Whew!! Had a scare this morning. It all started with my food obsessed daily alarm clock (my "Adventure Boy" Cody) not waking my husband and I up this morning, NOT NORMAL! He is usually scratching and clawing at the bedroom door as if he hadn't been fed a meal in eternity, crying and wailing with all of his being to feed him AND NOW!! Not today.....RED FLAG.
A few minutes later I heard him cry out in pain and couldn't find him. I did find that he had thrown up a couple of fur balls and wasn't worried until I noticed his food bowl was untouched, (with Cody that is a problem that NEVER EXISTS), RED FLAG.
I went in the bedroom and witnessed my poor baby hacking and hacking, finally, he threw up white foam. The white foam took me over the edge and had me in a complete panic. Years ago my beloved Angel Bobo threw up a white foamy substance every few hours, turned out he had six kidney stones that required emergency surgery and a three day stay at the vet.
Cody went and hid under the dining room table (RED FLAG) and was growling periodically (RED FLAG) and was obviously irritated with our Shelties' gyrations, contortions, and herding dance of concern around him. Cody normally adores Dakota and loves to be "ravaged" by him so that was another cause for concern.
I called the vet (Deporre on Maple and Telegraph, they are FABULOUS THERE, they are my regular vet and have been for years and they were able to get Cody right in.
I raced over in my pink velveteen pjs (looking like a giant pink velveteen rabbit), Cody in tow....as always he was a fabulous boy in the car, only an occasional cry, perfect boy.
To make a long story short after X-rays Cody is TOTALLY FINE! The doctor thinks he had a ton of gas (with how he normally eats no surprise here, he takes after his "Mom" lol) and sent me home with furball meds.
Did I over react? Jump the gun? Take Cody to the vet too soon? Possibly......do I regret it? NO!!!! Our cats are our "babies", we are attuned to their every nuance more than anyone could be, they cannot speak for themselves when ill or in pain, it is up to us to be their advocate and to be observant to any changes in their routine. Yes Cody is ok and I am beyond grateful that he is, but to wait and possibly regret is much, much worse than going with your gut and thankfully finding out that all is ok!!! A trip to the vet is NEVER, EVER a wasted trip to the vet!!!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Cat Scratch Fever
A cat scratching your cherished furniture, carpet, sweater, etc can be frustrating and send you into a "cat scratch fever"- frenzy, but before you take your frustrations out on your beloved kitty there are a few points that should be understood:
1) DO NOT DECLAW!!! Ask any vet and they will tell you about a myriad of physical and emotional behaviors that can arise as a result of declawing. If you have an indoor cat and think that it will not affect it, think again. You are setting your cat up for disaster should it ever escape and venture into the great outdoors, it will be completely defenseless from natural predators.
2) You CANNOT STOP A CAT FROM DOING ANYTHING- cats are fiercely independent, get real folks, we are not talking about the drooling, jumping, attention hogging, family dog who cannot exist without approval from their "pack". Cats don't have "packs" they are free agents, lone wolves, they could frankly care less if you disapprove of them or not, they are going to do what they want, when they want, thank you very much and it is up to you to try and redirect their behavior and provide an acceptable outlet for the behavior.
3) You CANNOT STOP your cat from scratching, it is part of it's genetics. A cat scratches for a variety of reasons:exercise, to mark its' territory, and because it is FUN!!! You cannot stop it but you CAN provide something suitable for your cat to scratch.
I have owned 2 cats and have never, ever experienced significant scratching issues from either one of them. The key is to be observant and to try and re-direct them to an APPROVED scratching object when you first see the cat scratching something that it is not permitted to scratch. I provided scratching posts for both of my cats (all pet stores and pet websites have them, you can also make them yourself). A scratching post should have some type of rough surface (think emery board here!!)
Even the reverse side of a carpet remnant would serve well as an alternate scratching surface. To encourage your cat to use the scratching post you can rub catnip on it, (I have even put a few treats at the base of the post) Your cat is smart, it WILL get the idea.
When you observe the cat scratching an object or area that it is not permitted to scratch, DO NOT SCOLD IT. Gently pick it up and bring it to the scratching post and even if you have to, gently work its' paws up and down on the post to show the cat the behavior IS permitted in this DO SCRATCH ZONE. You may have to repeat this behavior a few times but trust me, your cat is quite intelligent and it WILL get the idea.
Understanding your cat and accepting the quirks that are part of their evolution and genetics, and providing a safe and accepted outlet for your cat to be just that.....A CAT.....will enhance both of your lives and save alot of chairs in the process!!!!
1) DO NOT DECLAW!!! Ask any vet and they will tell you about a myriad of physical and emotional behaviors that can arise as a result of declawing. If you have an indoor cat and think that it will not affect it, think again. You are setting your cat up for disaster should it ever escape and venture into the great outdoors, it will be completely defenseless from natural predators.
2) You CANNOT STOP A CAT FROM DOING ANYTHING- cats are fiercely independent, get real folks, we are not talking about the drooling, jumping, attention hogging, family dog who cannot exist without approval from their "pack". Cats don't have "packs" they are free agents, lone wolves, they could frankly care less if you disapprove of them or not, they are going to do what they want, when they want, thank you very much and it is up to you to try and redirect their behavior and provide an acceptable outlet for the behavior.
3) You CANNOT STOP your cat from scratching, it is part of it's genetics. A cat scratches for a variety of reasons:exercise, to mark its' territory, and because it is FUN!!! You cannot stop it but you CAN provide something suitable for your cat to scratch.
I have owned 2 cats and have never, ever experienced significant scratching issues from either one of them. The key is to be observant and to try and re-direct them to an APPROVED scratching object when you first see the cat scratching something that it is not permitted to scratch. I provided scratching posts for both of my cats (all pet stores and pet websites have them, you can also make them yourself). A scratching post should have some type of rough surface (think emery board here!!)
Even the reverse side of a carpet remnant would serve well as an alternate scratching surface. To encourage your cat to use the scratching post you can rub catnip on it, (I have even put a few treats at the base of the post) Your cat is smart, it WILL get the idea.
When you observe the cat scratching an object or area that it is not permitted to scratch, DO NOT SCOLD IT. Gently pick it up and bring it to the scratching post and even if you have to, gently work its' paws up and down on the post to show the cat the behavior IS permitted in this DO SCRATCH ZONE. You may have to repeat this behavior a few times but trust me, your cat is quite intelligent and it WILL get the idea.
Understanding your cat and accepting the quirks that are part of their evolution and genetics, and providing a safe and accepted outlet for your cat to be just that.....A CAT.....will enhance both of your lives and save alot of chairs in the process!!!!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Move That Kitty Body
If you have an indoor, food obsessed cat as I do you have to think of creative ways for them to "shake their booties"!!!!! Many of us are watching our pennies due to the state of the economy, being out of work or just because we are creative and we want to make something for our cat that shows our love for them and have it be unique.
One method that I use is to take old cardboard boxes (for example Crate and Barrel has some dynamite ones), computer boxes would work great, grocery store boxes etc. If you go to the produce dept. of any grocery store they will gladly share the goods with you!
Once you have your boxes, be creative!!! The sky is the limit on what you can create! You can make your Cat Gym as tall or as short as you wish.....you can stack the boxes, attach them with craft glue, you can carpet them with remnants of carpet that many people have laying around (you can carpet them both inside and outside) The carpet works as an excellent way to get those front and back paws moving, grooving and scratching.
Look for cat toys that have cord (Petsmart) www.petsmart.com , (Petco) www.petco.com all have great selections of cat toys and you do not need to spend alot of money. Just secure the end of the cord (shorten to suit your needs if necessary) with crafting glue (sold at Michael's), www.michael's.com and your kitty will have his or her own personal punching bag to release those feline frenzies!!!!!!!! Also go through the countless cat toys that we all have laying around, they can be used for decoration, they can be put in hiding spots in the boxes for encouraging a great game of "Hide "N Seek".
Be sure to have some type of "comfy" area (a nice pillow, flannel blanket) in one of your "gym" boxes"....after having such a fun workout your kitty will want to take a catnap,
You can also secure a small mirror to one of the walls of the gym. (after all after working out any self-respecting cat will want to check to see how his fur is flying before venturing out to see and be seen after a sweaty workout!)
Cut holes to make tunnels, attach other items such as long, empty cardboard tubing etc to the boxes with passageways and your kitty will amused and entertained for hours!!!
The sky is the limit on what you create, there are no rules, just use your own imagination, your cat will be entertained, amused and eager to strut their newly toned kitty "sixpack"!
One method that I use is to take old cardboard boxes (for example Crate and Barrel has some dynamite ones), computer boxes would work great, grocery store boxes etc. If you go to the produce dept. of any grocery store they will gladly share the goods with you!
Once you have your boxes, be creative!!! The sky is the limit on what you can create! You can make your Cat Gym as tall or as short as you wish.....you can stack the boxes, attach them with craft glue, you can carpet them with remnants of carpet that many people have laying around (you can carpet them both inside and outside) The carpet works as an excellent way to get those front and back paws moving, grooving and scratching.
Look for cat toys that have cord (Petsmart) www.petsmart.com , (Petco) www.petco.com all have great selections of cat toys and you do not need to spend alot of money. Just secure the end of the cord (shorten to suit your needs if necessary) with crafting glue (sold at Michael's), www.michael's.com and your kitty will have his or her own personal punching bag to release those feline frenzies!!!!!!!! Also go through the countless cat toys that we all have laying around, they can be used for decoration, they can be put in hiding spots in the boxes for encouraging a great game of "Hide "N Seek".
Be sure to have some type of "comfy" area (a nice pillow, flannel blanket) in one of your "gym" boxes"....after having such a fun workout your kitty will want to take a catnap,
You can also secure a small mirror to one of the walls of the gym. (after all after working out any self-respecting cat will want to check to see how his fur is flying before venturing out to see and be seen after a sweaty workout!)
Cut holes to make tunnels, attach other items such as long, empty cardboard tubing etc to the boxes with passageways and your kitty will amused and entertained for hours!!!
The sky is the limit on what you create, there are no rules, just use your own imagination, your cat will be entertained, amused and eager to strut their newly toned kitty "sixpack"!
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