drpixel with a question about possible worms..

Angel gave birth 9/28 and weaned kittens on 11/16. She eats like a horse--constantly meowing for more food. Was told by friends could POSSIBLY be worms, but is flea-free. She's in heat now and after thats done will take her to vet for spaying. In the mean time, Linda bought Hartz Mountain wormer. Says kills roundworm. We have seen no evidence of tapeworms or others, but am concerned. Can the Hartz product kill just roundworm, or all?....IS there ONE medicine to get rid of all worms? aNY other outward signs of possible worm problem?
Her nipples are still enlarged with milk...Linda has been putting heating pad -set on warm and on her belly-- is this helpful? Angel seems to love it! As usual, any help is greatly appreciated!
Glenn/drpixel

I really don't trust or use the over the counter wormers. Half the time they don't work well. The ones you get over the counter are for roundworms. The vet has to give them something for tapeworms. Tape worms when seen, look more like small sesame seeds or rice, the round worms look more like spaghetti. You may or may not see them in thier poop. I would just ask the vet to deworm her when she goes for the spay.
The warm compresses will help with the reduction of her nipples

Hello, all! Happy Holidays to you all from drpixel (Glenn) and Angel!
It has been a while as Angel has been aclimating herself to our home. She's settled in just fine and has put on some weight (8 lb, 7 oz..). She looks great! Just went through her first in-house heat--never have I heard such yowling/talking!
On to the questions:
We took Angel to the vet where he pronounced her in good health, but with ear mites. Now, at 4:30am in the morning when I get up to go to work, I must play cat wrangler and put drops in her ears. We had brought her in due to a sneezing fit/possible allergy problem. Vet gave her antibiotics, but lately she's been sneezing--several times in a row. At times, she wheezes and we are concerned. Has anyone else had this problem? Could it be dust from the litter?--she sneezes even if she hasn't been in the litter box...
Next question: I know many people feel strongly about having a cat de-clawed. I know there are several ways for this to be done. Angel does NOT like to be held still. When I tried to cut her nails, I went to work the next day looking like someone cut tictactoe grids into my arms. She has also taken to using those nails on our furniture, and as we plan on getting a leather couch, I certainly don't want her ruining it. What I'm asking is what is the least painful way for this to be done? I know that no matter what it will hurt her; but for us and her it will the better thing as she will never be an outside cat again. She has curled herself up into a white ball of fur in my heart..and made life a little more bearable these days. Working in downtown NYC 2 blocks from Ground Zero has numbed me terribly..and Angel is slowly thawing out my heart. PLEASE, don't think ill of me for wanting to do this for I will also hurt along with her but for all concerned it wil be better.
All her kittens have been adopted out to good loving homes; and Angel has adjusted well to them going out into the world. I will try to post a link to some other pictures as soon as I get some time. Thanks again,
drpixel/Glenn in NJ

Please visit this link to become more informed. I hope you have a strong stomach. It is possible to train a cat not to scratch on furniture. I have 10 inside/outside kitties, and they only claw on piece of furniture, a piece I let them have for their own pleasure. Please think carefully before you decide to do this to your cat. I will be happy to help you by suggesting ways in which you can stop your cat from scratching up anything other than what you want her to. There are happier alternatives available for both of you in regards to this issue


The truth about De-Clawing

As for the sneezing/wheezing. Yes it could be an allergy or an upper respitory infection. If it continues, you can have some testing done to find out what is causing the allergy or to find out if she may have asthma they can do an x ray of the chest. Allergies can be so many different things in the house. Heck, I just found out that they can be allergic to human dander!!
As for the declawing, yes most of us cat people are really against it. It is very painful and can have some very serious side effects such as artheritis or even behavioral problems such as refusal to use a litter box. There are a lot more con's than there are pro's. The first thing to think about is that if you just invest in some time, you can teach her where it is appropriate to scratch. They really can learn (trust me, I have 11 and have had the same furniture for 7 years without a mark). If it does effect her, you may be looking at a very unhappy unsocial cat from then on. I would ask that you look into the surgery and the different problems before you make a decision. One of the websites that has pictures and info as well as other links is http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/STOPDECLAWCOM/

I think its great that you took Angel in, that was very nice of you. Its also wonderful to hear that her kittens have all found good homes, and I'm glad you plan to have her spayed.

As for the declawing, well, I'm one of those who feel strongly against it. I'm not sure if you've done much research on the actual procedure, but if you haven't- you really should before you make the decision to have it done. From what I've read there is only one way to do this procedure, and its agonizing for the cat.

I understand your concern in regards to the leather couch, but one thing to consider is that while having Angels claws removed may keep her from scratching up your furniture, it is extremely likely she will develop behavioral problems as a result of the surgery. There are many different problems that can (and usually do) arise such as litterbox problems and undesireable chewing. Keep in mind that Angels personality will probably change as well. Shes going to have a really hard time trusting people again.

People think declawing is a a simple procedure that leaves a cat no worse for wear, but in fact when the cat wakes up from the anesthesia it is in such excruciating agony it will hurl itself against the sides of the cage in desperation. I know you love Angel, so PLEASE don't put her through that. Its so unneccessary.

Cats can be trained fairly easily to using scratching posts. My cat Loco was a big furniture scratcher until I got him a post covered in Sisal Rope. I rubbed dried catnip all over it and took his paws and made scratching motions on the post. He caught on immediately and hasn't touched the furniture since. With a little time and effort, Angel can be taught to use a post too. Why not start teaching her now, before you get the new couch? I really hope you reconsider.

Please check out the links posted above for more info on declawing, it will horrify you to see what the cats go through. In the link that Sandie provided, if you enter the site and then scroll down to 'Declawing Horror Stories' you can get an idea of what happens to the cats and what the owners have to say about it - one that hit me particularly hard was the one entitled 'Why I won't Declaw'

I just got another horror story today. A couple came in to register thier cat with us and on the front is a very large sticker that says "Will Bite". Looking through the record, she became this way after her declaw surgery. The owner told me she would never do that again. She said she brought her sweet lovable kitten in and she came out mean and terrified of everything

the problem right now is not so much her scratching our present furniture. Please rest assured that this possible decision is not based on furniture, although she does have a fondness for Linda's (my schweetie...) recliner.
I have tried repeatedly to cut Angel's nails, but she is extremely strong for an 8 pound cat; and will not be confined (even when wrapped up in a nice Turkish towel...). I certainly don't want to put her through this surgery, but I have no other choice other than to make visits to the vet every 3-4 weeks for a nail clipping. I've tried to hold her firmly and clip her nails, but to no avail. Is there another way, or something that you can tell me to be able to clip her nails without donating a pint of my blood each time?!!
We have several friends who have had their cats declawed, and while I'm sure that the cats went through some pain and behavioral problems, they are currently doing fine and back to normal. PLEASE help us out on this, but also please understand my predicament.
A happy Holiday to all my cat friends and their humans!.....
much love from drpixel, Linda and Angel
(also appreciate your links..did some research last night...I know it would be painful for her...please help with any suggestions/tips. The only way I can see avoiding this to to medicate her; and I don't want to turn her into a 'junkie'...)
drpixel

First off, arm yourself with her favorite treats. Start out with one for each claw on her foot. Get her used to just being flipped over on her back, rub her tummy, scratch her under her chin, get her used to being in that position first off. Try not to restrain her, try to get her to enjoy it by using a toy, or treats as reward for when she doesn't resist.

Once she is used to this type of play, pick up one of her paws and just start stroking it, don't squeeze it, or restrain it, just pick it up stroke it, put it down. Keep messing with it without hurting her, and if she accepts this type of handling, reward her with a treat and a good scratch. Call it good when you can at least get her to lay there and have her paw held then just let her go off on her way. Make this a playtime/treat time with her, and eventually (this will not happen overnight) see if she lets you just hold her paw and lay the nail trimmers near her without cutting anything. Everytime she allows you to do this, reward her with scratches, treats, toys whatever she likes, then let her go. Once she lets you have her paw, try and spread out her claws, using the same technique with treats and rewards. Then see if you can cut her nails.

It could be she is ticklish on her feet (many cats are) a few of mine are real touchy on their pads, or it could be because you know that it is going to be a fight, you inadvertently squeeze her paw to keep her submitting and it hurts her, so she fights you. Make sure you are using cat trimmers and not regular nail clippers and that when you do clip, you just take off the tip and don't get into the quick and nick a blood vessel. Make this an enjoyment to her, a big playtime and see if she responds better. But start off slowly so you don't overwhelm her.

How about nail caps? www.softpaws.com
I bet Angel would look great with the red ones.

besides declawing. If cats have the proper scratching posts, they don't need their claws trimmed. I never have to trim my feral cats' claws. We only have a couple here that need trimming. In the wild, cats don't have someone around to trim the claws, right?

scratching posts like tree trunks, sisal, things along that line should do the trick for you. Plus behaviour training to keep kitty from scratching fine furniture or carpet and you should have a pretty normal life, and so should this kitty.

To add to what Hissy just posted..I have four inside only cats, and one who goes outside. I never have to trim their claws. I check them occasionally, but they always seem fine. My cats use their Sisal rope scratching post several times a day, and it keeps their claws down just fine. I occasionally rub it down with catnip to keep the interest up. I truly hope you reconsider and give your kitty a chance before you do something so unneccessary and painful to her.

we are in the same situation- our 2 newest are not yet declawed, and to be honest, the kitty we had declawed this summer has been changed forever. Our struggle is as "renters" our landlords require it. We are considering the caps for their nails. Do they work? We have also been told that laser surgery for declaw is much safer? Any feedbacK?

But you can effectively train a cat to not scratch, it just takes some time and patience, but it can be done. Laser surgery to declaw is just as painful afterwards as the other, because the same thing is being done, the cat's claw is being chopped off at her knuckle and sometimes above, if the vet is careless.

The soft paws do work! Please DO NOT declaw your kits!

We are certainly going to try the "paws" prior to declawing. We really want to avoid it...the sadness of my last baby still breaks my heart. Thanks for all your advice! jocelyn

My first thought to that is to move and take a stand on people who require such drastic measures with our pets. I sometimes wonder why it's not manditory to remove a puppy's teeth since they chew everything.
If it's not at all feasable to move to a pet friendly home, then I would A) just not tell them and B)Give the soft paws a go. I would also work very hard to train them not to scratch anything but appropriate cat furniture. Cats scratch by nature and it is a must. Which is why it's so important to provide them something such as a cat scratcher. Soft Paws are supposed to be a great thing. They take some getting used to, but if it will save a cat from a declaw it's worth it. I have never used them myself. All 11 cats use thier furniture and we trim the claws every few weeks.
The lazer surgery is really just a faster and cleaner way to amputate the knuckle. It is no different than a regular declaw except the heal time is supposed to be faster. Which does not take away most of the harmful effects of the procedure. Even the tendonectomy which is supposed to be more humane is not very good. Most of the time the tendons grow back and you really have to keep the nails clipped all the time.
I really hope you can work something out and keep the 2 new additions the way the were meant to be

I have two kittens, both around 8 months old and we clip their nails. It takes two of us, one to hold and love and the other to clip. My other cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and we also clip his nails. Allie, the newest kitten likes it the least and is the hardest to do. But, it's not impossible.

As for the leather couch, I have one that I got a few weeks ago. I had the cats before I got the couch. They don't like it. They don't climb on it or sharpen their claws on it. Neither do our dogs. Yes, they did like to lay on the other couch and nap so I don't know how this one is different.

smiles,
sue