Meowpractice
Medical malpractice against people is not uncommon in the United States, so we shouldn’t be surprised when humans have difficulty trying to figure out what’s wrong with cats.
According to BMJ Journals, a staggering 795,000 people in the USA become permanently disabled or die annually due to medical misdiagnosis.
The number of cats whose owners brought about malpractice suits is more difficult to determine. But more than 2,000 cases of veterinary malpractice involving all animals are filed in U.S. courts each year, according to research by Orland Soave in his 2000 book, Animals, the Law and Veterinary Medicine: A Guide to Veterinary Law (fourth edition).
For cats, they not only have to worry about a possibly botched diagnosis from the vet, but their owners also do a good job of mistaking symptoms for something else.
A TikTok user who goes by the handle @llcool.a, thought his cat had serious medical issues because the furball hadn’t eaten for two days.
The unnamed pet was taken to the vet’s office, where, after spending $1,500 for bloodwork, X-rays and IV fluids, the heart-stopping diagnosis was revealed.
The cat was bored of eating chicken.
Maybe bored isn’t the right way to look at this. PetMD.com notes that feeding your cat too much chicken can cause nutritional deficiencies. Chicken should only make up 10% of your cat’s diet, the website notes.
To save yourself the expense of what could buy you a Samsung 85-Inch Class QLED Q8F 4K UHD Smart TV, or more importantly, a lot of groceries, The Chester Chronicles suggests you provide your furry friend with a menu of juicy choices, set in a room lit by candlelight, with soft music playing in the background.
Maybe invite a friend of your pet over so it isn’t dining alone. Good conversation makes the meal more pleasant.
And, if you do a good job, cats are known to be good tippers.
Then there is the case of a cat named Midnight.
You’ve heard about the “Florida Man.” Well, apparently, there’s such a thing as a “Florida Cat,” and Midnight is a prime example of one.
The poor animal was scheduled to be euthanized because of an intestinal blockage.
But before the midnight hour rang, the cat’s demise was averted by the HALO No-Kill Rescue Shelter in Sebastian, which operated on the 6-year-old kitty.
And what did the surgeon discover?
A giant furball?
No.
How about 26 hair ties!
Talk about a fetish.
Midnight would have been better served if she had used them on her tail.
Fortunately, after the items were removed from her digestive system, Midnight is eating “ravenously,” according to the shelter. That’s food, not more hair ties.
Another example of a person not knowing what’s going on with a cat recently took place in Ohio.
The mother of a family who live on a 1.5-acre homestead showed kindness to a cat that appeared to be abandoned. As the weather got colder, she let the feline into the house.
The well-tempered cat became a part of the family. That’s cat, singular.
Early one morning at 4 a.m., the mom’s 3-year-old wandered into the bedroom and announced, “Look at the baby kitty cats!”
Now there were two mothers in bed, the human one, and the feline that had given birth to two kittens.
While the human mother scrambled to deal with the situation, the cat mom was calmly licking her kits. But she wasn’t done.
Human mom lined a bin with towels and moved the still pregnant cat into it, where she gave birth to three more kittens.
Mazel tov!
I, too, was about to be put to the misdiagnosis test as well.
“Do I have dementia?” our cat Chester asked with concern.
“You’re demonic, not demented,” I said. “Why would you ask that question?”
“Because I was reading an article in The Independent titled, “The eight ways to tell if your cat has dementia.
“In fact, I think you might have dementia based on what the story says,” Chester matter-of-factly threw out there.
“I don’t, but let me see that.”
After reading the story, though, you would be forgiven if you thought our young cat or most other felines were suffering from a mental decline.
Here are the eight signs of feline dementia and my responses as they pertain to Chester and his responses as they apply to me.
- Unusual vocalization: Your cat might start to vocalize excessively, or in new situations. A common example of this is meowing loudly at night.
Me: “Chester, this is the reason we put you in the basement every night. All you want is more food. This is normal for you.”
Chester: “I’ve heard you meow or yell, as you put it, at night and day when you’re watching that terrible football team you root for.”
Me: “You’re correct about my team being terrible. But being a Jets fan doesn’t mean I have dementia. It means I have PTSD.
- Altered interactions: Cats with dementia sometimes seek attention more often or become “clingy”. Equally, cats with dementia might interact less than previously, appear irritable or seem not to recognize familiar people.
Me: “This is relative, Chester. Every time you want food, I can’t beat you off me. On the other hand, you run away from people you know, just because you can.”
Chester: “True that, boss.”
- Sleep changes: You may notice changes in your cat’s sleeping habits – often becoming restless at night and sleeping more during the day.
Me: “This describes you perfectly, Chester. Your late-night meowing put you in nighttime solitary confinement. As for sleeping during the day, if I didn’t know you, then I would think you were dead, considering how much you nap. That is, until you want food.”
Chester: “If I could raid the refrigerator at night as you do, you wouldn’t hear me complaining. And since I’m tired from asking for my fair share of nighttime goodies, I naturally sleep all day. Until, as you say, you actually get off your butt and feed me. Don’t you know food makes the world go round?”
- House soiling: Changes in toilet habits can be a sign of several different conditions, but toileting outside the litter tray can be a common sign of dementia in cats.
Me: “You did have some urinary tract issues that we solved by providing you with some special food. That’s not uncommon in cats and doesn’t mean you have dementia.”
Chester: “That’s a relief. But that doesn’t explain you. I notice you sometimes spray when you pee, missing the toilet.” I think you do have dementia.”
Me: “That’s what happens to many men when they get older, Chester. Sometimes our aim isn’t what it used to be. That doesn’t mean I have dementia.”
- Disorientation: Just like people with dementia, cats may show signs of confusion or wandering behavior. This might appear as losing their bearings, staring blankly at walls, getting stuck behind objects or going to the wrong side of the door.
Me: “You sometimes stare at the hallway wall, Chester.”
Chester: “That’s because of the magic light.”
Me: “That’s the reflection from cars as they drive by the house. It’s not magic.”
Chester: “Now you tell me.”
Me: “I didn’t tell you before because I like watching you jump to try and catch the light.”
Chester: “I see you looking confused often.”
Me: “If I look confused, it’s because I can’t figure out the answers to the crossword puzzle. Again, that doesn’t mean I have dementia. It just means I’m not that smart. That’s two different issues.”
Chester: “Don’t be too proud to ask for help. If you’re stuck, just ask me. I ace those things every day.”
- Changes in activity levels: A cat with dementia may be more or less active than usual. They may play less often or be less inclined to explore. You might also notice them spending less time taking care of themselves, for example, grooming or washing themselves less.
Me: “It’s difficult to tell what’s more or less active than usual with you, Chester. You do what you want, when you want.”
Chester: “Thanks for telling me what I already know, genius. It’s called being a cat.”
- Appearing anxious: A cat with dementia might show signs of anxiety in situations that they were previously confident with – such as around familiar people, places or sounds. An anxious cat might hide more often, going under the bed or on top of cupboards to escape.
Me: “Chester, you are the classic scaredy cat. Running under the bed is your second home.”
Chester: “That’s because I think you guys are taking me to the vet. I hate the vet. You’d hide under the bed, too, if someone took you to that witch doctor.”
- Learning problems: Cats with dementia may be less able to perform previously learned tasks, such as finding their food bowl, and may have difficulty learning new tasks.
Me: “No worries here, Chester. You can sniff out a food bowl from a mile away. “All in all, it’s clear you don’t have dementia.”
Chester: “Agreed. Speaking of my food bowl, I don’t smell or see anything in it. I would hope you wouldn’t forget to feed your favorite feline. If you do forget, then you have dementia.
“Or could that just be a misdiagnosis?”
If you suspect your cat has dementia, take your pet to the vet as soon as you can to rule out the possibility that another medical issue could be affecting your feline.