Obligatory Trip to the Vet

So this morning I wake up to Minnie Mao jumping into bed with me about one minute before the alarm goes off. I think that she now knows exactly when it is 7:30 even before the alarm sounds! Except today she did not pounce around playfully tempting me to the kitchen to fill her bowl. Today, she curled up next to me and layed her head down, neck outstretched and stared at the wall with half open eyes. I knew that her worms or whatever ails her is beyond my ability to help. I wish I had thought of the DE weeks ago before this cold snap hit and all the kitties still had a strong appetite. I wish I had the all books and information that I needed to nip any problems in the bud.

I guess the fact that the kitties all came to us at their own timing (we didn't choose them, their feral Mama delivered them here) left us unprepared. In the years since our last kitties left us for kitty heaven in their old age, we have changed our perspective on taking care of OUR health to a more holistic approach. Naturally this extends to the creatures that we are stewards of. But this unexpected gift of kitties means we have a lot to learn for them...and fast.

Fortunately the veterinarian had several openings and we were able to get them in. I also brought Cinderella, with her frostbit ear and conjunctivitis. Our first trip to the holistic veterinarian meant over an hour of driving in very hazardous conditions! It was freezing rain and the roads were a sheet of ice. I am so grateful for DH who drove us there in his 4x4 truck!

I will not go into all the details, but as it turns out, I am very happy to have found the SULLIVAN COUNTY ANIMAL HOSPITAL and will recommend them to anyone in the area looking for holistic veterinary care! The diagnosis for our kitties is roundworms, as we already knew, and Coccidia. We were given enough Nemex 2 to treat all of the cats for roundworms and Albon 5% to treat the kittens for the Coccidia and also a vitamin supplement. (I will still use the DE as a preventative). The two who made the trip with us were given a shot of vitamin B12 to boost their appetite.

My immediate goal now is to learn how to take all of the kitties to optimal health with the food that I give them every day, to build and maintain stong immune systems and to nip in the bud any future problems that might arise with non-toxic natural remedies, so that harsh medicines with possible side effects would rarely have to be resorted to. The ideal would be kitties living on healthy, complete nutrition and thus having strong immunities and their problems will be few and minor.

Another thing I must do is not wait so long in the future to get them to the vet when they are obviously not feeling well.