Nap Time and North Tabbies

Where do we start on this Monday? How about with a mancat?

There's yesterday's birthday boy! With all of that partying he did, Evan's in need of a good nap.

I guess we won't bother him, then. So, what's next? How about the A to Z Challenge?

Today we're at the letter N. Again, our theme involves putting animal-inspired twists on titles of classic stories. Today we went with Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. But can you guess how we twisted that title around?

Northanger Tabby it is!

We decided to use Northanger Abbey for the Sparks blog hop this week.

The Sparks hop is hosted by Annie of McGuffy's Reader, and it is a wonderful way for us to share positive thoughts in this often negative world. Our quote for today is short and simple, but it's also a sentiment that I, personally, find very true.

"Well, we must live and learn."

-Jane Austen (Northanger Abbey)

 Life is one of the best teachers that there is, is it not?

We hope all of you friends of ours have the most marvelous Monday!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

 

We're back to our tips on parasites that can affect our furbabies. Two days ago we gave a tip on Giardia, and the parasite of today is very similar to this. Today's parasite is coccidia, which is another single-celled protozoa that can infect the intestinal tract. Coccidia is similiar to Giardia in more than just that regard, though. Just like Giardia, coccidia most commonly causes diarrhea, and is passed in the feces. It is also possible for a furbaby to become infected with coccidia if they ingest an infected rodent.

Also just like with Giardia, sometimes a cat or dog will show no signs of infection even if they have coccidia in their intestinal tract. Young kittens or puppies, geriatric furbabies, and those otherwise medically compromised are at the highest risk. In compromised cats and dogs, diarrhea caused by coccidia infection can lead to dehydration and other complications, which can be life-threatening.

Like the broken record that we are, we're of course reminding you again to keep an eye on your furbaby when outdoors, and to keep their environment as sanitary as possible. As we said earlier, ingesting the feces of another animal infected with coccidia can lead to infection. Also ingesting debris or water near where such animal defecated could lead to an infection with coccidia.

And, again, if your furbaby has diarrhea, seek veterinary care as soon as possible. Take a fecal sample to the appointment, so that your veterinarian can do a test for coccidia and other parasites. When a diagnosis is made, discuss with the veterinarian the treatment options. Give prescribed medications, which may include antibiotics, probiotics, or another, and do so for as long as the veterinarian prescribes. Stopping medications early, even if symptoms subside, can result in a recurrence. Then again, if a treatment plan is not working, discuss that with your veterinarian as well. Diarrhea, among any number of symptoms, is not to be taken lightly, so do your best to stay on top of it.