Beth, Leda, and Orchid

Hi, all.  I want to introduce my cats, Leda and Orchid, and give a little history on them.  Leda was the first out of the two.  Her and her brother, Troy, were found in a box that had been sealed shut with no air holes May of 2012. My boyfriend at the time and myself took them in.  I set up a vet appointment where I worked and Troy was so ill he did not make it.    Leda, however has flourished.  She has grown into the beautiful onyx creature in my avatar, which will also show that she has some dental issues.  Her tongue sticks out like that 99.9% of the time.  We do not know what causes this, but it has been like this since we picked her up and does not seem to affect her.  She is a very lovable cat, always wanting to be in someone's lap, she loves to play, and she has no interest whatsoever in catnip.

Orchid came to me later.  When my husband and I got our apartment last year, our landlady requested that "If you see the black cat, feed it."  After two weeks, we never saw any black cat aside from Leda, who is strictly an indoor cat.  Nevertheless, we put a can of food out a night on the back porch and flipped on the light.  Like clockwork, 5 minutes later each night, the black cat showed up for the meal.  We were not the only ones feeding her in the apartments, and knowing that we got her some weight control food to keep her from getting overweight.  When the weather predicted freezing rain on my night off, I opened up the door, put the can on the floor and flipped the switch.  Orchid came inside with little hesitation and has been with us since.  We told the landlady that the cat she liked was named and has a permanent home now, for which she is grateful.  

As for some info about me...

My name is Beth,  I got married this June this year.  I have a son who will be turning 6 soon.  He lives with his dad up the road from me.  In addition to the cats, I also have 2 pet rats, a rabbit, and an anole (small lizard).  I love animals, I love to write,  I have published 3 books of my own poetry.  I work in a pharmacy that also fills pet prescriptions. I love learning and researching new things that interest me.  I can research something for days! That's really all I can think of right now, other than I am glad to have found a forum to share stories and learn.

  Welcome to the site. I hope you find lots of interesting information and have fun here.  Thank you for bringing Orchid in to your home and giving her a safe place where there is less risk of over feeding as well as cold weather.  I hope that Leda and Orchid get along well and are healthy cats.  It will be great if you post some pictures of your cats, and I look forward to hearing more about them. 

Both are very happy, healthy cats.  Due to Orchid being a veteran stray (landlady said sh'e been hanging around for about 2 years), she's still a little shy around strangers. When new people come over, she retreats to the bedroom.  As for her and Leda getting along, they are best friends.  It did not start out that way.  Orchid did not take kindly to "sharing territory" and had to be watched closely for a couple of weeks.  Now they was each other's faces and play together.  Leda had stayed elsewhere until our apartment was set up and came home after Orchid had been taken in, she would not play at all.  After bringing Leda home, she opened up a lot.

Welcome to the site.  Your kitties sound very beautiful.

Good to hear how they have settled in together.  Leda is a gorgeous little kitty.  Is she quite different to Orchid or are they similar in size?

I didn't comment before but Leda's tongue may stick out because of the dental issues you mention she has?  It can also happen if they have an underbite I think as well.  Has your vet commented on it?

Leda has some bottom teeth missing and that seems to be the main reason,  She is smaller than Orchid in every aspect.  She seems to be a naturally lean cat, as we've been told she is healthy.  The vet I worked at saw her as a kitten and then I moved.  We haven't changed her vet out here yet, so a second opinion hasn't occurred as to what her dental issue is.  What we do know is the dental issue is the cause of the tongue. We feed her soft food to prevent any problems as far as her teeth and she's monitored with any dry food.  She doesn't seem to have a problem eating alone, but with Orchid nearby, she eats faster and has a tendency to not chew so well. We call her The Tongue from time to time, as she's been that way since I got her.  She doesn't seem to realize that it goes INSIDE her face and as a result, we catch Orchid with her tongue out a bit more often.  

Some information on Leda's dental issue:   She is not missing teeth, they just didn't come in where they should have.  She doesn't have an underbite or an overbite.  We don't know if sticking her tongue out is due to the teeth or if the teeth coming in wrong is due to her tongue being out all the time.  I've asked the vet if we should do anything and we were told soft food to prevent a choking hazard.  The hard food she gets helps prevent tartar build up.  Per the vet, "if it doesn't seem to bother her, she's fine as far as I can tell".  She's just the only cat I've ever seen to need braces.

When I split from my ex, I made sure to get her so that the issue could be monitored.  Having worked at a vet clinic seemed to stick with me.  We were careful during the food transition to avoid not wanting to eat (not that she is picky!)  and digestive problems from a drastic change.  She and Orchid both took it well.  Leda has been with me since she was an estimated 9 weeks old when we found her.  

On a brighter note, since her mouth is not a problem, it is kind of cute to see her walk around oblivious to the fact her tongue is hanging out.

Welcome to TCS!

Leda does indeed look cute from her avatar pictures, and I hope you will post lots more of both of them: there is even a photo thread specifically for black kitties in the Cat Lounge just now!

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/268663/black-cats-only/30#post_3454539

For Leda's food you may find some of the discussions in the health and nutrition forums very interesting. There is quite a lot of debate about whether dry food does help control plaque and tartar build up as most cats will swallow it whole, and wet food generally seems to be better for them as maintains better hydration plus higher protien levels for general wellbeing.   Unless it is prescription dental dry food it is fairly likely it doesn't make much difference to either of your cats' dental health, and the prescription stuff isn't something I would feed unless I had to (which I do for my boy who is prone to gingivitis and sores in his mouth).  Definitely worth you reading around those bits of the site to see what you think for your girls.  This is one from a few months back where there is some discussion about how cats cope with different types of food after having teeth extracted:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/242032/will-my-cat-be-ok-if-his-teeth-are-removed

I don't know if you have ever considered using cat toothpaste and regular brushing but it is fairly easy to intruduce, and even once a week brushing with an enzyme paste can make a huge difference to dental health if your cat shows any build up of plaque and tartar.  I do it twice a day but that is a lot more than most cats would need.  Mouse actually enjoys it and it is one of his daily treats.

MServant said:

 
Leda does indeed look cute from her avatar pictures, and I hope you will post lots more of both of them: there is even a photo thread specifically for black kitties in the Cat Lounge just now!

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/268663/black-cats-only/30#post_3454539

For Leda's food you may find some of the discussions in the health and nutrition forums very interesting. There is quite a lot of debate about whether dry food does help control plaque and tartar build up as most cats will swallow it whole, and wet food generally seems to be better for them as maintains better hydration plus higher protien levels for general wellbeing.   Unless it is prescription dental dry food it is fairly likely it doesn't make much difference to either of your cats' dental health, and the prescription stuff isn't something I would feed unless I had to (which I do for my boy who is prone to gingivitis and sores in his mouth).  Definitely worth you reading around those bits of the site to see what you think for your girls.  This is one from a few months back where there is some discussion about how cats cope with different types of food after having teeth extracted:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/242032/will-my-cat-be-ok-if-his-teeth-are-removed

I don't know if you have ever considered using cat toothpaste and regular brushing but it is fairly easy to intruduce, and even once a week brushing with an enzyme paste can make a huge difference to dental health if your cat shows any build up of plaque and tartar.  I do it twice a day but that is a lot more than most cats would need.  Mouse actually enjoys it and it is one of his daily treats.

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Dental health is a very important thing to me with pets.  I had a dog that got an infection in her mouth about 4 years ago, and we didn't notice.  She ingested the infection and it made her miserably sick.  She experienced kidney failure and she had to be pts.  So dental health is a big thing to me.  The issue is that Leda does not like have her face touched at all, let alone her mouth checked out.  I have to bribe her with a string toy to get her to open for me to see anything.  Imagine the positions I must be in to do this 

That is so sad.  I know how bad I still feel for not noticing Mouse's oral problems before he got very sick, and I was very lucky my vets managed to help him.   

I can just  imagine the play positions you get in!   I have been there with my previous cats who were less willing to be prodded about that my current boy, and it often involved climbing in to cupboards or under beds as well.     With Mouse I have to do similar things to check his ears, he seems to know even when I'm trying to see in those big lugs of his. 

I got a sample from my vet when Mouse was first unwell with tonsillitis and stomatitis.  If your vet has samples of the enzyme toothpaste one thing you might be able to to for Leda is to put some on her paw or a toy she likes to mouth if she won't lick it off your finger or a spoon, or even a little saucer-  it seems to taste very nice to cats and the paste works to a significant degree even without the brushing, as long as it gets in to the mouth.   Mouse will lick the paste off the little silicone finger brush if I hold it out - I don't always put it in his mouth and rub so he isn't frightened of it.  He thinks the paste is a food treat like his freeze dried fish snacks. 

I'll look into that idea for Leda.  I have done dogs' teeth, but feline dental work I always left to the vet.  Cats tend to stress out way more and its better to be unconscious to poke and prod their mouths.  I make a point with all my pets to play with their ears, feet, bellies, and heads as I have a child and this makes it easier to check them over for problems.  My main job at the vet's office was working with the groomer, so I do their nails. What toothpaste do you use for Mouse?

The one I get here is Logic poultry falvoured oral gel, but there are other makes and possibly other flavours.  I always thought Mouse would like fish but I can't get that in the Logic here, and as he likes the one he gets so much I don't worry too much about it.  Because Leda is so reluctant for you to touch her mouth and you're not sure if she will take something, it is definitely worth asking the vets if they have samples.  I was given a little sachet that lasted for about 4 brushes so I was sure Mouse liked it before I bought a whole tube.  Good luck.    I'd tried bicarb wipes and things before and he didn't like them at all.

I am very lucky with Mouse as he generally lets me, and the vets, do pretty much anything to him. He is a very trusting cat and well behaved when handled.  I will not say the same for my previous girls, they were not happy being handled at all and you took your life in your hands if you put a finger near either of their mouths!

With Orchid being on her own for at least 2 years, she's still shy, but Leda has been around us longer.  Some things I guess just aren't doable.  Regardless, I will try what I can and update on how it works.  Thank you!