Articles

Protecting Outside Cats in Excessive Heat

by Joi

As I’ve said many times before, I have outside cats that are only “outside” cats because of a certain inside baby (Alexa) who I’m afraid wouldn’t be too welcoming. We don’t call her our little spoiled baby for nothing.

Plus, a few of our outside cats are Ming Li’s kittens – she was a feral cat who it took months of coaxing to even approach. Unfortunately, she’s no longer with us but before she left, I was able to pet her at will – she actually became a pretty big baby, purring constantly.

She left behind several babies and, since they were born to such a wild little momma, I’d never stand a chance of picking them up!

I can pet two out of three of them regularly. They’re very sweet but picking them up would probably completely freak them out at this point.

So bringing them inside is an impossibility. Hannah, of course, can be picked up, hugged, kissed, and held all day… she loves it, the big baby. I’m just very scared of her and Alexa getting into a squabble. Besides, she doesn’t seem to mind living out in the wild.

However, with an excessive heat advisory in effect here in Owensboro, Kentucky today – I’ve been doing all I can to cool off my hot little girls and boys.

I’ve “iced” Hannah down twice – she loves it! Fatima wants no part of it and the boy cats look at me like I’ve lost my mind completely. Earlier, Fatima (the tiniest little cat in the world) looked on the brink of death – seriously. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes just didn’t look right. I wet a towel down with cool water and laid it on the ground. She wouldn’t let me rub her with it but when I laid it out on the ground, she laid on top of it.

I then took out a big bowl of ice and placed it all around the area she and Hannah were lying in. They both licked the ice and laid down amongst the melting glaciers.

One of the boy cats (Bullet) took off for the barn after a long cold drink and the other (Jelly Bean) enjoyed the glaciers with the girls.

He’s such a little Romeo.

I looked out a few minutes ago (I’ve been checking on them frequently) and they were still chilling nicely. Fatima looks 100 percent better and Hannah seems to be hinting for another ice massage.

Soooo…. I’m off to ice my girl down and HOPE the others will allow me to give them one as well.

Tagged as: , , ,

Keeping Your Pet Safe This Halloween

by Joi

Bo and Adam with their beautiful Cat Mom, Carly

ASPCA released the following News Alert concerning Pet Safety during this time of year. As Pet Parents, it’s up to us to protect them and keep them safe, so here are ten ways we can do just that:

===================================

1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. If you suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are ingested.

3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don’t put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.

6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal’s movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe or bark. Keep a look out for small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.

7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not obstruct her vision in any way. Even the sweetest animals can get snappy when they can’t see.

8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn’t dart outside.

10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

===================================

Tagged as: ,

Caring for an Older Cat – Keeping Her Safe and Happy

by Joi

The diva above is our much, much, much beloved Prissy. She’ll be 18 in September – and, yes, I know how old that is in human years but won’t allow myself to think about it.

I was reading a few online articles and forum threads this morning about senior cats and dogs. Not only do we have Prissy, when my mom unexpectedly passed away in March, we got full custody of her much loved dog, Wednesday. He, himself is kind of long in the tooth – at least 12.

I learned a few things and thought I’d pass them along, in case any0ne else has a baby or babies that are “getting up there.” If you do, you know full well how it is to go searching for them when they’re out of sight for even a minute – I think I probably drive poor little Prissy crazy! I feel better after reading the following:

  • There are lots of stories of cats living into their 20s.
  • I found an account of a veterinarian who said that the oldest cat he ever treated was 31, and doing nicely!
  • I read about a lady with a cat who, at 19, still ran and played with much younger cats.

Prissy moves a little bit slower – especially after she wakes up – and she’d rather be lifted than jump (but she will and can jump if a human isn’t handy), but otherwise she’s healthy, has a huge appetite and absolutely loves attention. She even “acts out stories” like she’s always liked to do: She’ll take off running through the house, then turn suddenly like something’s after her – then she’ll take off in the other direction. She had a good “rip” yesterday….she hit nearly every room, then collapsed in the office floor looking at me like I’d done something ridiculous.

As a matter of fact, she’s looking at me now. I think she knows she’s getting blogged up….. I just hope she doesn’t find out I gave her real age away. She lies, you know.

Shhhhh…
Joi

Tagged as: , , , , ,