Ready for Independence Day

Newton: I’m ready for the Independence Day parade!

orange tabby cat wearing red, white, and blue wreath

Cupcake: Mr. Newton, what happened to your mane?

Newton: This isn’t my mane. It’s my festive costume for Independence Day.

Cupcake: Can I wear a festive costume, too?

Newton: Sure, kid, try this one on.

Newton: You just slip it over your head.

Cupcake: Like this?

orange tabby cat watches tuxedo kitten wrestle with red, white, and blue wreath

Newton: Well … that isn’t how I do it, but whatever works for you, kid.

orange tabby cat watches tuxedo kitten wrestle with red, white, and blue wreath

Cupcake: It’s kind of big. Does this come in extra small?

tuxedo kitten wrapped in red, white, and blue wreath

Cupcake: * Whew *

tuxedo kitten drops red, white, and blue wreath on floor

Newton: I think it’s safer if I just parade by myself.

orange tabby cat exits frame as tuxedo kitten looks at red, white, and blue wreath

Whether you’re marching in a parade, going to a picnic, or just hanging out, we hope all of our friends who celebrate it have a happy Independence Day!

New Uses for Old Things

Newton: What are you doing to Pierre’s food bowl, kid?

orange tabby cat looks out door at tuxedo kitten playing in surefeed microchip feeder

Cupcake: I don’t see any food here. But when I go in this thing, my tail is easier to catch.

tuxedo kitten plays in surefeed microchip feeder

Cupcake: Have you ever tried catching your tail? It’s hard.

tuxedo kitten plays in surefeed microchip feeder

Cupcake: But here… gotcha!

tuxedo kitten plays in surefeed microchip feeder

Newton: Kid, you’ve got so much to learn…

orange tabby cat itnores tuxedo kitten in surefeed microchip feeder

Sofa Encounter

Many of you asked how the resident cats were doing with a new kitten in the house.

Cupcake has a serious case of hero worship with all of the big kitties and wants to be near them, but she is respectful when they tell her to back off. The only times things can get tense is when she surprises them at close range.

This happened over the weekend with Ashton, and I happened to have my cell phone to catch some grainy photos of the encounter.

tuxedo kitten lurks behind one-eyed brown tabby cat

Ashton got suspicious that someone was behind her, but she was patient about it at first.

one-eyed brown tabby cat notices tuxedo kitten

Knowing that Cupcake was on the move behind her was stressful, though.

tuxedo kitten walks behind one-eyed brown tabby cat

When Cupcake tried to walk too close to her, it was too much for Ashton.

Cupcake was fine after Ashton gave her a whack for coming too close, but she kept more of a distance afterward, which is exactly the message Ashton was trying to get across to her.

one-eyed brown tabby cat whaps tuxedo kitten

Everyone is learning new boundaries with each other, but they’re all getting extra treats and attention in the process, so that part of it suits them all fine.

Umbilical Hernias in Cats

I mentioned last week that Cupcake had hernia surgery just before joining our family, and I got a couple questions about it afterward. So today, we’re going to talk about cat hernias.

Clipboard: Umbilical Hernia in cats

What is a Hernia?

A hernia is a condition that affects both humans and other species of animals. It means that there is a weak spot in the abdominal muscles or in the diaphragm, and that tissue or organ is bulging through the weak spot.

Hernias very from small and nearly unnoticeable to larger, depending on how big the area is of weak muscle. In rare cases, hernias can become dangerous if the contents of the hernia are constricted where they pass through the hernia and can’t get blood flow. This is called a strangulated hernia.

Diagram of strangulated hernia. Photo credit: depositphotos/blueringmedia

Hernias have different names depending on where on the body they are found. For instance, umbilical hernias are at the site of the belly button, while diaphragmatic hernias are abnormal openings in the diaphragm.

Umbilical Hernias

Cupcake had an umbilical hernia, the most common hernia in cats. These can be hereditary, but can also be caused if the umbilical cord was pulled too hard or if the mother cat chews the umbilical cord too close to the infant kitten’s belly.

Since a cat’s belly button is actually a small opening where the umbilical blood vessels are attached before the kitten is born, it is a small opening that needs to close in every kitten after birth. This means that small umbilical hernias are not uncommon with kittens. Small hernias may close on their own while the kitten is growing for her first few months.

Umbilical Hernia Repair

Cupcake’s hernia was small enough that it wasn’t caught until after her spay surgery. But she was nearly three months old, and she was about to take an airplane flight and be adopted. Even though her hernia was small, we decided it was safest to have her hernia taken care of, so she was scheduled for hernia surgery. The surgery for a an umbilical hernia wasn’t more strenuous on her than her spay surgery, and she was able to travel the next day.

A week later, the most noticeable thing about her surgery site is that her tummy is shaved.

tuxedo kitten's tummy If you look closely, you can see some of the surgical glue left on her fur, and just above that, a pinker bulge where the absorbable stitches are holding together the layers of muscle so they can heal properly. Our vet examined her over the weekend and said she is healing well. We expect the bulge will probably become less noticeable and may even flatten out entirely once she finishes healing.

tuxedo kitten's hernia repair surgery site

It certainly hasn’t slowed her down a bit! Kittens who go through hernia repair are just as bouncy and rambunctious as any other kittens. So if your vet tells you that your new kitten has an umbilical surgery, don’t panic. Cupcake says that getting all fixed up is a piece of cake.

Research and Further Reading:

VCA Hospitals, Umbilical Hernias in Cats
DVM 360, Heriniorraphy (Proceedings)