Thanksgiving & Holiday Hazards
It is that time again and here at Nine Lives with Dr. Kat, we want your kitties to stay safe and healthy through the upcoming holiday season This week I am joined by Dr. Jill Lopez to talk with me about some of the hidden (and not to hidden) dangers around the festivities.
Did you know that a snow globe could be toxic? What is the truth about poinsettias and other holiday plants? Find out what is real and what is myth when it comes to decorations and know when it is time to get some medical help. Make sure your cats have a PURRfect Howliday when you listen to this fun episode.
Listen to Episode #138 Now:
BIO:
Dr. Jill Lopez is the Director of Marketing for the Essentials PetCare. She is an award winning veterinary marketing professional that has worked with Fortune 500 companies, not for profit humane organizations, and global pet product manufacturers. She is a West Virginia native that now calls New Jersey her home. She is most passionate about educating pet owners about how to keep their pets healthy.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Hey, cat lovers!
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Welcome to Nine Lives with Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I'm your host, Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kathryn Primm, and I'm a small animal veterinarian and cat lover.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And today, as we prepare for the holiday season, I have invited Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill Lopez to talk with us today about holiday hazards and other holiday cats.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill is the founder and CEO of Vet Candy, which is a cool thing I'm gonna let her tell you a little bit about.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Welcome, Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Hello, Dr.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Kat.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Nice to talk to you again.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yes, I'm excited to have you.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Before we launch into, there is so much stuff I want to talk to you about.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So before we launch into holiday hazards for cats, I want to take a quick break.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So we'll be right back after a word from our sponsors.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Hey there, cat lovers.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: It's Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kat from Nine Lives with Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: You know the expression, cats have nine lives.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, what if you can give them one more?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: The GiveThemTen movement is on a mission to help give cats an extra life.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: How?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: With spay and neuter.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Spaying or neutering your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life, and it helps control free-roaming cat populations, too.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Learn more about the benefits of spay and neuter, and meet Scooter, the neutered cat, at givethemten.org.
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<v SPEAKER_2>Let's talk pets on petliferadio.com.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Hey, welcome back to Nine Lives with Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kat on PetLife Radio.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I have Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill Lopez with me here today, and I want Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill to tell you all about vet candy and how cool vet candy is.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill, tell us.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Oh, vet candy is super cool.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You can go and check our website out at myvetcandy.com.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And if you're not a vet, you might be interested in a lot of the topics that we cover.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: We talk about conservation, ecology, recycling, the environment, and of course, animals.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So it's a place that everybody could get some information about animals and life.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And if you're a veterinarian, there's a lot more information on there too, like clinical updates and scientific updates.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But it's a, it's a fun site.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And it also has some fun things like top 10 gift ideas and some other fun stuff.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I don't know, somebody contributed a top 10 gift idea or top five gift ideas.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I don't know who that person is, Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill, do you?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: It was Dr.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Kat Priham.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And my favorite item on the list was cat butt magnets, which I have ordered.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I love the cat butt magnets.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And there is also this cool little, the little hat like with the paws that are like a scarf that have paw prints.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I love that one.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So all of my listeners need to check out myvetcandy.com to see what kind of gifts they need to buy for their favorite veterinarian and veterinary team.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So, okay, so let's get serious.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I want to talk about holiday hazards because I've already had several, several calls and patients coming in with some potential holiday hazards.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So everybody wants to talk about cats and Christmas trees.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So can we talk a little bit about the potential dangers of Christmas trees?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yes, yes.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, one big thing you see with cats, I mean, cats are going to be predators, so they like to play.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: They love to play.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And one thing they like to play with which could be dangerous is anything that's like a string, a string or a linear object.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: When a cat ingests that, it can get stuck in part of the intestines, and then travel through the intestines and pull the intestines together like an accordion.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And you can imagine how painful that would be, and it requires surgery.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So you got to be really, really careful with any types of strings around cats.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: When I was in practice many years ago, there was a cat, a big giant Siamese cat, that was obsessed with eating things like that.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And the cat used to eat his owner's pantyhose leg, and he had two or three surgeries to remove it, and it was awful.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So anything like that, anything long and stringy or long and linear that you would use for your Christmas decoration, you got to be really careful with cats.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Cats also, you bring a tree into the house, it's a party, and they want to go and play on it, climb up on top of it.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And of course, that could mean that they're going to drop it on themselves, knock something over, break something, or end up injured.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So you got to be really careful when you're bringing that into a cat's household.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So here's a funny thing, or maybe not.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I actually did several surgeries on a big Siamese cat for eating linear foreign bodies as well.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And he even went so far as to unravel his owner's sweaters and eat the yarn from the sweaters.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And so actually, I removed them several times and one time it had just been too long and he did not recover from that.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So be very, very careful with tinsel, ribbons, anything that is a string, especially around Christmas time, because we all have our sweaters out, right?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And we have ribbons on our packages and tinsel.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And so that is something that I too have seen.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And it makes me kind of sad.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So are you saying that we need to be mindful about securing our tree so that the cat can't knock it over?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, or maybe get a cat-friendly shaped or size tree, that if they do knock it over, it's not going to be a danger.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Or don't use glass ornaments if you do.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And so if something falls over, you won't have the glass breaking and the cat walking on the glass.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So you probably just got to look at your cat and then look at the tree options and pick something that works best for both of you.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I've seen several funny memes on social media with people that have constructed cages around their tree and all kinds of funny things.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Cages around their cat, while looking at the tree, yeah.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And the cat climbing in the tree.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I mean, they're funny videos, but truly they can be very dangerous.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And all the pretty ornaments, they look pretty to cats too, right?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, all you want to do is break them when you're a cat, when you're a crazy cat.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And even the most normal, sane cat, sometimes they might just maybe it reminds them of their youth, and they have a little bit of a wild hair and decide to jump on the tree and start shaking it.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So, you never know.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You got to figure that out when you're picking your tree out.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And speaking of trees, everyone is always talking about the Christmas tree water if you have a live Christmas tree.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And the problem with that is it's a water source, and pets might go in there and drink it.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And if it's in there and it's a pine tree, it'll have the pine sap, which might be irritating to the stomach.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: If you're not changing your water very frequently, or if it gets a little dirty, it might have some bacteria in there.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So that's always an issue too.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So that's another thing.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You have to make sure that you keep your cat or pets from drinking the water in the Christmas tree, or choose an artificial Christmas tree.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, I've actually already seen two cats that were vomiting.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And when we did a little bit of detective work, we discovered that it was the drinking of the reservoir water.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So we recommended that that pet owner just get a covered water reservoir, because you don't want to let your tree dry out, because that's a fire hazard.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: But you certainly don't want to step in cat vomit in the middle of the night like she was.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So yes, that's definitely a good point.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So have you seen the stories about cats that don't like certain things like cucumbers or tangerines, and people have erected little barriers of cucumbers or a ring tangerine?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Did you see that?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And the cat didn't want to go up toward the Christmas tree because the cat was suspicious of these unusual objects.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And that's a safe way to keep the cat out of the tree.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I don't know how long it's going to last.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, you never know.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Maybe the cat will just sit there and look at it for a little bit, get brave enough to knock them to the side and then go attack your tree.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You never know.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I guess worth a shot.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You don't know.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Cats can do anything.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: There was actually a study just released by the University of Guelph, that said that only a few super cat experts can even read the faces of cats.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So you can look at your cat all day long, and you don't know what's going on behind those eyes.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You don't know what they're planning.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So they can be planning to take the whole tree down.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And they're really smart.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, yeah.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Very driven.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Have you ever noticed when your cat puts his or her mind to something, they do it.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yes.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: That is tenacity.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So something I hadn't really thought about even as a veterinarian, but my husband pointed out, making sure that we close the hooks around the branches of the tree to secure the ornaments really well because I guess that had shown to be a risk factor in our home that we needed to make sure the hooks were closed all the way.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So that's another tree safety thing that I've learned about.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And then speaking of hooks, they could swallow hook, which I think is more of a dog thing, but a cat, especially a kitten, might be playing with something, they play hockey with things, and they might swallow a hook.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So there's lots of dangers in that tree to think about.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So if your veterinarian says to x-ray your cat, say yes, because you want to see that hook in there.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But you're more likely to see that hook in your dog.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Dogs would eat a bag of hooks for no reason.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You know you had to put salt on them.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: You say cats are too smart to do some of these things.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I don't know if it's that.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, maybe.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But your cat might knock it down and your dog might eat it.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, they work together, don't they?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, so if we think about the tree and the water and all that kind of stuff, and the ornaments, the other thing that I think is important on trees is that they have lights.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I know you probably have some advice about lights.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, lights are always a potential hazard.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And it's more for, you know, again, you don't know, your cat's like a wild card.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But if they chew on the lights, they could be electrocuted.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Again, it's more of a dog thing.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And then if you have like a rabbit, house rabbits are really prone to chew in on cords.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Like if you have a house rabbit, usually you will have these PVC pipes around your cords so they can't chew on them.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But anything electric they could chew on.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And they could also get, you know, if they're attacking your tree, they could get hung up on that and get, it's a strangulation hazard, too, if they got into the tree.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But you don't know.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You don't know what your cat's going to do, right?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: I mean, you don't know.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I had a cat that chewed on cords and things.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: My cat at that time was named Merlin, and he chewed on...
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Oh, Merlin, I read about him in your book.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: You did, yes.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: He would chew on cords.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I think that it is important that everybody know that if your cat is drooling or salivating or seems to be in any kind of respiratory distress, that that is an emergency.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So you need to call your veterinarian about that.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, because when they chew on it, it burns their lips, and then that pain causes them to drool.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And then it can also cause coronary edema, which is fluid in the lungs.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: But again, it doesn't happen all the time.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: It's just that weird cat that might do it, or there's some cats that like to chew, kittens do anything.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: They're like completely crazy.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So just one of those things you've got to take into account and be educated when you're bringing a tree into your home.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And some experts say to unplug all the cords if you're truly not attending the tree, like before you go to sleep at night.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I think that's probably a safety issue, and it's pretty easy.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, I do that myself.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: I have that.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: I'm sure.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: I don't know.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: It's one of those things.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: I don't like to bake with my oven if I'm not here either.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: I don't like to use a crock pot.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: And I do unplug my Christmas tree when I leave the house, or go to bed.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So there are some decoration things that are actually living items that also may or may not pose a hazard to cats.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I know if you look on the internet, everybody talks about poinsettias.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And so they're kind of interesting.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Let's talk about poinsettias for a while.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Poinsettias is the biggest myth of all about Christmas trees, or about Christmas season.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Poinsettias are something that people, you know, they might not know anything that's toxic to an animal or poisons to a pet, but they, in their heart, know how dangerous poinsettias are, because that myth has been perpetuating since the 1800s.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Poinsettias are not toxic.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: They're not dangerous.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: They're not going to cause harm to anybody unless you trip on it and then you get hit by a car.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So they're not dangerous.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: They do have a little bit of a milky sap.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: If you ever take the leaf and you sort of shred it, you'll see a little bit of milky sap, which if somebody of a dog or cat chews on it, they may have a little bit of a stomach upset, but more than not, they're not going to do anything.
00:13:20.345 --> 00:13:23.185
Dr. Jill Lopez: It's really definitely not a problem.
00:13:23.185 --> 00:13:26.385
Dr. Jill Lopez: However, lilies are definitely a problem.
00:13:26.385 --> 00:13:38.565
Dr. Jill Lopez: And even though you think of lilies being a spring flower, they're grown all year round, all season long, and I've seen them placed into Christmas baskets, like Christmas flower baskets.
00:13:38.565 --> 00:13:39.625
Dr. Jill Lopez: They have a beautiful one.
00:13:39.705 --> 00:13:41.825
Dr. Jill Lopez: It's called a Casablanca lily.
00:13:41.825 --> 00:13:47.225
Dr. Jill Lopez: It's beautiful and white, and they'll put that in there and put some beautiful greenery around it.
00:13:47.225 --> 00:13:48.465
Dr. Jill Lopez: That is deadly.
00:13:48.465 --> 00:13:55.125
Dr. Jill Lopez: And if your cat licks it, choose on it, choose on any of the material, it could cause kidney failure within a couple of days.
00:13:55.125 --> 00:13:57.645
Dr. Jill Lopez: It's deadly, deadly, deadly to cats.
00:13:57.645 --> 00:14:04.985
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So all of your floral arrangements that you're decorating for your guests and things, just pick through it and make sure you know what's in it.
00:14:04.985 --> 00:14:11.765
Dr. Kathryn Primm: If you see a flower you don't recognize, you know, maybe look it up on the internet because death is one of those irreversible things.
00:14:11.765 --> 00:14:13.185
Dr. Jill Lopez: What about...
00:14:13.185 --> 00:14:18.945
Dr. Jill Lopez: And whenever you're ordering flowers for your friends, make sure that they're not using any lilies.
00:14:18.945 --> 00:14:24.005
Dr. Jill Lopez: Make sure that they're just really, really make sure that they're not sending lilies with the floral arrangement.
00:14:24.005 --> 00:14:27.485
Dr. Kathryn Primm: That would be terrible to hurt your friends cat.
00:14:27.745 --> 00:14:29.705
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, yeah, and that happens a lot.
00:14:29.965 --> 00:14:30.665
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah.
00:14:30.665 --> 00:14:37.245
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, so I did a video last Christmas about Christmas hazards, because I still feel like everybody doesn't know.
00:14:37.245 --> 00:14:40.165
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And one of the things I had on it was mistletoe.
00:14:40.165 --> 00:14:45.825
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I had to really work hard to find a living mistletoe to show everyone.
00:14:45.825 --> 00:14:47.465
Dr. Kathryn Primm: But let's talk about mistletoe.
00:14:47.465 --> 00:14:51.545
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, mistletoe is one of those things that you don't realize that is toxic.
00:14:51.545 --> 00:14:55.345
Dr. Jill Lopez: It actually contains a toxic principle that can affect the heart rate.
00:14:55.745 --> 00:15:01.005
Dr. Jill Lopez: So it could be dangerous if an animal chewed on it and ingested enough of it.
00:15:01.005 --> 00:15:03.205
Dr. Jill Lopez: So it's something to be concerned about.
00:15:03.205 --> 00:15:06.085
Dr. Jill Lopez: You definitely don't want to have mistletoe in your pet's home.
00:15:06.085 --> 00:15:15.505
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So, you know, one time I actually, it was a dog and not a cat, but I saw a patient who ended up actually dying from eating fake snow.
00:15:15.505 --> 00:15:22.565
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So anything that you have that's just for decoration, just think twice and watch your cat or dog if they are near to it.
00:15:22.645 --> 00:15:29.845
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Now, I know that you, I know from talking to you about hazards before that you have a warning about candles.
00:15:29.845 --> 00:15:30.485
Dr. Jill Lopez: Oh, yes.
00:15:30.485 --> 00:15:30.785
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yes.
00:15:30.785 --> 00:15:33.325
Dr. Jill Lopez: I hate candles for many reasons.
00:15:33.325 --> 00:15:41.125
Dr. Jill Lopez: So candles, especially, I mean, they're beautiful and they're romantic, but you definitely don't want to leave them unattended.
00:15:41.125 --> 00:15:42.585
Dr. Jill Lopez: You don't want to go into another room.
00:15:42.585 --> 00:15:46.305
Dr. Jill Lopez: If you have a cat, I mean, you're just waiting for the cat to set your house on fire.
00:15:46.305 --> 00:15:47.885
Dr. Jill Lopez: So those can definitely be dangerous.
00:15:47.885 --> 00:15:54.945
Dr. Jill Lopez: So instead of choosing a candle that you light with a match, you want to use a candle that may be an electric candle.
00:15:54.945 --> 00:16:02.265
Dr. Jill Lopez: And speaking of things that are weird, like that candle, liquid potpourri can be very dangerous to cats.
00:16:02.265 --> 00:16:13.905
Dr. Jill Lopez: And so some people, especially this time of year, you have those liquid potpourris that will be like Christmas holiday scents, and you'll warm them, and they make your house smell really great.
00:16:13.905 --> 00:16:26.625
Dr. Jill Lopez: But the potpourri, the liquid potpourris, some of those contain cationic detergents that they put in there to make sure that there's no bacteria growth in the potpourri because people use it and leave it out for a while.
00:16:26.625 --> 00:16:32.065
Dr. Jill Lopez: And that can actually cause chemical burns in the cat's mouth and on their skin.
00:16:32.065 --> 00:16:33.985
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Ooh, that's, I didn't think of that.
00:16:33.985 --> 00:16:35.465
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, I was going to tell you.
00:16:36.225 --> 00:16:37.345
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, no, I'm glad.
00:16:37.425 --> 00:16:38.385
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I'm glad you mentioned it.
00:16:38.385 --> 00:17:03.685
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, and sometimes I've had cases where someone will have, like you'll have a bottle of that, and you'll have, you know, you pour it out to simmer it, and you'll leave the bottle, and sometimes it leaks over the, you know how you leak a little bit of stuff on the side of a bottle, and cats might rub up against it, and they get it on their fur, and it irritates their fur, and they lick it, and then next thing you know, they have chemical burns on their skin and on their mouth.
00:17:03.685 --> 00:17:06.385
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, that's horrible and definitely not worth it.
00:17:06.385 --> 00:17:15.745
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Have you ever tried any of the deterrent sprays, like hot pepper sprays, or any of that kind of stuff to discourage cats from going around these items?
00:17:15.805 --> 00:17:17.445
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Do you have any experience with those?
00:17:17.445 --> 00:17:19.225
Dr. Jill Lopez: No, I just don't get the items.
00:17:19.225 --> 00:17:27.925
Dr. Jill Lopez: But I do know that there's something called like a double-sided sticky tape that works really good to keep them off of certain areas like the countertops.
00:17:27.925 --> 00:17:30.825
Dr. Jill Lopez: But it's better to just not even have it in your home.
00:17:30.825 --> 00:17:37.485
Dr. Jill Lopez: Or instead of using liquid potpourri, maybe use like the dry potpourri and put it in a place where the cat can ingest it.
00:17:37.485 --> 00:17:41.945
Dr. Jill Lopez: Because if the cat ingest it, they might have a stomach upset, but it wouldn't cause chemical burns.
00:17:41.945 --> 00:17:42.645
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Right.
00:17:42.645 --> 00:17:50.405
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, so I think about everything at Cat Safe and Pet Safe and People Safe because of the things that I have seen.
00:17:50.405 --> 00:17:51.965
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So that's what I want my listeners to...
00:17:51.965 --> 00:17:56.305
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I want them to be skeptical of everything they get and everything that they set out.
00:17:56.305 --> 00:18:01.805
Dr. Kathryn Primm: But there are some other risks around the holidays associated with having guests around.
00:18:01.805 --> 00:18:07.625
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So let's take a quick break and then come back and talk about the guest safety for pets.
00:18:07.625 --> 00:18:08.285
Dr. Kathryn Primm: We'll be right back.
00:19:21.545 --> 00:19:25.905
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Let's Talk Pets on PetLife Radio.
00:19:25.905 --> 00:19:28.105
Announcer: petliferadio.com.
00:19:37.052 --> 00:19:38.952
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Welcome back to Nine Lives with Dr.
00:19:38.952 --> 00:19:39.512
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kat.
00:19:39.512 --> 00:19:40.912
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I'm here with Dr.
00:19:40.912 --> 00:19:48.572
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill Lopez, the CEO and founder of Vet Candy, and she and I are talking about holiday hazards and maybe some holiday fun too.
00:19:48.572 --> 00:19:56.092
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So we were going to talk about things you may not have thought of when you have guests at your house for the holidays.
00:19:56.092 --> 00:19:56.872
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So Dr.
00:19:56.872 --> 00:20:00.432
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill, I know you have some good advice to consider about that.
00:20:00.432 --> 00:20:02.312
Dr. Jill Lopez: Okay, yeah, yeah, I do.
00:20:02.312 --> 00:20:05.192
Dr. Jill Lopez: With guests, they're going to bring all their stuff with them.
00:20:05.732 --> 00:20:18.432
Dr. Jill Lopez: And I would say one of the one things to worry about with guests are if they're on medication, you know, if they're on any kind of medication, there's always a chance that they might take a pill and drop a pill and your cat might eat it.
00:20:18.432 --> 00:20:21.832
Dr. Jill Lopez: Although cats, I mean, you know, it's so hard to give a cat a pill.
00:20:21.832 --> 00:20:23.812
Dr. Jill Lopez: You know, you have to do all these tricks to get them to do it.
00:20:23.812 --> 00:20:28.232
Dr. Jill Lopez: But there's still that chance that they might, they might see something fall and they might eat it.
00:20:28.232 --> 00:20:36.332
Dr. Jill Lopez: So that's one of those things is when you do have someone who's visiting, make sure they know to keep all their medications up away from cats.
00:20:36.332 --> 00:20:44.732
Dr. Kathryn Primm: You know, don't you find it ironic that when we want to give a cat a pill, they don't want it, but if you drop something and it's like rolling across the floor, they totally want it?
00:20:44.732 --> 00:20:48.672
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, and maybe they play hockey with it, but then you don't know if they eat it or not.
00:20:48.672 --> 00:20:51.732
Dr. Jill Lopez: And then you're just worried, just, you know, is this going to cause a problem?
00:20:51.732 --> 00:20:53.692
Dr. Jill Lopez: You're staring at them, waiting to see what happens.
00:20:54.192 --> 00:20:58.192
Dr. Jill Lopez: So you definitely want to keep them away from any kind of medication or anything.
00:20:58.192 --> 00:21:02.032
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And if you think your cat has eaten that, you need to call your vet.
00:21:02.032 --> 00:21:02.612
Dr. Jill Lopez: Right.
00:21:02.612 --> 00:21:04.292
Dr. Jill Lopez: You want to call your vet right away.
00:21:04.292 --> 00:21:04.572
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah.
00:21:04.572 --> 00:21:08.612
Dr. Jill Lopez: And then at least they can tell you, you can find out what kind of medication it was.
00:21:08.612 --> 00:21:13.892
Dr. Jill Lopez: Sometimes some things are not going to be a problem, but other things, even a small amount like a Tylenol.
00:21:13.892 --> 00:21:16.172
Dr. Jill Lopez: One Tylenol could kill a cat.
00:21:16.172 --> 00:21:20.272
Dr. Jill Lopez: So it's important to find out what medication it was, how many were missing.
00:21:20.272 --> 00:21:21.672
Dr. Jill Lopez: But a cat's not like a dog.
00:21:21.672 --> 00:21:27.232
Dr. Jill Lopez: Like a dog will go into your guest room, grab their bottle of pills and chew it up and eat the entire container.
00:21:27.512 --> 00:21:31.392
Dr. Jill Lopez: And the cat might possibly eat one that dropped.
00:21:31.392 --> 00:21:33.712
Dr. Jill Lopez: So it's dogs and cats are so different.
00:21:33.712 --> 00:21:35.232
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And that's what we love about them.
00:21:35.232 --> 00:21:37.012
Dr. Kathryn Primm: But still, it's smart.
00:21:37.012 --> 00:21:43.872
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So when guests come, do you have any recommendations to help pets feel safe around new people?
00:21:43.872 --> 00:21:46.612
Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, don't bring new people around them.
00:21:46.612 --> 00:21:47.432
Dr. Jill Lopez: I'm just kidding.
00:21:47.432 --> 00:21:50.252
Dr. Jill Lopez: You know, cats are drama kings and queens a lot.
00:21:50.252 --> 00:21:54.852
Dr. Jill Lopez: Sometimes they like people to come, but mainly they like their situation and like routine.
00:21:55.392 --> 00:22:06.112
Dr. Jill Lopez: So just make sure the cat will probably take care of itself and go hide until they leave, or maybe it's someone that they like to see and they'll come out and they'll make friends with them.
00:22:06.112 --> 00:22:07.692
Dr. Jill Lopez: But it just depends on the cat.
00:22:07.692 --> 00:22:12.612
Dr. Jill Lopez: But with company, they're going to leave pretty soon, so the cat will go back to normal.
00:22:12.612 --> 00:22:19.472
Dr. Jill Lopez: Some cats that are a little bit sensitive about any kind of change in the routine may pee in weird places.
00:22:19.472 --> 00:22:26.232
Dr. Jill Lopez: They might pee on your guest's bed or in their luggage, just to give them a signal that it's time to go home.
00:22:26.232 --> 00:22:31.712
Dr. Jill Lopez: Sometimes that's a good thing, especially if your in-laws are in town and they're staying a little bit longer than expected.
00:22:31.712 --> 00:22:36.212
Dr. Kathryn Primm: You shouldn't use your cat as a tool to get rid of your in-laws, Dr.
00:22:36.212 --> 00:22:36.892
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill.
00:22:36.892 --> 00:22:40.312
Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, sometimes you have to use what you got.
00:22:40.312 --> 00:22:43.572
Dr. Jill Lopez: You have to use the tools God gave you.
00:22:43.572 --> 00:22:48.492
Dr. Kathryn Primm: In all seriousness, if your cat does that, it is probably a sign of anxiety.
00:22:48.492 --> 00:22:54.252
Dr. Kathryn Primm: It could even be a medical issue, so certainly include your veterinarian, because I have all kinds of things.
00:22:54.252 --> 00:23:09.872
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I don't know about your veterinarian, but I have all kinds of things that I can try and make sure that your cat has a safe place that he or she can go to be away from guests, because my cat's not super into lots of noise and busyness.
00:23:09.872 --> 00:23:15.012
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So he has a place that is his own place that he sometimes just, he always goes to the same spot.
00:23:15.012 --> 00:23:18.712
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So we make sure that he can do that to stay safe and happy.
00:23:18.712 --> 00:23:24.872
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I really want to kind of sum it up in case somebody is just tuning in or has forgotten the ribbons.
00:23:24.872 --> 00:23:31.032
Dr. Kathryn Primm: The ribbons and the linear foreign bodies are a huge risk, especially to cats, specifically to cats.
00:23:31.032 --> 00:23:34.792
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So this is one of those things where it's not, where we say, well, dog's more likely to do this.
00:23:34.792 --> 00:23:36.372
Dr. Kathryn Primm: This is a cat thing, right?
00:23:36.372 --> 00:23:36.992
Dr. Jill Lopez: Cat thing.
00:23:36.992 --> 00:23:37.252
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah.
00:23:37.252 --> 00:23:38.192
Dr. Jill Lopez: I mean, a dog could do it.
00:23:38.192 --> 00:23:43.572
Dr. Jill Lopez: A dog might eat your whole entire robe, where a cat might chew on a string of your robe.
00:23:43.572 --> 00:23:46.872
Dr. Jill Lopez: But yeah, the linear thing is more of a cat thing.
00:23:46.872 --> 00:23:49.012
Dr. Jill Lopez: But dogs, I mean, dogs could do it too.
00:23:49.012 --> 00:23:49.972
Dr. Jill Lopez: But it's very catish.
00:23:49.972 --> 00:23:57.252
Dr. Jill Lopez: So you want to make sure you pick up, you know, be very mindful of strings, ribbons, anything like that, that the cat might ingest.
00:23:57.252 --> 00:24:05.852
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And we want people to secure the ornaments onto the tree and be mindful of what ornaments they have chosen.
00:24:05.852 --> 00:24:08.352
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Maybe avoiding the glass ones.
00:24:08.352 --> 00:24:11.732
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Anything else you want to add to you about ornament safety, Dr.
00:24:11.732 --> 00:24:12.352
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill?
00:24:12.352 --> 00:24:19.772
Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, you know, the other thing too is, you know, a lot of times you'll pick up ornaments from different areas, so you don't even know what they're made from.
00:24:19.992 --> 00:24:25.712
Dr. Jill Lopez: So just be really careful about that too, because there might be some ornament that has maybe lead in it.
00:24:25.712 --> 00:24:30.972
Dr. Jill Lopez: You just don't know these days when you pick up ornaments in different locations or being imported from everywhere.
00:24:30.972 --> 00:24:34.872
Dr. Jill Lopez: So just be really careful when you are choosing ornaments for your tree.
00:24:34.872 --> 00:24:43.652
Dr. Jill Lopez: And if you're using something like a shellac cookie, for instance, that's from when you were in kindergarten, you know, that potentially could be a problem too.
00:24:43.652 --> 00:24:51.892
Dr. Jill Lopez: Again, it's more of a dog problem, but it is something that cats might might decide to chew on or ingest, and that can make them pretty sick too.
00:24:51.892 --> 00:24:54.232
Dr. Jill Lopez: So that's one of the things I would think up too.
00:24:54.232 --> 00:24:56.292
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So we were talking about ornaments though.
00:24:56.292 --> 00:25:04.252
Dr. Kathryn Primm: It made me think of the possible risk of snow globes, the little things that people shake up, so the snow, you know, flurries around.
00:25:04.252 --> 00:25:05.252
Dr. Kathryn Primm: What about that?
00:25:05.272 --> 00:25:07.692
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, those are another weird thing.
00:25:07.692 --> 00:25:14.852
Dr. Jill Lopez: Most of those, they have little kits where you can make them, and usually you use water or you use like a glycerin.
00:25:14.852 --> 00:25:20.252
Dr. Jill Lopez: But if you pick them up in a store and you don't, you know, you don't know where they came from, or they've been imported.
00:25:20.252 --> 00:25:23.352
Dr. Jill Lopez: You don't really know what other liquid is in there, really.
00:25:23.352 --> 00:25:24.432
Dr. Jill Lopez: I mean, you don't know.
00:25:24.432 --> 00:25:27.952
Dr. Jill Lopez: And maybe they added something into it to keep it from freezing.
00:25:27.952 --> 00:25:33.472
Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, we wouldn't expect that they would put antifreeze in it, but they might put a form of antifreeze in it.
00:25:33.472 --> 00:25:35.372
Dr. Jill Lopez: There's several forms of antifreeze.
00:25:35.372 --> 00:25:38.672
Dr. Jill Lopez: So you say you just don't really know what else is in there.
00:25:38.672 --> 00:25:57.132
Dr. Jill Lopez: So if you do choose a snow globe, you know, I just put it in some place that's, you know, very well protected, but also it's probably better to buy something where you know what the ingredients are, where you can contact the manufacturer and just confirm with them that they used water and glycerin, for example.
00:25:57.132 --> 00:25:59.692
Dr. Jill Lopez: So that's something, you know, I would recommend.
00:25:59.692 --> 00:26:07.052
Dr. Kathryn Primm: You know, it's totally not above my cat to knock a snow globe off and have it break on the floor and then drink.
00:26:07.052 --> 00:26:08.492
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I can totally see my cat doing that.
00:26:08.492 --> 00:26:10.252
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I do not have a snow globe.
00:26:10.252 --> 00:26:13.692
Dr. Kathryn Primm: But yes, I think that that is an excellent point.
00:26:13.692 --> 00:26:17.932
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Also covering, my cat's not above drinking the water from the Christmas tree.
00:26:18.112 --> 00:26:19.812
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So covering that is essential.
00:26:19.812 --> 00:26:26.732
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I want everyone out there to make sure that the water, the tree reservoir water is inaccessible to their cats.
00:26:26.732 --> 00:26:27.372
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And Dr.
00:26:27.372 --> 00:26:30.032
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill told us that she unplugs cords at night.
00:26:30.032 --> 00:26:36.872
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So make sure you're unplugging your Christmas tree at night and so that your cat doesn't chew on that.
00:26:36.872 --> 00:26:38.552
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And we talked about mistletoe.
00:26:38.552 --> 00:26:40.112
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Wait, we didn't talk about holly.
00:26:40.112 --> 00:26:41.012
Dr. Kathryn Primm: What about holly, Dr.
00:26:41.012 --> 00:26:41.672
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill?
00:26:41.672 --> 00:26:45.532
Dr. Jill Lopez: Yeah, holly also is another plant that potentially could cause some...
00:26:45.532 --> 00:26:47.192
Dr. Jill Lopez: I mean, it's considered a toxic plant.
00:26:47.312 --> 00:26:49.352
Dr. Jill Lopez: But if you looked at it, you don't even want to touch it.
00:26:49.352 --> 00:26:56.352
Dr. Jill Lopez: So a lot of cats may not touch it, but if they did chew on it, they could have pretty bad mouth pain and stomach upset and make them pretty thick.
00:26:56.352 --> 00:26:59.132
Dr. Jill Lopez: But fortunately, it's so protected that they don't chew on it.
00:26:59.132 --> 00:27:02.492
Dr. Jill Lopez: But holly and mistletoe, you definitely want to keep away from your cat.
00:27:02.492 --> 00:27:04.692
Dr. Jill Lopez: Feel free to bring poinsettias into your home.
00:27:04.692 --> 00:27:06.792
Dr. Jill Lopez: Those are fun to have around a cat.
00:27:06.792 --> 00:27:10.192
Dr. Jill Lopez: And just know if they do chew on it, they might drool or throw up.
00:27:10.192 --> 00:27:11.492
Dr. Jill Lopez: But most of the time, they do nothing.
00:27:11.492 --> 00:27:13.052
Dr. Jill Lopez: It's not toxic at all.
00:27:13.052 --> 00:27:13.992
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Excellent advice.
00:27:14.192 --> 00:27:21.892
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And so when you have guests in, don't forget to pay attention to the kind of medications that the guests have and give your cat a safe place.
00:27:21.892 --> 00:27:26.472
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Because coming and going of guests, they might open the door or not realize you have a cat.
00:27:26.472 --> 00:27:27.312
Dr. Kathryn Primm: They're kind of noisy.
00:27:27.312 --> 00:27:30.452
Dr. Kathryn Primm: It's not really a cat thing to like noise and bustling.
00:27:30.452 --> 00:27:32.432
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So don't forget that part.
00:27:32.432 --> 00:27:35.492
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So if you would like to find out more about Dr.
00:27:35.492 --> 00:27:41.232
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill and of course, Vetcandy, the really fun site, it is myvetcandy.com.
00:27:41.232 --> 00:27:46.612
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I would ask you all to look me up on social media as well.
00:27:46.612 --> 00:27:55.112
Dr. Kathryn Primm: My animal hospital is doing a fundraiser to provide care to pets of disabled veterans and people that cannot afford veterinary care.
00:27:55.112 --> 00:28:01.052
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And so we have links to that on everywhere we can think of Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
00:28:01.052 --> 00:28:01.312
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Dr.
00:28:01.312 --> 00:28:09.572
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill, can you tell my listeners where they might be able to find out more about you and about Zetcandy and learn more about how to take good care of their cats?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Well, they can visit myvetcandy.com and you can check out all kinds of great information.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Even this study we talked about, the reason that people can't read their cat's face is on there.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: There's a lot of very interesting information on cats there.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So you could find a lot of information there.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: You can also follow us on social at MyVetCandy as well.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So don't you have a newsletter too?
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Oh, yes, we have a weekly newsletter.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: So if you go on our website, you can sign up for the newsletter, and it comes out every week, and it gives great information.
00:28:42.972 --> 00:28:48.572
Dr. Jill Lopez: It talks about animal health, animal news, conservation, and stuff like that, and even lifestyle advice.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, it's really cool and I like it, and that's why I mentioned it, because I get the newsletter and actually contribute.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So all my listeners out there, go check it out.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I think you'll be pleased with how valuable and checked out the information is.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: It's all good information.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I want everyone to be mindful of their cat as they enjoy these holiday celebrations.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I want to thank Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill for taking the time out to talk to us.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: She's always fun and she's always willing.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I also want to thank my producer, Mark Winter.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Thanks for being here, Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Jill.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Thank you.
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Dr. Jill Lopez: Thanks for having me.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And all of my cat-loving listeners, happy holidays, and have a purrfect day.
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