Ask The Cat Lady!

Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a private feline consulting practice. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius, the Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.

Q: Dear Sally:
I’m try to "go natural" as much as possible with my cats and I’ve seen many products on the Internet that have essential oils – peppermint oil as a flea deterrent, eucalyptus oil for soreness due to arthritis, tea tree oil as an antiseptic and anti-fungal. If they’re natural, how can they be harmful?
Jacqueline
A: Dear Jacqueline:
Natural doesn’t always mean non-toxic, especially with cats. Avoid using essential oils around cats since they do not metabolize them the same way dog and humans do. Essential oils contain phenols and benzol alcohol, which are water soluble and cause liver damage because they are absorbed so rapidly. Cats do not have the enzyme that helps to metabolize the oils, so the toxicity builds in their system causing serious illness or death. A safer alternative is to use hydrosols, which are the by-products of essential oils, distilled from plant matter.
Please do your research before using any essential oils on your cats. Here are some interesting web sites that discuss the use essential oils with cats.
http://www.thelavendercat.com/3201/index.html
http://www.messybeast.com/teatree.htm
http://www.naturalhealthweb.com/articles/Bell2.html
Sally
 

Ask the Lazi Birds!

Steve and Diane Lazicki have been rescuing and working with birds for over 8 years, as well as raising them as pets since childhood. They live with over 150 birds in their "bird house," so they have a wealth of bird expertise. Direct your bird related questions to the Lazi Birds.

Q: Dear Lazi Birds,
With the cold weather now, what temperature do I have to keep my house at? We heat with oil and as we all know, it's expensive. I don't want my birds to get sick.
Concerned.
A: Dear Concerned,
For the most part, birds can tolerate the same temperatures as we can.  The main concern is drafts. You'll need to keep your birds out of any drafts. You didn't mention what kind of FIDS you have and so I will caution you as to the most susceptible species to drafts. Canaries, finches and any small bird. Drafts are a danger to the larger guys as well but small ones can die overnight. I know of a case where someone's entire flock of finches were wiped out overnight when they moved into a new home and put them in an area that was drafty.  You also want to realize that birds with plucking problems will need more heat than full feathered birds. They need the 'down feathers' to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. A plucked bird would feel like you without clothing in winter. If you have a plucked bird you might want to use a heat lamp designed for birds during the day and a snug sack with the cage covered (with a nice warm quilt) at night.
I hope this helps.
Lazibirds 

Reptile Man!

Ron Wulff, the Reptile Man, has worked for one of the big retail pet stores for 6 years as a reptile and aquatic specialist. He rescues reptiles and runs www.nopaws.com, dedicating his time to educate people on exotic pets. Direct your exotic pet questions to Reptile Man.

Q: Dear Reptile Man,
Hi, I bought a little ecosystem set up that came with a little water frog, a snail and a plant.  The snail died and I can't find another one to replace it.  Does the frog need the snail to clean the tank? 
Susan
A: Hi Susan,
You are not the first person that has asked me that. 
While I haven't seen these "ecosystem" set ups that claim to have little or no care required, in many cases, claims like these are not in the animals’ best interest.
A good example of that is the vases that are sold with a Peace Lilly and a Betta (fighting fish), that claim that the water plant cleans the water and the fish eats the roots. While some of these fish can survive like that for a few months, a lot of them don't live as long as they could if they had been kept better.
Even in an established fish tank, adding another fish to clean the tank is at best a trade off.  A fish that eats algae off your glass (which doesn't hurt the tank), is turning it into fish poop.
The frogs (African dwarf frogs usually) breathe the air, so they can do ok for awhile in poor water quality.  Long term, with live plants and plant debris in the water, combined with increased stress from lower temperatures, they run the risk of bacterial infections. Frogs are more sensitive through their skin and a little scratch can turn into a fuzzy infection quickly.
When I kept these frogs, I used one or two gallon tanks that had, a cover with a light, and I had silk aquarium plants that went all the way to the surface. This way, in the colder months the frog could hide up near the light and get warmer.  Even though these fish tanks come with an under gravel bubble filter, I didn't use it. Instead I just scooped the frog out in a cup (not a net) and changed the water every two weeks.  Each time I changed the water, I filled up a container of water that I used next time, and added a teaspoon of aquarium salt to each gallon. It takes less than ten minutes. I also pre-soaked their food so it wasn't as dry when they swallowed it.  Dry pellets can expand inside their little bodies.
Good luck with your frog.
Ron