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Carpet and cats
What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats?
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Carpet and cats
"Cazz A" wrote in message ... What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? Right now there is proof that the fire retardant materials found in our furniture and our carpets is causing hyperthyroidism in our pets. I posted his awhile ago in another groups TAMPA - Chemicals in your carpeting could be killing your cat. In August, the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency shared some scary news: research scientists had found a link between flame-retardant chemicals included in carpet-production and feline hyperthyroidism. FOX 13 in Tampa Bay decided to dig deeper and get more information for cat-owners locally from Tampa's Florida Veterinary Specialists. "It's a disease that wasn't diagnosed with any frequency 30 years ago, but is actually more and more diagnosed now," Dr. Anthony Ishak explained, a veterinarian and small animal internist at FVS. Co-worker Cari Sadler seconded, "We see it all the time - all the time." Government scientists studied whether or not chemicals in carpeting could be a cause of the disease. "Some of the flame retardants that have been so pervasive in the carpet industry and in the furniture industry - for obvious reasons trying to prevent house fires from getting out control - but those could have a role in increasing the incidence of this disease," Ishak explained. Sadler is also 'mom' to several cats at home. In an interview, she said two of them suffer from the disease, which is the leading cause of death in cats eight and older. She recalled what it was like when the cats got sick. "I noticed an overnight weight-loss almost. I was feeling him - and I'm very particular about watching my animals of course - working here even more so - and one night I was petting him and I felt his hip bones," Sadler said. Her cats lost weight from Feline Hyperthyroidism because the disease makes cats' metabolisms speed up, due to an imbalance in their thyroid glands. The increased metabolic activity can cause damage to their internal organs and sometimes death. But, there is some good news about Feline Hyperthyroidism. If your veterinarian catches it early enough, it doesn't have to be a fatal disease. In fact, it can be cured. "It was probably more fatal before we had effective treatments for it," Ishak said. "So now that we do, it's becoming a less fatal disease." He added that with just a blood test, any vet can diagnose Feline Hyperthyroidism. The disease can be managed with pills or creams. And, at Florida Veterinary Specialists, doctors have developed a new treatment that actually eradicates the disease in most cases. It's a radioactive Iodine treatment called I-181 treatment. But to protect your cat in the first place, should you run around the house pulling up the rug? The FVS team told FOX 13 no, explaining that this latest research from the federal government provides just one possible explanation of many. And, Ishak continued, "They're already taking some steps in the human population - eliminating some of these flame retardants from production - from more recent stuff and shifting to other that we think might be safer." |
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Carpet and cats
Cazz A wrote:
What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? Mostly the threat is in the opposite direction. :-/ Newly installed carpeting will out-gas for a while, which could be a problem for a cat with respiratory issues. I worried about that when we had the upstairs redone a few years ago, but Will's asthma is well-controlled and he showed no effects. -- Wayne M. |
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Carpet and cats
Wayne Mitchell wrote:
Cazz A wrote: What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? Mostly the threat is in the opposite direction. :-/ Newly installed carpeting will out-gas for a while, which could be a problem for a cat with respiratory issues. I worried about that when we had the upstairs redone a few years ago, but Will's asthma is well-controlled and he showed no effects. I heard that because carpet's so hard to clean and it can't be sanitized, it can harbor any germ or virus...YUCK! Is this just a nasty rumor? |
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Carpet and cats
On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:51:36 +1100, Cazz A wrote:
Wayne Mitchell wrote: Cazz A wrote: What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? Mostly the threat is in the opposite direction. :-/ Newly installed carpeting will out-gas for a while, which could be a problem for a cat with respiratory issues. I worried about that when we had the upstairs redone a few years ago, but Will's asthma is well-controlled and he showed no effects. I heard that because carpet's so hard to clean and it can't be sanitized, it can harbor any germ or virus...YUCK! Is this just a nasty rumor? Only if you leave them swamp damp. |
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Carpet and cats
"Cazz A" wrote in message ... What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? For cats allergic to airborne allergens (very likely in itchy cats) not just the chemicals from cleaning but the dust and most that carpets hold. Same as for humans. Last time I lived with wall to wall carpet was at home with my mother and maybe my first roommate. I've had hardwoods ever since. It's the same with draperies, upholstered walls and such. I didn't have allergies until recently, just liked the cleaner feel without all that stuff. I still do. |
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Carpet and cats
On Mar 19, 7:52*am, Cazz A wrote:
What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? Exactly the same as for you, only cats are much more sensitive than you are. This is not a flip answer by any means. Keep in mind that *synthetic-fiber* carpets contain: Antibacterials, usually triclosan: This type is called "hospital- grade" carpet as it is meant to prevent infectious materials from living in a carpet. Dyes: a)Surface-dye carpet is dyed as you would at home, the fibers are soaked in a dye solution which impregnates it leaving color behind. ALL of these dyes are toxic to one degree or another. Typically the deeper the color, the more toxic the dye. Most inexpensive carpets are surface-dyed. b) Solution-dye carpet has the colorant (NOT a dye) introduced while the fiber is being mixed and before it is spun. Accordingly, these fibers are much more resistant to fading and bleaching with age - but are also, and because of the colorant presence, more prone to staining. Note that most colorants are solids and of relatively much, much lower toxicity than dyes. Note that solution-dyed carpet is more expensive than surface-dyed. But, the stain issue leads to: Stain repellants: These are a variety of hydrophobic chemicals, most commonly PTFE (generic for Teflon) and related materials. Commonly applied to solution-dyed carpet so that it can be kept clean. It wears off, gets on everything in microscopic amounts - but most of us do not clean ourselves with our tongues. Ingested PTFE is NOT good for cats at all. There are many variations on all of this - depending on the particular material used, how the carpet is glued to the matting (typically chemical glues, some using some nasty stuff (although formaldehyde has not been used in making carpets for sale in the US for nearly 10 years now)). For many years now, we have used all-natural-fiber, vegetable-dye rugs - spending several years in the Middle East helped expand that collection nicely. Even inexpensive machine-made Turkish or Egyptian carpets meet this standard over there. And although this is by no means a suggestion or plug, IKEA sells a number of such carpets at pretty decent prices. Surprisingly, even analine dyes are reasonably safe when fully cured but quite toxic when fresh. So, the best alternative after vegetable dyes. But the modern chemical dyes applied to synthetic fibers are nasty things. Too many words, I am sure - but there is no simple answer to that question. Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA |
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Carpet and cats
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Carpet and cats
"Cazz A" wrote in message ... What kind of threat can carpets cause for cats? Carpet is a perfect home for flea eggs and larvae. Carpet is something for you to worry about when the cats vomit and urinate on it. No cat is perfect and never gets sick, so cats + carpet = soiled carpet. Carpets can make you angry at your cat when he/she claws it, because carpets cost money and cats claw them. That is what cats do. Carpets need vacuuming. Cats do not like vacuums. |
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Carpet and cats
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