Maynard & Boots: February 2014

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Both cats are now over 5 lbs. My postal scale no longer can weigh them unless I "tare" it with a known weight of 5 lbs. or less. Meanwhile, they have fleas.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=658

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=&aid=449

http://www.littlecitydogs.com/

Compare!	bioSpot SPOT ON^®	Advantage^®	Frontline^®	Frontline Plus^®	Capstar
Kills Adult Fleas	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes for 24 hrs.
Repels Adult Fleas	Yes	No	No	No	No
Kills Eggs & Larvae	Yes	Kills Larvae	No	Yes	No
Controls Flea Development	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Repels & Kills Ticks (Lyme Disease vectors)	Yes	No	Kills Only	Kills Only	No
Repels & Kills Mosquitoes (Heartworm, West Nile Virus vectors)	Yes	No	No	No	No
Administration	Topical	Topical	Topical	Topical	Oral Pill
Treatment Dosage	Monthly	Monthly	Monthly	Monthly	One-Time
Minimum Age	For Cats 12 wks & older	For Cats 8 wks & older	For Cats 12 wks & older	For Cats 8 wks & older	For Cats 4 wks & older 2 lbs. or more
Active Ingredients	Methoprene IGR & Etofenprox	Imidacloprid	Fipronila	Fipronil & Methoprene	Nitenpyram

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitenpyram

Nitenpyram is an insecticide used in agriculture and veterinary medicine to kill insect external parasites of livestock and pets.

In veterinary medicine, it is used orally with dogs and cats to control fleas, often under the trade name Capstar.^[2] After ingestion, it begins killing fleas within 30 minutes and kills every adult flea on the pet within 4 hours. The effects of this pill are approximately 24–48 hours. Nitenpyram is safe to use on puppies and kittens as young as four weeks old so long as they weigh at least 2 pounds (0.91 kg). However, panting and excitement have been noted in cats within 2 hours of Capstar administration.
Nitenpyram is a neonicotinoid, which means that it is a neurotoxin that blocks the ability for neural messages to transmit through the central nervous system of the flea causing (almost) instant death.
It has no long-term residual activity and therefore is not effective as a longer-term flea preventative. It is usually used to kill adult fleas quickly on an infested animal to give immediate relief for a day. It is then usually followed up with some other longer-term flea preventative to prevent reinfestation. In heavily infested animals, it can cause extreme itching as the fleas die; this almost always resolves on its own.
It is often used as part of the protocol in treating environmental infestations.

http://www.capstar.novartis.us/
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-City-Animals-Nitenpyram-Flavored/dp/B008NXB32A
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/nitenpyram

Emily answered 5 years ago

You need to really like bomb your house with flea treatment and same with your backyard.
Yes Capstar is pretty cheap, but does not help with killing fleas in your house. The fleas will die on your pets, but then the other fleas will just come back.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

The cats have sort of stopped gaining weight. Both are now 4 lbs. and 14 oz. They've been that way for several weeks.

Black Cats

A black cat is a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or a specific breed. The Bombay, known for its sleek black fur, is an example of a black cat. The all-black pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats. Their high melanin pigment content causes black cats to have yellow (golden) eyes (irises).

In Celtic mythology, a fairy known as the Cat Sìth takes the form of a black cat. Black cats are also considered good luck in Japan. Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors. However in Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches, and so most of western and southern Europe considers the black cat a symbol of bad luck, especially if one crosses paths with a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death. In Germany, some believe that black cats crossing a person's path from right to left, is a bad omen. But from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times.

Pirates of the 18th century believed that a black cat would bring different kinds of luck. If a black cat walks towards someone, that person will have bad luck. If a black cat walks away from someone then that person will have good luck. If a black cat walks onto a ship and then walks off it, the ship is doomed to sink on its next trip.

Black cats have been found to have lower odds of adoption in American shelters compared to other colors except brown, although black animals in general take more time to find homes. Some shelters also suspend or limit adoptions of black cats around Halloween for fear they will be tortured, or used as "living decorations" for the holiday and then abandoned.