Cat Hazards

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Cat Hazards

In my little town in the Missouri Ozarks, there are lots of feral cats and they are a nuisance to bird lovers like me. There's one shelter and they're always full, so people "drop off" kittens, etc., all over the place, and they breed. One friendly kitten came here this summer and I was very lucky to have found him a nice home. The city picks up dogs but not cats. It's a strange place.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Cat Hazards

Yeah a lot of places in the Mediterranean seem to as well. Athens has cats everywhere.

I've been told that the Colosseum in Rome is crawling with cats.

[anunitu]

Re: Cat Hazards

Ya do realize that cats are really in charge,they control us with their super minds,fueled by Catnip... Imagine a Cat with a Bong....

[Heka]

I've been told that the Colosseum in Rome is crawling with cats.

Yeah it is. I seen it.

[thalassa]

Re: Cat Hazards

Anyway, we digress... yes, you should keep your kitty inside, Thal! For several very good reasons.

Lol, tangents are fun!


Which reminds me...so, my big concern, I guess, is that I mostly clean with baking soda and vinegar...which I'm fairly sure is a-ok. But, I also use a spray and floor wash in the bathroom and kitchen with lavender, rosemary, and bergamont essential oils (about 10 drops of each in a quart-sized spray bottle to clean counters)...when we say "essential oils are a problem", I'm assuming that we mean "essential oils are a problem when used on a on a cat or where where it can get absorbed by skin, etc or ingested, or inhaled in a sufficient enough quantity to cause an adverse reaction" and that I'm probably okay to keep using the same cleaning methods?


Also, what about cat diets? I know cats are often lactose intolerent--the fact that Sharkbait thought he was being a good kitty friend and gave the kitty a tea cup (which it did not finish) of skim milk before I found it isn't going to kill it...but anything else I should know regarding evaluating a high quality cat food (or if you are in the US, what brands do you like)?

My best friend reminded me that I need to get more consciencous about putting up my crochet--contrary to popular myth (like the milk thing), yarn is bad (so is using sticks to play fetch with dogs). Anyother randomly common sense stuff like this, that isn't necessairly stuff people remember or think about?

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Cat Hazards

I despise the idiots who throw away pets, or don't spay/neuter and then let them roam. And my dingbat neighbor for letting hers out, because all that does is attract the feral ones even more. A large part of why I chose this house was the birding habitat out back, and there wasn't a cat problem the first 2 years.

[thalassa]

Re: Cat Hazards

BTW, I did split the invasive species/feral cat chat to its own thread...

[Ophidia]

Re: Cat Hazards

Which reminds me...so, my big concern, I guess, is that I mostly clean with baking soda and vinegar...which I'm fairly sure is a-ok. But, I also use a spray and floor wash in the bathroom and kitchen with lavender, rosemary, and bergamont essential oils (about 10 drops of each in a quart-sized spray bottle to clean counters)...when we say "essential oils are a problem", I'm assuming that we mean "essential oils are a problem when used on a on a cat or where where it can get absorbed by skin, etc or ingested, or inhaled in a sufficient enough quantity to cause an adverse reaction" and that I'm probably okay to keep using the same cleaning methods?

Citrus of any kind (including bergamot & kumquat) oils are bad, and so is rosemary. Some of the essential oils pose a risk to a cat even if all it does is inhale the fumes - they are that sensitive to the various ketones, phenols & terpenes. You may have to
forgo your essential oils in cleaning around the kitty's areas.

My best friend reminded me that I need to get more consciencous about putting up my crochet--contrary to popular myth (like the milk thing), yarn is bad (so is using sticks to play fetch with dogs). Anyother randomly common sense stuff like this, that isn't necessairly stuff people remember or think about?

Magnets & batteries.

Also, cats are obligate carnivores - they don't need any other food groups. You should not try to make your cat a vegetarian. Most commercial cat foods have a lot of filler - you'll have to pay more for ones made of real animals. But too much protein-rich kibble-type foods can cause urinary tract issues, so you have to choose your protein sources carefully. Most cats don't have a strong thirst drive, so wet food is recommended to help with those urinary tract issues. And cats don't detect sugars like dogs can, so sweets are completely unnecessary.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Cat Hazards

Is the cat male or female?

We usually buy regular brand name catfood, and, since our cats tend to live beyond average, I generally don't worry beyond that. However, male cats are prone to blocked urinary tracts as they age due to the ash content of catfood. If its a male, I recommend one of the specialty foods with low ash for urinary good health.

One of our males almost died of it, so this is something to think about.

(I see Ophidia beat me to it... but to add to something she said - don't decorate your Christmas tree with tinsel. The cats will eat it, and it will come out the other end bit by bit over a period of several days. It's gross.)

[DanieMarie]

Re: Cat Hazards

Yeah, yarn can be bad. Keep it in a drawer somewhere where kitty can't get to it!

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Cat Hazards

BTW, I did split the invasive species/feral cat chat to its own thread...

Didn't see that! If you wanna move my last post there, please do.

[nbdy]

Re: Cat Hazards

The only thing that comes to mind is rubber bands, which can be very entertaining for kitties but also not good to eat. I had a cat decide he needed to potty in one of my plants, put aluminum foil on it and that was the end of that. They don't seem to like the feel of aluminum at all.

[Ophidia]

Re: Cat Hazards

Balloons can be bad, too, if your cat decides to eat it after popping it. Basically anything long or stretchy enough that can get twisted into the intestines. Strings can end up tangling loops of the intestines up, cutting off circulation & causing blockages - the same thing can happen to most animals. Swallowing sponges or anything that will expand greatly (like raw doughs) can block the stomach.

Out of curiosity, I just looked it up - cats can get bloat & intestinal/stomach torsion just like dogs can. Bloat is a quick, painful killer. The main difference between bloat in cats & dogs is that in cats, it's mostly hairball or obstruction related.

[thalassa]

Re: Cat Hazards

Balloons can be bad, too, if your cat decides to eat it after popping it. Basically anything long or stretchy enough that can get twisted into the intestines. Strings can end up tangling loops of the intestines up, cutting off circulation & causing blockages - the same thing can happen to most animals.

This is one we don't have to worry about in our home--we don't do balloons because they kill sea turtles (and dolphins, etc).

[Rae'ya]

Re: Cat Hazards

I'll add to the latest questions when I'm home on a keyboard. In the meantime... Ophidia and Corbin have good answers.