MSI Press Blog

  Leashed Bear in the mulch Not every cat wants to walk on a leash. I’ve lived with many cats, and only two— Murjan and Bear —have truly embraced the idea. Both are big cats: 16-pounders, long and tall, confident in their own skin. And both knew exactly what “out” meant. Murjan, now departed, had a distinct “mwout” meow whenever the leash appeared--or he wanted it to. He was leashed for the first time as an older cat and took to it with remarkable calm. He would pad slowly down the stairs, settle under the trees, and gently explore the planted area. Anyone could walk him—he was that serene. Walking Murjan was like meditating with a feline sage. Then came Bear. Bear doesn’t just want to go out—he needs to. When he hears “out,” he bolts to the sliding glass door and sits there, tail thumping, waiting for the leash like a hopeful dog. But Bear is no calm sage. At just two years old, he’s full of fire and athleticism. He charges toward fences, tries to scale them, and makes me earn ev...

  Today is one of those days -- sitting up with a rescued street cat, sitting side by side to provide warmth, and periodically adjusting the steam vaporizer to reach Happy Cat's nostrils. Happy Cat is not very happy today. Ten days ago, he snatched and swallowed a blood pressure pill my son had placed on the counter while getting a glass of water. Happy Cat is a street cat rescue; he eats anything and everything. Or did, until today. Ten days ago, we had to take him to the vet for that BP pill snatch. He had his stomach pumped and was given charcoal to deal with the poisoning. He was put on IV -- and because of a panic attack, was put on oxygen. It was a tough day. Two days later, life became tougher. He started sneezing. Then, his nose started running. In days, he had trouble breathing. Back he went to the vet. That was two days ago. Again, he was put on oxygen for his panic attack (in spite of pre-dosing him with gabapentin to lessen it). Again, he was poked and probed. He was hy...

  This is not the first time we have written about cat cancer in a Caturday post. We learn more about it over time, and it seems that more in general is learned about it over time.  Blind Cat rescued share the following interesting and information post about cat cancer:  Feline Carcinoma (blindcatrescue.blogspot.com) . Cat cancer not only occurs, but at least in our household has become common as our cats have aged. Among our cats, three have died of it, and two are living with it. The breed does not seem to matter; it appears that cancer is blind to breed. Intrepid was the first to be diagnosed with cancer and the first to die with it. In his cancer, it was small cell lymphoma. He lived only a few months after diagnosis. His vet missed the cancer -- that happens with people, too. After describing Intrepid's late night howling to a friend who works at the SPCA, he gave us the name of a vet with excellent diagnostic skills. She immediately intuited the problem, scoped Int...

When people hear that we live with a large and peaceful cat family, their first question is often, “How do you manage to get them all to get along?” The second is, “Aren’t some of them from the street or shelters?” The answer is yes—our family includes cats born feral, cats adopted from shelters, and cats who were clearly abandoned by former owners. Integrating them takes time and care, but with the right approach, they can not only settle in, but thrive as part of a loving feline household. Over the years, I’ve come to notice distinct differences—and some striking similarities—among these three backgrounds when it comes to adoption and integration. Understanding those patterns helps enormously when preparing to bring a new cat into an established family. 🐾 Different Beginnings, Different Needs Feral Cats These are cats born outdoors, often to generations of unsocialized cats. They may never have had a positive interaction with a human before being rescued. They tend to rely hea...

  With rescued street cats (we have 6 of them, mostly older ones), the things inside them that are always unknown in the beginning start to show up as they grow older. Jack is the simplest and healthiest—and youngest. Just missing an eye. Happy Cat has recurring skin cancer. Wooper has IBS and asthma. Bobolink (Boulder) has feline AIDS. Simone si reacting positively to a new medicine, injected once a month, for arthritis; after 16 years she is now jumping up on the bed and snuggling in with me for the night, which she was unable to do with just cosequin. She also has two cysts that cannot be removed without surgery, and the vet considers the surgery at her age too risky so we do at-home management of the cysts. And then there is Snyezhka. Snyezhka survived breast cancer—discovered four years ago and in remission for the past two. We thought she was in good shape until four months ago when lung cancer struck. The immunotherapy did not work, and she has been just on Metacam, an NSAID...