Infographic on the benefits to very ill kids of 'virtual' animal-assisted pen pal intervention

The infographic says it! This is a cross-post to spread the word a little wider. 💖You can read more on this by clicking on this link:  Seriously ill children benefit from having a cat or dog ‘pen pal’. Infographic. Any study which assists very sick children to get better and feel better gets my backing. All healthy and relatively wealthy people have a duty to assist those less fortunate. It is the way to improve a world that desperately needs improving.

“There is something just so unconditional about the love of an animal and the listening that an animal can provide. They don’t argue, they don’t question; they just listen and validate.” - Anne Ingalls Gillespie at the University of Colorado, a former paediatric nurse.

Children with serious illness may benefit from having a cat or dog 'pen pal'. Infographic. by Michael Broad

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Study citation: Gillespie AI, Jones J, Johnson-Koenke R, Gilmer MJ, Neu M. Influences of Animal-Assisted Intervention With Canine and Feline Pen Pals on Experiences of Living With Cancer and Blood Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing. 2024;41(4):252-264. doi:10.1177/27527530241246249

Seriously ill children benefit from having a cat or dog 'pen pal'. Infographic. Featured image. by Michael Broad

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Are these the 7 signs that a domestic cat is sick??

The New York Post has an article titled, "The 7 ways cats say they are sick: vets reveal the signs humans shouldn't miss".

To cut to the chase, they say that researchers found that the following seven behaviours may indicate a sick kitty:

• spraying
• frantic licking
• not using the litter box
• self-mutilation
• attacking legs and feet
• chewing on objects and growling or hissing when petted

I think the above list is wrong. I think it's plain and simple wrong. But not all of it. I'll tell you why. And then I'll tell you what I think the signs are of a sick cat.

Spraying is not the sign of a sick cat. It is the sign of a cat that wants to protect their territory against invading cats. It's a way of marking territory through odour. Fit and healthy cats do this. It may be a sign that the cat is stressed because they are trying to defend their territory inside the home or in the backyard whatever but it is not per se a sign of an ill cat.

Not using the litter box has many causes. It might simply be that the cat doesn't like the particular substrate in the litter box. That's a typical reason. Or they might have sore feet because of declawing. That would be a health problem admittedly. The first reason would not be a health problem but simply a domestic cat preference. You can't say that not using the litter box is a good sign of  cat ill-health. It simply isn't.

Frantic licking, is also not necessarily a sign of a sick cat. It may indicate that the cat has an allergy which makes their skin itchy and therefore they are licking their skin to alleviate the itch. It may indicate that the cat is stressed as they over-groom themselves in areas which are easily accessible as this calms down. This is not a sign that a cat is ill necessarily but it may be (allergy)

Self-mutilation can come about by over-grooming because it means all the fur can be removed from their belly. That's a form of self-mutilation. Another form might be to scratch their ears because the ear canals contain ear mites. Ear mites are incredibly distressing because they are very itchy. So, yes, self-mutilation can be indicative of a specific illnesses most likely an infestation of an ectoparasite or an allergy, perhaps an environmental allergy, food allergy or a flea allergy as these are the three most typical.

If a cat is attacking their legs or feet, this may be a sign that they are feeling pain in their appendages. Once again you could say that this is a sign that the cat has a specific health issue.

Chewing on objects may be a sign of poor oral health but that would hurt the cat if they'd chewed on an object. This is not a sign of ill-health for me. It is perhaps more a sign of predatory behaviour.

Growling and hissing when petted would indicate that the cat has an internal problem causing sensitivity in an internal organ. When they are petted it hurts them. They growl in response and hiss to deter the petting. 

I would agree, therefore, that growling or hissing might be indicative of a health problem. But they can also be indicative of a cat who wants to tell their owner to go away because they want to protect their food - a prey animal that they have brought in from outside which their human caretaker who wants to take from them.

The more common signs of an ill cat would be persistent vomiting, lethargy, quietness and stillness and hiding in a quiet place because they feel more vulnerable and therefore need to protect themselves. A change in their routines would indicate ill health. A change in their behaviour would be the same thing. This requires the owner to be observant and familiar with their cat's normal routine behaviours. This is the best sign and will encompass hiding and being lethargic and disinterested in food which would be another sign of ill health (anorexia). Disinterest in food means feeling ill and/or very poor oral health as it hurts to eat.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

My cat is dying. How long will it take?

People actually asked this question. What does the question tell us about the person? If the question is genuine and I have to say right away that it is Google which presents this question to me. Google  auto-completes questions for people conducting searches. Google bases its auto-completions on actual searches. Therefore, I have to conclude that somebody has asked this question and it implies that this cat owner is negligent.

CAT AT A VET. THIS IS WHERE A CAT SHOULD BE IF YOU THINK THEY ARE DYING. PICTURE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AS ASSESSED.

If your cat is dying you should know through your veterinarian. Your vet will tell you well before your cat is entering that very last phase of their life when they are seriously ill and the question of euthanasia should be discussed. Nowadays, in a well organised home with a decent cat owner, a dying cat should be euthanised to allow their passing to be as calm and as pleasant as possible. You do not watch your cat dying because of a chronic disease and ask the internet how long it will take! Note: you should be present when the vet euthanises your cat.

The question reminds me that tens of millions of people in the West do not take their cat to their veterinarian when they should. The reason? Money is normally the reason because a lot of people who own a cat or cats do not, if they are really honest with themselves, have sufficient funds to do a good job in caring for their cat. It can be quite expensive but too many people brush that aspect of cat ownership under the carpet when they adopt. They take a chance but they will never be a really good cat caretaker no matter how much they love their cat if they do not have sufficient funds to seek the advice and the services of a veterinarian when they are required.

One last point is worth making. Nobody can answer the question in the title. You can only answer the question if you know what diseases are killing the cat. Or perhaps their cat is dying of old age. We don't know and therefore we can't assess how long it will take the cat to die. Also, we don't know the cat's symptoms so the question is pointless and frankly idiotic. This supports my original assessment about this owner being negligent. They are also stupid.