Page 6 - Spring 13

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when it’s hot he can completely spread out with his belly exposed, even if he decided to come and sit on his caretaker’s lap. Even nowadays it’s only on her lap that he may jump on and look for being stroked, and that only on his terms.
When questioned about the purpose and aim of a medication, the answer was : ‘He should be in better health’. And on a material level: ‘That he could again roam around everywhere, cry at us to get something to eat and do what he used to do’. And on a moral level: ‘That he could again have a cat’s life’.
He yawns normally but not more often than Imelda, the female cat of the house.
Ernesto has a shiny coat, rather short-haired, smoky black, drawing to a brownish tone in sunny weather. He had some dandruff in the past, but nothing special at the moment. At the vet’s, when he is stressed he always looses an impressive amount of hair. He has nice claws, usually very clean. His skin is white under his coat.
Anamnesis and behavioural symptoms
Friendly, gentle, cuddly, quiet, exuberant at times (out of 15 minutes extravagance, or when he demands something to eat), peaceful (often), cautious (always), awkward (some- times), inquisitive (when it’s about food), cheeky or mischievous (never leave butter on the table : you won’t see him but he will get it), he is not suspicious nor vindictive , not jealous, sometimes quarrelsome (only with his cat friend), cunning, confident (with myself or Mr, but with nobody else), fearful (sometimes), self- assured, with a good memory (I think so but cannot give an example).
He is specially sweet when he decides to have a cuddle. Madame has often thought that in the Middle Ages, priests would have condemned him to be burnt at the stake or to be drowned or even worse because he shows an exagger- ated sensuality. When she drives home after her work, if the dog isn’t outside, Ernesto comes miaowing to be petted.
He can miaouw continuously for two hours (really) till somebody gives him something to eat. His voice is sharp and loud and one must admit that it really gets on one’s nerves, when he decides that it is dinner time. Nevertheless, he gets his dry cat food at regular time.
We don’t know his past history. We know that he has had difficult times before being adopt- ed. He is a cat and has always made cat tricks, even forbidden ones (like jumping on the table).
He always ignored any rules, when nobody from the family was present: a real cat!
With strangers, he stays very reserved. It seems that he likes company, but only that of people he knows well. He sees few children and seems to be even more careful than with adults (maybe because children look for con- tact in a more direct way). Even when his family is away and if some friends (he had already met earlier) come to feed him, he doesn’t let them approach him, especially if they don’t present him with some food.
He likes the fire in the fireplace (behind the glass of the solid fuel burner) and lies down in front of it to look at the flames, even if the tem- perature is very, very high. He can stay there for 20 minutes before going outside.
He goes out in all weather. A catflap allows him to enter or go out as he wants, but he stays longer outside when the weather is good. He does not spend the night outside.
Usually he is rather quiet, but it is important to say that his temperament is stable. When the family is eating, he stays near the table, waiting for any bits.
Rain doesn’t bother him, he even got bathed sometimes (he did allow it but without pleas- ure).
He doesn’t like to be put in his cat carrier (nor- mal for a visit to the vet), but when he returned between town and country (twice a week for six months) he endured it and took it easy at both places.
He fears some unknown noises. But known noises, even loud ones (like the drill, the grinder or the vacuum cleaner) don’t bother him because he has understood that they won’t hurt him. Speaking to him reassures him.
1 Digestion/eating habits: He likes pancakes, bread, sweet buns and butter. Of course he craves for meat, fish and seafood. We saw him even eat cucumber (not much but nev- ertheless), stick beans, beetroot and arti- choke. Water and food, when given, are usually at room temperature, but if it comes directly from the fridge, he likes it too.
2 Aversions: None as far as we know, but we did not try to give him anything that you wouldn’t normally give to a cat (the cucumber and beetroot fallen on the floor).
3 Appetite: He eats all the time or rather as soon as he gets an opportunity. He used to eat very quickly (no more since july 19th 2011). To avoid a too heavy weight gain, he is put on ration and eats twice a day (half
past six in the morning and eight p.m.) and goes hunting for his food supplements. His optimal weight is a little more than 3,5 kg, but in 2004, when he wasn’t put on ration, his weight reached 4,9 kg.
4 Thirst: He drinks a lot, often in the dog’s bowl, after having first dipped his paw in it.
5 Vomiting: Not noticed
6 Stool, urine: No idea, never sees him perform. 7 Sexual behaviour: He was castrated very
early and never showed interest in females, except the cat of the house, which he obvi- ously considered as a surrogate mother when he arrived in the family.
8 Medical history: Not known
9 What about his growth: In spite of a difficult
start, he had a normal growth. He is a sur- vivor, rather small in size but dynamic and muscular.
Vaccinations ?
He got boosters every year.. The last shot before July 2011 was in october 2010. He was not de-wormed during the 4 previous months. It should have been done, as well as the pipette against fleas within the last few days.
Disease outcome ?
He didn’t seem to suffer (no localised pain). On July 21st 2011, he looked prostrated, sick.
21/07/2011 Repertorisation (MacRepertory Universale V)
Generalities; P; WEAKNESS; Anemia, in (9) Mind; P; RESERVED (120)
Bladder; P; CALCULI (101)
Teeth; P; SORDES (56)
Skin; P; ERUPTIONS; Chronic (60)
Discussion and remedy choice
The desire for olive oil looks somewhat com- mon in cats, for me and was therefore not included in the repertorisation. Indeed I have often heard about cats gnawing olive wood or lapping olive oil. But the fact that one could reassure Ernesto by talking to him strengthens the choice of Phosphorus: Mind; M; CONSOLA- TION; Amel. (28) : CAMPH., PULS., STRAM., Phos., adam., aids, ars., asaf., carc., cic., clad- r., cypra-e., falco-p., gels., harp., hell., herin., kola., lat-h., loxo-r., lyss., ozone, pall., parth., raph., sac-alb., salx-f., sil.
Prescription
Phos 30C 2 granules, to be repeated if necessary.
Results
Mid-April 2013 Ernesto is still fit, plays, hunts and eats as before. October 2012 he was vac- cinated again. His weight was 3,6 kg. His anus looks on some days a bit swollen but he eats as he did before and regained his usual behaviour.
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