Jimee, Jackie, Tom and Asha, Flickr
That's because the SPCA has a new, very affectionate feline guest. Marty the cat is making headlines with his incredible story, explains Mandi Heart of the Santa Cruz SPCA.
You see, Marty suffers from an autoimmune disorder called stomatits. It makes him allergic to his own teeth. Or perhaps we should say that he was allergic to his own teeth.
When he arrived at the SPCA, Marty's gums were constantly inflamed, so much so that he could barely eat or even close his mouth. Reaching out to the cat lovers in their community, the Santa Cruz SPCA asked for help to fund a costly surgery that would remove Marty's teeth. The outpouring of help and generosity was a testament to the incredible bond between mankind and feline kind. "It overwhelmed us," Heart tells Paw Nation. "We raised the money for his surgery in just a couple of weeks."
Now, without his annoying chompers, Marty is happy, healthy, and still spreading the love at the SPCA. "He'll just jump into your lap and start licking if you let him. He's that kind of cat, super affectionate like a dog," Heart says.
Marty's also waiting for that special someone who might want a highly affectionate cat who likes snuggling and an occasional kiss or two. And who doesn't want that?
According to Heart, Marty's only special need is that he needs soft food for the rest of his life. As an added bonus, any potential adopters can rest assured: no love bites
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So glad to hear Marty's doing better! It's a pity that it took such extreme measures to get him healthy. Autoimmune disorders are a terrifying thing - your own body's defenses, trying to do you in... brrrr. Hope somebody steps up and adopts this brave kitty soon!
Stomatitis is NOT a cat being allergic to its own teeth. It is an auto-immune response to the bacteria that naturally occurs around teeth. Pulling the teeth usually solves the problem...no teeth, no bacteria collecting around them...but the cat isn't allergic to it's teeth. Steroids help temporarily but it always comes back and is very painful. Usually you can solve the problem by just pulling the back teeth.
One of my cats, Casper Jr, had this same issue. The first vet he had been going to didn't treat this properly. He only removed a few of his teeth which did resolve any problems. I then moved and found a new vet that was really up on all the various types of conditions that animals have. He got right to it, because he was so sick, the removal of his teeth had to be done in stages. Because his tissues were so infected and degraded, grafts had to be used to help the gums to heal. It was a long tedious and I am sure...painful time for Casper. But we got through it!! After he had healed, I was simply awestruck and amazed at the kind of cat Casper really was. I rescued him and it wasn't long after that I discovered that he was having dental issues. So, I had not really gotten to know the real Casper who wasn't in pain. My belief is that he knew that I was helping him get better, knew that he was very much loved and treasured. After all the surgeries and he was all healed up; I then learned I was sick. I have to do weekly infusions for the rest of my life to help me live longer. Casper knew something was up. Once I started to do my infusions at home, he would sit close by waiting patiently till I was hooked up to my IV and was comfortable. He then would carefully get on my lap and curl up, he would lick my hand of the arm where the IV was. He would also sort of sniff the needle, put his paw on my arm and there he would stay till I was done a few hours later. I began to call Casper my infusion buddy. He was the most compassionate cat I have ever seen. Sadly, he died about 3 years later due to kidney cancer. It just broke my heart and I miss him terribly. But, my belief is that Casper was brought into my life by divine intervention. He helped me through some horrible days and was always there giving me a paw to his heart. And to think that a lot of people think cats are self absorbed....they couldn't be more wrong!!
Ladybugzz,
So glad you had Casper in your life during a scary time in your life. Casper sounds like he had stomatitis, as my cat Dylan does. She had trouble eating because she was in pain, but once we got her teeth taken out, she became a better eater, and is still with my wife and I. She will lie on my wife's stomach, or lie on my pillow at night. She is very affectionate, as is our other cat Roberta. By the way, it is not necessarily true that cats without teeth can't eat dry food; Dylan does, because her gums are hard enough to grind the food. May you find the strength to find another Casper, as it seems he was very good for you, and may you continue to improve in health. You are in my thoughts for full healing.
Sincerely,
Jon
What a sweet story Ladybugzz, I also believe cats have a keen sense when you are not feeling "yourself" and comfort you in your time of need. I have two cats myself ZoLee and Buddi and I rescued both from the local shelter. Buddi was so beat up and down on his luck but he curled right on my lap when I first met him. He knows he has the "good life" now and appreciates me. I truly hope someone adopts Marty -- they would have a friend for life!
yes,I believe they are angels sent here from God.....I feel sorry for anyone that doesn't know what it is to love a cat...I have a friend who says she never had them ...she rescued 4 of them and loves them so much she can't imagine life without them.......I have 8 and have been rescuing them for many years....I am glad casper helped you while you were sick...he kept you focused while you healed...your angel is with st.francis .....
Ladybugzz my cat also had stomatitis. He had to have his upper and lower back teeth removed. It was a costly procedure but, he is doing well now. When ever I tell my story I say that he's one lucky cat with one broke owner.
I think animals have a 6th sense about what's going on w/us. . . I've never been seriously ill in my life and I never had an animal w/serious health issues but my kitty always knows when I've had a bad day or aren't feeling well. . . I fell down the stairs a few weeks ago and hurt my back and when I was laid up for a few days she never once left my side, she'd curl up around my head on my pillow, rub her cheek against mine, and purr in my ear
Wow! This is such a nice story ending. I've NEVER heard of such a thing..doesn't make sense to me really? Maybe it was something else because we are all given teeth??! very odd. I hope and pray this sweetie gets the best home asap.
And, yes, cats can be very affectionate, we have to stop saying things like: "superaffectionate, just like a Dog." ! Dogs aren't the only pets who can give affection...enough of this comparison. Give the cats their due, just say "he/she is very affectionate." There are positives for each animal, I never hear dogs compared to cats for the cat's positives?? hmmmm something to think about here?
Very touching and heartwarming stories all. It is an unfortunate sterotype that cats are aloof and self absorbed.
We have a borther and sister and both are the most loving playful affectionate animals we ever shared space with.
The male especially reminds me of our dog. He waits for me and licks my hand when I come home. We also have this game we play every day. He trys to take my chair over, and will keep runing back to it untill I get tired.
We are really blessed to have such wonderfull animals share our lives.
I agree...people who say they are aloof,never took the time to know one.
Sounds to me like this cat has gingivitis, not allergy. This can be caused by bacteria that get under the gumline, particularly when a cat (or dog) doesn't get enough hard foods to strengthen and tone their gums.
My blue point Siamese that I rescued had the same problem. I was only told by my vet that she was a allergic to her teeth. We tried antibiotics, steriod shots, and finally we removed her teeth. All she could eat before the surgery was soft food, she loved her chin getting scratched and I could do maybe 2 scratches and she would push away from my hand.Now with no teeth she eats hard food, treats, and loves getting her chin scratched. She still has the Siamese personality so the chin scratching is about all the affection she wants.
I had a cat that had this.When I adopted Monty the Lady told me he had an imuine(spck?) defincincy, long story short.. when Monty was about 5yrs I had to have all his teeth removed minus the canines :( . He was fine for just a few months then he started getting sick again. I did everything I could to keep him alive but in the end I had to put him to sleep. It was horriable , I still miss him but I would think twice about putting my cat through that again.
My cat very possibly has this same thing. Anybody willing to say how much they spent in the end for getting all of their cat's teeth removed. I was not told that mine is allergic to his teeth but he was very ill before I got him as a baby from neglect and they think his teeth and gums were so effected by this. However, after reading this I am starting to wonder.
PawNation
the condition is spelled Stomatitis* you forgot the "i" before the "s". Thought I'd mention that
my cat has the same thing, they say. can't aford the surgery but wish i could. so am trying to use antibiotics the vet gave me.
I wonder how much of a "catlover" you are when your cat is obviously in distress, yet you won't get the surgery it requires to live a healthy, normal life. Any responsible pet owner will do whatever it takes to fully care for an animal; otherwise you have no business owning a pet. I would starve before I let my cat go untreated. It's sad that your kitty has no say in the matter and must suffer because of you.
sbf152 you shouldn't be so sanctimonious. There are humans who don't go to the doctor or have needed procedures done because of cost. She took the cat to the vet and is giving her antibotics, she is trying, give her a break. If you're so put out then donate, just don't like seeing people attacked when they are trying.
sbf152: Clearly you're rolling in dough (or credit card debt to the max) so maybe step off your high horse and give a few dollars to people that have been slammed by the economy.