Conference misery::feline_v1

    don't panic yet...(I know that easier said than done). Last spring
    one of my cats did the same thing (also my dog did too) and it turned
    out in the case of the dog to be something she ate when she
    accidentally got loose, ate something in a horse pasture and ingested
    a parasite- not serious. The cat developed the same symptoms a few days 
    later but the cause was due to some kind of a virus (not related to the 
    dog's problem) and it irritated the intestines causing a colitis
    condition. Bleeding in both cases but both treatable. Also the cat
    is an indoor only cat - but still got a virus anyway.
    
    There are other reasons which can also cause bleeding- but we tend
    to think the worse but fortunately we are usually wrong!! 
    
    Keep us posted.
    Pat

    
    
    	I have no idea what could be wrong with Pretty, but my thoughts
    	are with you and my fingers are crossed that all will be well.  I
    	won't tell you not to worry (they're our kids and we love them).
    
    	Good luck-
    
    	-Dee
    

    
    The vet finally called.  He gave her a rectal exam and checked
    her stool.  He said that everything looked normal except for some
    tim, clear fibers that were 1/8 inch long, which werre in her stool.
    He said that the last time he'd seen those kind of fibers, the
    cat in question had eaten fiberglass.  There isn't any fiber-glass
    where I live except as insulation.  I know she can't get into the
    attic.  It occured to me that last night one we gave her 2 little
    kitty-treats that one of our neighbors had left for her.  They are
    the kind that come in a yellow cardboard can and they are shrimp 
    flavored.  Has anyone heard of fiberglass in kitty treats?
    
    I'm relieved that she's going to be OK but I feel badly for her,
    having to pass  something like fiber-glass.  Oww!
    
    Rachael
    

    whew!! glad it is treatable and will heal. Who knows how they 
    come up with the stuff they choose to ingest. I'd bet it wasn't the
    kitty-treat- I'd look around for "fiberglass-like" material. Sometimes
    carpets and the backing of carpets have fibers such as you decribe.
    
    Anyway, glad she is okay.
    Pat

    
    Thanks, all for your support.  I was really uspet this morning
    and your replies helped.  I still can't figure where the fiberglass
    is coming from and why my other cat isn't affected.  Pretty is a little
    fat-so but she's usually picky about what she eats.  I'll let you
    know what it is, so you'all can keep your cats safe!
    
    Rachael
    

    there are clear fibers like that in some of the carpeting on
    my scratching posts.  i've always wondered about it.
    

    We had a dog that ingested tin foil once.  It had been used on the
    grill and had meat drippings on it.  I believe the symptoms were
    similar and she recovered just fine.
      Nancy DC
    

    Blood stains are removable with hydrogen peroxide...In case you 
    need to know.  It will "bubble" the stains right out...
    

    
    How is the Kitty doing?
    
    Feline Curious,
    
    Sue
    

    There is fiberglass in box springs of a bed.  I had a puppy that died
    from it because he was ripping the underside of the mattress and
    swallowing it.  This was in my *younger years* when I didn't know about
    the Feliners or too much about animals either.  
    
    Keep an eye on her to see that there are no side-effects.  My first
    thought was cystitus which Lightning has.  I'm glad it isn't that.
    
    Is Pretty a black and white kitty???  My first cat (when I was four
    years old was named Pretty.  She was black and white.  I got her as a
    home-coming gift from the neighbors.  I had been very sick and needed
    to spend a great deal of time in bed so the neighbors got me the kitten
    for companionship.
    
    Good luck
    
    Sandi and the Clan
    
    

    
    She's OK!!!!
    Totally back to normal.  I soaked a Bonkers treat in water and
    low-and-behold long, thin fibers came out of it!  I wonder if it's
    a bad batch?  I'll post the batch number tomorrow in a separate note.
    I'm sending the bottle back to Bonkers/Quaker Oats to let them
    analyse it.  Maybe somebody tampered with the bottle?  I told my
    vet and he really felt strongly that those fibers must have come
    from some-sort of food.  Since the only food that Pretty and that Spike
    didn't eat was the Bonkers, it must be them.  For the time being,
    it was the Shrimp bonkers in the cardboard can.  I hope it was only
    one tampered-with bottle!!
    
    re: -1
    Pretty is grey, white & orange/beige.  She looks sort-of like
    a calico kitty.  We called her that after a sequence of events.
    First, when we got her we thought she was a he and we called her
    Opus.  The when we discovered her femininity, we had lost our
    creativity and we started calling her Lady.  Then everyone started
    telling Spike, her brother, how pretty he was and we felt bad for
    her so we started calling her Pretty.  Now she has two names,
    Pretty when she'd good and LADY when she's bad.  That was really
    nice of your neighbor to give you your Pretty.
    
    Actually, a bizarre thing happened when we brought her home.  Her
    brother started hissing at her and trying to hit her.  We sprayed
    him but that did no good.  We finally had to lock him up for the night.
    In the morning her recognized her again!  We can only figure that
    she smelled funny and he didn't trust his eyesight.
    
    Rachael
    

    rachael..
    
    yep, i'm sure she "smelled funny" from the vet's.  so glad she is doing
    o.k.  i hope you do send that bad batch of bonkers to the company. 
    thanx for letting us know, too, in case anyone has a can of the stuff
    at home.
    
    diane, stanley & stella
    

    From your description it sounds like you mean Pounce and not Bonkers.
    
    Bonkers comes in a milk carton type container.  Pounce comes in a
    cylindrical container.  Please clear this up.  I have Chicken bonkers
    at home and want to know if I should trash them.
    

    Oh - you might send a copy of the vet's bills to the manufacturer.
    Perhaps they'll reimburse you.
    

    Yes, please let us know whether it's Pounce or Bonkers!  My cat loves
    the Pounce treats, so I buy them all the time ... maybe I shouldn't be!
    
    Thanks,
    Lisa (and Noelle)

    
    I'm really sorry but I left the can at home.  I'll make a note
    to bring it in Monday.  I can describe the can.  It's shrimp-
    flavored and yellow.  It's cylindrical, not boxxy.  It's made
    out of cardboard and the writing is diagonal on the front of it.
    I remember looking at the can and the real company, (the company
    that owns either Pounce or Bonkers), is Quaker Oats.  (I remember
    that cause I like their cereal.)  I could have sworn they were
    Bonkers but I could be wrong.  The treats stink and are little
    triangles maybe about the size of a short thumb-nail.
    
    I don't think that fiberglass is in all of these.  I think it
    either was a bad batch or some of them were tainted with.  If
    it's a bad batch, then probably chicken, or any flavor other
    than shrimp, should be OK.  I'll bring the can to the Post office
    after I bring it into work monday.  I think that if your cat had
    eaten as little as two of these in a row, you couldn't have missed
    the symptoms.  Pretty bled more in one hour that most women do
    in a whole day of having their period!  You really couldn't miss that
    much blood if they are indoor cats.  Last night, Pretty seemed to still
    be a little bit bloody, cause we found a new drop.  I looked at
    her stool and it has a little bit of jelled blood on it still.  And
    it's been 2 days since she's had the stuff!  
    
    Again, I'm sorry that I forgot to bring in the can.  Also, I live in
    Haverhill, MA so if it was tainted with it would have been at the
    DeMoulas Market Basket in Haverhill.
    
    If any of you want to know sooner, FEEL FREE to call me at home.
    Really.  Just send me mail and I'll send you my home number.  Then
    you can call me when I get home and I'll give you the right name and
    lot number.  I wouldn't want anybody else's babies to go through
    this!
    
    Rachael

    
    Rachael,
    
    From your discription of the Treat and the container, I would say the
    are DEFINATELY Pounce, not Bonkers.  (Bonkers are square shaped and
    come in a container that looks like a 1/2 pint milk carton.)
    
    Thank you very much for the information, I have an unopened can of
    Shrimp flavored Pounce purchased from Demoulas in Nashua NH, that I
    will not (now) feed to my two.
    
    Feline Grateful for this notes file every day!
    
    Sue & Panther & Spots                                       
    

Gee....speaking of not giving other parties a chance to respond....

Before we all assume that the treats are the problem and that the company
who makes them is responsible, let's wait to Rachael contacts the manufacturer.
We all appreciate being informed of potential problems, but let's not jump
to conclusions.  The fibers Rachael found may or may not be the cause of the
poor kitties problems.  There are all sorts of natural products used as
binding agents and fillers that are safe.  Remember that diet bread that
used tree fiber????  Tastes almost as good, I'll bet...

I'm glad to hear your kitty is feeling better.  My Honey consumed gobs of the
bottom covering of my box spring, which was fiberglass.  He had similar
bleeding problems.  I nailed a sheet over the bottom of the box spring and
now he just eats the sheet (dumb bunny!!).  Rachael, please let us know the
results of your investigation.

Moderately yours,
Mary

    I had a similar experience a week ago with my 2, Munchie and Jake.
    I lost my "cat babysitter" and was forced to leave j&M with a 
    kennel for the first time! (horrible thought to begin with...even though
    its a good kennel supposedly).  I picked them up at the kennel after
    my 12-day business trip.  They slept on my bed that night, and the
    next day I found a pile of kitty poop with drops of blood in it, on
    the bedroom door rug!! (they have NEVER, in 2.5 years, gone outside
    their box....so i know they were ill). I was alarmed and took them to
    the vet the next morning. The vet said they could have ingested
    anything foreign at the kennel...it might have been as simple as 
    a change in food (i doubt that...i change their food brand occasionally
    and have never had problems)...or they could have ingested detergent 
    she used to clean the water dishes (if traces were left on the dish,
    etc).
    
    I meant to call back the kennel and interrogate her...but the vet
    prescribed Pepto Bismol and the diarrea and bleeding stopped quickly.
    However, I have to leave on a 3 week asia trip next week and will
    probably use the same kennel. I'll explain to the owner what happenned
    and have her watch out....I'll give her the pepto bismol just in case.
    I think stress may have induced this too (the vet said it's possible)
    since the kennel was noisy, unfamilliar, first trip, etc. 
    
    If this continues to happen i will have to seek an alternate kennel
    or sitter...i travel a lot for DEC.  The one I took them to was Catnaps
    in Berlin.  I almost flipped out when they got that sick....they have
    never been sick like that, and I'm a single person with no children, so
    they are as dear to me as family!! 
    
    Robyn