Conference misery::feline_v1

    I think there's a list in the file already.  Maybe two lists.  try the
    keywords, or dir/title="plant" or dir/title="poison"
    

      One thing that I've seen recently in Cat Fancy and Dog Fancy magazine
    though, is a statement that the Poinsettia, long touted as poisonous,
    is NOT a poisonous plant.... 
    
    JM

    Plants are not the only thing to worry about this time of year. Don't 
    forget that kitties like to play with and eat stuff like the garland 
    and tinsel that goes on the Christmas tree. I don't put these things on 
    my tree anymore. 

    Linda    

    REALLY? I swore poinsettas were poisonous.  Could you send me that
    article which says they're not?  BTW Linda,  at least your kitty
    doesn't eat the artificial tree!  I have a small tree about 4 1/2 feet. 
    I came home from work the other night and Flirtaysha had dragged it
    into the kitchen from the living room!  What a kitten!
    Lisa

      Re .4
     I'll see if I can find one or more of the articles...this info also
    appeared in a couple of my gardening magazines. The garden folks
    likened it to the legend that tomatoes--A.K.A. "Love Apples" were
    considered deadly in Europe for many years...and someone actually ate
    one in front of a crowd and didn't fall-down-dead, so people started to
    try them in various ways.. 
    
      I doubt that we'll see "poinsettia salads" on restuarant menus in the
    near future though...but who knows..
    
      I'll try to remember to look tonite...but with the pressure around
    here I won't promise...I usually leave here sort of "brain-dead"...
    
    JM

    A quaint substitute for tinsel is to use dryed baby's breath.  Very
    pretty in an old fashioned kind of way.  As for pointsettia, I've
    heard a lot of differing stories.  The latest I've heard is that
    pointsettias from some parts of the world are poisonous and others
    aren't.  Until I'm certain I'm not taking any chances.
    
    Karen.

    See the following notes for lists of poisonous plants:
    
    266
    320
    757
    2165
    
    Mike

    Lisa, your *kitten* dragged a 4 1/2 foot tree out of the room??? Wow, 
    Flirtaysha must be some determined kitty! What can you do but laugh?
    Please don't let her talk to my cats -- they get into enough trouble 
    as it is. I'm sure if I had an artificial tree they would try dining 
    on it. 

    Karen, I like your idea of using baby's breath instead of tinsel; it
    would be *so* pretty. But I know I'd have a tree decorated with live
    cats since baby's breath is one of their all-time favorite munchies! 

    I'm a little skeptical about whether the tree's going to survive as 
    it is. I haven't had one for a few years and only one of my current 
    cats (Misty, the 16-year-old) has seen a Christmas tree that I know 
    of. For starters, I think I'll tape the tree stand to a concrete 
    block...

    Linda, Misty, Cubby, Toby, Tweetie, and Peanut

    I believe that what the article said was that a long time ago someone's
    cat died shortly after it was observed eating a pointsetta; it is not
    known if the cat did or did not also eat something else that might have
    been toxic. No actual research was done to confirm that it was indeed
    the pointsetta that caused the cats death, but it was one of those
    legends that became fact (sort of like how folks thot if you droped a
    small rock and a large rock from a high place at the same time, the
    larger one would hit the ground first. When it was finally tried, it
    was found wrong).
    
    Deb 

      Re .9
       I think that was one of them..but the Garden one is the one I'll try
    to locate..they stated emphatically that your African Violets are the
    plants that one should be worried about, but the poinsettias are
    non-toxic...
    
       We don't even put up a tree anymore... After the evening that I came
    in the door to see my Bassett Hound sitting there with a big grin on
    his face, his tail waggin' a mile-a-minute, a strand of tinsel hanging
    out of the corner of his mouth, and garland decorations up one side and
    down the other on the stairs, the tree parallel to the floor,, with the
    light cord in 300 pieces(thank god that plug is on a switch!!!) and
    ornaments all over the house, we decided to enjoy Christmas from a 
    different angle...
    
       Hey, things could be worse...
    
     JM

    This is fast becoming a Christmas tree note--place the tree in the
    fireplace and tie or wire it to the flue handle.  Now, whether this
    is Chuck E Cheese (more Chuck for our buck) proof only time will tell.
    
    My cats have all ingested yards of icicle and lived--whether its good
    for them I don't know.  Miss Moffet does a dummy munch on the spider
    plant when she wants something but she is OK also.  I have two large
    pots of cat nip that they can all snack on any time, it keeps them away
    from the other plants.

     Re Poinsettias...
    
     Note #2165.2 also bears out my point that these are NOT poisonous...
    
    JM

    
    	Well I'm a trifle worried about Audrey and our tree this year.
    	I have all the decorations up except the tree (Sunday) and she's
    	taken to jumping on the entertainment center and knocking around
    	my ceramic village.
    
    	So we gave them they're Christmas present early.  One of the 
    	kitty trees.  Has the round bottom that they can sit in and then
    	two perches.  Audrey loves it.  I'm hoping it'll keep her content
    	enough that she'll ignore the tree.  (Or Cindy, where are you,
    	I need some sparklers!)  If she doesn't, we'll have to keep her
    	in a room during the day but I really don't want to do that.
    
    	JJ
    

     
    We haven't put our tree up yet because I hate to think of what
    will happen with six cats around (three hellions about 7-8 months
    old).  Last year we only had two older cats and they didn't seem 
    to even care about the tree.
    
    Oh well....what's X-mas for!  I love decorating the tree....but
    if I have redecorate too many times....I'll close them off to 
    that room.
                  
    Sandy and her hellions...
    
    
    

    JJ...I am glad I am not the only one in here who gives
    some "kittymas pressies early". Except in my  situation
    they were not HAPPY with my choice. I figure that  I
    will get a  call from THE FIRM shortly....for violation
    of the freedom of kitty choice act.... sigh..
    Kate, Happy,(nice try mom) Preschie( I want IT all)

well, we thought very hard about it...a tree, I mean...and I know that
Hannah just loved "her" christmas tree last year and the year before...she
simply sat under it and enjoyed the feel of being in the forest and looked
up at all the blinking "stars" with rapt delight.  However, we now have The
Flash, all 13 weeks of her, and I'm not THAT crazy...this year, we have all
other decorations and no tree.  Next year, when The Flash is a mature
young adult Mandy cat, we will try a Christmas tree.

You live and learn....

    RE: .13
    
    Hi Judy,
    
    We did the same thing last weekend - got our two a cat tree for
    Christmas, they love it!  We were also hoping it will keep them away
    from the Christmas tree, which we haven't put up yet.  Alas, we got up
    this morning to find our poor Ficus tree knocked over, again.  There
    goes that theory!!!
    
    Paula, Snuggles & Peaches

    I have never had a problem with the Christmas tree thing.  We always
    take some rope and tie off the top of it to a drapery rod that is
    nearby.  The worst they have ever done is drink the water, so we don't
    add anything to it.  Also, I keep the icicles nearer to the top and
    don't dangle the more interesting or breakables near the bottom.
    
    Stinky would much prefer to rip the bows off the packages and thrash
    them about!!  I put sooo much tape on them that the humans have a hard
    time unwrapping!
    
    They also got their present early too!  It is a beautiful little brass
    bed!  I am going to make a quilt and little bumpers for it to make it
    more cozy.  Wing watched as I put it together and was the first to
    sleep in it!  Ruby has laid down in it, but I think Wing likes it more. 
    Now all I have to do is tell Rubster to quit be the wicked viscious
    little thing she is to Wing.  I hope when the kittens come she will
    chill out!  Goldie is the one who surprises me!  She growls at Ruby and
    won't back down but she is still a baby so I have to watch our for her. 
    I think my "little white lightning" could do damage if she had the
    mind.
    Karen, Ruby, Stinky, Wing and Goldie

    I remember reading somewhere that the Christmas tree water at the
    base of the tree is toxic to cats because of the pine sap.  Can
    anyone confirm this?  I just cover the base with aluminum foil so that
    they can't get at it.
    
    					Mary

    I remember hearing that too.  But I can't remember where.
    

    
    
    	Well I know for a fact that Sasha drinks the water from
    	the Christmas tree (from last year) and she's still here!
    

    If pitch was poisionist to cats, Mocha would be dead.!!!!!!
    
    From being out doors and running all over the place he comes
    in with pitch on his pads and in his fur. When ever possible
    we let him take care of removing it, as we usually end up cutting
    a chunk out of his fur and using Lestoil on his feet while holding
    him over the kitchen sink with sprayer in hand ready to rinse the
    Lestoil off his feet. No easy feat when he doesn't even like
    being held to get loves and pets.
    
    Barbara and her 3M's

    RE: the stuff about cat drinking water from the Christmas Tree

    I *think* that the basis for this theory has to do with the fact that
    some pine based cleaners are poisonous to cats.

    Deb

>    a chunk out of his fur and using Lestoil on his feet while holding
>    him over the kitchen sink with sprayer in hand ready to rinse the
>    Lestoil off his feet. No easy feat when he doesn't even like
>    being held to get loves and pets.

If Lestoil is anything like Pinesol then thats very toxic to cats.  All
my cat books warn about this.

    I'm not sure about the toxic part (he's had it done several times)
    but that's the reason we have the sprayer there is to rinse, and rinse
    and rinse his feet.
    
    We keep him stretched out so his head is not near the fumes and
    don't let the Lestoil touch any other part of his body. (You
    can't believe how white his hind feet are after this.)
    
    Barbara & her 3M's

    How about the Christmas tree itself? Our Skunkie is experiencing
    her first Christmas, and the first tree she's ever seen, so she
    decided it would be good to nibble on.  She was sick later in
    the afternoon, which has NEVER happened in all of her 8 months,
    so I assume it was from the tree.  Will she be smart enough not
    to snack on it anymore?  It's a Scotch balsafir.
    
    Cheri

>    so I assume it was from the tree.  Will she be smart enough not
>    to snack on it anymore?  It's a Scotch balsafir.
    
No, not likely she will learn from the experience....you need to focus
on controlling the behavior by:

	1) keep kitten isolated from tree when you are not around.
	2) squirt kitten with C.A.T. (Cattitude adjustment tool)
	   when she gets too close to the tree.
	3) keep it up and she will begin to learn that getting too
	   close gives an unpleasant result.

    I;ve heard that tree needles can get stuck in the throat or
    elsewhere in the lining of the digestive tract....