GARLIC

jcribbs

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Hi,

Been posting here a long time on and off, but I think this is the first post in health in many years..

I have 18 cats.  Some feral and some not..  I have an awesome cat enclosure but my cats at some time or another come in and out of the house as well....  You might say they are all well rounded and spoiled.

Some are slim and some are fat.  Most are older.  They youngest is 4-5 but most range from 10-17... 

But recently I had noticed that some of the older ones were getting a dull coat and seemed to be losing weight.  

I could not see any fleas on them or ticks so I knew that wasn't the problem.  I suspected maybe some type of parasite but I can't say for sure.  Then one of indoor only cats, cleo -- I noticed pin worms.  She is about 13 years old and I HATE chemicals even though I usually give in and buy frontline plus from pedshed.com for them and I get little worm pills either at the feed store or the vet. 

But I decided to do something different this time.  I bought some minced garlic in olive oil a couple weeks ago and in their bowl of water in the house so that it was controlled I put 1/2 tablespoon of galic and oil in the water and stirred it up.  I also put a little diatamaceous earth on their food ONCE because they really don't like it. I started doing the garlic about a week ago.  They have a huge bowl of water because the same bowl waters three dogs as well.....

The first day they did not like their garlic water.  I made it very very weak and they would just sat and stared at their bowl but I ignored it and their pleas.  The second day they were drinking normally...  and the third and the fourth and so on.  They are used to it now.

I went out of town for the last two day and  husband was keeping them.  I showed him how to fix their water bowl with the minced garlic and oil and how much I was putting in.

I got back today and I could not believe the difference in them.  Yellow the 17 year old looks like he has gained three pounds.  Seriously.  I had one cat with dry sky issues and it is completely cleared up.  I had one cat that I thought I was going to have to put down due to health issues and she looks and acts so much better that it is seriously a miracle.  

Yes yes yes, I have read about the possible amenia issues with garlic but I did it anyway and am so glad I did.  

Tonight I have housed all the other cats outside in their enclosure and have doctored their water.  I am going to keep them in the enclosure for a week. 

The only thing I can think of is this:  We pump our water directly form the creek and it is possibly that they contacted some sort of parasite from the water and the garlic killed it.  My husband and I use garlic regularly ourselves.  We don't have a water purifier.  We just have filters on the creek end and in the house. 

When the cats are loose, they drink directly from the creek and this same water is pumped directly into our house.  The creek is our water source. 

The only thing I can say is whatever the garlic is doing, it has made a huge difference in how my older cats feel and look.  They are slick, shiny and have gained POUNDS of weight.  I can tell they feel great again.  And this all occurred in ONE WEEK.

Today when I fixed their fresh water, they eagerly stood waiting for it....  and then drank a long time.  

NOW, let me tell you how I mixed it.  First of all, I use a huge mixing bowl for their water.  It holds a couple of gallons.  I bought the minced garlic that is preserved in olive oil and put 1/2 tablespoon in two gallons of water and stirred it up.  That is all I did.  A very weak solution.

And it has really transformed my older cats.  I know a lot of folks will not do this but I did and am very glad.....  You may not believe this but the seriously has made me a garlic believer.  The difference in one week is truly amazing as far as mine are concerned. 

I can't wait to see how my other cats react.  Next Thursday I'll let them out of the enclosure. 

Oh, and in case you're wondering about Cleos' pin worms, I gave her DE for a week (the same week as the garlic week) and they seem to be gone.  We mix a teaspoon of DE in a very amt of soft food for her dose.  So for her, it was the DE and the garlic,  but  she is only one that took the DE daily except for the one dose in the food bowl for all.  

Jenn
 
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ldg

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My understanding is that the garlic-related anemia is a genetic-related problem, so not all cats would be prone to the problem. I also understand that in small amounts, it's not harmful even to those cats with the genetic marker that's a problem. It's used for flavor and as an anti-oxidant in a lot of pet foods. :nod:

I'm so glad that's helping! Personally, I think I'd want the water tested!
 
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jcribbs

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If it was a well, we would have the water tested but it would really be pointless since we can't shock it like a well.  What we should do is purify it some sort of way at the house end of things..  It is beautiful clear clean spring fed creek......  We run a pipe to it and just pump it.  It's all underground...  Our pump is in the house in the laundry room.

Here's a pic of it.  You can see how clean and clear it is......   but i guess little nasty things  can still live in it........ yuck..  But the garlic has really really really helped.  I read it aids digestive issues as well, and possibly that's what has helped...  I don't know WHY it's helping but it is..... 

That's emma in the pics.  she's my emma-leeta-beeta-coffee bean girl....

Jenn



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This is after a rain storm a couple weeks ago.....  It is always flowing and moving but after a rain, our water is murky for a day or two and flowing wildly and we have to stay clear of it...  then it is crystal clear again when the levels go down.  But it is never still....  It is full of life, fish, and other  creatures etc.....  It is living water, if you know what I mean.   This is the same area where Emma was swimming but just facing the other direction.  This is normally the shallow part.  It was just up in this pic.  In the two pics above, it is about 10' deep where Emma was swimming.  In the pic below, it is normally a foot or two but it is quite deep right now due to the spring rain.  It is already back down again and we can't wait for swimming season..

 
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