Professor Murphy: The Holidays are Here

Dear Professor Murphy:
The holidays are here and everybody has their own rumors and favorite stories about what’s dangerous for kitty cats during the Christmas season.  Could you please set the record straight and let us know how to help our cats avoid the dangers of this season and every day hazards around the house.  Thank you and have a Merry Christmas.  Oh, by the way, I’ve put a little something in your stocking for you to enjoy.  It just might be a ‘greenie.’  *smile*.
Careful Cat Mommy

Dear Careful:
Professor Murphy would never want the safety of his feline buddies to slip by.  Sooooo … now that we can feel the frosty puffs of breaths of Christmas, Hanukah and New Years coming up fast behind us, its time to dust off Murphy’s Christmas Laws for my feline friends.  These are cheerful seasons for all of us but they can be dangerous, even deadly seasons for my kitty companions.  Please remember the two greatest dangers: lost pets and pet poisoning.

Where Oh Where is that Kitty in the Window - With the fall and winter holidays come many new faces, guests and cat sitters.  Each time guests enter a home; pets are exposed to new levels of stress, both positive and negative.  Many pets are locked away from the guests while others are allowed to roam freely among the visitors.  Doors, gates and garages are opened and closed at a feverish rate during the holidays.  The opportunity for your cat to get out and explore is surely at a high level!  After the 4th of July, the winter holidays are the number one time of the year that cats are usually lost.  So take some extra holiday precautions to keep your cat at home where it’s safe and loved.

Determine the Rules For the Season - If your cat is allowed to run free among the guests (which is only fair, it’s their house too!) make sure that you are there to answer the door for every guest and introduce them to your cat.  Also, you will want to be at the door every time it is open to be sure the cat does not escape.

Tell The Guests, and Especially the Children, the Rules for Your Cat - what rooms they are or are not allowed to enter, not to feed the cat human food (if ten guests feed a 10 lb cat two pieces of meat, you could have a very sick cat), and any other rules you may institute.  Do not let children harass them.

Do Not Ignore Your Cat - With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, cats become stressed - this is a time for extra attention.  Take time every hour to stop and say hello!  Do not forget to talk to them, give them a few moments of extra attention, feed them, give them treats, be sure the food bowl is full and change the litter box or other daily routines more frequently.

Holiday Foods - Alcoholic beverages, candy, chocolate, turkey and fixings, pork, fish, chicken bones, just to name a few hazards.  Cats’ highly sensitive noses pick up scents before humans can.  Watch those hot containers filled with turkey and ham drippings.  Cats can easily tip them over causing severe scalding and burns to themselves.  Don’t give your cat bones.  They can splinter when chewed and eventually puncture the intestinal tract.  

Never give your cat chocolate.  It is highly toxic to animals -- causing stomach cramps, constipation or diarrhea.  
It's best to keep your cat on its regular diet.  Though it's so tempting, don't give your cat large quantities of cooked turkey and ham during the holidays.  Again, human food is too rich and feeding human food to your cat will often lead to unsatisfactory eating habits when its given pet food at regular meal times as well as resulting in pitiful begging, an aggravating habit hard to break, when the family sits down for meals.  Some can even get seriously ill.  It's common to see cats with both vomiting and/or diarrhea right after Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Aluminum Foil can cut a cat’s intestines, causing internal bleeding, and in some cases, even death.  Plastic Food Wraps can cause choking or intestinal obstruction.  Some cats will eat the plastic wrapping when there are food remnants left coating its surface.  Another food related hazard is the plastic six-pack beverage holders; kittens especially, can become entangled in them.  Remember to cut them up before putting them into the garbage.  This will also help the wildlife at the landfills too (especially birds).

 
Holiday Paraphernalia - Electric cords, tinsel, glass ornaments, candles, spray on-snow (some are non-toxic-read the label), ribbons, angel hair (spun glass), etc. can be dangerous to your cat.  Cover up or hide electric cords, never let your cat chew on them.  Do not tie ribbons around your cat’s neck or limbs.  Watch out for rubber bands too.  Supervise all candles - cats are attracted to the bright "lights" in a darkened room.  Not only could they receive serious burns, but they could knock the candles over, spilling hot wax onto furniture and carpeting, perhaps causing a fire.  Don't leave candles unattended for their sake and for the obvious fire hazards.

Poisonous Plants - Although cats have a good sense what they can and cannot ingest, accidents do happen. Many plants, including Christmas rose, holly, mistletoe, philodendron, dieffenbachia are toxic to your cat.  Always try to keep them out of your cat’s reach.  The smaller the cat, the more risk of toxicity if he/she ingests a poisonous plant.  Some signs of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, nervousness, difficulty breathing, and change in pupil size.  Your cat may even stumble, go into convulsions, or become unconscious.

Do Not Try to Make Your Pet Vomit - Many times this can make the situation worse, as some poisons actually cause as much damage coming up as they do going down.  Comfort your cat and make it feel secure, and immediately take it to a veterinarian.  If you know what your cat ingested, take a sample of it to the veterinarian to help determine proper treatment.

Christmas trees – hang your treasured ornaments higher on the Christmas tree.  Replace metal ornament hooks with tightly knotted fabric 1/4 inch ribbons, light-weight twine or yarn to slip easily over the branches of the tree.  Clean and vacuum pine needles daily or twice daily around your tree and your wreath.  Ingested pine needles can puncture your pet’s intestines.  Drinking water from the Christmas tree base will most likely cause diarrhea, vomiting and mouth sores.  Cover your tree base tightly with a tree skirt.  Secure the Christmas tree with a strong rope to the wall and/or ceiling as a cat that climbs on it might topple the tree over.  If you have cats that like to climb make sure they stay away from the tree.  To deter them, try spraying part of your tree slightly with Grannick’s Bitter Apple® Spray.  Neither cats nor dogs like the taste of it.  If the cat is determined to play with everything it sees, perhaps the tree could go in a room where the cat doesn't have access.

Now Who Is Left on my List - Please do not give any animal or any pet of any age as a Christmas gift.  Remember the first weeks of a new life or a sudden change in an adult pet is extremely traumatic for them.  Instead, give gifts of pet supplies, food, and accessories.  Then after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the loved one can make a selection of the selected pet of their choice to bring home to peace and quiet for the pet.  This will also provide the happy new pet owner time to spend with his/her new life-time commitment.

SO YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

1. Feel the joy of being a Purebreds Plus Cat Rescue foster family for one animal in 2007.  Providing a foster home is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world.  The rewards that come from seeing an animal blossom as the result of being in a kind, secure, and loving environment is immeasurable.
2. For those animal lovers who have allergies or feel that a house pet would be too much due to other health reasons or too long hours and hectic schedules of secular work, give a gift of sponsorship to Purebreds Plus Cat Rescue.  There are many needy animals requiring additional care.  This is a great inexpensive gift that will warm hearts throughout the year! 
3. Commit to volunteering to help your favorite rescue or shelter for just one day per month in 2007.  A day of dog walking or cuddling cats and kittens does wonders for the heart and soul as well as for the animals.
4. Give the gift of one less unwanted litter by paying for the spaying or neutering of one shelter pet or feral cat.  Visit PETS911.com to find a list of shelters and rescues in your area that are seeking donations, volunteers, or foster homes.  Most shelters and rescues are in existence due to the generosity of donors, volunteers, and fosters.
5. Spread the word among your family and friends that the holiday season is the perfect time to get involved and make a difference in the lives of their local shelter animals.  There is nothing like a good dog cookie to raise the canine spirit.  Organize a Girl Scout troop or other group to make doggy treat cookies and donate them to a favorite Rescue or Shelter.  Additionally, a plate of human cookies for the pet caretakers will boost their morale too.
6. Donate blood to your local Blood Bank.  They are low on supplies and you could save a life.
7. Donate one meal to a homeless person through your local Mission. 
8. Volunteer for 2 hours at a home for victims of domestic abuse.
9. Volunteer for 1 hour at a rape crisis or suicide crisis line.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!