Sharing the spotlight with....Ellie and Jezibel!

Jezibel the Calico


Ellie the Tuxedo


First of all, Taz is doing well. He's back to his old "bossy" self, wanting out, complaining to the dog, and complaining about the other cats. He's always been very vocal and it looks like he has gotten his voice back. It's good to see him feeling good.

We have another cat named Ellie. We've had her since she was born, so we know her actual birthday...March 22, 2000. A few months ago our vet diagnosed Ellie with Asthma. Some mornings she coughs and hacks and struggles for breath. We do have pills that we can give her and we try to catch the attack before it gets too far out of control. These pills are "as needed". This morning, apparently she had one of her attacks and we had to give her a pill. But, by that time, she was miserable. She was congested as well, so I used one of those Vicks Inhalers with her. These things have been around for years. They look like tubes of lipstick or chapstick, and when open they smell like Vicks Vapor Rub, without the greasiness, etc. I just hold it in front of the nose and she breathes in the Vicks odor. I used to put the Vapor Rub on my finger and hold it in front of her nose, but I read that the Vapor Rub can irritate the nose tissues in a cat. I haven't checked with our vet about this yet, but I plan on asking if the Inhaler is all right. In the meantime, it seems to help her breathe easier. Nothing gets on her nose.

Ellie's mother, Jezibel, also has Asthma symptoms, although has never been officially diagnosed. We have had all kinds of tests on Jezibel, and were told she was allergic to something. But, she and Ellie sound alike when they have those attacks, so I'm assuming that Jezibel is also Asthmatic. Ellie and Jezibel's problems are very small, compared to what we've been through with Taz!

More later..........