Blog News

February 10, 2014

Lilies are poisonous to cats

All species of lilies are toxic to cats. Indoor cats with little choice in plant munching material are most at risk as they will try any cut flower that comes into the house. Any part of the plant – flowers, leaves or stems - is dangerous. Even lily pollen licked off the coat destroys cats’ kidney tubules. Lilies proven to poison cats include: Easter Lily, Tiger Lily, Day Lily, Glory Lily, Stargazer Lily, Rubrum Lily, Asian Lily and the Japanese Show Lily. If you see your cat with lily on her coat, in her mouth or in her vomit don’t wait for signs of poisoning. The sooner we get it out of her system and start treatment to protect the kidneys the greater her chance of survival. Affected cats vomit and are depressed within hours of ingesting lily. Some then seem to recover before starting to show signs of severe kidney failure a day or so later. Others continue vomiting, go off their food and get more and more depressed. If emptying the stomach and medications to prevent absorption of the toxin are effective, the chance of recovery is excellent. If your cat absorbs enough toxin to cause damage to her kidneys then her outlook is very poor. It is essential to seek emergency care immediately after ingestion of the lily plant.
February 9, 2014

Living with allergies AND cats

Do you suffer wheezing, sneezing, watery eyes and itchy eyes and arms around your cat? For me, these allergy symptoms are a small price to pay for the company of my cats – although some mornings when I wake with a heavy head and red eyes I wonder! Cat allergies are not caused by cat hair as most of us assume. They are caused by a protein found in cat saliva, urine and skin cells, or dander. The immune systems of people with allergies mistake this harmless protein for a dangerous invader like a virus or bacteria and mount a full scale attack on it. Here are some tips for minimising our allergy symptoms without giving up our cats. Made your bedroom a cat free zone Reduce the load of cat allergens in your bedroom by washing or replacing bedding, curtains and pillows. Then cover pillows and mattress with allergen-proof covers. Open windows wide at least once a day to air the house and dilute the allergen load. Send your cat outside, preferably into an outdoor run, to disperse some of the dander Eliminate allergen traps such as carpet, rugs and upholstered furniture as you can. Carpet accumulates up to 100 times more allergens than vinyl or wood flooring. If you can’t take it up steam clean it regularly and vacuum with a high efficiency particulate arresting (HEPA) filter or us and allergen-proof vacuum cleaner bag. Brush your cat outside and/or in an outside enclosure to minimise contamination of your home with dander. Wipe the dander away with a moist cloth or wipe to remove saliva and dander. Spray the house with anti-allergen sprays Use a low dust cat litter and ask non-allergic family members to clean the litter box frequently Take the anti histamines, decongestants, eye drops and aerosol inhalers your doctor recommends. Antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E also have anti-allergen effects.
February 9, 2014

How to pill a cat

This is an excellent video on tableting a cat. Note how the assistant holds those front legs from behind and how the pill giver holds the head vertically. One thing they miss telling us is that it is important that the cat has a drink or food to wash the pill down. I squeeze a wet cotton ball straight into the cat's mouth after dropping the pill in or give a treat.