A brief overview of Hypochlorous Acid and Kangen Water

Brownie - A feral cat I got from my dear friend Jane

Lost Brown Cat in Redwood City, CA

Brownie's Story

Brownie is a feral cat I inherited from my dear friend Jane, who recently passed away from cancer. 

I'd fed Brownie on occasion, over the last decade, when my friend Jane would go on vacation. But I took him in, when she was going in and out of the hospital in the summer and fall of 2018. Jane had asked me to take care of him. 



You can see a short video about Brownie (with some video footage of him), here:






I got him trapped, fixed and microchipped, and gave him a bath, which I know he didn't like, but I had to. He was covered in his own poop, as many feral cats are when they find themselves stuck in a trap.

After I bathed him, I tried to comfort him by rubbing his chin and back, but now I realize that this may have caused him to develop a negative association with human touch, because I did this a little too soon (he continued to hiss at me when I picked him up, but at least he let me do it every time, without scratching or biting). 

Brownie is extremely shy, skittish, and still very feral.  I kept him indoors at Jane's property for a few months. I was taking care of Jane at different times, while she was in and out of the hospital and different nursing care facilities (4 nursing care facility visits and 5 trips to the hospital). The plan was to bring him to my house and let him live here with my other cats. But I was so busy trying to save Jane's life, and help her with her affairs, AND move into her duplex at the same time, I just didn't have the time to pay him much attention at all. 

Because I wasn't able to spend much time with Brownie, and had to leave him alone a lot, while I focused on taking care of his owner instead, he was never particularly fond of me. But I wasn't sure what else to do. I knew if I let him back outside, I might never be able to catch him again (and bring him to my house so I could feed him regularly).  Eventually, I did bring him here, and at least he knows he has a safe place to stay, and he can get food from me whenever he's hungry.

The Back Story about Brownie



I was happy to take Brownie in, especially because he is the brother of my (slightly less feral) cat, Booboo, whom you can see in this photo to the left (Booboo is on the top step). They were both born in 2003, in the back yard of Jane's duplex in Mountain View.  Jane called me one day to tell me there was a litter of kittens born in her back yard, and when I went over there, I couldn't believe how many kittens there were. It looked like about a dozen, I kid you not. They were all either black, or dark/striped (tortie), and I believe one of them was brown (which is why I believe Brownie was in the litter). I didn't understand anything about trapping cats or kittens at the time, and many of them ran away before I was able to catch them. I believe Brownie was one of those cats.


In 2004, someone lent me a cat trap, and I was able to catch (and adopt) Booboo's (and Brownie's) Mom, Mummie. They always hung out together and I didn't want them to be separated. I would have taken Brownie, too, but he didn't show up at Jane's place until Mummie and Booboo were gone (I think it's kind of a territory thing). 

When he did show up, Jane started feeding him, on a (mostly) regular basis (sometimes she'd be gone for days, and would either ask a friend to feed him, or she'd hope he'd catch a few rats in the meantime). She fed him for the last 15 years. He was her outdoor feral cat. 

I don't know 100% for sure that Brownie was in the same litter as Booboo, but I'm almost positive, since they look just like each other (just different colors).  I'm pasting a larger pic, below. Booboo is on the top step, Brownie on the lower. This pic doesn't do the best job of showing how brown he is, because he's slightly in the shade from the post, but he is like a chocolate brown in the sun.







Because I was able to earn Booboo's trust (and Mummie's also), and am able to pick him up and hold him and he purrs, I wrongly assumed that Brownie would come around, via the same methods. But I realized (too late) that, even though Booboo was an adult cat - about 3 years old when I got him - he wasn't quite as "set in his ways" as Brownie, who is about 15 years old, now. I think that, because I picked him up too soon, he developed a negative association with human touch, because he was completely terrified of me when I did pick him up for the first time, and many times after that. He never quite understood why I took him, or why he was forced to move from his original place. For all a feral cat knows, you're planning on eating them for dinner. 

Eventually, I believe he did come to understand that my house was a moderately safe place to be, because he could see me picking up all of my other cats, and hear them purr, so he could see the "social proof" that I'm probably not going to do harm to him. And I think he liked it that he knew he could get fed a lot, here. 

Just before Christmas, I bought him this cat bed, because it's a "self heating" type, and it had bee pretty cold. But something weird happened. The day after he spent the night sleeping it, he woke up with what appeared to be a stiff neck. He was walking funny... like... kind of lopsided. At first, I wondered if that happened because he slept funny, in an awkward position. The bed does kind of sink in, at a weird angle, and if he was trying to keep his head on top of it - to stay aware of his surroundings, as a feral cat would - he might have been sleeping in a very uncomfortable position all night.  He was walking crooked when he got up... to the point where I started to worry that maybe he'd had a stroke!

I put him, in the bed, up on the porch of the 1 bedroom unit in the back, to get some sun, but soon realized that wasn't a great idea, because his balance was off. I didn't want him falling down the stairs or off the porch.

This pic shows his head tilted at an angle. I know he just looks kind of curious in this pic, but the reason his head is tilted is because it seemed to be frozen that way all day.

Eventually, he seemed to go back to normal. So, I wasn't worried about him.

On Christmas Eve, 2019, he disappeared when one of my cats pushed a door open. I was very concerned, thinking it'd be impossible to get him back because he is so feral. But he actually came right back the next day, and went straight back into his bed. I was so happy, and this made me feel comfortable letting him outside. I know that a feral cat is generally pretty miserable being indoors. Their main concern is, they just want food, shelter, and freedom. 

Brownie went outside, and stuck around, for about 2 weeks, and he'd always come back inside. But for some reason he disappeared on Wednesday, January 10th. I opened the door for him and my cat, Bert, to go outside, and Bert came back, but Brownie never did.  I believe he was scared off by racoons, as there was a very large, ornery looking pack of them, roaming the neighborhood, recently, and they actually came into his room one evening when the door was open. 

At first I was hoping that he was just hiding out in our garage somewhere, but we realized he was not in there. The first night he disappeared, it was VERY cold. I was pretty worried he could have either had a stroke, or that raccoons could have gotten to him, but he is a very smart cat who is used to surviving on his own.

I know this will sound kooky to those who don't believe in psychics, but I did a psychic reading with a pet psychic.
I had good luck with using her in the past (she helped me to find my cat, Bert), and have recommended her to many people since then. I was impressed with the many testimonials she had on her website. 

I trust Hilary's readings and have recommended her to many other people, because she doesn't give the same general info for the same pets, over and over. She gives specifics, that would indicate details, like: a cat is stuck in a hole, and can't seem to get out, vs., say, a dog is at a construction site, far from home, or, say, a cat is at a house with orange white trim and he's hanging out in the carport.  Sometimes she can see that the cat is right inside the house!

I wanted to see if she could communicate with Brownie, to let him know that things are going to be OK, and that Jane just asked me to take him, to look out for him and make sure he was well cared for. 

I spoke with Hilary, and she told me that he was ok, and didn't think he'd had a stroke. She felt that he was doing ok, and preferred to be on his own, just hanging out in the area, basically hiding out and being independent (as he'd always been). Note: I'd be ok with that too, but am worried he could upset the neighbors by pooping in their yard, or get sick from eating rat poison, get hit by a car, or not have enough food. So I feel like it's my responsibility to look for him, especially because I told Jane I'd look after him, and I feel terrible now that he's gone. My plan is to create a large cat enclosure for him, so he has the freedom to run and jump when he wants to, and eventually we want to move to a farm where he will have a lot more space for him to run. 

Anyway, Hilary said he was hanging out just a few houses away, for awhile, and she could see him in an area that's like a large park with scattered trees, and a house with a white or beige porch railing, and a white cat with a black back. She said there are a few bushes with pink flowers on them. He had moved far enough away so that he couldn't hear when I called him. 

Jane used to bang an empty cat food can on the ground, and that was his signal that she was about to leave food for him.  So I've been doing that, but he hasn't come back. Jane had established a close enough relationship with Brownie, so that she was actually able to feed him with a spoon (but not touch him) when he was hungry. She'd mix wet food with dry food, and hold it out for him with a spoon, and he'd eat it from the spoon. I have that on video somewhere, and will try to upload it if I get a chance. 

Anyway, if you happen to see this cat anywhere, I'd be immensely grateful if you could please let me know. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. 

Laura

Stuff I buy for my kitties on a regular basis, to keep them healthy and happy

These are things I buy for my cats on a regular basis, to keep them happy and healthy.


I have four cats. When I give them wet food (most days), I take one can of Trader Joe's Tuna for Cats (only about 80 cents each if you go to Trader Joe's). UPDATE: Now that Trader Joe's no longer carries this (so bummed about this), I have been using the other types of wet food trader Joe's sells... I think one is turkey and the other one is chicken, and it seems to work ok, the cats still gobble this recipe (to be explained) down.

I scrape the food into a bowl or large cup (usually use an empty, washed-out plastic quart sized continer... the chia seeds make the thole thing gelatinous so it barely sticks to the sides). Then I add about 1/2 tsp. of the probiotics, and mix it all up (it's easier to blend the probiotics in evenly, if you do this first). Then I add about 2 tbsp of chia seeds (I used to add just one, but now I give more), 1/2 tsp of astragalus root powder (hoping it lengthens their telomeres and can make them liver longer). Lately, I have been adding Brewer's yeast, because it really does seem to help them with fleas! (You can see the story, HERE). 

One more thing - I also try to add about 1/4 tbsp of peas and carrots, or dandelions from my yard (they have SO many health benefits), blended in my nutribullet with about 1/4 cup filtered water, because if I don't blend it, they'll spit it out. They have a lot of energy after they eat this. It may sound odd to add vegetables to cat food, but the fiber really helps them, and one of the world's oldest living dogs is on a vegetarian diet! You can read about that HERE.

I mix it all up with a spoon, then add about 1/4 cup of water with about 1/3 of the cup being 8.5pH Kangen water (for the antioxidants), so it's almost like a soup.  They go nuts while I'm mixing it. I pour it into 4 small bowls, and they LOVE IT. They like the extra liquid. The chia seeds and probiotics help them with their digestion (they have perfect poops after they eat this - make sure to add water because it will help the chia seeds to expand and become gelatinous, which helps their digestion), and the diatomaceous earth helps them with parasites. It, too, helps them with their poops.

Trader Joes Tuna for Cats 8 Pack

NOTE: I am soooo bummed. The week of June 1st, I learned that Trader Joe's is going to be disontinuing this brand!! They are looking for a new distributor, because the old manufacturer is retiring (I think) or going out of business, for some reason. The people at TJs know that there are cat owners like me, who LOVE this brand, so hopefully they will find a decent replacement, soon.




This Purina One cat food is the best DRY cat food I've ever gotten for these kitties. It has really made a noticeable difference in their energy level, and seems to be 10x better than the cheap, dangerous, kidney-failing stuff in a light blue bag that I used to get from Costco (which has since been discontinued).  Lately, because I have been on a budget, I don't always give them the wet food every day, but I give them dry food for a few days and then give them a round of the wet food recipe mentioned above, so that they can get everything out of their digestive system. The chia seeds and probiotics really help with that a lot.



Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend With Real Salmon Dry Cat Food



You can get Chia seeds WAY cheaper, at Costco, for about 8 bucks a bag. At one point they were just about $8 on Amazon, too, but it seems the price went up. Chia seeds are loaded with nutritional benefits. The word "chia" means strength! So I give the cats quite a bit of these. I add 2 tbsp to their wet food (TOTAL... so it's about 1/2 tbsp per cat).


Nutiva Organic, non-GMO, Raw, Premium Black Chia Seeds, 32 Ounce



This is the brand of digestive enzymes I've been giving the cats for about 4 or 5 years now. It really seems to help them, and they barf less when they have it.  I used to buy the 1 lb jar, but I just discovered that they sell a 10 oz. bag, which is the same stuff (I guess it costs more to put it in this thick plastic container). I like to save the old jars anyway, so I will probably just transfer the contents of the bag into the empty containers I'd saved.

I had to check the ingredients of the 10 oz bag (shown further down), to make sure it was the same as what comes in the jar, and yeah it's the same thing : ). Had to double check because not only did this one seem like a better deal (per oz) than the 4 oz jar, but it also seems even cheaper per oz. than the 1 lb. container. 

4 oz version:

. 


NaturVet Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotic for Dogs and Cats, 4 oz Powder, Made in USA

8 oz version:

NaturVet – Digestive Enzymes - Plus Probiotics & Prebiotics – Helps Support Diet Change & A Healthy Digestive Tract – for Dogs & Cats – 8 oz Powder

10 oz. Powder (contains only about 1/8th the actual probiotics as the kind in the plastic jar)

 

NaturVet – Digestive Enzymes - Plus Probiotics & Prebiotics – Helps Support Diet Change & A Healthy Digestive Tract – for Dogs & Cats – 10 oz Powder



Please note: It took me a while to realize, the Probiotics in the bag look cheaper at first, but that's because it has more PREbiotics than PRObiotics. There's more fiber in the bag, and you need 2 teaspoons to equal one serving, whereas you just need 1/4 teaspoon of the probiotics (in the plastic container) with no prebiotics.  I tend to use flaxseed and chia seeds for fiber, on my own, anyway, so I think it's probably cheaper to go with the plastic container, if you buy this on a regular basis. Just my opinion.

1 pound jar:

NaturVet – Digestive Enzymes - Plus Probiotics & Prebiotics – Helps Support Diet Change & A Healthy Digestive Tract – for Dogs & Cats – 1 lb Powder

I haven't tried this version but it seems to have really good reviews, so I may try it in the future.



Pet Ultimates Probiotics for Cats - 20 Species - Stops Diarrhea

 & Vomiting, Cuts Litterbox Smell




In the past I've just bought this 2 lb bag, but think I will go with the 10 lb bag next time, as I seemed to go through the last bag pretty quick, and use this stuff in my own smoothies. It actually can give me a buzz like coffee, if I drink it on an empty stomach.

















Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade 2 Lb




Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 10 Lbs




I use about 1/2 tsp of this in their wet food, hoping they will live longer : )


Starwest Botanicals: Organic Astragalus Root Powder, 1 Lb


Jeanne used to feed these to Buster all the time, and she said it really made his fur nice, so I will be getting some of these for my own kitties at some point, when I can afford it : )

I've also been buying this for my kitties, since it actually does seem to help them with fleas. 

You can read more about that on my post:

Solgar – Brewer’s Yeast Powder, 14 Ounce – Supports Heart Health and Digestion

 

I used to get chicken flavored greenies, but recently learned that chicken is one of the biggest things that can cause pet allergies, so I am switching to salmon. 

FELINE GREENIES Natural Dental Care Cat Treats Savory Salmon Flavor 21 oz Tub

These are the treats I used to buy...



FELINE GREENIES Dental Treats For Cats Oven Roasted Chicken Flavor 11 Ounces With Natural Ingredients Plus Vitamins, Minerals, And Other Nutrients

These multivitamin drops really seemed to help all of my cats to get healthier and put on weight. I also have been giving them CBD oil. 

Vetflix Pet Vitamins 10 in 1 - Made in USA - Glucosamine for Dogs & Cats - Dog Supplement for Pet Joint Health - Natural Cat & Dog Multivitamin - All Ages & Breeds - Folic Acid for Cats & Dogs Immune

Vetflix Cranberry Dog & Cat UTI Treatment - Best UTI for Pets - Made in USA - Dog & Cat Kidney Support - Cat Bladder Drops - Pet Immune Health Supplement - Marshmallow, Dandelion Root, Pumpkin Seed

Update February 2022:

This may not be the healthiest food on the planet, but the good thing about it is that I can mix healthy stuff into it, and my cats will eat it.  My cat Bert, in particular, needs to have extra stuff in his food, to stay healthy. Lately I've been giving him the following:

In a small bowl, I put an entire 3 oz can of wet food, to be divided among my 3 cats. 

I have fully moved to crazy cat lady status now, because I actually microwave my cat Bert's plate, since I discovered that he eats more if I do this. Bert is at that age where he's getting to be borderline senile and has lost a bit of his appetite, so I have to use little tricks to get him to eat more. Cats do like their food warm. While he's eating, I even kind of hover over him and push his wet food together (when he's about halfway done) so that it's in a "lump," as he will also eat more if it's in a lump, vs. spread out all over the plate. There was a day when I didn't have to do this at all, and he would lick the plate clean (as my other cats still do) but I guess as they get older, they get more fussy. 

Here's the entire routine I've been doing for the past few months, which seems to be working well, and Bert no longer has to have IV fluids anymore (knock wood this keeps up). 

I'll boil a small amount of water. 

Then, get out a small clear bowl, add a 3 oz. can of PATE (they don't care for any other kind of food and tend to just eat the gravy from the "feast" type so I no longer buy it).  At the same time, I heat up a plate for 20 seconds in the microwave, so it's very warm but not too hot.

I mash up the contents of the whole can of food in the clear bowl, then add about 2 tbsp of the hot water to the food. Mix thoroughly. Then, I add about 1/2 tsp. ground chia seeds (kept refrigerated) to the mixture. Mix thoroughly. 

When it's all mixed and everything is lukewarm, I add a teaspoon of NaturVet Probiotics, shown on this page. It's important to add this only after the food is mixed with the hot water, because adding it before the hot water would cause the probiotics to die if they come into contact with boiling hot water, but it's fine if they're in a lukewarm environment.

Then I divide the mixture in half. Bert (who is 17 and needs the special food) gets half, while the other 2 cats split the other half (it's just a treat for them; they don't need fancy stuff). I put my other 2 cats' food on 2 plates and can give it to them now if they're around, or after Bert is fed. 

Bert's portion is still in the bowl. I mix in, for him: 2 capsules of Slippery Elm (I save the empty capsules in a box for when I take oregano oil to kill covid), a dropper full of Chlorella (to keep his iron up), a dropperful of Liquid Vitamins, and a dropperful of liquid glucosamine. I am currently out of Urinary Tract Support by Vetflix, but will be ordering some more.

Fancy Feast Classic Tender Beef Feast Canned Cat Food, 3 oz, 12 Cans

Purina Fancy Feast Grain Free Pate Wet Cat Food Variety Pack, Seafood Classic Pate Collection - (24) 3 oz. Cans

Big thanks to my sister and friend Rob who have helped me to feed the kitties when I go back home to visit my Mom! : )

   

I've been looking for a good brand of glucosamine and was really impressed by these reviews, so I have a feeling I will be ordering this regularly.

Best Paw Nutrition Bacon Flavor Liquid Glucosamine for Dogs and Cats