Posted on 01/21/2015 7:50:19 PM PST by Jamestown1630
We had a serious cat issue tonight, and I'd like to post this so that others can avoid it.
As some of you know, we acquired two young cats over the past couple of weeks.
They've adjusted really well - they are male siblings; but something happened tonight.
A friend of ours, another Cat person, gave us a bag of toys for the cats. There were lots of nice toys in there, but one of them was a very small, very silky mouse - small enough to fit into a cat's mouth (about an inch long). "They" make cat toys now that have the same silky feeling that real mice do.
I had been throwing these toys for the cats to chase, and when I picked up the tiny, silky mouse and was about to throw it, something in my mind said "NO!". I should have listened to my mind! (Always listen to your instincts! They don't lie!)
But, I threw it anyway. And, a few minutes later, we heard 'cat moaning' going on. At first, we thought that one cat was defending itself against the other.
But, I saw a piece of ribbon sticking out of the moaning cat's mouth, and realized that the little silky mouse was in his mouth, and he couldn't get it out!
Afraid that he would choke, I picked him up, pinched his mouth open, and got the thing out. The cat scratched me furiously, and got the mouse in his mouth again.
This happened three times, before I finally grabbed the demonic toy, and threw it in the trash can.
My hand had many bloody points - cat did NOT want to give up this toy.
My 'Husband Unit' got the peroxide, patched me up, and I'm fine, now.
BUT: DO NOT buy any of those really silky mouse toys for your cat, unless they are large enough that there is no possibility that the cat could choke on it. To the cat, they feel like real mice; and they become more possessive of them than they do of other toys.
Just a caution.
-JT
First of course, is the moaning as he stalks around with hid fresh kill. Our outside kitties have done the same, luckily my wife knew what it meant and managed to save a small bird before the cat settled down for the munch.
We (she) generally takes the toy mousies away when the ears and tail are gone and the stuffing starts to come out.
Get mice that are as big as the real thing.
Do not worry about the moaning, that is cat for victory.
Yep. Totally get it.
Learned that trick on the farm and it came in handy a few years back when a cat was stricken with cancer.
It required feeding and medicine by hand.
So I would catch it, when it knew I was going to force feed and medicate, then clothes pin while I got whatever it needed ready or brought the sickly thing to a place comfortable for both of us.
It would just lay there.
Then, when I needed to syringe feed or push pills down its gullet, I would grab it at the neck and have at it.
LOL!!! I could never understand why everyone else was getting scratched.....city folk.
Once they caught on the whole thjng was safe for everyone.
((((Shudder))))) Kant believe what there hands and arms looked like but, they at least tried and took a few battles doing it.
Every so often ....
ROTFLMAO! !!
Good post. So glad your kitty is OK, you did good mom!
I don’t like the ones that have actual fur on them (I’m sure it’s fake but it looks totally real). The cats love them, but I jump every time I come across one lying on the floor.
Another thing to be careful about (with little kids too I think) are rubber bands. My mom once had to pull a rubber band out of our cat’s you-know-what after she had eaten one. Luckily it wasn’t worse.
I’m a dog person-——and that’s the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time.
Dog medicating is a snap.
.
Well said..... even with a thorough clean up the fever can still get you
When I was young, my Father, who had been a Marine in the Pacific during WWII, always wanted us to buy a lot of tinsel at the ‘after Christmas sales’ every year.
He loved the Christmas tree; and his reasoning was that ‘there might be a war’, and we would not be able to get ‘tinsel’ anymore.
So, all of my life, I’ve bought many packs of ‘tinsel’ or ‘icicles’, on the post-Christmas sales, in his honor.
I don’t know what the stuff was made out of, in his day; but I assume that it was made out of a useful war material, that wasn’t available in war-time; and he had never forgotten that.
(If SHTF, get in touch with me, if you need Christmas Tree Tinsel. :-)
Semper Fi!
-JT
Just don’t give a dog a peanut butter sandwich, unless there’s a whole lot of fresh water around.
I think that is what happened. Thanks for your reply; we will be more watchful, in future.
-JT
Tinsel was made out of lead until the 1960s I believe, so I can see the connection he was making.
Be vigilant for swelling caused by infection such as pasteurella, etc.. I suppose you know this already but such swelling isn’t immediate.
Best way to avoid this problem is not to have a cat.
If your skin was punctured you need professional medical attention and I mean right now. Do not delay.
Seriously.
Yeah, Dogs will eat anything.
Cat are finicky; you usually just have to figure out how to push the damn pill down their throats.
-JT
I would recommend Oil of Oregano (topically) and Manuka Wound Honey (topical) for your scratches and bites.
Thanks to all for your advice. No punctures, just a lot of scratches.
Cats, Husband Unit, and Jamestown, are all doing fine.
(But, will keep your recommendations for future!)
-JT
Oh, Go Chase Yourself :-)
-JT
Whew! What a scary ordeal! Glad the kitteh is ok and hope your scratches don’t give you any problems.
Too many cat toys are small, have strings and other dangerous things on them so I pretty much stopped buying them. An occasional plastic ball with a bell in it is safe and our kiddos have a good time with them.
But their favorite toys are the caps from gallon milk jugs. They can bat them across the floor or they can carry them around. A few will take turns bringing them to me so we can play ‘fetch’.
I have a few burlap scratching mats that open in the back so you can put catnip in them. That’s how our kiddos get their catnip fixes. Oh, and if we happen to walk through catnip around the farm, they have a grand time with our shoes. LOL!
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