MVI_0724.AVI

I was reading about cat diseases, the other day.  Unlike searches for human illnesses, Google generally does not return medicine-maker advertising.  Not every result is useful.  Many are of the "I cured my cat's brain tumor with St. John's Wort, reikki. and a strict Vegan diet."  But most of the rest are general-audience information posted by veterinarians.

Among other things, I wanted to read-up on heartworm in cats.  Cats don't get heartworm as easily as dogs, even if they're bitten by a larva-carrying mosquito.  Indoor cats, being exposed to far fewer mosquitos than other cats, are still less likely to acquire heartworms.  Which is good, because the prognosis for a heartworm-infected cat is grim.  I know the odds because I've done my own reading, and discussed the subject with more than one veterinarian.  More than once, I been told that indoor cats in Michigan are at such a low risk for heartworm that heartworm-preventative is an unnecessary expense.

So, in my reading, I was surprised to see a statement that one study showed 1/3 of indoor cats actually had heartworms.  That was followed by a recommendation to administer heartworm-preventative, and an endorsement of a specific product.  I realized I had strayed from education to advertising.  It was jarring.

A few days ago, I was sitting near the window.  Hob (aka "Squeeebs"), the newest cat, decided to practice her parkour.  Climbing into the bowl of a torchiere is not a good idea.  My phone was handy, so I decided to photograph her before extraction.  After all, not everyone would believe a cat would attempt such a stunt.

Instead, I caught this image of her riding the lamp towards my head, just before I caught the lamp.

This is Hob.  Already knicknamed "Hob-goblin" and "Hobbes."

We adopted her this afternoon.  Her right eye looks a little weird because it's watering.  She has herpes.  That's actually not unusual in a cat, especially a feral-adoption.  In most cats, it causes watering eyes and sneezing, etc.  Then it goes dormant, and is frequently never noticed again.  Hob (and her littermates) are unusual in that their symptoms are more likely to return.  This is especially true when under stress.  Being adopted is stressful, so she's showing symptoms.  She's also contagious, because of the sneezing.  (Humans and Dogs can't get Feline Herpes Virus.  The other cats are vaccinated against it.  She's isolated during introduction to the other cats, anyway.)

I suspect she'll be a handful.  She's as insistent, demanding, and vocal as Tabby (much pleasanter voice, though).  She's also athletic (she escaped to the top of a display rack during her adoption and is capable of deftly jumping to a person's shoulder).  Looks like Nicole has her lap cat.