Any changes in a cat’s regular routine – a tranquil environment suddenly filled with new scents, sounds and strangers — can send even the least ‘fraidy cat’ cat scampering for cover

Nomi Berger
For Clark County Today

Thanksgiving is a festive time, filled with feasting, family, and friends. But it’s also a time of potential distress for our favorite feline companions. Any changes in a cat’s regular routine – a tranquil environment suddenly filled with new scents, sounds and strangers — can send even the least “‘fraidy cat” cat scampering for cover.

To reduce your furry friend’s stress level (and YOURS), maintain her regular feeding and playing routine with some extra interactive play sessions thrown in for good measure. Keep all but the most social of cats in a separate room, then ensure that your social “cat-erfly” doesn’t take flight when the door opens and your guests arrive. Should the worst happen and she does flee the scene, ensure that she’s either been micro-chipped or is wearing a collar with up-to-date tags to properly identify her, thereby enabling her to be promptly returned to your waiting arms.

As tantalizing as Thanksgiving food is for people, some can prove painful, even fatal for cats. The most notorious offenders are:

• Chocolate: All chocolate, especially semi-sweet, dark and baking chocolate contain the toxic, caffeine-like ingredient theobromine. Candy containing the artificial sweetener xylitol, is also dangerous. If you suspect that your cat has eaten something toxic, promptly call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 or the Pet Poison Hotline at 1-800-213-6680 (fees apply in both instances).

• Turkey stuffing: It often contains onions and garlic, raisins and spices – all of them toxic to cats. The sulfoxides and disulfides in onions and garlic destroy the red blood cells and can cause serious blood problems, including anemia. The effects of ingesting raisins and/or spices usually occur within 24 hours and include lack of appetite, lethargy, weakness, abdominal pain, diarrhea and decreased urination.

• Fat trimmings: They cause upset stomachs, vomiting and diarrhea.

• Cooked turkey bones and gristle: Turkey bones splinter easily and can get caught in your cat’s throat or esophagus. They can also cause intestinal blockages or perforations leading to infection, while turkey gristle presents a clear and present choking hazard. To safeguard against these painful possibilities, all leftovers should be carefully wrapped and promptly disposed of.

• Alcohol: To avoid intoxication and alcohol poisoning, keep all full glasses and half-filled glasses of wine or spirits out of reach of your cat’s curious nose and playful paws.

And yet, there’s no harm in providing your kitty with her own Thanksgiving feast, one that includes a few small, boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie.

About Nomi Berger

Nomi Berger is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of nonfiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.

Who is Furry Friends?

Furry Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit no-kill cat shelter rescue serving Clark County, Washington and adjacent counties. Founded in 1999, we are a volunteer run organization that rescues and adopts out homeless, relinquished, and abused cats. We shelter and care for them as long as it takes to find them forever homes. We provide medical exams, medications, spay/neuter, food, and litter for up to 800 cats each year. Furry Friends is the largest cat only shelter in southwest Washington.

How is Furry Friends funded

Furry Friends depends almost entirely on business sponsorship and private donations to fund an annual operating budget of $400,000. Our major fundraising event is the annual dinner and auction to be held in September each year.

How you can help

Furry Friends gratefully accepts donations of both money and in-kind goods and services such as pet food, cleaning supplies, medications, and litter. We are always looking for reliable, dedicated volunteers to help us fulfill our mission.

Mission Statement

To care for homeless, relinquished and abused cats by

• Spaying or Neutering;
• Providing medical care and foster placement until permanent, loving homes are found.
• Educating the public regarding the care and responsibility of cat ownership.
• Collaborating with other pet rescue and companion groups to accomplish a no-kill status in the state of Washington; and

Furry Friends website at www.furryfriendswa.org or by contacting them at information@furryfriendswa.org or leaving a message at (360) 993-1097.