Question:
Last September, I adopted a 3-year-old cat who had been abandoned at my vet's clinic. Malia has adamantly rejected all of my attempts to transition her to a healthful diet. When she came to me, she had ear mites, ringworm and had a tooth abscess (the reason the former owner brought her to the vet but never came back to pick her up). In January, Malia became fixated on her litter box and her urine output shrank to quarter-size wet areas once or twice daily. She began licking her genitalia, shedding clumps of fur; she then started to howl, moan and writhe sexually as if in heat, even though she had been presented as spayed. Although the vet could not obtain a sufficient amount of urine to test during our short office visit, he "assumed" that Malia had a bladder infection and prescribed Amoclan, 1-1/2 ml twice daily. Urine production normalized, but within a week the heat symptoms increased markedly, which the vet pronounced "interesting" and prescribed megestrol acetate (Ovaban). The vet said he could do exploratory surgery to ascertain the presence of scar tissue or another anomaly, but a short course of hormones has also corrected the false-heat issue. It is now mid-March and the constellation of symptoms has returned, although the "heat" isn't as intense as previously. I would appreciate your thoughts on this situation.
E.G., Springfield, Mo Aug 08, 2010
Answer:
I appreciate the fact that you adopted this poor abandoned cat. Many cats and dogs are suffering today because the current economic crisis is the latest excuse people are giving to abandon them and deny veterinary attention when needed. I find such abandonment inexcusable. Animal shelters across the United States are filled with such animals, many of whom are euthanized. Many cats get fixated on dry cat food. I like Castor & Pollux Organix dry cat food (as does our cat, Mark Twain), and you can try some of Evanger's great variety of canned cat food. Follow your veterinarian's treatment for Malia's periodic heat. Exploratory surgery soon after her next hormonal surge may or may not find the remnant ovarian tissue responsible for the condition.
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