It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Poor Minette

Minette may never speak to me again.
She is in the same room with me but not speaking.
Washing ... not making eye contact ... she is Done with me.

I was reading about flea meds and saw that too much flea powder or anything like it on a cat, especially a small one, can make the cats sick.
Hypersensitive skin, twitching and worse.

She has been hypersensitive and I thought it was because of the flea bites.

So I grabbed her up and put her in the sink full of nice warm water and shampooed her with baby shampoo.
I am only bleeding a little.

She refused to listen to me telling her it was OK .. It was alright ... I love her.

She sprouted a few more legs and a lot more claws and did her best to escape the dreaded bathroom sink full of water.

I am fine ... really ... a mere flesh wound.

She meowed these tiny baby meows which broke my heart.

So she was wrapped like a little package  in a big fluffy towel and  love words were whispered in her ears, she wanted nothing to do with it .... kisses and gentle towel dry and fluffing .. she wanted nothing to do with it. Straining and pulling away ... I put her on my bed and she jumped down and sat and started washing .

She is now in the room with me ( A Major Step ) and sitting on the cable box (warm) and washing. She is pretending I am not here.
I said something to her, she is pretending there is no one in the room.

Her extra soft little bed is right near her so she can lie down in it and get over the trauma.
It will take a little longer for the few long red bloody scratches on my arm and one on my stomach .. but hey, I would rather have a bloody scratch than Minette have brain damage from flea powder.

Beware ... flea powders, sprays and medicines all can cause cats and dogs brain damage if overused.
And it is surprising how little it can be to be over used.

(the mystery is where did the fleas come from. they are indoor cats and never go out. )


20 comments:

  1. I would scratch you too! Poor little Minette...

    Phil

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I feel so bad for her. She has forgiven me though , she got a treat and some kisses and is talking to me right now. <3

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  2. I am glad that Minette is getting over her traumas and I hope that you are too.

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    Replies
    1. Mental and physical trauma Annas .. I might need to go on a vacation ! :)

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  3. Candice:

    Be prepared for Repressed Memory Syndrome when she gets old.

    Phil

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    Replies
    1. LOL, she can get in line with my son and daughter. But thank you for the warning ..

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    2. I hope I get repressed memory syndrome .. soon.

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  4. Oh no! I try to do things for our kitties sometimes. Like when I have to give Tennessee a pill. I try to tell him it's good for him and he'll feel better, but he doesn't believe me. Minette's just trying to send you a message by ignoring you. She says, how DARE you do that to ME?! But you're right, those flea meds can be awful for our animals. Seems like 'they' could make them less dangerous.

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    Replies
    1. I know ! It is like I am feeding her bug poison !
      She has been napping on me all evening while I watched tv. My sweet baby girl.

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  5. Dearest Candace,
    Oh my! Husband Pieter got yesterday some clawing by one of our sweetest girls. We had to take brother and sister in a woven pet basket to the Vet for their 3-annual Rabies shot. Bandido, the boy was so loud, it broke our hearts. We only need to drive 5 minutes but still... like we were going to murder him. His sister also cried loud but she was calmer.
    After feeding them at home, husband Pieter picked her off the retainer wall, for a cuddle. Like telling her, you see, you're fine again and with a happy tummy it's all over now. She right away hacked him on his lip and mouth corner. And she is the softest character...
    We both hate to do this to them and today the tiny sister, Tiggy-Tiger got her shot. We do give them the tick, heart worm and tea treatment, not monthly as prescribed but bi-monthly+ and it works fine. For Tiggy-Tiger we opt for the lowest dose, for kittens up to 8 lbs.
    Our neighbor's cat about 27 years ago, got left behind when they moved away and she had 4 kittens. They came to our home, begging for food which of course we gave them. I had read in Southern Living a tip about mixing in garlic powder into cat-food for keeping flees at bay. I just did that and they loved it and it worked!
    If those babies get scared, yes they can hurt us. Our eldest, I once held him as a toddler and my husband did something with a vacuum cleaner. Oh my, he ripped my arm open!
    Hope you recover fine and hope Minette will forgive you; but they do have real good memory.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  6. I am putting garlic powder in the cat food today ! can't hurt .. aside from garlic cat breath !
    Thanks for the tip.
    How anyone could leave a cat that old behind is beyond me.
    I am fine, cats are fine, now about moving house ... ugh !
    hugs to you too.

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  7. Fleas can hitch a ride inside on shoes and other things, alas. Poor Minette, poor you. But you do paint a funny word picture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emmm.. fleas hitch hiking is pretty funny too !
      Yes, we will all spend the winter, looking out the windows, scratching ourselves .. sounds like it might be a long winter.

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    2. Today the cats got garlic powder in their food. so far no one has bad breath.

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  8. That is why the drops work the best.
    Hope you are forgiven.

    cheers, parsnip

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    Replies
    1. She had the drops .. that was why I never thought she could actually have fleas, she and Merlin both get their drops (Frontline) .

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  9. Washing my cats would be lethal. And as for flea powder, many years ago I put some on my two cats and they both died. (I hope flea powder has changed since then and gotten better, but I wouldn't try it again if it were certified heavenly.)

    BUT -- point of dropping you a note, in addition to sympathy, is to say (and you may already know this) that Revolution and products like it are such gifts to cat owners. You apply once a month - a vet can show you how, right between their shoulder blades - and it takes care of fleas and all sorts of other dangers, like one stop shopping.

    Best to Minette and Merlin (and their battle-scarred human). Mary

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  10. Mary .. thank you so much . I keep thinking how Minette could have been much worse off, like your 2 cats. I am so sorry .. I am sure flea powder etc are not as bad as the past but still, they are toxic.
    Now there is another product, it isn't called Revolution here but you put the drops on the back, between the shoulder blades, it is called Frontline.
    I have been putting off using it because I don't want to add anymore toxic potions to her poor little system.
    she is definitely hyper sensitive on her back .. lower back.
    I check her every day and she seems flea free but her skin twitches if you touch her.
    I will wait and not put anything on her for as long as I can.
    Thank you so much for telling your story .. I am sorry for the loss of both your cats .. how heartbreaking :(

    ReplyDelete
  11. Here's an idea.... For next time
    I used give my cat (in cat heaven now) a shower instead. If you have a detachable shower head hose contraption. He tolerated that. For some reason he would go nuts if his feet were submerged in water. But was okay with water flowing on his head. Bonus... When you wash from the head first (to kill the fleas) the little buggers don't get a chance to climb up on the cats head, where they migrate to if the cat stands in water. The fleas tend to fall off better. After they drown and the cat is more compliant with a shower... Worked for me anyway.
    As an aside... I have given cats a spoonful of nutritional yeast with the garlic... They usually love the stuff over top their usual groul... And their fur looks great and hairballs are kept at bay..find it at most health food stores or bulk sections of supermarkets.... It's great (the nutritional yeast) on popcorn with globs of butter too!

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  12. a shower might make her die of fright. I will use the Frontline like I always do and be very sure she has no contact with the outside world.
    Her hair is short ( Russian Blue) and her coat is shiny and healthy.
    For now, we are letting sleeping cats lie ...

    ReplyDelete

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