Conference misery::feline_v1

I believe it was Silver that you are talking about.  She does have an allergy.  
We have narrowed it down to someting in the SHEBA cat food.  We checked the 
ingredients in it and there are a number of different things in it than the
Kal Kan cat food which is the other thing they get.  So, no more SHEBA is 
brought into the house.

The allergy looks like little bumps just above here eyes and all over her ears.
They also seem to itch considerably.

Holly

    
    
    
    This is probably the wrong file for this... but does anyone know
    if SHEBA is primarily a *bad* cat food?  I only give it to baby
    once in a while, for variety, she's a regular Kal Kan and Iams eater..
    
    But out of curiousity..
    
    F.

Sheba essentially is not a bad cat food at all.  I just don't buy it because of
Silver's allergys.  In fact, a lot of the breeders I know buy it for their
cats a lot.  It is very low in Ash.  A very good quality food.

Holly

    Re: Sheba - Our vet said it is very rich. We feed our two cats
    Sheba in the morning, (1/2 can each) and they have IAMS for free
    feeding. They seem to do very well on it. Ming is the type of cat
    if you change her diet you throws up all over the house.
    We tried to change her to several other kinds of food and the minute
    she left the food dish, up it came and it continued until there was
    nothing left to come up. We don't change her diet now for anything.
    
    Barbara

    Since this is sorta a note on skin allergies...
    
    My cat Bones does have an allergy.  Fleas made it worse, but with
    the help of a flea comb and some spraying, fleas are no longer as
    bad as they used to be.  Right now, he is on some small white pills
    (who's name escapes me right now) as the last cortisone shot didn't
    seem to help much.
    
    Usually it does....however I am noticing small scabby spots on his
    body.  Especially on his neck and throat.  On closer inspection,
    these scabs are almost dry-blood colored, and fairly large considering
    he's just a cat. Usually, his allergies pop up on the end of his
    back, towards his tail and he gnaws until his fur falls out (it's
    not so bad back there, but his fur is still short and spiky compared
    to the rest of him).  The allegie would then work it's way up his
    body and down his neck--however right now, most of his body, including
    his rear end, seem free of scabs save for his neck.  
    
    Bones is 8+ years old...probably older.  He has had his jaw broken
    and awkwardly healed at some point, and appears to be arthritic
    as he moves like his back end is going somewhere his front isn't.
    Obviously, this allegery is chronic, and I have no problems keeping
    him comfy as I can, but does anyone have any suggestions that perhap
    these new scabs (they are not bare patches) might be something else?
    My other cat shows no sign of catching anything, so I don't suspect
    them to be ringworm, but my cats are not buddies.  Is there something
    else I might try to clear this up?  Should I call the vet again
    just to be safe?
    
    I don't want my poor old man to be itchy!   :)
    
                                                            ---kim

    Sorry to get back on Sheba, 
    
    The reason I don't buy it often is that when I look at the packaging,
    I think it's a cat treat as opposed to a can of cat food.  Also,
    because of the samller size, I would have to feed more of it.  As
    it is, I am buying 20 cans of food a week.  With the Sheba, I bet
    it would be more like 30-40.  

    re: .5 Bones
    
    Why not check with the vet.  No need for Bones to be more
    uncomfortable than is unaviodable.....
    

    I would like to make one more comment on Sheba. (You would think I
    worked for them!) There doesn't seem to be any filler (like cereal &
    junk) in with the main ingredients so the cats seem to get satisfied
    quicker. Before we would split one can between them in the morning
    and one can at night but found when feeding them Sheba in the morning
    they wouldn't eat it at night.
    
    I can see if you had a lot of fur faces to feed that it could be an
    expensive experiment to see how they would do on it.
    
    I think the idea behind the small package is you don't feed as much
    as it is rich food, and no fillers. (My opinion.)
    
    Barbara

    re: .5
      I just wanted to add that I've seen a picture of Bones
    and he's gorgeous!  Beautiful shiny grey tiger cat.  
    (of course his housemate, Ashley, is a stunning white
    with grey spots, herself).  From Kim's descriptions
    of Bonsey I never expected such a looker!
      NancyDC
    

    Kim,
    
    Do your kitties play with each other at all?  
    
    Not too long after we got Brittany and Missy, Melody started having
    scabs on her neck and head that looked like the ones you described
    on Bones.  One got pretty big and didn't seem to be clearing up
    so I took her to her vet.  Dr. McNeill said that they were puncture
    wound scabs--you could see the puncture marks if you looked close
    enough.
    
    And, now that the little kitties are as big as Melody, we're finding
    similar scabs on their necks and heads.
    
    The three of them love to jump on each other and wrestle so it's
    not surprising that they have these scabs though.  (Of course, after
    they finish wrestling they usually give each other a bath and snuggle.)
    
    Of course, if your kitties don't play together, this doesn't apply!
    
    Barbara

    RE: -1   No they don't .  They tolerate each other, but that's about
    it.  Bones will hiss and spit at Ashley if he comes too near, and
    tho she has been known and seen to slap at him (SHE wants to play
    roughhouse, HE doesn't like her and doesn't want to play at all!),
    but since she has no front claws, I don't think they are puncture
    wounds (I have seen many in my time!). My inclination is to believe
    that it is some form of his allergy--I think a bath and a vet visit
    (or rather, a visit from the vet, he does house calls) is most in
    order.  His fur seems to be growing very slowly in his bald spot,
    but I don't note any scabs back there--I was wondering why they
    might appear on his throat and thought perhaps this was something
    different from his allegery.  
    
    Thanks for the assistance tho!
    
                                                             ---kim

    My cat Tigger (female about 8 yrs old) has been covered in excema
    type scabs for last two years - she doesn't sratch much more than
    her sister Pasha (who hasn't any scabs). 
    
    One of my sister-in-laws cats had the same problem and eventually
    became half bald.  The vet said some females get a hormone-deficiancy
    when they've been 'done' - is this true?
    
    I really must get my finger out at take Tig to the vets - but like
    I said she doesn't seem troubled my it - but she certainly adored
    being gentley scratched on all her scabby bits.
    
    

    Is .12 a joke(sic)?  Am I reading it correctly?  Your cat has
    been covered in scabs for two years, and you haven't sought any
    veterinary help for her in that time?  I take it that also means
    she hasn't been in for annual shots, etc., let alone the discomfort
    she must be in.  (I wonder how you'd like being covered in scabs
    for two years....)
    

    In the UK there is no such thing as:
    
    lease laws -
    annual checkup and vacs etc. so I find some of your conversations
    quite amusing and over the top.
    
    But back to Tigger - like I said in my last note - she's not
    scratching, and it looks to be the same as my sister-in-laws who
    has a common hormone deficiency due to being 'done'
    
    

Oh god!  PLEASE get the cat to the vet to find out what is wrong.  She may not 
be scratching, but I would imagine that would be extrememly uncomfortable.  
The poor baby.

Holly

    
    
    How can you be sure though?
    
    Thats not a normal thing!
    
    F.

        I don't think its up to us lay-people to make a decision
    as to whether a physical condition about which we know nothing,
    is normal or not.  That's something the vet should decide.
      And whether or not its common practice to have your cat
    in for a yearly checkup and shots is irrelevant.  I think
    its pretty obvious that a cat that gets an annual exam and
    is vaccinated against diseases stands a significantly better
    chance of living longer than a cat that does not get exams and
    shots.
      I hope that rather than finding this "amuzing" you will take
    a little advice and have you cat examined.  I would hope you would
    take yourself or your children to the doctor for a yearly exam
    and have them vaccinated.
      Nancy DC

    I took Tigger to the vets last week and he said she was allergic
    to flea bites - and I was correct in assuming she wasn't scratching
    unduly - so she's on tablets and we need to start spraying them
    - which I hate - cos last year it was awful when due to squirming
    Pasha got a facefull of the stuff and hid under the side board for
    hours.
    
    Back to my original comments of finding it 'amusing' about your
    yearly checkups.  I have checked around my friends who have kids
    and came up with the following:
    
    In the first year of your kiddie being born you take it to the clinic,
    thereafter you are sent for for vaccinations.  Other than that unless
    they are ill they won't see a doctor (and this applys to adults).
    We can only assume that it's because you have to pay medical insurance
    and therefore need yearly check-ups, whereas we have the National
    Health Service which is 'free'.
    
    Same apply to animals - because my girls are not put in a cattery when
    we go on holiday I don't have them vacated - again - my friends are
    all the same with their cats.
    
It's through conferences like this that I realise how different the
    US and UK cultures are and our attitudes to topics are so different
    - hence my reason for finding your annual check-ups over-the-top
    and 'amusing' - I hope this clears up any mis-understanding over
    how words are interpretated between us.    

    
    Regards
    Janice

    re:18
    
    Hi Janice, Nice to hear that there is another Pasha !!  I have a
    beautiful red classic baby boy (yeah, I know, he's pushing 2 years
    old come August - he is a "real baby" though) - I call him
    Pashenka Shelton - Pashenka is from a character in Dr. Zhivago and
    Shelton is the town in Connecticut where he was born.  What does
    your Pasha look like?
    
    E.T.

    My Pasha is completely black, with about 6 white hairs under her
    chin.
    
    Her nickname is Puking Pasha - as this is what she does to get
    attention if she is annoyed at being fed late.  If she's fed exactly
    on time and it's chopped up small we are OK!
    
    My Pasha is named for my husband Phil, as Pasha is Hebrew for Phillipa.
    
    P.S.  we were in Darien, CT last year for our hols visiting my cousin,
    and unbeknown to me her cat is a tiger strip called Tigger, we couldn't
    get over the coincidence (mind you I reckon Tigger is a popular
    name).
    
    Regards
    Janice

    re:20
    
    Ah, sounds like your baby is wonderful - I have 3 all black babies.
    Nikolas, Alexander, and Timothy (with 12 white hairs on his chest).
    
    My Sasha should be called Upchucking Sasha - although, since she
    has been eating Kate Kare (dry food with no red dye) she no longer
    upchucks !!
    
    fun, fun
    
    E.T.