Holiday Hazards for Cats

Watch out for the following potential cat hazards during this holiday season:

Flowers And Plants
Poinsettias get the bad rap, but the plant you actually need to worry about is the fragrant lily (such as tiger, Asiatic, and Stargazer), which is commonly found in holiday arrangements and is highly toxic to cats. Just one chewed leaf can result in severe, acute kidney failure. Yuletide plants (like holly and mistletoe) can easily be mistaken for food, resulting in gastrointestinal upset and even heart arrhythmia. Silk and plastic arrangements are your safest bets; if you prefer real flowers, however, choose bouquets made of nonirritating choices such as roses, marigolds, orchids, or daisies.

Candles
Curious cats have been known to knock down candles causing house fires. Never, ever leave candles unattended with a cat in the house. As a Red Cross volunteer, I've been to a couple of fires caused by a curious cat and careless owner. The ending is never good.

Tinsel
If you own a cat, toss the tinsel--she's attracted to it and may eat it. Ingesting tinsel can cause severe damage to the intestinal tract. It can get wrapped around the tongue or caught up in the stomach while the rest of it continues to pass through the intestines, which may require expensive abdominal surgery.

Sponsored by Cats-Gone-Wild Catnip.

New Cat Food Recall: 21 Cats Confirmed Sickened

On September 23, 2009, Diamond Pet Foods issued yet another voluntary recall of certain bags of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat food due to a lack of thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats. Diamond Foods has confirmed 21 cats became sick from the dried cat food, but there is no new or expanded recall, according to the Premium Edge Pet Food Web site.

The recalled cat food was distributed in a total of 18 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida), but all 21 accounts of thiamine deficiency were reported in New York and Pennsylvania.

All incidents were reported prior to October 19. However, if you've given this food to your cat, it's not a bad idea to be familiar with the signs of thiamine deficiency. The company's Web site states that cats deficient in the nutrient will exhibit neurological symptoms, such as "wobbly walking or muscle weakness, paralysis of the hindlimbs, seizures, ventroflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, and abnormal eye movement called nystagmus."

The issue has been rectified through numerous tests -- other Diamond foods do not have a problem -- but if you find that you have any bags with the codes below, you should return the recalled cat food for a full refund to the place where it was purchased, or call 800-977-8797.

Affected codes: RAF0501A22X 18lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAF0802B12X 18lb (BB30FEB11), RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6lb. The dates of manufacture are May 28, 2009 and August 30, 2009.

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Our beloved cats depend upon us to look out after their food needs.  If you are interested in a cat food that has never, ever been on a recall list, check out Lifes Abundance Cat Food .