Miscellany

I’ve been wrapping the shanks of rings today and my hands and arms are tired. I guess I’ll take a break for a while.

Here’s something that I’d like to share with everyone who has an aging kitty with health issues. My oldest cat is 14 and has had allergies and asthma for some time. The asthma has gradually gotten worse despite the air filters, etc., that we’re using constantly. My vet suggested using a tiny mask on the cat to administer medication from an inhaler, but I was never able to get the cat to adapt to having the mask on her face.
Several months ago I did a web search on feline asthma. Among the things I came up with as a result was a “breathing chamber” idea. After discussing it with the vet, I decided to try it. I have a small flexible clear plastic file box with a lid (the cat is very small). I took a long time to introduce the cat to being in the box – there’s a blanket in the bottom and several little cat toys. She doesn’t mind being in the chamber and she can see out. My other kitties have also investigated the chamber and played with the toys, so it smells like her and her friends.

The vet helped me choose and acquire a nebulizer pump system. The prescription medication goes into a cup connected to a pump and a fine mist of medication is pumped into the chamber. The cat is much improved. Although this obviously doesn’t cure anything, a couple of daily treatments have made a big difference – much less coughing and a more active cat.