Lesley – yellow are heads, green hyperlinks
Letter from Vickie
Well, Spring (HAS FINALLY!) sprung and we can say fare thee well to the cold months
we endured for what seemed like forever! 2009 ended with the coldest winter for most
countries around the world! Oh, and the beginning of 2010 wasn’t better it seemed. But
now we can enjoy the warmer days, longer nights, blooming trees, shrubs and plants, and
for most of us, the end of the 2009-2010 show season!
Can you believe another show season is coming to an end in the next few weeks? We
don’t want to spoil the fun of wondering who will claim the top International or Regional
spots. But remember, you can find the current standings at
http://tica.org/members/standings.php
If you have an International or Regional winner, don’t forget that you can soon reserve
your ad space and copy of the 2009-2010 Yearbook! And you can order your custom
shirt through the TICA Online Store any time!
April also honors cats in many ways……ushers in Spring fever that can also bringing
hazards with it….and find a new kitten or cat in your household that needs a new, special
name. You can read more about all of this in the articles below.
Happy Spring,
April Honors Cat In Many Holidays
April ushers in Spring, and with Spring comes litters of kittens, outdoor cats being more
active, and people adopting new cats. April also honors cats through two major holidays:
National Pet First Aid Awareness Month – it’s so important to know some of the major
hazards of Spring (see related article below) and also have a disaster plan in place
because Spring also means tornadoes, floods, and the beginning of the hurricane season.
Make sure you have a first aid kit on hand for emergencies, and a disaster package
prepared with your cat’s medicine, records, treats, food and other information that you
can quickly grab and get out of danger’s way.
Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month – The ASPCA has “hosted” this April event for
many years now, educating pet owners and the public about animal cruelty and
responsible pet ownership.
But wait; there are a few other “holidays” during April:

April 18 – Pet Owners Independence Day (Wellcat.com)

April 28 – Hairball Awareness Day (ScienceDiet.com)
Okay, so who can say that cat owners don’t have a sense of humor?
Happy April….!
[Image of a cat with flowers…]
Spring’s Four Common Hazards to Cats (and Other Animals)
Spring-time brings more pleasant weather, flowers and blossoming trees. It also
brings “Spring fever” as cats want to go outside…or perhaps sample those
beautiful flowers and plants you’ve brought into the house!
No one likes to associate Spring with hazards, but as a cat owner, it’s always
helpful to understand the four most common hazards to your cats and other
animals:
So Beautiful, but So Toxic … Plants
While many of the plants that we commonly keep in our gardens are beautiful to
look at, these same plants can be poisonous to your cats. Many of us bring these
cut the flowers for bouquets: Lilies are one the most common poisonous plants
found in bouquets and in gardens, but there are many other types of plants that
can be poisonous to our dogs and cats as well. Rhododendrons, azaleas,
Japanese ewe, foxglove, tulips, oleanders, castor beans, chrysanthemums and
many other types of plants can all be very toxic to unsuspecting curious cats and
other pets. If you have a vegetable garden, make sure you don’t have any of the
plants from the nightshade family where the cats can get to them (that includes
tomatoes and eggplants).
You Don’t Need to Poison Your Yard…or Your Cats!
Every home owner wants the greenest yard in the neighborhood, but if you use
fertilizers and insecticides on your lawn and/or garden/plants, you run the risk of
exposing your cat(s) and other pet(s) to toxic poisons. Even if they don’t go
outside, you can bring it into the house on your shoes, and then they pick it up on
their paws. There are many organic fertilizers, flea and other insecticide
solutions, and yard treatments that you can buy at your local garden shops.
Nematodes are one of the best solutions for fleas, fire ants and mosquitoes (see
below).
Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes…Oh My!
Sping is also the time of year when fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and other parasites
populations increase…and like to find new homes on your cats and other pets.
Not only are they a nuisance, but they can carry disease. Cats also can get
heartworms from mosquitoes, so make sure you don’t let any water outside
become stagnant. If it does, put vinegar in the water to kill the larvae.
Diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever,
and many others can be transmitted by ticks. Fleas can transmit diseases such
as tapeworms, cat scratch fever (to people), and even bubonic plaque.
Nematodes can be sprayed on your yard to kill fleas, mosquito larva and fire ants
(another hazard if you live where their mounds can quickly grow after rains).
They are non-toxic microscopic worms that eat the larvae and fleas/ants. Inside
the house, you can use cedar beds and also put down diatomaceous earth to kill
fleas. You can learn more about that online.
Can Cats Sneeze?! Ah…choo!
Just like people, cats can have allergies too! Not only from fleas and other
parasites, but from plants, and blooming trees! They can start to scratch, lose
hair, have runny eyes, and oh yes, sneeze! If you have any questions, call your
vet.
Pet Insurance for Peace of Mind
Having pet insurance can help you have peace of mind in case you do have an
emergency and need to visit your vet. Embrace Pet Insurance offers a range of
solutions from your kitten to your older cat. Don’t wait for an emergency to
happen….get your cat or kitten insured today!
Always keep the Pet Poison Hotline handy - www.petpoisonhelpline.com/ in case
you have questions.
[LESLEY – CAN YOU PLEASE PUT THIS ARTICLE UP ON OUR WEB SITE
TOO ON THE HEALTH PAGE – THX\
Win A TICA Computer Bag By Sharing Your Thoughts
We always want to improve how we communicate to our members and non-members
alike…and the only way we can do that is by finding out what you would like to learn
about TICA, showing or breeding cats, and cats in general! Please take a few minutes to
complete this survey. All people who respond will be eligible for a free TICA computer
bag
[Lesley – can we create another survey about the newsletter. See the list of questions at
the end of copy. can you grab the image of the computer bag off the TICA online store
and put with this article]
And The Results Are…………….
Last month we asked the following question
[Lesley put the question from last month]
And here are the results:
[Lesley – put the results]
Since Spring is time for kittens, you may be choosing a new name for a feline friend. So
we’d like to ask this month:
People choose name their cats after a favorite person, a month, a flower…and for other
reasons. Can you tell which of the four names below is after a famous person?
Phoebe
Rommel
Jag
Sumo
Don’t Forget to Order Your Yearbook
Another show season is almost over…and that means a new Yearbook will soon be
published! If your cat is a regional or international winner, or you want to promote your
cattery don’t’ forget you can run advertisements in the Yearbook. You can also submit
photos of your winning cats and kittens to the Yearbook.
You can order your 2009-2010 Yearbook soon along with more information about a
promotional offer! Vickie do you want to discuss the promo here? And how do they
order? Same as last year?
Questions for Survey:
Do you read the entire enewsletter?
Yes
No
If yes, what do you enjoy the most?
President’s Letter
Promotions
Survey
Industry News
Cat News
TICA News
If no, how much do you read?
10%
25%
50%
0%
What would you like included in the enewsletter?
Nutritional articles
Video clips
Contests
Fun articles
Guest articles
Featured cat
Featured breed
Featured breeder
Featured junior
Featured exhibitor
Featured club
Other (tell us what)
Standings
Nutrition or wellness articles
Do you read the enewsletter more than the TICA Trend?
Yes
No