Dear Dr. Fox:
I’ve had four feral cats since they were kittens. The oldest, Rudy, is 15. He’s driving me up the wall, spraying all around the house.
He has been to the vet, who says that he’s fine and that it’s behavioral — like he’s not happy about something. I don’t know what he could be unhappy about, but he’s ruined my furniture and carpeting. I keep cleaning the spots, put mothballs around and nothing helps. I finally had to replace the carpet and I put tile down. Still, I’m finding more yellow spots.
The vet even put him on amitriptyline to no avail.
D.R., Cape Coral, Fla.
DF: Your cat is 15 and could have the feline equivalent of Alzheimer’s disease. Check with your vet about trying seligiline, which can help older cats showing signs of anxiety and dementia. As an alternative, good-quality catnip might help calm him down. It contains similar chemicals found in valerian and in the derived prescription drug Valium but is much more palatable.
Also discuss with your veterinarian the possibility of giving your cat glucosamine, which helps with irritable bladder problems (as does valerian). Plus, give your cat a drop or two of good quality fish oil in his food, working up to a teaspoon daily. Fish oil has potent anti-inflammatory, heart and circulation effects that can help older cats with cardiac, arthritic and other problems.
DIABETIC CAT
Dear Dr. Fox:
We have a 5-year-old neutered miniature fox terrier. Our vet determined that he has diabetes.
Every morning after he eats, I give him a shot of Vetsulin. Is there an oral method for giving him this medicine?
How many times can I use a syringe for him? The medicine and syringes are expensive.
K.B., Wappapello, Mo.
DF: This condition is common in some breeds such as yours. It can be aggravated by high-cereal, carbohydrate-containing dog foods, some of which contain sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup. The latter is partly responsible for the nation’s obesity and diabetic epidemic.
Ask the veterinarian for reusable syringes and needles.
There are no oral medicines to help your dog. A half teaspoon of cinnamon in his low-carb food every day might help.
SEIZURE EPIDEMIC
Dear Dr. Fox:
About 18 years ago, I found a beautiful little poodle-and-bichon mix. No one claimed her, so I kept her.
Four years later, she started having seizures. The vet put her on medication, and she did fairly well. While I still had Girlfriend, I bought a bichon Jessie and then Jack Russell Lily.
Girlfriend’s health failed, and we had to put her down. Then, when Jessie was about 13, she developed seizures. She also was put on medication day and night, but after about eight months, she also had to be put to sleep.
On April 18, 2009, my Jack Russell had a seizure. On April 20, I saw bile on the floor and knew she’d had another one. I took her to the vet, who kept her overnight to watch and treat her. The next morning, they called me to say Lilly had seized all night long and no medication would bring her out of it.
The dogs all went to the same reliable vet for yearly checkups, shots and teeth cleaning.
