Careful What You Use

She was almost sobbing on the phone, telling me that Anubis cat was dead and her other precious cat was very sick.

Of course, it is 7am on a Saturday, vets offices still closed. They had called the emergency clinic, and were told if they even walked in it would be about $300. In advance, please. These are people who live in a trailer.

So Anubis seized and finally died. They watched as her poor body just shut down.

Now the other cat. Similar symptoms, but not as bad, and she wants to know where she can take him.

I told her about my vet, and told her to say upfront that she would need a payment plan.

Then I took a sample from my own sick kittens over there, and told them that if she couldn't pay it all, to let me know, I would help as much as I could.

After grocery shopping, I went back over there to get meds for my kittens, along with another IV set up. She and her sister and friend were there, with the cat.

The story turned out to be that they had bought a flea product, from Hartz, at the local big box store. Used it on both cats. These cats have apparently managed to ingest some, and had allergic reactions of some kind.

It is made for cats, so it shouldn't be that toxic. They didn't use too much, most of it was still in the bottle, which they had with them.

The vet gave supportive care and a shot of steroid, and other things to help the cat's kidneys process the stuff out. Since they are closed over the weekend, I agreed to give fluids again over the two day holiday weekend.

I went home and dosed my babies, and tended them all day. She called again a couple of times, her cat is very sore, not moving if he can help it, even wet the bed rather than get up and go to the box.

It's going to be a long night, and I hope he makes it, that he didn't have so bad a reaction that he goes the way of his sister.

Be careful what flea or other products you use on your cats. Get it from the vet if you have to in order to be sure.

The cheap stuff costs too much.


Today is:

Be Late For Something Day (I was early celebrating this one, I got it out of the way yesterday!)

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Day

Historical Regatta -- Venice, Italy

Jupiter Stator -- Ancient Roman Calendar (commemorates that Jupiter helped Romulus to stop the Sabine invasion under Titus Tatius)

National Cheese Pizza Day

Running of the Sheep -- Reed Point, MT

St. Laurence Gustiani's Day

St. Zacharias' Day

Teacher's Day -- India

Wag and Carrot Fancying Day -- Fairy Calendar


Birthdays Today:

Cathy Guisewite, 1950
Raquel Welch, 1940
Carol Lawrence, 1934
Bob Newhart, 1929
Arthur C. Nielsen, 1923
John Cage, 1912
Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902
Jesse James, 1847
Johann Christian Bach, 1735


Today in History:

Hernan Cortez and his men fight the Tlascala Aztecs in the Second Battle of Tehuacingo, Mexico, 1519
Peter the Great of Russia imposes a tax on beards, in an attempt to Westernize his people, 1698
The First Continental Congress is assembled in Philadelphia, 1774
Sam Houston is elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas, 1836
The First Opium war begins in China, 1839
Sioux Chief Crazy Horse is killed, 1877
The First Labor Day Parade is held in NYC, 1882
The first gasoline pump is delivered to a gasoline dealer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 1885
The French Upper Volta is broken apart between Ivory Coast, French Sudan, and Niger, 1932
Voyager 1 is launched after a brief delay, 1977
The St. Gotthard Tunnel opens in Switzerland as the world's longest highway tunnel, 1980
The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, came into force, 1991