It’s been a warm winter, especially in New England, and it’s expected to be a banner year for ticks and Lyme Disease. It’s quite fitting that May is World Lyme Disease Awareness Month, as it marks the beginning or spring and summer. It also marks the time to either learn or re-learn how to prevent and recognize this disease.

While Lyme Disease is much more common in humans and our canine friends, cats can become infected, and it’s important to know the signs just in case your cat is one of the small percentile that get the disease.

Untreated Lyme Disease can have long-lasting debilitating effects. But with early detection, symptoms can be minimized if not totally eliminated.

The best way to fight Lyme Disease is through prevention, applying a topical spot-on medications applied between their shoulders once a month. Some tick collars can be effective. Check with your local veterinarian for suggestions on what might be the best choice for your pet.

Another mode of prevention: avoiding places that harbor tickets. Extra care should be taken in the woods and areas with tall grass or low brushes. When traveling, be aware that certain areas of the country like the northeast have a much higher incidence of ticks.

There are a number of different ticks. Keeping the tick to have it properly identified will help you determine whether or not you should be concerned about infection.

Lyme disease is spread through mostly deer ticks, tiny little bugs with a brown stripe, not to be confused with wood or dog ticks with white stripes. It is most common in the East Coast, upper mid-west and Pacific Northwest.

What causes Lyme Disease? A microscopic organism, the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, normally feeds on small animals, especially mice. Ticks then feed on these small animals and spread the bacteria infecting other larger animals.

A tick has four life cycles, entirely completed within two months, the egg, larva, nymph and adult. The larvae, nymph and adults all feed on blood and after a feeding, the tick falls from the feeding source.

According to information posted on PetPlace.com, when ticks are in need of a blood meal, they seek out prey by heat sensors. When a warm object passes by them, they attach to this object by clinging to clothing or fur or falling from trees onto the object.

Once they’ve selected their prey, the tick migrates to an area with little hair, around the ears or lips.  Then, the tick inserts its pincher-like mouthparts into the skin and begins feeding. These mouthparts are locked in place. Once the meal is complete, the mouthparts disengage and the adult female will fall from the prey and seek shelter to lays her eggs and then expire. Females ingest much more blood than their male counterparts.

Remember, ticks are not insects. Ticks and mites are members of the Acarina order. And when it comes to disease, ticks are a major reason for concern.

Ticks are divided into 3 different families. Only 2 of these families are present in the United States: the Ixodidae (hard tick) family and the Argasidae (soft tick) family. There are about 60 different species of Ixodidae that have been reported in the United States, and 20 species reported in the  Argasidae family.

Vets and pet writers cannot stress how important it is to treat your cats with a topical treatment for fleas and ticks. Unbeknownst to me, ticks spread a host of other diseases in addition to Lyme Disease including Cytauxzoon, a serious and fatal disease caused by a protozoan parasite. Affected cats will die within one week. Symptoms include lack of appetite, depression, fever, anemia and jaundice.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. For now, let’s focus on Lyme Disease.

The best way to avoid Lyme is to remove ticks as soon as possible to prevent attachment.

If you see a tick on your pet or yourself, use tweezers or commercially available tick removal device and pull the tick off.

Grab the tick as close to the head as possible. With steady, gentle pressure, pull the tick out of the skin. Pieces of the skin may come off with the tick. If the tick’s head remains in the skin, remove as much as possible. Even if you can’t dislodge the entire head, your pet’s immune system will try to dislodge it by creating a site of infection or even a small abscess.

Do you know a cat or dog that has gotten Lyme Disease? Do you have a lot of ticks in your area? What would you suggest people do to keep their companion friends free of this disease? Paws for Reflection welcomes your comments, experiences and ideas.

What better way to celebrate the American Humane Society’s (AHS) Be Kind to Animals Week (May 6-12) than by learning how to better care for your pet, adopt a new pet, or get involved in legislative advocacy and help pets have a better life.

Whatever you can do, large or small, will be appreciated by the millions of animals who may be treated even a tad bit kinder. It is meritorious to volunteer at a shelter or get involved in Trap Neuter Return programs to reduce the feral cat population. It’s also essential to get informed, and know the issues affecting animals in your state and your region. They differ from state to state, and there’s no one answer or solution. However, being kind to animals and educating others as to why they also should be kind to animals is a huge step in the right direction.

Celebrated every year since 1915, Be Kind to Animals Week is designed to celebrate the role of animals in our lives, promote ways to treat them humanely and encourage others, especially children, to do the same.  One way of doing this is to encourage kids to participate in the AHS’s Be Kind to Animals™ Kid Contest that recognizes children who go above and beyond to create a better world for animals. AHS also offers a number of online education materials to help professionals integrate humane treatment of animals into their educational curriculum.

If you don’t think policies and legislation can affect your special furry friends, you’re wrong. Advocacy for animals can make a huge difference in their safety and well-being. Many national animal rights organization work in behalf of enacting state and federal  laws to better protect our furry friends. Many like the American Humane Society work to better protect animals in general to make sure they are treated as humanely as possible. These organizations also engage in grassroots outreach to mobile people, communities and organizations to speak up for better laws. Through organized Action Alerts, they keep you posted about specific federal and state specific legislation or regulations.

Since our companion friends cannot speak out for themselves, they need our help.

Animal cruelty and abuse is not right, nor is it humane. It also can be a sign that other types of domestic abuse is happening, and many times, a child will kick around a dog or cat, taking out their frustration and fear on a dog, cat or other animal.

There’s no better way that being kind to animals that taking care of your own pet. Read blogs, brochures, and books about feline care. Pet writers like me want to share credible, reliable information to help you make the best decisions about flea and tick control, spay/neuter programs reducing pet overpopulation, vaccinations and rabies’ shots, proper identification, dental care, annual pet exams, and overall pet health. We want to share what’s good and what’s not. We write to help make sure these companion friends that we find are so special have the best care possible, and their owners are armed with the information they need to make the best possible decisions. .

Another way of being kind to animals is to adopt from a shelter or rescue organization. Every year, an estimated 3.7 million animals must be euthanized (the number actually may be even higher) at our nation’s shelters because they could not be adopted into loving homes. Maybe your friend can adopt out all her kittens, but those new kitten owners might otherwise have adopted one from the local shelter. That shelter kitten may not have found a good home because of this well-intentioned move. The American Humane Society and other pet friendly organization have information on how you can select that special dog or cat that’s right for you.

Do you have a story about how you’ve been kind to animals? What have you done to better the life of one of your special furry companion friends? Do you have any suggestions on how we can spread the word, especially amongst children, about being kind to animals?

Cats have had a unique relationship with the Egyptian history having an almost godlike status. Now research finds that cats were actually raised to be turned into mummies and then, given as offerings to Egypt’s Goddess from about 332 BC to 30 BC

This was one of the highlights when over 300 veterinary speakers converged for the WSAVA/FECAVA/BSAVA* World Congress 2012 in Birmingham UK, one of the largest veterinary events in the United Kingdom.The current issue of Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) coinciding with this major veterinary event, included research that suggests cats in Ancient Egypt were raised specifically to be mummified, and then offered as sacrifices to the goddess Bastet.

That mummy cited at the conference was of a  young cat, purchased by  the National Museum of Parma, Italy, in the 18th century. It is  believed to be a high quality archaeological artifact because the body inside the mummy was complete, intricately wrapped and decorated with geometrical patterns and depicted eyes. The tightly packed cat was treated with the same chemicals used to create human mummies: natron, a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate, sodium bicarbonate, and small amounts of salt, sodium sulphate and herbs used to dehydrate the body.

According to a press release from SAGE, “Embalmers put the cat in a sitting position before mummification, with flexed hind limbs and its forelimbs extended against the thorax, a position similar to the seated cats depicted in hieroglyphics from the same era. They also fractured a vertebra at the base of the spine to position the tail as close to the body as possible. A hole in the cat’s skull may have been the cause of death, and also for draining the skull’s contents.” The cat’s young age suggests that it was one of those bred specifically for mummification

At the height of their popularity many Egyptians would buy ‘budget’ mummies containing just a handful of bones, which suggests they were indeed old cats, one perhaps that may have died of old age. It would appear this one did not die from natural causes, but was put to death to be used as a mummy.

According  tot the Egyptian myth website, www.egyptianmyths.net, the goddess Bastet was represented as a woman with the head of a domesticated cat. Before 1000 BC she was portrayed as a lioness. Bastet was the daughter of Re, the sun-god. It is believed she aquired her fine characteristics through Re because when he destroyed his enemy Apep, he was depicted as a cat. When portrayed as a cat, Bastet was connected with the moon (her son Khonsu was the god of the moon). When shown as a lioness, she was associated with sunlight.

Robotic cats may sound like a science fiction film, but they are not. They are real and perplexing, one of the newest enigmas to face veterinarians and scientists. Twenty one cats in Scotland have been found to have a slowly progressive neurological disease, causing them to walk with an odd gait with stiff, extended tails. It’s believed they aren’t alone, sharing similar symptoms to staggering cats found in Sweden and Austria.

Tests suggest that both the robotic cats and the staggering cats have a central nervous system infection, lymphohistiocytic meningoencephalomyelitis, which could be the cause for these strange symptoms.

Between 2001 and 2010, the 21 Scottish cats had been treated at Strathbogie Veterinary Centre, Huntly, and Morven Veterinary practice, Alford, both in North-East Scotland. A study of these cats was shared at a recent major veterinary convention in Scotland.

According to a SAGE press release, the study published in the current issue of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS), the cats included in the study, and most of the cats with ‘staggering disease’, are rural free roaming cats accustomed to hunting birds and rodents. It believed that the disease or agent causing the disease is  transmitted from these animals to cats.

All the afflicted cats lived in the same geographical rural area. When the vets checked immune system markers they found a significant amount of the interferon-inducible Mx protein, a sign of an as-yet unidentified infective or environmental immunogenic trigger for the illness.

The authors conclude that the late onset age of this disease, its slow progression, peculiar clinical signs and the data from the tests suggest these cats were affected by the same unique, previously unreported condition.

The irony of this disease is that it affects older cats. The average age was nine. Most neurological diseases in cats happen when they are much younger. The most common cause of meningoencephalomyelitis in cats is feline coronavirus (FCoV), which mutates in some cats believed to be at least one of the causes of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Its frequency has been reported as 44 to 51 percent in cats with the coronavirus.  The incidence of FIP is highest in cats two months to two years of age.

What comes to pause is that these cats seemingly display some similar symptoms of the human diseases: multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Another cause for pause is that here’s another example of a ‘new disease’. It seems as research leads to more treatments and eventual cures for diseases, another one crops up. What do you think?

Death, even worse, death by a self-inflicted injury, brings us Pause for Reflection. The question is why. What happened that caused, an outwardly well-liked, well-adjusted person, devoted to family, to take this all so final act?

While I mostly write about pets, specifically cats, today, I’m taking the advice of a writing coach who told me to make my blog’s tag line expansive enough to write about other issues. I said I’d never tire of writing about cats, and that’s true. But I’m glad I heeded her advise, for today, I indeed want to pause for reflection – a reflection on the value of life, and why we should make the best of out each and every moment that is given to us.

Today, I attended a memorial service for such an individual, in his mid 40’s, a husband, a father, a son, a grandson. I knew him well. He’d plowed my parent’s driveway for years. He worked harvesting the then 50 acres of land of trees many years ago. He was the trail master in the snowmobile club, spending endless hours grooming the trails.

During the service, I kept wondering, why? What could bring someone to bring life to an end? It must have been harsh, but perhaps, if he had taken the time to pause for reflection, he would have seen that no problem, no matter what it is, is worth making such an ultimate sacrifice.

This is rural New England, and over 500 people came out to pay their respects. The service, to the pastor’s credit, was mostly a celebration of this person’s life:

• How he put the Christmas tree in front of the church every year.
• How he loved the outside, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing
• How dedicated he was to family and friends

And even his pets loved him dearly with his cat snuggling in his lap, and his golden retriever being a frequent traveler in his pick-up truck.

It’s a rude awakening that if someone even hints suicide or harming themselves, it should never be taken lightly. It’s a plea for help – whether it is from uncontrolled, unbridled anger, or from some deep-seated emotion getting twisted into despair. No one that has not dealt with extreme depression (a pit of despair) can even fathom why or how this could happen.

Most people in this town had done business with him, his father, his wife, or his grandfather. Most, if not all, were in disbelief and shock. At the memorial service, I sat next to one of our state representatives. I could see he was deeply disturbed. The family was obviously devastated, still in shock.

The loss of life should make us pause, and reflect on the value of life. And what is life. Is it about money, success, education level, status, or relationships? No. They are important, but they are not the core of our lives. Relationships, acceptance and belonging are very important, they are one of the psychological building blocks of our foundation, but they are not the end and be all.

Relationships, while important, come and go as we ebb through life. Our childhood friends move on. Our college acquaintances move on. Our grandparents and parents pass on. Sometimes the relationships with our spouses or significant others just falls apart into a bitter battle or lost cause. People change and grow apart. Life’s circumstances change all of us. Some react one way, others another.

Life is a struggle, and always will be. We need to reach out, volunteer, help others, and get out of ‘ourselves’ to help us cope with these struggles. When I was a teenager my mother always said, “Life will get better.” You see, the people I befriended, moved, and upon entering junior high, I was an outsider. The people I cared about had left me.

That desertion and rejection syndrome still plagues me at times. And I’ve had many times to pause to reflect on the meaning of life, which extends well beyond us. It’s about faith, a place beyond us, and doing right by others.

There’s no doubt this person had certainly done right by others. The overwhelming number of people who came out to show their respect was testimony to that. But perhaps if he’s paused, and reflected, and paused again and again and again, he’s still be with us today.

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the negativity around us. There’s always something that’s going wrong. But there’s also a lot that going right, and we need to take pause, and give thanks for all the good things that are happening in our life, whether it be our family, friends, pets, surroundings, or just the fact that it’s a nice day and the sun is shining. Take pause – if we focus on the good, it will be a much better day.

If you know of anyone that has committed suicide, share how you, your family, and your community coped. Do you think you could have done something different? Did the community come together or split apart? How did the church react? Were they spiritually supportive? While a painful topic, and not one that many want to discuss, it is one we all should reflect upon.

Collars and tags give you, the cat owner, additional assurance that your pet, microchipped or not, will be found. Only ten percent of missing pets are reunited with their owners. It’s a simple thing to do as we begin National Pet ID Week. It’s so simple that the United States Humane Society is making cat ownership responsibility, including collaring and tagging, one of their major goals as they start their new department on Cat Protection and Policy.

For a minimal cost, a simple collar or tag microchip can prevent this heartbreak of losing your pet, and never finding them again. Katie Lynsik, the new USHS Director of Cat Protection and Public Policy, told Paws for Reflection, that collaring and tagging is easy and inexpensive. Today marks the beginning of National Pet ID Week.

Collars and tags make it easy for a neighbor or someone across town to identify your cat. It also elevates the status of cats, negating the second class citizen reputation. This move would give cats the same value as dogs, which must have collars and tags.

It’s not something that will happen overnight, Lynsik said. It’s all about educating people why it’s in their best interest to collar their pet. Unlike microchips, collars are easily seen. If for some reason the collar falls off, or gets tangled and pulled off, having the cat microchipped would ensure the cat be identifiable.

Eighty-five percent of cat owners spay/neuter their pets, but very few put collars or tags on their cats. By identifying cats as owned, people will ask themselves if they should call the owners, rather than the animal control officer. Cats are still seen as disposable and second class citizens. Hopefully, this would help elevate their status to that of dogs. Another element of ownership responsibility is working with owners and cats to change situations that might be creating litter box problems, one of the major reasons people give up their cats. If people learn good ownership skills, they won’t take the cat to the shelter or just shoo it outside.

The CATalyst Council, a national initiative composed of animal health and welfare organizations working on behalf of cats, supports collar and tagging, saying, “ this is the most basic element and every cat should wear a collar with an identification tag-even if it’s an indoor-only cat.  Some cat collars are designed with a break away feature so that if they get caught in a tight spot, the collar won’t choke them. The most important point about collars is to make sure they are fitted properly and you can slip only one or two fingers between the collar and your cat.  Collars are a first line of defense, and other identification tools must be used so that you and your cat can be reunited if it escapes or becomes lost.

As a second measure, the council recommends microchipping the cat. A small bead about the size of a grain of rice is inserted under your cat’s skin near the shoulder blades. Each chip has encoded information that once scanned at an animal control facility, shelter, or veterinarian’s office can be retrieved, finding the owner’s contact information.

Many areas have low-cost microchip clinics. These services are also available at many veterinarian’s offices. If the clinic or vet does not register the chip with a national pet recovery service, it’s vital that you do so. The registry connects you and your cat. It’s also important to update this information if you move or change phone numbers. Cats with microchips are 20 times more likely to be reunited with their owner than cats without them.

Less common in cats and less effective, tattoos can be used as a means of identification. They can fade or be covered by fur which can make them difficult to see. It’s also more difficult to update an address or phone number.

A cat was reunited with his owner in Germany after being missing for 15 years. Boots received a commuted sentence from the Cook County Probate Court because his rich mom, with an estate of $1.4 million, had willed all her cats she owned at the time of her death, to be euthanized.

Cats in Northern Ireland weren’t so lucky, being poisoned with antifreeze. Several garbage bags with the remains of cats and other animals was found off the Hutchinson Parkway in Westchester County. And Alley Cat Allies denounces Loews Royal Pacific, Loews Portofino, and Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Resorts in Orlando, Fla., after eyewitnesses reported cruel treatment by a trapping company hired to remove a longtime colony of feral cats living at the properties, and called on Loews to stop the trapping immediately.

They cite reports of cats being held outside in traps for up to nine hours, baking in the hot sun and in temperatures of 90 degrees with no food or water. Eyewitnesses have posted photos of cats who have been injured from the frantic struggle to free themselves – at least two with a bloody nose, another with a gash on her head.

Here’s a recap of some of the top news stories affecting cats around the world.

Missing ginger cat Poldi going home after 15-year absence
BBC News
A stray cat missing for 15 years in the Munich area of southern Germany is to be reunited with his lady owner, the city’s animal sanctuary says. The emaciated ginger tom was found in woods about 30km (19 miles) from the city.

Dead cats may have been poisoned
BBC News
Police are investigating whether a number of cats were poisoned in Mallusk on the outskirts of north Belfast. One cat died last month and another two died in the past week at Hydepark Manor. A post-mortem examination on one of the animals found …

Court overturns order in woman’s will to put her cat to death
The Seattle Times
Trust officers at Fifth Third Bank, which was appointed to manage the estate of an Illinois woman, were squeamish about carrying out one part of their client’s will pertaining to Boots, the cat: a death sentence.

Police investigate 30 dogs, cats found dead along Hutchinson River Parkway
The Journal News | LoHud.com
HARRISON — More than 30 dead dogs and cats, and a large South American lizard, were found discarded in garbage bags alongside an entrance ramp to the Hutchinson River Parkway on Thursday, police said. Westchester County police are investigating the …

Alley Cat Allies Calls on Loews to Stop Cat Trapping After Cruelty Exposed By …
MarketWatch (press release)
Alley Cat Allies, the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats, today condemned the Loews Royal Pacific, Loews Portofino, and Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Resorts in Orlando, Fla., …

Though there was a will, Fifth Third found a way to save Boots
Chicago Tribune
In a will she drew up more than 20 years ago, she stated that any cat or cats that she owned at the time of her death be euthanized “in a painless, peaceful manner” by a veterinarian’s lethal injection. But trust officers at Fifth Third Bank, …

Registration could address Salina’s cat problems, says resident of N. Syracuse …
Syracuse.com
By The Post-Standard View full sizeStephen D. Cannerelli/The Post-Standard 5/7/1998 file photo – A stray cat looks out of cage at Wanderer’s Rest animal shelter on Route 5 near Canastota. The Post-Standard recently reported that Salina residents, …

PetFix cuts fees, snips more than 350 cats; dog auction ban lacks sponsors …
Plain Dealer
PetFix Northeast Ohio slashed its cat-neuter fees last month to encourage low-income cat owners and the caretakers of stray cats to get them sterilized before breeding season. “Cat owners struggling to put food on the table and those caring for …

Cat hoarders related to sisters charged in Bennington incident
Bennington Banner
HALFMOON, NY – The three people accused of hoarding more than 130 cats in a filthy Halfmoon trailer home are related to the two sisters who had at least 80 cats in their care two years ago, police said. Arthur Millard, 53, Earl Millard, 26, …

Feral cats linger in Rehoboth
Cape Gazette
By Ryan Mavity | Apr 04, 2012 Photo by: Ryan Mavity Feral cats around Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach are becoming less common. Those who work on Baltimore Avenue’s beach block say that, while the cats are still around, their numbers appear to be …

Board opposes feral cats plan, cites health risks
Amarillo.com
By RUSSELL ANGLIN Amarillo Bi-City-County Public Health District Board members Tuesday night unanimously voted to issue a statement opposing the introduction of a trap, neuter and release program to control the local feral cat population.

DON’T EAT CAT: New Byliner Fiction by Jess Walter
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Don’t Eat Cat is available as a Kindle Single at Amazon, a Quick Read at Apple’s iBookstore, a Nook Snap at Barnesandnoble.com, and at Kobo. In this brilliantly entertaining send-up of zombie lit, Edgar Award winner and National Book Award finalist …

Anti-Aging for Cats | Care2 Healthy Living
By Celeste Yarnall, Ph.D
As we baby boomers incorporate anti-aging protocols, such as organic foods, exercise, and nutritional supplements into our own health regimes, we can also examine the best of these principles and adapt them in a way that is safe and …
Care2 Healthy Living

Cats of St. James win archdiocese reprieve
Philadelphia Inquirer (blog)
When we first learned of the cats of St. James last month, they were being evicted from their courtyard residence in the historic Lower Manhattan church. Even worse, the cat caregivers, who dutifully fed, watered and provided vet care, …

Florida man wants his 700 cats back
The Imperfect Parent
A Florida man who operates a cat sanctuary wants the return of almost 700 cats that were confiscated from his property. Caboodle Ranch, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., was started by Craig Grant in 2007, after his growing number of cats grew complaints …

Cat rescuers face cash crunch
New York Daily News
By Amy Sacks / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Marmaduke, a feral cat, was released back into his Washington Heights colony after being rescued by Sheila Massey, an independent TNR rescuer. The city’s animal overpopulation crisis may go from bad to worse.

Leading Cat Behaviorist Expert’s Book Recognized by About.com Reader’s Choice …
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Already recognized with multiple awards, “Naughty No More” by Cat Behaviorist Marilyn Krieger wins the award for the best book about cat behavior in About.com’s 2012 Reader’s Choice Award, winning with 72% of the votes. Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) March …

Club connection: Cat Fanciers members are few but purr-oud
Knoxville News Sentinel
By T. Wayne Waters Special to the News Sentinel T. Wayne Waters/Special to the News Sentinel Tennessee Valley Cat Fanciers club member Dana Taylor with Aaron, a new breed of cat called a Burmilla, at the recent “Springtime in Tennessee” cat show at …

One very lucky kitty

Beware: If you have cats, don’t bring an Easter Lilly into your house or anywhere near where your cats may come in contact with it.

While beautiful and carrying an aura of peace on earth to us humans, they bring a life of terror to our feline friends.

If your cat eats as few as a few leaves, or even licks the plant and ingests some pollen, it could result in kidney failure. Symptoms can appear within 6 to 12 hours. Early signs include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting and dehydration.

The toxicity isn’t limited to Easter lilies. Other lilies share the poison. They include the Lilium and Hemerocallis species, referred to as Tiger lilies, Day lilies and Asiatic lilies.

I, for one, made the mistake of bringing in a Tiger lily into an outside room so it would survive an early fall frost. I was bringing all the plants in, so why not this one. My cats do wander out into that area at will, and I knew, they do like to munch away at plants, but I figured they would be able to discern that this plant was bad news. Plus, they hadn’t really bothered plants out in this room. Now, the ones in the kitchen, well that was another story.

I was wrong, very wrong, even dead wrong.

I was cleaning up in that outer room, when I though I heard something. Turning around, my mouth dropped to my stomach. There was My Little Yellow, the header on this blog, about two years old, happily chewing on the decrepid looking lily. I screamed at him to get down, and he slicked away into a corner. He knew he was in trouble, but was there more.

Checking around the lily, I didn’t see any broken leaves, but then again, it wasn’t in very good shape. But Little Yellow just wasn’t his happy-go-lucky self. He seemed lethargic. He wasn’t moving, and that wasn’t normal.

How stupid of me, I was yelling inside. Should I call the vet? This is a Sunday. I’d have to go 70 miles to the animal emergency clinic. That’s a long ways……I waited and paced, paced and waited, and kept looking at Little Yellow. He definitely was not himself.

I called the vet’s office, knowing the emergency number was on their answering machine. I called the emergency clinic….Bring him in for an evaluation… I dug out the cat carrier, and secured him. I put him in the front seat so I could observe him.

He doesn’t like to ride in a car. Few cats do.Within 20 miles, the poor kitty was frothing at the mouth, and panting. I tried to put my hand into the cage to calm him. Was he dying? Or was he having an anxiety attack?

It was a very long hour and a half, even though I know I was driving about 65 to 70 on winding country roads. I was scared, and so was he.

We finally arrived at the emergency clinic. He looked fine, but they took blood tests. They said that was routine and most likely he’d be able to go back home with me.

Wrong…his blood tests came back with an abnormality…They gave him an IV, and said to leave him overnight. Come back by 7 am, and pick him up, and take him to the regular vet…

My heart again sunk. Was he going to be ok? Had my stupidity cost him his health?

And of course, I called to check on his well-being upon getting home another hour and a half later. That morning, back into the car, to pick up Little Yellow.

He had a huge bandage on his front leg which had been shaven, and they kept the IV in so the regular vet could continue to hydrate and observe him.

They kept him another day for observation, and thank goodness, they found that he seemed to be quite healthy and ready for home.

I

It took a few months for the hair to grow back

It did take a few months for his hair to return to normal. As a Maine coon, he really did look strange with no hair on part of his leg. But I learned a huge lesson, and that’s when they say something is bad for our feline friends, take it seriously. There’s nothing worse than loosing a friend due to negligence. It’s bad enough when it’s something that can’t be prevented.

Another lesson learned. Make sure you have access to the number of the nearest emergency clinic for pets, and know where it’s located. You never know when you’re going to need their services, and you’re not going to be clear-headed enough to go searching, when you need them most.

If you’ve had a similar experience with a lily or some other toxic substance, please share.

According to earthlink.com the top ten most common poisonous plants to animals are:

• Marijuana – Animals who attempt to snack on this plant can suffer serious consequences such as diarrhea, vomiting, increased heart rate, drooling, in-coordination, and even possibly seizures and coma.
• Sago Palm – While the seeds and nuts of this plant are most poisonous, the entire plant is toxic.  Animals ingesting parts of this plant may suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, depression, seizures and liver failure.
• Lilies – Plants of the lily variety are very poisonous to cats.  Even very small amounts of this plant could cause serious kidney damage.
• Tulips – The toxic portion of this plant is the actual bulb, which can cause drooling, central nervous system depression, gastrointestinal irritation, cardiac issues and convulsions.
• Azalea - The toxins in azalea plants can be very severe and potentially cause drooling, diarrhea, vomiting, central nervous system weakening and depression, and in some cases possibly coma or death.
• Oleander – All portions of this plant are poisonous and can cause gastrointestinal irritation, hypothermia, heart problems and possibly death.
• Castor Bean – Poisoning as a result of this plant can cause abdominal pain, drooling, diarrhea, vomiting increased thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.  More serious cases could also lead to dehydration, tremors, seizures, twitching muscles, coma and possibly death.
• Cyclamen – The most poisonous portion of this plant is located in the root.  Ingestion of the plant can cause severe vomiting and gastrointestinal irritation.  In some cases death has been reported as a result.
• Kalanchoe – Ingestion of this plant can cause gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac rhythm and rate problems.
• Yew – Poisoning as a result of the yew plant can affect the nervous system and cause in-coordination, trembling and breathing difficulties.  It may also result in gastrointestinal irritation, cardiac failure and could possibly lead to death.

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It may have been almost ten years ago when Brush escaped out the back door at the Westchester Cat Show, but he still remembers that horrendous experience and even now is still gun shy, never quite recovering 100 percent from his two-week long nightmare that almost killed him.

Brush at the NauTICAts Cat Show

It was a horrendous tale for him and his mother, Audrey Hobbs of Lewiston. And while showing Brush and his brother Smudge, at the recent Augusta NauTICAts Cat Show, she shared Brush’s story.

He startles more easily. He’s not as confident unless it’s a place where he feels secure. He’ll never go back to White Plains…or the Westchester Cat Show, ever again.

It was November of 2002 when little Brush got loose at the show.

Hobbs took thee two classic brown tabby and white short haired kittens. They were living in a bucket behind the milking barn of a nearby farm. Her vet suggested she show the kitties in the Household Division of the TICA (The International Cat Association. In March, at 10-weeks, she showed the boys and they did quite well.

The Westchester Cat show in White Plains, NY, was to be more than just any show. She had champagnes and a cake with Brush’s picture on it, in honor of his newly earned Supreme Grand Championship Title on it. Once the show was over, they were going to celebrate that honor.

But that celebration didn’t happen. Hobbs was showing Brush and Smudge in the same class. Her friend Vikki was carrying brush up to the ring, when something spooked him. Brush was trying to jump from her arms. She quickly gave her Smudge and tried to hang onto Bush, but he was panicked, pulling away from her. They both fell to the ground, and she lost hold of him. He was running away. While it’s not that unusual for cats to get loose at show hall, this story unraveled.

Brush's brother Smudge

According to her online account, she ran through the judging ring, under the dividing curtain and towards the rear of the building. A door leading to the rear of the hall was ajar because of a bent hinge. That hallway led to the doors to the rear parking lot. Those doors were also open because some employees were outside smoking and had left that door open. The cat was nowhere to be seen.

She took the victory photo to have lost cat posters made. She and friends from the cat show helped her plaster the area with posters. She talked with everyone she could find. She had papered the area with flyers of her lost cat. She had talked to many people, asking if they’d seen a cat fitting his description. There was no sign of him. People in the area would keep watch, and keep in touch. She had to leave Monday without Brush.

Two weeks later, it was snowing. She made the 400 mile trip from Maine to White Plains hoping the new snow would lead her to her beloved Bush. There had been no sign of him in two weeks.

She got some heat sensor equipment so that if he’d burrowed underneath the leaves, he could be found.

It was Friday around midnight. She was driving around the area, hunting all over the neighborhood for signs of her cat. There was a parking lot behind the community building where the show had been held She saw cat tracks, leading her to hope that Bush was there. She was on the phone talking to a friend who is also a cat show judge. She saw a flash of white. then, she was something running, hiding underneath a dumpster.

Brush has a bit of white that wraps around his hip, she said. It was a dark cat with a flash of white. She threw the phone down on the floor and grabbed for a dish of food.

She got down on all fours, looking underneath the dumpster and saw white fur from under the dumpster. She grabbed him. He was nothing but skin and bones. She immediately called home. Brush was found, but not out of the woods.

There was snow on the ground. It was cold. She put him in a carrier in the car. She tried to find a hotel where she could stay with the cat. She knew he needed more warmth than the car and a blanket could provide. The hotel where she’s stayed for the cat show told her she couldn’t stay there. They’d made an exception for “the event.” She asked, can you point me in the direction of a Motel 6, a pet friendly hotel. They offered her no help, no suggestions and no maps.

She drove two hours, all the way to Hartford, CT., to a Wellesley Inn where she’d stayed for Connecticut cat shows. They were pet friendly. There they could re-group for the long trip home.

He cried all the way to Hartford. He was stinky from dumpster dumping.

She gave him some bottled water in the carrier. Poland Spring was all he’d drink. He wouldn’t touch it. He wanted water out of a bowl, something he’d never consider before.

Once at the hotel, she tried to clean him up a bit and make sure he was warm. He’d curl up on the bed, but he was restless. He’d get up and cry. He’d head towards the bathroom, where he’d try to drink from the bathtub spicket. He slept on the bed next to her, putting his paw on her arm or hand. The touch and feel was comforting to him. He did that for the longest time, she said.

After he got home and to the vet, she found he’d lost 30 percent of his body weight. The vet was afraid of kidney failure due to starvation.

He had two bite marks from rats. His left top and bottom canines were broken, and he had a very nasty cut from presumably metal, but it wasn’t certain where it had come from. The vet told her to let him eat, drink and rest, and see how he’d do.

When Brush got home, his brother, Smudge, followed him, almost knowing that he needed someone to care for him.

Hobbs said Brush was only ten week s old when she got him. He’d gone from momma cat to a pampered inside life. He had no survival skills. “I doubt if he ate anything other than what he scavenged from that dumpster during those two weeks.”

He still goes to the shows, but depending on his mood, she may show him not. He’s still pretty skittish on the table.

Hobbs online story Brush’s experience can be found at at www.showcatsonline.com/brush.shtml