A post about VET CARE for cats and especially for Persians this was posted by Andrea Ploscowe on the Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue group. If you would like to join that group, go to that page and ask for an invite. Some good points on how to get cats used to going to the vet. I was also a pet owner who didnt bring my entirely indoor Domestic Short Hair cat to the vet more than twice, during the highest-earning period of my life, from 1991-2001, not out of a desire to be cheap, but because Speck would freak out when put in her carrier, on the way to the vet, and at the vet. My reluctance to take her to the vet was out of worry for how stressed out she got. I had to rethink everything when Speck died of kidney failure at age 13. She finally became so sick, I had a mobile vet come to see her. The vet told me she had severe gum disease and was badly dehydrated (she had stopped eating). For the second time in her life since she got spayed and declawed (yeah, I really didnt know jack), she got blood panels done. They showed she had advanced kidney disease. The vet explained to me that the gum disease likely contributed to and aggravated the kidney disease. We couldnt know which came first because I had never gotten blood panels on her, nor periodic dental checkups and cleanings. I lost her. She never came back from that crisis. I realized that I had failed Speck in several ways, and with my next cats, Himmies and Persians, I researched my butt off and changed everything. 1st, I made a point of keeping my cat carriers out in the living room, so the cats could use them as hidey places for napping...and as a result would not resist going into them for vet visits because most of the time, they had positive associations with their carriers, as safe warm, happy places. The other thing I did was take them to the vet regularly and perhaps over-frequently when they were kittens...and made a point of taking them out in their carriers all over the place...to the groomer, on road trips to my moms place in New Jersey, even to visit friends in the hood. Id stack their carriers on a heavy luggage track and cart them to their appointments. This solved the problem of the pre-vet appointment freak outs. They went everywhere in those carriers. I resolved to bring Pansy, my Himmie, and DeeDoo, my blue Persian to the vet for annual visits. When I brought them back at age two for their vet appointments and dental checks/cleanings, the vet advised that young cats like these are healthy and do not need annual visits or annual dentals. Just bring them in if theres a problem and every other year for shots and an exam. He knew I was the kind of owner (at that point) who didnt need additional cajoling to bring in my cats. The next time I brought Dee Doo in for his exam and dental, about two years later, he needed multiple extractions. Persians, with their tiny mouths and foreshortened muzzles, have CRAPPY teeth. Dee Doo especially. After that, he got annual exams and cleanings. We didnt start with exams and senior blood panels every 6 months until Pansy, DeeDoo and Sweet Pea were about 8 or 9, right around the time both DeeDoo and Sweet Pea turned up with kidney values on the high end of normal and the low end of kidney disease...and high blood pressure. We treated the blood pressure and arrested the kidney disease in both cats. We also took extra precautions prior to dentals to preserve their kidneys, like putting them on IV fluids the night before a dental. We caught and arrested the progression of kidney disease in both cats. Im very glad about that. DeeDoo ultimately died of lung and bone cancer, and Sweet Pea of a neurological issue affecting her spine. Pansy likely died of lymphoma. As kittens, both Pansy and DeeDoo inhaled debris from the World Trade Center on 9-11 and during the 3 months after, while the fires still burned underground, sending plastic-burning-smelling pollutants into the air. But with the conditions I could prevent and relieve, we succeeded grandly. With Persians, there is no way around regular vetting for them. Their mouths will rot if you dont keep up with dentals (unless youre feeding whole prey raw, and then more power to you). Further, someone who is unlikely to vet their Persians is also unlikely to get professional grooming for them when they need it. This is how the Persians get into the hellish shape we find them in, when Persian rescuers pull them from shelters AND often when we get direct owner surrenders, too. The owner didnt keep up with grooming or eye washing with a goopy-eyed flat face. The coat gradually wove itself into a solid saddle over their back...or became so badly matted the coat didnt allow them to eliminate, so the coat fused with impacted feces and filled with urine, causing skin burns, restricting movement, walking.... A neglected Persian can rapidly become a MESS with a month or two. Or an eye gets infected, and with no vet visit, develops ulcers, swells up and literally busts out of the socket. When DeeDoo didnt open one eye for 24 hours, I took him to vet. A week later, when abx ointment didnt fix it, I took him to the Veterinary Ophthalmologist-Specialist at the Red Bank Animal Hospital. The specialist said he had an ulcer caused by the Herpes virus and requiring laser surgery. But what made me REALLY sad was that he said this was the earliest stage he had ever had a cat with this condition brought in to see him. Most people are in the habit of waiting until the eye blows up, which is excruciatingly painful for the cat. THAT is why I agree 100% with Kirsten (the Specialty Purebred Directory about the necessity of screening for owners who are in the habit of reasonably and appropriately vetting their cats, especially the most vulnerable purebreds, like Persians, Himmies, Zots, and Sphynxes. It would be reckless to do otherwise.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:43:38 +0000
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