Cats that Dislike Kidney Diets

According to studies, cats with chronic renal failure that are on kidney diets live significantly longer than cats that are not on kidney diets. The most recent thought is that this is due to the fact that kidney diets limit phosphorus. Unfortunately, however, many cats are not too excited about kidney diets. There are now other options available that have been shown to benefit picky eaters: Epakitin which is a phosphorus binder that can be added to their food and Calcitriol which is a form of vitamin D that also decreases the level of phosphorus.

Little Kitty

Little kitty is the most recent addition to my household. To my visitors she is just a blur and many don’t realize that I have a third cat. She usually hides when friends come over due to the fact that she was originally feral and not socialized to humans until later. During the spring of 2009, I worked at the Feral Cats Spay and Neuter Clinic up in Lynnwood quite a bit, spaying and neutering cats. Often cat trappers will bring in cats that they catch in the community to have them altered. These cat trappers do such a service to this area to keep the stray cat population healthy and to a minimum and do not expect anything in return except for the satisfaction that they are helping the community and the cats as well. Anyway, apparently the cat trapper that caught Little Kitty was feeding chicken that day because the kitten was absolutely packed full of chicken bones. I had two choices, either to surgically remove the chicken bones from her stomach and take her home because she would need quite a bit of care after surgery, or to euthanize her. Being the softy I am, I chose the former. It was an intense surgery and I hoped that she would recover well. That night, after the surgery, she slept right next to me in bed. She was on loads of painkiller and probably felt so miserable that she stayed there with me, even though she was scared. The following day she was an active kitten but also shy to her new surroundings. She slowly became accustomed to my other cats and has continued to sleep in bed with me every night. I originally had planned to adopt her out, but could not bring myself to do that. She is outgoing and super social when it is just me at the house, but when other people come over she disappears.

The Feral Cat Clinic in Lynnwood has spayed and neutered over 50,000 cats. In addition to feral cats, they also do low income spays and neuters for private parties. http://www.feralcatproject.org/

U.S. Veterinarians join coalition to help Haiti

January 20, 2010



U.S. Veterinarians join coalition to help Haiti
Schaumburg, IL
— The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) have joined a coalition of other animal health and welfare groups to help address the ongoing humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake that devastated the country.


The Animal Relief Coalition of Haiti (ARCH) was developed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). The AVMA is among the participants in the coalition, while the AVMF will participate with the other national and international charities by providing monetary support.

"The American Veterinary Medical Foundation has made a significant initial financial contribution to the animal relief efforts in Haiti," said Michael Cathey, executive director of the AVMF. "As the efforts and initiatives reveal themselves following this terrible disaster it will be the intention of the AVMF to provide even greater support."

According to Heather Case, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, director of scientific activities and coordinator for emergency preparedness and response at the AVMA, animal relief efforts in Haiti currently are focused on assessment. There has not been a call for veterinary volunteers or specific veterinary medical supplies at this time.

"Our basic role is one of information gathering," said Dr. Case. "We are in contact with those on the ground who regularly update us on the situation and current needs. There is such an immense humanitarian need at this point the focus is providing for human needs and keeping an eye on public health issues."

The initial animal focus will be on the nation's livestock, estimated to number 5 million, mostly goats. The longer term focus will be on Haiti's large population of stray animals.

"It's hard to comprehend the scope of the devastation in Haiti right now," said Dr. Larry Corry, president of the AVMA. "Hopefully we can work through ARCH to help the Haitians get back on their feet by tending to the public health and welfare needs of the nation's people and animals."

For ongoing updates, please follow the AVMA and the AVMA VMAT on Twitter (@AVMAvets and @AVMAVMAT) or visit www.avma.org/news/Haiti_earthquake.

For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, AVMA media relations assistant, at 847-285-6687 (office), 847-732-6194 (cell), or msanfilippo@avma.org.

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The AVMA and its more than 80,000 member veterinarians are engaged in wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org to learn more about veterinary medicine and animal care.

The AVMF is the veterinary profession's premier philanthropic and charitable organization. For more than 40 years the Foundation has been dedicated to embracing and advancing the well-being and medical care of animals. To learn more about the AVMF, visit www.avmf.org.

The AVMA disaster response efforts, led by the AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT), are funded through the generous support of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Your donation to the AVMF will help the Foundation make emergency care available to all animals in times of crisis.