Doc then and now - pics

[Tina B and crew]

I was going through some photos and just couldn't resist putting these side by side. Amazing what nearly 3 years, lots of love, and lots of care can do.



We are so lucky. I know so many who have lost pets to cancer. Doc truly is a miracle.

[Traci]

Tabby wants to say Hi. He says he thinks about Doc all the time (as you know, he is mommy's prayer buddy, and he has had a lot of work to do lately) -

So,...HI !!

Tina, I do the same thing, compare then and now, it is good for the soul, knowing you saved a precious life, and seeing them thrive just does wonders for the heart! And Doc gets a ton of credit too, he is SUCH a trooper!

[Tina B and crew]

Doc sends Tabby a big headbutting hi!!

Doc is definitely a trooper. I've been sharing pics of him on a FB page for a little girl with cancer who loves kitties and was in the hospital for a bone marrow transplant and telling her Doc's story. If he can in any way bring joy and inspiration to others....

I do have a question. Is there anything you can recommend that is ideal for cats who like to chew? We've had some issues with Doc chewing on wood furniture. I swear he was a dog in past life!! I've tried some of the dental chew toys but they don't seem to interest him. Any other ideas?

He's been better about biting but did nip at my hand this morning when I wasn't paying enough attention to him. I firmly scolded him with a NO! and he stopped. I'm terrified to have my hands out from under the covers!!

[Traci]

How sweet that Doc is an "ambassador"!!!

As for the chewing - catnip toys (i.e., kong kickeroos, stuffed animals, chew toys specific for cats) - even some of the "stuffing-less" smaller dog toys can be used, my cats like those sometimes. Search online petstores or amazon for "cat chew toys" for something like this: http://www.petco.com/product/123488/Pet ... t-Toy.aspx - just be sure whatever you choose, especially rope-like toys, are tightly wound, no stray strings or yarn etc, and DON'T get any that have "mesh" wrapped around the toy. Also supervise when using these toys and put them away when not in use.

Likewise, don't use kong or other brand toys that have the rubber balls with the one hole in them - there are stories out there where dogs got their tongues stuck in the holes and had major damage/partial loss of tongues due to surgery to correct - some of those toys are designed for treats to go inside to encourage pets to exercise for their treats, but they can be dangerous.

As for the biting - (and perhaps related to the chewing on wood and other things) - could be related to anxiety, boredom, stress. Tough love may be necessary, such as starting over with training with a squirt bottle, training to divert his attention to something else, or putting him outside your bedroom at night (temporarily, for example).

Do you feed him dry food or canned food? Reason I ask is if canned only, he may be wanting to chew/crunch (a natural instinct) food to "exercise" his teeth and mouth muscles. You could try greenies, but please supervise him with them and don't leave them out unless you're there to watch him eat it. If he doesn't care for greenies, try a cat chew toy like described above.

[Tina B and crew]

I'll try some of those toys. I didn't see a whole lot at our local Petsmart so I'll try Petco.

He's eating canned. We had to leave kibble out of the equation because of Chunk's pre-diabetes. I wondered if that was part of it, because it seemed to get worse when we switched. I've thought about treats but my vet forbid those as well (for Chunk). They do have some of the flat stuffing-less toys that you put catnip in but I've never seen Doc chew on them. Chunk does though. The have several kickaroos but they gather dust unless I put catnip on them. Come to think of it, we do have a little spider shaped toy that has cloth legs and Doc does chew on those.

I usually put toys away because if I don't Chunk eats them. Literally. I keep the little toy that has the ball in the channel out so they can play with it when we aren't home.

Unfortunately I can't shut him out of the bedroom. Litter boxes are in there and it's the only place we have to put them.

[Tina B and crew]

PS...I've always been leery of those toys with mesh on them, afraid they'd get their tooth caught in it or something!

[Traci]

Yeah, those toys with mesh seem like they could really be dangerous.

Are you separating cats at feeding time, or free-feeding? If you can get Doc alone in another area once or twice a day, maybe offer a kibble-type treat - although don't know if that will be enough to curb his chewing issue.

If the chew toys don't work, maybe spend more playtime with him before bed. Keep things as consistent and routine as you can.

[Tina B and crew]

Free feeding. Don't really have the space to separate them. I could always try to throw a few in his bowl and see if he eats them.

[Tina B and crew]

I ended up finding some Yeowww Stinkies with catnip in them. They love them! And they are made in the US. So far doc isn't chewing on them but chunk is. I bought some crunch treats that I'll sneak into his bowl too.

[Tina B and crew]

http://www.duckyworld.com/products/catn ... -sardines/