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HEALTH AND SAFETY
Many new Devon owners have asked for information in regards to taking care of their new friend. What should they tell their veterinarian when they might never have seen a Devon Rex before? Are there any home care tips that they should be aware of.
First, I suggest that they plan a visit to their veterinarian as an opportunity for an introduction. Let your vet met your new kitty when he is well. Take your health records and let the vet start a current file. He may also take this opportunity to suggest further vaccination options or a neuter/spay schedule. If your vet is unfamiliar with the Devon Rex breed, don’t despair. The Devon is first and foremost a cat…. Just like any other feline. He may look different but he has all the same needs as any other and should be treated as such.
As a house pet your new friend should be protected from many of the hazards that outside cats combat. However there are still some considerations that you might want to keep in mind. First, try to keep in mind that cats are very sensitive to chemicals. Things that might not affect a dog can be very toxic to a cat. Though felines by their very nature are rather particular with what they eat, they can ingest household substances that can make them very ill and perhaps be even fatal. Try to keep all cleaning agents away. Don’t allow your kitty in the room until everything is completely dry and the cleaning materials are safely put away. This is also especially true of any inside treatments for insects or mice. Read the directions for flea carpet application carefully and follow very close directions for use regarding animals. I would never use mouse bait in the house. You cannot hide it well enough that your feline cannot find it.
Houseplants can also be a problem. Some are toxic. Some invite kitty to chew. Poinsettia, chrysanthemum, philodendron, various ferns and ivies can all produce toxic effects depending on what and how much was ingested. I have also found that some of the larger potted plants are very much a temptation for kitty to dig in the pot’s soil. Perhaps houseplants and housecats just don’t mix.
One other thought before we leave the chemicals. Be very careful using any flea product on your kitty that isn’t specifically designed for cats. Many of the products available for dogs can actually kill a cat. Read the directions thoroughly. Aspirin and acetaminophen often given to dogs are toxic to cats.
Cats as you will quickly find love to play and chew on little pieces of string, rubber bands, twistys, nylon fasteners that attach the hangtags to new cloths. These can all be potentially lethal if ingested. They can lodge within the intestine causing blockage and ultimately peritonitis. I can remember two separate incidences both unbeknown to their owners where Devons ate tinsel from a Christmas tree. Both required extensive surgery and in one of the cases such severe intestinal peritonitis had developed before the owner realized what had happened that the kitty could not be saved.
We all try to “cat proof” our homes. It might be compared to raising a two-year-old child. Some things are obvious others not quite so. Unfortunately some things will be found only through mistakes. Hopefully we can guard against some of the most common.
I think the worst experience that I have ever been made aware of involved a cat and a cloths dryer. Cats instinctively seek warmth. They will find a bit of sunlight on the floor, a sunny windowsill, or the top of a television to name just a few. The warm cloths left in an open dryer makes a wonderful and cozy place to nap. In each case, the dryer was again turned on before the kitty got out. It was a most horribly devastating and guilt ridding experience for the owner.
I know we can’t possibly prevent all accidents. Every kitty is a bit different in his acclimation to his unique home environment. However, we can use some common sense and caution constantly keeping in mind our feline members.
I have often recommended a home health care reference that I think should be on every cat owner’s bookshelf. It is called the Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook by Delbert G. Carlson, DVM and James M. Giffin, MD. It is available online through Barnes and Noble at their website www.BN.com.