Am I always destined to have my heart broken by a Siamese?

[janelle]

Yes, I got Simon from a breeder as a kitten. I heard the ones who are a mixed breed do better than a pure breed. They are just so intelligent and pretty, I love them. I still have a short hair domestic and she seems to be healthy with no problems to speak of. My husband says no more pets though---he was so broken up with we had to put Simon to sleep.

Thanks for your replies.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

my Meezer-esque guys have slightly sensitive tummies, but the Purina One Sensitive Systems seems to be working for them. Granted, they are only a few years old, plus Havoc is a mix. I monitor the litterboxes closely for impending outbreaks if I do happen to add something new to their diet (different type of treats or whatever)

[krazyaboutkatz]

My RB Starr was a sickly cat from day one. He was a Siamese Flame Point mix so he wasn't even a pure bred. He later had severe diarrhea and he was diagnosed with IBD/Colitis and he had to be on pred or else he'd have problems. The pred made him gain so much weight that his poor little body couldn't handle it and he could barely get around so I had to let him go. He was only 4 years old at the time.

My Pearl is a Lynx Point Siamese mix and even though she has Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex she's doing well. In her case she'll break out on her chin and lips unless she's on a grain free diet. She's now 5 years old and the vet said she's in excellent health.

My cat Storm who is just a DLH without any Siamese in him, has urinary problems. He had struvite crystals and blocked twice so he needed to have PU surgery. Now he has to have a lot canned food with added water to make sure that he gets enought moisture in his diet and he's also on a grain free diet and doing well.

Many cats can have urinary crystals, kidney problems, heart problems,and thyroid problems. They don't have to be pure breds or even siamese to get these horrible things.

[Catty1]

Janelle, if you go to the "Look what I found on my back porch" thread by momoffurryfaces (MOFF), another mom kitty just showed up on her back porch with 3 kittens. Two look like meezer mixes. Are you close to Kansas or Oklahoma?

I am a believer in a no-grain, non-vet diet for my boys. Oscar is about 8 and still playful (more so since he and his brother are on weight management food! ). I also split 1/4 can of quality wet food between them in the morning, first mixing it with a squirt of Omega 3-6 or salmon oil (from vet or good pet store) and hot water. I put this over the dry food and they love it!

Nothing can make our furbabies live forever, no matter what we do - but I believe and hope that my boys are having healthier and longer lives, and that I have had to pay for fewer vet visits. The only ones I pay for are their yearly checkups.

Condolences on your losses...I hope you find another kitty or two to love.

[Sonia59]

It's difficult to say whether Siamese are more likely to have these problems than other ones. It is known that breeding has introduced specific pathologies that non-bred cats did not have, for instance kidney failure. Food could be a factor too. Asking a vet would be a good idea, indeed, because a vet meets so many breeds that he could have an opinion. But if your first siamese lived 18 years, it's not bad at all.

[Karen]

Pets always break our hearts a little because they live shorter lives than we do, but I think the joy they give us more than makes up for it. In My Humble Opinion.

[janelle]

I always had both cats on Science Diet from advice of the vet then Simon went on the AD food from the vet's. It helped for awhile but he became sensitive to all food. He went from throwing up once in awhile to almost evryday.

I made sure both cats had tons of water at all times and both liked to drink it. I didn't want them to develop the kidney problems and I know they do if they do not have enough water in their food or otherwise.

My one cat lived a long time but he was always bothered by a sensitive stomach. It would be nice to know if any cat I get in the future is free of this problem.