Conference misery::feline_v1

    
    
    Maybe there is some kind of irritation under the collar and the
    cat is trying to scratch?  I know front paw sounds funny..
    
    F.

    He is probably trying to get it off, and then gets stuck.
    
    Jo

    this will occasionally happen to Eirene, but if I don't catch her right
    away (i.e., right when I see it has happened), she manages to break out
    of it within a few seconds. I'm not sure excactly what a "safty collar"
    is, but my seven all  wear break away collars. 
    
    Deb

    Hi Susan!  
    
    My cat Nippa does that from time to time with the flea collar.  She
    just comes home and plops down (to make me feel bad for making her wear
    something that is GOOD for her) for me to fix it.  It has never
    happened with the other collar...
    
    Michele

    
    	Well... he has never done it to the flea collar (he wears that
    	along with the safety collar (this has a section that has elastic
    	so he can pull it over his head).  If he just wears the safety
    	collar he still gets his leg thru...  I thought he was trying
    	to tell me that 2 collars was 2 much...
    
    	No problems with his neck - I have checked it too - thinking
    	something is bothering him.
    
    	I guess I just should be thankful that it is a front leg and
    	not the back leg...  I still would LOVE to see HOW he does it!
    	
    	Thanks.
    

    Our cat Ninja has a lovely reflective safety collar with engraved
    brass ID tag.  It sits in the kitty basket with the other cat supplies.
    
    After several (5) attempts at having Ninja wear a collar, we felt bad
    for him when we came home each day to find him temporarily disabled
    because his front paw was through the collar.
    
    It worries me that he has no ID if he gets out of the house.

    I heard of a new system - I don't think its available yet - that
    involved implanting a microchip to identify the animal.  A special
    scanner is used to read the id number off the chip and the number
    is checked against a register.
       This would be perfect for show cats who don't wear collars and
    for those cats who refuse to wear collars.  Has anyone heard 
    anything on this lately?
    

    CFA will allow it's exhibitors to tatoo their cats, but the number
    must be of a certain size, and located in a certain place, on the
    inner thigh.  I haven't heard whether or not they would allow for
    microchip implants or not.  Probably hasn't ever come up if this
    idea is new.
    
    Jo

    Jo -
      I can't understand how the cat clubs would consider it their
    right to control how a cat is marked for identification purposes
    as long as no disfigurement was involved.
      N
    

    Nancy,
    
    These are not cat clubs we are talking about, they are cat
    associations, or registering bodies.  It is their opinion that a
    tatoo is a form of disfigurement, and so they ask that it be done
    only in a specific place, and only a specific size.  I am sure that
    there would be no way for them to inforce this, since no cat judge
    is gonna have the nerve to disqualify a tatooed cat whose tatoo
    was too big.  But, it the tatoo was obvious, like on the ear, the
    judge might dump the cat becuase of it (this is my opinion only).
    By the same token, it the microchip left any kind of a mark, lump,
    knot, whatever, the cat might be dumped in the ring for that.  It
    is leaves no noticeable marks, then no one would be the wiser, and
    it wouldn't need to be brought up before the delegates to see if
    we wanted it added to the show rules as acceptable.
    
    Jo

    Jo,
      What you say about the tattoo makes perfect sense since it is
    so obvious - if it wasn't what good would it be.  I was under
    the impression that the microchip would leave no visible mark,
    however, I don't know if it would leave a little bump or not.
    Its designed to be implanted in approx the same place that shots
    are given on the back at shoulder level.
      N
    

    Well I guess I'll put this note here.....last weekend we bought
    6 breakway flea collars for all of our furfaces.  I believe they
    are by Zodiac and I got them on sale for approximately $3.50.
    The original price was $6.25.  They have allowed us to put them 
    on them....and they do not seem to mind.   I'm the one that don't 
    like them...I hate the odor.
      
    My question....do these things really work?  Do they really last
    5 months?  Is it true that you should not use any other flea spray/
    powder when they wear these?
    
    Sandy
                                             

    I think you're supposed to air out flea collars for a few days
    before putting them on the cats.  Also, keep an eye on their necks,
    check underneath the collars fairly often to be sure it isn't
    causing sores or skin irritation.
    

Do they work?....well, sorta.  The basis of the flea collar is the theory
that the flea can be repelled by the systemic treatment in the collar...this
does work to a point - when the collar is "fresh" it does affect the cat's
system, placing flea repellant on the cat's skin..however, about the time
the collar stops smelling bad, the effect diminishes.  Also, the flea is
repelled, but NOT NECESSARILY KILLED.  This means that if your home is 
infested, it stays infested, the fleas just don't stay ON the cat as long 
as normal...in my experience, that means I get bit more!  If your home is 
de-fleaed, then the collars may make an indoor/outdoor cat less likely to 
bring home a whole colony of the critters...but he/she will still bring in 
some fleas and they still reproduce....and eventually your home is infested.

The only effective flea control I've found is to keep the yard around the
house treated by the professionals, and keep my cats movements limited to
the "no flea" zone of my yard and house...they are indoor-only and only
go into the back yard area in an enclosed "habitat" that allows them to
enjoy the fresh air, but keeps them in their yard.  If you let your cat
wander at will, you will have to add a SIGNIFICANT load of toxic chemicals
to your home and pet on a regular basis in order to even keep the fleas at
a tolerable level..you will never get rid of them.  My choice is to keep
my home and my pets chemical free and to treat the yard, where we don't go
very often or stay very long, with the toxic chemicals.  Our house is now,
and has been for over two years, flea-free.

P.S.  according to my doctor, the so-called non-toxic chemicals based on
flowers ARE toxic in the concentration necessary for flea kills....he said
it is just as important to minimize your contact with these chemicals as with
the more traditional formulas.

    You sure got a good bye on the flea collare.  I have used Zodiac
    breakaway collars and when I do we don't have fleas. Guess that
    speaks for itself.  Any other brand is never as effective for us.
    
    Barbara & her 3M's

    Thanks for your responses....I may still have fleas,,,but I do
    notice that the cats are not scratching at all.  I think the
    collars helped control the fleas. (Atleast on them...now it's
    my job to control the house and yard)
    
    I do not like the smell of these collars...and I still fear they
    are going to get caught on something.  But they do not seem to
    mind at all....and it must be nice for them not to constantly
    itch.
                                                   
    Barb..I'm not sure where you live, but the sale on the Zodiac
    is on until X-mas in Fitchburg!  If you want to work something
    out give me a call!
    
    Sandy
    

Can you tell me where in Fitchburg?


Lisa (Ashburnham resident)

    At the UCF on River St.   The pamphlet I received in the mail
    said the special was through Christmas.
    
    Sandy