declawing

From: Katra

I've been meaning to ask... just how safe is Valerian for cats???

Valerian can cause digestive upset but only if used in large doses. So it's a
fairly safe herb. However, it should not be used in pregnant animals. If used
as a tincture, it can help calm a nervous animal before a vet trip or moving
trip, or during a thunderstorm. Cats don't need much, 1 to 3 drops at most.
It is also known to help some epileptic animals.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: Katra

I've been meaning to ask... just how safe is Valerian for cats???

Valerian can cause digestive upset but only if used in large doses. So it's a
fairly safe herb. However, it should not be used in pregnant animals. If used
as a tincture, it can help calm a nervous animal before a vet trip or moving
trip, or during a thunderstorm. Cats don't need much, 1 to 3 drops at most.
It is also known to help some epileptic animals.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

PawsForThought wrote:

From: Katra

I've been meaning to ask... just how safe is Valerian for cats???

Valerian can cause digestive upset but only if used in large doses. So it's a
fairly safe herb. However, it should not be used in pregnant animals. If used
as a tincture, it can help calm a nervous animal before a vet trip or moving
trip, or during a thunderstorm. Cats don't need much, 1 to 3 drops at most.
It is also known to help some epileptic animals.

Lauren
________

Neat! Thanks... I've never actually tried it as a medication for the
cats. I keep my valerian "tea", (dried valerian root) in a secure
plastic container. It was on the table one day and the cats knocked it
onto the floor and moved it around the room rubbing on it. They seemed
to react to the smell of valerian similar to the way they do with
catnip. I took out about 3 crumbs and placed them on the floor for
them, but that was it. :-) They did not eat it, just rubbed themselves
all over it.

K.
--
^,,^ Cats-haven Hobby Farm ^,,^ ^,,^

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

PawsForThought wrote:

From: Katra

I've been meaning to ask... just how safe is Valerian for cats???

Valerian can cause digestive upset but only if used in large doses. So it's a
fairly safe herb. However, it should not be used in pregnant animals. If used
as a tincture, it can help calm a nervous animal before a vet trip or moving
trip, or during a thunderstorm. Cats don't need much, 1 to 3 drops at most.
It is also known to help some epileptic animals.

Lauren
________

Neat! Thanks... I've never actually tried it as a medication for the
cats. I keep my valerian "tea", (dried valerian root) in a secure
plastic container. It was on the table one day and the cats knocked it
onto the floor and moved it around the room rubbing on it. They seemed
to react to the smell of valerian similar to the way they do with
catnip. I took out about 3 crumbs and placed them on the floor for
them, but that was it. :-) They did not eat it, just rubbed themselves
all over it.

K.
--
^,,^ Cats-haven Hobby Farm ^,,^ ^,,^

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

"Relish" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"Katra" wrote in message
...

I have some cats that you can pick up by the tail and all they will do
is whine a bit. They won't scratch or bite, even with rough handling.

K.



This thread is getting overly long, so I just saw this message. What
you
have described here (picking a cat up by its tail) is dangerous to the
cat.
The tail is an extension of the spinal column, and you can do great
damage
to the cat by picking it up by the tail.

MaryL



I don't think she was being literal. I think she was just
exaggerating to make a point.


You are probably correct. I reacted because this is a favorite form of
abuse among some children, and I would like to get the point across that
cats should *never, never* be pulled of lifted by their tails. This is
something that parents should emphasize with their children. (Of course,
I'm probably "preaching to the choir" by posting to a group of cat lovers.)

MaryL

"Relish" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"Katra" wrote in message
...

I have some cats that you can pick up by the tail and all they will do
is whine a bit. They won't scratch or bite, even with rough handling.

K.



This thread is getting overly long, so I just saw this message. What
you
have described here (picking a cat up by its tail) is dangerous to the
cat.
The tail is an extension of the spinal column, and you can do great
damage
to the cat by picking it up by the tail.

MaryL



I don't think she was being literal. I think she was just
exaggerating to make a point.


You are probably correct. I reacted because this is a favorite form of
abuse among some children, and I would like to get the point across that
cats should *never, never* be pulled of lifted by their tails. This is
something that parents should emphasize with their children. (Of course,
I'm probably "preaching to the choir" by posting to a group of cat lovers.)

MaryL

MaryL wrote:

"Relish" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"Katra" wrote in message
...

I have some cats that you can pick up by the tail and all they will do
is whine a bit. They won't scratch or bite, even with rough handling.

K.



This thread is getting overly long, so I just saw this message. What
you
have described here (picking a cat up by its tail) is dangerous to the
cat.
The tail is an extension of the spinal column, and you can do great
damage
to the cat by picking it up by the tail.

MaryL



I don't think she was being literal. I think she was just
exaggerating to make a point.


You are probably correct. I reacted because this is a favorite form of
abuse among some children, and I would like to get the point across that
cats should *never, never* be pulled of lifted by their tails. This is
something that parents should emphasize with their children. (Of course,
I'm probably "preaching to the choir" by posting to a group of cat lovers.)

MaryL

Picking up an animal by the tail can literally "strip" the skin off of
ANY mammals tail. Leaves them with bare muscle that must be amputated.

I merely mentioned this as an example of how loving and tolerant, and
tame many of my cats are...

I had a neighbor, Lynn, who, for awhile, did some housecleaning for me,
and she had two toddlers that routinely "abused" my cats when I was not
home... I specifically requested that when she came over, she would pick
up specific cats that were NOT toddler tolerant and lock them in one of
the bedrooms and let them back out when she left... Especially Taz, my
retarded little brain damaged boy. I'm very protective of him.

While I was not pleased about it, my point was that there are some cats
that kids can play with, and there are others that they cannot... Shade
was toddler intolerant.

Got an e-mail from Sis', Shade is adjusting well to his declawing and
has FINALLY learned to run from the baby rather than having to be
aggressive. Sis refuses to feel guilty, while I do. sigh She was so
spooked by the scratch across the baby's eye incident.

Lynn was actually pretty good about watching her kids around my cats and
preventing her toddlers from injuring *MY* "kids".

In fact, that was one of the reasons that her house cleaning over here
did not work out. She spent more time chasing her two toddlers around
than doing any actual house cleaning. :-P She was not worth what I was
paying her...

Hope that helps? :-)

Kat

--
^,,^ Cats-haven Hobby Farm ^,,^ ^,,^

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

MaryL wrote:

"Relish" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"Katra" wrote in message
...

I have some cats that you can pick up by the tail and all they will do
is whine a bit. They won't scratch or bite, even with rough handling.

K.



This thread is getting overly long, so I just saw this message. What
you
have described here (picking a cat up by its tail) is dangerous to the
cat.
The tail is an extension of the spinal column, and you can do great
damage
to the cat by picking it up by the tail.

MaryL



I don't think she was being literal. I think she was just
exaggerating to make a point.


You are probably correct. I reacted because this is a favorite form of
abuse among some children, and I would like to get the point across that
cats should *never, never* be pulled of lifted by their tails. This is
something that parents should emphasize with their children. (Of course,
I'm probably "preaching to the choir" by posting to a group of cat lovers.)

MaryL

Picking up an animal by the tail can literally "strip" the skin off of
ANY mammals tail. Leaves them with bare muscle that must be amputated.

I merely mentioned this as an example of how loving and tolerant, and
tame many of my cats are...

I had a neighbor, Lynn, who, for awhile, did some housecleaning for me,
and she had two toddlers that routinely "abused" my cats when I was not
home... I specifically requested that when she came over, she would pick
up specific cats that were NOT toddler tolerant and lock them in one of
the bedrooms and let them back out when she left... Especially Taz, my
retarded little brain damaged boy. I'm very protective of him.

While I was not pleased about it, my point was that there are some cats
that kids can play with, and there are others that they cannot... Shade
was toddler intolerant.

Got an e-mail from Sis', Shade is adjusting well to his declawing and
has FINALLY learned to run from the baby rather than having to be
aggressive. Sis refuses to feel guilty, while I do. sigh She was so
spooked by the scratch across the baby's eye incident.

Lynn was actually pretty good about watching her kids around my cats and
preventing her toddlers from injuring *MY* "kids".

In fact, that was one of the reasons that her house cleaning over here
did not work out. She spent more time chasing her two toddlers around
than doing any actual house cleaning. :-P She was not worth what I was
paying her...

Hope that helps? :-)

Kat

--
^,,^ Cats-haven Hobby Farm ^,,^ ^,,^

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...s&userid=katra

From: Katra

MaryL wrote:

"Relish" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"Katra" wrote in message
...

I have some cats that you can pick up by the tail and all they will do
is whine a bit. They won't scratch or bite, even with rough handling.

K.



This thread is getting overly long, so I just saw this message. What
you
have described here (picking a cat up by its tail) is dangerous to the
cat.
The tail is an extension of the spinal column, and you can do great
damage
to the cat by picking it up by the tail.

MaryL



I don't think she was being literal. I think she was just
exaggerating to make a point.


You are probably correct. I reacted because this is a favorite form of
abuse among some children, and I would like to get the point across that
cats should *never, never* be pulled of lifted by their tails. This is
something that parents should emphasize with their children. (Of course,
I'm probably "preaching to the choir" by posting to a group of cat lovers.)

MaryL

Picking up an animal by the tail can literally "strip" the skin off of
ANY mammals tail. Leaves them with bare muscle that must be amputated.

I merely mentioned this as an example of how loving and tolerant, and
tame many of my cats are...

I had a neighbor, Lynn, who, for awhile, did some housecleaning for me,
and she had two toddlers that routinely "abused" my cats when I was not
home...

So you knew her kids were "routintely" abusing your cats and you STILL allowed
her in your home????!!! The first time that happened to my cats, that person
and her kids would be gone! Your cats should not have been made to suffer just
because you wanted your house cleaned. Shows where your priorities are, now
doesn't it?

Got an e-mail from Sis', Shade is adjusting well to his declawing and
has FINALLY learned to run from the baby rather than having to be
aggressive. Sis refuses to feel guilty, while I do. sigh She was so
spooked by the scratch across the baby's eye incident.

I'm glad to hear the cat is doing ok, but keep in mind it can sometimes take a
while for problems to show up like litterbox avoidance and/or biting and
aggression. But then this cat already had a supposed aggresion problem, so who
knows what will happen. It can also take years for declaw problems to show up,
especially the muscle atrophy and arthritis.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: Katra

MaryL wrote:

"Relish" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"Katra" wrote in message
...

I have some cats that you can pick up by the tail and all they will do
is whine a bit. They won't scratch or bite, even with rough handling.

K.



This thread is getting overly long, so I just saw this message. What
you
have described here (picking a cat up by its tail) is dangerous to the
cat.
The tail is an extension of the spinal column, and you can do great
damage
to the cat by picking it up by the tail.

MaryL



I don't think she was being literal. I think she was just
exaggerating to make a point.


You are probably correct. I reacted because this is a favorite form of
abuse among some children, and I would like to get the point across that
cats should *never, never* be pulled of lifted by their tails. This is
something that parents should emphasize with their children. (Of course,
I'm probably "preaching to the choir" by posting to a group of cat lovers.)

MaryL

Picking up an animal by the tail can literally "strip" the skin off of
ANY mammals tail. Leaves them with bare muscle that must be amputated.

I merely mentioned this as an example of how loving and tolerant, and
tame many of my cats are...

I had a neighbor, Lynn, who, for awhile, did some housecleaning for me,
and she had two toddlers that routinely "abused" my cats when I was not
home...

So you knew her kids were "routintely" abusing your cats and you STILL allowed
her in your home????!!! The first time that happened to my cats, that person
and her kids would be gone! Your cats should not have been made to suffer just
because you wanted your house cleaned. Shows where your priorities are, now
doesn't it?

Got an e-mail from Sis', Shade is adjusting well to his declawing and
has FINALLY learned to run from the baby rather than having to be
aggressive. Sis refuses to feel guilty, while I do. sigh She was so
spooked by the scratch across the baby's eye incident.

I'm glad to hear the cat is doing ok, but keep in mind it can sometimes take a
while for problems to show up like litterbox avoidance and/or biting and
aggression. But then this cat already had a supposed aggresion problem, so who
knows what will happen. It can also take years for declaw problems to show up,
especially the muscle atrophy and arthritis.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm