Halloween and Cats!

Hi All! I've been very busy with no time to post.  Have had a very sick kitty for the past month. Kezzie has had a very hard time. First, he had some type of trauma to his jaw and had to have all his teeth pulled from the left side of his jaw including his incisors and then had to have his tongue repaired.  We don't know what happened (he doesn't go outside?) He is a jumper and likes to get up in high places and we think he hit something when he was jumping down from a high place.  He came through this like a trooper.  Then last weekend he started with some behavior that usually signifies a UTI so off the the vet he went again this Tuesday.  Seems he has a bladder stone ... his bladder is the size of a walnut and the stone was the size of a marble so he was really uncomfortable.  Came through the surgery fine and brought him home last night.  He is having trouble getting to the litter box so he is being confined to one of our bathrooms much against his will.  I am going to call the vet to see if this is normal after surgery.  After all this expense, I've decided to get cat medical insurance for my cats.  I've signed up Kezzie and Oscar so far and will get the rest on board over the next few months.  I checked out several companies and the one I chose was the easiest on my pocket book.  I've got a $250 deductible for each cat and then a co-pay of 30%. This way I can recoup some of their medical expenses for illnesses, routine check-ups, vaccines, and dental cleanings.  The company I went with is PurinaCare

Now a little about Halloween and cats from my Vet's office:  He suggests keeping your little furry babies indoors on Halloween, especially our little black kitties.  You might want to keep your kitties in another room with the door closed when opening the front door for your trick or treaters so they don't run outside.  Use candles around kitties with caution - they could either get burned or knock the candle over and start a fire (this happened to someone in my church recently from a kitty knocking over a candle in the bathroom).  Also, candy or gum sweetened with xylitol is toxic to kitties.  And remember all forms of chocolate can be harmful potentially resulting in poisoning or even pancreatic inflammation from the high fat content.

I hope you all have a great weekend ... I have a thousand chores to finish outside before it gets too cold, so you know where I will be this weekend.  Happy stitching and Happy Halloween.

Kezzie Doing Well!

Hi All! Its a dreary, muggy afternoon here in Eastern Iowa but on the plus side I wanted to let you know that Kezzie seems to be having a good day today. Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes you sent his way.

While wandering around blogland today I found another artist who I think does the most fantastic work making kitty dolls! Her blog is anotherlinda. Stop by and visit her blog today if you have time.  Here is a picture of one of her kitty dolls! Isn't she fantastic!

I also had some time last evening to sticth up a little bit of whimsy based on a hooked rug pattern from Nola's Hooked Rugs.  Although, I don't profess to have need to have a pet skunk, this little pattern just stuck my fancy (its also currently listed on eBay along with a few other new crafty items). Hope you all have a wonderful afternoon and happen upon all sorts of exciting fun things.

Nice Sunday Drive But Have a Sick Kitty

I hope you all had a very lovely weekend. Hubby and I decided on Sunday to go for a drive since life always gets hectic in the spring with full time jobs and his "other" job of planting 120 acres of corn and beans (which means I don't get to see him very much since our farm is about 1 hour from our house). I would have actually taken some pictures if I had remembered to charge the battery in my camera before we left. We took a favorite drive up to NE Iowa to a little place called MacGregor (if your interested in its history click this link - http://www.mcgreg-marq.org/. Its a quaint little town along the Mississippi and has a few good places to eat, beautiful scenery and lovely antique shops. It gave us a chance to reconnect and talk about our retirement plans which seem to be changing (at least where we want to live after we retire from our jobs and leave Iowa City). We had a fun and relaxing day but didn't come home with any great antique finds (maybe we weren't in the mood).

Also, this weekend our 8 year old black kitty, Kezzie, came down with a acute attack of FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) which required a trip to the local emergency vet's. They were able to remove the blockage and flush his bladder. He is on antibiotics and pain killers and seems to be tolerating things okay, but I think me may have another blockage forming so he may have to go back to the vet's tomorrow --- keep some happy thoughts for Kezzie will you! For more information on FLUTD click on this link - http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/urinary.html

Hope you all have a fun filled day crafting!

MORE on KITTY SAFETY!

Food No-Nos!

• Milk - large intakes of milk may cause diarrhea in cats who lack the enzyme lactase which is necessary for dairy digestion.
• Raw Fish - a raw fish diet can lead to a vitamine thiamine deficiency which can lead to a total lack of appetite, general weakness, abnormal posture, and seizures (as well as death).
• Raw Eggs - a diet high in raw eggs can increase a cat's risk of biotin deficiency which can cause loss of hair, dermatits, and poor growth.
• Raw liver - liver is high in vitamin A and too much can be toxic to cats.
• Small, soft bones - chicken or pork chop bones pose a serious chocking threat and should never be given to cats!
• Table scraps are not nutritioanlly complete for cats so restrict scraps to less than 10% of your cat's daily food intake.

Garage No-Nos!
With its sweet flavor, antifreeze is a common cause of feline poisoning. Oil, gasoline, and other spills should be cleaned up immediately, and cars should be checked regularly for leaks. Fertilizers, cleaning supplies, insect traps and bait, pesticides, and paints all present dangers to your cat. Keep all containers tightly sealed and out of reach, and be sure to clean spills immediately.

Yard No-Nos!
Cats who walk or play on pesticide or fertilizer treated lawns can be poisoned by eating treated plants or through absorbing the pesticide/fertilizer through their skin/paws. Treated lawns should be off limits to pets until they are deemed safe (read pesticide/fertilizer label). Check your lawn-care products for specific safety instructions. If you suspect your cat has had external contact with a poisonous substance, whether it's fertilizer, insecticide, or other outdoor poison, it is important to bathe your cat thoroughly and immediately.


Household No-Nos!
Additional household items that are highly toxic even in low quantities include potpourri, pennies, mothballs, fabric softener sheets, automatic dish detergents, toilet water, batteries, homemade play dough, and all forms of nicotine.

Eight Foods Your Cat Shouldn't Eat

The idea for today's blog came from a conversation my work colleagues and I were having this morning about poisonous foods as a result of talking about raw peanuts as a result of talking about smart crows (yeah, you can follow that chain of logic, right!).  If you are interested in learning about the top 10 poisonous foods we eat go to this website.

This morning's lively discussion got me thinking about what is safe for cats to eat and wondering if there was anything besides chocolate that was a no-no for them.  I found some information that I will share with you. Keeping our cats away from alcohol, for example, is a no-brainer. But did you know that onion powder can cause anemia in cats and dogs? Because of their different metabolisms, many common foods that are safe for human consumption are not safe for your cat. Reactions can range from upset stomachs to severe illness or death. The following list spotlights eight common foods your cat should never eat:

Baby Food

It's hard to imagine that a food that's safe enough for a baby's tender tummy would hurt our fur-kids. But what makes baby food so dangerous for cats is that it might contain onion powder which could lead to anemia. Also, baby food doesn't meet your cat's nutritional needs, and could result in malnutrition if she eats too much of it.

Chocolate

Most people know that chocolate is bad for dogs, but many of us don't realize that it's harmful for cats as well. Chocolate contains theobromine, a chemical compound that humans can eat safely. But cats and dogs metabolize theobromine more slowly; as a result, even small amounts of the compound can lead to theobromine poisoning, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, excitability, panting, abnormal heart rate, tremors, seizures - and even death. Theobromine poisoning is treatable if caught early enough. But to be safe, keep chocolate away from your kitty.

Coffee and Tea

Caffeine is toxic to both cats and dogs, and there's no antidote. According to ProVet Healthcare, it only takes about 8 teaspoons of coffee to potentially fatally poison a cat that weighs 3 kilograms (that's about 6.6 lbs). Signs of caffeine poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, panting, hyperactivity, restlessness, muscle tremors, increased or decreased heart rate, irregular heart rhythm, increased body temperature. But most scary of all: caffeine poisoning can lead to seizures, coma and death.

Grapes and Raisins

Scientists aren't sure exactly just what substance is in grapes and raisins that make them so toxic for our pets, but according to the ASPCA Poison Control Center, dogs who've eaten large amounts of grapes and raisins have suffered renal (kidney) failure. Although it's unclear what effect grapes have on cats, to be on the safe side the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center "advises not giving grapes or raisins to any pets in any amount."

Onions and Garlic

Raw, powdered and uncooked onions and garlic are especially harmful to cats because they damage red blood cells, which could cause anemia. Not only does anemia make your kitty pale and lethargic, it can be a life threatening illness.

Spinach

The jury's still out on whether or not spinach is bad for cats, but scientists do know that spinach leaves contain a small amount of calcium oxalates (a chemical compound that makes needle-shaped crystals), which is a major component in kidney stones. If your cat eats enough spinach, it could lead to crystals in her urine. Cats with a history of urinary problems such as infections, crystaluria and kidney disease, should definitely avoid eating spinach.

Unripe Tomato

Everyone knows that tomatoes are good for humans. But did you know that they can be toxic to cats? Tomatoes are a member of the deadly nightshade plant family and contain a poisonous alkaloid called, solanine. Solanine is toxic to humans too. But you have to eat it in large amounts for it to hurt you. That's why you shouldn't eat green potatoes - a potato that has gone green has higher levels of solanine inside it. And it can make you sick, causing a bevy of symptoms that range from nausea, diarrhea and vomiting to hallucinations, paralysis and in the worst cases, death. Unlike humans, however, only a small amount of solanine can hurt your cat. According to FelineFuture.com, "traces of Solanin, like those found in just a 100g of cherry tomatoes, can be fatal!"

Yeast Dough

Raw or uncooked yeast dough should never be fed to your cat. What makes it so dangerous? Yeast (the single-celled fungi that causes bread to rise) isn't toxic per se, but if your cat eats the raw dough, it might continue to rise inside your kitty's stomach. And you can imagine what that could lead to: painful bloating, gas, and in the worst-case-scenario, possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

If you suspect your cat has eaten something that is harmful, or needs medical attention, contact your veterinarian immediately! For more information about other harmful foods or toxins found in your home, check out these great references: ASPCA Animal Control Archives and PetEducation.com.

Feeding and Shedding

No, this really isn't a commercial ad! This is just something I want to pass along to you all if you are interested in seeing the amount of cat hair in your home decrease. This "discovery" of mine came about rather by accident.  Remember the cat food scare a few years ago?  Well, that is why we lost Jessie -- due to the tainted cat food.  As I result, I started feeding my brood a brand primarily formulated for show cats, I think.  It's called "Royal Canin" and comes in different varieties. I get it at a local seed and feed store.  It is amazing how much it decreases their shedding and has eliminated Oscar's need to constantly have his teeth cleaned.  This is the link if any of you are interested - http://products.royalcanin.us/products.aspx?Animal=Cat Oh, and they have a hair ball formula that really works, too! I feed my horde several varieties in a sort of non-scheduled rotation.

Oscar is a Very Large Boy

If you are counting, we are now up to 4 cats in the house - Jessie, Kezl, Fidget, and Lily. This is about 2005 and all cat baskets are full. Then we get an SOS! "Can you take my cat? I know you will love him and I just can't take him to an animal shelter." This is how Oscar arrived at our house (so what's one more cat????). Oscar was only six months old and we thought "cute, small, tabby kitten." What we got was "cute, jumbo, tabby kitten." Oscar was huge -- part cat and part puma, I think. Within minutes he and Kezl became fast friends, I've never seen anything quite like this immediate bonding before. Oscar was added to the household of cats with minimal hissing and fussing. But he is so huge --  he is not fat; just really large.  He is a very handsome cat and is one of our horde that has "outside" priviliges when I am in the yard with them.  Here is a picture of Oscar taken last summer in his "No, I am not eating the potato vine" pose.  One note about declawing: Oscar came to us with all paws declawed. It is very hard for him and he develops calluses on his back toes.  Please think twice before you ever declaw your cats back paws!!!

Greetings!

Hi! I live in Iowa, love cats, books, and crafting with wool. In my spare time I enjoy hunting for vintage or primitive treasures! My decorating style tends towards primitives and cottage, but I occasionally see a Victorian pretty that I must have! I love surroundings that are soothing and comfortable. Gardens filled with perennials and hostas, and of course, cat nip are my favorites. All of these things inspire my creations. They are made with care and with a desire to bring a smile to your face. Most musings on my page will be about simple things and of course, my cats.  See my next post to find out about my moggies.