Soldier in Iraq has Cat Questions
Our question this week was:
Dr. Debra – This might be the wrong venue in which to ask these questions, but I have a rather unique cat issue that I was wondering if you’d help me with. I have two questions:
1. I am a soldier stationed in Iraq and I have “adopted” a local kitten (approx. 16-weeks-old). She appears to be in very good health and is very affectionate. (I can hear the warning alarms going off in your head from here lol). Anyway, I feed her regular dry cat food that my wife sends me from home and give her fresh tuna from our compound dining facility about every other day. I realize that there is probably no way for me to have rabies or any other vaccinations sent to me here to administer to this cute little fuzzball (named “Durka”). What can I do to keep her from getting any common cat diseases?
Question 2: She has developed a rather bothersome habit of affectionately licking my nose as often as she can. I try to gently shoo her away from doing this, but she gets EXTREEMELY persistent, sometimes attempting to claw her way back to my face. She’s not belligerent about it, but can be alarmingly persistent. How do I curb this behavior?
I realize that I will not be able to keep this cat when time comes for me to return home to the U.S.. Customs, quarantine costs, and Army regulation make it basically impossible. But when a person is exposed to the horrific sights and sounds that we are here, an affectionate little kitten purring in your arms as you pet her can make things almost seem like they could be ok again. I know that you are probably “Legally” supposed to say something like, ” Your best bet is to get rid of it.” “It’s going to get rabies or some other disease and expose you to it” but isn’t there something I can do to keep her healthy and at least give her a happy little life while I’m here?
Nathan Tongie
US Army
Answer
Hi Nathan– thanks for your email. And may I say – God bless you for serving our country. And what you are dong to help a kitty is wonderful. I totally understand your desire to have something live and real amidst an awful environment. Pets can do so much for us…make us smile and warm our hearts even when the chips may seem down.
You wrote that you “adopted” a local 16-week-old kitten. You are feeding it cat food from the states and tuna. You want to know what you can do to keep her from getting common diseases.
The ideal would be to get her vaccinated and spayed. If you can’t get her vaccinated, make sure you are feeding her a good quality food (make sure your wife is sending a good premium cat food labeled for kittens). If you can keep her indoors only – that will minimize her change of contracting contagious diseases from other cats. I’m not sure if that is possible in your situation. Another thing you can do…is try to give her topical flea control medications (maybe your wife can get some from your vet and send it) to control flea and parasites. Many of these medications topical liquids that you apply to the skin monthly.
Your second question was…what you can do to curb her behavior of licking your nose. You can withdraw your positive attention when she does this as an option. Minimize her exposure to your nose.
Without medical care, your best bet to keep her healthy is to feed her well, get her minimize or prevent her access to other cats, and feed her a good quality diet.
An article that might be helpful to you is Hi Nathan– thanks for your email. And may I say – God bless you for serving our country. And what you are dong to help a kitty is wonderful. I totally understand your desire to have something live and real amidst an awful environment. Pets can do so much for us…make us smile and warm our hearts even when the chips may seem down.
You wrote that you “adopted” a local 16-week-old kitten. You are feeding it cat food from the states and tuna. You want to know what you can do to keep her from getting common diseases.
The ideal would be to get her vaccinated and spayed. If you can’t get her vaccinated, make sure you are feeding her a good quality food (make sure your wife is sending a good premium cat food labeled for kittens). If you can keep her indoors only – that will minimize her change of contracting contagious diseases from other cats. I’m not sure if that is possible in your situation. Another thing you can do…is try to give her topical flea control medications (maybe your wife can get some from your vet and send it) to control flea and parasites. Many of these medications topical liquids that you apply to the skin monthly.
Your second question was…what you can do to curb her behavior of licking your nose. You can withdraw your positive attention when she does this as an option. Minimize her exposure to your nose.
Without medical care, your best bet to keep her healthy is to feed her well, get her minimize or prevent her access to other cats, and feed her a good quality diet.
An article that might be helpful to you is How to Keep Your Cat Healthy.
Best of luck!
Dr. Debra
P.S. A user recently send me a response to your question that may be helpful. It includes a list of possible links for information in the case you want to adopt the cat.
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