Purrfect Pets

I wanted to make sure all cat owners know about the most recent pet food recall. Please pass this information on to any cat owners you know as well.

On MOnday, Mars Petcare U.S. voluntarily recalled Special Kitty Gourmet Blend dry cat food, sold in Wal-Mart stores in 15 different states due to possible contamination with Salmonella. The recall is effective in the following states: Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio, New Hampshire, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.

Do not purchase Special Kitty Gourmet Blend dry cat food at Wal-Mart stores in the above states to feed your cat. If you have recently purchased a bag of this cat food, dispose of it in a closed trash bin. Owners can return empty bags of Special Kitty Gourmet Brand dry cat food purchased from Wal-Mart stores in the effected states for a refund.

According to Mars Petcare U.S. no illnesses have been reported thus far as a result of the cat food possibly contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can cause infections in cats. Signs of a Samonella infection can include decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, abdominal pain, and fever. If your cat has consumed this brand of cat food and exhibits these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian right away.

Additionally, Salmonella can be transferred to humans by cross-contamination when individuals handle the cat food. Individuals especially at risk for being contaminated with Salmonella are the elderly, children, and individuals with a weak imune system. Signs of human Salmonella infection include bloody diarrhea, nausea, diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. In rare cases, individuals with Salmonella infection can experience endocarditis, urinary tract problems, eye irritation, arthritis, arterial infections, and muscle pain.

Specific Recall Information:
Brand: Special Kitty Gourmet Blend dry cat food
Date Best Used By: Aug. 11, 2009 - you can find the date best used by on the back of the bag
Product Lot Code: 50xxxx x - found by the date best used by. Look for 50 as the first two digits of the second line.
UPC Codes:
3.5lb Special Kitty Gourmet Blend: 81131 17546
7lb Special Kitty Gourmet Blend: 81131 17547
18lb Special Kitty Gourmet Blend: 81131 17548

UPC codes are located directly under the bar code on the bag.

If you have any questions regarding this pet food recall, you may call: 877-568-4463. Alternatively, you may visit the Mars Petcare U.S. website.

I truly hope anyone who feeds their cat this type of food doesn’t have any type of illness develop in their cat. I will keep you updated on all further pet food recalls.

Source:

Cat Channel: Breaking News: Samonella Scare Prompts Voluntary Pet Food Recall

At the moment, half of my move is complete. I still have quite a bit of furniture and boxes to move yet, though.

I finished the first half of my move on Sunday. We brought the kitties over with the last load of the night, and let them out into their new home, in the bedroom. Milita went exploring right away! Carmine, on the other hand, hid between the mattress and wall and shook. He was so scared!!

I didn’t anticipate Carmine to have quite as strong of a reaction as he did. We all sat and talked to Carmine reassuringly and pet him, but it didn’t seem to help. So, we let him be for a while. After I went to bed, Carmine did come visit me in the night once or twice, but he didn’t sleep with me like he normally does.

On Monday, Carmine spent a lot of time under the couch during the day. I felt so bad for him. I was trying to give him extra love and attention, but he just seemed to want to be left alone instead. I went back over to my old apartment to pack some things up, and Carmine came out after I got home.

Carmine’s been exploring more today, though he did spend some time under the couch earlier as well.

He is eating more now at least though and spending less time under the couch as he gets used to the new place. Moves certainly are stressful on cats; I just wasn’t sure *how* stressful it’d be on Carmine because he’s never had to move before (as far as I know, anyway).

So, if you are moving and have a cat, gage his or her reaction to it and give him or her time alone to adjust or more love depending on what he or she seems to be telling you he or she wants.

Please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

Today is moving day, and I’ve noticed my cats getting more and more anxious and curious about what is happening.

I really hope they like the new place, and I hope that the transition goes well for both them and for me.

I also wanted to let you all know that I will most likely not be able to post until Monday night or Tuesday due to the fact that my Internet will mostly likely not be hooked up at my new apartment until Monday night.

I hope you are all having a good weekend.

The American Society for the Prevention fo Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is enocouraging individuals to write their local representatives to support a bill that would protect both large cats and humans by prohibiting direct contact between the two.

Haley’s Act is named in honor of Haley Hilderbrand, a 17-year-old girl who died in 2005 while she was having her picture taken with a Siberian tiger. The 550-pound tiger had been well-behaved. However, that fateful day, the tiger killed Haley. The tiger was also shot several times was killed as a result.

All facilities that house large cats must be licensed by the USDA, whether the large cat is being held captive in a backyard or zoo or otherwise. However, the USDA has no authority to protect large cats and the public at this time by prohibiting contact between the two at this time.

Haley’s Act would allow the USDA to consider both the large cats’ and public safety as they issues exhibitor licesnses. The Act would also prohibit direct contact between the public and large cats, protecting both the public and large cats.

Additionally, Haley’s Act will increase the civil penalty for violating the Animal Welfare Act from it’s current $2,500 violation fee to a $10,000 violation penalty.

If you are interested in supporting Haley’s Act, please visit the ASPCA and fill out this form. Your letter will be sent to your representative.

Source:

ASPCA: Lobby for Animals: Federal: Urge Your Representative to Protect Big Cats and the Public! Support Haley’s Act

I’ve beent hinking about how I can make my cats most comfortable in their new home when we get there in a few days, and I think I have a couple of ways to help reduce their stress. I hope so, anyway!

First, I am going to make sure the cats have familiar things in the new apartment, such as their beds - they LOVE their beds, their food and water bowls, their favorite toys, and so forth.

Second, I am going to give my cats extra love and attention in the new apartment for a few days or weeks. I think the extra love and attention will help them feel less stressed in an environment where they feel stressed.

Finally, I will stick to the cat’s normal routine to help them feel more secure in their new home. Cats love routines and don’t appreciate when routines are changed. So, I plan to keep their routine the same - feeding them at the same time, going to bed at the same time, playing with them at the same time, etc.

I hope taking the time to give my cats extra love and attention, keeping their routine the same, and having familiar objects in their new environment will help them adjust to their new home. I will keep you updated on how it goes!

Please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

Halloween is fast approaching, and there are some things cat owners should keep in mind as they prepare for the holiday.

Don’t put your kitty in a costume if he or she doesn’t like being in costumes or is not used to being in costumes. You can certainly try to put a costume on your kitty, but if he or she resists or acts as if he or she is distressed in the costume, take it off of your kitty right away. Do not put any costume on your kitty that might choke him or her or that might restrict his or her movement.

Don’t feed your cat any candy! Chocolate is especially poisonous to cats, but other candy is also dangerous for your cat. Remember to throw away all of your candy wrappers as well. While cats enjoy playing with candy wrappers, they can ingest them, causing intestinal obstruction and stomach problems.

On Halloween night, keep your kitty in a safe location, especially if you have a black cat. Some people and kids can be unintentionally or intentionally cruel to cats around Halloween-time, so keep a black cat indoors. Put your kitty in a room and shut the door so that he or she cannot escape out the door as you open it to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. Additionally, make sure your kitty has proper identification - a collar with tags and/or a microchip - so that if he or she accidentally escapes, you are more likely to be reunited with your beloved companion.

Finally, the American Humane Association recommends keeping candles away from your kitties on Halloween. Either keep the candles out of reach of your cat or put your kitty in a separate room with the door closed while you have the candles lit. Candles are dangerous for cats because they can burn their fur if they touch the flame. They can also easily knock them over, causing a fire.

Please keep these safety tips in mind as you prepare for Halloween this year. Keeping your kitty safe and happy on Halloween is an important duty for loving cat owners.

Please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

Source:

Cat Channel: Keep Cats Safe on Halloween

While it is normal for cats to scratch things, as pet owners, it can be frustrating when our cats scratch our furniture. I do not believe declawing cats is humane. Luckily, cats can be trained not to scratch the furniture in your home. Read on to find out how…

First, you need to purchase some cat scratching posts to provide your kitty an appropriate object to scratch. Place the scratching post/s next to your cat’s favorite place/s to scratch in your home. I have a scratching post by my couch because one of my cats LOVES to scratch the couch. It may be helpful if you get a scratching post with catnip on it if your kitty likes catnip.

Some cat prefer horizontal surfaces to scratch on while others prefer vertical surfaces. Observing what your cat scratches in your home will help you decide which type of scratching post to purchase him or her.

Make sure the post will not topple over onto your cat or move while he or she scratches it.

To make your furniture or other unacceptable scratching objects in your house unpleasant for your cat, put something on the objects that your cat will not like, such as a carpet runner with the pointy side up, foil, double-sided sticky tape, or sandpaper.

You could also spray your cat with some water when he or she scratches the inappropriate objects. However, he or she may figure out that he or she can scratch them when you are not home, so covering them with unappealing things might work more effectively.

Praise your kitty when he or she scratches the appropriate scratching surfaces. As your kitty learns to scratch the appropriate objects, you can move them to a more convenient location; however, according to the Sacramento SPCA, you should not move the object more than three inches each day. You should keep the appropriate scratchign surface as close to your cat’s favorite scratching spot as possible.

It may take some time, but your cat will learn to scratch posts, rugs, cardboard, tor rope instead of your furniture or other things in your home.

Please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

Source:

Sacramento SPCA: Destructive Scratching in Cats

Do your cats scratch your furniture? It probably bus you if they do, right? But scratching is *normal* for cats, and you cannot expect them not to scratch things. However, you *can* train your kitty to scratch things other than your furniture!

First of all, though, I want to explain why cats scratch things so that you can understand why your cats need things to scratch. Here are the reasons cats scratch objects, according to the Sacramento SPCA:

To burn off energy: If your cat is an indoors-only cat, he or she may have excess energy to burn off. Cats use scratching as a way to burn off some of their energy.

I’ve noticed that when Carmine chases Milita and Milita escapes him playfully, he will go over to my couch and start to scratch on it. I have to remind him to use the scratching posts I provide him instead of my couch when he has that much energy to burn off!

To remove the dead outer layer of the claes: Cats also scratch to remove the dead outer layer on their claws. If they didn’t scratch things, their claws would get extremely long, and probably painful.

To stretch their bodies: When cats scratch, they stretch their bodies. Next time, you’re cat is scratching, look at him or her, and you will notice how they elongate their bodies while they scratch. They also flex their feet and paws as they scratch things.

To mark their territory: Cats scratch in order to mark their territory with both a mark and their scent. Their paws carry scent on them, which is transferred to the object they are scratching as they scratch.

Like I said earlier, you cannot expect your cat not to scratch because it is a normal behavior for cats, but you can train your kitty not to ruin your furniture while they scratch. Tomorrow, I will talk about how you can train your kitty to scratch appropriate objects.

Please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

Source:

Sacramento SPCA: Destructive Scratching in Cats

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the number one cause of household poisonings in pets is the ingestion of human medication. In fact, the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center dealt with 69,000 pet poisonings with the ingestion of human medication in 2007 alone!

The ASPCA’s website lists the top 10 most dangerous human medications for pets, and they are as follows:

Acetaminophen: Cats are particularly sensitive to this over-the-counter medication. It can affect the transport of oxygen and damage red blood cells in cats.

Isoniazid: This is a common medication used to treat tuberculosis, and is particularly toxic to dogs. Dogs can suffer rapid onset of seizures, which may lead to death.

Anti-depressants: When anti-depressants are ingested by cats and dogs, it can result in vomiting and lethargy. Additionally, some anti-depressants may lead to a condition known as serotonin syndrome, characterized by rapid heart rate, elevated boy temperature, agitation, high blood pressure, tremors, vocalization, seizures, and disorientation.

Vitamin D derivatives: Ingestion of vitamin D derivatives can lead to a life-threatening situation, even after pets ingest a small amount of these drugs. Symptoms resulting from ingestion of these drugs can include increased thirst and urination due to kidney failure, vomiting, and loss of appetite. These drugs elevate the blood calcium level in pets, and symptoms may not appear for 24 hours after ingestion.

Methylphenidate: This medication is used to treat the psychiatric condition Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in humans. If pets ingest this medication, heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure can reach dangerous heights. The medication can also cause seizures in pets.

Baclofen: Baclofen is a muscle relaxer for humans, but can affect the central nervous system if ingested by cats or dogs. Some symptoms that can be caused by this medication include disorientation, coma, vocalization, severe depression, and seizures.

Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): These drugs, including naproxen and ibuprofen, are used to treat pain in people. These are the most common drugs ingested by pets, and pets are affected severely by even small doses of these medications. Ingestion of NSAIDs can cause intestinal or stomach ulcers. They can also cause kidney damage in cats.

Flourouracil: This is a topical medication to treat solar keratitis and minor skin cancers in people. This medication is severely toxic to dogs. It has been known to lead to death in dogs who have chewed on discarded q-tips to apply the medication. Symptoms of ingestion include vomiting, cardiac arrest, and seizures.

Pseudoephedrine: Pseudoephedrine is found in many over-the-counter medications used to treat sinus problems and colds. If ingested by cats or dogs, it can cause seizures and high blood pressure, elevated body temperature, and rapid heart rate.

Anti-diabetics: Anti-diebetics include medications like glyburide and glipizide. If ingested by a pet, it leads to low blood sugar, which can cause seizures, disorientation, and a lack of coordination.

Tomorrow, I will provide some tips you can use to ensure your pets do not ingest over-the-counter or prescription medications.

If you believe your pet has ingested human medication, please either call your veterinarian, veterinary hospital, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at: 888-426-4435.

Please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

Sources:

Cat Channel: Primary Cause of Pet Poisoning: Human Drugs

ASPCA: Top 10 Human Medications That Poison Our Pets

Carmine and Milita both love a blue bed I have on top of my desk. It fits nicely up there, and they love to sleep in there, way up high and watch the world below them.

Well, today I noticed how dirty and damaged the bed is, so I’m going to get them a new bed tomorrow. I want them to have a week to adapt to the new bed before we move to our new apartment. I’d keep the old bed, but it doesn’t seem to be able to be washed in the washing machine.

I’ll try to find them another blue bed since they seem to like that color, but I’m sure they’ll love any kind of soft bed.

Unfortunately, Milita’s already stressing about the move. She’s having an outbreak of the herpes eye virus, so we’ve been treating her with eye medication. She should be okay after the stress of the move is over.