Friday, March 3, 2017

Friday, March 3

Yeah!  The box came from HP Wednesday! We put my broken computer in it and sent it right back. HP received it yesterday. Hoping it won't take too long to get it fixed.  As aggravating as these computers are, I miss it.  Been using my phone, laptop and Lynnette's desktop.  I think what I really miss is the kitties that help me work each day. Jones has been getting lots of lap time though! 

We had BOXES yesterday in the afternoon.  My schedule is rather mixed up right now so it was easier to do BOXES early.  Many many thanks!
Sevren from UK--2 mats--both with cats, so cute!
Judy and Phil--6 rolls packing tape and 3000 of 6" paper plates
Pam T/zoolove--216 zip qt bags, 200 heavy plastic spoons, 90 13 gal. trash bags, 3 Clorox wipes
Beth--10 odoban solid absorbers
Carlacj500--crocheted items-10 cat toy gift bags & 25 pet crate blankies
Jane W/calico--valentine card & donation for where need
Miranda from MI--coupons
Lann/Lois--3000 paper 6 inch plates
Mich & Vern--3000 paper 6 inch plates
Shannon S--donation for the care of Leonard, Victor, Jackson & Markus & friends!
Pat C, Thursday vol--cat toys, cat wands, snackers, 2 snacker toys & broth packets

Notice all the paper plates?!!  We were on our very last pack of 100 of the 6 inch plates. The plea of help went out and the plates arrived.  It's just magical. More importantly, the cats and I are grateful. We sure wouldn't like to wash all those plates! (I had to convince Sevaun that she couldn't wish pizzas here though! She's sulking.)

LaRue and Anayaa did great at the vets office on Weds.  LaRue ended up only having to have 1 canine tooth removed---the one that had a dead root which results in a dead tooth. This is probably the result of the blow to her mouth from her accident. She still cannot shut her mouth all the way. But, I heard her whisper to Derecho that she thinks she's quite cute this way! 

Anayaa ended up having 8 teeth removed.  She had quite a bit of past dental damage probably from her accident before coming to FFRC. All of her top and lower incisors were already gone. She had resorptive lesions, periodontal disease, fractures of teeth. This all resulted in these extractions. She is eating good already! 

And today, our sweet little Olivia is at the vets office for her nasal surgery. She will be home later this afternoon.

We always seem to have our share of dental problems with our cats. Many times it is from injuries to the head/mouth. Sometimes its from the poor care received before we get them at FFRC.  Sometimes.......it just happens. Genetics can play a part in this too.  I wrote to a good friend of mine today a little info about cat dentals.  Dentals are truly important in the care of all cats. The cats that benefit from vet dental work are those with diseased gums, fractured teeth, painful gingivitis, abscesses from cavities---the list is actually quite long. Every tooth that has pus around the root spreads bacteria thru out the body of a cat. This bacteria affects all the organs and can shorten lives. It can also cause a horrible, painful way to life. I have seen cats come to FFRC with severely diseased teeth, thin, hurting, so sad in their spirits. We will do a dental, get rid of those nasty teeth and the cat's world brightens. It's like they feel that life is good again.  
I also know very well the power of drugs that are used.  Drugs sometimes have a bad reaction to a cat. We have lost a couple of our FFRC cats from spays or eye enucleations from a reaction to drugs.  But, in my time with cats, I have been involved in over 30,000 surgeries (FFRC, Earth Angels, when I worked at the vets office). Just here at FFRC, we have had probably 5-6 deaths from a drug interaction. So very very sad and heartbreaking. But....the benefit of those other 29,995 were good and made life much better. That doesn't diminish the pain of losing one from a drug interaction though. Those are hard.

A full cleaning under the gum line where periodontal disease lurks is sometimes needed. It would be impossible to do this detailed cleaning on a cat that is awake. Periodontal disease begins with bacteria "living' below the gum tissue. 

Brushing your cat's teeth is the single most effective way to maintain dental health--and professional dental cleanings.  

Periodontal disease is a disease of the tissues that surround and support the teeth. It causes changes that are associated with the inflammation and loss of the deep supporting structures of the cat's teeth. It is by far the most common oral condition suffered by cats. The effects are irreversible after a certain stage has been reached.  Some of the signs of this are: gums that bleed easily, red or swollen gums, persistent bad breath, pawing at the face, stomach/intestinal upsets, drooling, difficulty eating, sensitivity around the mouth.

The most important thing to remember is that cats hide their symptoms of dental disease for months or even years. Owners often do not realize their cats have dental disease. Regular check ups at the vets will include a mouth exam. 

You can help prevent dental disease:  regular visits to your veterinary, dental cleaning as advised, daily oral care (brushing of the teeth with cat toothbrush/toothpaste, specially formulated dental diets.

The bottom line---keep an eye on your cats teeth.  If a dental is recommended, by all means, be open to talking to your vet about it. It can save alot of discomfort for your cat and can lengthen the life of your pet. 

We had an adoption yesterday! Our sweet, beautiful Darcy went to her new home.  She had a couple visit her on Weds---they totally fell for her. And I do believe Darcy showed them very plainly that she should be the one they should adopt! It was so sweet. So they returned yesterday to adopt her. I've already heard from them--shows a happy cat! 

This blog is in memory of Anna, who was Christine's cat (a friend of FFRC's cat). And as Christine says--sometimes bad things happen to our pets but we need to continue to take the best care possible of them.  A wise and wonderful cat mama.