Home >
Siteowner
Overview
A Bit About Helen
Yes, Helen runs this site, not Tanya. Tanya was my first cat and also my
first CKD cat, who inspired me to create the website so it is named after
her.
I've been running this website single-handedly since 2000. Yep, there is
no team, it's just little old me (my husband cross-checks the food data
for me). No, I don't really know how I do it
either; though I do know it takes up virtually all of my time, and
sometimes I feel like just walking away, but somehow I keep on keeping on.
I guess it's for the cats.
I've lived in
the UK, the USA and Germany, and therefore have experience of veterinary
care on both sides of the pond. I currently live in England (and
wish I lived in the USA).
I'm not a vet, have never been a vet, and have no desire to be a vet —
it's a hard job. I do have a postgraduate qualification in animal
behaviour from a reputable university.
I've had eleven cats so far, nine of them Persians or Chinchillas. What
can I say, I like 'em fluffy! You'll see photos of my cats occasionally on
the site, modelling water fountain usage for example.
If you'd like to contact me, please
read the Contact Me page,
which has a link to my e-mail address.
My Three CKD Cats, Tanya, Thomas and
Ollie
This page is all about my three special CKD cats and their different CKD
experiences.
Facebook and Reddit
I am not on Facebook. I'm a very private
person who shudders at the thought of having my life out there.
I have no association with the large facebook CKD group, in fact I do not
recommend it. They offer what I consider to be some questionable advice
and promote products that they sell.
There is a Reddit group devoted to feline CKD. Although they kindly
recommend this website, I am not associated with the Reddit group in any
way.
My Links to Research Papers
Most research published online only has summaries (abstracts) available
for free. This is because most research papers require a paid subscription
to read it in its entirety.
I do pay for subscriptions so I can read many of the links I provide in
their entirety, and I do try to summarise the information so you don't
necessarily need to read the full study (though it is always best to do so
if possible, because you may interpret the study differently). I do check
and, if access to a full paper is available, I try to provide that link
rather than a link to the abstract. Some research papers are available to
read for free ("open access"). This happens when the researchers are
prepared to pay to make their research publicly available. But basically,
most research will only be available for you to read in full if you're
prepared to pay for it.
It is possible that your vets will be able to access some studies in full,
depending upon their memberships of professional bodies and subscriptions
to various journals. And if you know somebody studying at an academic
institution, they may be able to access some of the papers for you,
particularly if they are a post-grad science student.
