quote:

Originally posted by Hypermnesia:

quote:

Originally posted by Cagney:
I'm sure I read somewhere that cats have the cleanest mouths

Their mouths carry a particular bacteria, can't recall the name of it, but it renders a cat bite fairly toxic if they puncture skin. Hence the reason cats develop abscesses when another cat bites them.

Ohh, it's on the tip of my tongue!

Pasteurella, I think?

pasteurella

bah you edited just as i replied LOL

I am amazed to see that quite a few FM's allow their dogs and cats to eat chocolate as it is TOXIC for them!!



Face it, many cats love chocolate. And, because we love chocolate too, we have probably contributed to our pets' taste for this treat. But for cats, this 'treat' can be deadly.

Chocolate toxicity is one of the most common 'poisonings' we see in veterinary clinics, especially during the busy holiday season (and Valentine's Day). We know to keep that chocolate box especially for guests or that gift box of chocolates out of Fluffy's or Fido's reach. But it is easy to overlook holiday baking with its more deadly chocolate forms – semisweet chips and baking chocolate.

Some cats tolerate chocolate better than others. Although the toxic dosage varies from animal to animal, everyone agrees that chocolate contains a lethal ingredient, a methylxanthine called theobromine, and that baking chocolate contains 10 times more of this lethal ingredient than milk chocolate.

Theobromine acts on four areas of your cat's body:

* It increases the rate and force of contractions of the heart.
* It acts as a diuretic, causing your pet to lose body fluids.
* It affects the gastrointestinal system, causing vomiting and diarrhea and it may cause stomach ulcers.
* It acts on the nervous system, causing convulsions, seizures and sometimes, death.

If you find that your cat has ingested some chocolate, call your veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately. They will probably ask you the size of your cat, the type and quantity of chocolate your cat has eaten, and how long ago it was eaten. Try to have these answers before you call. They then may tell you to make your cat vomit. This will depend on the amount of chocolate ingested and how long ago it was eaten. If your veterinarian or emergency clinic determine that your cat needs to come into the hospital, do not delay. The effects of chocolate toxicity may not be apparent right away, but do not let that lull you into a false sense of security.

My cat likes to lick the marmite jar clean when I've reached the end of it.

One of my female cats escaped outside the day after she was neutered. I managed to grab her, I must have hurt her because she sank her teeth into my forearm. Pretty soon I had "vampire" wounds which quickly became infected and I had to have antibiotics. I was pregnant at the time and it was scary!

However, I do believe that cats like to be clean, and are clean, all in all. Just beware if a cat bites you, hard!

quote:

Originally posted by Darthhoob:
pasteurella

bah you edited just as i replied LOL

Hee hee, I did it within a minute, you're fast, lol!

My dog ate chocolate all the time and lived to the age of 19. Once in his life he was at the vet and that was because he ran out in the road and got hit by a car. He bounced and got up and ran off but we took him just to make sure.

Gizmo - anythng savoury, cheese and onion crisps, prawn cocktail crisps, chinese food and curry.

Arnie - sweet things, cake, ice cream, but only vanilla because I won't allow her anything with chocolate in it

Fudge - not really bothered, just her Go Cat and Whiskas tuna chunks as a treat.

All three love fish and will have a mini fish when we go to the chippy, and won't eat any dried cat food except Go Cat, I brought them Whiskas dried cat food last week and they looked at me as if I had gone mad.

They don't have milk, water only and have one of those drinking fountains that provide constant fresh water, and Arnie STILL prefers to drink from the tap!!