And the verdict is in...
Yes, I made meatloaf and despite the smell of hot, burning, blacktop tar filling our apartment, the stench did not get into the meatloaf. It was actually pretty tasty and we've got plenty left over for another meal and a couple of sandwiches. Plenty of left over whipped potatoes too
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The dog lived to a very ripe old age. And the chances are really good that with her naughty habbit of stealing cake mix, she probably got WAY too much chocolate. MUCH more than someone who accidentally left the candy bar out and Fluffy got his little paws on it.
As for Chrissy, that the amount of onion she got was neglegible. I put a half a teaspoon in a loaf of meatloaf. Out of a loaf I get about 10 slices. So, even if she ate an entire slice (which she most certainly did not) she would have gotten 1/20 of a teaspoon of onion.
Meatloaf usually breaks up around the bigger peices, which is usually things like the onions. All told, Chrissy got what was probably a half a human bite of meatloaf, and most of that in tiny little bits that probably did not contain onion. So, the worst she probably got was at the most... 1/20th of 1/20th of a teaspoon of onion, but most likely an even smaller bit of juice from the onion.
I understand that you're trying not to be OMG you feed your cat WHAT?!?, but honestly, do you really think I'd put my cats in danger? And, do you really think I don't keep up with what is and isn't dangerous? I don't want to come across like I'm pouty, but I'll be honest, I am rather hurt that you'd think I'd be that stupid about my cats. I think this entire journal makes it pretty clear my cats are of utmost importance to me, right after Todd and my parents. And, to be honest? At times they might even be on the same level as my parents.
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One thing I've learned from my job over and over again though, is that if you don't bring the totally obvious up sometimes, bad things happen. 95% of the time, people look at you like you're an idiot for stating the obvious. But 5% of the time you save everyone's collective butts.
Plus, you have a lot of other cat owners who read your journal. I know I had no idea about onions until my cat had kidney issues. (Which wasn't onions, it turned out to be a genetic defect, but it was a question we were asked several times.)
I'd not heard about potatoes being an issue until the previous comment.
I'm sorry if you were hurt, and I think you are a great cat owner and any cat would be extremely lucky to live with you.
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I hope to GOD no one looks at my journal as good advice for dealing with cats, unless it's a specific thing that I mention (IE: "I have to brush Chrissy every single day, because it helps to avoid hairballs and it gives us bonding time!") My cats walk all over me and all over the house (literally) and are probably the worst example of how a good cat should act. They're amusing, god they are, but usually the things I write about I don't consider to be decent advice on how to properly care for a cat.
I understand the whole better safe than sorry thing, I can even admire it, but I'm also a believer in vets needing to be more honest with people too. I know chocolate is not the deadly killer they make it out to be. Yes, it can be bad, but I'm betting vets have made some good money on folks flipping out and rushing their dog to the vet because it ate a Hershy's kiss, or something equally as minor. (I know of at least two people who did this, and since I don't know many people offline, this tells me a lot more than just that have done it)
Having lived through Goten's kittenhood/early adulthood where he regularly ate shoes of mine, where I spend HUGE amounts of money rushing him to the vet, only to have the vet snigger and say, "he's fine! Just keep an eye on him, that'll be 125 dollars please." I've become a bit skeptical about things.
Yes, I believe everyone should know what is and isn't dangerous for a cat/dog/any animal you wish to bring into your house, however, I get annoyed that they don't give you any guidelines as to how and why its dangerous. Half the time it's a list. "These are all toxic to pets!" How much is toxic? A lot of these are common household items that pets have been getting into for years, what is the danger? Is it an instant thing? (Fluffy eats X, if Fluffy has a bad reaction, will Fluffy die instantly?) Is it a long term thing? (If you constantly feed Fluffy food X, the chances are good that Fluffy will grow up and develop these medical conditions. But, just eating it once or twice in a small amount won't hurt Fluffy.)
I find lately there is a lot of pet snobbery going on. People who seem to feel that unless you can afford the very best of the best for your pet, that you have no right to own one. I agree that pets should be treated as family members, but there are times when Todd and I have to live on a poverty diet, and I don't really feel guilty when for a bit, I have to put the cats on one too. (And a poverty diet for my cats is a lot better than a human poverty diet.) But, I've had people tell me I shouldn't own cats unless I can afford to do the raw, organic meat diet all the time. My probablem with this is that no one wants my cats. If I'm not a "good enough" owner for them, I could take them to the shelter where I volunteer. They would have little to no love. They would be fed a combination science diet (which is really not good stuff, despite the name "Science" in it. We use it, because Science Diet donates it to us for free and we just can't afford not to use it) and whatever cheap canned catfood we get donated. No one is going to adopt them, especially not Goten and Chrissy, they're too old. Jesse might, but remember, Jesse came from the streets, clearly he wasn't highly in demand.
As long as there are way too many cats vs. people who want them, I think people need to calm down, vets included, about guilting people who can't afford the best of the bestest care for their animals. While I'm 150% positive my cats believe that they deserve a much better cat Mommy than me, I also believe at this point, I'm the best it's ever going to be with them.
Eh, sorry about the lecture. I was just trying to make a point that while lists and stuff is great, a list isn't nearly as useful as education. Don't just say, "This is harmful," but tell people why it's harmful and if the danger is imediet or long term.
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