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
Watch yourself carefully for any signs of infection in the next few days. Cats are very fine companions, but beware of Cat Scratch Fever (which is really cate bite fever.)
The nature of a kitties tongue naturally pulls things into their throats and I’ve seen it cause them to choke on things like the toy you describe. I made the mistake of leaving one of those foam ear plugs on my dresser and the kitty got to it and nearly choked on it.
Sounds like it had catnip in it.
Thanks.
I’ve been bitten, scratched, kicked, or slobbered upon, by almost every domesticated animal, and a few wild ones, over 60 years.
No bad issues, so far; but it is a good idea for everyone to keep their tetanus shots up to date. Bites can be bad...
:-)
JT
Another caution: DO NOT LEAVE DENTAL FLOSS OR STRING of any kind around where a cat can get a hold of it, including open trash cans. I’ve knew someone whose cat swallowed dental floss and who subsequently spent a ridiculous amount of money on surgery to remove it, because the floss became entangled throughout the cat’s gut.
Yes—I am a cat person. I have had a couple of friends who just were playing with their pets, and got a nip that wouldn’t really have alarmed, yet turned into something harder to manage. Never happened to me, but keep even a small and insignificant wound clean and observe.
I would also add tinsel (icicles, as we called it when I was young), on Christmas trees.
That stuff is really nasty, for cats. And they go for it like crazy.
-JT
Next time grab a cat by the nape of its neck or you can pinch it with a clothspin or something like a potato chip bag closer.
It will immobilize the cat and make it easier to do things like put a pill down its gullet or pull something out.
Thanks for your advice. I think I saw something recently about the clothespin or paper clip approach. But this was a sudden, serious thing, that we had to do really fast.
-JT
One of our cats swallowed a small amount of ribbon one time, but we didn’t find out about it until cleaning out the cat litter.
It does make the litter clean-up a little bit easier, so now we feed it to them all the time.
(just kidding)
I can’t leave my boots out because my cat plays with the laces and chews them. Every time I forget, another broken shoe lace.
A side note. Into the early 1970’s, tinsel was made of lead foil.
It was much better looking and it hung on the tree much better.
Can you imagine the horror today at strips of lead hanging from Christmas trees?
Funny thing, it was not actually banned. Some sort of back room agreement got it off store shelves, replaced with the plastic stuff we know today.
I’m so glad you were able to get it out of his mouth, he COULD have choked to death! Because of the way the tiny barbs on their tongues work, spitting something out once they start to swallow is nearly impossible for them. Good advice, though, about small toys.
I remember the old tinsel. It was heavier and draped much better than the plastic type stuff they sell today. I hate the modern, walk by the tree and you end up wearing it. It reaches out from the tree and clings to your clothes.
“I remember the old tinsel”
Yes I do. What a mess.
1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. .
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten. .
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden. .
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously. .
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Doulton figurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing later. .
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw. .
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap. .
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band. .
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom. .
12. Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap. .
13. Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat's mouth open with small wrench. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet mignon. Hold head vertically and pour ½ pint of water down throat to wash pill down. .
14. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture store on way home to order new table. .
15. Take a twelve gauge shotgun and insert pill into the shot shell cavity …..
Before people get upset, we have three cats living with us. Two are sweet and the other not so much but we love him anyway.
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