Cleaning themselves to death

rodent populations. These poisons are meant to stick to the feet and fur of rodents, eventually causing death. Regrettably, if a cat walks through an area that has been treated by tracking powders, she may ingest the poison from grooming her feet and fur.

You need to be aware of this if you hire a professional exterminator. Of course, you can’t decide what types of rodent controls your neighbors use, which gives you a good reason to be on friendly terms with your neighbors so you can keep yourself aware of any potential hazards to your pet.

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The “no-perfume” zone

people complaining that coworkers wear too much perfume and cologne, and some companies have instituted “no-perfume” policies. Your cat is basically a no-perfume animal, and the flowery, spicy scents that we find so attractive have no appeal at all to cats. More importantly, they don’t like cleaning products that are heavily perfumed, and if their litter boxes are cleaned with such products, the cat might stop using the box. In short, if you hope to keep the litter box as odorless as possible, trying to make it smell “pretty” will only defeat your purpose.

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Killing the rat-killers

It’s sad but ironic: over the years, cats have died from eating rodents that had eaten rodent bait. That is, humans set out bait to poison rats and mice, and the bait ended up poisoning nature’s original rodent killers. This fortunately doesn’t happen too often today, since older rodent poisons, such as strych-nine compounds, are seldom used any more.

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The godsend: baking soda products

products no homeowner should be without—and no cat owner. Soda absorbs and neutralizes the chemicals present in cat urine, so you can’t go wrong by sprinkling a thin layer of soda in the litter box, then pouring the litter on top of it.

Arm & Hammer, Tidy Cat and several other companies now sell boxes of “cat box deodorizers,” which are basically made of baking soda and some chemicals. Any of these work fine at keeping odors down. If you choose to use regular baking soda, keep in mind that you can buy it in large boxes, not just the small “kitchen size.”

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Are all bowls the same?

food and water bowls are made of hard plastic, and your cat probably shows no ill effects. Some of the more persnickety cat fanciers claim that plastic bowls are wrong for cats: plastic cracks and erodes over time, and bacteria grow in the tiny crevices. Older plastic can become rough enough to irritate the cat’s skin.

And no matter how often a plastic bowl is cleaned, it can harbor odors. Ceramic is not a good option either, since some ceramic ware contains lead, which is poisonous (over a long period, anyway). So, say some of the experts, the only really safe choices are bowls of glass or stainless steel.

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The dryer scenario

warm from a previous load, and the cat sees the door open and decides the dryer would be a warm and cozy place for a nap.

In comes the next load, on goes the dryer and the cat is taken for a spin. In most cases, the owner will quickly get an earful of noise to let him know the cat is in the dryer. Usually no harm is done (after all, the cat is surrounded by clothing), but in some cases cats have died from suffocation.

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Acidify that smell!

If you think the smell of cat urine is offensive (and it assuredly is), then you know that your cat’s ultra-sensitive nose doesn’t like it either. If her litter box isn’t cleaned out regularly, a cat will do the obvious thing and start urinating somewhere else.

Scoopable litters have made tending to litter boxes less of a chore, but you still have to wash out the whole pan thoroughly from time to time. When cleaning it, keep in mind that urine is basically alkaline. So is ammonia, so if you clean the box with ammonia or an ammonia-based cleaner, you will only increase the urine smell. Use something acidic like vinegar or lemon juice, which neutralizes the urine smell.

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The anti-scoopable data

digestive system. Every advance has its downside, and probably in the future there will be a “new and improved” litter that poses fewer health risks for cats.

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Getting a buzz off electricity

It looks dangerous, and sometimes it is: a cat gnawing on an electrical cord. Apparently the cat gets an actual buzz from doing this and may be able to chew entirely through a cord without harming herself. But the risk of severe shock is always there, plus she can burn her mouth or nose in the process. A cat who has experienced electrical shock may have difficulty breathing, her gums may appear blue and she may stare glassily. A vet is needed in this situation. If your cat is a chronic cord-chewer, try the squirt-gun method or the brand-name spray No.

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The worst kind of cat death

Though the poet Thomas Gray wrote a famous poem on the drowning of a pet cat , cats rarely do drown because they can swim when they have to. If they fall into a pool or large tub that they can’t climb out of, then of course swimming won’t save them.

A cat who has “gone down for the third time” but is still alive can be aided by being held up by the hind legs, which will help get most of the water out of the lungs. Naturally the nearly drowned cat needs a vet’s attention as soon as possible. While drowning is unlikely to happen to your cat or any other, it would seem to be the most horrible kind of death, given cats’ notorious aversion to water.

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The second litter revolution

Cat litter, made it easier to own a cat. Around the late 1970s, a new type of litter made it even easier. This was the “scoopable” type, made of clay containing sodium bentonite. This new litter clumped when moistened, so cat owners (using perforated “scoops” that are now standard equipment for most owners) could easily scoop out the clumps of urine-saturated litter, leaving behind dry litter. It requires changing much less often than the old clay litter and is also less dusty.

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How the agile are fallen!

Everything has to be given a fancy name and an acronym these days, so try this one on: high-rise syndrome, or HRS. In laymen’s terms, HRS involves cats being injured or killed by falling from windows or balconies. As more pet owners move to high-rise apartment buildings, the number of cat deaths rises.

Given how surefooted cats are, it amazes people that cats could ever slip and fall. In many cases HRS is the result of a cat snoozing on a rail, then waking and falling before knowing what was happening. Actually, the most surprising news is not that they fall, but that they often survive. (Remember: nine lives.)

Cats have fallen from as high as eighteen stories and survived. Yes, they do almost always land on their feet, and the legs absorb most of the impact and are often injured—but a fractured leg is better than death. It goes without saying that no cat owner wants a beloved pet to die from a fall, so it makes sense for urban “cliff-dwellers” to keep a close eye on open windows and balcony doors.

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The litter revolution

world forever. Before his product existed, part of cat owners’ daily ritual was putting out the cat for the night. Few owners were willing to bother with boxes filled with sand or soil, and since most cats don’t like to be walked, apartment dwellers weren’t keen on cats. (After all, if they had a cat, where would the cat “go”?) Cat litter changed everything: You could have a cat without having a yard and without having to worry about what might happen to your cat outside every night. In short, cat litter made it inevitable that more people would be able to own cats.

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The nervous human’s friend

The tranquilizing drug Valium (generic name diazepam) has been around for years, and many a nervous, stressed-out person is thankful for it. It is widely used by veterinarians to treat cats—not for nervousness but for aggression. It is effective with most overly aggressive cats, though in a few cases it actually seems to make the cat more aggressive. Note: do not try to administer your own Valium to your cat. The dosages for cats are different than dosages for humans, and this matter needs to be handled by a vet.

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Chasing those stinging things

A cat is as fascinated by a bee or wasp in flight as by any other small, moving object and may swat at the insect and get stung in the process. While a healthy cat isn’t likely to die from such a sting (though it is possible), the owner should try to locate the stinger and remove it using fingernails or tweezers.

A paste made of water and baking soda can help relieve both the pain and the swelling. Some cats, like some humans, are allergic to insect stings, and this will be evident if the swelling from the sting doesn’t go away soon. As with allergic reactions in humans, this immediately requires medical attention.

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The anorexic cat

people—teenage girls in particular—starve themselves, leading to serious health problems because they fear being overweight and looking unattractive. Cats, needless to say, have no concern about looking slim and sexy, but cats can experience anorexia, though exactly why is not known.

It seems more common among cats placed in kennels or in hospitals. The cats simply refuse to eat, and sometimes it is necessary to insert a feeding tube into their stomachs. Curiously, the tranquilizer Valium, used to treat aggression in some cats, is also used at times to stimulate appetite.

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If it’s hotter than me ...

glands, but they don’t function exactly like human sweat glands; plus, a cat can’t (or won’t) do all the things humans do to cool down, such as bathe in water or remove clothing.

In fact, it’s very easy for a cat to have a heat stroke, which can be fatal. A sensitive cat owner wants to avoid situations like a parked car with the windows rolled up, any concrete area without shade or any confined area in direct sunlight. Short-nosed cats, including Persians, seem to be the most at risk for heat stroke.

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Slimming down the chub

One obvious solution to slim down a fat cat: feed her less. It’s best to do this gradually instead of dramatically. A sudden “starvation diet” can lead to serious health problems. Not only should the cat be fed less but the diet ought to be altered to include less fat and more protein.

And, as with humans, proper diet ought to be coupled with proper exercise. Obese cats, like obese humans, typically don’t exercise, which can be partly blamed on their owners, who may enjoy a placid lap cat but who ought to realize that every cat does require play and exercise.

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Forgetting you in their pain

Owners who have had to deal with an injured cat are often bewildered, because the cat seems to lash out viciously, as if she didn’t know her owner. The cat hasn’t forgotten, but the pain temporarily overrides her memory. A cat in severe pain—after being struck by a car, for example—is “no man’s friend” and thus requires careful handling, since she doesn’t understand you are trying to save her life.

Cats can’t really be muzzled, so you have to take your chances with the teeth until you can get her to a vet. It’s wise to wrap the cat in a large towel or blanket, and wear thick gloves if you have them. The good news about an injured cat is that once the syok is past, she will be friendly again and apparently will have no memory of having bitten or scratched her bewildered owner.

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Forcing the pill

You’ve probably heard this before: a dog can be fooled into taking a pill mixed with food, but a cat cannot. It’s true, which means you have to take an active role in the medicating if your cat has to take a medicine in pill form.

It isn’t fun (for either you or the cat), and it requires you to force open the cat’s mouth, push the pill far to the back of the throat and then hold the head back until the pill has gone down. It has to be done quickly, otherwise the cat coughs up the pill and you begin all over again. It helps the process the next time around if you end each session with some stroking and soft words.

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Chubby castrati

male opera singers of centuries ago who had been castrated (voluntarily) before puberty so they would retain a sweet soprano voice all their lives. Alas, one other effect of prepuberty castration was that the castrati tended to be extremely obese (which, as far as their singing was concerned, was not a bad thing).

It appears that neutered tomcats are, in general, more prone to obesity than are unneutered toms. In fact, a neutered tom could eat the same amount as an unneutered one and gain weight, while the unneutered tom might lose. Not every neutered tomcat becomes obese, but as a neutered pet ages, his weight should be monitored.

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The Black Death—not dead yet

Europe in the Middle Ages, is still around and still caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Then as now, the germ is carried by flea-bearing rodents, and cats can get the germ by eating infected rodents or by being bitten by fleas that have bitten infected rodents. While the infection is no longer common, it is serious business when a cat or any animal is infected with the plague. Cats can transmit the disease to humans through scratches or bites.

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The rib test

We have all seen stray cats who looked pitiful with their ribs protruding, and our instinct is to bring them home and fatten them up. In a cat of normal health and weight, the ribs would not be visible to the eye, but you could definitely feel them if you rub the cat’s torso or pick up the cat.

The sign that the cat is obese is when you use the touch test and can barely feel the ribs underneath. You’ve got a fat cat on your hands, and while the cat (unlike its human owner) doesn’t care how she looks, too much body fat can lead to health problems.

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The sweet sickness

Greece and Rome spoke of the “sweet sickness,” a disease we know as diabetes. It occurs not only among humans but cats as well, generally cats eight years of age or older. A diabetic cat tends to be overweight for a while, then, as the disease progresses, becomes emaciated.

It can be treated, just as human diabetes can, but doing so places demands on the owners, including giving insulin injections once or twice daily, frequently testing glucose levels and monitoring the diet extremely carefully.

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Shutting down the immune system

Yes, cats do get a form of AIDS. It’s caused by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and it’s closely related to the human AIDS virus. As in humans with AIDS, the cat’s immune system no longer functions properly, making her vulnerable to all sorts of infections and complications that would normally not be a problem. It can be detected by a test, but as with human AIDS, it is not curable (yet) and no vaccine is available. How it is spread among cats is not fully understood.

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