Community ClicksHelp for hypersensitive cat
Dear Dr. Fox,
My cat Ellen is 14 years old and was adopted as a stray kitten.
She is an indoor cat and in excellent health.
My problem is when I try to brush her — she bites, hisses, and scratches.
Normally, she is affectionate and lets me hold, pet, and massage her.
I’ve tried all kinds of brushes and bristles, to no avail.
All I want to do is control some of her shedding, but she won’t let me.
Do you have any suggestions?
— A.B., Fort Worth, Texas
Dear A.B.,
Inflammatory skin and connective tissue conditions can cause cats to experience pain and show extreme discomfort, even when lightly touched.
This hypersensitivity may be related to eating too much tuna; having hyperactive thyroid disease; or being touched/brushed where painful static charges buildup, especially on synthetic rugs, blankets and upholstery.
I suggest the latter possibility, because she accepts a gentle massage.
A soft rubber comb as she is sitting on a cotton towel beneath her may be the solution.
What to do with loner cat
Dear Dr. Fox,
Which causes the least trauma — a no-kill kennel for an inadaptable cat that hates kennels or a big barn in Virginia for a cat that likes people?
After my dad passed away, I found a home for his cat, but it turns out he doesn’t do well with other cats.
My landlord let me keep him last year as I searched for a new companion with no luck.
I’m shipping out in a month, and I can’t keep the cat.
How can I do right by this creature who was such a comfort to my dad?
I know this isn’t your usual type of question, but I hope you’ll have some advice.
— M.G., San Francisco, Calif.
Dear M.G.,
Many good souls like you who are taking care of relatives’ pets after they have died, been hospitalized, or placed in a nursing home that allows no pets are often in a serious predicament.
There are shelters for such animals, but they can be far from ideal for cats and dogs who do not adapt to group living or worse — life in a solitary cage.
The farm-barn situation can work out well for cats, provided those who are attached to humans get some human contact on a regular basis.
Your local animal shelter/humane society should have some leads for you, including names of people who offer temporary in-home living as a halfway house or foster home prior to adoption.
It is always wise to make some provisions in one’s will when companion animals might outlive their owners.
Empathetic cat feeds kitten
Dear Dr. Fox,
I have two animal-empathy stories for you.
The first is about Blue Eyes, a one-eyed, cauliflower-eared Siamese cat who was one of several strays we fed regularly.
He would not let us touch him, but he was a daily boarder at our outdoor food dishes. One day, Blue Eyes showed up with a half-starved, bedraggled, orange tiger kitten in tow.
If you know anything about strays — who never know where their next meal is coming from — you will understand my amazement as Blue Eyes let the kitten eat his fill before going for the food himself.
Blue Eyes has since gone to heaven, but our adopted kitten is thriving and an important member of our four-cat (all adopted strays) family.
The second story is about Panther, an all-black, male shorthair whom we adopted six years ago.
Except in very cold weather, he is largely an outdoor cat that comes in to eat but then leaves quickly until he gets hungry again.
About five years ago, I had foot surgery and spent a week in bed.
The day I got back from the hospital, Panther crawled onto my bed and stayed there all week, except to eat and perform other vital functions.
The interesting thing is that he carefully stayed on the side away from the recuperating foot at all times.
When I began to move about, he resumed his normal outdoor habits.
— J.H., Westminster, Md.
Dear J.H.,
I have received similar letters from readers about a cat rescuing a kitten (like your feral Siamese), and about cats being attentive and aware of a caregiver’s injuries.
Your letter is a double whammy.
Many readers will appreciate how Blue Eyes and Panther are telling us just how conscious and caring cats can be.
My wife Deanna and I recently took in a second stray (Pinto), and he has turned out to be a playful young cat who is the best medicine for our older and very feral cat, Mark Twain.
The magic here is that Twain now has a playmate whom he grooms like a doting parent now occasionally accepts being stroked by hand (rather than trying to take my hand off!).
In addition to the regular stroking with a long goose feather that has been our only mode of contact these past seven months.
We rescued Pinto from his first Minnesota winter, and estimate Twain must have somehow survived at least five of them alone outdoors with no human contact and care.
