Feeding Your Pets During the Holidays-Part 2

Okay, we were talking about foods dangerous for your pets during the holiday season. So far, we’ve covered fruitcake, ham or turkey skin, nuts, and raw dough, etc. for baking. There are four more to be aware of.

5. Onions and Garlic

Garlic tends to be more toxic than onions, however both can lead to anemia if ingested in sufficient quantities, and contrary to popular belief, cooking them does not lower their toxicity. This is especially dangerous for dogs.

6. Alcohol

NO type of this is good for your pet. Don’t think this needs much explanation. :>)

7. Nutmeg

Sweet potatoes and pumpkin, in appropriate doses, are a healthy treat. But you will want to take special precautions and make sure that neither of those have nutmeg on them before feeding. Nutmeg can cause seizures if your pet consumes it alone or as an ingredient in sweet potatoes or pumpkin, and in extreme cases can even lead to death.

8. Cooked Bones

I talked about this before, but it’s worth repeating.Many may think that giving your pet the bone from the turkey or ham is an excellent way to include them in the holiday meal, but cooked bones prove to be more dangerous than they are delicious. Cooked bones could splinter inside your pet’s digestive tract and cause major internal problems. Avoid leaving cooked bones anywhere near your pet’s reach, and quickly dispose of any leftovers after the meal to avoid a costly trip to the vet and an unpleasant experience for your pet.

Keeping a close eye on your furbaby during the Christmas meal, or even allowing them to relax safely in another room, is a good rule of thumb for the holidays. When in doubt, keep them in a safe area while the festivities are going on, and always supervise them around Christmas decorations and treats. Keep these potential dangers in mind and both you and your pets will have a wonderful holiday season! Happy Holidays!

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Thankful For ……….

Didn’t make it to my son’s house since the roads were closed, but a friend had me over for a wonderful dinner at her house. Very thankful for that! When I came home, Kirby and Sammy told me that some of their friends were thankful for many things, so I’ll share that with you now.

Button was very thankful she had a sweater to wear out in the yard when she played.

Gilly was very thankful that he had plenty to eat.

Buttercup was glad that it was a long weekend.

The triplets were glad to have something to keep them entertained.

Princess was thankful to have a friend (even if it IS a dog!)

She also met a new friend when she went outside!

Christy was thankful for a warm, comfortable place to sleep.

Sammy was thankful that he could sleep anywhere.

Kirby was thankful he didn’t have to dress up for Thanksgiving.

All in all, it was a very nice Thanksgiving. Hope, dear readers, that you had a wonderful day with family and friends.

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!! PEYTON MANNING now has my book. Wonder if he reads or sings it to his kids?

What Do You Feed Your Pets During the Holidays?

Thought it would be a good idea to brush up on some holiday foods that are definite NOs for your pet. You may have seen these before, but there may be some new ones you haven’t thought of. I’ll be talking a couple of times on this subject because Christmas is not that far away.

Fruitcake

A holiday fruitcake is a long-standing (and often dreaded) holiday gift and treat. The ingredients in fruitcake, although delicious, are actually extremely dangerous to your pets. Grapes and raisins are associated with the development of kidney failure in some pets who have ingested them.

Turkey or Ham Skin

A turkey or ham is a staple at almost every holiday feast. But did you know that foods high in fat, like the turkey and ham skin, can actually be very harmful for your pet? The skin holds onto all of the butter, spices, marinades, and oils that were used to cook the meat. This makes it very hard to digest. Meat soaked strings leftover from a holiday ham or roast should be thrown away and taken out to the garbage immediately, as they are extremely tempting for a pet to ingest. These can get tangled inside the intestines and require surgery. Also a no-no are cooked bones which can become brittle causing them to splinter into sharp edges and are known to get stuck in the teeth, causing choking hazards when caught in the throat or cause a puncture of the stomach lining or intestinal tract.

Nuts

These are especially risky for dogs. Macadamia nuts in particular can cause discomfort. Put the bowl in an unreachable place.

Baking Essentials: Chocolate, Dough, And Batter

Baking Christmas cookies is a beloved family tradition that many look forward to all year. Keeping your pet out of the kitchen while you prepare those delicious Christmas desserts is a smart idea. Even small amounts of chocolate can harm them, and dough can actually rise inside of their bellies, which causes stomach pain. Spare batter contains uncooked eggs, which are always a risk for Salmonella.

Of course, telling your pet no doesn’t always mean that they agree!

You may also get these reactions!

So, please watch that your pets don’t get any of these foods. We don’t want them to be sick for the holidays!

Another thing to remember:

We’ll talk about four more foods in the coming weeks..

My Cat is Thankful For……

Last week, I planned Thanksgiving dinner (with the help of my cats, of course!) This week we thought about what we are thankful for. Funny thing is, they don’t seem to be thankful for the same type of things I am. Hummm. Oh well, I’ll get to that in a minute. It’s so easy to think that we don’t have what we think we should have, but we are blessed by things everyday that we take for granted. A roof over our heads, clothes on our back, food to eat, etc. The situation in Paris has been very scary, and I’m thankful that I live in a small town where everything is pretty peaceful. The one big thing I’m thankful this year is that my mother was able to pass peacefully on September 21 and join my father who has been gone for five years. She is so much better now and at peace.

Okay, to get to the cats. Let’s start with the basics. They are, of course, grateful for the food they have to eat, but that may come with conditions.

They are grateful for a nice place to sleep, wherever that happens to be at the moment.

They are thankful for the variety of toys they have to keep themselves occupied.

One thing ALL cats, big or small, are thankful for is a box!

Most of the time, I think they’re thankful to have each other.

And then there are the other times.

One thing I know for sure is that I am thankful for them!!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone! Thank you for reading and commenting. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Are You Ready?

Sorry I missed last week, but things were pretty crazy around here. Thanksgiving is not too far away, so I thought I’d better get something done today and get ready for it. Of course, the cats wanted to help. Yikes!! They have their own thoughts about the menu, but I’m the boss. (Or so I think)

Okay, let’s start with the turkey. I know I can go to the store to get one, but they think you trap a turkey like you trap cats. I don’t think so!!

We need stuffing for the turkey, but that’s not what salad is for, silly cat.

We’ll need potatoes and some kind of vegetable to go with the salad, but I don’t think I’m going to get any help there. (He won’t either)

What should we have for dessert? Anything with chocolate is fine with me! And no, you can’t have any chocolate.

Most everybody in our family drinks coffee with their meal.

Sometimes people bring a special dish that others like, so the dog thinks he needs to do this too!

All in all, it will be a wonderful day because of being with family. After all, when everything is said and done, that’s what’s important!

The First Thanksgiving

Had to let you in on a secret no one knew about!

You’ve all heard the story of the first Thanksgiving when the Pilgrims and Indians sat down together to give thanks for what they had. It’s been written about in history books and told many times. However, there is a part of the story that you have never heard. It’s my pleasure to tell it to you now.

There were many kind of animals living in this brand new country that the Pilgrims learned to call home. The Indians killed only what they needed to survive so there was always large groups of animals roaming the meadows and forests. Some of these animals, however, were very small and not noticed by the Pilgrims. One such group was a little colony of hamsters. They didn’t trust these strangers and stayed as far away from them as they could. The mayor of this colony was Harry Hamster; his wife was called Minnie. Life was good and things were going well.

The first winter that the Pilgrims spent in America was very harsh. Some of them did not make it through because of the lack of food or being sick. The hamsters watched all of this going on and couldn’t help but wonder why these creatures were so silly. After all, the hamsters had plenty of food that they had stored and they knew how to keep themselves warm. They began to feel sorry for these strangers and talked about ways they could help.

Minnie’s cousin, Fluffy, had a great idea. Why not leave some nuts for them! Everyone agreed that this would be the thing to do. When piles of nuts started appearing around town, the Pilgrims had no idea where they came from. The nuts kept coming, so the Pilgrims put them to good use by eating them whole or by baking them. Soon, delicious smells were floating around the countryside. The hamsters couldn’t resist the smell and found themselves coming closer to town. To their surprise, these strangers were actually very friendly. By the time of the first Thanksgiving feast, the hamsters had many friends among the Pilgrims. So, it was no surprise when the hamsters decided the join the Pilgrims and Indians on this special day. They had only one request.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We’re starting into that busy time of year again; Thanksgiving, Black Friday, cards, presents, decorations, etc. Today I’d like to share some of the things that I am thankful for. Yes, some of them will be funny. On a serious note, I am grateful that my mother is still with us at the age of 95. My sons and their families are close and doing well. My seventh great-grandchild will be a year old in December. Our health is good, and we look forward to many things. Kirby and Sammy are a blessing and such good companions. Well, most of the time anyway! And last, but NOT least, I am very thankful for all of you who read my blog!

Now, lets go through a Thanksgiving day and see how our pets can help us enjoy it even more. First of all, you need to get up early to start the turkey. If you don’t get up early enough, you might find this!

Regardless of what time I get up, I usually have to start my morning out with coffee. Lots of it.

You will be making other things for dinner besides the turkey, but there’s one thing every recipe calls for.

Some of you like to “dress up” for the holidays, but I guarantee that your kitty cat will outdo you every time!

Your pets can be a source of entertainment when guests arrive. Not everyone might appreciate it, however.

If you get tired from all the preparation, someone will be there to help you get through it .

You certainly want your pets to mind their manners when there are guests in the house. That’s not always easy though!

After all the excitement of the day, you may find that your pets will be ready for a nap wherever they happen to be.

Wishing all of you a very happy Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. Let us know some of your favorite things to do on this special day! Or what your pet does! Some of that can be pretty funny.

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Marion's Superkitty Tales and Children's Books

Author of Children's Books and Lover of Cats

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