Re: Dangers to our cats

**jckkerrison** · 31st March 2010, 11:29 AM

Having just read about the cat who is very poorly through being in contact with that lovely looking flower the lily just makes you stop & think about what dangers there are to our spoilt "house cats"some very obvious some not.No doubt the owner is making herself feel very guilty & wouldn't we all,as far as we can we try to forsee any dangers for our animals & eliminate them but here is one unforseen problem that I had ,never heard of it before & may not again,hopefully.
A few months ago there was the most terrible scream from the room where the cats sleep when we opened the door five of the cats were just huddled shaking on the floor & Merlyn the big silver boy was hanging head down from the radiator,I thought he was dead,I rushed over & somehow his back legs had got trapped behind the radiator,trying to hold 10kgs high enough to work out how to get them out while all the while you feel pig sick & shaking is not very easy,hubby had gone to bits & was in a heap with the other cats,just as I was freeing his second leg he came round & I have never been so happy to get a super big cat bite on the hand,he couldn't walk & was semi paralysed for nearly a day but the vet said it was due to the nerves "going to sleep"on him from being in that position & also how he would have wrenched himself when the accident happened.
Thing is how did it happen,how many of us have radiators under the windowsill & how many cats jump on & off said windowsill all day long & do you ever see the threat of an accident,the room where it happened the top of the radiator is only about four inches from the windowsill so how he managed to get even his toe behind it let alone the whole of both legs we will never know,I now have a blanket tucked along the top of both that & the sitting room radiator,very glamorous but.....It took longer for the other cats & us to recover from the shock than Merl.

**Scrapdragon** · 31st March 2010, 12:07 PM

I think it's much the same with our kids. Unfortunately you can't wrap them all in cotton wool.... no matter how much you want to.

I've got some branches in the cat run, and dh suggested I remove them just in case one of them falls on them. the branches are mainly horizontal, so I thought I might just cut off any branches sticking up. I think the cats will enjoy running up and down the branches.

**jckkerrison** · 31st March 2010, 01:11 PM

I agree,the cats love things to run around & climb on the branches have to stay just get rid of any obvious dangers & as for children I reckon there is a few out there who have been stuck up trees,me included in my teenage years,I do think with all this health & safety nowadays things are going a bit too far but we will try & keep our two & four legged family as safe as we can by using good old fashion common sense & a blanket or two on the radiators !

**Scrapdragon** · 31st March 2010, 02:53 PM

yes commonsense seems to be forgotten..

**Louie-Louie** · 31st March 2010, 05:39 PM

Poor Merlyn

we think thats how our old MC broke his back leg when he was nearly 1&half, there had been fireworks going off all week & he used to sit on the bedroom window sill watching, there must have been one very loud & spooked him & he got his leg stuck between the radiator & the wall

he had to have his leg pined & wire wraped round the bone, crate rest for 6 weeks which was murder then the vet decided to take the pin out as he was still growing. He recoverd very well & the only thing that seemed to bother him was being caged, even when he went to have his stitches out after 7-10 days (not sure was a long time ago) the vet said "Oh just take the lid off the carrier he wont jump out or anything" he had'nt had much dealing with MC's Milo just leapt straight out & made himself comfortable round the vets neck

Thats a very good idea jckkerrison Im off to find towels as the radiators are under windows here to & I worry about Louie doing the same thing

but he seems more interested in scaleing the curtains at the moment

**harrymc** · 31st March 2010, 09:25 PM

That really was something that I had never thought about, but a great idea about putting towels down. Harry like Louie seems to like climbing the curtains

**Louie-Louie** · 31st March 2010, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by harrymc

That really was something that I had never thought about, but a great idea about putting towels down. Harry like Louie seems to like climbing the curtains

lets just hope its their age or there is going to be some serious wall damage when there bigger

**Scrapdragon** · 1st April 2010, 01:22 AM

makes me glad we don't have radiators....

Just a question... but wouldn't the towels at the back of the radiators cause a fire? We're always warned to keep things like that away from heaters.

**Tomiam** · 1st April 2010, 07:27 AM

re: Dangers / Poisonous things etc..

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maine-Coon-Complete-Owners-Manual/dp/0764134027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270099287&sr=1-1"]Maine Coon Cats (Complete Pet Owner's Manual): Amazon.co.uk: Carol Daly: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61F26SKXX0L.@@AMEPARAM@@61F26SKXX0L[/ame]

Maine Coon Cats (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
Currently £4.32 on Amazon and imo.. well worth a read when you consider that your kitten has likely cost close to 1/100th of that.
Not the most amazingly detailed of books but it does give a good overview and also gives info on plants / items / safety with MCs.

**jckkerrison** · 1st April 2010, 10:13 AM

I agree scrapdragon some heaters you would not be able to do this to but the solid radiators on brackets that we have are fine,one they never get that hot {or at least mine don't they are only a bit of back up to main fire} & two you are only covering the gap between wall & brackets if it was blocking air vents or a fire hazard wouldn't do it,I would get rid of radiators rather than risking my cats like that again & use the blankets to wrap round me for the extra warmth instead.....