Health & Living Articles

Have an interest in genetics, DNA, HCM, raw vs purchased diets, or a host of other medical, scientific and general health & living topics? Well, here's the place to find the articles from our newsletter.

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Short Articles

Nebulization
by Diana Scott & Carolyn McGuire, DVM

Nebulizing is a way of delivering a fine mist filled with medication directly to the lungs of the ailing cat. It can help kittens and adult cats with moderate to severe respiratory infections. It is not terribly difficult to build your own nebulizer from scratch or you can find factory made products online. I have a chamber made out of a plastic storage box. It is fairly airtight and has a few holes punched in the lid to allow for fresh air flow. This way the mist fills the chamber and can be safely breathed in by the cat. The nebulizer pump and medicine chamber, with tubing, can be pur-chased from your Veterinarian, online or from a medical supply house. You need to discuss with yourVeterinarian the drugs and exact mixture to use in the medicine chamber.

I use a combination of the following:

 Tylan - purchased online or from your Veterinarian. (½ cc for kittens/1cc for adults).
 Gentomycin - 100 mg/ml from your Veterinarian or supply store (½ cc for kittens/1cc for adults)
 I also prefer to mix in a drug called Mucomyst (generic acetylcysteine). It is a bronchodilator and is much safer for cats than Albuteral . This can also be purchased online or from your Veterinarian.
 5cc Distilled water to the medicine cup.

Nebulize 2 to 4 times a day in the chamber until medicine cup is empty.

"Go GREEN" with Eco-Friendly Cat Products
by Kay Marshall

These days earth friendly products abound for almost every conceivable market.  While consumers have long had the ability to purchase “green” for their homes and their humans, there is now a growing trend among pet owners as well.

It’s not all about the environment either.  According to Donn Griffith, president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, the pet industry has little or no federal or state regulation.  Due to that fact the cheap rubber play-toys you bought for your beloved kitty or doggy may be coated with poisonous chemicals or tainted with deadly lead. In an article by Associated Press writer, Emily Zeugner, Griffith stated that he sees increasing numbers of dogs and cats with liver and pancreatic problems that may beassociated with complications from ingesting toxins in toys and treats.  How well do those of use in the United States remember the fear of the Tainted Pet Food scare in 2007?  Most of us carefully watched as one trusted high-end pet food product after another was added to the list of toxic batch watch lists.  In a follow-up report from USA Today, May 2008, Menu Foods, Inc. as well as other pet food makers/ retailers involved in the massive pet food recall, have set up a $24 million cash fund to compensate pet owners affected by those toxins.  The fund is expected to compensate thousands of pet owners in the U.S. and Canada that bought recalled pet foods manufactured by Menu and 11 other pet food companies in North America.  The products had contaminated wheat gluten that contained melamine, which is used in the manufacture of plastics and as a fertilizer.  It is also used as a binding agent and source of protein in pet foods, but at high levels can cause kidney failure in dogs and cats.

Going Green is not all about the food.  If your desire to try this approach stems from an ecological viewpoint then one must also consider products for waste management, which as Sphynx owners know, we use a lot of; in addition to food, clothing, bedding, care, and toys.

So what are some ways to “go green” with your Sphynx and other pets?  Here are a few ways to help you get started:

Organic Foods
- Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul – all natural cat food – www.OnlyNaturalPet.com
- Newman’s Own Organics – Grocery chains, Wal-mart, PetCo, and www.Amazon.com
- Nature’s Variety Raw Food Diets – www.OnlyNaturalPet.com

Environmentally safe litter management
- Vetbasis Nature Derived Herbal Cat Litter – www.OnlyNaturalPet.com
- World’s Best All-Natural Cat Litter – PetSmart, PetCo
- Bio-bag Degradable Cat Pan Liners – www.BioBagUSA.com  
- Natural Wood Shavings - preferably not ones with heavy scent oils added to them.  Look for Pine or Aspen shavings at your local farm supply or pet store.

Green Treats & Toys
- Cat-Man-Do Bonita Flakes – www.LeashWeCanDo.com
- Heidi’s Bakery - Smokie’s Smooches-Chamomile -  www.heidisbakery.com
- Cherby’s Tilapia Jerky Bites – www.catniptoys.com
- Handmade Wool Fuzzy Mice - www.LeashWeCanDo.com
- Purrfect Play Hemp Cat Collars, with Charms - www.purrfectplay.com
- Handmade Fuzzy Mice – www.LeashWeCanDo.com 
- SmartyKat Bird Boing – eco-friendly cat toy – www.Worldwise.com
- Check out the “For Sphynx Only” treat recipes in each issue of the SBEN.

Note:  When changing anything regarding your cat’s diet or litter type do so very slowly, never all at once!  You’re liable to have a big mess in both areas!

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