilies (!!). That time, I gave the
lilies back to the person and kept the rest of the flowers, explaining
that my cats eat plants and flowers, and lilies are deadly to cats. I
wouldn't even have lilies on my front porch because Smudge goes out there!

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

On Apr 12, 4:58*pm, wrote:

That's what I'm feeding my gang as well. It's expensive stuff, but I
buy the big cans and feed them all 1/2 can per feeding (which comes out
to one can per day). And the store where I buy it will give you 4 for
the price of 3, which helps a lot. I worked out the math and found out
I was spending about $4 per week more on cat food than I was when I
fed them the equivalent amount of Friskies. Well worth it!

And luckily, they like 6 or 7 of the varieties, so they have lots of
different kinds to eat, and I don't open the same kind two times in a
row.


I have just decided to try eliminating dry food from my cats' diet, also.
As I've recently posted, Licky has a sensitive urinary tract so he needs
to be on prescription dry food, if he eats dry at all. This, of course,
means that everyone got it. At first I thought this was going to work
beautifully - they all *loved* the c/d dry. Two days in a row, I came home
to find the bowl of dry food completely empty, which never happened when
I gave them a premium, organic dry food that only had "good" grains (rice,
mostly, but no corn, wheat or soy).

Have you tried the c/d canned? Sometimes canned and dry versions of
the same
formula contain different ingredients. Rusty was on c/d dry when he
had a second
urinary blockage. After that, the vet said no more dry food and he did
better on
canned food. He was never on canned c/d though.
These days Rusty is on a dry precsription food for his IBD. But he
prefers canned
food. Since his prescription food does not come in cans yet, I give
him some EVO
canned food as well.

Winnie


(Grossness warning on the next paragraph. If you're eating right now,
you might prefer to skip over it.)

The happiness was short-lived, though. On the third night, I came home
to find vomit on the floor. That's not so unusual, although most of the
time it's either a hairball or some cat grass. Then I went into the
bathroom and found diarrhea on the floor, in the litterbox, and tracked
all over the bathroom. It was a mess! Both the vomit and the diarrhea had
a suspiciously similar color to the little pellets of c/d dry...

So, I took away the dry food, and I'm just feeding them the wet. They
walk around looking hungry more often than they used to, so I sometimes
will give them an extra spoonful of the wet stuff between regular
feedings, just to help them adjust. When I go to work, they have a full
day to get through with no extra feedings, so they will get used to it.

I think this will be much better for Licky, and probably for all of them.
I did hope that the c/d would work out, but it obviously didn't agree
with somebody (I suspect it was Roxy, because she has the most sensitive
stomach).

* I gave up on having any living
* plants indoors because my cats will eat them. *So, I opted for the most
* "realistic" arificial plants I could get, and I have *lots* of the real
* thing outdoors.

The same thing is true here. My balcony outside is full of plants, but if
I were to bring anything inside, they would all want a bite. Occasionally,
people have given me plants or flower bouquets, and I've had to either
refuse, or keep it outside, because it contained something bad for cats.
One time a friend gave me a poinsettia plant, which I put on the balcony.
Another time, I got flowers containing lilies (!!). That time, I gave the
lilies back to the person and kept the rest of the flowers, explaining
that my cats eat plants and flowers, and lilies are deadly to cats. I
wouldn't even have lilies on my front porch because Smudge goes out there!

--
Joyce * ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

Duffy's gymnast abilities are what amazes me. Yoda completeoy lost his
agility with the sight of his right eye. Age could be a factor too, I
guess; but
it was really obvious he'd lost his cat math. He still jumps on the
furniture,
but that's about as much as he can do.

Sherry


On Apr 9, 1:22*pm, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"Will in New Haven" wrote in ...
On Apr 9, 8:48 am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:





Duffy had his exam this week and received an excellent health report. The
reason I'm reporting is that the vet said he has "extraordinary" muscle
tone
for a blind cat, especially around his hind legs. I have frequently posted
suggestions that people get a good cat tree, and I especially emphasize
that
for blind cats. I think this report shows one of the benefits of a cat
tree. In addition to the pleasure it brings, it also has noticeable
benefits for physical strength. The only thing Holly can do that Duffy
can't do is Holly can run full-speed through the house and quickly turn
directions, leap high, etc. That is Duffy's one limitation, but he more
than makes up for it by being a little gymnast on the cat trees and other
climbing poles I installed for him. He will trot around at a surprising
rate of speed for a blind cat, but he would run into things if he tried to
emulate Holly on that. Incidentally, the vet also mentioned that his teeth
are in excellent condition (no dry food whatsoever).

You are doing an excellent job, labor of love, for your cats. Not
being able to do the "zoomies" may be a little bit hard for poor
Duffy. Perhaps you could, when he runs around at the best speed he can
manage, act a _bit_ scared or flustered or however you react to
Holly's zoomies. That way he will feel that he is doing his bit.

--
Will in New Haven

Oh, he does get in a pretty good amount of zoomies (and *lots* of
attention). *It's just that Holly is an incredibly athletic cat and can do
the "super-zoomies." *Duffy trots around, always with his tail and head held
high, and makes these cute little "myrrp" sounds. *He will often chase Holly
but just can't develop the same speed because he could run into a wall. *On
the other hand, I have *never* seen another cat do such incredible gymnastic
moves on the cat tree as he can. *He's a truly joyful little cat. *He even
climbs the Christmas tree without ever breaking anything. *Some of the
pictures almost look like they have been Photoshopped because he gets out to
the end of the branches and "perches" there. *Those Christmas pics have not
been manipulated, though--I just made sure to buy the *strongest* tree
(artificial) I could find because I knew Duffy would immediately start to
climb. *(Check out some of his pictures, below my sig.)

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: * * *'o'
Duffy: *http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: *http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: *http://tinyurl.com/8b47e
Duffy in the Christmas tree: *http://tinyurl.com/clal7- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"Sherry" wrote in message
...
Duffy's gymnast abilities are what amazes me. Yoda completeoy lost his
agility with the sight of his right eye. Age could be a factor too, I
guess; but
it was really obvious he'd lost his cat math. He still jumps on the
furniture,
but that's about as much as he can do.

Sherry

I have always thought that it probably helped Duffy "adjust" to blindness
because he has been blind since birth. I took him to a feline
ophthalmologist at Texas A&M Univ. College of Veterinary Medicine, and
learned that it was probably caused by an infection in the mother. So, he
really doesn't know that he's missing anything. Blindness is probably
"normal" to him, and he doesn't even know that he's "handicapped." He loves
to climb and truly is a little gymnast.

Thanks!!

MaryL

On Apr 13, 8:22*am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
.. *Blindness is probably
"normal" to him, and he doesn't even know that he's "handicapped."

Dave was born missing all but 1 finger and his thumbs and he gets
annoyed if people say he;s "brave"since as he points out he's never
been any different so what is he supposed to have done? Been helpless
all his life?
Someone once said maybe he could have an arm transplant and he pointed
out he would find that more disabling as he wouldn't know what to do
with the extra fingers!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

wrote in message
...
On Apr 13, 8:22 am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
.. Blindness is probably
"normal" to him, and he doesn't even know that he's "handicapped."

Dave was born missing all but 1 finger and his thumbs and he gets
annoyed if people say he;s "brave"since as he points out he's never
been any different so what is he supposed to have done? Been helpless
all his life?
Someone once said maybe he could have an arm transplant and he pointed
out he would find that more disabling as he wouldn't know what to do
with the extra fingers!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

LOL! I love it. And what a great attitude Dave has.

MaryL

MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:


"Sherry" wrote in message

Duffy's gymnast abilities are what amazes me. Yoda completeoy lost his
agility with the sight of his right eye. Age could be a factor too, I
guess; but
it was really obvious he'd lost his cat math. He still jumps on the
furniture, but that's about as much as he can do.

I have always thought that it probably helped Duffy "adjust" to blindness
because he has been blind since birth. I took him to a feline
ophthalmologist at Texas A&M Univ. College of Veterinary Medicine, and
learned that it was probably caused by an infection in the mother. So, he
really doesn't know that he's missing anything. Blindness is probably
"normal" to him, and he doesn't even know that he's "handicapped." He loves
to climb and truly is a little gymnast.

That's the difference. Yoda had learned to judge distances for jumps
or whatever, having normal binocular vision. Then he lost the sight in
one eye, and with that, he lost depth perception. His ability to judge
distances correctly was impaired, and he hadn't developed any coping
strategies to adapt to that condition, the way Duffy did.

I love the phrase "cat math", by the way.

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.