>So - here is what I am asking of all of you. Can anyone here recommend
>a PROVEN way to make Stormy non-allergenic and stop his throwing up and
>scooting??? Money is really tight, so I am on a very strict budget...
>but, I want to keep my babies! Any suggestions, help, etc would be very
>much appreciated!

I lead the cat project for the local 4H clubs in my area, and it never
fails, every year, the question about cat allergies comes up at the first
meeting. Basically, cat allergies come from one of two areas - dander or
oils. My own dh is allergic to the oils in their coat and saliva, I am
allergic to the dander in their coats.

Both oil and dander can be remedied by giving the cat a full bath weekly.
Not brushing them down with a dry bath solution, but taking the kitty into a
tub and washing them like you would a dog. I suggest wearing long sleeves
the first few times :) The bath washes away the oils and dander - head and
shoulders shampoo or a good baby shampoo work best, no they don't need
conditioning rinse after.

The throwing up is something our own 16yo cat had when we first got him.
Petramalt works wonders. Give them a 1" strip daily and within a week, the
majority of vomiting issues will go away. For the rest, try to determine if
it is related to eating or drinking. Some cats eat too fast and vomit up
some food right after eating (one of our girls does that at times). Some
drink too much water and the same thing happens.

And last, but certainly not least - scooting. Annoying habit, isn't it?
Especially when they scoot just enough to stain the carpet /then/ wash
themselves. Give him a scoot spot. You can't cure the scooting, but if he
has a piece of carpet right near his box, between the box and wherever he'd
go to leave the room it is in, he won't miss it. You also should look into
the anti-pet spray stuff they use to keep boys from spraying. Mist a little
on the carpet near the cat box area and it should keep him away.

However, a cat will inevitably stain carpet, no matter how good they are. My
dh swears by Resolve spray-on carpet cleaner. It's gotten even the worst
animal and child stains out of our light gray carpet. And the child leaves
far worse stains then the cats :)

>PS - my cats are indoor animals - they do not go outside and I refuse to
>make them outdoor cats (we have bears and foxes that come down at
>night).

Good for you! Indoor cats lose their ability to thrive outside, plus far too
many cats lose their lives out of doors very quickly. Add to it them huge
impact feral and outdoor cats have on native small animal populations (birds
and mice take the biggest hits), and it's bad idea to let any domesticated
animal loose on the environment.

Annette
gnosis4h@sbcglobal.net

> However, I know Michael's other concerns are the mess and smell of
>the > cats...

The best kitty litter I have ever used is called "Feline Pine" it has
NO DUST and is silica dust free, it does not stink like the other
litters. It's made from recycled wood and looks like pellets. It is
environmentally compatible, all natural, biodegradable, and chemical
free. It runs about $13.00 /20# but will last for a long long time.
No airborne dust, perfume, stink.


he is still
> concerned about hairballs ( Stormy is notorious for throwing up
all the
> time - hairballs or not)

Our cats eat Purina cat chow for hairball control.


>and that will stain/ruin the new carpet.

A wonderful, lifesaving product called "Simple Solution" at $13.99 a
gallon has enzymes in it that actually eat the urine, feces, vomit and
also has detergent in it to clean up the rest of the mess. It smells
nice too. Works on cats, dogs and people too!


----- ALERT --- THE FOLLOWING MAY BE TOO GRAPHIC FOR SOME READERS --
-----------SKIP THIS SECTION--------------------------

And,
> Stormy is also a scooter... his anal glands don't empty correctly
when
> he has bowl movements, so to help the irritation, he scoots his
bottom
> on the floor - this streaks carpet.

Maybe your vet will show you how to empty his glands, or is it
possible that he needs some extra moisture / oil in his diet and the
problem is that he needed some TP? Some Petromalt or Petrolax or
another laxative given in small doses every day or every other day
might help. We had a little guy who had this problem and just a
little dab every morning did the trick.

----SAFE READING NOW-------------------------------------------

This is heartbreaking having to choose and I hope it goes well for
you. The feline pine seems expensive at first glance but the other
litters are used up so fast that in actual use over the course of a
month, the feline pine is actually a money saver. I buy it and the
Simple Solution at PetCo.

One more thought, the kittie I refered to who was a bottom scooter, he
also did a lot of vomiting. I noticed that his behavior was similiar
to mine I have GERD (acid reflux disease) where he abruptly sits
upright and starts licking his lips which is sometimes following by
vomiting. I talked it over with the
vet and she told me to give him 1/4 tab of Pepcid AC every day (I
pulverized it and mixed it in with some catfood). The problem vanished
and only came back when I missed a dose.

Hope this helps.

catbead

6:43Pm

I consider myself fortunate in that my Mother-In-Law is allergic to cats and
I have three...hehehehe.... A VERY viable excuse to not invite the in-laws
over! ( Trust me, we don't get along and the cats are a wonderful reason to
keep distance)

Some suggestions:

1) Acepromazine and water mix does work wonders for cat allergies. In my
years as a vet tech many of our clients swore by it and were religious in
dosing their cats with it. I can't say the cats were probably that happy
about it, but it makes many situations livable.

2) Frequent bathing and brushing can help, as well as regular through
cleaning and vacuuming. Be sure to get baseboards and crevices as these are
areas prone to catch hair and dander. When bathing and brushing the cats, be
sure to brush thoroughly first so as to loosen all the dead hair and dander,
then wash the cat with a pet shampoo formulated specifically for allergy
reduction in cats. ( Cats are VERY sensitive to many ingredients and some
products could be very toxic, especially since cats lick their hair to groom
themselves) There are many products available, so feel free to ask your vet
for recommendations. Many of the pet catalogs carry these products at
reduced prices, so be sure to shop around.

3) As far as vomiting goes, try adding a hairball supplement to the cat's
daily diet. Again, there are several available and most are accepted fairly
well. Most require a daily dose of 3/4-1 inch of the paste like gel and if
the cat doesn't like it right off your finger, try smearing it on the cat's
front leg. Most (not all though) cats will clean it off as part of cleaning
themselves and even if they aren't attracted to the taste, will lick it off
to keep clean. If you do get rug stains from kitty vomit, try using Resolve
or Bissell rug cleaner for Pet Stains to clean the area. Personally, I like
the Bissell rug cleaner for Pets since I can mix it up with water in a spray
bottle and it goes a long way cost-wise. It works great for all kinds of
stains.

4) For scooting, have the vet teach you how to empty anal glands. It really
isn't that hard, although I can't say that it is pleasant..LOL. Also, try
increasing the fiber in the cat's diet to help naturally express the glands
with each bowel movement. Usually feeding only dry food with a higher fiber
content helps keep stools firm and helps with this issue. Be sure and
eliminate can food, milk products and the like, which all tend to promote
soft stool....and smelly stools too!

5) If after trying everything possible and these issues are still a problem,
consider investing in a cat cage. There are some really nice ones available
for about $125 or so and they work really well. I bought one 5 years ago for
my 18 yr old cat with kidney failure and it was a lifesaver! Unfortunately,
a side effect of his failing kidneys was uncontrollable urination and it
just wasn't possible to have him loose in the house. I bought the cage in
hopes of confining him near a litter box and it honestly was a miracle. He
had the double decker size which included 2 fuzzy fleece covered shelves and
a plastic bottom pan on caster wheels. There was plenty of room for a litter
pan and a blanket, etc., and it was wonderfully simple to clean. We kept him
confined to the cage at night and when we couldn't supervise him, but had
him out with us when we sat down for the evening, or when we were doing
something close by. He did very well with the new routine and it bought him
an extra 2 years of life with us before his kidney failure finally took him.

6) Has your husband entertained the idea of allergy testing and treatment?
If he is prone to such severe attacks, I am sure there may be other causes
and allergens that may be problems for him. A good friend of mine was in a
similar situation and has had tremendous relief from going through allergy
testing and serum injections. She is down to a serum injection one a month
now and is finally able to enjoy life while breathing at the same time.

Hope this helps =)))

All the best,
Puppylover



----- Original Message -----
From: "Debbi Scott"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 10:41 AM
Subject: [LbNA] OT: Cat Allergies - Please help! I am desperate!


> I have had allergies to cats for as long as I can remember... but, I
> have always dealt with them because I LOVE my cats... I have 3 (Bonkers
> - 16; Stormy - 13; & Cow - 7). I got married in 1999 to a man who is
> very allergic to cats and has asthma. Since we were married, I have
> kept the cats out of the main living area for his health. He never asked
> me to do this... I did it because I hated seeing him rely so heavily on
> his inhaler.
>
>
>
> Well, here is the issue. The cats current home is our basement. Next
> week we start remodeling our basement... to make it a living area (we
> need the space as our family has grown since we bought the house). This
> means there is no place for the cats.
>
>
>
> My mom has agreed to take my cats and is coming to get them next weekend
> to take them to her house in CA (I live in CO). I am having a real hard
> time dealing with this and it is killing me to give up my cats.
>
>
>
> Everything I read says it is GOOD for Matthew (my 1 year old son who has
> all the beginning signs of asthma) to be around the cats... it helps
> build his immunity to being allergic... this is the "new" theory since
> 2001. However, every article that I have found about adults w/ asthma
> (and an allergy to cats) says that they should NOT be around cats...
> that they are 50% more likely to end up in the hospital w/ a major
> asthma attack.
>
>
>
> Sooooo - I am in the process of trying making Stormy non-allergenic...
> LOL I am wiping him down with a cleaner per the directions to help w/
> dander control... I am brushing him daily to help w/ shedding and also
> TRYING to give him anti-shedding pills (He doesn't like them). I talked
> to the vet tech last night who said there is also a proven drug (it's a
> tranquilizer that is diluted 100 times) that will change the ph in the
> saliva so that it is also non-allergenic.
>
>
>
> However, I know Michael's other concerns are the mess and smell of the
> cats... I suggested putting the litter box in the unfinished area of the
> basement with a cat door in the wall... this would keep the litter and
> most of the smell inside the unfinished area... but, he is still
> concerned about hairballs ( Stormy is notorious for throwing up all the
> time - hairballs or not) and that will stain/ruin the new carpet. And,
> Stormy is also a scooter... his anal glands don't empty correctly when
> he has bowl movements, so to help the irritation, he scoots his bottom
> on the floor - this streaks carpet. (Sorry, I am sure that is more than
> you wanted to know! LOL)
>
>
>
> I know I can't keep all 3 cats... but, I am really having a hard time
> with the idea of giving up Stormy. Of course, every time I bring this
> up, Michael changes the subject. I understand it is a medical issue
> with him and that his health has to come first (of course, his mother is
> NO help... she keeps reminding him how an asthma attack could kill
> him)... but this is still just killing me.
>
>
>
> So - here is what I am asking of all of you. Can anyone here recommend
> a PROVEN way to make Stormy non-allergenic and stop his throwing up and
> scooting??? Money is really tight, so I am on a very strict budget...
> but, I want to keep my babies! Any suggestions, help, etc would be very
> much appreciated!
>
>
>
> PS - my cats are indoor animals - they do not go outside and I refuse to
> make them outdoor cats (we have bears and foxes that come down at
> night).
>
>
>
> Thank you all in advance for your suggestions and help.
>
>
>
>
>
> Debbi
>
>
> http://www.greatscottcreations.net - Hand-poured custom made Candles,
> Hand-Made Bath & Body Products, Homemade, freshly baked Dog Treats and
> MORE!
>
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> our family
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
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