Halloween cat safety!

[Nachtrafe]

Originally posted by Cloudbringer: *smooches Nacht* Well, my vet said it can be fatal in large enough doses, and since cats are small (other than Oilspill! ) a 'large' dose is pretty small compared to a human's 'large' dose. Maybe there's been new research since your dad studied. There's always something new being learned! I'll ask around in my cat group (email) and if I think of it I'll ask the vet again when we see her. LOL, SSSHHHHHHHHHHH! Don't tell my cats they have to go to the vet.... And don't let him fool you, Nachty is a sweetheart with the cats and they love him. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hmmmm...quite possibly, he *did* study these things about 30 years ago. [img]smile.gif[/img] I guess it's a matter of degree. For a cat, an ounce of chocolate is probably a 'large' dose. I just avoid the whole issue by not feeding any of my pets sweets, other than the occasional lick of (vanilla) ice cream(my ferret LOVED cherry vanilla ice cream).

Erm...ok ok...ya got me. Cloudy's cats are winning me over. [img]smile.gif[/img] I usually spend an hour or so a day playing with Merlin(he loves to chase around uncooked fettuccini noodles), and Inga(when she'll let me). They're kinda cute, as cats go. [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/kittynow.gif[/img]

[Nachtrafe]

Originally posted by Sazerac: This is the kind of black cat you need guarding your house tonight:

Just wanted to say, that is one beautiful feline Saz. I adore big cats, and panthers are one of my favorites.

[Sazerac]

Originally posted by Nachtrafe: Just wanted to say, that is one beautiful feline Saz. I adore big cats, and panthers are one of my favorites.

Actually, FYI, did you know that there is no such thing as "panthers"? I didn't realize this myself until I started working at the sanctuary. What we call "panther" is actually a Black Leopard. If you look close enough, you can even see the leopard spots under the dark fur. Amazing! Apparently, it's a pigment that causes the dark fur, just like some people have dark hair and some people have fair hair.

Not only that, but there are actually two different shades of "black leopard"...one an almost purplish "blue-black", and one with red tips called a "red-black". Onyx is an example of a blue-black leopard as you can see with his slightly purplish sheen.

I love them, too, BTW! (Guess you couldn't tell that!)

Cheers,
-Sazerac

[Kaltia]

Originally posted by Sazerac: I love them, too, BTW! (Guess you couldn't tell that!)

You wouldn't love him quite so much if you had to feed him and look after him for a year, methinks

[Nachtrafe]

Originally posted by Sazerac: quote: Originally posted by Nachtrafe: Just wanted to say, that is one beautiful feline Saz. I adore big cats, and panthers are one of my favorites.

Actually, FYI, did you know that there is no such thing as "panthers"? I didn't realize this myself until I started working at the sanctuary. What we call "panther" is actually a Black Leopard. If you look close enough, you can even see the leopard spots under the dark fur. Amazing! Apparently, it's a pigment that causes the dark fur, just like some people have dark hair and some people have fair hair.

Not only that, but there are actually two different shades of "black leopard"...one an almost purplish "blue-black", and one with red tips called a "red-black". Onyx is an example of a blue-black leopard as you can see with his slightly purplish sheen.

I love them, too, BTW! (Guess you couldn't tell that!)

Cheers,
-Sazerac[/QUOTE]Huh...you learn something new every day. I did know that Panthers are really another name for leapord...but I have never heard of the red-black ones. [img]smile.gif[/img] Do you have any piccies?

[Sazerac]

Originally posted by Kaltia: quote: Originally posted by Sazerac: I love them, too, BTW! (Guess you couldn't tell that!)

You wouldn't love him quite so much if you had to feed him and look after him for a year, methinks [/QUOTE]I'd still love him, but he's much better off where he is, at the Sanctuary where he is cared for and loved. I haven't had to do "poop duty" there yet, but I'm sure I'll get that sooner or later.

I agree that its not wise for people to purchase big cats as "pets". They are wild after all, and that comes out when they are in their adolescence. Even if they are not agressive towards humans, sometimes what they consider "playing" can really hurt someone. Think about how strong a domestic pet is, then multiply that by about 18 times (approximately the strength factor of a large cat). Even a playful swat can knock you into a wall. One of the tigers at the center has an huge truck tire hanging in his cage as a playtoy. It took three male volunteers to hang it up, it was so heavy. It's nothing for Bruno (the tiger) to charge the tire, swipe at it, and knock it so hard that it swings up and hits the top of his cage! You realize how powerful these critters are when you see something like that.

Cheers,
-Sazerac

[Sazerac]

Originally posted by Nachtrafe: Huh...you learn something new every day. I did know that Panthers are really another name for leapord...but I have never heard of the red-black ones. [img]smile.gif[/img] Do you have any piccies?

Here's another one of Onyx:



and one of Sasha, a female black leopard at the sanctuary:



Unfortunately, both of them are blue-black, so I have nothing to show for the red-black, but I have seen them before. I may try to find a picture elsewhere of a red-black leopard and post it for comparison.

Note the spots on Onyx's flank...clearly leopard spots. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Cheers,
-Sazerac

P.S. Just found one: here's an example of a red-black leopard:



-Saz

[ 11-01-2002, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: Sazerac ]

[WillowIX]

For cat owners:

The "toxic" substance in chocolate is Theobromine. It´s a methylxanthine (smae group as coffee [img]smile.gif[/img] ). The efects of thebromine in cats are the same as caffeine in humans, that is diuretic, increased heart rate and force of contraction. In cats it can also cause seizure and sometimes death. Now theobromin is natural in cocoa beans and is therefore present in all chocolate. But IIRC it´s more harmful for dogs than cats...

[Kaltia]

Me, i prefer white tigers-I know that they're mutations and throw-backs in bengal and I think Winter coat for the siberian ones, but hey...
Yes, panthers are leopards. I sponsored a lion at London Zoo two years ago but I since stopped paying 'cos it was coming outta mY pocket money and I'm broke [img]tongue.gif[/img]
There was a story i read in one of thos elittle "OK!" magasines about a girl who worked at an animal sanctuary and was asked to take a lion cub home and hand raise him (!) she said he was more demanding than a baby

[Sazerac]

Originally posted by Kaltia: Me, i prefer white tigers-I know that they're mutations and throw-backs in bengal and I think Winter coat for the siberian ones, but hey... Yes, panthers are leopards. I sponsored a lion at London Zoo two years ago but I since stopped paying 'cos it was coming outta mY pocket money and I'm broke [img]tongue.gif[/img] There was a story i read in one of thos elittle "OK!" magasines about a girl who worked at an animal sanctuary and was asked to take a lion cub home and hand raise him (!) she said he was more demanding than a baby

Here's a white tiger for you, Kaltia:



That's Sabrina, our "token" White Tiger at the sanctuary. She actually belongs to the behaviorist there at the sanctuary, so she's not a rescue case, but a "boarder."

-Saz