Thanksgiving is a delicious time of year for we humans but in can be a deadly time of year for our precious little fur babies. I poked around the Internet and found some excellent pointers on keeping our kitties safe and out of the emergency vet on Thanksgiving and throughout the entire holiday season. Please take a moment to read them, you will give thanks that you did!
1) Do not allow access to counter tops/ranges-the delicious smell of turkey and other goodies can be tempting to your cat. There is a huge danger of the hot foods or hot stove causing a cat's tail or fur to catch on fire.
2) Dispose of the turkey string-where the cat cannot get it! Same goes for the plastic turkey wrapping. A cat eating either of these items can require life-saving surgery.
3) Keep Cats Away From The Fireplace & Candles!
I learned that the hard way in reference to candles. My first cat "Bobo" used to stand on the arms of chairs. I had a candle on top of our console TV and when poor Bobo went to turn, his tail caught on fire. Luckily I scared him into jumping off the arm rest ( thankfully I was in the room) and was able to "clap" his poor tail to put out the fire. He was completely fine but I learned a valuable lesson. I could have had a fried or tail-less cat and an apartment destroyed by a fire!
4) Turkey-I once heard from a former vet that I went to in Cleveland, Ohio that turkey was not good at all for a male cats' urinary tract. Has anyone else ever heard this? If you want to feed your cat some turkey give it just a little nibble, make sure it is well cooked and boneless!!
5) Sage-this herb and many others contain "essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities" (this info came from "The Cat's Meow on Catster)
6) Macadamia Nuts, Raisins and Grapes, Onions and Garlic and Chocolate-these can cause everything from tremors, to kidney failure to death.
If entertaining a large group and you will be unable to pay much attention to your cat(s) my advice is to put him in a separate room (where no guests will be entering). Be sure you provide food, water, litter, a comfortable place to sleep and some toys. This will keep your kitty calm and away from all of the noise of the holiday celebration (which most cats hate) and it will keep he/she away from poking, prodding, tail-pulling children, etc. It will make you both feel safe and secure! You, because you won't have to worry about what your cat is getting into and your kitty because he/she will have peace and quiet!!
Let's all give thanks for all of the wonderful Guardian Kitty Angels who once shared our lives and our Earth Kitties who are currently allowing us to share theirs and who are thankful for our never-ending devotion and protection!
Have a purr-fectly safe, happy, blessed and delicious Thanksgiving!
Hi, sorry, this has nothing to do with Thanksgiving but I'm very worried about my cat. He is very old and has fleas!! He's never had fleas before. I'm using Advantage Top Spot, and a flea comb and have even bombed my house. Still he has fleas. Someone told me I could bathe him in water with Dawn Dishwashing soap. I don't want to hurt him but I can't put the flea drops on again for another 3 weeks. Please advise. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThat is fine that your comment doesn't have to do with Thanksgiving! Any comments are welcome.
I am trying to answer your question and I did find out a few things but one thing I need to know is how old is your cat? You said "very old" but did not mention an age.
In order to give you the proper answer about treatment I would also need to know if your cat has any health issues.
Also, is your cat an indoor cat or an indoor/outdoor cat? Do you have any other pets in the home who may have caused the cat to have fleas?
Are you sure the cat has fleas?
I did find out to NOT bathe the cat in any type of dishwashing liquid at all, it is too harsh for the cat's skin.
Also is your cat declawed? Have you ever bathed your cat before?
If it were me bathing my cat is something I would not want to undertake at all since most cats would hate it and it could be very traumatic for an older cat.
Did you call the vet? Do you take the cat to the vet regularly?
How long has the cat had fleas?
To be honest if your cat is infested with fleas that is probably the first thing I would do!
I know many vets have a groomer onsite for both cats and dogs and if I were you I would contact them first. Not sure if they would want you to bring the cat in with fleas though.
If you can answer these questions I will do my best to get you a better answer, I can also call my vet tomorrow and ask him if you would like.
I look forward to hearing from you!