Turkeyed out? without eating turkey?

gizmocat

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Gizmo and I spent thanksgiving dinner with our neighbours and with two actual Turks (as in "From Turkey".) Everyone had a great time, though we couldn't seem to find the cat for a while. She was discovered in a deep sleep on top of the Turkish woman's sweater, on the sofa, about twelve inches from a heaping platter of turkey on a nearby table.

Now, Gizmo doesn't like turkey so I wasn't at all worried about her being so near the platter. But she was out like a light. Really in a deep sleep. I asked the Turkish woman if she wore perfume this morning, and she said yes. Then my neighbour suggested that the L-tryptophan in the turkey might be knocking Gizmo out. But Gizmo did not eat any turkey, I protested. She got her Solid Gold Tuna in the morning and ate it all up, but that was all.

Is a cat affected by L-tryptophan in turkey? Even if it doesn't eat any?
 
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gizmocat

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Turkey contains a chemical compound called L-tryptophan. Many people feel sleepy after eating turkey because of this chemical. It appears to be harmless, but I was just wondering how a cat who did not eat turkey (and never did want to eat it) should get so amazingly soggy simply from smelling the cooking odors all day.
 
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gizmocat

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Gizmo appears to be fine today, though she hid someplace quiet and dark for nearly an hour and scared me out of my wits.

I think she knows she has to go to the vet today for a booster shot. I told her yesterday. Maybe I should not have. Gizmo is extremely bright and appears to understand English perfectly, even when strangers talk to her. It's too bad that I don't really speak Cat!

Speaking of which there is an amusing looking book on amazon.com called WE ARE THE CAT, where a cat uses the royal 'we' and discusses humans. The same idea was first done in Japan about a hundred years ago, in the wonderful I AM A CAT by Soseki. I'm rereading I AM A CAT right now, though this professor's cat doesn't resemble the hero of that book at all! Gizmo is bright, but she's not a pretentious intellectual!
 

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

Turkey contains a chemical compound called L-tryptophan. Many people feel sleepy after eating turkey because of this chemical.
Well theres some trivia i've learnt today!.

Gizmo might have picked up on knowing about the vets, because i know when i bring the carriers out for Rosie and Sophies vet visit their eyes go huge and they hide


That book sounds interesting as well!
 
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gizmocat

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There are two books--one, I AM A CAT, is Japanese, and WE ARE THE CAT is American. But both cats consider themselves infinitely superior to humans!
 

ericanicole

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The holidays wear me out...I'd be passed out too! lol

I dunno if cats are affected by that chemical or not.
Mikey tried the Turkey meat I left him in his bowl...but like most times I give him a lil yum yums he ate a bite and protested loudly I give him his salmon/chicken dinner out of the finest china they had (a tin freaken can!).
 

epona

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

Turkey contains a chemical compound called L-tryptophan. Many people feel sleepy after eating turkey because of this chemical. It appears to be harmless, but I was just wondering how a cat who did not eat turkey (and never did want to eat it) should get so amazingly soggy simply from smelling the cooking odors all day.
Apparently (yes, I have been doing some research, slow day at work
) L-tryptophan does NOT have the sleepy effect on cats, because they are polyphasic sleepers, ie. they don't get most of their day's sleeping done in one go. It does have the sleepy effect on many other animals that sleep in one long block with a long period of wakefullness between sleeps.

So there you go, that's my piece of trivia for the day!

I guess that your kitty was just over-tired through all the excitement rather than tucking into the turkey on the quiet
 
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gizmocat

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What scares me now is that I got Gizmo her rabies and distemper shots today. They are the three-year variety and were administered in the front leg and back leg, respectively (her last vet used the scruff. This vet is better.)

Anyway the vet said 'she might be a little sleepy' after this. We got home. Gizmo was happy to be there, and ate a little food. I scratched her head.

I was a little sleepy myself, so took a nap from 12 to 1. I woke and could not and can not find Gizmo. She's definitely in the house. I just do not know where.
The neighbours are going to stop by and help me look for her. I was worried that the vaccines could have some hideous side effect. My neighbour told me that her three cats (including big Jacques, who is three times Gizmo's size) get sleepy after these kinds of shots. Sometimes the effects lasted for two days.

Am I worrying too much? When will I see the cat again? Is there a danger of her vomiting and choking since she ate some food before this happened?
 

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

What scares me now is that I got Gizmo her rabies and distemper shots today. They are the three-year variety and were administered in the front leg and back leg, respectively (her last vet used the scruff. This vet is better.)

Anyway the vet said 'she might be a little sleepy' after this. We got home. Gizmo was happy to be there, and ate a little food. I scratched her head.

I was a little sleepy myself, so took a nap from 12 to 1. I woke and could not and can not find Gizmo. She's definitely in the house. I just do not know where.
The neighbours are going to stop by and help me look for her. I was worried that the vaccines could have some hideous side effect. My neighbour told me that her three cats (including big Jacques, who is three times Gizmo's size) get sleepy after these kinds of shots. Sometimes the effects lasted for two days.

Am I worrying too much? When will I see the cat again? Is there a danger of her vomiting and choking since she ate some food before this happened?
There is always a risk with shots //// But in 29 years of animals not one has vomited as a reaction...( not saying it cant just my experience) ..

If sleepy last longer than 24 hours call the dr( though many say wait 48-72)
 
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gizmocat

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I worry far too much about this cat. She was back from her hidey hole in about two hours and ate and played normally. She went there again this evening, but I heard her sneeze, so I know it's in the living room.

She'll be all right this evening.

Thanks!
 
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