Hello my adoring fans. I'm sorry to have been MIA for a while. In the past month, I've been very ill and had some surgery. But don't worry- I'M OKAY NOW! Basically what's been going on is that, due to my beautifully pushed in little nose, I'm prone to conjunctivitis because my eyes and nose can't drain as well. That, added to the fact that I had a dormant strain of Feline Herpes Virus (many cats have it! GET VACCINATED!) that became active when I got a little stressed out at the beginning of July (I don't enjoy fireworks), brought out a nasty little eye infection. The infection led to an ulcer on the eye, and then progressed to a sequestrum (fancy name for a bad spot), and eventually my mom and the vet decided to spare me the stress of more surgery and A LOT of intense meds (7 different drops & gels, 4 times a day, for 2 weeks!), they were going to take the eye out. I've had to wear a ridiculous Elizabethan collar for the past two weeks, but today the stitches are out and I'm back to my old self!! I'm planning to write a nice post about eye health and what  your kitties should be looking out for. Until then, I'll be lounging on the top level of my kitty tree, relaxing from this very stressful month!

Spring is a great time for us kitties- we love lounging in open windows, napping in the sun, and chasing the occasional buggies that manage to fly in while the door is open. But a big part of spring- the beautiful flowers that begin to bloom- can be exceptionally hazardous to your cats' health.

We found this great article in WebMD's Healthy Cat section:
" The entire lily family- including easter lilies, asian lilies, the elegant calla lily and even the feline named tiger lily- should be OFF LIMITS for cat owning households.  The toxic substance in lilies is unknown but the toxin appears to affect only the cat and not the dog.  In addition to finding a freshly mangled plant on the windowsill, cat owners will see vomiting and diarrhea following lily ingestion.  Blood tests often reveal kidney failure which in some cases can require treatment with dialysis and may be fatal.

Lily ingestion is a year round problem because some cats cannot resist sampling the vegetation used to decorate the house — and the problem is not just with lilies.  Many other ornamental plants can be toxic to cats.  Common springtime flowers on this list include amaryllis, crocus, narcissus, daffodil and azalea.  Cat owners must carefully select their houseplants to avoid a trip to the emergency room following unplanned consumption of a toxic cat salad.

If your cat inadvertently ingests one of these plants or any other plant for that matter, contact your veterinarian’s office to determine if treatment is necessary.  You may also contact one of the animal poison control services or 24hour emergency vet clinics in your area."

So as much as we love chomping on your beautiful flowers- and believe me, we do- it's in our best interest to have them kept out of our reach.