TBT and PSA in one. :) This post is dedicated to a wonderful woman I know who is a rescuer of cats and seeking more information on stomatitis. This is Bat Masterson. He and Rip Vicious, his sister, were my first babies. I adopted them from the Dallas Humane Society when they were four weeks old. They were both surrendered to animal control separately at two days old and were bottle fed. I fell in love with Rip with no intention of adopting Bat as he was incredibly weak, tiny and covered in this horrible skin condition that really made him look like he was on deaths door. Theyd shaved him to make it easier to treat and he was just pitiful. And Rip was a package deal. Ultimately I cant say no to pitiful things. (this used to apply to ugly furniture and clothes as well, Ive reformed to a moderate degree) We took him home and bathed him four times a day! The poor thing was so good. He never was very outgoing and was mostly afraid of his own shadow but he trusted us and was always an angel whenever we had to mess with him. Obviously I was wrong. He made it and grew into a massive and beautiful cat. We are fairly certain he had some Maine Coon in his genes. In his prime he was a fit and trim 23 pounds. He was a gentle giant. I think he saw himself as a much smaller cat. He always thought he would fit into much smaller places than he was meant to. He had juvenile gingivitis. When he came into my life 14 years ago I had only fostered and rescued dogs. I was brand spanking new to cats. I had one cranky old tom that lived with me but he wasnt my cat, he just lived there. Hamlet is a whole different story and, trust me, he earned every letter in that name. I was told that juvenile gingivitis was common in Maine Coons and that the only treatment was to have frequent dentals and to add a special liquid to his water. I did this, the cleanings were as often as I could afford and in his younger years this was often 1-2 years. As he got older and I got older it was every 6-12 months. Then, suddenly, at his annual dental I got a call that he had stomatitis and eight of his teeth had to be pulled. I was shocked and dismayed as I knew a bit about stomatitis and it wasnt good. I was dismayed that I wasnt given the option to have all of his teeth pulled while he was sedated. At his age and the advanced state of disease we ultimately did have his teeth all pulled. Since then Ive learned a little more about stomatitis and so have vets. Teeth matter, even in cats. They deserve to have regular dental care and to be kept free of pain in their mouths. Many vets offer specials through out the year on dental cleanings and many vets will work with you on payments or price when youre trying to do the right thing for your animal companion on a budget. Start brushing when animals are young. Look into controlling allergies if they have them, there are some vets and studies that suggest uncontrolled allergies increase the likelihood of stomatitis developing. The least expensive option is to start at home with a brush and tooth paste that you can find sold at most pet stores. Youtube is a great resource for how to videos. I wish I could have done more for Bat but I did all that I knew to do. There will never be another Bat. He was the keeper of underbed and the hero of the closet. There were no monsters lurking in the closet or underbed while he was alive. He patrolled both with vigilance. In fact, he was so vigilante that most people never even knew he existed as he never took time out to visit with company or peek out the door. Ive provided a link on teeth care and on stomatitis if youd like to learn more. peteducation/article.cfm?c=1+2121&aid=368 vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_resources/CW_Dentist.cfm
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 02:52:53 +0000
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