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Inky Updates

Lady Jane

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Received via email Inky's DNA/dental report today. She is 35% main coon cat, 12% american shorthair and the rest is from a group they call broadly western.

The medical consisting of eye disorders, muscle skeletal, blood, renal, cardiovascular, skin, endocrine are clear, low risk. For dental she is moderate risk for periodontal disease and bad breath. From day one i started her on dental chews with brushless tooth gel on top. Also use a water additive for dental health in her drinking water. No way can i get a tooth brush in her mouth. Plan on asking vet if dental wipes was are effective.

Really great to be proactive with your pets health. The company is called Basepaws and they also do dogs.
 

Sparkles99

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Did they say anything about wildcat (bengal, etc. breeds) ancestry?
 

Lady Jane

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They were in the Eastern area and she is not related to them at all. Please don’t ask about eastern and western, I have no idea why they group them that way. If I wasn’t so tired I may have found the answer.
 

Lady Jane

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I think so too. It is very detailed in every aspect. I do not have the hard copy yet to take to vet so last night I did a few screen shots of what I think may be important for them to know. Just sent them via email so we will see if they have them for our appointment on March 7th. I can see some of the Maine Coon aspects of her in the fur coat and tail. Really thick and long. However she is not large in size, does not have the long whiskers. She does have the personality as I have had a Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest cat before.
 
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Lady Jane

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Inky was 2 years old March 1. Its not her biological date of birth as that will remain a mystery. The first vet she saw assigned the date after examining her.

We went to vet today for ear check and will continue with once per month ear wash or all the wax will return. She has entropion of lower eye lids which means the lids are rolling towards the eye making her eyes tear. Vet said if it gets worse its an easy fix. They also do dental cleaning with xrays yearly for prophylaxis which is great. I really like the vet. He is a good listener.
 

Greylady1966

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Having a good vet makes all the difference. Inky is a very lucky cat to have you. :)
 

Lady Jane

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I decided to get Inky a second scratching post because she scratches the carpet and it is a cheap one that easily will come apart. I was really surprised by her reaction when it was delivered. The second one is much sturdier and taller so she can stretch out better. As I was taking it out of the box she was trying to get her claws into it already. After assembly she acted like a kid on Christmas morning, running around the apartment with much glee. She scratched and ran around for about a hour or so until she had no more energy. It really made her happy.

scratch post May 23 2022.jpg
 

Lady Jane

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Sorry folks I have not updated on Inky for a while. She has been in a sort of romance for a few days. We have several homeless kitties living outside and some feed them. There is one white with gray spots that has been around for a few years I am told. Inky loves to look out the windows of course. This kitty I assume is male as he is courting Inky. I leave the blinds up a few inches so Inky can watch outside. Last night I saw her crouched down low watching out as this unnamed white kitty and he had his paws up on the outside windowsill. Inky was highly excited and ran around with the zoomies in the apartment. I had to close blinds and calm her down. She is spayed of course. Now she can't seem to stay away from the windows watching out for him to return.

I do not want to encourage her in this effort. Will keep widows closed. Its so sad to see homeless kitties. The white cat is not afraid of me at all so he must have been owned by a human at one time.
 

Lady Jane

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Last night every window and blind was closed down securely. At 9 pm Inky got very excited again. She could not see outside at all. I glanced through the blinds and there sat boy friend on the sidewalk looking at our living room windows. She knew he was there!! So pheramones must travel through glass and brick.
 

Lady Jane

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I have never heard him make a sound. He just seems to stare at us. Last night he did not show up and Inky has been in the windowsills 24/7. I guess all this will calm down eventually.
 

Lady Jane

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Inky has has problems with itching one ear for a long time now. First vet said it was an inherited condition of overproduction of wax. For over a year I washed her ears with an ear wash solution which she hated. She started screaming when I did it. Went to the vet but a different one in same practice. Nice lady who was very cat savvy Everything she told me was opposite of first one. Told me to leave her alone for 3 weeks. Still all the itching and wax in one ear. Called vet back as she requested and she said there was a good chance this was a food allerby, most likely chicken.

Recommended what to food her and said it may take up to 8 weeks to calm the immune system. Food is Instinct limited ingredients with rabbit as sole source of protein. Its only been two weeks but i see improvement already. Very little itching and ear looks better. She seems to have more energy and much improved BM's. So the moral of this story is not every vet is good with cats. Crossing fingers the ear problems are solved.
 
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zoo mom

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I am glad things are improving. And the 2nd vet has a better understanding of cats.
 

Sparkles99

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Yes, my late cat had this problem. At one point, she was allergic to animal protein & had to eat hydrolyzed soy. That lasted several years. Thankfully, we eventually found a more species appropriate food that worked: Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Lamb & Rice.

Lots of people dissed this. I didn't care. She was about to be euthanized for being severely under weight, at risk of a heart attack. No food worked. She lived a few more years, thanks to that food. I figured as the vet delivered the bad news, 'What could it hurt?!', went to a store & bought something unconventional. She gained weight & her euthansia appointment turned into a hospital party with receptionists crying & hugging us. She was an exceptional cat.

She was always borderline sensitive, but what I believe pushed her over the edge was Blue Wilderness food. It triggered severe allergies that lasted the rest of her life. In my sister's cat it triggered a UTI when she was still under 12 months old. That cat has such issues to this day. We're not the only ones. I will never buy anything by that brand. They apparently have a huge advertising budget & miniscule (rumored non-existent) research budget.

My current cat eats a mix of Boréal Turkey-Trout & Fromm Indoor Cat.
 

AussieBird

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Food allergies in animals are a diagnosis nightmare. Anyone have this experience?
Absolutley. Family member has a dog whose basically allergic to life. Had blood tests done on her to figure that out.
One other dog has on going skin issues. Trialed a couple different meds, and did a skin biopsy. It's either environmental or dietary.
My pup started having the same skin issues recently, I think it might be diet. Chicken in particular. Gonna be trialing a different brand and no chicken food. Otherwise I'll have to bite the bullet and pay for blood tests.
 
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