A Senior Feline Health Story: Cracker’s Journey

Hello! I’m Cracker. I think I am about 18 years old, though we’re not really sure. My mom rescued me from a severe hoarding situation about 16 years ago and the vet estimated at that time I was about two. I was very underweight and skittish, and my mom took me to the vet right away and had me vaccinated and put me on a healthy diet.

My new mom and I adored each other right away, and she worked hard to take great care of me. But, at the time, my mom didn’t understand how important it is to provide me with preventive care. So, that first visit to the vet was the only one I had for about eight more years! Mom was awesome, but she didn’t realize that I needed to see a veterinarian for regular checkups. I finally went for another visit when I was ten years old and got a UTI (ick). Fortunately for me and mom, I didn’t have any underlying diseases – but I know that lots of other cats aren’t so lucky.

When I was diagnosed with the UTI at Just Cats, the vet gave Mom some medicine for me. GROSS! I fought her because it tasted bad, but the nice people at Just Cats gave Mom tips on how to medicate me so that I would stop fighting and take the medicine I needed. I was good as new in no time! The doctors at Just Cats were so nice, and they told my mom that it’s really important for me to have annual checkups. That’s when I started visiting Just Cats once a year – just to make sure I’m still in tip-top shape.

Guess what happened next? Many years later, Mom ended up getting a job at Just Cats! This meant that she could take me to work with her a lot of days. One day I started acting a little funny. Mom noticed that I had weird marks in my fur, so she took me to see Dr. Sikule, who said that the marks in my fur were actually burns. Yikes! Mom realized that when we were at home, I would lie next to the electric floor board heaters in our house and I had gotten a little too close… enough to burn myself.

When Mom told Dr. Sikule the next morning that she had figured out how I got the burns, Dr. Sikule chuckled and said,  “She’s trying to tell you she is cold!” Dr. Sikule recommended that my mom get me a heating pad that I could leave on all the time. That night, my mom did her research and purchased one. The day it came was the best day of my life (well, aside from the day Mom rescued me – but I don’t remember that day so well)! My mom put it on my bed by the window, and now I lie there and watch the birds and squirrels and I stay so warm. See… we cats don’t “talk” to our caretakers, but we still “tell” you what we need!

Now that Mom takes me to the vet regularly, she is educated about how to provide me with the best quality life she can. I had kidney disease, but the Just Cats vets caught it early and I am going to have the longest life possible. My mom also knows that I need routine bloodwork twice a year so that she knows what supplements will help me be the healthiest I can be in my old age.

I’m proud to say that today, I am a pretty active 18-year-old! I don’t hear so well, and I don’t have the skinny figure I once had (sigh), but I am also no longer quite so skittish. I have a younger brother to play with who keeps me feeling young. Mom hopes that my health remains and that I can be her trusty sidekick for many years ahead. When the time comes, I know that Just Cats will be there for both me and Mom.