2/24/2014

Good morning!  47 degrees,  temps are supposed to be 60 today.  Supposed to be a pretty sunny day.

Today is:  National Tortilla Chip Day

Today in History:

1839 - Mr. William S. Otis of Philadelphia, PA picked up a patent for the steam shovel.

1857 - The first shipment of perforated postage stamps was received by the U.S. Government. Only imperforated ones had been used previously. When stamp sheets were issued years later for the first time, someone thought it a good idea to return to the non-perforated style so that folks had to cut the stamps off the page. That idea didn’t last long. Customer complaints brought the perforated stamps to the sheets of stamps as well.

1866 - The Capitol in Washington, DC displayed an American flag made entirely of American bunting -- another first.

1940 - Frances Langford recorded one of the classic songs of all time -- and one that would become a Walt Disney trademark. When You Wish Upon a Star was recorded on Decca Records during a session in Los Angeles. Many artists have recorded the song, including pop diva Linda Ronstadt (with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra in the early 1980s). One can hear the song not only on record, but as the theme in the opening credits of any Disney movie, video and TV program and those “I’m going to Disneyland/World!” commercials, too.

1969 - Johnny Cash recorded his second live prison performance. It followed a concert the previous year at Folsom Prison. The LP Johnny Cash at San Quentin, with the hit single A Boy Named Sue, was recorded live as part of a British TV.

1973 - Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly with His Song hit #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. The ballad remained at the top for four weeks: “...Killing me softly with his song; Killing me softly with his song; Telling my whole life with his words; Killing me softly with his song...”

1976 - The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits became the first LP in the US to be certified platinum - two-million copies sold. It rose to number one in the U.S. on March 13, 1976.

1980 - The U.S. Hockey Team won its “Do you believe in miracles?” gold medal. Final score: U.S. 4, Finland 2. The drama had begun with the U.S. team’s upset win over the powerful Soviet team on February 22. When the U.S. polished off Finland for the gold medal, folks all over the U.S. decided to start believing, indeed!

Please help the blind cats win in TWO contests, both daily votes:
1. http://www.shopforyourcause.com/voting-challenge(category LARGE RESCUE Shelter, Blind Cat )
2. http://www.shelterchallenge.com/ 
Thank you for helping the cats!! Please like & share

Chocolate Toxicity in Cats
By Jill Anne Sparapany

All cats, especially kittens, are known for eating things they shouldn't and it can be especially dangerous when there is chocolate around. Their excellent sense of smell makes it easy for them to find secret hiding spots for chocolate.

Chocolate is derived from roasted Theobroma cacao seeds, which contain two substances that can be toxic to cats – caffeine and theobromine. When these two ingredients are eaten, your cat can become very ill with various medical complications that can progress to death.

Symptoms:

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Increased body temperature

Increased reflex responses

Muscle rigidity

Rapid breathing

Increased heart rate

Low blood pressure

Seizures

Advanced signs are cardiac failure, weakness and coma

The type of chocolate and amount ingested are the determining factors for the severity of the toxicity. The  three types of chocolate most often in the home are milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and baking chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the more caffeine and theobromine it contains.

NEVER feed your cat anything that may contain chocolate and

always keep it out of reach of your cat.

If you suspect your cat has eaten chocolate, prompt medical intervention by your vet is imperative! There is no antidote to chocolate toxicity!

Keep your cat cool and calm in a quiet place will help to keep the symptoms from escalating too quickly.

Your cat will have a complete physical exam and lab work. CBC, chemistry panel and urinalysis will help determine the presence of chocolate or caffeine overdose.

The obromine blood levels can be done also. An EKG will show any abnormalities in the rhythm or conduction of heart beats. 

It is common to induce vomiting ASAP after ingestion to prevent the caffeine and theobromine from being digested and prevent seizures.

IV fluids will be given to keep your cat hydrated. Your cat will be fed a bland diet for several days so the digestive system is not compromised by additional stress.

Boxes

Thank you so much to everyone for your generous gifts to the cats from our wishlists!

http://blindcatrescue.com/wishlist.htm

Amazon often does not tell us who you are and they never give us your contact information so we can not personally contact you to thank you.  Please know how grateful we are to you for your gifts!!

Thank you Gloria Llarraza for the foods!

Thank you Melissa Taylor for the cleaner!

Thank you unnamed for the food!

Thank you Rosabel Lopez-Macias for the food!

Thank you Robert Johnson for all the beds!

Thank you Laura Johnson for the scratch and rest!

Thank you unnamed for the sponges!

Thank you Anita Wright for all the cat litter!

Thank you unnamed for the cleaner and food!

Thank you Marcia Ewing-Current for all the freshstep, foods, flea treatment & vaccines!

Thank you Alica Malinowski for the Amazon gift card!

We will do boxes tonight live on http://ustream.tv/blindcatrescue

chat at 6 pm,  boxes at 6:30 pm EST    We hope you will join us :)