Popular flowers a fragrant pet-killer

By Kasha Stoll

Special to The Capital-Journal

Lynn Zoeller loves lilies. She also knows they are extremely dangerous to cats.

According to the National Animal and Poison Control Center, Easter and tiger lilies are toxic to cats regardless of sex or age.

"Cats can be poisoned by ingesting one or two leaves or flowers," said Wilson Rumbeiha, assistant professor of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation at Michigan State University.

He warned that symptoms could start within 30 minutes and include depression, vomiting and loss of appetite. Acute renal failure starts at about 48 hours.

Since the toxin hasn't been identified and there is no antidote, Rumbeiha said the mortality rate runs between 50 percent and 100 percent. The chance of survival increases dramatically, however, if medical treatment is begun within the first six hours after ingestion.

Dr. Emily Wood, a veterinarian at Burlingame Road Animal Hospital, 3715 S.W. Burlingame Road, said it is crucial for the cat to vomit out the toxins before the kidneys are affected.

If necessary, the veterinarians will use activated charcoal, she said. Following that, the cats are placed on intravenous fluids at a rate two times that of daily maintenance levels.

Prevention is the best medicine, however, and Zoeller, a florist with Custenborder Flowers, 1709 S.W. Gage Blvd., recommends two options.

The first is to keep the lilies away from the cats.

"Keep it in an area where the cats can't get to it," she said. "Put it in another room and shut the door."

Diane Barnes, a volunteer and a board member of the Cat Association of Topeka, said cats don't like the smell of citrus. She suggests laying orange peels on top of the dirt in potting plants, or spraying the plant's leaves with Bitter Apple, a product that doesn't hurt the plants but keeps cats away.

The second option Zoeller recommends is getting fresh plants that aren't toxic to cats. Daisies, pansies and tulips are good springtime choices.

Kasha Stoll can be reached at CAS_KLS@yahoo.com.

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Timid Cats

Larry Chamberlain

Nervous cats hide from people, they do not readily present themselves for petting, and may seem downright scared of you.

Probably, this was not exactly what you had in mind when you decided to get yourself a pet. So, is it at all possible for nervous cats to overcome their timidity and learn to trust you? The answer is yes, but you will need patience, patience, and patience.
It is usual for a kitten to be cautious and timid for the first week or so in its new home, but some kitties remain nervous of you no matter how loving and caring you are to them. Kittens that spent the first weeks of their life in the company of humans and other pets, along with the associated sounds and smells, are far less likely to be nervous cats. They will accept sharing their living space with humans more readily, and be more likely to accept petting. Your cat may have had a nasty experience before coming to your home, and is naturally apprehensive of a reoccurrence.

One way to gradually get a nervous cat used to petting is to gently wrap your pet in a thick towel, to prevent it from scratching you, and gently stroking its head. Talk to your cat
softly as you do so, and only use a light grip never hold your cat extremely tight. Set aside a time each day to perform this bonding ritual and your shy cat may grow to trust you enough to
stroke it without the towel, remember patience pays.

Great results have been obtained by owners of nervous cats by using a pet crate. Cover the sides of the crate with card or a blanket so that your cat can see through the front but still feels protected. Put the litter tray in the crate and perhaps your cats favorite toy. Start by using the crate in a room that humans are not using, but from where your cat can hear the sounds
of the house. Then, move to a place where the humans of the house can be seen carrying on their normal activity, talk to your pet soothingly. Gradually your cat may learn that there is no threat
to it from you, and you may achieve enjoying your cat's company outside the crate without any sign of nervousness.

Bribery can often work wonders with nervous cats. Try a offering a tempting healthy treat, if your cat is hungry enough to overcome its fear and stay still to eat its treat, stroke it gently, don't make sudden movements! You may have to persevere, but often your pet will eventually accept and enjoy your petting.

Never lose patience, and remember that your nervous cat is not rejecting you, it is just an in built protective reaction to something that has given kitty cause to be wary of humans. Love
and perseverance will often win the day, and you will be rewarded by your cat's affection.

Larry Chamberlain is a lifelong cat lover and webmaster of http://www.best-cat-art.com Cat art posters, art prints, cat calendars and cat collectibles. Great cat gifts for yourself or your cat loving friends

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Cat Health News from the Winn Feline Foundation: Probiotics for Cats

Cat Health News from the Winn Feline Foundation: Probiotics for Cats

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Go Orange Photo Contest

In honor of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, we’re asking everybody to go orange for animals. And when we say everybody, we mean everybody—including your four-legged family members! Dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs…all species look great in orange! So get out your pet’s favorite orange outfit, grab your camera and send us your best shot! The top ten winners will receive an ASPCA Prize Pack, and will also be featured on the ASPCA website.

Click here for more info: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-april/go-orange-photo-contest/

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What to do about Cat Scratching the Furniture!

Nani, a regular reader asked me about her kitty Kaline's scratching obsession with the loveseat and as it happens I do have a couple of suggestions. First, apply a layer of double sticky tape or bitter apple spray to the area you don't want Kaline to scratch. I've never personally used the bitter apple spray I've just heard it works. I KNOW the double sticky tape works. Tin foil works as well. Cats do NOT like the feel of tape/foil on their paws and will not sharpen their claws on something unpleasant to them. Its a texture thing. Foil has no texture and tape is obviously sticky. Kitties LOVE things with texture. You can also use a Kitty Off spray (I found this at Petco). It does have a bit of a nasty odor until it dries which is just minutes but the downside is you have to keep re-applying it every day until the habit is broken. Usually several weeks. Kitties also do not like citrus odors. Lemon scented sprays, popourri or even orange peels applied to the area will also help deter Kaline.

You will also need to remove her scent. There are scent glands in her face as well as her paws that help her mark her territory so use a pet odor remover to remove her smell from that spot. Natures Miracle products come to mind on that one.


Put the post where she goes to scratch. Scratching is a territorial behavior usually done in a "family area". It shows other people and animals that this is her territory and BACK OFF! There are only 3 rooms in my home that do not have a scratching post! Spray your scratching post with kitty "feel good" pheramones like Feliway brand. You could also use catnip either the spray or just rub it on. I know some cats just aren't into catnip so Feliway would be a good alternative. Personally, I would use both. Attach toys to the post. The idea is to send a clear message to Kaline that this is hers and the loveseat is not and to make the post irresistable to her.

If all else fails a squirt bottle of water when catching her in the act will also get the message across.

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Cool Tools for Pet Pests

There are LOTS of products to protect your dogs, cats, ferrets, mice, rats etc., and if you give me a minute I'll sell you all of them at http://www.gonatures.com but today I'm out to save you some money, get you much closer to your pet, and eliminate the need for my own Flea & Tick products. Here's a few tips you can easily use to deal with Ticks, Fleas and other small insect parasites that, literally, LIVE to hitch a ride on your little loved ones.

Eucalyptus: I've had 2 separate successful incidents of eliminating a flea infestation in my home using this common tree. By Infestation I mean fleas jumping on my bare feet while just walking through a room. It got that bad because we did NOT want to use an insecticide at all, let alone INSIDE our house! I did a lot of research on natural methods of dealing with fleas and ticks. Most were a bust, but we did find a write-up in Jethro Kloss' "Back to Eden" that suggested using Eucalyptus.

Here's what we did: There happened to be a grove of Eucalyptus trees just across the road from our house. We went over there and picked up a bunch of fallen branches and cut a few down too. We took them all across the street, took all the leaves off and spread them all over the house. About 48 hours later, there wasn't a flea or tick to be found, not even on Disco (the cat) or Toke (The dog). As it turns out, most insects, including fleas and ticks, are not particularly fond of the scent. They simply left on their own. We were delighted that we didn't have to harm anything, including the pests we wanted to be rid of, while solving a real problem with no cost what so ever.

Years later I had the same problem with a roommates' Cat. My roommate insisted her name was "Sly" but I called her "The Evil One"! That's a story for another day, however. This time there were no Eucalyptus trees to be found and we didn't have the luxury of raiding a nearby grove. So I tried the next best thing. I learned that it was the scent that the nasty little buggers didn't like, so I went to "the Body Shoppe" at the Mall and got some Eucalyptus oil and put it in a spray bottle with a bunch of warm water and walked through the house spraying every carpet and rug I could find. Furniture too! Sure enough, about 48 hours later, we were free of fleas and ticks.

Love that Jethro Kloss! He also suggested making a shampoo for furry animals that includes good concentrations of Pennyroyal. It's as effective as any current meds available today but it's a lot more labor intensive. You have to shampoo your pets regularly, about every 5-7 days in some cases. The labor comes in when you have to negotiate with a cat to give them a shampoo ONCE let alone every 5 days. The Dogs had fun with the whole operation, though. When they got out of the tub naturally they would run through the house shaking the water off their coats (Pennyroyal and all) all over the house. Immunizing the rugs and furniture in the process. How thoughtful!

Lastly, and this one works for Ticks much better than fleas, you can pick up some "Brewer's Yeast" or "Nutritional Yeast" in the bulk section of most grocery stores these days and certainly at any natural food store. Just sprinkle a little bit on your dog or cat's food every so often. When a tick bites your loved one they don't like the taste and start looking for another host to hitch a ride on. Don't over do the yeast sprinkling even though you dogs and cats love the taste. It gave Disco and Toke the runs because I started out thinking I had to use a heavy concentration. Just a little will do the trick and you'll save yourself the nasty chore of cleaning up runny,,, um,,, well, you get my meaning!

As an aside: A little Brewer's Yeast and soy sauce on your popcorn and/or your baked potatoes is a real delight at my house and it DOESN'T give us the runs. Since you already have some in the house now anyway…..

So if you don't want to go to all the trouble of using these "Back to Nature" tricks, we have a variety of solutions for your pets that are also natural, but we do all the work FOR you. Stop by and see what we have for you and your funny furry freaky friends at
http://www.gonatures.com
Much Love, Gregory

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Cats and Behavior - Why Cats Sulk

By Lamar Dean

Cats sulk for a number of reasons. A cat that has been scolded by its owner oftentimes will turn its back and with disdain refuse to look at him or her. Some cat owners describes this 'snubbing manner' this way: My cat turns its back, sits down on purpose, and will not respond if we call its name as it normally does, although it occasionally lays one ear back.' This conduct, noted by some owners when their pets have been corrected or disciplined in some manner, is generally referred to as a dignified sulk. But why is the cat really behaving this way?

The answer isn't that it's exhibiting wounded pride...this is usually what the owner thinks...but rather the pet is displaying its social inadequacy. Its arrogance is external, not genuine. Accepting this for some owners is hard to understand, since they have so much admiration for their feline friend. However they miss the fact that, to the cat, they're overwhelming and thus psychologically overpowering. When a cat acts up and doesn't behave and its owner snaps at it, the cat feels endangered. An owner's wrath at the cats misbehavior usually includes rough tones and intent staring. Staring is extremely unnerving to a cat and its instinctive reaction is to evade the unpleasant image of the staring eyes.

This activity is called 'cut-off' because it cuts off the input signal...the unpleasant face towering over it. It causes a twofold effect. It reduces the fearfulness in the cat itself and allows it to remain where it is, instead of moving off into the distance. It also hinders the cat from staring back, which would spell rebelliousness and possibly encourage more animosity.

The significance of this 'anti-stare' in a cat's social life is plain whenever two cats are embroiled in a status conflict. The dominant cat constantly maintains a fixated stare pointed towards its opponent. The inferior cat, if it wishes to defend its ground, purposely looks away from its foe and makes totally certain that its stare never goes anywhere near the glaring eyes of its opponent.

The stare threat event also illustrates another peculiarity of cat behavior. A few observers have observed that domestic cats, when hunting small birds in the garden, seem to be surprisingly intelligent in one specific regard. If the bird's head disappears behind some small obstacle, the cat can be seen to charge forward and pounce, as if it knows that at that moment the bird can't see its speedy approach. For the cat to rationalize this out would call for considerable


mental agility, however there is of course a simpler explanation. As long as the bird's eye is in view, it's automatically giving the cat a stare that inhibits its attacking lurch. Once the eye is accidentally out of sight behind some obstruction, the stare is turned off and the cat can attack. Studies of big cats stalking prey have uncovered a similar interaction. If the prey looks up and stares straight at the lion or tiger, the big cat looks sheepishly away as if all of a sudden it's indifferent to the whole business of predation. So for any prey with the courage to hold its ground and stare down a hunting lion, there's some considerable advantage to be earned.

Different types of cat breeds have different temperaments and personalities. Knowing those traits is important before adopting a cat. Here are some of the more popular Cat Breeds. What do you do when your pet cat gets sick? Click Here to find out

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