Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
I found out (first hand) that bears like it too!! I had been ordering mine online before it became available in my local stores, and one day the delivery was left on my porch while I was at work. Being tired when I got home, I figured I'd bring the box in after dinner - but before I got the chance a yearling black bear was on my proch trying to rip the box open. Kat (Mew Jersey) On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 19:13:24 EDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health I did not use this in the house when my dogs were alive, so it's possible. I have been worried that it is attracting mice (we have a lot of mice in the house, judging from Lucy's hunting exploits), which is why I had switched to pine. I switched back because Lucy got sick around the same time I switched. If the mice like it, which I think they do (it's probably like a buffet to them), dogs might also. Michelle In a message dated 7/4/2006 7:11:12 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have heard that a problem with corn litter is that dogs can't eat just one !!! And some have been hospitalized from eating too much Tad
Re: Lucy update
Prayers for Lucy to get regular and feel much better soon. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
RE: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Nina, I was using it for years until my distributor continued to carry (since I buy stuff from a wholesale distributors) you can get petsmart, petco.. or now just about most of pet supplies.. I use sweet scoop, which is much cheaper than worlds best ---I personally prefer worlds best,, but with the volume I have and since I can no longer get them from a distributor, I switched,, and it does what it needs to do, and still safe.. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 4:14 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Thanks. So you can get World's Best Cat Litter in the US? When I found their website they didn't have a retailer listed in the US. Where do you buy it? I'm guessing it's pricey too. I'm pleased about using something that is biodegradable and not a health risk to me or my babies, but I'm not to worried about my cats pooping in non-organic litter. N [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I use Worlds' Best Cat Litter, which is made of corn, and is great. It clumps just enough to be able to scoop it, but the clumps are soft, not hard, and it is just corn, which is digestible if swallowed, and safe. One of the websites my mom sent me said it is the safest, healthiest, and most environmental of the litters. Another said it is not the best because the corn is not organic and hence has some pesticides on it, and recommended using an organic wheat litter or recycled newspaper litter instead. There are apparently other plant-based litters also, like ones made out of kanaf. Hope this helps, Michelle
RE: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Also, Dr Elleys (sp?) cat litter is a clay litter, but does not contain silica, and therefore its supposed to be safe.. and much much cheaper than any other kinds.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 3:22 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health This is what i found on one of the web pages my mom sent me: Most, if not all, clay litters contain silica, which is potentially harmful. From a Web page at The Andersons' Web site (manufacturers of FIELDFresh): Crystalline Silica, once airborne, shows the ability of causing Silicosis. This can cause incurable lesions on the lungs and throat, rendering that tissue useless for transferring oxygen. Crystalline Silica is a naturally occurring element, also known as Quartz, and is found in some of the clay litters. ... According to government standards, silica is a known carcinogen and a Prop 65 material in California. Yours is mostly dust-free, so maybe it is ok. I would be paranoid about it, though. The dessicant stuff that Arm and Hammer compares it to is definitely harmful if eaten (that's what all those little bags in vitamin bottles are filled with, and they always say caution: do not eat on them), and they do tend to get litter on their paws and lick their paws. The websites my mom sent recommend using corn or wheat litter, or using recycled newspaper litter (they say that the chemical that used to make ink harmful is now illegal for newspapers to use, but I still don't like the idea of any ink being in the litter box). I use Worlds' Best Cat Litter, which is made of corn, and is great. It clumps just enough to be able to scoop it, but the clumps are soft, not hard, and it is just corn, which is digestible if swallowed, and safe. One of the websites my mom sent me said it is the safest, healthiest, and most environmental of the litters. Another said it is not the best because the corn is not organic and hence has some pesticides on it, and recommended using an organic wheat litter or recycled newspaper litter instead. There are apparently other plant-based litters also, like ones made out of kanaf. Hope this helps, Michelle
RE: Nina - silica
Nina, silica is dangerous.. thats what they use to keep the food dry (comes in a package with a bag of food --- says dont eat it From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 2:57 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Fwd: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health I use clumping litter, so I appreciate your posting this to the list. The brand of clumping litter I get at Costco is LitterPurrfect. It doesn't contain sodium bentonite, but it does have silica gel. Do you know if this is dangerous as well? The box still warns against flushing the litter, so it makes me wonder. It says it's 99% dust free, so that should help with the inhalant risks. I did a quick search and this is what I found on the Arm Hammer website about their litter, (couldn't find a website for LitterPurrfect). I'm always skeptical of any manufacturer's claims of safety etc. What do you think? The silica gel beads used in crystal cat litters have an amorphous structure and pose no health hazard to the consumer (both the cat and its owner). Silica gel used for cat litters is chemically similar to silica gels used as desiccants (humidity absorbents found in bags, purses, etc.) but are structurally different, designed to remain intact in the presence of liquids (desiccant silica gels fracture in the presence of liquids). Silica gel crystals used for cat litter absorb cat urine into its internal pore structure, then allows the water to slowly evaporate. When mixed at appropriate levels with scoopable or clumping clay, silica gel crystals add its absorbing properties to that of the clay, without interfering with the clumping properties of the clay and without having the negative properties associated with 100% silica gel crystals, such as potential cat rejection. The presence of silica gel crystals in our clumping litter also signals that the product is different and better than conventional clumping litter. I hate to give up the convenience of clumping litter, but of course if I'm putting my cats at risk there's not debate. The website link doesn't seem to be that current. While I was composing this post, I did some more searching and I came up with an all natural, ingestible, corn based clumping litter called World's best cat litter that talks about the dangers of respiratory aliments associated with silica gels The problem is it doesn't seem to be available in the US. Does anyone know of a natural clumping alternative that's available in the US? Here's what I found on the wbct website: SILICA CAT LITTER Silica gel litter is made from silica dioxide sand (the same material found in quartz), oxygen and water. The gel contains millions of tiny pores that can absorb up to 40 times their weight in moisture. It comes in spheres (also called pearls), half spheres and crystal shapes. Some manufacturers add dyes and scents, so you want to watch out for, and avoid, those. The most worrying part of silica is that it is a well known carcinogen (a substance that promotes cancer). [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: FYI, my mom sent me this.. I do not use this kind of litter, but maybe some of you do... Hideyo-- what kind of litter do you use? This website talks about kittens having problems from the litter. Michelle
Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Thanks Hideyo, I did a search on "sweet scoop". It's actually spelled "Swheat Scoop", a little clever word play, as if English isn't confusing enough! I was surprised to find out just how great a hazard the regular clumping litter can be, (thanks again Michelle), and I don't want to support the companies that make it, or endanger my cats. It is discouraging to find yet another expense and inconvenience trying to do what's best for my fur family. I did a little snooping and regular, non scented clay litter like Johnny cat, seems to be safe. Has anyone heard anything that would make you suspect otherwise? Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Nina, I was using it for years until my distributor continued to carry (since I buy stuff from a wholesale distributors) you can get petsmart, petco.. or now just about most of pet supplies.. I use sweet scoop, which is much cheaper than worlds best ---I personally prefer worlds best,, but with the volume I have and since I can no longer get them from a distributor, I switched,, and it does what it needs to do, and still safe..
Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
- Original Message - From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2006 11:43 am Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Thanks Hideyo, I did a search on sweet scoop. It's actually spelled Swheat Scoop*, *a little clever word play, as if English isn't confusing enough! I was surprised to find out just how great a hazard the regular clumping litter can be, (thanks again Michelle), and I don't want to support the companies that make it, or endanger my cats. It is discouraging to find yet another expense and inconvenience trying to do what's best for my fur family. I did a little snooping and regular, non scented clay litter like Johnny cat, seems to be safe. Has anyone heard anything that would make you suspect otherwise? Nina * I use regular, non scented, non scooping litter for my kittens as tiny kittens will eat scooping litter - I don't know why, it doesn't look like it would taste very good. It is so cheap I just dump the whole kitten litterboxes out and refill them daily. I think 20 lbs is about $2.50 on sale around here.
Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
I just called Sally to ask her about which litter she uses, (many of you guys probably remember "Sally from San Jose" that used to be on the list). She had a very sad time with kitten mortality not too long ago and I just wanted to make sure she wasn't using the hazardous litters. I should have known better. Anyway, what she uses is corn chicken feed. It's called "laying chicken crumbles" and she says it works almost as well, (for clumping properties) as the World's best litter and is very inexpensive. It's doubtful that this is organically grown ;-) , but it is biodegradable and ingestible. I'm going to call around and see if I can find it at feed stores. Sally says she prefers it to the clay because it's not as heavy and there are no chemicals added. I'll let you know how well it works for my guys, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: - Original Message - From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2006 11:43 am Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Thanks Hideyo, I did a search on "sweet scoop". It's actually spelled "Swheat Scoop*", *a little clever word play, as if English isn't confusing enough! I was surprised to find out just how great a hazard the regular clumping litter can be, (thanks again Michelle), and I don't want to support the companies that make it, or endanger my cats. It is discouraging to find yet another expense and inconvenience trying to do what's best for my fur family. I did a little snooping and regular, non scented clay litter like Johnny cat, seems to be safe. Has anyone heard anything that would make you suspect otherwise? Nina * I use regular, non scented, non scooping litter for my kittens as tiny kittens will eat scooping litter - I don't know why, it doesn't look like it would taste very good. It is so cheap I just dump the whole kitten litterboxes out and refill them daily. I think 20 lbs is about $2.50 on sale around here.
Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Nina, There are 2 kinds of crumbles - one of them is laced with antibiotics, so double check when you call around. Kat (Mew Jersey) On Wed, 5 Jul 2006, Nina wrote: Date: Wed, 05 Jul 2006 10:53:23 -0700 From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health I just called Sally to ask her about which litter she uses, (many of you guys probably remember Sally from San Jose that used to be on the list). She had a very sad time with kitten mortality not too long ago and I just wanted to make sure she wasn't using the hazardous litters. I should have known better. Anyway, what she uses is corn chicken feed. It's called laying chicken crumbles and she says it works almost as well, (for clumping properties) as the World's best litter and is very inexpensive. It's doubtful that this is organically grown ;-) , but it is biodegradable and ingestible. I'm going to call around and see if I can find it at feed stores. Sally says she prefers it to the clay because it's not as heavy and there are no chemicals added. I'll let you know how well it works for my guys, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: - Original Message - From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2006 11:43 am Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Thanks Hideyo, I did a search on sweet scoop. It's actually spelled Swheat Scoop*, *a little clever word play, as if English isn't confusing enough! I was surprised to find out just how great a hazard the regular clumping litter can be, (thanks again Michelle), and I don't want to support the companies that make it, or endanger my cats. It is discouraging to find yet another expense and inconvenience trying to do what's best for my fur family. I did a little snooping and regular, non scented clay litter like Johnny cat, seems to be safe. Has anyone heard anything that would make you suspect otherwise? Nina * I use regular, non scented, non scooping litter for my kittens as tiny kittens will eat scooping litter - I don't know why, it doesn't look like it would taste very good. It is so cheap I just dump the whole kitten litterboxes out and refill them daily. I think 20 lbs is about $2.50 on sale around here.
Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Thanks Kat! The chicken feed certainly wouldn't work for Michelle, or anyone that might have a rodent problem. I can just see the little guys lined up at the buffet. Was it someone on the list that wrote about weevils being a problem with wheat litter? You'd think I had tons of time on my hands! I can't even remember where I read what. Nina Kat wrote: Nina, There are 2 kinds of crumbles - one of them is laced with antibiotics, so double check when you call around. Kat (Mew Jersey)
RE: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Does corn chicken feed clump? From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 11:53 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health I just called Sally to ask her about which litter she uses, (many of you guys probably remember Sally from San Jose that used to be on the list). She had a very sad time with kitten mortality not too long ago and I just wanted to make sure she wasn't using the hazardous litters. I should have known better. Anyway, what she uses is corn chicken feed. It's called laying chicken crumbles and she says it works almost as well, (for clumping properties) as the World's best litter and is very inexpensive. It's doubtful that this is organically grown ;-) , but it is biodegradable and ingestible. I'm going to call around and see if I can find it at feed stores. Sally says she prefers it to the clay because it's not as heavy and there are no chemicals added. I'll let you know how well it works for my guys, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: - Original Message -From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2006 11:43 amSubject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's HealthTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Thanks Hideyo,I did a search on sweet scoop. It's actually spelled Swheat Scoop*, *a little clever word play, as if English isn't confusing enough! I was surprised to find out just how great a hazard the regular clumping litter can be, (thanks again Michelle), and I don't want to support the companies that make it, or endanger my cats. It is discouraging to find yet another expense and inconvenience trying to do what's best for my fur family. I did a little snooping and regular, non scented clay litter like Johnny cat, seems to be safe. Has anyone heard anything that would make you suspect otherwise?Nina* I use regular, non scented, non scooping litter for my kittens as tiny kittens will eat scooping litter - I don't know why, it doesn't look like it would taste very good. It is so cheap I just dump the whole kitten litterboxes out and refill them daily. I think 20 lbs is about $2.50 on sale around here.
Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health
Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx? Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump?
RE: Chicken Crumbles
Title: Message I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of NinaSent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's HealthSally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx?NinaHideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump?
RE: Chicken Crumbles
Title: Message I know what you mean.. I used one of the wheat clumping litter which did not clump well at all (not swheat sccop) I got so frustrated I spend about $700 on just litter because of the volume I have with swheat scoop --- its cheaper than worlds best..at least.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Doljan, Joan Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 2:32 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: Chicken Crumbles I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx? Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump?
Re: Chicken Crumbles
Thanks Joan. It sure would be nice to find convenient, safe, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive products. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it's rare to find all four in a product of any kind. Maybe white vinegar! Nina Doljan, Joan wrote: Message I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx? Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump?
RE: Chicken Crumbles
Title: Message Just as FYI one of my old distributors is actually in the process of manufacturing new corn based litter it works just like world best litter I have actually tried them as a test sample for a couple of times they are very good.. and the pricing is supposed to be much cheaperjust dont know when they will be ready.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 2:54 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Chicken Crumbles Thanks Joan. It sure would be nice to find convenient, safe, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive products. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it's rare to find all four in a product of any kind. Maybe white vinegar! Nina Doljan, Joan wrote: I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx? Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump?
OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
Hi Michelle, I had been avoiding using antihistamine for Starman's itching because, well, mostly because I hate to medicate period. Have you heard anything detrimental about long term use in controlling Patches' itching with it? I was looking for information about possible side effects, long or short term and found this page on treatments for allergies sponsored by Drs. Foster Smith. I know you said Patches chews on herself because of anxiety, (tell Lucy to stop pouncing on her!), but thought you might find it interesting and helpful. I didn't know that Omega 3 was specifically beneficial for itching, and that biotin, (one of the B vita) has also helped. It talks about the different type of antihistamines, steroid treatments, etc. Anyway for all those itchy cats out there, here's the article: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1cat=1332articleid=505 Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Patches does this from anxiety. it is not an allergy with her, it is anxiety. But she does not do it anymore, because I put compounded transdermal benadryl in her ears twice a day. If I stop doing that, because I run out or something, she picks right up and starts at her belly and legs again. But if she gets it twice a day, the hair all grows back and she doesn't do it. The benadryl just takes the edge off, I guess. Even though benadryl is not a prescription, you need your vet to call in a prescription to a compounding pharmacy to get it compounded to transdermal. Don't use the benadryl cream from the drug store-- that is topical cream, not transdermal. <>Michelle
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
Nina, Patches actually doesn't itch. It's anxiety, a compulsive habit, rather than due to itching. The benadryl is given in a very small dose, transdermally in her ears, as an anti-anxiety drug rather than as an antihistimine. She sometimes licks anyway (I haven't seen her do it in a long time, but looking at her right now I see that the hair on her belly is shorter than elsewhere), but it makes a huge difference. Her anxiety predates Lucy-- she was anxious when she came to me. She had a huge scar on her cheek (now covered with fur), some broken teeth, and other signs of having been attacked or abused. She used to attack me whenever I made a loud noise like yelling at Simon when he did something particularly naughty. The benadryl calms her in general, though she does not seem tranquilized or anything. Has actually started playing recently, for the first time. Poor baby. She had a bad childhood on the street. But a little benadryl has worked better for her than 30 years of therapy does for some humans! :) Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 6:46:46 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle,I had been avoiding using antihistamine for Starman's itching because, well, mostly because I hate to medicate period. Have you heard anything detrimental about long term use in controlling Patches' itching with it? I was looking for information about possible side effects, long or short term and found this page on treatments for allergies sponsored by Drs. Foster Smith. I know you said Patches chews on herself because of anxiety, (tell Lucy to stop pouncing on her!), but thought you might find it interesting and helpful. I didn't know that Omega 3 was specifically beneficial for itching, and that biotin, (one of the B vita) has also helped. It talks about the different type of antihistamines, steroid treatments, etc. Anyway for all those itchy cats out there, here's the article: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1cat=1332articleid=505Nina
To Michelle
Hi Michelle, I have been out of town for several days and am just now catching up on my email. I am sorry you are having a scare with Lucy, but it sounds like things are going a lot better since last week. I hope she continues to improve. Please let us know what the vet says tomorrow. Prayers going out for her. :) Wendy --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, I found two very small, very hard bowels in the litter box just now. I can't be sure it's Lucy and not Patches, but I think it probably was. it would make sense of why she has had very small amounts of liquid stool very far apart, as that can happen with constipation. She has not gotten much fiber in the last few days as she has been eating mainly broiled turkey. If it was her, I will feel much better, as it will mean the diarrhea has stopped. Since the weight loss, appetite loss, and nausea also seem to have abated, if the diarrhea has abated as well I will be relieved. It still would not be certain she does not have lymphoma, as she is on a lot of pred and that can control lymphoma for a while as well, but I think probably it would indicate more a flare-up of her IBD. Maybe from the pine litter, I don't know. Anyway, I will be crossing my fingers. If anyone has the energy to say a little prayer for her, I would appreciate it. Thanks, Michelle __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
Sweet little girl. I'm so glad you found each other. Don't you just wish we could coo and stroke their anxieties away? So I take it that you haven't found any cause for concern with ongoing dosing? You've got me thinking... My main man cat, Instigator, has been anxious and concerned about Spencer's arrival at the house. Spence is socially retarded and just doesn't have any cat etiquette. I really think he's just trying to initiate play with Instigator, but Insty is having none of it, has stopped socializing altogether and is constantly looking over his shoulder. I'm going to try the fe first, but may give him a .5 Chlor tab as well. Hell, how about a round for all of us! N [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nina, Patches actually doesn't itch. It's anxiety, a compulsive habit, rather than due to itching. The benadryl is given in a very small dose, transdermally in her ears, as an anti-anxiety drug rather than as an antihistimine. She sometimes licks anyway (I haven't seen her do it in a long time, but looking at her right now I see that the hair on her belly is shorter than elsewhere), but it makes a huge difference. Her anxiety predates Lucy-- she was anxious when she came to me. She had a huge scar on her cheek (now covered with fur), some broken teeth, and other signs of having been attacked or abused. She used to attack me whenever I made a loud noise like yelling at Simon when he did something particularly naughty. The benadryl calms her in general, though she does not seem tranquilized or anything. Has actually started playing recently, for the first time. Poor baby. She had a bad childhood on the street. But a little benadryl has worked better for her than 30 years of therapy does for some humans! :) Michelle
Re: Hannibal departed to his new wonderful life... - thank you for all your prayers.
Hideyo,I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my first kitty ever to CRF. It's hard.tonyaHideyo Yamamoto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Hi, everyone, I first wanted to thank you all for all the prayers and encouragement and support for Hannibal a little less than 24 hours ago, he passed away he stopped breathing in my arms.. I wish he was at home but unfortunately we were at the vet and he was getting IV fluid I was with him the whole time..I really did not expect him to cross the bridge yesterday.. I just wanted to make him feel better and I thought that IV would have helped him.. and now I think about it, I am so sure that putting him on IV did shorten his life after all.. as always,, I have so many regrets for things I wish I had done, I had known.. or I wish I had not done.. if I had known as much as I do now.. I would have made Hannibals life so much better and longer ..I am so sorry for Hannibal not knowing any better but I hope I can contribute my learning experience to any other kitties out there who are fighting against CRF Hannibal was and is such a fighter.. he was the very first feral I rescued in U.S. and I have known him over 10 years I feel so fortunate to have met him and feel honored to have met and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to take care of him.. I wish I had done a better job, Hannibal and I am so sorry that I did not pay attention well enough and took your sight way.. I know it was struggle for you but one thing for sure.. I have loved him so very much.. I loved him like there is no tomorrow .and I always will We celebrated his departure to his new life with all other kitties last night.. we all miss him.. I am so very much going to miss holding him.. and seeing places that I used to see.. but I also know that his soul will continue to live with me.. and is still around I am still feeling numb and shock.. but I wanted to thank everyone for all the prayers.I also wanted to thank Helen and her website on CRF support ---I have learned so much from I know for sure that without the information,, I couldnt have taken care of him as well as I did .Hideyo and Hannibal, my little precious hero
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
Does chlortrimiteton have tranquilizing effects like Benadryl? I know Benadryl makes me sleepy, and I figured that is why it works for patches, though it does not make her sleepy. I have not seen or heard of any bad effects. Did you read something specific about it? Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 7:34:35 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Sweet little girl. I'm so glad you found each other. Don't you just wish we could coo and stroke their anxieties away? So I take it that you haven't found any cause for concern with ongoing dosing? You've got me thinking... My main man cat, Instigator, has been anxious and concerned about Spencer's arrival at the house. Spence is socially retarded and just doesn't have any cat etiquette. I really think he's just trying to initiate play with Instigator, but Insty is having none of it, has stopped socializing altogether and is constantly looking over his shoulder. I'm going to try the fe first, but may give him a .5 Chlor tab as well. Hell, how about a round for all of us!N
Re: Chicken Crumbles
Title: Message Has any one found a way to keep weevils out of the Swheat Scoop? I really like it but the insects drove me crazy (not to mention my cats). So many of you seem to use it I just have to ask. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Hideyo Yamamoto To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 3:55 PM Subject: RE: Chicken Crumbles Its so frustrating.. because you know that the cost of corn and wheat litter are so cheap.. they just mark up to make money.. I seriously considered contacting farmers in south with big corn fields if they can some left over of their stuff so that I can use as litter for my cats.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of NinaSent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 2:54 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Chicken Crumbles Thanks Joan. It sure would be nice to find convenient, safe, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive products. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it's rare to find all four in a product of any kind. Maybe white vinegar!NinaDoljan, Joan wrote: I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of NinaSent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx?NinaHideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump? No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.9/382 - Release Date: 7/4/2006
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
Have you considered a holistic vet? Mine used laser on some scars Dixie Louise has and it really seems to have helped. Rescue Remedy and other flower essences have also worked. Guess I am looking for a cure instead of a patch. The little ones from the streets need so much and are so wonderful.. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 6:09 PM Subject: Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments Nina, Patches actually doesn't itch. It's anxiety, a compulsive habit, rather than due to itching. The benadryl is given in a very small dose, transdermally in her ears, as an anti-anxiety drug rather than as an antihistimine. She sometimes licks anyway (I haven't seen her do it in a long time, but looking at her right now I see that the hair on her belly is shorter than elsewhere), but it makes a huge difference. Her anxiety predates Lucy-- she was anxious when she came to me. She had a huge scar on her cheek (now covered with fur), some broken teeth, and other signs of having been attacked or abused. She used to attack me whenever I made a loud noise like yelling at Simon when he did something particularly naughty. The benadryl calms her in general, though she does not seem tranquilized or anything. Has actually started playing recently, for the first time. Poor baby. She had a bad childhood on the street. But a little benadryl has worked better for her than 30 years of therapy does for some humans! :) Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 6:46:46 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle,I had been avoiding using antihistamine for Starman's itching because, well, mostly because I hate to medicate period. Have you heard anything detrimental about long term use in controlling Patches' itching with it? I was looking for information about possible side effects, long or short term and found this page on treatments for allergies sponsored by Drs. Foster Smith. I know you said Patches chews on herself because of anxiety, (tell Lucy to stop pouncing on her!), but thought you might find it interesting and helpful. I didn't know that Omega 3 was specifically beneficial for itching, and that biotin, (one of the B vita) has also helped. It talks about the different type of antihistamines, steroid treatments, etc. Anyway for all those itchy cats out there, here's the article: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1cat=1332articleid=505Nina No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.9/382 - Release Date: 7/4/2006
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
My holistic vet is concerned that antihistamines have been linked to cancer..we were talking about an entirely different topic. Dixie was scratching for totally unknown reasons and was about as raw as she could get. We were using chlortrimiton to break the cycle of scratch, itch, scratch some more etc.(My regular vet recommended that over the benadryl.) Having one cat with cancer I took the holistic vet's words to heartuse it sparingly. I have to talk to her more about it but I am careful nowwith the cats and with myself. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 7:12 PM Subject: Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments Does chlortrimiteton have tranquilizing effects like Benadryl? I know Benadryl makes me sleepy, and I figured that is why it works for patches, though it does not make her sleepy. I have not seen or heard of any bad effects. Did you read something specific about it? Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 7:34:35 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Sweet little girl. I'm so glad you found each other. Don't you just wish we could coo and stroke their anxieties away? So I take it that you haven't found any cause for concern with ongoing dosing? You've got me thinking... My main man cat, Instigator, has been anxious and concerned about Spencer's arrival at the house. Spence is socially retarded and just doesn't have any cat etiquette. I really think he's just trying to initiate play with Instigator, but Insty is having none of it, has stopped socializing altogether and is constantly looking over his shoulder. I'm going to try the fe first, but may give him a .5 Chlor tab as well. Hell, how about a round for all of us!N No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.9/382 - Release Date: 7/4/2006
RE: Chicken Crumbles
Title: Message Maybe I am blind.. I am not seeing any weevils are the insects in the bag? From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marylyn Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 6:25 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Chicken Crumbles Has any one found a way to keep weevils out of the Swheat Scoop? I really like it but the insects drove me crazy (not to mention my cats). So many of you seem to use it I just have to ask. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Hideyo Yamamoto To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 3:55 PM Subject: RE: Chicken Crumbles Its so frustrating.. because you know that the cost of corn and wheat litter are so cheap.. they just mark up to make money.. I seriously considered contacting farmers in south with big corn fields if they can some left over of their stuff so that I can use as litter for my cats.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 2:54 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Chicken Crumbles Thanks Joan. It sure would be nice to find convenient, safe, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive products. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it's rare to find all four in a product of any kind. Maybe white vinegar! Nina Doljan, Joan wrote: I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx? Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump? No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.9/382 - Release Date: 7/4/2006
Re: Chicken Crumbles
Title: Message I opened several boxes at my home and they were full of the little dudes. The company assured me they did not leave the factory that way but they sure did come to my home with them. I don't know if they were infested at the stores (multiple) I bought the boxes at or what.I was able to use the product in my city home successfully (that is why I loved it) but when I moved to the country I could not use it. I am asking if anyone has had the problem and overcome it. I am not putting it down, just looking for information so I can use it again. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Hideyo Yamamoto To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 7:27 PM Subject: RE: Chicken Crumbles Maybe I am blind.. I am not seeing any weevils are the insects in the bag? From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of MarylynSent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 6:25 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Chicken Crumbles Has any one found a way to keep weevils out of the Swheat Scoop? I really like it but the insects drove me crazy (not to mention my cats). So many of you seem to use it I just have to ask. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Hideyo Yamamoto To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 3:55 PM Subject: RE: Chicken Crumbles Its so frustrating.. because you know that the cost of corn and wheat litter are so cheap.. they just mark up to make money.. I seriously considered contacting farmers in south with big corn fields if they can some left over of their stuff so that I can use as litter for my cats.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of NinaSent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 2:54 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Chicken Crumbles Thanks Joan. It sure would be nice to find convenient, safe, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive products. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it's rare to find all four in a product of any kind. Maybe white vinegar!NinaDoljan, Joan wrote: I used it, but I had been using World's Best before then. It is lots cheaper, but I found it tracked too much and did not hold up as well as World's Best. Even though, World's Best costs a bit more, I found with the Chicken Crumbles,I was always mopping and dumping I switched back to World's Best. -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of NinaSent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 4:20 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Check out Clumping Clay Kitty Litters and Your Cat's Health Sally says it does. Not as well as clumping litter, but enough to make scooping urine possible. She says it stays cleaner than regular clay litter too. I'm going to try it. You might want to consider trying it since it costs so much less. Did you read Kat's warning to be sure the chicken feed crumbles don't contain abx?NinaHideyo Yamamoto wrote: Does corn chicken feed clump? No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.9/382 - Release Date: 7/4/2006 No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.9/382 - Release Date: 7/4/2006
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
The scar is not noticeable under her fur, and I don't think it bothers her at all. The benadryl and felliway seem to work well for her. I am so used to using both of them that it does not seem like a big deal, and I have never thought that low dose benadryl is a problem. Do you think it is for some reason? If it's not, I tend to want to leave well enough alone and not stress her, or myself, with new vets. The funny thing is that when the vet first prescribed the benadryl, years ago, he told me to buy the pills from the drug store and pill her (I think it was 1/6 of a pill or something like that). But she is incredibly hard to pill, so I would have to chase her around twice a day and grab her and pill her, getting bitten, and she would foam at the mouth and hyperventilate. After a few days of this, it dawned on me that this was probably not helping her anxiety! So i asked for it to be compounded. She still runs when she sees I have the cream, but is easy to catch and is fine when I rub it in her ear. The vet who prescribed it had said that some cats, after getting it for a few months and stopping the habit of pulling their fur out, just get over it entirely even if the benadryl is stopped. That has not happened yet with Patches, and it has been almost 4 years! Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 8:29:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Have you considered a holistic vet? Mine used laser on some scars Dixie Louise has and it really seems to have helped. Rescue Remedy and other flower essences have also worked. Guess I am looking for a cure instead of a patch. The little ones from the streets need so much and are so wonderful..
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
the side effects lists for both of these are kind of scary. It's odd. I almost always do side effects research before starting them on anything, but it never even occurred to me to research the benadryl. She is on a very small dosage (I think it's equivalent to 1/6 of the smallest over the counter pill, twice a day), transdermally. At this point I think I am more afraid to stop it than continue it, as it makes her so much calmer and happier. She gets really agitated when not on it. When Simon was alive, if I skipped a few doses, because I ran out or something, she would start hitting him on the head. He was always happy when I refilled her prescription! Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 8:30:37 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Yes it does. I haven't read anything about long term side effects, I was just researching to be sure. Here's a link about chlor from that same article I posted earlier:Chlorpheniramine is an antihistamine used to control itching in animals with allergies. It may also be used as a mild sedative. May see vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or inability to urinate when used at higher doses. Do NOT use products in which chlorpheniramine is combined with other drugs or compounds such as caffeine or acetaminophen.I've seen Diphenhydramine used in sleep aid tablets, so I'm sure it does make one drowsy. Here's what they have to say about Diphenhydramine, (the ingredient in Benadryl): Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine. It is used for the treatment of allergies and atopy, primarily to stop itching. (Atopy is an allergy to something that is inhaled, such as pollen or house dust; also called 'inhalant allergy.') It may also be used to control vomiting and motion sickness, as a mild sedative, and to treat muscle tremors due to certain toxins or medications. Contact your veterinarian if your pet experiences sleepiness, agitation, a rapid heart beat, depressed respiration, an inability to urinate, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite while being treated with diphenhydramine.
Re: OT - Itchy cats antihistamine and other treatments
I think that the dose Patches is on for anxiety is lower than an anti-itch dose. It is a very low dose. What you say worries me. But with her FeLV, I also worry that stress can trigger her virus and cause her to get lymphoma, which has happened with my other cats, and the benadryl reduces her stress so much. So I am afraid to stop using it at this point. Michelle In a message dated 7/5/2006 8:37:19 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My holistic vet is concerned that antihistamines have been linked to cancer..we were talking about an entirely different topic. Dixie was scratching for totally unknown reasons and was about as raw as she could get. We were using chlortrimiton to break the cycle of scratch, itch, scratch some more etc.(My regular vet recommended that over the benadryl.) Having one cat with cancer I took the holistic vet's words to heartuse it sparingly. I have to talk to her more about it but I am careful nowwith the cats and with myself.