Happy Birthday Orlando

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It’s Orlando’s birthday today.  He’s twelve years old now, at the upper end of the usual life expectancy for a Maine Coon.

S&Cheese &O

For my dear friends who have been reading this blog for a while  – and especially those of you with good memories – there may be some recall of a post not so very long ago where I noted the decline of my handsome boy as feline dementia took a hold of him.  It’s here if you want to check up on that one.  It’s worth reading just to get a background for what follows.

Not being one to take the common route through life, I started doing my own research into feline dementia and cat health generally after my vet talked to me about the illness, the medication involved, the cost and the inevitable outcome.  I mostly mused on certain things that had been happening with my little fellow’s diet and how I had some inbuilt misgivings about the food I was feeding him.

As a person of the human persuasion I know very well how food affects our general health, how commonly used foodstuffs weaken and poison our systems until disease and discomfort are our constant companions.  I know from my own experience that eliminating certain foodstuffs and processed foods can result in disease and discomfort disappearing from my life.  Why can’t it be the same for a person of the cat persuasion I wondered.

Let me explain.  Over a period of time – perhaps the last year or two prior to his increasingly odd behaviour and diagnosis, Orlando had been narrowing his preferred foods.  All cat people know what that means.  If the kitty don’t like it then the kitty won’t eat it – starvation and death are preferable options apparently rather than eating something that doesn’t appeal to their palate.   Orlando had been so successful at this that he had eliminated almost entirely consumption of his special Maine Coon dried food and any other wet or tinned food other than the Dine Desire brand ‘Tuna Fillets and Prawns in Seafood Sauce’.

Having a particularly twisted sense of humour, ever since Fukushima I had often taken to dishing up his food and placing it before him with a wry take on the ‘enjoy your meal sir’ comment such as ‘Enjoy your radiation imbued dinner sir’ or some-such other entirely inappropriate wording.

Every time I said it I wondered how true it might be.  Was his fish carrying dangerous levels of radiation?  I now began to research and found it difficult to get definitive answers – as was mentioned many times Fukushima has been the first meltdown of such proportions and there is no backlog of evidence to weigh one way or the other.   Proponents of nuclear fusion say no, anti-nuclear proponents say ‘yes’.  Here’s a link to an interesting blog post on the topic.  My gut said ‘Yes!’

I had long ago researched animal health and prepared foods and found some alarming evidence that maybe we weren’t doing the best thing for our pets in feeding them commercially prepared animal foods.  I came to that information too late to make sensible choices for Orlando, but Siddy has never eaten commercially prepared dog foods – apart from his highly necessary supply of ‘treats’ that is.  (Such a Very Good Boy must have his treats!)  His major food is ‘puppy stew’ cooked by me with fresh meats and vegetables and nothing else.

Soon after I wrote the post previously mentioned about Orlando’s diagnosis I took action.  I took him off all canned food and all fish.  Cold turkey!  I insisted he eat his special Maine Coon dried food and hand fed him as necessary.  I enticed him with puppy stew – fresh cooked meat with organic potatoes and carrots – he would have none of it.   In the end I had to purchase packets of prepared cat food containing meat products only and this he reluctantly agreed to eat as long as I stood nearby with spoon at the ready to hold up the food to his mouth so he could lick at it.  I also kept him pretty high with a constant supply of his favourite drug – dried nepeta  (catmint) in little baggies.

It really didn’t take that long to convince him to change, it just felt long at the time and required a lot of standing around offering tidbits and being encouraging and singing to him that he was a clever kitty ……  It wasn’t much longer before I noticed that changes were happening and then it was all remarkably quick.  It was so quick I wondered if I had imagined it all.  My cat who had definitely been behaving differently, who had become paranoid and skittish, untrusting, unfriendly and – let’s face it – highly trying;  who threw up often and inconveniently (once projectile vomiting from the top of the refrigerator) disappeared without a trace.  I woke up one morning, about four or five weeks after first changing his diet, to the purring sound of a happy kitty cuddled up with his puppy friend as they waited for me to stir and stretch and get up to serve them first breakfasts.

And just like that he was back.  The dog of the cat world.  Coming when whistled, greeting me at the gate sitting up on his haunches with this front paws held up for his special lift up, cuddle and carry.

Well Hello! 2016

Orlando is now coming in when the door is opened without a pause.  Eating what is offered.  Joining in whenever there are treats to be had……..

O&S Nov treat time

Demanding attention when required …….

whatchadoinmumma

Causing Siddy to become delirious with joy by patting the air vaguely in his direction twice a day.  Watching the ensuing mad dash round the tiny house with a look of incredulity and some disgust on his face. Sharing the bench under the window with the puppy when the sun shines on it and if necessary sitting on top of the puppy if he doesn’t move when required.   Sharing the space in the chair beside me.  Claiming my knee on an equal time basis with the puppy.  Visiting with friends.

O family portrait Nov 15

A happy, healthy, elderly cat.  Regal, collected, clear.  Not a drop of dementia in sight.

Happy Twelfth Birthday Orlando King – long may you reign!!

Orlando June 17

Tell me, do you have food related stories about your pets and their health?    I’m very interested and I’m sure others are too, please share.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

 

99 thoughts on “Happy Birthday Orlando”

  1. Sorry this is so late, Pauline. A belated happy birthday to Orlando; I was so happy to hear your story and how you helped him. We had a similar experience with Mum when she was in the hospital in early 2015. My RN sister had Medical Power of Attorney, which gave her access to Mum’s test results, etc. Mum was usually patient and co-operative about the various procedures and daily care she had to have. But one day she suddenly became very forgetful, belligerent and even aggressive. She batted my hand away when I was trying to help her turn over and acccused me of not knowing anything and ‘who are you to think you can do this?’ She demanded to now where I was trained (I wasn’t) and so on. It was hard to see her like that and I let my sister J know immediately (she was at the condo resting up). The doctors had told J that Mum’s blood test results were all ‘normal’/ When J saw the actual results, she could see right away how close to the line some levels were. If, for instance, magnesium’s normal level is between 10 and 30, and Mum’s was at 10.5, they would tell us the level was fine and normal. In fact, Mum’s levels could drop very quickly. J insisted on retesting and those results showed three electrolytes well below the ‘normal’ level. After Mum was given a couple of boluses (IV treatments), she suddenly returned to being sweet and helpful. We feel quite strongly that many elders are diagnosed with dementia when they really need their electrolytes adjusted.

    Your story about Orlando confirms what I already believe. Thanks for sharing that.

    By the way, when I had my own cats, dogs, etc. I used two books as medical references. Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable. Both are by Juliette de Baïracli Levy, a well-known and respected herbalist. I used several of her remedies, always with good results. In fact, one time my big collie dog was apparently paralysed (I found him outside after I’d been away for the day). Nothing mentioned in the book for the Dog, but in the other I found a remedy for sheep with paralysis. I happened to have all the ingredients and did not have money for a vet. So I made up the medicine balls and sat up all night dosing him at intervals. By morning he could stand, although shakily; by evening he was ruining around as usual. You can imagine my relief! Anyway I highly recommend these books.

    Juliette developed her own breed of Afghan hounds and one of her line was th first Afghan ever to win Best of Show at New York’s annual Westminster show.
    She was training as a conventional vet, then left after two years in disgust at vivisection and animal experimentation. She developed the natural rearing method for dogs and cured dogs of distemper by natural means.

    There is a good documentary about her, too: Juliette of the Herbs.

    I don’t know if her books are available in NZ, but if so, you might want to take a look at them. Love and Light to you and your family. Hope your daughter is recuperating well. ~ Linne

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  2. Happy belated birthday to Orlando! 💕 Sweet story of how he is now a changed, younger version of himself.

    I’m very late; but as you know Randy took my extra time after our November 25th finding him very much out of it, due to his blood clot. . .
    He finally had his second “scare” and second brain surgery with a blood drain inserted. I nearly cried when I arrived this morning and he told me the nurse yanked his drain tube out and sewed his skin up Without Any Numbing! Poor guy looked so sad and wondered why she was so unfeeling. I hugged him and told him I would have shrieked!
    My brother Rich and wife Susan feed their cat and three dogs natural foods and high quality dry dog food. No bone pieces or cereal that is mostly white flour based. They give them the appropriate amount of glucosamine chondroitin to prevent joint pain. (It is important to cut small pieces.)
    Rich has sent me pictures of his dogs eating broccoli and carrots. 😊 Rich and Susan have the cutest 8 month old, standard size poodles. My Mom’s dog (Nikki) and their golden retriever both died this year, which was more hard on them. Mom told me Nikki was playing up in heaven with my Dad and “the other Nicky’s.” I may have told you my parents had three dogs over the years, the first a male collie mix named Nicholas, a Christmas pup. The second was a full collie named Nicky. Then, her shih tzu named Nikki was her own last puppy who lived nearly 14 years.
    Her rescue lake dog which boys tried to throw Bella (Baya) into the lake. She is half dachshund and half beagle. So cute and only 5 years old and loves the huge, bouncy poodle pups. 🤗 ❤😊

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    • Hello Robin – thanks for coming by 🙂 I’m a bit late responding as life is just so busy right now. I do hope Randy is improving nicely, I have been missing so many posts as time is so short currently – but I hope to be back making my usual rounds soon. Thanks for sharing about your family dogs – it is good to hear about them too xoxo

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  3. Pauline, Orlando is such a dear soul. I’m impressed with your hard work and diligence to help him feel better. It looks like it’s mostly paid off. You have so much going on in your life right now. I hope things will level off soon. xo

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    • Hello Alys, it is so lovely to see this note from you. Life is hectic at the moment but all is coming along better than expected…… My dear kitty is coping with all the chaos around the house quite well too so I am very relieved about that! 🙂

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  4. Happy Birthday Orlando! You will always be the Brad Pitt of kitties to me ❤
    How interesting your entire post was too Pauline. Thanks for sharing your insight and solutions that worked for O. My gosh, that must have been really frightening for you both. I'm so happy your sweet O is back to his charming and personable self. I can't wait to meet both your little loves. I laughed at the photo of O watching mom on the computer. They're such little people at times hey? My two dumplings each have such differing personalities. They sure are my little loves so I completely understand you study, investigation and initiation of a natural and healthy diet for Siddy and 0.

    We also had a orange and white kitty named Ginger who quit eating at 15 years. With only the Vets recommendations to go by, (pre-internet days) we tried a medication that promoted an appetite. It didn't help. I often wonder about this canned cat food. I've served up the odd can that neither kitties wanted anything to do with. I promptly discard it because, I think they must know something I don't know. Petals changes her mind about food weekly. One week she won't touch a particular food, the next week she loves it (it's usually just after I've bought several cans of another food she showed interest in last week). I shall get your recipe and try to cook something organic and fresh and see what they think.

    Be well O and continue to enjoy life and make mom's bright ! xo K

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    • Hello dear Kelly! So glad to see you come by and join in on this one. To date O is having none of his ‘healthy options’ not even fresh cooked organic free range chicken!! Which, with the recent events here has been what is on offer for both of them. So he’s still happily munching on his kibble and packet foods of meat based foods. He will have none of Siddy’s puppy stew, even spitting it out when I spoon feed him which is one way I can usually get him to agree to eat a new food. Next is to try cooking up some fresh meat just for him and as he likes gravy, adding that too….. I do wish I’d been a little more awake about food a few years ago then I wouldn’t be having these issues. As soon as I get D home and we can return to some kind of normalcy I’ll have another go at real meat feeding – but really, right now, I have small hope that he will be at all cooperative 🙂 He’s happy and that is good!!

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      • Pauline, what an ordeal with your sweet Orlando. You’ve gone above and beyond to get him eating a healthy, hearty meal. I’m glad to hear that his dementia has evaporated. I’m reminded of seniors in this country who often end up over-medicated causing what appears to be dementia. When doctors reduce or eliminate meds, they often resume to better health.

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  5. What a beauty he is, Pauline. I read this post with huge interest. I have one elderly cat who doesn’t show signs of dementia, but I worry about his diet nonetheless. He only eats canned food and he is so darn picky and skinny. You’ve inspired me to take control of his diet and help him eat better/healthier. You’re a good cat-mommy. So sweet to baby your old guy and hand feed him so he can lick from the spoon. That’s love. ❤

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  6. Good Morning Pauline from America!
    We had 3 cats until this past spring. I lost our black cat, bugga boo. She was 14 yrs old. We loved that cat but she wasn’t doing well for a few weeks. I picked her up one day and was shocked for I could feel her ribs. How did that happen!! IT seemed like a week ago she was doing fine and would climb up onto my lap. I had noticed she was not eating her food as much but had no idea she was NOT eating at ALL. ( long sigh)

    I felt so badly-I tried everything for several weeks to get her to eat. She would lick the liquid off her food. Her appetite was gone. The vet said it was more than likely cancer and her body was shutting down. They ran some blood work and it was confirmed. I had to make a decision to keep her alive for a few more months or let her go….She kept giving me “that look”….. which if you have an animal you know that “look”. It is one that says, It is time fo me to go. Please let me go in peace and be pain-free…Writing this brings tears to my eyes for I dread that look:-( My dog schatze gave it to me a few years ago when she had tumors all over her body. They did x-rays and I had to say goodbye that day. She was dealing with so much pain and never complained but I noticed when she jumped down from a bed she grunted…I took her in…( long sigh again…awful! day)

    I am so glad your story had a happy ending and you could get your beautiful Orlando back!!!!
    My other dogs have lived until old age but I know what it is like to have some that require a bit more fuss…so worth the effort! They are with us for such a short time that I treasure each day with our furry buddies:-)
    I try to buy healthy food for them and sometimes I have to pay a bit more but so worth it!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY ORLANDO!!!!

    I have two other cats at home now. They are Simon a long-haired male gray cat who is about 12 yrs old and he is doing great. I also have “Seppie” short for September, yep she was born in September.LOL- She is about 10 yrs old. They are both rescues. I baby them and hope to have them around as long as I can:-) They are my cuddle buddies:-)

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      • Good heavens – don’t be sorry. I left your comment here while I drove my friend to the airport. I wanted to take the time to respond properly. I’ve had that experience of having a cat begin to waste away in front of me and not quite realise what is going on. My old part feral rescue Moofy began to sneeze and kept on sneezing and by the time I realised she wasn’t eating her food at all and was in a deteriorating condition I was completely shocked. She had lost her sense of smell and cats won’t eat what they can’t recognise by smell so she didn’t eat. Orlando was a young fellow back then and he was cleaning up her bowl for her………….. It was an awful time and I tried everything to get her to eat without success and in the end she gave me that look and I knew……. We have such lessons to learn from our little pets – that one was to be more vigilant and to act quicker and to do what is required without endlessly hoping things would improve and letting my little girl suffer!

        What drives me now is less about longevity and more about quality of life. I can’t bear to see my fellows unhappy in any way and will do my best to ensure they have what is required. I think this site which Rainbow told me about on this post is worth bookmarking for all pet health questions. http://feline-nutrition.org/

        Thanks for sharing your story Robbie – it’s all about supporting each other on this journey isn’t it xoxo

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        • awww..naw, I was not worried about your response, I was thinling. Geez, Robbie she is trying to celebrate her cats birthday and success with finding food to eat etc….I was sounding like “Debbie Downer” from Saturday night live…LOL. I was truly apologizing. Like I tell my kids, TMI-too much information!!!
          I forget some people have a hard time with death and it is hard for them to talk about losing their pets.
          I felt so GUILTY that I did not pick up on my cat. They are such loners. They come up when they want to be held. I have 3 cats and just let them visit me when they feel up to cuddling. Simon( the gray one) is so NEEDY. He wants to cuddle all the time. He pushes my cup of tea up into my face when he wants to be cuddled. I always get wet! LOL. He also swipes me when I am walking by the fridge and he wants food. September comes at night to sleep on my back or hip or any place she can rest ON TOP OF ME.
          I love my cats, they are my buddies. I just thought, geez, how depressing I sounded. LOL.
          I agree, quality over quanity:-)
          Orlando is sure a beautiful cat!!!!

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          • Ha! ‘Debbie Downer’ that is a good name! I get it and have never seen Saturday Night Live. Orlando had a good birthday. He seemed to become even brighter with all the attention he was receiving in the ether. 🙂 Today he is wondering why every day can’t be his birthday 😀

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  7. Oh, beloved Orlando! I am SO happy he is doing well. He makes me think so much of my dear departed Blondie and losing Orlando will be hard on me, not to mention what it’ll do to you and Siddy! But he’s looking great and you’ve given him a new lease on his fine life! What a devoted mama you are . . .

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    • He is doing great Kerry – though clearly aging. He sleeps a lot and stays in one spot for hours on end – but he is happy again and that is all I want! One day he will shuffle off to go be with Blondie – which is a comforting thought – but he won’t, I hope, be doo-lally when he does.

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  9. Happy Birthday Orlando! Your story of Orlando’s resurgence is so heart-warming. You are such a good mommy to your fur babies. Yes, diet can have devastating effects on pets. I think back to my two dogs. I cooked all their meals for them because I couldn’t bring myself to trust dog food companies no matter how much I researched their sourcing and contents. They were given organic foods at a time when finding organic products in the stores were a chore. My bichon lived until age 16. I thoroughly believe it was because his little lips never touched “dog food”. Unfortunately my beautiful lab only lasted 12 years. She had typical lab tumor problems and while we had some removed, she didn’t do well during recovery. Therefore, we didn’t remove others when they showed up. I am so glad that Orlando is being back to his old self.

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    • It’s sobering when yo see what dietary changes can effect – in human and animal – I do believe that should be our first port of call when our health gets dodgy. I’m so happy to have my original cat back – I don’t mind that he is aging, that’s part of life after all. But I did mind that his personality was so impaired and he was so obviously unhappy. Now he harrumphs and chortles and purrs again, so I know all is well in his world! You were a far more awake pet momma than I! Siddy taught me early that he needed to eat proper food, Orlando waited a long time to tell me all wasn’t well in his world. I was too thick to work it out myself – even though I know the facts of health and diet for myself. Some times I’m just slooooow!

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  11. What a truly remarkable, eyebrow-raising story, my friend. I’m so glad you determined to find a way to help Orlando. Thank goodness! Happy birthday to a very regal-looking Orlando!

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  13. I seem to recollect that dogs are omnivores but cats are true carnivores – hence O’s reluctance to eat vegetables I suspect.
    As you know, we thought that we were going to lose Max a few months ago, but he’s still with us due to his diet change. He’s now on a very low fat diet and so his liver is holding up for the time being. I have bought him some low fat dog kibble to try to help keep his diet balanced, but he also has a multivitamin every day and Bovril stirred into his food to give him extra B vitamins. It’s quite a challenge, but he’s doing ok.
    When we first got Sam, she exhibited a lot of behavioural problems and these were reduced by changing her diet. We stopped feeding her standard dog food, moved to a high meat, partially raw diet and she thrived.
    Long may Orlando enjoy life – happy birthday kitty!

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    • Thanks for sharing your experience here too Jan – it’s amazing isn’t it how the right food for the right person/animal changes health. The Bovril tip is a good one too – Siddy loves a wee bit of vegemite I wonder what would happen if I offered it to Orlando…… I’m writing up a list of all the tips that are left here to see if I can segue him off the packet food and onto actual real meat. When Siddy was a pup he would throw up constantly and this made me search out the right foodstuff for him – we finally settled on his puppy stew and organic chicken as his staples and his gut settled down. The difference between dogs and cats of course is that while our pups will happily eat anything cats are particularly fussy in their choices…… Onwards and upwards!! 🙂

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  14. Or old cat got kidney problems, we think because he preferred his dried food rather than wet food, but then he had to be on a special dried food diet for kidney problems. My parents have got two new cats (from kittens) and they have taken the decision to only feed them a special minced raw meat diet which they make themselves. It has bits of bone and fish oils in it. One of the cats turns his nose up at dried cat treats! The cats are healthy and happy, so far so good! 🙂 so glad you’ve got your old cat back. Our old cat lived till he was 19, so hope you have yours that long at least!

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  15. Wonderful news and well done on making the link between food and health. My cat developed diabetes which I now link to the change I had made from regular cat food which she had stopped eating to cat pouches, which I now know to be full of sugar. For goodness sake what do cats need sugar for.

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    • Oh god – are they? Jeez, I’ve got to get him onto proper food asap! He is kind of reluctant to even consider eating fresh cooked organic chicken while he is loving the pouch ‘chicken’ which doesn’t appear in the least bit chickeny to me! It’s probably the sugar!!

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  16. Happy birthday, Orlando. Thanks for sharing this wonderful news, Pauline. Hopefully some smart person will pick it up and see if it translates to people. How wonderful for a cure to be found – all because of your insistence and your wonderful Orlando! Many happy returns.

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    • There’s quite a lot of research out there about dietary needs and certain diseases including dementia Norah – it’s at that interesting stage where ‘sides’ disagree but the evidence is mounting. I just feel as a pet ‘owner’ I am honour bound to do my best for these wee chaps in my care. They can’t speak for themselves and they depend on me to keep them housed safely and fed well – to keep them healthy and happy and safe and poor old O has been a bit let down! I’m on a mission 🙂 Thank you for your good wishes, we are accepting them all!

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      • Hmm. I didn’t make the connection with Orlando’s condition and his response to food, to human dementia and the response to food I mentioned in my recent post. Interesting.
        Your wee chaps have so much to be thankful for. A lesser human being may do a lesser job in caring for their needs.
        Best wishes to all of you!

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  17. Happy Birthday Orlando. Thanks to your new diet, you will be able to celebrate many more birthdays. Jack loves it when I make special food for him but his bowels do better when I give him his boring dog roll.

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  18. Wow, I am thrilled to hear about Orlandos response to a diet change. My pet sitter and I have been talking about the food dilemma. I’m nervous about completely homemade for cats because of their need for Taurine and liver. But I am trying to get the healthiest I can. I might have to start making some of their food. Kana has food allergies. I think their food causes health problems. When my dearly departed cat Mac got diabetes we didn’t do insulin because I couldn’t do it safely, so I changed to almost 100% protein and it kept his numbers low enough. Happy birthday to your sweet handsome boy!

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    • Thanks Luanne for sharing your experience and thoughts. I can buy liver and cook that for my fellow – I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, but it’s certainly an ingredient to be included in a kitty stew if I can get him there…. We love our pets so much it’s hard to believe that the people who advertise themselves as also caring for our cats actually don’t. It’s taken Orlando getting really sick to make me look for answers and try to find other ways. I’m determined to move him onto actual meats and find a combination that he will eat and will keep him healthy. You are a shining example of a good kitty mom 🙂

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  19. I am so delighted to hear that Orlando had another birthday and is getting even better with age thanks to your special care. I had an neighbor friend that cooked every meal for their dogs and they lived to be at least 17. One I think is still going. My Schatzie had so much trouble with dog foods as they all made her sick. Once I inherited her from my mother, I put her on organic foods and was as careful as possible but still lost her at 11 to cancer. I think fish has been polluted for a lot longer than Fukushima. I have given up all seafood products for many years now. A little organic chicken and grass fed organic beef on occasion with mostly veggies. My dog loved veggies. I did not know they would. Your two fuzzy loves know they get only the best you can give them in every way. Hugs all the way around.

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    • Thank you for this caring message Marlene. Siddy eats his veggies, but O won’t have a bean of them. I tried him again today and he would rather not eat anything. I’m not giving up though – it will just be a longer process. Ideally I’d like to have him eating fresh meats and I really don’t mind what as long as he is eating something that doesn’t poison him….. I have a benchmark now to work from. And I shall be vigilant about his well being. Thanks for joining in the conversation 🙂

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  20. Happy Birthday, Beautiful Orlando! Oh Pauline, I am so glad that you were able to turn things around for him. I fully understand how important diets are to humans, so it goes without saying that what we feed our animals is also important. I have not had the experience of specialty foods at this point, as all my animals are doing okay on the store brand foods. I do feed the cats canned tuna, sardines and a bit of salmon. I also feed all them tidbits of fresh chicken, turkey and pork. I do also have a twelve-year-old cat, and you have definitely given me something to ponder. I am so happy to hear Orlando is doing well!

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    • I have decided to transition him onto chicken Lana and he is having none of it today. Which makes Siddy happy as he gets to clean up …. I shall have to start putting little bits into acceptable food and try to build it up over time. I have no clue why he won’t eat freshly cooked organic chicken but will eat ‘chicken in gravy’ out of a packet. I guess its not really chicken in that gravy….. I think if your cats are healthy you can’t be feeding too much of the wrong stuff. You just reminded me that I was going to try Orlando on sardines (canned for human consumption, not pet food) and haven’t done that yet. Thanks for that Lana – much appreciated 🙂

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      • Dogs are surely not picky, ha ha. Lucky Siddy, I know he is happy. Glad to remind you about sardines. I guess for now my cats are in good shape, but probably like people, as they get older, sigh. I think you are doing the correct thing by adding the little bits and increasing over time. Cats really are something else, those regal personalities. We are their slaves, lol. Best of luck with the beautiful Orlando!

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        • Thank you – I need it 🙂 He spent today lying regally about in one of the chairs in the tiny courtyard and purred and smiled whenever I ventured out to check on him. He seems even better for all the attention that’s been running about in the ether but is still refusing any of my preferred food options. Siddy remains very happy 🙂

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  23. Now, that is such a happy story. Good for you for working out what might be wrong, and turning your lovely cat into a healthy fellow. May there be many more birthdays.

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  24. Pauline, in one way, I am astounded. And yet, I am not surprised. Both by the tremendous outcome and by your diligence and finding the solution. How fortunate Orlando is to have you as his human.. I am so very happy for you, for Siddy, and for Orlando. What a fabulous post! XOXO

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    • I know – as was I! Yet it is true that I fixed my own health problems by changing up my diet so we- or at least I – shouldn’t be surprised! 🙂 I am SO happy to have my boy back!! Thank you for being so generous in your response xoxo

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  25. Brilliant, amazing and a true testament to your love for your furry companions Ms Pauline. We have been feeding our boys raw steak for many years now. They seem to both be in good health and Bezial is now 10 years old and aside from some lumps that come from his breed (labbies are prone to them and he is half labrador) he is trecking along well. I think we fall into the pet food traps and how convenient it is to just open a tin compared to cooking something up or having to cut up and freeze a tonne of raw meat (as is our lot). I am SO glad that your wonderful boy is back and I am quite sure he knows that it was you who brought him back ❤

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    • Ahh Narfie! Thank you – that just made me truly happy 🙂 So I must tell you Siddy and I took one of our new friends from the rest home out in her power chair this morning for a little perambulate into the park. We passed a most elegant and beautiful older woman (much older!) who had seated herself on the park bench overlooking the dog park. Siddy of course thought she was waiting just for him so bounded up and greeted her effusively as is his wont….. We came to a stop beside her and she commented on how friendly he was, how clean (he had a bath two days ago) and his lovely purple halter and matching collar (yes, he’s a pampered urban dog, don’t tell Url!) and – catch this – ‘how well fed he is’ 🙂 She looked me in the eyes and said “I can see he is very well loved as all animals should be.” I felt stupidly pleased, proud and happy 🙂 I felt like I wanted to sit down beside her and tell her all about Orlando – but our friend in her power chair wanted to keep going. She was gone by the time Siddy and I returned to the park on our way back home. It was like a visit from an angel!

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  26. That is a great post Pauline. I mostly cook food for my dogs, but now that I’m busy trekking around the state, I have resorted to dog food. Makes me think about my dog’s antics… thank you. I will look at my cat’s food too. I have joined a facebook page called Tumeric users, something like that. They have a golden paste that you can use for your pets, you make it yourself. I put that in their food and it seems to be helping my 11yr old with aches and pains. Great to have your old friend back I’m sure x

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    • Thanks for that heads up about Turmeric Kym – I use if for myself in smoothies and stir fries and hot drinks – a turmeric latte or ‘golden latte’ is so nice – I’ve never thought to use it for my fellows, but now that you have put that thought there it makes perfect sense to me. I’ll check them out.

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  27. What a marvellous result for you! I shouldn’t be surprised, but had never really thought about pet food like that. I do know that, as our diet is so healthy, on the rare occasion I eat processed food I often feel negative effects. I definitely believe ‘you are what you eat’!

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  30. Happy birthday, Orlando! 🙂
    This makes a lot of sense to me. I used to make food for my cats. When times got busy (with our move, for instance, four years ago), I gave up and started feeding them pet food from the store. Izzy and Bella (our kitties) have gotten fat on that stuff, and Bella developed allergies and asthma. After reading your post, I’m thinking about making food for them again. Thank you!

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    • I’m so happy to hear that Robin! Preparing this post I started to think more about how I could move O onto home prepared food and I’ve a couple of strategies in mind to try – both of which I am sure will require patience and a bit of spoon feeding and humming – he likes to be sung or hummed to and despite my tone deafness I oblige 🙂 Please do share how you get on with your kitties!

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    • Do you know Carol, I shouldn’t really have been so surprised given my own experience. When I decided to eliminate sugar and manufactured foods from my diet in 2013 the improvement in my health was felt by me within three days and observable by others within a week or two. And I remember at the time thinking it would be a long hard road and I would only commit to ‘today and maybe tomorrow’ but because I began to feel well so quickly I just kept going …….. Fresh IS definitely best for us all!!

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  32. what an amazing turnaround for Orlando. I don’t have a pet related story but I do know from personal experience how removing dairy from my diet eliminated (ha, ha) diarrhea and headaches. I think vets and doctors need to pay more attention to nutrition and food in their educations and training.

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  33. Could it be that she was actually just allergic to fish? An allergy can have really odd effects.

    I’m glad your wonderful cat recovered. Time to tell the veterinarian that the diagnosis needs revising?

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    • Good thought Val – it could be so. The vet didn’t mention that as a possibility and so I never researched that – but now I might. I did tell my vet – and he looked stunned and didn’t really respond. I didn’t feel we were going to have a conversation about it. Might be time to find a new vet?

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  34. Wonderful post! I took my kitties off of wet canned food after two of them developed extreme hyperthyroidism within a month of each other. Both needed radioactive iodine treatment. It was costly and scary. My vet said there may be a correlation between cat food containing seafood and/or canned food period (due to BPA in the lining) and thyroidism in cats. Recently, I had to put them back on canned food—but found one that doesn’t have the BPA lining. Happy Birthday, Orlando!! What a beautiful kitty! 😻

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      • WordPress hiccup!! Your story is very interesting! At least your vet has some clue as to what ‘may’ be happening. Mine, when I told him the outcome of my research and experiment just looked stunned – and slightly disbelieving. I’ve decided to try and move Orlando onto free-range chicken and puppy stew minus the vegetables – I just have to remind myself to keep it to baby steps! I’ll also hunt around and see if I can find BPA free cans here, just in case 😀

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