Holiday Leftovers
Have lots of leftovers? Well, give it to the chickens……not the dogs. Veterinarians around the country report increased number of cases of digestional disorders this time of year because of leftovers being fed to the dogs. The high fat content of turkey skin and drippings will cause some dogs to need hospitalization. And that is not even mentioning turkey bones, which are always a no-no. Do the dog a favor and skip the left overs all together.
Now the cat is another story. Cats do well on left over turkey meat, liver and giblets. If they will eat them, go ahead and feed it to them. Cats need a higher fat diet than a dog and do well with meal time surprises. Just don’t go over board and keep the milk in your cereal bowl. (Cats can get a good case of diarrhea from it.)
Have chickens? Give them the table scraps—just be sure to dole them out over the next week instead of dumping it all in the pen at once. Even a garbage disposal animal like a chicken can be made sick by too much of a good thing…..hum….kinda like people right?
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:32 am
Do you have any holiday safety tips for pet owners. For example, yesterday I was thinking about buying a poinsetta (never know how to spell that) at the farmers market but thought to myself. Hmm…I might want to first check and see if this plant could be toxic if ingested by one of our cats.
I’m also wondering how our nearly 7 month old kitten is going to do with with our artificial Christmas tree, lights, ornaments etc.
I’ve already decided to forgo hanging glass Christmas bulbs which shatter into a million splintery pieces if knocked onto the floor by a playful pet.
Any advice would be helpful.
Sarah
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Hi Sarah!
Boy are you gonna have fun watching your kitten this season! And yes I mean watching her–as Christmas trees and kittens are always exciting. They love to play with them and will knock the ornaments off pretty regularly. Keep the glass ones high on the tree and the cheaper, plastic ones near the floor.
Tinsel is a biggie for cats and if they eat it you are in real trouble. Nix the tinsel this year and maybe for a few years until she becomes more sedate (if ever).
I would not be surprised if your kitten tries to climb the tree. Isnt that what trees are for? If I were you I would put the tree in a room the cat does not have unescorted access to, or brace it to the wall so when she does try to climb it, it wont fall over. Dont put any wierd chemicals in the tree water. Just change it frequently instead. And lastly watch the light cords. Some cats LOVE to chew the cords for some reason.
You were right about the poinsettia plants–They are toxic. If you do introduce plants into the house, try growing grass for your cat first. They have the kits in pet stores and many times the cat will get enough satisfaction from the grass to leave the house plants alone. But always check to make sure the plants you do have are pet friendly.
Let me know how you survive the holiday season—-
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:00 am
Thanks this is helpful. Our tree is artificial so therefore, there’s no stand or water. probably the worst that she would do is pull one of the fake branches out of its socket.
And we don’t use tinsel, just wooden beads which I’m sure she’ll have fun trying to pull off
Looks like the lights and ornaments will be our biggest worry.
I’ll let you know!
Sarah