Feral Fables

Hunter

Hunter is the most recent addition to our cat family. He is a beautiful cat-----lynx-point Siamese with blue, crossed eyes. He is named for the 1960's actor, Jeffrey Hunter who portrayed Jesus in the film "Jesus of Nazareth."Jeffrey had amazingly blue eyes so we thought the name fit. Hunter began coming around the yard last winter, about Christmas time. He often showed up with another cat, Luna, who is no longer with us (another story for another day). Hunter seemed somewhat friendly, but guarded and the other cats were not thrilled to have another cat about. But in January when our boy Caruso died (yet another story), Hunter began to work his way into the spot Caruso had filled. It is as if Caruso had actually posted a "vacancy" sign on his way over the Rainbow Bridge (Rainbow Bridge Poem) so Hunter would know he could take Caruso's spot. And as the time passed, Hunter became friendlier and friendlier, allowing me and Marty to pet him and hold him. As we have gotten to know him, we have found he is very much like Caruso and we wonder if the two are from the same litter or same mother. Hunter is a voracious eater------loves to eat, eat, eat!! (not entirely unusual for a cat who has lived on the street) He also likes to come into the house and kind of take over, often sleeping wherever he wants in great comfort.
Because he is so affectionate, he has wormed his way into our hearts quickly. He is a great cat to play with. He loves the wand toys, crouching, creeping, running across the room and leaping on whatever toy I have. He gets so rambunctious, that he has gone sliding across the wood floor and run into the wall or furniture. Now we have to make sure he plays on a rug so he does not hurt himself!

Hunter has had some breathing problems-----the vet and I suspect asthma, but it is difficult to be definitive without costly testing. However, the vet has seen a video of one of his "attacks" and also knows I took him to the animal ER once for breathing problems. She agrees his symptoms suggest asthma. She has also agreed to prescribe a small dose of prednisone for him on a daily basis and it has had a dramatic impact on his overall health. He has not had one serious "attack" since starting the medication and his breathing is not very audible anymore. I do listen for signs of difficult breathing and have at time slowed down his play if he is getting too winded, but I must say the medication has made him so much more comfortable. In people, prednisone has very significant side effects as it is a steriod, but in cats it does not act the same way. The drug does not cause the same side effects so it is pretty safe to use on a long term basis. If you suspect your cat has asthma, there is a good site to check-out: http://www.fritzthebrave.com/ .You can learn a lot about how the illness looks in cats and what you can do to manage it. (You can even use inhalers!!) Also----if you suspect asthma------take your cat to your vet for a check-up so he or she can be properly treated!!

Good night!