Cat Reviews

Most cat owners understand well, the frustration that arrives after putting an e-collar on their cat following surgery, injury or other trauma. The cat  is scared, on edge, and fights the collar. Because the e-collar is so bulky, kitty  can’t sleep in a comfortable position, she tries to eat and gets upset when the e collar gets in the way. Plus, the very presence of the e-collar can send most cats into a panic. Once the collar is attached, the cat flies around the room in an imitation of Super Dog, some becoming airborne in their fright. 

The PetsGuard collar removes this angst for owner and cat. There are ¼ cut pullouts in the center for easy fitting, but before pulling these out, test the collar by sliding it over your cat’s head with a twisting motion.

Sounds a bit easy doesn’t it? For cats brought up with love and laps of comfort, I suppose it would be. But for my feral crew, I have to sometimes think outside the litter box. My cats don’t like new objects, especially objects that dare to touch them. This collar could interfere with their whiskers (a sensitive area) so in placing the collar, I carefully manuevered it around their whiskers.  

Although the kitties were first intimidated by the collar. The PetsGuard Cat Collar turned out to be open to feline investigation. The soft foam carried an interesting smell, not one that my kitties responded to. I grabbed the Feliway Spray and gave the collar a light spritzing. Now, it smelled “friendly.”

Meeting opposition with some of the clan, I brought out the treats, placing Kitty Kaviar in the center of the collar and holding the collar up to the group until Everest took the plunge and stuck his head through the center to grab the treat, I quickly pushed the collar over his head in a twisting motion. The process took only a few seconds and the PetsGuard Collar was on before he knew it.  I then held him on my lap. He calmed down a few minutes later, and other than shaking his head a few times, he was fine.  Over the next few days, I tried the collar on several more of my team. None of them had major objections so long as I offered treats along with the collar. 

The cats can wiggle out of the collar, especially the kittens. The older cats are more accepting and after a fashion they resign themselves to the fact that the collar isn’t going anywhere without them. They were able to eat and drink easily. I even used this collar when I was treating a new arrival for a bad case of ear mites. For the first time, I didn’t get scratched after the medicine was applied, and Trumps ears didn’t turn bright red because he couldn’t get past the collar to scratch his ears and shake the medicine all over the room.

Compared to the stiff e-collar from your vet’s office, PetsGuard Collar comes out on top. The foam does get scratched easily, but it would take a lot of time and effort for a cat to work her way through all the padding and reach the site being protected.

It’s nice to know that during my next feline emergency- I have a collar waiting in the wings that will keep kitty from doing more damage to herself. 

Order at http://petsguard.com/default.aspx

God Bless the veterinarian who came up with this wonderful way to pill cats!

Working with feral cats it is always difficult to get medicine down them. I generally end up either in the Emergency Room getting my tetanus updated, or covered with scratches as the cat takes out his frustration on my hand, fingers or arm.

Then my friend Dusty Rainbolt told me about Pill Pockets and suggested I try it. I was skeptical at first, but decided to give it a shot. I found one lone package at PetCo and even though Dusty told me the cats would prefer the chicken flavor best, the lone package was salmon flavored.
I bought it and took it home.

Squirrel, the feral in question was to have her meds 3 times a day, a pill that easily slid down into the pocket, and then I dipped my fingers in tuna juice and rolled the pocket up into a nice neat little ball.

I called Squirrel in to get her treat and set it on the floor (holding my breath). One sniff, and she gobbled it right down! I checked the floor (and her fur) for the tell-tale pill, but none could be found! Best of all, I was able to keep my fingers, arms and hand safe from her claw assault and both of us were stress-free! There was no horrible struggle, or drooling from terror, no gagging like she had a hairball caught in her throat.

Pet Pockets need to be stored in a cool, dry place. You get 45 treats in one bag. The treats store better if you squeeze all the air out of the bag before re-sealing it up.

On the bag it says “Veterinarian designed and recommended.”

If you have to pill your cat, or give her any type of medicine. Turn to a Pill Pocket to do the necessary duty and keep your pet as well as yourself out of the pill-stress zone.