Fears As Cats Found Poisoned

Vet Andrew Arnold with Josephine the cat at Donaldson Vets.

By Lindsay Pantry

Eight cats from the same Mirfield estate have suffered painful deaths from antifreeze poisoning during recent weeks.

Vets Helen Hissett and Andrew Arnold, of Donaldson’s Vets on Queen Street, have been shocked by the rise in poisoning cases on the London Park Estate during the cold snap - which is virtually impossible to treat.

They have warned cat owners to be extra vigilant and are pleading with people to keep antifreeze and other chemicals out of harms way.

Miss Hissett said: “Antifreeze is sweet tasting and therefore cats and dogs will readily drink it. But it only takes a small amount to be a lethal dose.

“We hope that this is not an intentional poisoning of cats in the area but I would like people to be aware that if they have a tub of it in the garden or their shed, it can cause a really nasty death.”

Symptoms tend to come on almost immediately after the antifreeze has been ingested and include vomiting, thirst and increased urination and neurological symptoms like wobbliness and knuckling over the limbs.

Miss Hissett added: “Sadly once the cat comes to us there is almost nothing we can do to help. We would virtually have to watch the cat drink it in order to treat it fast enough.

“Enough is enough, there has been too many cats dying this way - we need to make sure people are aware of the dangers. The poisoning effects the liver and kidney and it can almost seem as though the cat is drunk at first.

“One of the cats brought to us had gone blind - it’s pretty nasty.”

To save your plants, give cats their own

Q: We have two cats, and I need some suggestions on how to get them to leave the houseplants alone.

A: Give your cats their own plants and make yours harder to get to. That way you can both be happy.

For your cat's chewing pleasure, always keep a pot of tender grass seedlings - rye, alfalfa and wheat - growing in a sunny spot. Parsley and thyme are herbs that many cats enjoy smelling and chewing, and both can be grown indoors. Catnip is a natural, but the herb is so appealing to some cats that they just won't leave it alone. Keep seedlings out of reach of your pet, or the plant may never get a chance to reach maturity. Once you have a mature plant, snip off pieces to give your cat, stuff into toys or rub on cat trees.

When your cat has its own plants, you can work on keeping him away from yours. Put plants up high or, better yet, hang them. For the plants you can't move out of harm's way, make them less appealing by coating leaves with something your cat finds disagreeable. Cat-discouragers include Bitter Apple, a nasty-tasting substance available at any pet-supply store, or Tabasco sauce.

Remember that some houseplants, especially lilies, are toxic to cats. Check the list provided by the Animal Poison Control Center (ASPCA.org/APCC) and re-home any plants that are dangerous to your pets.

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The Valentine bouquet that killed my cats:

Mother's Day warning on lethal lilies

• Sonia Barnett, 40, was unaware lily pollen can blind, paralyse or kill cats
• She received a bouquet from an ex partner and put it on window sill
• Within days Tinker, one, Charlie, five and her beloved Garfy, 17, died

By Luke Salkeld PUBLISHED: 12:46 GMT, 7 March 2013 | UPDATED: 01:13 GMT, 8 March 2013 Sonia Barnett was delighted to receive a beautiful bouquet on Valentine’s Day. But her joy turned to horror when the flowers poisoned and killed three of her beloved cats. Miss Barnett did not know that ingesting any part of a lily can be fatal to felines, with even a small amount of pollen enough to kill them.

Lauren Barker, 14 and her mother Sonia Barnett, 40, Hailsham, East Sussex who received a huge bouquet of flowers on Valentine's Day which contained lilies whose pollen poisoned three of their cats

Despite being rushed to the vet as soon as they showed signs of discomfort, the cats Tinker, one, Charlie, five, and Miss Barnett’s companion of 17 years, Garfy – could not be saved. Miss Barnett said: Tinker was the first to die. Then Garfy went in my arms as I discussed euthanasia options with the vet. Charlie survived a little longer but she;s now buried in the garden along with the boys. I loved them all so much, they were my babies. A fourth cat, Sparky, aged three, survived but there are fears that it has suffered permanent kidney damage. Although harmless to most animals, lilies are highly poisonous to cats. Even if they do not deliberately eat the flowers, the animals can brush against them and later, when they wash, ingest tiny particles of pollen which have fallen on to their fur. Yesterday Miss Barnett, 40, described the shocking sequence of events after the bouquet of lilies, roses and carnations was delivered to her home in Hailsham, East Sussex. The mother of one, who works as a gardener, said: The flowers were a lovely Valentines surprise from an ex-partner. I put them in a vase on the windowsill. I had absolutely no idea they could harm my babies. I realized something was going horribly wrong when they suddenly went off their food.

Sonia Barnett's cats Garfy (left) and Tinker (right) who were poisoned by the pollen in a bouquet of flowers

Sonia Barnett's cat Sparky who survived being poisoned by the pollen

Lauren Baker, 14, holding a kitten (left) and her surviving cat Sparky (right)

The next morning I found Tinker collapsed behind the sofa. I took him to the vet but ten minutes later my friend came rushing in carrying Garfy.

SPRING DANGER: THE FLOWERS THAT ARE DEADLY FOR CATS

Cats Protection warn several types of lilies have been found to be deadly to cats, including Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum lily, Japanese show lily, some species of day lily, and certain other members of the Liliaceae family. Ingesting just one leaf can result in severe poisoning, and within a very short time your cat will exhibit signs of toxicity. All parts of the lily plant are considered toxic to cats, and consuming even small amounts can cause severe poisoning. Kittens are particularly prone to being poisoned as they explore their environment, and older cats are often affected simply because they brush against the flower and get pollen on their coats. Later they groom the pollen off, and of course ingest the lily pollen as they clean their fur.The primary toxic effects are on the kidneys. Within minutes to hours of ingesting part of the lily plant, your cat may vomit, become lethargic, or develop a lack of appetite. As the toxin begins to affect the kidneys, these signs continue and worsen as the kidney damage progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment by a veterinarian, the cat may develop kidney failure in approximately 36 to 72 hours.

They looked terrible, they were trembling and crying out. It broke my heart to see them in pain like that. I had no idea what was happening. Experts warn that many common lilies sold in Britain, including the Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum lily and Japanese lily, can cause kidney failure and sudden death if a cat ingests any part of the plant or its pollen. Animals taken to the vet within six hours can recover but their chances of survival diminish rapidly after that. I could not believe it when the vet told me what had killed them, said Miss Barnett. I can not believe that the risks of lilies have been well-established in other countries but we hardly hear about it here. Thousands upon thousands of lilies will go on sale this weekend for Mother's Day and I'm petrified that it's going to happen to someone else. She and her daughter Lauren, 14, have been visiting florists, shops and supermarkets and asking staff to put up warning signs in time for Mother's Day. Miss Barnett also has four  kittens, but fortunately they appear to have avoided contact with the flowers. The RSPCA urged animal lovers to consult its website for a full list of everyday items that can harm pets. A spokesman said: Many people take it for granted that what is safe for them is safe for their pets. We would urge everyone to check the sort of items that could cause a hazard because we would hate to think of anyone else having to go through what this poor woman has had to endure. Richard Dodd of the British Retail Consortium said: Pet owners need to be aware of this and other risks. Flowers are sold at a wide range of outlets but our members recognise how important this issue is. Generally, they include a warning on the label of flower products saying that lilies are harmful to cats if eaten.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2289569/The-Valentine-bouquet-killed-cats-Mothers-Day-warning-lethal-lilies.html#ixzz2NFMXVG8I

The US Army’s April Fools Joke Includes A Photoshopped Hybrid Cat Soldier

PAUL SZOLDRA

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With April Fools’ Day upon us, the U.S. Army is joining in the fun with an update to their already successful military working dog program.

In a post on the Army website, Staff Sgt. Megan Garcia writes about the ‘Military working cat’ program being unveiled at the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment:

Officials hope to capitalise on cats’ olfactory and hearing prowess. While most people think of dogs as having sharp senses, cats actually have more acute senses.

For example, dogs can hear five times more acutely than humans, and cats about twice as acutely as dogs. Also, a domestic cat’s sense of smell is about fourteen times as strong as a human’s.

Soldiers around the regiment have been doing their part to support the program by capturing stray cats in their neighborhoods and bringing them into the detachment located on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. More than 100 cats have been collected since the program started earlier this month.

While the post has an obvious Photoshop of a cat wielding a rifle, it surprisingly has some truth to it. ‘Military working cat’ was used in a real headline from Aug. 3, 2007 on the Air Force website, highlighting a cat named ‘Wizzo’ that was helping get rid of rodents at Edwards Air Force base.

Writing at the end, “Happy April Fools!,” the Army made it much more obvious than last year, when they released a story saying that all soldiers would have to wear Stetson hats. Despite the official adoption date for the new head wear being “April Fools Day, 2012,” there were still manythat didn’t get it.

You can read the full post at the Army website.