CATLINES Blog

sick kitty

Keep tabs on kitty for signs of illness

By Cindy Wolff
Source: The Commercial Appeal Memphis, TN

Cats are subtle creatures that typically hide their illnesses, but unusual behavior is a sign something is amiss.

The problem is many pet owners dismiss behavior problems as cats becoming mean, or changing their behavior as a form of revenge or some other human motive.
Cats often lose their home or are euthanized as a result of behavior problems.

But a new education campaign - "The Great Cat Watch, for Wellness Sake!" - from Fort Dodge Animal Health and the Cornell University College of Veterinary
Medicine explains that behavior is one of the most obvious signs for a cat owner that your cat is sick.

Here are some signs:

- Inappropriate elimination behavior. Sudden change in litterbox habits could mean a urinary tract infection or other illnesses.

- Changes in interaction. Cats that withdraw or begin to bite could be in pain.

- Changes in activity. This could be a sign of joint disease or an illness. Increased activity could be hyperthyroidism.

- Change in sleeping habits. Cats sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day. Most of that is "catnapping," which means your cat will respond quickly to a noise.
Longer or deeper sleep could signal a problem.

- Changes in food or water consumption. Most cats are not finicky. If they eat less, it could be anything from an abscessed tooth to cancer. If it starts
eating more, it could be diabetes or other problems. Increased water intake could indicate kidney disease, thyroid problems or other illnesses.

- Body condition: Unexplained weight loss or gain often goes unnoticed because of a cat's thick coat. Assess body condition by feeling gently along the
ribs. They should be felt but not prominent. Obesity can cause several problems including diabetes and joint disease.

- Changes in grooming. Cats are fastidious groomers. If your cat stops it could be a sign of a skin condition or other illness.

- Signs of stress. Sudden changes to your cat's lifestyle, such as moving, can stress a cat, leading to decreased grooming and social interaction or spending
more time awake, hiding more or withdrawing. Stress symptoms can signal an illness.

Listen up: Changes in vocalization with increased howling or meowing could mean they are in pain or anxious.

- Bad breath. More than 70 percent of cats have gum disease by age 3, according to the cat experts. An early indicator of gum disease or an infected tooth
is bad breath.

- If your cat exhibits any of those signs, take it to your veterinarian to make sure there are no underlying health problems. For more information, visit
catwellness.org .

older cats

Note:This may have already been posted, but it has good helpful info in it for older cats.

Lauren Merryfield,

editor/publisher,

CATLINES

http://www.catliness.com

Better food, more check-ups help cats live longer

By Jill Bowen
Source: Roanoke Times & World News

Q: You have written recently about old cats. I have two 15-year- old cats that appear to be in good health. How much longer do you think they will live?
Is there anything special that I ought to be doing for them? I read somewhere of a cat that lived to 29 years. What are the chances that mine will live
to that age?

A: Cats are living longer than ever before and, by and large, they are living healthier lives thanks in a large part to advances in feline nutrition and
veterinary medicine.

While heritage plays a part in longevity, better commercial cat foods, early neutering and regular veterinary checkups including vaccinations play an important
part. A complete balanced diet is important, as is palatability, as cats are fastidious feeders. As cats get older they lose some of their sense of smell,
and consequently, a diminution in the sense of taste, so the brand of food you feed them may have to be changed to accommodate these deficiencies. Dry
food is convenient and cheaper than wet food. However, as most cats enjoy wet food, it can be used to tempt them when dry food looses its appeal. Any cat
that has had an urinary tract problem needs to be fed wet food, as well as an increased amount of water, to reduce the risk of formation of bladder stones
and crystals, which can be a serious problem in male cats.

Diseases affecting older cats can be difficult to detect as their onset is usually slow and many times owners think that the signs of an insidious disease
are just those of normal aging. If your cat shows any of the following signs, a trip to the veterinarian is suggested to check that there is not an under
lying correctable problem:

- Joint stiffness and loss of flexibility, which may be a sign of arthritis.

- Weight loss, which may be a symptom of gum inflammation and tartar plaques on the teeth. This interferes with eating and may make it painful, causing
a decrease in appetite.

- Obesity and increase in appetite. Overweight cats are at risk for a number of medical problems, especially diabetes, respiratory and heart problems as
well as joint problems.

- Increased thirst and urination, often a sign of diabetes or kidney disease.

- Poor coat hair quality and lack of grooming. Older cats that are stiff find the effort of maintaining their coat in good condition a great effort, but
they appreciate a daily grooming from their owner. Lack of grooming may also denote a tooth problem such as tartar or periodontal disease.

- Vomiting, diarrhea or constipation occur more often in older cats, which can be a symptom of hairballs or a more serious systemic problem.

Spaying female cats before six months or their first heat reduces the chance of them developing mammary cancer as they age. This cancer is nearly always
malignant and lethal in cats.

If a cat is overweight, care must be taken in dieting, as cats that are on a reduced diet can develop a fatty liver if the dieting is too severe. A gradual
reduction in food will be more beneficial. Producing a weight loss of approximately one pound a month is good and will mean that the cat is not permanently
crying by the fridge. To prevent overeating, feed the cat twice daily rather than allowing dry food to be fed ad lib.

Cats that are prone to tartar build up on their teeth need dry food, as this helps to prevent tartar build up, though it may be necessary for a professional
teeth cleaning at the veterinarian's at least once a year. This cleaning can be arranged to coincide with the annual check up and visit for booster vaccinations.

Not so long ago the average life span of a cat was considered to be 12 years; nowadays it is quite common to have cats living to 18 years.

Cats that are totally indoor cats are said to live longer as a rule than cats that go outside, although my last three cats, which are both indoor and outdoor
cats, were all in their upper teens before they were put to sleep as a final act of kindness after their long and happy lives. One having even accompanied
us from England in the late seventies lived to be nearly 20.

cats and asthma

Are asthmatic cats allergic to humans? - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051019/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_asthma_cats
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Are asthmatic cats allergic to humans?

Wed Oct 19, 2:10 AM ET

Cats are blamed for triggering asthma attacks in humans but veterinarians in Scotland said on Wednesday it may also work the other way around.

Irritants such as cigarette smoke, dusty homes and human dandruff can increase inflammation in feline lungs and worsen asthma in cats.

"There is a percentage of asthmatic cats whose asthma has been triggered by things people do, or possibly by people themselves," said Nicki Reed, of the
University of Edinburgh's Hospital for Small Animals in Scotland.

"Cats with feline asthma syndrome can be made worse by living in a household where people smoke, or where there are other potential allergens or irritants.

In the first study of its kind in Britain, Reed and her team are planning a trial involving 50 cats to determine whether a bacterium called Mycoplasma which
is found in human asthma patients in also involved in the feline disease.

If it is, they hope it will lead to improved treatments for the one in about 200 cats that suffer coughs, wheezing and shortness of breath caused by asthma.

Pedigree oriental breeds such as Siamese cats are more prone to the respiratory problem than other cats, according to the researchers.

Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written
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cats and matted fur

Note:This article is certainly "sightcentric," from my point of view as a totally blind person who has carefully and successfully removed matted fur from cats, especially from Kabootle, when he was older. 

This article says, not once, but twice "be sure you can see the blade of the scissors."  It is just as important, if not more so, to be able to feel where your scissors blade is to cut the clump of fur out, if it comes to using scissors.  Certainly this can be done by touch. 

The article does not mention at all the way I usually have worked with matted fur which is safer and works, with patience. 

I use my fingers to pull (not very hard) part of the outside edge of the clump free of the rest, and do this over and over until the mat is smaller or nonexistent. You do this from the base of the clump, not the top.  If you pull from the top you'll still have a clump at the base.   Often when using this finger method, a clump of fur will come out with just a little tug after having been worked on with the fingers. 

Any cats I've done this for have been very patient, realizing what I am doing.  Kabootle and Mikey both came back for more help when they couldn't get the matted fur out by themselves. 

I sure am glad I know how to do this matted fur thing without thinking I *have to* see to do it.  That is nonsense!

So now you know, too.

Lauren Merryfield,

editor/publisher,

CATLINES

http://www.catliness.com

Safe ways to remove mats from your cat!

Link to site:
http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=2727
Safe Ways to Remove Mats from Your Cat
by: PetPlace Veterinarians

Receive a Free Food Sample

Many small mats can be removed with a thorough brushing.

Removing hair mats is fraught with potential complications. Many mats are firmly attached to the skin, so you must be extremely careful not to cut the skin
as you cut off the mat.

Begin by brushing and combing as much as possible. Many small mats can be removed with a thorough brushing. If mats remain, try to make the mat smaller
by brushing the hair near the mat. Once you are sure that the mat can only be removed by cutting the hair, go for the scissors.

Clippers are safest and best way to remove matted hair. Unfortunately, most people do not own clippers and must make do with scissors. Be very careful.

Begin by isolating the mat.

Comb Method

  If possible, take a fine tooth comb and slide it between the mat and the skin. This will help prevent the skin from getting cut. If a fine tooth comb
is not working, any comb will do.

  Once the comb is under the mat, cut the hair between the mat and the comb.

Scissor Debulking Method

  If you cannot place a comb between the skin and mat, open the scissors and carefully place one blade through the base of the mat.

  Cut up and away from the skin. Do not cut in the same direction as the skin.

  Cutting the mat upward will divide the mat and allow you to comb the rest away.

Scissor Removal Method

The safest way to trim the mat with scissors is also the slowest and most tedious.

  Place one blade of the open scissors through a thin layer of hair near the base of the mat. Make sure you can see the scissor blade.

  Slowly cut the hair, making sure there is no skin involved.

  Continue to do this until the mat is removed.

  Always make sure you can see the scissor blade through the hair.

The best way to avoid cutting your pet’s hair is to groom her frequently and not allow the mats to form.

cat house

Note:Sounds like there's some meddling going on to me.

Lauren Merryfield,

editor/publisher,

CATLINES

http://www.catliness.com

    http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15377945&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6
Daily Local News - News - 10/13/2005 - CAT HOUSE

ZWIRE1671/custlogoLG

10/13/2005

CAT HOUSE

JOHN ROSSOMANDO , Staff Writer

WEST NANTMEAL -- The township has decided to act on complaints of noxious odors emanating from a Manor Road home.
Township officials first received complaints about Phyllis Ruley, who uses her home as a temporary home for numerous cats and other animals in July, when
neighbor Shirley Van Scoy alerted township officials about the alleged smell coming from Ruley’s property.

Advertisement
Click here to visit our site!
They charge Ruley uses her home as an illegal animal shelter.

"I went there on Monday in my pickup, and I could smell the cat urine from 50 feet away," said Supervisor Raymond Beiler. "I couldn’t count the number of
cats, but I could see at least 60, and I heard a goat because of its neighing."

Beiler said he went to examine the barn behind Ruley’s house, looked through the window and saw a dog and a goat in there.

"There were 30-some bags filled with bedding and feces," he said. "It looked like no one had been there. I picked them up, and they were completely rotten:
the bottom fell out."

He said he was barely able to withstand the smell.

"She says she lives there, but the zoning officer said the smell is so bad that no one could live there," Beiler said. "If I wasn’t a farmer, I don’t think
I could stand to be there."

Beiler also said he looked through Ruley’s window and saw numerous shelves between six and eight inches long, covered with cats.

About six neighbors showed up at Monday’s board of supervisors’ meeting requesting action.

Zoning Officer Russell Yerkes performed an on-site inspection afterward and said Wednesday, he plans to give Ruley a cease-and-desist order.

"It comes down to having offensive odors that spread beyond property lines, and the outdoor storage of materials that need to be screened from view from
any public right-of-way," Yerkes said. "There is a refrigerator, a van and miscellaneous debris in the front yard."

Yerkes also cited Ruley for not placing her trash inside "vermin-proof" garbage cans as part of the order.

Ruley, who works for Frazer Animal Hospital, disputes claims that she is operating an illegal animal shelter as well as the contentions about the odors
emanating from her property.

"It is one neighbor who started all this," she said. "The SPCA has been out two or three times, and they never cited me. They said they couldn’t smell anything."

"No one has ever come and knocked on my door, from either my neighbors or the township; instead they do this all behind my back."

She admits her trash, filled with cat litter and feces, smells somewhat, "but what trash doesn’t smell?"

Ruley said individual cats only stay in her home for a couple of days, maximum, before they are either adopted or placed into foster care. The animals receive
care at her expense for orthopedic, cardiac and other problems.

"They could be there for either a day or a week," she said. "No one is going to deny there is a slight animal smell in my house, but I keep my house clean,
there (is no feces) on the floor."

She says that she and an assistant care for the animals, making sure their litter is fresh and clean, on an almost daily basis.

"In all of this, we have just been getting one side," Ruley said. "No one has talked to my vet."

Laura Paxson, a woman who works with Ruley at the animal hospital, said she has stayed overnight in Ruley’s home recently, but she claims that she could
not detect any overpowering odors.

"I watched her animals when she went away to Las Vegas in August (and more recently), and I slept in the upstairs bedroom," Paxson said. "I get really allergic
when there is even one cat in the room, and I can tell you that I slept fine when I was up there."

Paxson said Ruley does everything she can to keep her home sanitary in spite of the countless cats she has in her home.

"She has an extreme cat enclosure with shelving, and it is the best cat room that I have seen," she said.

"There is no poop on the floors and she uses pine litter that she changes almost every day. We scrub the litter boxes with a hose and bleach-water every
other day."

Paxson said the trash is always double-bagged to prevent it from falling everywhere when it is moved.

The Chester County SPCA corroborates Ruley’s claims about her animals’ treatment and about the conditions inside her home.

"It is a tough situation, and I don’t want to sound like I am not sympathetic with the neighbors’ concerns," said Chester County SPCA spokesman Chuck McDevitt.
"We didn’t find any instances of animal cruelty, and we are working with her to bring the number of animals down."

McDevitt said the SPCA’s inspectors found that Ruley’s place was "relatively clean" when they were inside and that the animals had received all of their
proper vaccinations.

Ruley said she receives 20 bags for each time her garbage collector picks up her trash, and she cannot place the bags inside "vermin-proof" garbage cans
because her trash hauler would have to remove the bags and count them.

Yerkes said how Ruley complies with the order is her problem.

"There are multiple types of trash hauling," he said.

"She could get a Dumpster. The problem lies on her end, and it can be taken care of."

Click to learn more...

©Daily Local News 2005

holistic pet food

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cats and genetics

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9674517/
MSNBC - Genetic discoveries fuel veterinary medicine

  MSNBC.com

Genetic discoveries fuel veterinary medicine
DNA knowledge is leading to new tests, improved care for pets
By Kim Campbell Thornton
Special to MSNBC.com
Updated: 1:27 a.m. ET Oct. 18, 2005

Ricky, a Devon Rex cat, played the piano, jumped through a hoop, and was once mistaken by a bank teller for a wind-up toy. Ricky had another, less-fortunate
distinction: he suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common form of heart disease in cats.

When Ricky died of a massive heart attack in 2002, his owner, Steve Dale of Chicago, set up The Ricky Fund for research into feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
(HCM) in conjunction with the Winn Feline Foundation, which funds research into cat-related health problems. Since then, among the advances researchers
have made include identification of the gene that causes HCM in Maine Coon cats, a great step in the path toward treating the disease.

By cracking open the textbooks of life through the sequencing of the canine and feline genomes, researchers are discovering new approaches to pet health
and disease. They’ve begun to identify the genes responsible for certain inherited diseases and create genetic tests to identify affected animals. These
breakthroughs mean new hope for people whose cats and dogs suffer from such diseases, as well as for breeders, who can use new techniques to screen for
disease and prevent passing it on.

“Finding the gene [for HCM] will lead to the availability of a genetic test to identify affected Maine Coon cats in the near future, and it will spur research
to see if the same gene is responsible for the disease in other types of cats," says Susan Little, a veterinarian in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and president
of the
Winn Feline Foundation.
“Finding the gene responsible for a disease always opens the potential that new treatments will be found as well.”

Winn-funded researchers have also identified the gene responsible for polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which affects 30 to 40 percent of Persian cats and
related breeds, such as Himalayans.

“With the identification of the PKD gene has come a simple genetic test to identify affected cats, and hopefully it will lead to a treatment for cats that
develop chronic renal insufficiency due to their PKD,” Little says.

Early screening
With this test, breeders can screen kittens as young as 8 weeks of age for the PKD gene and replace any PKD-positive cats in their breeding program over
time. Because the gene is found in such a large proportion of Persians and related breeds, it’s important for breeders to eliminate the gene slowly so
as not to restrict genetic variability.

“Restricting genetic variability would lead to more health problems,” Little says. “Eventually, there should be very few Persians born with PKD, something
that will bring peace of mind to pet owners. Pet owners who have Persians now can also get them screened for the gene and learn more about the disease.”

Some diseases are genetically complex, linked to more than one gene. In the past, that’s been a difficult issue for breeders and researchers, especially
if diseases don’t occur until later in life. By the time the disease shows up, the animal may have offspring that also carry the genes for the disease.

“New genetic tests should really help us deal with issues like that,” says veterinarian Patricia Olson, president and CEO of
Morris Animal Foundation
in Englewood, Colo. “We should have some very good tools that can tell us earlier if an animal is predisposed to something. It doesn’t mean you don’t utilize
that animal in breeding, but you utilize it in a way that the carrier is mated appropriately and doesn’t pass on the disease. You want to optimize the
good traits, not pass on the bad, and have the tools to be able to make the difference.”

New vaccines in the works
Another breakthrough is in the area of vaccines for cats. Vaccine sarcomas — cancer that forms at the injection site of a vaccination — are uncommon in
cats, but a higher-than-normal incidence of them, which was first noticed in 1991, caused veterinarians to take a second look at the possible causes.

“No one has been able to prove an absolutely spot-on, definitive link between vaccine A and tumor B, but it’s fairly well accepted that the suspects were
rabies and feline leukemia vaccine,” says Robin Downing, a veterinarian in Windsor, Colo., president of the
International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management.

The adjuvant — the compound added to vaccines to stimulate the immune system — is the most likely culprit, although again no one has proven a definitive
link, Downing says.

“There’s enough of an implication that many of us were nervous about a linkage between the adjuvant and the tumors," she says. "So now we have a series
of vaccines available to us that use recombinant DNA science to avoid the need for an immune stimulant or that are delivered in new ways. For cats, we
have a distemper vaccine that is delivered using a few drops on the nasal mucous membrane. For leukemia virus, we not only have recombinant DNA vaccines
but also air-driven delivery into the skin. The rabies vaccine is still an injectable vaccine; however, it’s recombinant DNA technology.” Vaccines using
recombinant DNA technology are also available for dogs.

Hope for better cancer care
Cancer is a major concern as well. “By being able to evaluate the genetic contribution to these diseases, as well as environmental and nutritional triggers,
we can look at animals in a really different way,” Olson says. “When you look at cancer, for example, you’ve got golden retrievers who are at risk for
one type of cancer and Boston terriers for another, and if you can start to tease out [the different genes responsible], it could be extremely powerful.”

Veterinary cancer researchers are actively working to target certain cancers with gene therapy, in particular melanoma. Their goal is to manipulate the
genes of mutated cells to help the body’s immune system fight the cancer.

Genetic-based treatments may not be that far in the future.

“Now that the canine genome has been mapped, I can’t wait for the next wave of information that will come from that,” Downing says. “I won’t be surprised
if within a five-year period I can target some diseases genetically, whether they’re cancer or congenital problems. I’m not sure I necessarily would be
willing to expect it, but I won’t be surprised.”

Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning author who has written many articles and more than a dozen books about dogs and cats. She belongs to the Dog Writers
Association of America and is past president of the Cat Writers Association. She shares her home in California with three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
and one African ringneck parakeet.

© 2005 MSNBC Interactive

© 2005 MSNBC.com

URL:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9674517/

cat ordinance

http://www.gtconnect.com/articles/2005/10/19/news/oregon/wedore03.txt
Print Version .: Corvallis Gazette-Times :.

Print Page

Monday, October 24, 2005
Last modified Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:50 PM PDT

oregon

Town considers cat control ordinance

By the Associated Press

LOWELL — Wandering cats have created enough concerns in this town of 900 that a city ordinance is under consideration to rein in the roaming felines.

The complaints leading to the proposal range from cats “getting under houses and taking up residence’’ to using flower beds as litter boxes. The City Council
asked City Administrator Chuck Spies to draft an ordinance after discussing the matter off and on for more than six months.

Among other provisions, it would require all cats roaming at large to be spayed or neutered and registered with the city. It would limit the number of “at
large’’ cats to two per household. And it would allow property owners to capture “in a humane manner’’ any cat creating a nuisance on their property.

But even if the ordinance is approved, its chances of success are small while the chances of political fallout are huge, said Oregon League of Cities Executive
Director Ken Strobeck.

“If you want to bring out controversy in a community, try to pass a cat ordinance,’’ he said.

“It’s a very emotional issue. It brings out both the cat lovers and the cat haters. So far, to my knowledge, no one has come up with a successful one.’’

As an example, Strobeck noted that Albany city officials appointed a citizen task force, drafted a proposal and went through “weeks and weeks of hearings,’’
only to conclude that cats, unlike dogs, were beyond city control.

“It’s just a different animal,’’ Strobeck said. “People don’t put leashes on cats. They just roam around.’’

Spies said he consulted with the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority to draft the ordinance, and worked hard to protect cats, as well as property owner
rights. For instance, anyone trapping a cat with an identification tag is required to return it to its owner.

If there’s no collar, they must release the feline “no more than 100 feet from the property where captured’’ or transport the cat to LCARA and pay impoundment
fees if the cat’s owner cannot be located by microchip identification or other means.

“We didn’t want people trapping cats on their property and just driving them out of the community and dumping them,’’ Spies said.

Hearings were scheduled this week.

Copyright © 2005 Corvallis Gazette-Times

how many cats

City catty on feline fancier's license

ELKO - How many cats can one person own in the City of Elko with a cat fancier's permit?
.: Print Version :.

Print Page
MONDAY OCTOBER 24, 2005 Last modified: Saturday, October 15, 2005 5:48 PM PDT

City catty on feline fancier's license

By MARIANNE KOBAK - Staff Writer

ELKO - How many cats can one person own in the City of Elko with a cat fancier's permit?

That was just one of the questions on the minds of city council members Tuesday when an Elko woman appealed having her permit revoked.

Eden Taylor, who lives on the 1200 block of Mountain View Drive, applied for a cat fancier's permit Sept. 6 and was issued one by Animal Control Worker
Steve Sexton.

A few days after the permit was issued, it was revoked by city staff because she didn't qualify.

According to the code people can have no more than three cats over four months of age at a city residence unless they have a cat fancier's permit. But even
with the permit they can only have a maximum of six. Taylor has nine cats and they range in ages from a kitten to a 14-year-old.

Yet there also are some inconsistencies in the code according to Taylor's attorney, Robert Wines.

He said the code says the fancier permit is only for breeding purposes but Taylor was told, when given the permit, that all her animals had to be spayed
or neutered.

Elko City Attorney Bob Goicoechea suggested council not enforce the law against Taylor until council clarifies the code. Except for Councilman Chris Johnson,
the members agreed and voted 4 to 1 to delay action until the code is clarified.

Johnson said he would rather council issue a permit or uphold the revocation.

Wines said the decision was the correct one.

”It's the only one they can make,“ he said. ”They have to clarify the law.“

After the decision, Taylor said she didn't want to have to give up any of her cats.

”I'm basically fighting to keep my animals,“ she said. ”I can't have kids so my cats are my kids. There are parents who don't take care of their children
as well as I take care of my cats.“

Free Press writer Marianne Kobak can be reached at 748-2719 or by e-mail at
[email protected].
-- CLOSE WINDOW --

http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2005/10/16/news/local_news/news6.txt

older cats

http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?c=MGArticle&cid=1128767489147&pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArticle

Cat outlasts nine lives

By SUSAN ELZEY
Register & Bee staff writer
October 12, 2005

Advertisement
drb_BenDavid_2005_10_18/Ben_David0429

Mercedes a 22-year-old cat, sits on her chair on Hawthorne Drive in Danville.
Julian Henderson

DANVILLE, Va. - If she could speak, not meow, Mercedes Benz McPherson might say she really lucked out the day Dave and Tuss McPherson decided to let their
son keep the kitten he picked out of a litter in a barn while visiting family members.

That was a long time ago, though - 22 years this January to be exact.

The McPhersons lived in Chicago at the time and were buried in four feet of snow. Their dog had just died from kidney failure, and both Dave and Tuss declared
“no more pets” because it hurt so much to lose them. Then John McPherson went to visit family members who lived on a farm in Iowa and scooped up the runt
of a litter of cats in a barn. He showed up back home with the kitten, much to the chagrin of his parents.

Mercedes has forgiven him by now for his initial attitude, but Dave McPherson never liked cats because his sister had had cats that kept multiplying the
way cats have a way of doing.

“Oh wonderful,” he said sarcastically when he found out the family now had a cat.

And, of course, in just the way cats have of knowing who wants their presence the least, Mercedes insisted on sitting on his lap. But McPherson changed
his attitude long ago, and Mercedes worked her way into everyone’s heart.

Tuss McPherson was more worried about how to care for a cat because the family had always had dogs. So the logical conclusion was to raise Mercedes as a
dog. Until her health got too bad, Mercedes always sat up to beg for her treats and to take her medicine and even learned how to fetch, using plastic milk
jug tops.

“We would throw them out to her, and she would always go get them and bring them back,” Tuss McPherson said.

Soon she was being treated like the royalty cats assume they are and was so-named because her gentle purring reminded the McPhersons of the luxury car.

When the McPhersons moved to Austin, Texas, when she was a year old, the humans drove. Mercedes flew. Four or five years later, when they moved to Danville,
the humans drove. Mercedes flew. By that time, she had convinced her human parents there would be no more dogs because she was just so loveable, extremely
low maintenance and not near the snob they had expected her to be.

On Aug. 25, Mercedes celebrated her 22nd birthday, licking just a bit of frosting off her birthday cake.

As Animal Medical Center’s oldest patient, she has been lovingly cared for by Dr. Laura Smith for the past 11 years.

“Mercedes is a miracle cat, and a lot of that has to do with the great care she has received from Tuss,” Smith said. “Most cats get old and crotchety, but
she’s as nice now as she was 11 years ago.”

Smith said the average life expectancy for a cat is 15 years.

Although Mercedes has never been outside except for doctors’ appointments, she has managed to squeeze in a little excitement. As a young thing, she jumped
into the dryer when her mom was drying blue jeans and tumbled around at least three times before meowing loudly enough to be rescued.

“She was staggering around like she was drunk,” McPherson recalls of Mercedes’ only calamity.

Then she had one mysterious hunting adventure that the family has never been able to figure out. They woke up one morning to find a dead mouse floating
in her water dish. Whether she drowned the mouse or pounced on it and tried to hide the evidence, no one will ever know.

About six or seven years ago, Mercedes decided to slow down a little and claim her kingdom. When Tuss McPherson went to Israel for several days, Mercedes
settled down into McPherson’s recliner and hasn’t moved much since.

Now that her back legs are mostly useless due to arthritis and she can only walk if someone holds her tail, Mercedes doesn’t move much from her spot. She
is thin, but still eats and drinks from bowls on a table beside her.

“She can’t get up and get to her food anymore, so she just raises her head and looks toward it, and we bring it to her,” Tuss McPherson said. “She’s waited
on hand and foot.”

She sleeps on a hot water bottle and is surrounded by toys her feline next-door neighbor, Shakespeare, has given her for Christmases past. Although she
is on a special kidney diet now, she grew up on Nine Lives. She is on medication for hyperthyroidism. But according to Tuss McPherson, “she is in no pain,
she’s eating and she’s alert.”

However, the family has decided they will not let her remain in pain at any point merely to prolong her life.

“It has been 22 years of a lot of fun,” Tuss McPherson said. “She is a good companion, friend and girl. It’s hard to see her get like this.”

Contact Susan Elzey at
[email protected]
or at (434) 793-2311, Ext. 3088.

 
   

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