Garage Door Hazard
It would be nice if more people knew about the dangers posed by automatic garage doors. In 2006, our garage door was up with the car in the garage.
Little did we know that our cat Fred climbed on to the “shelf” that the top of the garage door creates. We pushed the button from the car to close the garage door and pulled away not knowing or seeing any evidence of what was happening on the other side. With the garage door traveling down, Fred was caught between the garage door and the garage top. Because of the numerous injuries Fred sustained, he was put to sleep.
We were told by the veterinarian that this is not an uncommon occurrence with cats and garage doors. Doors do have an eye at the bottom for safety, but there is no safety feature at the top to stop a tragedy like this from occurring. No cat or any other animal should ever have to go through what he did.
Danny and Rozelynn Pool
Dallas, Ore.
Habits
Our 3-and-a-half-year-old Maine Coon, Happy, has been an indoor cat but recently has enjoyed our backyard with the 8-foot fence. The other day he raced in through the back door. He ran to the litterbox, used it, and then ran back out the door. We have had many laughs over that. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Anne Carriere
Texas
Homeopathic Care
I hear and read about feline urinary tract infections all the time and always wonder why alternative treatment is not sought. My Himalayan got repeated UTIs — three in a row — and a change in diet did not work. When my vet suggested surgery, I knew there had to be alternatives. I sought out a homeopathic vet and had a two-hour session where I answered various questions about my cat’s habits. Once the homeopathic vet determined a remedy, he gave a dose of 10 granules to my cat and that was the last of any infections. It was the best $200 I ever spent.
In addition to UTI problems, I also sought out acupuncture for my diabetic cat. It helped stabilize him and keep him balanced. I went from hand-feeding him baby food every two hours throughout the night to him eating on his own. I could see a difference in his demeanor and he required less insulin after each appointment.
I urge everyone to consider looking outside the box.
Maera Busch
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