Happy
Valentine's Day to our Companion Animal of the Month, Thumper Bonnell! This
little sweetheart is a 14 year-old blue cream tabby Manx who adopted Janet &
Louis Bonnell. Thumper was a mere eight weeks when she was found jumping up and
down outside Janet's office window in St. Augustine. Since then, she has
provided the Bonnells with unconditional love and lots of unforgettable antics!
When she isn't sleeping on Janet's desk, Thumper enjoys watching fish swim in the aquarium, her favorite television shows, and chittering at the doves out in the yard. She is a champion sun-soaker and has her favorite spot on the carpet reserved for sunbathing. She also sings along with Janet and has extensive “conversations” with both Janet and Lou. While she is not in the least bit interested in catnip, Janet says that she'll go bonkers for strawberries! Her favorite memory of Thumper is the day they brought her home where she slept all day in a tiny wicker basket.
Thumper
has had chronic constipation for quite some time. To help with this issue,
Janet has been adding Benefiber to Thumper's water, canned pumpkin mixed into
her food, as well as giving her a medication called Cisapride. This
chronic constipation is more than likely due to a condition called megacolon.
Her colon has become enlarged in diameter and has lost its motility. It
can lead to obstipation, which is the inability to defecate. Cats can normally
retain feces for several days without any harm, but if the passage of stool is
prevented, the colon can become further distended. The medication Cisapride can
help increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract, while another
medication called Lactulose, as well as canned pumpkin and Benefiber, can help
soften the stool. There are multiple causes of megacolon, but in Thumper's
case, it's believed to be neurological. Tailless cats are more prone to
neurological problems.
Thumper has also experienced recurrent urinary problems. In addition to urinary tract infections and cystitis, she also has detrusor atony, which means that her bladder is large and distended. The detrusor muscle contracts when pushing out urine, otherwise it remains relaxed to allow the bladder to fill. Detrusor atony makes urinating difficult because the muscle is unable to squeeze all the urine out of the bladder. It also can allow the bladder to overfill, causing urinary tract infections, inflammation, discomfort, and incontinence. Detrusor atony is also a neurologic problem. Dr. Sukhija prescribed a medication for Thumper called Bethanechol to help increase the tone of the detrusor muscle. Bethanechol also stimulates stomach and intestinal motility, which may help her avoid constipation. Thumper is doing well with her medications and is now able to urinate and defecate more comfortably.
When
asked how Thumper has changed the Bonnells lives, Janet says that she makes it
so much more fun! She shared the story of bringing Thumper onto an airliner to
Kentucky. Thumper rode in a soft-sided carrier underneath their seats and would
occasionally meow to announce to the passengers that she was aboard the
aircraft. During the security inspections, her carrier had to be unzipped. Her
head would pop out like a Jack-in-the-Box and Lou would have to push her back
in. But the trip was worth the effort to get there. Thumper the Pioneer Kitten
stayed in a 200 year-old cabin on a farm.
Even though Thumper takes over Janet's desk, has her silly little ways, and must be given medication regularly, the love and companionship that she provides to the Bonnells is priceless. Her human-training abilities are excellent as she has Janet and Lou at her beck and call when it comes to loving and to feeding. But the success of the training doesn't fall completely on Thumper's talent. It's also the Bonnells' willingness to be trained by a such a sweetie!
--Written by Jennifer Liggett (Client Advocate)
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