Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Welcome Susan, to our blog!


Thank you Vickie for allowing me write a guest post for your blog!

My name is Susan Daffron and I'm the founder of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals (http://www.naprp.com) and the author of books on caring for adopted dogs (Happy Hound - http://www.HappyHoundBook.com) and adopted cats (Happy Tabby - http://www.HappyTabbyBook.com).

This week is National Animal Poison Prevention Week and I'd like to showcase a few tips pet owners can take to keep their cats (and other pets) safe from poisonous substances. As every cat owner knows, cats and especially kittens love to get into things. That old saying "curiosity killed the cat" can be all too true when it comes to poisons.

Cats are hunters and unfortunately people frequently use poison to kill rodents or other "varmints" in their house or yard. In the world of toxic substances, you sometimes see references on labels about injury or death of "unintended target species." If a cat hunts, kills, and eats a poisoned rodent, she can become one of those "unintended targets." (So can kids, dogs and wildlife!)

Another unintentional way cats are poisoned is when humans attempt to give them over-the-counter medication. For example, acetaminophen, which is used in Tylenol and various cold medications is extremely toxic to cats. Never give your cat Tylenol; one tablet can kill a cat.

Cats are particularly sensitive to chemicals absorbed through their skin, so read labels carefully on the pet-care and household products you use. Topical flea products, soaps, cleaning chemicals, and insecticides you might use in your house or garden often contain chemicals that are toxic to cats, so read the label of any product you intend to use.

Also be sure to "pet proof" your household. Many common houseplants and outdoor plants are toxic to cats. The ASPCA site has a list of toxic plants and other common poisons.
Toxic Plants - http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_toxicplants
A Poison Safe Home - http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_poisonsafe

Any time you suspect your cat may have been poisoned, take her to a veterinarian immediately. Prompt treatment can save her life. You want your cat to remain healthy and live a long time, so take a few simple steps to keep her safe.


Posted by Chancy, Jake, Babe and Ernies Voice at 12:01 AM

13 comments:

  1. Hot(M)BCMarch 19, 2008 at 11:11 AM

    Oh dat's good advise. Fanks, Susan! And fanks Chancy and Jake fur hafin her. Them links are grate too. Fanks!
    Purrrrrs,
    Sanjee and the resta the Hotties

    ReplyDelete
  2. ANGEL ABBYGRACEMarch 19, 2008 at 12:10 PM

    Fank yu Susan!
    Dat wuz nice of yu to stop by and give us all dat infoomashun.

    Purrs
    Abby

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. HendrixMarch 19, 2008 at 12:28 PM

    These are great tips! Mommy and daddy only use organic stuff in their yard and NO poison stuff. Thanks for the plant link, it is easy to check what plants mommy can put on the table there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DaisyMarch 19, 2008 at 12:59 PM

    That is some very good and important information!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 19, 2008 at 1:11 PM

    Thanks for the good information, Susan. I also want to tell you (and all your friends) that I, too have written a book. It's scathingly-funny book called The World Is Your Litter Box, which will be out May 6th. The book is cleverly disguised as a cute cat book so humans will buy it, but is, in fact, a how-to manual FOR cats. Check it out on my website, www.theworldisyourlitterbox.com.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 19, 2008 at 1:18 PM

    Thank you! We're going to go check out the links now - especially about the plants. We think the Lady should just replace all her plants with cat grass and nip. Maybe she will.

    ReplyDelete
  7. PB 'n JMarch 19, 2008 at 5:02 PM

    Thank you Susan - that was lots of good information. Mommy is going to check out the plant list for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'GeeMarch 19, 2008 at 5:34 PM

    Thanks fur haffing Susan be a gest on yoor bloggie and thank yoo Susan fur all da great informashun. We don't effur wanna scare mom by getting poisoned so dis is furry helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Samantha & MomMarch 19, 2008 at 5:48 PM

    Thanks Susan for the great advice and sharing it with us at Ernie's Voice! We are going to check the plant list and the stuff mom uses for bugs! We want to be safe kitties,
    Your FL furiends,

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq)March 19, 2008 at 7:14 PM

    The Big Thing here: Good advice Susan. I use only organic stuff in the yard (and am careful about those), the least dangerous things in the house (and make sure to clean them up quickly).

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ivan from WMDMarch 20, 2008 at 12:07 AM

    That's some good information. We also have a magnet on our refrigerator right next to the phone for the Animal Poison Hotline (888-232-8870). Once my mom had to call it when I was a really really tiny boy because she was afraid I'd taken a bite of Fimo. I really hadn't, but Mom was glad she had this number on hand to get instant help.

    ReplyDelete
  12. RascalMarch 20, 2008 at 9:22 AM

    Thank you Susan! Excellent information and advice.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousMarch 24, 2008 at 3:29 PM

    Thanks for reading everyone. I hope all your kitties stay safe ;-)

    And thanks Vickie for giving me the opportunity to spread the word!

    Susan Daffron
    Logical Expressions, Inc.
    http://www.logicalexpressions.com

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting our blog. We love your comments. Loads of (((HUG))) to you kitty bloggers.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)