please add a photo of your feline/canine friend/fiend

OIC. Of course, that makes sense now that you say it. (I was wondering if it had something to do with seasonal allergies -- duh.) Gads, I suppose you know more that you ever wanted to know about diabetes, huh?

Thanks for the offer of help, ehBeth .... Here I was fiddling around with Flatty's photo, experimented with sending it to my documents ... then It vanished! Now I know it's here somewhere, but ...
I think I've gone senile, or maybe it's the heat & humidity tonight, but how can I possibly be this hopeless???

Oy! Have you tried doing a file search?

piffka I'm so sorry to hear about Stripe - what a beauty.

Thanks, Vivien. Usually Stripe looked perkier; he was the kind of creature who will pose for the camera with an intelligent, thoughtful stare (that "I-know-I'm-a-handsome-one" look). But yeah, that's why I left the cat discussions -- it was just too sad. Glad your little Rosie is thriving. She looks so happy and mischievous. A nice tabby, too, I think, with the black "M" above her eyes. Are you getting her anything for Christmas? We'd already gotten a package of Christmas catnip for Stripe... so I sent it to Roberta's kitty, Mikey.

well there's a fishing line with a catnip toy on the end (!) I thought I'd get her that - she'll be stuffed to the gills with turkey as well - she loves chicken so hopefully she'll like it.

She's a picky eater - I'm not sure how much is because kittens learn what to eat from their mothers - and i am NOT about to demonstrate the eating of catfood!! she will always eat some of our food but is a very small eater when it comes to cat food.

my mum cut a piece out the paper about chocolate being very poisonous to cats (the theobromine in it being lethal and causing liver and kidney damage) - Rosie loves it - does anyone know what sort of quantity is bad? does the odd crumb hurt?

I found this on the net:


Chocolate and dogs and cats

Dogs and cats must NOT eat chocolate. Although the reaction to chocolate varies from dog to dog based on the quantity eaten in relation to its size, chocolate is poisonous to dogs and it can be fatal. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to dogs. Chocolate should be kept away from dogs at all times because they often like and make off with foods that are sweet.

The amount of theobromine varies with the type of chocolate. From most to least here are some common theobromine laden chocolate types; Cocoa Beans - Cocoa Powder - Plain/Baking Chocolate - Dark Chocolate - Milk Chocolate - Chocolate Drink Mixes - White Chocolate.

The amount of chocolate that it takes to poison your pet depends on the type of chocolate eaten and the dog's weight. White chocolate has the least amount of theobromine at 1 mg per ounce. Baking chocolate or cocoa beans have the highest. Baking chocolate has 450 mg of theobromine per oz; semi-sweet chocolate 260 mg/oz; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and hot chocolate, 12 mg/oz. Here is a list of the most common sources of chocolate and the amount that leads to poisonous levels:

White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of nervous-system poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.
Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight. Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to the nervous system of a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level. Keep in mind that the average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 oz of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to produce toxicity in a 10 lb dog.
Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a 10-pound dog.
Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two one-ounce squares of bakers' chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one ounce for a 10-pound dog.

Signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, excess urination, nausea, seizures, irregular heartbeat and coma. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of ingestion but can take up to 36 hours. If you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate, rush it to an animal hospital or veterinarian immediately. The best diagnoses come from pets who were brought to the vet early.

Although chocolates are equally bad for cats, cats are finicky and many cats won't eat it. If your cat does eat chocolate though, treat the situation as life threatening. Cats are small and it takes less chocolate to kill them.

so it takes a lot to be lethal - but does that mean a few crumbs is ok?

Vivien - I take those warnings about cats and dogs and chocolate very seriously. I know more than one person who has lost a pet to chocolate. Cats, because of their tiny size, don't seem to be able to handle any amount safely in the long run.

A past colleague had a $3000.00 vet bill to save his dog's life after she ate some 70% cocoa chocolate, and she was left with a shortened lifespan as a result of the damage caused by the chocolate.

Raisins and grapes are also shockingly dangerous to dogs.

I've greatly enjoyed everyone's photos. Truly our best friends--they require so little of us, and are so grateful for the kindness we show them.

Huh! I can't believe I'm just finding out that chocolate is poisonous to cats and dogs. They're luck I don't believe in sharing - bar the occasional crumb of hamburger.

Grateful? Haven't known many cats, have you?

"Require so little"!? "so grateful"???
Like Roger says - you don't know many cats, do you???

Derby the dobie ate almost a whole chocolate cake when he was, oh... maybe ten months old. Well, that was the least of it, there were also the pairs of eyeglasses, dog beds, misc food on counter (he is Very Fast) - this isn't my dog, but my business partner and husband's dog. I suppose it wasn't toxic re his weight but I think it is cumulative, isn't it? Luckily he has lived to be older and slightly more serene. He's really a treasure, the only male dog I've ever heard of who is ......... motherly.

Back to cats, I wouldn't, with the crumbs.

This is Paddy ... he is almost 2-1/2 yrs. This is his stance as I try to make my bed, he just loves holding the sheets and blankets down so that I don't strip it!




This is Lacey ... she is the more adventurous of the two, she is also a proper lady, she loves to be outside on the porch, and jumps up on me in the morning for a quick kiss! She is petite and small framed, and probably won't get much bigger than she is now.

By the way, I loved seeing all your beautiful pets pictures ... if this were a contest I would not know which to pin the medal on! Each one is unique and beautiful in their own way.

Thanks Viv for a great thread!

Um, didn't you forget to mention his sweet disposition, Misti?

I've been trying to take a picture of my dog for a few days to put here.. ( in the house). He's so black he comes out as a silouette! Tomorrow I'll try outside.

I take it you're speaking of Paddy Roger, well, there is hope, he has come a long way, disposition wise. He actually allows Rae and me to pet him and doesn't fight us on it. I don't know if it's because he figures it's futile or he just got used to us.

Either way, it works for all of us.

I suspect he was taken from his mom early on and left to fend for himself, because he knew not how to accept affection and love, but he does now.

Ain't love grand??????????

Hey Fealola, I know just what you mean. You need back-lighting (black-lighting?) or else a really, really bright light.

I'm liking your avatar, btw. It was Christmas-y to me plain since I know that lamp & the film. The Christmas tree outline is really gilding the lily which goes perfectly with the season and the story. Good on ya!



All you kitty people are making me want to get another cat. I want a cat, I want a cat, I want a cat!!!!














I want a cat again! I want to be owned and not respected in my own house nor appreciated for all the nice things I do. <sigh> I want my cat back.

One wild Possum-cat heading your way in a very large crate!