THE DANGERS OF CLUMPING CAT LITTER
>
> Clumping cat litters hold great appeal for cat-lovers because
> they are so convenient. But what many pet-owners don't realize
> is that two ingredients in most clumping cat litters have been
> implicated in diseases and even the deaths of many animals and
> humans.
>
> Sodium bentonite is often added as a clumping agent to
> traditional cat litters to create the "scoopable" clay litters on the
> market. Sodium bentonite acts like an expandable cement, which
> is why these litters should not be flushed: they swell to fifteen
> to eighteen times their dry size and can be used as grouting,
> sealing, and plugging materials.
>
> Cats often lick themselves after using the litter box, ingesting
> pieces of the litter. If litter gets inside them, it expands just as it
> does in the plumbing.
>
> Also, the dust from such litters can coat our cats' lungs, leading
> to respiratory problems. The Hennepin Center for Poison
> Control in Minnesota has reported instances of poisoning in
> humans from chronic ingestion of sodium bentonite, so just
> imagine what effect it can have on our kitties!
>
> Quartz silica (sand), the other ingredient in most clumping litters, is a
> known carcinogen for both humans and household pets when inhaled.
>
> Switch your cat litter to one made from a plant-based material,
> better for your pet and for the environment. There are many
> commercially-available products using compacted pine shavings, cedar,
> newspaper, or corn cobs that make healthier alternatives.
>
> Adapted from Why is Cancer Killing Our Pets?
> by Deborah Straw (Inner Traditions, 2000).
>

Thanks, Xania,

My cat hasn't been feeling well lately. He has long hair, and fleas, so he licks himself constantly. I can't seem to get rid of the fleas. I've tried everything. Bathing him doesn't even seem to kill the critters! I guess my point is I think I should change the brand of litter that I buy. It never occured to me that it could make him sick or even kill him!

Sally B.

Sorry about your ct, Sally B. What have you used for the flea problem?
I bought some of the clumping stuff years ago, just once. I didn't like it and we alsways use the compressed wood pellets now. It's clean and as near natural as you can get.
If you can get Gerry here, he will help with the flea problem, I am sure.
Our cats are Burmese and they just never have fleas, so we don't have any experience of what treatments work.

I hope it isn't hair balls in his gut. Constant licking from the fleas may cause swallowing of a lot of hair. Swallowing hair itself occurs naturally but the problem is if too much is swallowed, as in long haired cats and in constant licking. There are some commercial products given orally to aid passage of hair balls.

As for fleas, they could really be a problem. The point is to deal with both the animal and the environment. Dealing only with the animal won't work because fleas spend some time off the animal and lay eggs away from the animal. So the surroundings can be a constant source of re-infection.

I don't know if a different species is involved in your case, but the fleas here die within a few seconds (less than 10!) under water. I found this out when a neighbor mentioned that he solved his flea problem by simply watering of his lawn daily. I then caught a couple of fleas and put them in a cup of water. They were motionless almost instantly and when I lifted them out, they remained motionless -- they were dead. It even gave me the idea of simply dunking a pet in water for a few seconds to kill the fleas in it. (I haven't tried it, though, and do not necessarily recommend it. )

If you're willing to try some insecticides, there's a product that can keep killing fleas and ticks for several weeks, which would be a good way to break the life cycle of the fleas. The active ingredient is fipronil, and a brand available is Frontline. Any household insecticide can also be applied to the surroundings, but if one uses fipronil, this may not be needed -- just wait for the parasites to be killed when they get into the anmal.

Gerry

Thanks for the advice, Gerry,

I have used Frontline, Frontline plus, Advantage, flea collars, and soapy baths. I soap him up and leave it on for as long as he'll cooperate and then fill the sink up to his neck with water. I keep him in the water as long as he'll let me, around ten minutes or so. After I dry him off, there are still fleas on him!!! It's maddening! I pick them off of him and drop them in a glass with soapy water and they die instantly. If I use plain water they climb up the sides of the glass and jump out! I wonder what's in your water!?! I have a well. I have even tried flea powder. I bought some pennyroyal oil, but not sure if I want to use it. A book I have called Critter Ridder says if you apply it topically fleas will leave because they don't like it, but it is not to be injested. What do you think about that? He is an indoor cat in the summertime because of the fleas. Our neighbors have over a dozen cats that hang out under my house so I keep my cat indoors. I try to vaccum as much as possible to pick up any fleas that may be on the floor. And yes he pucked up a hair ball just yesterday that was about six inches long and 1/2 inch wide!!! Why do they call them hair balls when they are not round like a ball? Have the fleas become immune to all of the chemicals over the years? I feel sorry for Milo, I know the fleas make him miserable. Got any more ideas anyone?

Sally B.

Anyone trying to dunk a Cat in water, I advise a body
suit armor of either thick leather or steel. Those claws
will kill you

I don't know if it would work for cats, but 2 friends feed
their dogs garlic capsules. which seems to keep fleas away.

__________________
May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!

Sally,
Have you tried Revolution? It kills fleas BEFORE they bite, not after, like ohter products. We have eliminated our flea problem by using it, even with multiple pets.

For litter, we use Feline Pine. It does not smell bad at all like most litters.

Roxie

We have used brewers yeast tablets in the past... Mixed it in with some liverwurst, that seemed to help a bit. But lately, we have been bathing our animals in a bath of rosemary oil, lemon oil, and warm water, and vinegar. Try making a spray bottle of the rosemary oil, lemon oil and water and spray that on her and her bedding.... The last time I shampooed my carpets, I used vinegar, baking soda, and these two oils, and have had no flea problems since.... I think I shampooed in may, and I have a big lab and a cat, both who try to be mainly inside animals, but go out quite frequently....A few years ago, my son also spread that diametrious earth (did I spell that close?) around the edge of the house and around the kennels. That did a really good job outside.

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

Just me, can you tell us how many drops of each oil to how much water. Thanks.

No I cant, cus I didnt measure.... I just blopped some into the tub.... We were having alot of flea problems, so that week, we went through four bottles of the rosemary oil and a large bottle of lemon oil.... I shampooed every single carpet in the house.... and Charity bathed animals..... Cats dont like baths..... after she was done bathing her in the bathtub, charity told me to open the front door..... I did, charity opened the bathroom door, and a streak of black and white flew past.... didnt see her again (the cat) till late that night when she got hungry. I havent had a need to use the spray, all though we did mix some up and tried it as a mosquito repellant... again we didnt measure, we just poured...the conversation was on the lines of "does that look like its enough??? naw, the more the better, put a bit more in.... shoot, might as well finish off the bottle!!!!) It worked pretty good on the mossies, until she started sweating, then it washed right off..... but the oils seemed to also help with her tan a bit. Sorry I dont measure... Im the same way when it comes to cooking... a blob here, a handful of that... a smidgeon of that..... what can I say!!!!!

Thanks Roxie, Earlybird and just me,

I'll try everything! What is Revolution? Is it a chemical? I think my cat was so miserable from the fleas, he actually felt better sitting in the warm water for a while. He usually is nearly impossible to hold down long enough to bathe him. I put a few drops of pennyroyal oil on his head and neck where he wouldn't be able to lick it off. Hopefully, it will stay on his fur and not be absorbed through his skin. Smells really strong. I may have to give him another bath to wash it off. Sheesh!

Sally B.

Sally B.,
Unfortunately, Revolution is chemical. Our dog was so miserable that it seemed the lesser of two evils. The dog was limping from self-inflicted wounds..... chewing himself bloody all night and day, scratching so much he could not sleep, nor could we. He is fine since we put him on it. It handles, ticks, fleas, and heartworm protection all in one. I put it on the dog once monthly, right after a bath. Even if it shortens his life a bit, I feel quality is better than quantity, and he is a very old dog already, with seizure disorder and severe arthritis. He deserves some comfort in the time he has left, IMO.

Best of luck with your problem,

Roxie

Revolution is selamectin, a chemical from the family known as avermectins, which includes ivermectin (Ivomec, Heartgard).

The group of drugs can kill fleas and ticks, but do not last long -- probably less than a week, depending on parasite load. So you might have to give it repeatedly as needed.

I don't know what's in our water that kills fleas. I thought that we would be dealing with different species of fleas. But now that you mention it, our water is also well water and we're on of a dead volcano. Could it be the sulfur?

Gerry

Gerry,
They must do something to make the drugs last longer, because here in Florida we are seriously infested with fleas and ticks, yet Revolution lasts 33 days inbetween applications, and I can vouch for that from years of experience with it. You can even give them baths and it will still last 33 days. I have no idea how it's done.
If you live in a place where you can use non-chemical controls, of course that is better. We tried all that other stuff first, but it just did not cut the mustard here.
Regards
Roxie

Roxie,

I have no experience with Revolution, so definitely, your experience with it is valid.

It's the marketing. Mainly, it's not that strongly marketed here, yet.

My experience is with ivermectin and Frontline, but Sally has had no success with Frontline, which is supposed to last up to 6 months for fleas (though I'd say it depends on the parasite population).

Thanks for the info.

Gerry