by Nomi Berger
 
Everyone is familiar with the old adage “Curiosity killed the cat.”
 
But as conscientious cat owners, paw-lease ensure that your cherished companions’ natural curiosity NEVER gets the better of them – especially when it comes to their seeing and then swallowing small, strange objects. While some may pass through their intestinal tract without incident, some won’t, lodging there and causing not only extreme discomfort but a dangerous and potentially life-threatening obstruction.
 
Thread threat! Another potentially life-threatening situation can occur when a cat swallows thread, particularly when it’s attached to a needle. As she swallows the thread, it can wrap around her tongue and pull against it with every swallow. But even worse, the needle can pierce her stomach or intestines multiple times and prevent the thread from passing through her digestive tract.
 
Consider, as well, these other culprits:
 
Hair bands and rubber bands, ribbon and blind cords, dental floss and carpet fibers, stuffing from inside your cat’s toys, and tinsel.
 
Bones, particularly from cooked chicken, can be very sharp, extremely brittle, and lodge in your kitty’s intestines resulting in severe illness.
 
String and string-like objects: If swallowed, string can cause the intestines to bunch up, making for one very sick kitty and usually requiring surgery to remove it.
 
Coins, buttons and earplugs, fruit stones, nutshells and bottle tops, but especially small round objects which are the ideal size to block the intestines and require surgery to remove them.
 
If YOU suspect that YOUR kitty has swallowed something suspicious, watch for one or more of these symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, straining to defecate, constipation, lethargy and behavioral changes such as biting or hissing when being picked up. To err on the side of caution, promptly contact your vet and bring in your kitty for a thorough examination and assessment.
 
In order to detect a possible blockage, your vet will have x-rays taken (several x-rays, using dyes, will often be needed to locate a suspected object). Your vet may also order blood and urine tests to determine whether your cat’s overall health has been compromised by the obstruction – should there be one. 
 
Most of the time -- especially in uncomplicated cases -- the prognosis for cats with a gastrointestinal blockage is very good. But the overall prognosis depends on several factors: the location of the object, how long the intestine has been blocked, the size, shape, and characteristics of the object, whether or not the object has caused a secondary illness and the general health of your kitty prior to ingesting it.
 
Your vet will provide you with a detailed treatment plan based on these factors. If the object has lodged in your pet’s stomach, however, an endoscopy may be performed. This involves inserting a long tube through her mouth and down her throat to pull the object out. If this is the case, your vet may also suggest hospitalization of your cat for close observation and follow-up x-rays.
 
But if the foreign object has traveled to and is trapped in her intestine, your vet will have to surgically remove it.
 
Whatever the scenario, time is critical because stomach and/or intestinal blockages can cut off the blood supply to these organs, causing the tissue to become necrotic or “die.” 

 by Nomi Berger
 
Are you familiar with the term “scruffing” as it relates to our feline friends?
 
Long considered the most effective way of restraining cats, it involves taking the looser skin on the back of their necks (the scruff) in one hand and holding it – like a handle. This effectively immobilizes most kitties allowing their owners to perform such tasks as nail trimming or administering medications without dealing with struggling, squirming pets.
 
Some owners still believe that scruffing is a “natural” way in which cats reprimand each other. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While mother cats carry their newborn and young kittens by the scruff to move them from one location to another – usually for reasons of safety – it’s never used as a form of inter-feline discipline.
 
According to the experts, scruffing as an accepted practice is not only outdated, it’s hurtful, harmful and potentially traumatic. The result? Rather than pacifying some cats, it can panic others, causing them to swat, scratch or bite in a frantic effort to free themselves. Continued scruffing only heightens their negative association with the experience and serves to make their reactions to it progressively worse. While often used by pet parents as a shortcut, scruffing, in the long run, may have serious health implications for their terrified kitties, making essential future visits to the vet all but impossible.
 
The solution? Other, more humane ways to safely restrain a cat when the situation calls for it. In fact, a great deal of work has been done in the area of “low-stress” and “fear-free” handling of cats. Permitting them the use of at least one leg and providing distractions such as high value treats or especially tasty foods coupled with a more measured approach to restraining them is key to earning their trust and winning their compliance.
 
Enter the towel. Always close at hand, a towel (or a small blanket) is one of the most popular choices for subduing without scaring your own purr-ecious puss. One suggested option for its use is having your kitty hide her head under it like a petite, protective tent, and the second is gently wrapping her entire body inside of it. Akin to swaddling an infant, containing her on all sides and providing her with a feeling of safety, ensure that the towel provides a steady, even pressure but isn’t so tight that it impairs her ability to breathe.
 
Consider the wildly popular social media meme featuring a “burrito cat” – one who’s not only being humanely restrained but is obviously enjoying it! There are products on the market that accomplish the task just as easily and effectively such as ThunderShirts for cats, available in various models and styles.
 
And so, if you MUST restrain your cat, patience and gentleness are essential. Forcing her to do something she doesn’t want to do produces only negative results. Even if you’re using the “burrito” method and you notice her resistance beginning to escalate, unwrap her immediately, allow her to relax, and try again once she’s completely calm and settled. For routine procedures such as nail trims and doses of medicine, waiting for an hour or more can mean the difference between failure and success.
 
So, paw-lease, for your kitty’s sake, put all thoughts of scruffing behind you.