The Purr Company Mews-Letter - August 2007

Hi and welcome to the August Mews-letter

I hope you're enjoying the summer, we certainly are and the cats seem to be making the most of it too. Rags and our newest addition Domino have put their differences aside for today are currently sitting outside together lapping up the sunshine, long may it continue (the sunshine and the truce!)

In this same spirit, we've got a great article this month about keeping the furry ones safe while they're out in the sunshine.

I also wanted to take this opportunity remind everyone about last month's special offer. Any Mews-letter readers that buy some Purr before the end of August can get 25% of the purchase price donated to Bury Stray Cats Fund in Bury St. Edmunds by simply emailing us and telling us they're a reader.

So if you've bought some Purr and forgot to email us make sure you let us know ASAP, and if you're considering buying some Purr make sure to order it before the end of the month, and don't forget to let us know you're a mews-letter reader!

Before getting on with it, I wanted to say hello to our new subscribers, thanks for joining us. I hope you enjoy our Mews-letter but please feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions for improvements or future articles.

Best wishes

Rolf
mews-letter@ThePurrCompany.com

Contents

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  1. Cats and Abscesses - what all cat owners should know
  2. Cats and Summer Time - Tips for Moggys at play
  3. A reader Writes
  4. Cat Quotes - To amuse and entertain
  5. Website of the month - The Cat Gallery

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1. Cats and Abscesses - what all cat owners should know

An abscess is a type of infection in a wound. In many ways it's like any other type of infection one might get and in it's early stages may be confused for a normal infection the immune system can effectively deal with.

However there is a potentially dangerous difference in that an abscess forms a barrier around the infection, which is then difficult for the body's immune system to break through and do it's job of fighting the infection. For this reason you should pay attention when your cat gets injured and look for the signs that an abscess is forming.

Most cat abscesses are caused when cats fight over territory, and receive a bite from another cat. A lot of the time these types of wounds will just heal over and disappear, but in some cases an abscess will form.

After the cat has received a bite it could take a few days for the abscess to get going. Once this is happening you may notice your cat goes off its food and becomes a bit lethargic; the area where the abscess forms will swell and feel warm.

Abscesses can be quite painful for the cat, and should you notice one it would be a wise move to take the cat straight to the vet, who will drain the abscess and prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection.

It may be that the first you are aware of the abscess is when it bursts, leaving an open wound and a pungent smell – which I know from personal experience can be very unpleasant.

Even once an abscess has burst, it is still a good idea to take the cat to the vet to get it cleaned up. An untreated abscess is likely to scab over and get re infected because cats the skin will heal much faster than the tissue below, causing the infection to be sealed in and the abscess to reappear.

Abscesses can be very serious, even life threatening as they can cause blood poisoning. This in turn can affect any of the major organs, so the sooner the abscess is treated the better.

What ever you do – Don't ignore an abscess on your cat!

This article was first published in The Purr Company's regular Mews-letter, visit us for more cat stories and articles, a gallery of our visitors cats , cat videos and our online shop.

You may reproduce this article free of charge in any free newsletter or on any free web site on the condition that this resources box is included with any reproduction.

© copyright The Purr Company

 

2. Cats and Summer Time - Tips for Moggys at play

We all know how much cats love to sunbathe and chase flying insects around the garden, so here are a few tips to help keep your cat safe.

Cats get sunburn too!

I know all of our cats love to lie in the garden all day if it's sunny and who can blame them?

Cats who have pale ears and noses are at risk from getting sunburn just as we are; they can even get skin cancer.

To help prevent this try and keep your cats in during the hottest hours of the day (11am – 2pm), if this is not possible you can put sunscreen on their ears and noses.

Ask your vet which type of sunscreen is safe to put on your cat. You need to obtain a non-toxic brand or buy a specialist brand just for pets, since your cat is likely to lick some of it off. Using it is very straightforward, just apply to the ears and nose a few times a day.

Bee & Wasp stings

They fly, so as far as your cat is concerned, it's potential prey, but if your cat is stung in the mouth or throat it could cause swelling and block the airway.

If your cat is stung in the mouth/throat take it to the vets straight away.

Cats are often stung on the paws, which can be treated at home:

  • Bee stings are acidic so carefully remove the sting and bathe in Bicarbonate of soda and water.
  • Wasp stings are alkaline so bathe the area in vinegar or lemon juice.

Heatstroke

If you suspect your cat has heatstroke you must act quickly, symptoms of heatstroke include:

  • Panting
  • Drooling
  • Anxiety
  • Dark red tongue and gums
  • Lethargy
  • Vomiting

If your cat displays these symptoms get it into a cool area, and wrap it up in a cold wet towel and phone your vet as soon as possible.

Follow these tips and your cat should be able to play happily out in the sunshine for the rest of the summer.

This article was first published in The Purr Company's regular Mews-letter, visit us for more cat stories and articles, a gallery of our visitors cats , cat videos and our online shop.

You may reproduce this article free of charge in any free newsletter or on any free web site on the condition that this resources box is included with any reproduction.

© copyright The Purr Company

 

3. A Reader Writes

After last months Stray Cat Special, we received this lovely letter from Anne which I thought was worth sharing with our readers -

Dear Rolf

I read your stray cats article with interest. We lost our much loved cat this year to Thyroid disease and a possible intestinal cancerous growth.

At the time when I was caring for my sick cat Thomas, a small hungry black cat was seen eating the food I put out for the foxes. I started to look out for this cat, and one day saw him during daylight. I rushed to get a plate and some food, and very slowly showed him the plate, walking very slowly towards him.

I put the food down and walked away. He did not run away as I expected. I noticed a nasty wound on his rear right foot, he couldn't put it down very easily.

SO there I was nursing my very sick cat Thomas, and feeling very sad, and then slowly gaining the confidence of this black un-neutered tom cat. I gradually got him indoors, and used to being in, and then ironically once he had spent a few complete nights in our kitchen, he did not want to go out again!

My lovely cat Thomas was put to sleep at our home, and then we had to decide whether to keep BAMBER as we had named this black cat or not.

I found it really hard to adapt to such a different character ...he was yang, and spikey, and obviously very stressed from being a stray. I hated the idea of him being in a penn for weeks or months, and so we decided to keep him, even though we did not really want to replace Thomas, and would not have chosen to do so, we would have waited for the right time, if it ever was right..

But thats life, Bamber is now with us, and looks a really nice little cat, his coat is all shiny from the special pet supplement we feed him, and he is improving greatly. We also had an animal healer work on him, which made a noticeable difference and he is now far more relaxed.

Their true character takes time to come out, with care and lots of attention, not overwhelming them though, they do come round in time. I had to back off, and not be so affectionate to Bamber as he was not used to this attention, I had to learn to do it slowly, and not invade his space.

Bamber is now part of the family, and probably has proper care for the first time in his life.

Anne

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Addendum to my letter

Bamber was neutered at our local vets and we wish to thank the Cats Protection League for their support.

His wound healed very quickly, but sadly from years of run ins with other cats, his ears have seen better days! How his owners could have allowed him to have these awful wounds to his ears and not had him neutered and the wounds tended is beyond me!

Thank you for writing, Anne, and sorry for your loss, but well done for doing the right thing with Bamber - If only there were more people in the world like you.

 

4. Cat Quotes - To amuse and entertain

  • The smallest feline is a masterpiece. - Leonardo da Vinci
  • One cat just leads to another. - Ernest Hemingway
  • There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. - Albert Schweitzer
  • The cat has too much spirit to have no heart. - Ernest Menaul
  • If cats could talk, they wouldn't.- Nan Porter
  • Time spent with cats is never wasted. - Colette
  • In the beginning, God created man, but seeing him so feeble, He gave him the cat. - Warren Eckstein
  • I gave my cat a bath the other day ... they love it. He sat there, he enjoyed it, it was fun for me. The fur would stick to my tongue, but other than that… -Steve Martin
  • As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat. - Ellen Perry Berkeley
  • By and large, people who enjoy teaching animals to roll over will find themselves happier with a dog. - Barbara Holland

This article was first published in The Purr Company's regular Mews-letter, visit us for more cat stories and articles, a gallery of our visitors cats , cat videos and our online shop.

You may reproduce this article free of charge in any free newsletter or on any free web site on the condition that this resources box is included with any reproduction.

© copyright The Purr Company

 

5. Web Site of the Month - The Cat Gallery
Address: http://www.thecatgallery.co.uk

I really enjoyed reviewing this website. The design is nice and easy to use, but most of all I liked it because it seems to be the perfect place to buy yourself, or any other cat lover, a great cat related gift.

They have everything here - jewellery, cups, plates, beautiful art pictures, ornaments, games, clothing and more!

I spent a long time looking round and there are so many things I would love to buy, I am especially fond of the Rosina Wachtmeister range, and there is a good selection here I'm pleased to say!

They also have a very good selection from the ‘Country Artists' range of ornaments including the popular ‘A Breed Apart' range. These are very good quality - I know a few people who will be getting these as gifts in the near future.

This website is simply the best I've seen for cat related gifts intended for humans.

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That's all until next time, thank you for reading.