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Hilli - being an indoor cat - is not especially worried by fireworks, or thunder and lightning but she isn't too fond of the sounds of strong winds and heavy rain. She tends to find a cosy corner for a nap until the next round of food!
 
Mogden - I agree completely with toggle wrt your cat's blister. Don't burst it (as that can let bacteria in, especially with cats as they cover up their poo using their paws), just rinse it with some cooled boiled water 2 or 3 times a day. Don't put human treatments on it, some that are completely harmless to us are toxic to cats (you are quite right about Dettol Liquid, and some natural stuff such as tea tree oil is toxic to cats, aloe vera even is a strong purgative and should be avoided) because they are obligate carnivores with small and inefficient liver unused to dealing with toxins. Especially since if you put anything on their paws, the first thing they will try to do is lick it off, meaning they ingest it.

If it is serious then go to the vet, the general rule of thumb with humans is that if a burn is the equivalent size to the palm of your hand, then that's serious and due an immediate trip to A&E and is considered a serious burn, so scale down from that to appropriate cat size - a small blister on the edge of toe may not need medical attention unless it is weeping or very painful, but a burn that involves more than one pad of the foot really ought to be looked at.
 
Anybody's fluffies having a rough time with the fireworks? It was like artillery shelling out the back garden at tea time, but all my lot were just "Meh, where's our dinner?" so I guess that's a good thing. :)

2 of mine are like that too, occasionally when there is a firework that is particularly loud or particularly close they will look up momentarily, then go back to sleep. The 3rd will race over to sit on the inside windowsill and watch the display with his face pretty much pressed to the window.

I've actually never had a pet (in 40 years) that was scared of fireworks.
 
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Likely not as he will just lick it off and it could well be toxic.

Salt water, Mogden ? Or butter? Isn't butter good for burns? Mind you, he really will lick that off.

Never use butter on any burn, old wives tale that will do more harm than good.
Burn procedure (for humans, more or less from the NHS website):-
-Remove from source of fire and douse any residual fire on the patient (remembering to keep yourself safe, you can't help anyone if you are overcome by smoke or heat).
-Immediately remove any clothing and jewellery that is not stuck to burnt skin, as any left on will retain heat, especially metal jewellery and synthetic fabrics (do not try to pull off anything that has seared or melted into the skin)
- Cool the affected area with clean running water (lukewarm if possible, not freezing cold) for up to 30 minutes or until paramedics arrive (which should hopefully be a lot quicker than 30 minutes). Do not use ice which could damage the tissues more through freezing or make the patient hypothermic, and don't use anything oily such as hand creams or butter.
- Keep the patient as warm as you can with a blanket during this treatment, but do not let the blanket come into contact with burned or raw areas.
 
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Mogden - it is a bit worrying, because cats do not normally get blisters on their feet, their pads are really tough. Is he alright in himself? If it's no better tomorrow I'd book him in to get it looked at before the vet shuts for the weekend, just in case it's a staph infection starting up and needs treatment, as I know that is something that can cause blistering like appearance on a foot that has had a cut and picked up a small infection. Also there is a feline autoimmune condition that causes spontaneous blistering on the feet and swelling of the pads (Plasma Cell Pododermatitis, it sounds frightening, but I believe it's a manageable condition - is he a Ragdoll btw? Just wondered because it is something they seem prone to).
 
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Mogden - it is a bit worrying, because cats do not normally get blisters on their feet, their pads are really tough. Is he alright in himself? If it's no better tomorrow I'd book him in to get it looked at before the vet shuts for the weekend, just in case it's a staph infection starting up and needs treatment, as I know that is something that can cause blistering like appearance on a foot that has had a cut and picked up a small infection. Also there is a feline autoimmune condition that causes spontaneous blistering on the feet and swelling of the pads (Plasma Cell Pododermatitis, it sounds frightening, but I believe it's a manageable condition - is he a Ragdoll btw? Just wondered because it is something they seem prone to).
He is fine in himself. I think maybe he's got something poked into his pad which had caused a cyst or, like I said, a warm firework has blistered it. I've managed to make it bleed this morning trying to have a look at it. Trying to turn his paw over so I have a look and pulled the wound :rollseyes:. It all looks clean, fresh and will continue with some saline attention but the minute it goes an odd colour or whiffs a bit he will be off to the vet. He's my bengal type, not one of my ragdolls, which makes me think it's an injury rather than a disease IYSWIM. Of course being my cat and me having odd medical complaints myself, he'll probably have PCP!
 
He is fine in himself. I think maybe he's got something poked into his pad which had caused a cyst or, like I said, a warm firework has blistered it. I've managed to make it bleed this morning trying to have a look at it. Trying to turn his paw over so I have a look and pulled the wound :rollseyes:. It all looks clean, fresh and will continue with some saline attention but the minute it goes an odd colour or whiffs a bit he will be off to the vet. He's my bengal type, not one of my ragdolls, which makes me think it's an injury rather than a disease IYSWIM. Of course being my cat and me having odd medical complaints myself, he'll probably have PCP!

Cool, that doesn't sound too bad, sounds like it's just an isolated injury then if it was just one paw pad affected. Keep a close eye in case it gets worse or infected, and stop prodding it about and making it bleed :p :D As you say, keep a look out for inflammation, heat, and odd smells.
 
Cool, that doesn't sound too bad, sounds like it's just an isolated injury then if it was just one paw pad affected. Keep a close eye in case it gets worse or infected, and stop prodding it about and making it bleed :p :D
Yeah shit kitty mother :p :D I was chasing Sachin with a dampened tissue yesterday to clean his mucky nose off before we went to the vets and then I bribed him with the thought of treats to get him into his travel box. It really is about as close as you come to human children without having them. :D
 
Yeah shit kitty mother :p :D I was chasing Sachin with a dampened tissue yesterday to clean his mucky nose off before we went to the vets and then I bribed him with the thought of treats to get him into his travel box. It really is about as close as you come to human children without having them. :D

You managed to get Sachin into the carrier with treats? My Radar loves the carrier and even sleeps in it, but the cat who has had to have all the vet visits recently because of his tumour and surgery and post-surgery checkups (Jakey) hates it - the last time I had to get him in the carrier it was fairly intense and I am still not quite sure how I managed it without help. I am generally good with animals, and firm with the cats when I need to be, but he is just SO bloody strong (4kg of pure muscle, he is the Arnie of cats), like a miniature lion or something, when he starts kicking up a fuss it's like holding onto a sack of eels. Very sweet and gentle boy though unless I am trying to get him in the carrier.
 
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You managed to get Sachin into the carrier with treats? My Radar loves the carrier and even sleeps in it, but the one who has had to have all the vet visits recently because of his tumour and surgery and post-surgery checkups (Jakey) hates it - the last time I had to get him in the carrier it was fairly intense and I am still not quite sure how I managed it without help. I am generally good with animals, and firm with the cats when I need to be, but he is just SO bloody strong, like a miniature lion or something. Very sweet and gentle boy though unless I am trying to get him in the carrier.
He's the easiest to house cos he'll do almost anything for chicken or treats and I've formed a Pavlovian response to the treats bag being shaken, and that response is for all of them so aside from my cat squeak, I've got a recall device ;) If I had to say which would be the worst to take to the vets right now it would be either of the girls. All 4 boys are fairly accommodating and I leave their travel box out now and again so they don't get terrified on sight of it but the girls are flighty and fussy about being picked up. And yes, wrestling stubborn cats is akin to carrying drunk people in that it doesn't matter what size they are, suddenly they are remarkably heavy and super strong.
 
He's the easiest to house cos he'll do almost anything for chicken or treats and I've formed a Pavlovian response to the treats bag being shaken, and that response is for all of them so aside from my cat squeak, I've got a recall device ;) If I had to say which would be the worst to take to the vets right now it would be either of the girls. All 4 boys are fairly accommodating and I leave their travel box out now and again so they don't get terrified on sight of it but the girls are flighty and fussy about being picked up. And yes, wrestling stubborn cats is akin to carrying drunk people in that it doesn't matter what size they are, suddenly they are remarkably heavy and super strong.

Yep I have 3, 1 of them, Radar, loves the carrier so much that he sleeps in it (I had to tip the carrier up to get him out of it last time I had to take Jakey to the vet). Sonic doesn't like it very much, but he's small and a bit wimpy and completely devoted to me, I can get him in there no problem. Jakey panics when I have to put him in a carrier, which means big very muscular cat howling so loud that all the neighbours must think I am torturing him, he grabs hold of the carpet to stop us putting him in the carrier, it's usually a 2-person operation to get him in there, and once he's in there he thrashes around*. He actually broke the door off a carrier once. I have a claustrophobic cat. :(

*Imagine if you will, a large lilac cat panting heavily and lying upside down in the carrier with his feet braced against the roof of it, taking a quick breather before he attempts his next breakout.
 
No doubt Urban has been alerted to this in some other thread already but ... how about this for a job vacancy? :cool: :cool:

Newcastle cat rescue centre looking for volunteers to cuddle kittens

Want to move to Tyneside NOW! :) :)
I have lots of experience .... :p

More seriously .... this featured on BBC Breakfast today also, and there's a proper point to it (see link above), small kittens really need to be stroked and loved at particular stages in their development.

Apparantly some of the centre's older, semi-feral cats also need care and cuddles ....
 
Cat in a box!
5ebce2f5d862dea3124e65e116851c81.jpg
 
No doubt Urban has been alerted to this in some other thread already but ... how about this for a job vacancy? :cool: :cool:

Newcastle cat rescue centre looking for volunteers to cuddle kittens

Want to move to Tyneside NOW! :) :)
I have lots of experience .... :p

More seriously .... this featured on BBC Breakfast today also, and there's a proper point to it (see link above), small kittens really need to be stroked and loved at particular stages in their development.

Apparantly some of the centre's older, semi-feral cats also need care and cuddles ....
I did this for Celia Hammond in Lewisham in the summer, and yes it is the best fun. I couldn't take them out of their pens so had to do distance stroking but hey. kittens!
 
trashy that fluffcat looks more like a lynx everytime I see him/her! only missing the little beardy bit.

Hope everyone's felines were fine last night. Loancat went all slo-mo and slinky and cowering in fear but being kept on a lap all evening chilled him out a bit.
 
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Thanking all my lucky stars that none of my furries seem bothered by the fireworks. Next door neighbour said her collie was beside herself, poor thing.

The dog trainer said you can "prepare" animals for bonfire night a couple weeks before by going up to them when they're eating or doing something quite relaxing and clapping, then reassuring them. Next time, bang a couple pot lids together and then again, reassure them. He said it's the suddenness of the noise that distresses them. Even in busy, noisy households, the sound tends to build gradually, not come out of thin air. I hadn't really thought about it that way. Has anyone tried something like that?

Sofa last night, with near artillery shelling all around . . .

15535402838_297346ee88_z.jpg
 
trashy that fluffcat looks more like a lynx everytime I see him/her! only missing the little beardy bit.

Hope everyone's felines were fine last night. Loancat went all slo-mo and slinky and cowering in fear but being kept on a lap all evening chilled him out a bit.

We had to lock ours in, as in blocking the catflap with heavy objects. They really don't like the bangs, noise and suddenness :(
 
Anticipating a visit to the vet on Saturday, I successfully adulterated our youngest cat's food with Zylkene (a type of tranquiliser).

Rather then calm down she has chased her tail, had a fight with my partner's watch :D followed by a fight with his book when he removed it, and launched herself through the air onto the bed.

She is however now curled up in her favourite spot, a tiny cardboard box which she hangs over, but is preferred to the blanket-lined cat bed next to it. :confused::facepalm:
 
Thanking all my lucky stars that none of my furries seem bothered by the fireworks. Next door neighbour said her collie was beside herself, poor thing.

The dog trainer said you can "prepare" animals for bonfire night a couple weeks before by going up to them when they're eating or doing something quite relaxing and clapping, then reassuring them. Next time, bang a couple pot lids together and then again, reassure them. He said it's the suddenness of the noise that distresses them. Even in busy, noisy households, the sound tends to build gradually, not come out of thin air. I hadn't really thought about it that way. Has anyone tried something like that?

Sofa last night, with near artillery shelling all around . . .

15535402838_297346ee88_z.jpg

:) at the fluffsters - they both look very relaxed in each other's company

and hmm at fireworks. the reaction of the mogs i used to live with to fireworks / thunder was along the lines of "will you shut that bleeding racket, we're trying to have a kip"
 
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I totted up the cost of all the vet visits through September and October last night.

Well shit. It cost more than I thought it had in all.

Over £700.

He's also threatening to eat me out of house and home. Despite his T4 numbers being at around 8 a couple of weeks or so ago (very, very, very low - actually means he has hypothyroidism, but that's not really dangerous at all, and is faaaar more preferable to hyperthyroidism, which will kill a cat) he has a voracious appetite. Hypothyroidism is meant to cause lethargy, a decrease in appetite, and a tendency to put on weight. Well, he's not sleeping as much as he was before he had his teeth out (likely that was because he was in pain), and he'd quite happily eat 10 meals a day if I let him. He's put on all his weight, he hasn't been this big since before he started losing weight a few years ago. He's just on the top end of his ideal weight, I don't think he's officially overweight yet, but he will be if he doesn't give over! Most of his food is already lightweight stuff :facepalm: When he asks for food, it's not the same behaviour as when his T4 numbers are too high - that's accompanied with frantic pacing and a lot more crying and obvious stress. So that's something. I've started cutting some of his meals in half. So instead of a whole pouch of food, which he will clear off in one sitting, tonight I've given him half, and he seems happy enough. I'll give him the other half later, and he can have a full pouch in the morning to last him to lunchtime.

Jesus though, Charlie. Ted's going to shout at me :oops:
 
No doubt Urban has been alerted to this in some other thread already but ... how about this for a job vacancy? :cool: :cool:

Newcastle cat rescue centre looking for volunteers to cuddle kittens

Want to move to Tyneside NOW! :) :)
I have lots of experience .... :p

More seriously .... this featured on BBC Breakfast today also, and there's a proper point to it (see link above), small kittens really need to be stroked and loved at particular stages in their development.

Apparantly some of the centre's older, semi-feral cats also need care and cuddles ....

my son spent some time kitten 'cuddling' at a local rescue over the summer. there wasn't much cuddling involved. there was however, licking, clambering, climbing, mewling, falling over and jumping on his head.
 
madamme is drinking loads.
and she's a little skittish and nervy.

right now, i'm putting that down to the effect of fireworks. we know she dosen't do well with them. or thunderstroms. and that we've kept her in since wednesday because i'd rather she was scared and indoors than scared and wet and cold.and she's used to having at least 8 hours out per day.


my thought was that i could put drinking more down to nerves, but make sure it goes away when things get more normal.

opinions?
 
Cats gonna piss on your bed whilst you're asleep by way of retribution

Then she'll go out side to raise a little hell - in the form of Killing something small and furry and then she'll be sick on your bed just after you've changed the bedding after the pissing incident

Swat cat do innit
 
Have you got the heating on toggle? Mine drink more when the air is warmer in the house. Fireworks seem to be worse here this weekend and my lot are getting twitchy. Mookie is under the gin trolley and the others are nervous with just me sneezing so it wouldn't surprise me that she's nervous too.


A huge bang just then and they scattered :(
 
toggle - as she normally spends a lot of time outdoors, is it possible that you don't normally see her drink because she normally drinks in places other than from her bowl?

I'd keep an eye on her and see if it goes back to normal when she gets back to her usual routine, be aware that cats are prone to kidney problems and diabetes which can cause an increase in thirst, so if it continues or if any other symptoms crop up be prepared to take her for a checkup. Sounds like you look after her really well, to notice her habits that closely - fingers crossed that everything is fine :)
 
her water is in a large mug, right next to my desk. she refused to drink at all indoors for months. when we kept her in when we first moved, we gave her loads of catmilk just to make sure she didn't get dehydrated. but i was soaking a pen nib in a glass on my desk and she started drinking out of that. which got moved to the floor by my desk and eventually into a one of those big wide mugs. i'm just noticing because she's slurping right next to me
 
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