They’re tricky to treat, and hard to control.
They squirm their way right past many powerful therapies.
These are the feline diseases that’ll break your heart.
They make you feel completely helpless.
But don’t give in to despair just yet.
There’s every chance that there’s still something you can do.
1. Get a second opinion
How sure are you that your vet is right about your cat’s outlook?
What if another vet has a different, more proactive approach to cat health?
My own experience with vets has been incredibly mixed.
Some have made me cry with their kindness.
(Yep, that was pretty embarrassing.)
Others have made me feel like I was wasting their time with my annoying questions.
Ask your pet owning friends if they know a fantastic vet.
Get a personal recommendation, and make an appointment today.
A different vet might approach feline diseases from another perspective – one that can help your cat.
2. Explore natural remedies
When my precious little tabby Moofy was diagnosed with cat cancer, the vet said, “There’s nothing we can do. Bring her in when the tumor gets too big and we’ll put her to sleep”.
I don’t think so, buddy!
That was the worst idea I’d ever heard.
I’m a Cat Mama!
I wouldn’t be giving up on my cub that easily.
So I looked for alternatives.
And I discovered that vets are not the only cat health experts out there.
There’s a whole world of natural remedies for cats to explore.
Moofy happily tried everything from homeopathy to reiki.
And our alternative treatments controlled the tumor for a long time.
Moof kept right on climbing the living room curtains, and dancing with butterflies in the back yard.
So seek out a holistic vet or animal naturopath.
Ask her about natural approaches to cat health.
3. Shift your focus from quantity to quality of life
With incurable feline diseases, naturally you’re anxious about how much time you have left with your cat.
But none of us can really predict that – whether there are feline diseases in the mix, or not.
Try shifting your focus from your cat’s quantity of life, onto her quality of life.
Think about how wonderful you can make your precious cat’s daily experience, right now.
When you do that, you stop feeling so helpless.
You worry less about the future, and think about how you’ll make a difference for your cat today.
Your pussycat will love this new development.
Cats live completely in the moment.
She’ll relish the extra attention and care she’s suddenly getting!
And more snuggling will make you both smile.
Plenty of feline diseases will allow good quality of life for a long time.
When there’s really no cure for your cat’s condition, the landscape changes.
You stop looking for the one miracle treatment that will fix everything.
And you start looking at how to take care of a cat with a long-term chronic illness.
After that vet told us nothing could be done, Moofy and I had almost 2 more wonderful years together.
We went on an amazing journey through the world of complementary therapies, and crossed paths with many experts and healers whose knowledge and support made us both feel better.
It turned out that Moof’s diagnosis was not an automatic death sentence.
It wasn’t a fatal illness that must be “cured” at all costs.
As she lived with her incurable cat cancer, Moof’s quality of life was never better:
Moofy was busy living her life – not waiting for death.
So, yes, some feline diseases can’t be cured.
But you don’t have to see them as a death sentence.
Plenty of people live with long-term chronic illnesses.
Why can’t a cat?
Hi Liz,
Just wanted to say thanks again for this article. My 7 month old kitten has possible fips and we’re not ready to give up on him yet. Hopefully my Rocco has the same zest for life as your Moofy! Cheers Heather (from twitter) xx
http://www.myspanishvida.wordpress.com
Glad it helped, Heather; there’s so much you can do to help him. I always suggest a holistic vet as a good place to start – they know both conventional and alternative approaches, so you get twice the options. Talk to Rocco and tell him what’s going on – it sounds crazy but I think it’s important. Hang in there xx
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