Ask The Cat Lady!

Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a private feline consulting practice. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius, the Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.

Q: Dear Sally,
I declawed our three cats due to medical issues at home. I researched before I had this done and asked questions to other people who never had any problems with their cats after this procedure. I had two males done, one is 2 years old and another just 1 and one female 1 year old. This was done about 6 months ago. At the beginning they only used special litter and there are three boxes for them.
Since then, the only one having a  problem is the 2-year-old male. He goes through spurts where he relieves himself in corners of the house. I called the vet who performed the surgery and he said he never had any problems all his 15 years as a vet and gave me suggestions. Well, I tried them all. I clean the litter boxes twice a day...tried the brands he recommended, have put up gates to keep them out of the room he was frequenting and to no avail. He finds another corner and pees and poops. He has gone in three rooms already. My husband is getting very upset and has asked me to remove him from our home. I have given this cat a lot of attention, special treats and was hoping he wouldn't do this anymore.
I called the vet back, and he has no clue why the cat could be doing this.
I'm getting very frustrated. Days can go by and he's okay, then when I notice the weather changes, he's doing his messes. My house is starting to smell. I looked online for cat deterrents. Some have an electronic item you plug in the wall that emits a sound only their ears can hear. Do they work? I tried certain smells. He still does it. I just put some cat/dog repellent that smells like bug repellent in one corner of the room and I have the other room blocked off with a gate. The house smells like citronella.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
I'm afraid this cat will not change.
Liz
A: Dear Liz,
The problems you’re experiencing may not be related to the declawing. Although I am not in favor of declawing, cats can go through the procedure without problems. What is the relationship among the cats? Do they get along or is there aggression? Although you’ve spoken with your veterinarian, it couldn’t hurt to take him in for an exam – to check and see if his feet have healed properly (they may be sensitive to the substrate) and to see if he may have a urinary tract infection, which may flare up with change of seasons or stress. Try adding a fourth litter box; the rule is one box per cat, plus one extra. Have you tried Cat Attract litter (www.preciouscat.com)?
Deterrents may cause him to seek out other areas in which to do his business. By smells, do you mean Feliway, essence of feline pheromones? That needs to be used within a certain square footage. It’s met with mixed reviews.
Cats are pretty regular about peeing on schedule, usually in the morning and evening. You may be able to tell by your cat’s body language (circling and sniffing) when he’s thinking of going and bring him to the box and gently place him there. Praise him and give him a treat when he does his business.
Be sure to clean the soiled areas thoroughly, using Simple Solution, Bac Out, Nature’s Miracle or a similar product.
Litter box avoidance issues are a cat owner’s biggest frustration and it takes detective work and patience to work out the problem.
Hang in there.
Sally

The Bunny Expert!

Susan adopted her first house rabbit 5 years ago and soon after got highly involved in rabbit rescue. She has volunteered at a local rabbit rescue group and a local animal shelter working with rabbits. She has since co-founded 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue Inc. Susan can surely answer all of your rabbit questions!

It's that time of year again. Hot Hot Hot. Bunny owners often share what we can do to help our pet bunnies stay a little cooler. If you are lucky enough to have central air conditioning Bunnies love that! Fans help, but don't point them directly on the rabbit, but adjust it so the rabbit can sit in front of it or move away from it if it gets too much for him. Big ceramic floor tiles are a favorite for bunnies to lie on since they stay cool. You could occasionally put an ice cube in their water dish and make sure they get plenty of clean fresh water. Take empty water or soda bottles and fill them with water and freeze them. After they are frozen give them to the bunnies. They often like to lay near them if they are hot. The frozen water bottle trick is great for transporting bunnies to the vet on hot days. Just put it in their carrier for the trip. Cars get scorching hot in the summer so remember to leave windows open or air conditioning on and never leave any pet in a hot car.

Reptile Man!

Ron Wulff, the Reptile Man, has worked for one of the big retail pet stores for 6 years as a reptile and aquatic specialist. He rescues reptiles and runs www.nopaws.com, dedicating his time to educate people on exotic pets. Direct your exotic pet questions to Reptile Man.

It is that time of year again.  People are finding baby painted turtles and snapping turtles and try to "save" them.  They are not much bigger than a quarter and very cute and seem like they would be quite easy to care for.  They are not.
Turtles lay their eggs away from the pond to protect them from potential flooding.  When the eggs hatch, the little turtles instinctively try to find water.  They live in the water.  The painted turtles will bask on logs and rocks but LIVE in the water.  Even the tiny babies need the deep water.  That is why trying to keep baby turtles in small containers with shallow water doesn't work.  They were not looking for a puddle, they were looking for a pond.  If you find a baby turtle, find the closest pond and just let it go.  It will be much happier.
While on the subject of turtles, when you find the adults away from the water, they are females looking for a place to lay eggs.  Don't save them either.  Unless they are in the middle of the road,  I can't suggest even moving them out of the road (even if I have done it), because YOU might get run over too.  You are doing your part if you don't run over them.  I can see how the smaller painted turtle might get hit by accident but when snapping turtles the size of a large rock get hit, it was probably intentional.  It kind of makes you wish snapping turtles were filled with nails!
Ron

Ask the Vet!

Lauren Mascola is the veterinarian at Petcare Veterinary Services in West Hartford. She studied at UConn for undergraduate and Tufts for Veterinary Medicine. She has over 10 years experience and 2 dogs and 3 cats of her own. She is excited to answer your questions!

Q: Dear Dr. Mascola,
How frequently should we check our dog for parasites?  He stays mostly in our yard, but then goes for longer walks on the weekends with us in a nearby State Park.
Thanks, Angela
A: Dear Angela,
My practice routinely checks fecal samples for intestinal parasites once yearly.  We will also do fecal testing on any dog that has diarrhea. We also check a blood sample for heartworm disease and 3 tick-related diseases (Lyme, Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis) annually.
If you keep your dog on a heartworm preventative throughout the year you will cut down on hookworms, whipworms and roundworms, 3 of the most common intestinal parasites we see.  This is because most preventatives control these parasites as well as heartworm disease.  It is also advisable for you to keep your dog on a monthly flea and tick preventative to protect against the diseases these bugs carry.
I hope you and your dog have a happy and parasite-free summer!
Dr. Mascola

Ask the Lazi Birds!

Steve and Diane Lazicki have been rescuing and working with birds for over 8 years, as well as raising them as pets since childhood. They live with over 150 birds in their "bird house," so they have a wealth of bird expertise. Direct your bird related questions to the Lazi Birds.

Q: Dear Lazi Birds,
I have two questions. 1. With summers seeming to be hotter now, can it get too hot for an exotic bird? 2. Is air conditioning dangerous?
Thank you, Beth
A: Dear Beth,
1. Too hot? Absolutely!! You do not want to keep your bird in the sun with no way to get out of it. Most birds love to be in front of a window with the ability to see action outside. Caution must be taken to insure some sort of ventilation with shade being available. In the wild, birds have trees with leaves in which to settle during the hottest times of the day.  Thus, your birds afternoon "Siesta" is a natural instinctive occurrence.
2. All of the birds here at the rescue enjoy air conditioning each summer. It is important to remember your birds tolerate the same room temperatures as you do. Air conditioning should not be blowing directly on your bird. We use window units and put a reflector in front to avoid the air from blowing directly on any of the birds. We also turn the air off when misting the them. We all enjoy the summer together in comfort. Misting your bird is important.
Lazi Birds

Equine Expert!

Mary Jo Zanolli is an instructor at Connecticut Equestrian Center in Coventry. She has over 12 years experience teaching beginner and intermediate riders, and over 20 years experience riding horses. Send all of your horse related questions to Mary Jo!

Q: Mary Jo,
Is it safe for a horse to be ridden when it is hot and humid out? What changes, if any, should I make to my normal riding routine during the summer?
India
A: India,
With July and August quickly approaching, riders should be aware of the potential for horses to become dehydrated or overheated, and know both how to treat and prevent such problems. Knowing your horse’s regular vital signs such as temperature, heart rate and respiration give you a baseline to compare when you are worried your horse may be suffering from heat related stress.
Temperatures over 90 degrees, especially with high humidity, require riders to be more observant of their horse’s comfort and welfare. Two quick and easy ways to check your horse’s vitals are by taking his temperature and also by doing a skin pinch test for dehydration. To take a skin pinch test on your horse, pinch the flat area on your horse’s neck. When you let go of the skin, the skin should flatten out to normal position immediately. If it doesn’t, your horse is dehydrated - the longer the skin takes to flatten, the more severe the dehydration is. A horse’s gums can also tell you about hydration level - pink gums are a sign of a healthy horse, dry/pale gums are another sign of dehydration.
To help cool your horse down quickly if you suspect heat stress, give him a cool water bath.  Run cold water over the large veins on the inside of your horses back legs. An alcohol-based liniment can be added to the water to help him cool faster.
You can also offer your horse water, but be careful not to over water your horse if he has just been ridden. A horse that has just been ridden should be offered small amounts of water periodically over a time of about 30 minutes, offering the horse as much water as he would like after that 30 minutes is up.
A horse that is suffering from heat stress should also be moved to a cool, shady area, and given a fan as well if at all possible. If your horse does not improve, or in fact worsens within the next ten minutes call your vet.
To prevent heat related stress on your horse, try to ride in the cooler times of day like early morning or dusk. Electrolytes can also be added to food or water, but be sure to read the label directions whenever adding a new supplement, and ask your veterinarian’s advice if you have any concerns. Knowing your horse’s normal respiration, temperature and heart rate can make you quick to recognize any abnormalities when riding in the summer and then you can take the appropriate steps to help your horse if needed.
Mary Jo