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Increasing Adoptions of Senior Cats and Dogs

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Senior cats make wonderful pets. They’re calm and they come with manners.

 

There’s nothing more heartbreaking than scanning the shelter to pull adoptable animals, only to find a gray-muzzled cat or dog looking up at you as if to say, “Where am I?”

To add insult to abandonment, a prospective family dashes right past him on the hunt for that perfect puppy or kitten. But wait, it’s worse. Today is euthanasia day. Without intervention, that once beloved pet will take his place in the statistic book next to five to seven million other animals who face euthanasia in shelters this year.

People pass up senior pets because of fear says Sherri Franklin, founder of Muttville, a San Francisco senior dog rescue. Muttville rescues and rehomes 350 to 400 seniors annually. Franklin says families fear losing their new pet soon after becoming attached. They’re also concerned about medical expenses they can’t afford. They’re not sure an old animal will bond with their kids, fit into the family, or the pet was abandoned because of bad behavior.

People surrender their golden oldies for many reasons most of which are not the pet’s fault):

  • The elderly owner has died, gone into assisted living or moved in with a relative
  • The family is moving to a place that doesn’t allow pets/the pet is over the weight limit
  • They have too many pets
  • Home foreclosure
  • Allergies
  • Spouse/S.O. doesn’t like cats/dogs
  • New baby/pregnancy
  • Kid is going off to college.

When you see those frightened, grizzled faces, don’t ignore them. With a little effort and a publicity campaign, you can make that cage space available to another homeless pet without a PTS order.

Senior cats can offer you many happy year, so don’t pass them up at the shelter

 

ADDRESSING OBJECTIONS TO ADOPTING A SEASONED PET

During the 1984 presidential debate with 56-year-old Walter Mondale, then 73-year old presidential candidate Ronald Reagan said, “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” You need to look at adoptable senior pets with Reagan’s optimism.

“Look at why people are afraid to adopt a senior,” Franklin says. “Get rid of those fears.”

Remind mature potential adopters, especially senior citizens, “You aren’t past your prime, and neither are these animals.”  Or “Just because you’re not a young pup doesn’t mean you don’t have a lot of life and love left in you. This cat (dog) is just like you.”

The most common objections to adopting senior pets include:

SHORT TIME REMAINING

While people fear the pet dying in just a few years, there’s no guarantee that any puppy or kitten will out survive a senior pet. Pets of any age can develop catastrophic medical conditions. Mary Hutto of Dallas adopted a healthy 8-week old Siamese-mix several years ago. Shortly after Spot turned a year old Mary discovered he suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She lost him a few months later, but only after spending over $1000 on vets.

EXPENSIVE VET BILLS

There is no free pet. Even healthy puppies and kittens require a significant financial investment their first year. Adopters should expect to pay for vaccinations, lab tests, parasite treatments and preventatives, spay/neuter, obedience training, doggie daycare, grooming, food and miscellaneous stuff.

To allay health concerns, before placing senior pets up for adoption, Muttville performs health screenings including a full blood panel and heartworm check, and when needed, dentals and spay/neuters. Other shelters provide pet health insurance with the adoption.

“We’re taking the fear of unknown health problems out of the equation,” Franklin says. “We’re transparent. We tell you the dog has diabetes, and will need shots forever. Or it has dry eye.”

Muttville spends around $700 per dog, more than twice the adoption fee. They offset the difference with fundraisers. Muttville also provides a two-week trial period before finalizing the adoption to make sure the dog is a good fit for the family. “We will take back any dog,” Franklin says.

I WANT THE KIDS AND THE PET TO GROW UP TOGETHER

“The puppy or kitten stage goes by in the blink of the eye,” says Inga Fricke, director of sheltering and pet care issues at Humane Society of the United States (HSUS.) The kids won’t remember that puppy.” Instead they’ll look back with fondness at the romps in the park, games of tags and fashion shows involving baby doll dresses.

A senior pet with previous infant or toddler experience can tolerate (survive) a small child’s rough handling. A puppies or kitten risks injury or death if a toddler drops or falls on him. A kid-friendly older cat may tolerate the doll clothes dress phase embarrassment and grace, and escape to elevated furniture when she’s reached her BS (Baby Stuff) threshold. High energy and vulnerable kittens will struggle to get away from rough handling, so children may risk being bitten or scratched. Consequently, many shelters have 6-6 policies: homes with children under six years cannot adopt kittens or puppies under six months. If the animal’s history is known, shelter workers can tell potential adopters which senior pets came from families or foster families with kids.

Fricke says the even American Academy of Pediatrics discourages people with young children to have young pets in the home.

YOU can TEACH AN OLD DOG/CAT NEW TRICKS

Au contraire, adults have much longer attention spans, and that translates to learning faster. Besides, a mature pet already understands that there are house rules. He may not know the new rules, but since he knows what “no” means, he can certainly apply that to his current situation.

OTHER SENIOR PLUSES

Having a puppy or kitten is like having a human child,” Fricke says. “It’s the same effort going through those stages and training.”

SENIOR PETS ARE HOUSETRAINED

Housebreaking a puppy can take months (or much longer), and cost thousands in carpet cleaning or replaced flooring. Puppies must be taken outside to potty much more frequently than adults. Inga Fricke says, “The rule of thumb is that puppies can hold their bladders no more than one hour longer than their age in months. So, a two-month-old puppy can’t hold its bladder for more than three hours.”

Until they reach six or seven months, mishaps will occur if the puppy is crated or kept inside for long periods. Mature pets have the toilet issue down! Mature dogs understand that the house is not the bathroom.

OLDER PETS HAVE MANNERS

Senior dogs and cats take less work than little ones. They require little or no training. They already understand biting, jumping and scratching are off limits.  They’ve moved beyond the destructive stage, thank goodness. With the teething stage and manic energy stages well behind the golden oldie, shoe chewing, drapes-climbing and furniture scratching will be minimal compared to puppies and kittens.

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

1960’s comedian Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine used to exclaim, “What you see is what you get!” That insightful phrase is the #1 selling point of senior pets.

Fricke says animals don’t develop their full personalities until they’re fully mature. “When you bring home that fluffy ball of fur you don’t know what you’re getting. If you’re looking at a pet who’s reached maturity, you know how active it’s going to be, if he’s nervous around strangers, if he’s outgoing or a hider.”

When the animal comes from the back of the cage to lick your hand, you know what you’re taking home. “There’s no guarantee that energetic kitten will mellow out when he’s grown,” she says.

Apartment dwellers who have pet weight restrictions benefit from senior adoption because they don’t have to worry about that cute puppy with the delicate paws unexpectedly growing into a behemoth. And once again, seniors are less destructive and potty trained.

STRATEGIES FOR SENIOR PET ADOPTIONS

“Finding homes for seniors is a challenge,” Fricke admits. “Combine good marketing with education by informing the public about the benefits of older animals, as well as the pitfalls of bringing home younger animals. It’s still always going to be a challenge, unfortunately.”

Get creative in your marketing. Sherri Franklin says Muttville volunteers post pictures and the dogs’ stories on Facebook, Twitter, Petfinder.com, Adoptapet.com and even Craig’s list. Create a brochure or flyer spotlighting the advantages of adopting mature pets. Don’t forget to feature adoptable seniors in both your email and snail mail newsletters and even send out short e-news blasts with the pet’s story. A touching mailer can also become a powerful fundraising tool.

Fricke says shelters frequently create interest in older pets by placing them in prominent places on their web site. Consider reducing adoption fees on animals one year and older. She encourages people to check out shelterpetproject.org, the pet project cooperation between HSUS, Maddie’s Fund and the Ad Council.

WORDS MEAN THINGS

William Shakespeare brilliantly wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” And while there’s nothing sweeter than an old cat or dog, potential adopters don’t respond well to the word “old.” When talking about or describing an available senior, Franklin suggested using more positive synonyms. Try “mature”, “senior”, “gentleman”, “mature lady”, “tried and true”, “sweet senior”, “mellow”, “couch potato”, “friend”, “grandma”, “grandpa”, or “golden oldie”.

IN YOUR FACE

Fricke says shelters should do anything they can do to spotlight how well these animals would fit into the home.

Position senior cages so prospective adopters must view the classic models before they can see the puppies and kittens. Some shelters bring the seniors, or hard-to-adopt animals, into the lobby to work as greeters. When families see a Lab sleeping on a bed, they think he’s a well-behaved dog compared to the hooligans in the back jumping up and barking. Stress the advantages of mature cats and dogs and how they will complete the family.

FREEBIES

Besides reduced or waived fees, Fricke says some shelters provide free care packages or start up kits for adopters of senior pets that include: collars, leashes, bowls, toys, litter boxes and scoops. Future vaccinations, vet care, free behavior advice or training may also pique interest in older shelter dwellers.

WARM FEELINGS

And let’s not discount those warm, fuzzy feelings people get from saving a life and doing a good deed. Adopting an aging pet makes a statement about the adopter’s compassion. It says he or she values every stage of life.

Sherri Franklin says “Don’t hesitate to use the pet’s story to tug at people’s hearts. It’s all about selling the pet, and telling his story in a compelling way, whether it’s happy or sad.” Some people respond to happy stories, others want to make up for an animal’s difficult life.

 COMFORT AFTER LOSING A PET

People grieving from the recent loss of a pet may receive great comfort if they can save another life as a result of their tragedy. There’s no question, adopting a senior pet is saving a life.

WE DELIVER FOR YOU

-If your senior pets aren’t showing well with all the competition in shelter, find a unique adopt-a-pet location and let them shine. Hold an event in a seniors community.

WHO ADOPTS SENIORS?

Senior citizens and childfree couples are the most likely demographics to adopt aging pets because the animals are less demanding and more laid back. So consider implementing a program that targets these groups.

SENIORS FOR SENIORS

A growing number of shelters offer senior pets for a greatly reduced adoption fee (or waives fees entirely) to senior citizens in Seniors for Seniors programs. <<<Link to the Seniors for Seniors article.>>> Others provide the same option to any interested adopter.

Using some imagination and a lot of marketing, any group should be able to increase senior adoptions and prevent unnecessary adoptions.

Paranormal

Ghost Cats: Maynard’s Return

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I never imagined when I bought that litter of orphan kittens home that someday Maynard would introduce me to ghost cats.

 

Fostering neonatal kittens isn’t for the faint of heart. One mid-April day in 1999 I answered a phone call from Lewisville Animal Services. Did I have any plans for the next six to eight weeks? A farmer discovered three newborn kittens in the middle of his cow pasture. Despite a lengthy search, neither the farmer nor the animal control officer could locate the mother. When could I pick up the kittens?

At the time there were only two foster families in my area who had both the time and the ability to raise bottle babies. I knew Humane Society of Lewisville founder, Mary Hill, was up to her ears in kitten whiskers. If I couldn’t take them animal control would put them to sleep as soon as the officer arrived at the shelter. Before I could say, “What was I thinking?” I pulled into the shelter parking lot.

The animal control officer (ACO) and I arrived at the shelter at about the same time. I wound my way to the loading dock past the rows of pathetic cats reaching for me, and the dogs barking for attention. There stood the ACO holding a small cardboard box. He pulled the flap up. Inside huddled three tiny kittens. They were so small I could hold all three of them in one hand.

“I need some help.” The officer handed me a pair of vicious-looking antique scissors that hasn’t been sharpened since the Woodrow Wilson administration.

A closer inspection of the kittens revealed their true age. Their umbilical cords were still soft and attached to the fresh placenta. They were only a few hours old. Their mother hadn’t even taken the time to free them from their placentas…and they were covered in cow poop. What a rough way to start a life! I cut the cords, swaddled them in a baby blanket and placed them in a carrier.

At home I warmed them up, and set up a nursery, then cleaned the stinky brown goop off of them with warm water and a bagful of cotton balls. Once I’d freed them from their stinky coating, I discovered two of the kittens were brown tabbies, with adorable little gray tiger stripes. The other kitten wore a formal tuxedo jacket; his markings even included a little a white bow tie and gloves and a pair of white spats. Baby boomers may remember the character Maynard G. Krebs from the sixties television sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Bob Denver, best known in his title role on Gilligan’s Island, played Maynard and had a stereotypical beatnik goatee at the bottom of his chin. Our little tuxedo kitten also sported a Maynard Krebs-style goatee, along with big copper eyes, and a huge head.

Six weeks later, we knew there Maynard had a problem because the other kittens ran for the hills when the “evil” vacuum cleaner emerged from the closet. Maynard, not only wanted to watch it move back and forth, he wanted to hitch a ride.

His lack of fear tipped us off that he was totally deaf. We didn’t care whether he could hear or not. But when the vet confirmed our suspicions, she also slammed us with a second diagnosis: our adorable six-week-old charge had a buildup of fluid on his brain; Maynard was hydrocephalic, a medical term for water on the brain. According to the vet, he wouldn’t live more than a few more weeks. She recommended we euthanize him immediately.

My latest book, Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits, Revised edition, discusses Maynard’s one-time visit, as well as 70 other feline phantom encounters.

 

For now climbed the drapes and tackled his brothers, so we decided against euthanasia, and instead we treated him homeopathically. He responded to the cypripedium treatment. All his symptoms but the deafness improved. He proved to become a happy, healthy and even a clever kitten another seven months. Every night he jumped up on the bed, walked across the mattress and lay down on my ankles. I always thought it couldn’t be comfortable sleeping on my ankle bones, but he claimed that spot as his special space.

That Thanksgiving my husband and I visited out-of-town family, as was our tradition. Fearing a downturn while we traveled I asked my best friend, Debbie Waller, to care for Maynard.
On Thanksgiving Eve, my fear became a reality. Debbie called from the vet’s office. The fluid and pressure had suddenly started to build pressure against his brain. It was time. As if living in a nightmare, I heard myself give Debbie permission to put him to sleep. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.cephalic cat, I still dwelled on the possibility that Maynard might still be alive if only I’d stayed home. If only I could have told Debbie where to find the medicine. If, if, if…

A visit from a ghost cat

A few weeks after we’re returned home, I was still sad, but I had moved on. A new litter of neonates slept peacefully in my bathroom.

One night, about two weeks after we returned home, I had climbed into bed, but hadn’t settled in yet. I lay wide awake in bed. Suddenly, I felt the distinct sensation of a cat jumping onto the bed, the footsteps of little paws padding across the mattress, followed by the pressure of a small cat laying down atop my ankles. While cats jump on the bed all the time, this one claimed Maynard’s special corner. Enough moonlight seeped through the curtains to let me make out shapes. I looked, expecting to see another cat lounging down at my feet, but despite the fact that I felt weight against my legs, I could see there were no cats on the bed.

I could feel the weight of a cat on my feet, but nothing was there.

 

What I was experiencing was impossible. Yet for the first time in weeks I smiled. I dared not move for fear, not fear of the ghost of a dead kitten, but from the fear the sensation would vanish. Eventually, I slipped off to sleep and in the morning the weight against my feet had vanished. It would never return, but for one brief happy moment I had Maynard back. He had dropped by to tell me goodbye.
Prior to Maynard’s return, I believed people who had experienced ghost encounters had done a bit too much recreational in the 1970s. At that moment, with his six pounds pressing against my ankles, I knew I was wrong. I felt at peace and forgiven.

It was an entire year before I mentioned Maynard’s return to my husband, or anyone else for that matter. But I knew Maynard had given me a wonderful gift. I just wished he’d visit me again sometime.

Want more real cat ghost stories. Check out Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits at Amazon.com. Kindle is now available. Paperback will be out in a few days.

Do you have an animal ghost story? Tell me about it in the comments below.

 

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Ghost Cat Photos

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On very rare occasions, people manage to capture photos of ghosts. Here are three such examples that appear in my latest book, Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits.

This is from the story “Little Joe’s Portrait” in Ghost Cats. Moments after finding her favorite feral, Little Joe, dead, Anita Morris snapped this photo by Little Joe’s favorite dish. Little Joe is the transparent cat in the upper center.

 

After Dolly passed, her owner Andy continued to see her impression on his bed. Her story is “Making an Impression.”

 

Kathy Johnson took this picture when her son, Erik, said his leg felt cold. Above his hand you can see an orb.
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Ghost Cats now on sale

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Some cats won’t let a little thing like death separate them from their humans. ~ Dusty Rainbolt author of Ghost Cats

Ghost Cats was the winner of the Cat Writers’ Association Muse Medallion for the year’s best book on a miscellaneous topic

 

Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits Revised Edition is now available.

Many cat lovers believe these amazing creatures possess mystical powers that reach beyond what we can see and touch. But can cats extend a paw from beyond the grave?

Award-winning GHOST CATS is an original collection of heartwarming, and sometimes heart-stopping, accounts of cats who connected with their loved ones for a final time—ghost encounters of the feline kind. From the chilling “Demon Cat of the Nation’s Capitol” to the comical “Phantom Litter Box” to the reassuring “Grungy’s Greeting”, there are feline phantasms for everyone.

And if you believe you have heard, seen or felt your very own departed kitty, author Dusty Rainbolt, one of the country’s leading authorities on animal apparitions, offers reasons why your best forever friend breeched that tenuous veil to reach you again.

ABOUT GHOST CATS

People who have spent a lifetime observing and interacting with cats will say that these amazing animals seem to possess powers – supernatural, psychic, or otherwise – that we can only begin to comprehend. But are they able to return from the grave as well?

In Ghost Cats, the strangely heartwarming tales of cats who have refused to let death part them from their human companions are recounted in vivid and captivating detail. From the chilling “Demon Cat of the Nation’s Capitol” to the delightful “Phantom Litter Box” to the touching “Poor Puss” of Stonehenge, there’s a plethora of phantasms here for everyone. And what if you receive bedtime visitations from your very own dearly departed kitty? Author Dusty friend explains all the signs of a haunting and offers reasons why your friend has come back.

A thrilling read for the cat and ghost lovers among us, and a consolation for those who have lost a beloved pet, this collection of stories confirms that these wonderful, whiskered creatures capture our imagination as much as they do our hearts, long after they have purred their last.

OVERCOMING GRIEF

Do you still feel your cat’s presence? Have you heard him meow or the jingle of his collar bell? You are not alone. Many bereaved cat owners and some bewildered non-owners have experienced the patter of paws or felt the presence of paranormal pets.

People coping with the loss of a pet (or human), know the grief can feel overwhelming. The 70 plus encounters shared in this book have encouraged the inconsolable and given hope to the hopeless. We will see our beloved cats again.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT GHOST CATS

“Decades of tending rescue and foster cats and kittens make Dusty Rainbolt the cat companion’s go-to expert on feline health, happiness, and behavior. And that includes stunning examples of cats’ extra-sensory sensitivity we all glimpse and often too easily dismiss. Ghost Cats will make you wonder if any of our cats are ever really ‘lost’ to us.” ~ Carole Nelson Douglas, author of the Midnight Louie Feline PI Mysteries

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former card-carrying skeptic, Dusty started investigating paranormal phenomena after her recently passed foster kitten named Maynard returned for a brief one-time afterlife experience. Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning cat writer who has worked as a professional freelance journalist since the late 1980s.

Dusty is the author of the just-released book that helps rectify feline inappropriate elimination, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery (Stupid Gravity Press), as well as Kittens for Dummies and Cat Wrangling Made Easy: Maintaining Peace & Sanity in Your Multicat Home. She also penned the award-winning paranormal mystery, Death Under the Crescent Moon (Yard Dog Press). Her scifi fans know Dusty for her comedy novel All the Marbles and as well as the outrageous The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse fantasy series she coauthored with Linda L. Donahue, Rhonda Eudaly and Julia S. Mandala. She’s past president of the Cat Writers’ Association, and three-time recipient of the Friskies Writer of the Year. She is editor-in-chief of AdoptAShelter.com, past product editor for the Tuft’s University publication, Catnip and Whole Cat Journal. Over her career, over 1500 of her columns and articles have appeared in magazines, books, newsletters and websites.

Dusty’s a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She and her husband share their unhaunted home with their living, breathing cats and a Pug-mix. Involved in kitten rescue for over three decades, she has successfully raised over 800 orphan kittens. Unfortunately not all of the bottle babies made it. One in particular changed her life.

Check out her website at DustyCatWriter.com. She’d love to hear your cat, dog, and horse ghost stories.

 

News

The Hemingway cats are safe after Hurricane Irma #HemingwayCats #HurricaneIrma

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Grace Kelly checks the list to make sure all the Hemingway Cats are safely inside. (Photo from Hemingway Home Museum Facebook page.)

 

The Hemingway cats are safe!

It’s no secret Ernest Hemingway loved cats. In 1928 on one of his Caribbean adventures, the author became the proud owner of a white polydactyl cat (a cat with extra toes) named Snowball. Ship’s captain, Stanley Dexter, gifted Snowball to Hemingway after the author admired all the cat’s extra digits. (Some articles mistakenly say the cat’s name was Snow White.)

Jump forward 99 years.

Today, 54 descendants of Snowball, many of them multi-toed, manage the Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida. Last week before the arrival of Hurricane Irma, officials issued a mandatory evacuation for residents of Key West. But 10 courageous staff members at historic museum decided to brave the storm for the sake of the equally historic cats. Jacqui Sands, the manager and caretaker of the Hemingway Home even refused to leave the property despite a plea from Hemingway’s granddaughter Mariel to evacuate.

Hemingway Home and Museum “took extreme precautions to protect the Hemingway Cats. (Photo from Hemingway Home Museum Facebook page.)

 

Museum curator David Gonzales told CNN, “We’ve made extreme preparations. We’ve boarded up the place. We’ve stocked up on cat food and water. Our veterinarian came by on Wed and made sure we had plenty of medications for the cats who need those.

When asked if it wasn’t smarter to take the cats and leave, Gonzales answered, “On the news programs you’ll see the gridlock happening on the highways exiting the entire state of Florida. Imagine putting 25 cats in each of two vans.  You’d have to drive out of this state, out of Georgia and into the Carolinas, then westerly from there…If you think about the stress of a cat being locked in a van in a kennel for who knows how long, 20, maybe 24 hours, trying to get out of here, that may not be the best thing for them.”

Gonzales explained the house, which was built in 1851 of 18 inch blocks of limestone, had endured dozens of hurricanes, and “never had any damage whatsoever. It is a solid fortress.”

Hurricane Preparations

On September, Father John Baker from St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Basilica visited the Hemingway Home to bless our staff, cats and home. Pauline Hemingway was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Key West in the 1930’s. — with Nicole Navarro, Elizabeth Ritter, Father John Baker and Sand Blast et Peinture Jacques Ruest. (Photo from Hemingway Home Museum Facebook page)

 

The night before Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida, the Hemingway Home and Museum Facebook page posted a picture of a brown tabby and white cat reading a list of names.  ‘As our staff member, Nicole Navarro was confirming all cats were accounted for, the cat Grace Kelly took over roll call.’

Fortunately Key West experienced high winds and heavy rain during the hurricane, but the island was spared the damage that occurred at the hurricane’s eye. Several trees on the museum property fell and debris landed on the grounds, but the landmark emerged otherwise unscathed.

How did you feel about the staff staying with cats rather than evacuating? Post your thoughts in the comments sections below.

Behavior, Feline Health

The American Association of Feline Practitioners Revises Position on Declawing

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The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Strongly Opposes Declawing of Cats

Hillsborough, NJ (September 6, 2017) – The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) has revised its 2015 position statement on declawing cats to “strongly oppose declawing (onychectomy) as an elective procedure.”

Scratching is a normal feline behavior. It is the obligation of veterinarians to provide cat owners with education on normal scratching behaviors and options for cats to exhibit appropriate scratching behavior in the home. The AAFP’s position stresses the need for veterinary teams to educate cat caregivers as many are unaware that declawing is a surgical amputation of the third phalanx (or ‘toe bone’).

This is exciting. It is believed that most cats suffer from pain, not only from bone fragments left behind after the amputation, but also phantom pains.

The AAFP has been the leader in the world of feline medicine and veterinary care.  It is appropriate that our organization has taken the lead with this strong position statement opposing the declawing of cats,” states Dr. Marcus Brown, Chair of the AAFP’s Welfare Committee.

The AAFP supports a path of change that focuses on educating veterinary teams and cat caregivers in an effort to help them learn and understand in order to make a future impact that sees lasting results. Veterinary teams will be supplied with a toolkit of resources to assist them in educating cat caregivers about why cats have claws, why cats scratch inanimate objects, best practices for living alongside a cat with claws, ideal scratching surfaces, training cats to scratch appropriately, and troubleshooting inappropriate scratching in the home.

Dr. Nancy Suska, co-author of the statement, explains, “With proper client education from the initial veterinary visit and onward, our clients will be able to provide their kittens and cats with the essential means to exhibit this natural feline function.  The American Association of Feline Practitioners has produced many resources, for both owner and veterinary team, to educate about natural feline scratching behavior and alternatives to declawing.”

 

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J.D. Rainbolt Appreciation Day–He foresaw Hurricane Harvey

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Then Major J.D. Rainbolt on the right. He foresaw disasters like Hurricane Harvey.

 

Today is August 30, 2017. This is a terrible time for the residents of Houston and the Texas coast. My thoughts and prayers are with them. This was the thing my father, J.D. Rainbolt, worried about all the time. Early warning was his life. He worried about possible enemy attacks and natural disasters it so everyday people wouldn’t have to. He knew someday Hurricane Harvey would hit Houston. Maybe he didn’t know the name Harvey, but he knew, nevertheless.

This day in 1955, Houston Mayor Roy Hofheinz declared J.D. Rainbolt Appreciation Day. This honor was directly tied to the current crisis current visiting Space City.

Long before Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was a thing, Dad pioneered early warning for the general public. He was the military activities engineer for Southwestern Bell Telephone, and worked on loan to the city of Houston for three years as the Communications and Warning Division Chief. In his tenure in this position, he installed (at no cost to Houston or Harris County) 22 early warning sirens. According to State Coordinator William L. McGill, “Your great contribution to civil defense in Texas and particularly Harris County will be long remembered by this office. Your efforts have placed your part of Texas among the top areas of the nation in the communications and warning field.”

Then Houston Mayor Roy Hofheinz declared August 30, 1955 J.D. Rainbolt Appreciation Day.

 

Until recently, I never understood Dad’s fascination with hurricanes and severe weather. Although I admit I have inherited his obsession. When I was a kid, every night during hurricane season, Dad would get out his charts and religiously plot the course of the hurricane de jour.  After reading his papers, I now know he was moving resources to a safe, but accessible place so they could arrive as soon as possible after the storm passed.

I remember in 1961, going outside and watch the churning clouds of Hurricane Carla’s outer arms approach San Antonio. I don’t know why this made such an impression on me, but I can still close my eyes and see it. Carla made landfall as a category four around Port O’Connor. It did an enormous amount of damage all along the Texas coast. Dad had to make sure communications to the area was immediately available. Without communications, more tangible resources couldn’t arrive. It was truly a matter of life and death for those people affected by the storm. He laid the groundwork for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

After Dad’s death three years ago, I was going through his papers trying to find facts for his eulogy, I found a yellowed crumbling newspaper article that detailed his pivotal role in establishing the air raid warning sirens  in Harris County, and one of the first in the U.S.

A telegram from State Coordinator William L. McGill on J.D. Rainbolt Appreciation Day

 

Since the end of the Cold War, the purpose of the sirens has changed. Although recent events in North Korea have renewed our concerns about nuclear attack, citizens of Texas have more immediate threats associated with natural disasters. Where I live in North Texas, these early warning alerts are used primarily for tornado warnings.  Inside my home, I can hear sirens blare at least a couple of times each tornado season.

Those Houston early warning signs looks like this.

We all know about the legend that when a bell rings an angel earns his wings. But Dad has his own twist. Whenever I hear those tornado sirens, I know that Dad is still looking out for me.

He’s also still looking out for the people of Houston and Harris County. On this August 30, 2017, J.D. Rainbolt Appreciation Day, I’m sure he’s looking down with a heavy heart wishing he could do more to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Don’t worry Dad, by your example, the people of Texas have this. Love ya.

Do you have a message for J.D. or for the people of Houston? How do you plan on helping? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Behavior, Litter Box, New Research, Uncategorized

Study Shows Declaw Surgery Results in Chronic Pain and Behavior Problems in Cats

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We never considered subjecting Sam to declaw surgery. He never destroyed furniture because he had plenty of scratching posts. Photo by Weems S. Hutto.

New Study Shows Declaw Surgery Contributes to Behavior Problems

In the past, shelters and rescue groups have insisted that a larger percentage of declawed cats were surrendered for aggression and inappropriate elimination issues than kitties with intact toes. The pro declaw forces always downplayed the assertion with, “Show the scientific proof.” Of course, that was impossible.  No scientific proof existed because the research hadn’t been done. Thanks to a new study, led by Nicole K. Martell-Moran, DVM, MPH, we now have that proof.

Martell-Moran’s just-released study now supports those claims that declawed cats are at greater risk of developing deal-breaker behavior problems than cats with natural paws. Extrapolating from there, cats with biting and elimination problems are much higher risk of being surrendered to shelters than well-behaved cats.

The study, “Pain and adverse behavior in declawed cats,”was published online in May in the online Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.  Until now, no studies that incorporated modern pain assessment of declawed cats could be found in a PubMed search.

This study’s purpose was to determine if there was any association between declaw surgery and back pain, as well as unwanted new behaviors such as inappropriate elimination, biting, aggression, excessive grooming. Martell-Moran also wanted to determine if pain-causing bone fragments left behind after the surgery were associated with those behavior issues. The research shows that the surgery has the unintended consequence of causing potentially more serious behavior problems. The study evaluated 274 cats—half declawed and half intact, 33 of whom were four-paw declaw.

It concluded there was a clear association between declawing and long-lasting and painful side effects of the surgery. Also the “the prevalence of P3 fragments in declawed cats was excessive and surprising.”

Onychectomy, the technical term for declawing, is commonly performed in the United States and Canada to prevent cats from scratching and destroying furniture.

Four X-rays of forelimb and paw of four cats in the study. The arrows indicate fragments left behind after declaw surgery. The entire P3 has been removed in projection (a); <25% of the distal phalanx remains in (b); while >25% percent remains in (c); and only the tip of the distal phalanx has been removed (d) Photo courtesy of Nicole Martell-Moran.

 

Declaw surgeries are usually performed by using either guillotine cutters, dissection by scalpel or laser. Dr. Martell-Moran tried to determine the method used on each study cat, but that information was not always available. In those cases where she could determine the technique, there were some interesting revelations. She says all three techniques have the potential to leave behind painful bone fragments, but the guillotine most frequently left larger bone fragments that would regrow claw. This is not a painless process.  Laser surgery and scalpel dissection occasionally left smaller and fewer fragments, but there is no guarantee the kitty still won’t suffer painful side effects.

Pain and Behavior Problems May Take Years to Appear

Back pain, inappropriate elimination, biting, aggression, and/or excessive grooming occurred more often in cats who had bone fragments, but declawed cats without the bone fragments were still more likely to pee outside the box and bite than intact kitties.

Because of the floating bone shards, cats change the way they walk. “If you wear high heels, it’s going to change the way you walk and your back is eventually going to hurt,” Dr. Martell-Moran said. She added back pain causes litter box problems because of the position the cat must assume to eliminate. “In cats, defecating and urinating require different postures.” So the back pain may cause problems with peeing or pooping or both functions. Back and pain issue may appear years after the cat was declawed. (If you’re having litter box problems, please take a look at Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery (Stupid Gravity Press.)

Another point not mentioned in her study, is the phantom pain factor. In human medicine, the 2002 study of human amputees, “Phantom Pain and Risk”  led by Pieter U Dijkstra, PhD,  found that phantom limb pain is “suffered by around seventy percent regardless the cause of amputation.”

Identifying and Managing Declaw Pain

Dr. Martell-Moran says not every single cat is going to have problems, but a vast majority of cats (likely 70 to 80 percent) suffer some pain.

“People just don’t know when they’re cats are in pain,” she said. “Look for changes in behavior such as suddenly not using the litter box or not wanting to be touched on the back. Sometime owners can tell by running their hand down the back. If cat turns around suddenly, he may be saying, “Hey, that hurts.”

Declaw surgery removes the distal bone of the toes. Photo courtesy of Nicole Martell-Moran.

 

If you suspect your declawed cat is painful, Dr. M-M suggests “getting X-rays of the feet to see if there are bone fragments.” If fragments are found, she said, “Go back and have the fragment removed.” She also suggested talking to a cat-friendly vet and investigating medical pain management.

Bottom line, Dr. Martell-Moran’s “study showed persistent pain and discomfort following declaw surgery is an important risk factor for behavioral changes” (i.e. housesoiling, aggression, biting.)

How do you feel about declawing cats? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below the bio.

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released award-winning cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

New Research, Uncategorized

Gooey Slug Slime Medical Adhesive Inspire Tomorrow’s Wound Care

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Take Two Slugs and Call Me Tomorrow

The adhesive is modelled on a defensive mucus that is secreted by the Dusky Arion slug

 

Medical sutures and staples may someday go the way of the dodo, thanks to man’s new best friend, the slug, the Dusky Arion slug to be precise (Arion subfuscus). Thanks to a new study, Tough adhesives for diverse wet surfaces, led by author Jianyu Li, an Assistant Professor at McGill University, future doctors may forego classes in stitching and knots and opt for arts and crafts where they can learn advanced gluing techniques. Tissue adhesives are used as an alternative to stitches or staples and can be less damaging to the healthy tissues,  but present options are inflexible and simply don’t adhere to wet, slimy surfaces inside the body. Slug slime will change all that.

The Dusky Slug (Arion subfuscus) is native to Europe and is considered an invasive pest in North America.

 

Li wanted to improve medical adhesives. And of course, when people think adhesive, they automatically think slug, right? But it’s not so far a stretch. When threatened, the slug secretes mucus that glues it in place, making it difficult for a predator to pry it off a surface.

The snail slime contains proteins as well as positively charged calcium ions.   The positive charges are attracted to the surface of biological tissues like a chemical version of Velcro®.

Since the bonding isn’t immediate, the hydrogel slug glue will be much easier for doctors to work with than existing tissue adhesives, which is basically Superglue that sticks instantly to many surfaces. The Superglue not only hardens unforgivingly fast, it doesn’t adhere to wet surfaces, like the inside of a body.  Ever tried to put a Band-Aid on a sweaty arm?  Same principle.

Slug Slime Creates a Sticky Situation

The slug-inspired medical adhesive stuck easily to wet tissue, like this pig heart.

 

The slug hydrogel forms a stretchy web of molecules, which are made up of 90 percent water.  That’s perfect for plugging a hole in a beating heart or even a growing heart.

In tests on both dry and wet pig skin, cartilage, heart, arteries, and liver, the adhesive was significantly greater than other medical adhesives, requiring more than three times the energy to disrupt the bond.  The slug slime adhesive can be cut to desired sizes and applied to tissue surfaces as a patch or injected for deeper injuries.

Adhesion occurs within minutes, whether or not the tissue is wet (translate: bloody) and it’s flexible enough to withstand a motion within a functioning body.  This family of adhesives may be useful as tissue adhesives, wound dressings, and tissue repair, not to mention adhering children into chairs until they finish eating their okra.

Hopefully in the near future we’ll see slug technology saving lives and limbs in human emergency rooms and veterinary clinic around the world.

Would you let your doctor or veterinarian use snail slime analogue on you or your cat? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

In the future say goodbye to Band-Aids, sutures and staples.

 

Where Everthing is Possible

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