Conference misery::feline_v1

    Lisa,
    
    Some of the pet shops sell deep frozen chicken for pets.
    You can cook it in the microwave. As you say you have to watch the
    bones.
    
    If she has to have fish, try getting the individual Coley portions from
    ASDA or Sainsbury's. Three or four minutes in the microwave and its
    ready, apart from letting it cool. No bones, no mess.
    
    I'm surprised the vet didn't say no food at all for 24 Hrs to let her
    sytem clear through.
    
    Hope she's feeling better soon.
    
    Geoff
    Owned by two spoilt cats

    Geoff,
    
    Uh ... mmm....I haven't got a microwave :-(
    
    I think the reason that she is allowed to eat is because she
    is *THIN*. Her bones are quite prominent. I am going to savacentre
    tonight so I want to know which chicken pack to pick up. Pretty
    stupid huh?!?!?!?!?
    
    
    Lisa plus ultra slim Pookie.
    

    when our dog had diarrea we were advised to feed her boiled
    hamburger and rice.  That being the case I would boil the chicken.
    Too bad they don't make ground chicken yet - they do have
    ground turkey (a Godsend for us folks who don't eat red meat) but
    turkey is much harder to digest so DON'T use that.  I'd just
    get some breast quarters and boil them.  Boneless is easier on
    you, but far more expensive.
      She's going to be spoilled!!!
      Nancy DC

	Don't know what's available in the UK, but how about baby meat?
	Most cats go wild for it, and it's very easy to digest.

	Sandy

    Mmm. Sounds like I should get "something fleshy" and boil it. I'll
    have a look at the baby food too!
    
    Thanks for the advice! We are thinking of renaming her boney ;-)
    
    Actually, all joking aside, I am quite worried about her :-(
    
    Lisa plus Pookie.
    

    
    Sorry Lisa, I should engage brain before fingers :-)
    
    Just goes to show we live on convenience food in our house and the 
    cooker that does the most work.
    
    Geoff
    
    

    Lisa, Smokey stopped eating for awhile and getting VERY thin just
    like Pookie.  After spending $145 on all kinds of tests and not
    finding anything, the Vet suggested putting Brewer's Yeast in her
    canned cat food.  Well, it really worked and she put back on her
    weight.  I had to gradually stop putting it in.  She really loved
    it.  Ask your vet before trying it if the chicken or fish don't
    help.  When I want to spoil the kids, I buy boneless chicken breasts
    and just broil it in the oven without any spices.  They growl when
    they eat it.  Keep us posted on how Pookie is doing.
    
    Robyn, Rocky & Smokey
   

    Lisa -
    
    You may even want to start with baby food.  When Nymets was sick
    with diarrhea (sp?), the vet had me feed him strained chicken baby
    food, 3 or 4 small meals a day for two days, then he graduated to
    real chicken which I boiled and then chopped into little pieces.
    I agree with the comment from the noter who was surprised the vet
    didn't tell you not to feed him for 24 hours - Nymets went without
    while he was at the vet's overight.
    
    Best of luck.  Keep us posted.
    
    Terry & Nymets & Sidney
    

    Um.... What is broiled? Is that grilled? Is it boiled? Sorry to be
    sooooooooooo stupid :-}
    
    Lisa plus Pookie.
    
    

    re: .9
    
    Broiled means put it in the oven with the oven set to "Broil".
    
    I agree with Nancy, however, that boiling the chicken is the way
    that makes it easiest to digest.  It helps remove some of the fatty
    juices that aren't exactly easy on the stomach.  Cats do enjoy eating
    the stuff broiled in the oven though, no question about that.
    
    Also, after boiling, the bones are easier to remove, at least in
    my experience.
    
    Bob
    

    Hello Lisa - When Oliver was on a similar diet, he was given boiled
    chicken breast and chicken wings - all bones carefully removed.
    The vet also told us we could use boiled white fish (again all bones
    removed), scrambled eggs, weetabix and boiled ground rice. The rice
    was not at all well received, I ought to add!
    I hope Pookie is soon feeling better. 
    Julie.
    
    PS - I have never heard of Broil either - is it a new American method
    of cooking? 

    OK - boiling it is! I hope she likes it after all this ;-)
    
    
    Lisa plus Pookie
    
    

    Re.: broiling
      
         "Broil" is a position on the stove (like "Bake").  In broiling,
    only the top element heats up (or for those stoves with a separate
    broiling compartment at the bottom, that element heats up.  So intead
    of getting heat from the top and the bottom, you only get heat from the
    top.  Sort of inverse-grilling ;-) .
    
         Hope Pookie feels better and fills out soon!
    
    					- Andrea
    

    Thanks Andrea, I was just about to reply to this (seeing that I
    was the one who suggested broiling ;-) ) If you have an electric
    stove, only the top coil gets hot (same as if your broiler was on
    the bottom.) And all you do is set the oven temp to "Broil" and
    the other knob (I forget what's it called) to "Broil" and just cook
    one side first, turn and cook the other side.  Been doing my chicken
    like this for years.  Also a good way to bar-b-que if you don't
    have a grill outside. Hmmmm, are most of you noters from "back east"
    (Mass) cause I am originally and my mother showed me how to broiled
    when I was little. 
    
    Robyn

    I buy chicken for my cats.  It comes in cans, but I have forgotten
    the brand name.  It is sold in the supermarket, usually in a
    section where they have other tinned meats like Chicken of the Sea Tuna
    and boneless salmon. This chicken is really nice, not greasy and
    firm chunks of meat.  I don't mean the yucky kinds of "mashed
    lunch meat" tins.  The can is about the size of say, nine lives and
    teh label is white.  (We're talking people food, however, not cat
    food.)  I just use a fork to break up the chunks of chicken and
    put it on plates.  No cooking necessary.  I get the kind packed in
    water, not in oil, and leave some of the water on the plate as it
    increases the cats water intake.
    
    Turkey is also available the same way, but I am told turkey is less
    digestable.  They get teh boneless salmon sometimes also.
    

    p.s.  the deli counter may have sliced chicken breast also.
    

    Broil = grill in the oven

    I would boil a fresh chicken portion and NOT serve luncheon type meats,
    cold cuts, canned chicken or chicken processed in any way like that.
    They are full of nitrates, preservatives, loaded with salt and all
    kinds of things I wouldn't even eat myself,  or wish upon a not-well
    kitty.
    My guys LOVE fresh chicken.  I just bake or boil it for them and keep
    in the frig. - good for about 3 days fresh.
    
                       Hope your poor baby feels better.....Denise
    

    Thanks for all the cooking tips! I got some baby food for Pookie
    yesterday. She loved it! Heinz golden chicken. Today we offered her
    some Cow and Gate chicken dinner - no joy :-( She sniffed it then
    walked off in disgust! So, we boiled come Coley fillet for her. She
    enjoyed that - PHEW! Tonight I will be boiling some chicken for her.
    
    
    Off to the vet Friday to get her checked over. If she is better, then
    we can start treating the ear infections.
    
    Poor Pookie, she's so unhappy :-(
    
    Lisa plus Pookie.
    

    I took Pookie back to the vet this morning. Her appetite is a little
    better, but not much. I noticed yesterday that weed killer had been
    sprayed all over next doors garden. Pookie likes to nibble new shoots
    on anything - it didn't take long to figure out why she was ill.
    
    The vet has told me to continue the bland diet and encourage her
    to drink water. Pookie is drinking alot at the moment, she needs
    no encouragement! If she is no better by Monday I will take her in
    again.
    
    I have contacted the builders of the house next door (it hasn't been
    sold yet) to find out what weed killer they used. I will be sending
    them a letter asking them to inform me the next time they start
    throwing weed killer about. I will enclose the vet bill - believe
    me, THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS! 
    
    They also sprayed another garden next door to a friend of mine. Her
    cat has the same symptoms as Pookie. She is at the vet now.
    
    I AM SO ANGRY! Poor Pookie, she is quite ill, but hopefully should
    make a full recovery.
    
    Lisa plus poisoned Pookie.
    

    When our lawn service treats our lawn they ALWAYS leave little yellow
    signs around so I know they've been there.  They also do it at
    MRO when they treat the lawn.  It is negligent that there was
    no indication in your case!  
      Nancy

      
    
    Oh Lisa!
    
    Poor Pookie, first her brother disappears now this!!  Are you having
    any trouble keeping her inside until the poison next door is gone?  We
    are all keeping our fingers and paws crossed for you.
    
    Feline Angry at those builders!!!
    
    Sue & Panther & Spot
    

    Pookie is quite easy to keep in at the moment because she is not her
    usual lively self :-( I had a call from the builders. The weed
    killer that they put down is only poisonous while wet. Pookie must
    have walked through the garden during or just after spraying. I told
    him that I would be sending in the vet bills. He got VERY angry and
    said that it wasn't his fault. He was spraying private property so
    it was my fault. There is only a post and wire fence between us and
    the next garden. I said that he knew it was dangerous and he should
    have taken more care. I asked if he felt even a tiny bit of remorse.
    No, he said, most definitely not!
    
    
    He could have apologised at least! Now I feel terrible.
    
    Lisa plus Pookie.
    

    I feel very badly about Pookie, I want to say that before I complete
    the rest of this note.  
    
    BUT....
    
    this goes back to the same issues that we were talking about in the
    note about problems with neighbors cats.  
    
    If you allow your cat outside, and you can't keep it in your own yard,
    then you take some risks.  What if the weed killer was used 3 houses
    down, or 4, should you have been notified???  I really that that people
    have a right to do what they want to do on their own property, short of
    intentionally hurting someone or something else, but, you also own
    responsibility for your animals.  The weed killer wasn't put down to
    intentionally poision your cat.  And your cat really doesn't belong in
    someone elses yard.  There are lots of weed killers and other
    insecticides and chemicals that are used by regular people taking care
    of their lawns (I know, my hubby is a Yard Junkie!), these can probably
    be just as dangerous.  If I'm going to Lime my yard, do I have to send
    a notice out to everyone in my neighborhood telling them that....and
    should I have to put little signs on my yard saying I've done it, I
    really don't think so!  
    
    If you let your cats outside, and your not able to confine it to your
    yard, you take some risks.  The home owners around you cannot be held
    responsible for those risks.  I have as much right to protect or
    improve my property as you have to have your cat outside, but, I
    shouldn't have to limit what I can do because of what your cat does. 
    
    Again, were trying to make the home owner responsible for the damage
    done to a trespassing cat.  Kinda like having to pay hospital bills for
    a thief that you hit over the head with a baseball bat when he broke
    into your house.  The home owners didn't exactly invite the cat into
    the yard.
    
    cin
    

    Yes, I do think you have a point there, but I still don't think
    its acceptable to spray a poisonous substance around willy nilly.
    Not only is Pookie ill, but ALL the other cats in the area. We have
    seen several dead birds, voles, mice etc not killed by cats but by
    the poison. We have foxes, badgers and squirrels - all must be suffering
    because of the stupidity of the builders. They haven't just sprayed
    a small area. We are talking about 10 large back gardens completely
    covered in poison. They also sprayed out the front literally inches
    from my "land". In this environmentally friendly age, there are
    plenty of weed killers that don't kill pets/wildlife.
    
    Pookie is much better today. She is eating well and no longer has
    the runs! Unfortuneately, a little kitten across the road does not
    seem to be recovering well. She has a blocked bowel and is in alot
    of pain.
    
    
    Lisa plus the recovering Pookie.
    
    

    
    Might be worth a call to the local authority on such substances.  If
    the substance is a poisonous to the environment as you indicated I
    question whether it should have been used.  I mean, chlordane and
    DDT were banned because they were hazardous to the environment.
    
    I have to agree with Cindy tho, as upset as I am about what happened,
    what you do on your own property, sans malicious intent, is your
    business and your right.
    
    It might be useful just to know what they used.  may help the
    treatment.  Good luck
      Nancy DC
    

    I disagree, it may be your yard, but it isn't your world.  Who is 
    responsible for keeping all of the birds and other wildlife out of
    your yard?  We are not talking about a cat that is spraying your
    home, we are talking about animals becoming sick because they walked
    on a contaminated lawn.  What about children playing?...  
    
    				Mary

    Children shouldn't be playing in my yard, period!  If I had children
    that played in my yard, I'ld sure as hell keep them out of the treated
    areas until they were safe.  
    
    As for the wild animals, well, they're wild, and nobody's going to try
    to sue me if something happens to them, although I'ld do my best to
    avoid harming any living creature.  
    
    It just doesn't make sense to me to be required to be responsible for
    anything that's trespassing onto my property.  Just like I didn't ask
    for the cat to be there, I didn't ask for the kid to be there.  Are you
    suggesting that children are exempt from trespassing?  Or that I am
    responsible when that child's parent doesn't keep the child off my
    property?  
    
    I would guess that maybe you don't yet own your own property.  I think
    that once you become a home/property owner, your views change
    considerably.
    
    cin
    

    I do own my own home.  It isn't a matter of who is going to sue...
    and who is going to win.  I just have a different outlook than you do
    on what my resonsibilites to the environment are.  Children and animals
    and birds *will* wander onto your property.  Accidentally or
    intentionally.  
    
    					Mary

>    It just doesn't make sense to me to be required to be responsible for
>    anything that's trespassing onto my property.  Just like I didn't ask
>    for the cat to be there, I didn't ask for the kid to be there.  Are you
>    suggesting that children are exempt from trespassing?  Or that I am
>    responsible when that child's parent doesn't keep the child off my
>    property?  
    

	cin-

	FWIW, if a child trepasses onto my property, and antagonizes one of
	my horses, who in turn kicks the kid in the face.  Who would be 
	at fault?  Using your reasoning (and the way I wish the laws 
	really were) I couldn't be blamed.  However, this is not the case
	and I could lose the whole place!  And this is the reason for the 
	large liability insurance policys we keep.

	

	Michele
	

    In my case we are talking about a semi public area. It is a new
    development where Joe Public plus Mrs Public plus Kiddy Public
    plus Doggy Public visit frequently ie with an intention to buy.
    If any of them get poisoned, I'm sure they wouldn't make a purchase!
    Each situation needs to be approached in a different way. My vote is
    for the environment - poisoned cat or not I still say they shouldn't
    have done it. Bad for wildlife and probably bad for business if
    they poison the customer or their loved ones.
    
    Just my opinion. BTW I have owned my own house for several years.
    
    Anyway, lets lighten up a little. All I wanted to know was how
    to cook chicken ;-)
    
    Lisa plus the indestructable Pookie who is soon to be the proud owner
    of a purpose built cat run.
    

    Just thought I'd let you know what happened at the end of this
    poisoning saga! Here is a copy of the letter that the builders sent me
    today ....
    
    
    " Further to my letter of 25th May, I have now had an opportunity to
    study all the information concerning the application of the weedkiller.
    There is a requirement for animals to be kept clear of the area
    immediately after treatment and I am sorry that you were not notified
    so that appropriate arrangements could be made. If there are any
    subsequent applications, I have asked for this procedure to be
    followed.
    
    I am sorry for any inconvenience or distress which may have been caused
    and I enclose herewith our cheque in settlement of your vet's bill. "
    
    
    So they apologised in the end and they will warn me before they do it
    again. This is good news for Pookie! She is now an indoor only cat
    anyway, but its the thought that counts - the cheque should come in
    handy too ;-)
    
    
    Lisa plus Pookie ( *STILL* suffering from chronic diarrhoea ) and Rolf
                                                              (still cute)

    Boy that IS great!!!.  Its a real credit to those folks, and to your
    handling of the situation.  
      Nancy DC