fleas

terrisanta said:

Stay away from all of the over the counter flea products.

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This really depends on where you live, over here all flea (& worm) products are over the counter.

yey!!! i said vectra was the best flea control right now. and even during this time though capstar which isn't terribly  expensive can be given once a day for a week. it kills the fleas in a few hours and can be given while the vectra is on her already but she needs to be over two pounds for capstar. it's easy to just crush the tiny tablet to powder and put it in a tiny bit of bottled water and with an eyedropper put it into the side of her mouth. most people can't do tablets with cats. some even won't eat the treats pill pockets to hide the tablets. yeh, the bites make her itch. they can even get an allergic reaction to the bites. i would never skip one single month of flea control. even for indoor cats. fleas blow in on the wind and on people's clothes even if you never think they would. once they start up, it's hell. they drop the immune system of the animals too. all good. i flea comb every week even though i know my cat has no fleas just to check. it is a good way to remove the undercoat that sheds too so they don't get so much fur in their tummies.

i use tea tree oil for everything on myself but it's toxic to cats. many natural oils and so forth that many companies promote for natural flea control are more products that are toxic to cats. although the dr. bach rescue remedy for stress has safe ones in it.

please don't be angry with me for commenting on the tea tree oil! i use it everyday on myself but found out how toxic it was for cats. the stores sell natural flea topical stuff too which has those oils in it. just like hartz and sargents and bio spot not good this natural one i really was thinking about using once, then i found out not to. what you can give to dogs too which is totally safe can kill a cat. cats are overly sensitive to stuff thatis good for dogs.

yea reeses is 4 lbs the vet said. she loves her food but very VERY active. she has another appintment on the 28th of this month to get checked up and get fixed. i really dont want to fix her but cant afford it if she does end up a mommy and i dont want her to go crazy and end up getting outside. thats wat scares me the most.

Unneutered females are at risk of a couple of serious illnesses - pyometra (infection in the uterus) and breast cancer.  Neutering removes the risk of the first almost entirely, and if neutered before their first call does the same for the second.  In addition some females spray when they are calling, and they get frustrated.

It is far, far kinder and better that she is neutered, and it's very rare for anything to go wrong.  You really are doing the best for her by having her neutered.

yea. i think so too. i love my kitty and dont want anything to happen to her = ]

not meaning to be scarcastic but you don't neuter females, you spay them. neuter is for males. But you are correct about the breast disease. Spaying is so important for many reasons other than preventing babies.

Neuter is actually gender neutral, and perfectly acceptable for both males and females

It's also spelt spey, not spay

missymotus said:

Neuter is actually gender neutral, and perfectly acceptable for both males and females
It's also spelt spey, not spay

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I agree! I usually just use neuter anytime I do not know the gender of the cat (when I'm trapping ferals or something). I have a friend that thinks the word spay is gender neutral, so she asked me if I had my boy cat Lucky spayed. :lol3: I said no, I had him neutered! :lol3:

The word the vets in the UK use for male cats is castrate. 

missymotus said:

Neuter is actually gender neutral, and perfectly acceptable for both males and females
It's also spelt spey, not spay

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In the USA the term is spelled spay, with an 'a'.

Neuter, spay, spey, or castrate, all cats should be done by an early age.

Technically, "castrate" is correct for females as well :tongue2:. It refers to removal of the reproductive organs in general. I don't think anybody uses it for females in practical terms, though.

The truly proper terms are ovariohysterectomy for females and bilateral orchiectomy for males. But, um. . .spay and neuter is a lot easier :lol3:.

And I have NO idea where the term spay/spey comes from.

Here in Scotland one of the words is 'getting the cat dressed'!  The first time I heard it I found myself thinking of a cat in a crinoline... 

OrientalSlave said:

Here in Scotland one of the words is 'getting the cat dressed'!  The first time I heard it I found myself thinking of a cat in a crinoline... 

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Hopefully a female cat.

Dressed like a chicken--removing the internal organs, maybe? I've also heard "having his pockets picked" :tongue2:. And the farmers here tend to just say "cut" when referring to castrating a male animal. "Is he cut? I won't have an uncut cat in the house!", etc.

Ah, I found the etymology of the word spay: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spay
It means "cut with a sword". Ouch .

Willowy said:

Ah, I found the etymology of the word spay: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spay
It means "cut with a sword". Ouch .

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:lol3::lol3::lol3: Gosh I love thread drift! :lol3::lol3:

saluu said:

yea. i think so too. i love my kitty and dont want anything to happen to her = ]

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 .Is your cat okay now.