Many years ago I heard the Christmas legend of the tabby cat and the baby Jesus on Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story.” It’s such a sweet story. I like to imagine my Siamese-mix tabby, Sam, a gentle kitty who welcomed all newcomers to our home, jumping up into the cold bed of hay and snuggling with the Christ child.
Merry Christmas to everyone. Thank you for being my friends.
Dusty Rainbolt:
If my tabby, Sam, had been there, he would have kept the Baby warm.
And so it came to pass that a husband and wife journeyed to the small town of Bethlehem, as the king had decreed that all the people stand to be counted in the small towns and teeming cities from whence they came. The journey was long and hard for both, but especially for the young wife, who was very near to bringing her child into the world.
When they at last reached the crowded and noisy town, the expectant father searched for an inn where they could rest and where the child could safely be born. But at every door, he was told there was no available room. Finally, one innkeeper, though having no space left in his inn, took pity on them and offered them shelter in the small stable used by his animals.
It was there that the child was born, surrounded by beasts of the field. As the night’s cold grew, the baby fretted and cried while his parents pondered how to make him comfortable. His father tried stuffing straw into the open places in the walls, and his mother tried warming him with her meager wrappings. But still, the baby cried on.
All the while, a tiny kitten watched from the corner. “Of course the little baby is cold,” she thought. “It has no fur to keep it warm! I will give it mine, and I will lullaby-purr it to sleep.”
The little cat jumped into the manger where the baby lay. There, she quietly gave her humble gift of warmth and love, gently stretching out her thin, fragile little body over the baby’s, careful to cover all but the infant’s face. The crying was soon replaced by soft purrs and coos, and slowly, the infant smiled.
As Mary, the new mother, witnessed this gift to her child, she touched the little cat’s forehead.
“Thank you, Little Tabby, for your gift of love and warmth. As a sign of my grateful blessing, you and all your descendants will forevermore carry my initial on your forehead.”
And to this day, tabby cats are known by the remarkable “M” on their foreheads, and by their extraordinary gifts of love, so gently given.
Merry Christmas. And in the words of Charles Dickens’ Tiny Tim, “Merry Christmas to all; God bless us, everyone”
Tell me about your favorite cat Christmas memories in the comments below.
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.
I wrote Cat Scene Investigator (Stupid Gravity Press) hoping it would help keep cats, who might otherwise be surrendered to shelters or abandoned, in their homes and to mend the human-animal bond damaged by litter box avoidance. Fortunately, the judges got it.
Best behavior book
Cat Scene Investigator received Muse Medallions for Best Behavior Book and Best Series of Illustrations. It also received the prestigious Dr. Jim Richards Cornell Feline Health Center Veterinary Issues Award. The Dr. Jim award goes to the highest quality entry on innovations in feline veterinary medicine that educates the general cat-owning public. Arnold Plotnick judged the category. He is a specialist in veterinary internal medicine and founder of Manhattan Cat Specialists in New York City. Dr. Plotnick said, “Don’t be fooled by the small size of this book. It is jam-packed with up-to-date info on every aspect of inappropriate elimination in cats, written in an engaging, down-to-earth style. This book is the perfect blend of charm, humor and science.” This award was a double honor; the late Dr. Richards was my dear friend and mentor.
The book also received The Fear Freesm Cat Enrichment Award, sponsored by Fear Free, LLC and the Hartz® Glamour-Puss Award. The Enrichment award goes to the work that best educates about how exercise, food puzzles, scent training and other activities that can benefit a cat’s emotional and physical well-being and the role that has in their overall health. Glamour Puss recognizes the best work on parasite control, skin disorders and grooming.
In addition, cartoons by Stephanie Piro appearing in CSI received both the Muse for best series of illustrations and Stephanie’s CSI cartoons received the Kuykendall Image Award for the competition’s “outstanding image.” The book’s cover photo by Weems S. Hutto received a Muse nomination.
Thank you Cat Writers’ Association, CWA judges and special awards judges.
Cat Scene Investigator sports a new look.
Save kitty lives; spread the word
This book will save lives. We simply have to get the word out. Please tell your vet and local shelter and rescue group about Cat Scene Investigator. If you know anyone who has litter box problems with kitty, please tell them about Cat Scene Investigator. The book is available in trade paperback and Kindle. You can purchase it through Amazon, boutiques and veterinary clinics around the country. Additional distribution is pending. If you would like to carry this fabulous resource at your clinic or shelter, contact Stupid Gravity Press for wholesale rates.
Spot lost his fight with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy just one month first showing symptoms.
Early drug trial shows promise as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treatment
According to researchers at the University of California at Davis (UC Davis), there’s promise on the horizon for kitties struggling with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is an inherited disease that causes the heart walls to thicken with potentially fatal consequences. The thickening of the ventricle (pump muscle), interferes with the flow of blood. This can cause the heart to beat too rapidly, too slowly or irregularly. The heart muscle can suffer from oxygen starvation that may cause heart cells to die.
In many HCM cases, fluid may accumulate in the lung causing rapid or labored breathing, open-mouthed breathing, or lethargy. Many HCM cats appear to be perfectly healthy with no observable symptoms. In some cats, the first hint of a problem is sudden death.
HCM occurs in one in 500 humans. It’s also the most commonly diagnosed cardiac disease in kitties, affecting a staggering one in seven cats. HCM is more prevalent in some cat breeds including Maine Coons and Ragdolls.
lack of treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Cats
Currently there is no cure or therapy that can change the course of the HCM. Veterinarians can only treat the symptoms with medications that are used to prevent blood clots, improve blood flow, control heart rate and reduce fluid accumulation in the lungs. According to the study, septal myectomy, a surgery that removes the portion of the septum obstructing the flow of blood from the left ventricle, can improve the symptoms and heart function, but it’s invasive, expensive and can only be performed by a specialist.
The heartbreak of cardiomyopathy
MeiMei, a white and brown tabby was rescued off the street by Brooklyn cat behavior consultant, Beth Adelman. When MeiMei was around 3 years, she was diagnosed with HCM. Adelman and their veterinary cardiologist treated the disease as aggressively as possible. “She took all the medications that humans take. The disease progressively got worse,” Adelman said. While medication treated MeiMei’s symptoms, it couldn’t halt the progression of the disease. Still, MeiMei survived a miraculous six years.
MYK-461 gives cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy like Spot hope.
Spot wasn’t as lucky, The Siamese-mix suddenly began displaying signs of illness when he was a few weeks shy of one year. An echocardiogram confirmed her vet’s fear; Spot suffered from an advanced case of HCM. Like Adelman, Spot’s owner also treated the disease aggressively as possible, however Spot lost his struggle only one month later.
Hope on the horizon
Now that we’re all depressed about the bad news; here’s the good news. In a breakthrough “proof of concept” trial involving five HCM cats, researchers found that the drug MYK-461 eliminated left-ventricle obstruction in all the test kitties. The study, supported by a National Institute of Health grant, was published December 14, 2016 in the scientific journal PLOSONE. This novel drug is the first in its class and actually addresses the functional changes that occur in human and feline HCM, rather than simply reducing the symptoms.
“This is an exciting discovery for both animals and humans,” Associate Professor Joshua Stern. He is chief of Cardiology Service at the UC Davis Veterinary hospital. “The positive result in these five cats shows that MYK-461 is viable for use in cats as a possible option to halt or slow the progression of HCM.”
“There has been little to no progress in advancing the treatment of HCM in humans or animals for many years,” Dr. Stern said. “This study brings new hope for cats and people.”
With such promising results, UC Davis researchers hope to conduct a clinical trial in the near future, which could determine if MYK-461 has the potential to become the accepted protocol for the care of cats with HCM.
Have you lost a human or feline friend to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? Tell me about them in the comments below.
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 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.
AdoptAShelter.com editor-in-chief Dusty Rainbolt displays her DWAA Maxwell Medallions.
(April 21, 2015) Tyler, Texas – After being named the 2014 Friskies® Writer of the Year at the Cat Writers Association Awards Banquet last November, AdoptAShelter.com’s Dusty Rainbolt was awarded two Maxwell Medallions at the annual Dog Writers Association of America Awards Banquet in New York City.
Dusty was also awarded CWA’s .Hartz® Every Day Chewable Vitamin Award, the Hartz® Milk Replacement for Kittens Award, as well as the CWA Muse Medallion for Excellence for best Online Article on Health and General Care.
Dusty received the DWAA Maxwell Awards in the categories of “Online Behavior & Training Article” for her article ‘When Is It Time To Say Goodbye To Your Dog?’ and the best “Online Article- Rescue” for, ‘Ten Reasons To Foster A Shelter Dog’. Both were published on Dogster.com.
“Dusty rescued her first cat in 1986. Since then she has rescued and re-homed over 1,500 cats and kittens, 500 of them bottle babies. Oh, and she’s pretty good at writing, too,” says AdoptAShelter.com founder and CEO Chris Ruben. “It is a privilege and pleasure to have her as a long-time partner in helping animals.”
Also at the Awards banquet, Ambassador Susan M. Ewing presented Bernadette Kazmarski with the AdoptAShelter.com ‘Adopt-A-Homeless-Dog’ award. It is presented to the body of work that best describes the plight of homeless dogs, the joy of dog adoption, and/or improving the quality of life of dogs in a shelter environment.
About AdoptAShelter.com
AdoptAShelter.com is an online community where animal lovers can shop at hundreds of well-known merchants and service-providers while turning everyday purchases into contributions that directly benefit their chosen animal shelters, humane organizations or rescue and adoption groups. Click. Shop. Donate!
The Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy set come with four sauces (inside the condiments packet), but you have to supply the tea cup and chopsticks.
FTC disclaimer: Neither the Rainbolt Test Kitties nor Dusty Rainbolt received any compensation for this review, however the manufacturer comped test samples of the Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy Set and are providing a complimentary set for the winner of the contest below.
The pros and Cons of polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy Set
Pros:
Made with very potent organic catnip grown in the U.S.
Handmade in the U.S.
Super whimsical
Textile design uses nontoxic dyes
Cats love it
Downsides:
A little pricey.
They’re easily lost under furniture.
The Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Toy Set . The new style looks like sauce flowing from the packets.
Every time I visit my favorite sushi bar or Chinese restaurant, the Rainbolt Test Kitties feel compelled to give me the did-you-bring-me-a kitty-bag sniff. I can’t help but feel a little guilty when I fill their dishes with shrimp and tuna canned food. But I’ve found a way to compromise. In lieu of a paper-thin bite of hamachi, my Test Kitties get Asian delights catnip toys by Polydactyl Cats. The Chinese Takeout Cat Toy Line offers feline friendly versions of your favorite Asian sauces and appetizers without the sodium, MSG or mess.
The super fun toy four-pack combo is the perfect gift for any lover of Asian cuisine. The Asian Sauce Packets Cat Toy Set, handmade by artist Randi Warhol (no relation to Andy), contains four clever 4” X 2” catnip toys appearing as soy sauce, duck sauce, hot sauce and hot mustard. Warhol’s realistic yet whimsical textile artwork really looks like takeout sauce packages right down to the air bubble on the back. The catnip packets come in transparent condiment bags. There’s even a handwritten thank you note from the designer written on a green receipt page.
The tea cup, chopsticks and foster kitten named Fabio not included.
The Rainbolt Test Kitties absolutely LOVED these potent catnip toys. The moment I opened the box the strong fragrance of catnip wafted out, and I suddenly I found myself surrounded by cats.
Once I handed the toys to the Test Kitties the spit hit the fan in absolutely the most complimentary way. I found the toys in different parts of the house saturated with cat slobber and enthusiastically swatted with Pawprint of Approval. About the size of real sauce packets, it was perfect for the cats to carry around.
Each linen/cotton canvas toy contains polyester polyfill and two tablespoons of From the Field organic catnip. The sprightly designs are printed in nontoxic water-based dyes.
Bette is really enjoying the organically-grown From the Field catnip.
The Test Kitties have arranged for one of our readers to share in the fun. Just leave a comment at the end of this blog before 11:59 p.m. CST on February 15. You can earn extra entries to win by sharing this review on Facebook or other social media. To get credit for your social media posts, leave a separate comment for each share below telling the Rainbolt Test Kitties where you shared.
The Rainbolt Test Kitties and I wish you a fabulous 2015
full of great achievements and experiences.
A meaningful new chapter of your life just
waiting to be written.
December 15 is Cat Herders Day., a day for people whose job is like herding cats. However, some of us do actually herd cats. In honor of the day, why not read (or better still, buy) a copy of my multicat care book, Cat Wrangling Made Easy: Maintaining Peace & Sanity in Your Multicat Home.
December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities Day.
There are so many wonderful animals disabilities in shelters. Why not open your home to a special needs dog or cat? The kitty below is Leggo, a stray who lost his leg inside a car engine. He’s such a sweetie and he doesn’t jump on the counters.
Pets with disabilities teach children compassion, and to accept others who are different. Many “special” pets don’t even require special care.
Thank you to my favorite science fiction visionaries for taking me to strange new worlds, especially: Douglas Adams, Gene Roddenberry, H.G. Wells, C.S. Lewis, Bob Aspirin, Neil Gaiman, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Kurt Vonnegut, Mary Shelley, Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey, Jules Verne, Terry Pratchett, Fritz Lang, Michael Creighton and George Lucas.
But remember, the best science fiction stories have cats in them. Check out All The Marbles (Yard Dog Press), a humorous science fiction by me, Dusty Rainbolt! Science fiction with an attitude.
You can also read my short fiction anthology, that includes my short fiction: “One Spoiled Rotten Cat Lives Here”. It and many other wonderful science fiction cat stories appear in the ebook, The Mystical Cat:An Anthology of All Things Feline (Sky Warrior Book Publishing). Mystical Cat also includes the Muse Medallion-winning story, “A Cat Out of Time” by Bev Freed and “Keeping the Tradition” by Dana Bell.
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