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New Changes at FasTags

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:01:36 +0000

There are new things coming your way at FasTags. Part of the fun, you will probably see right away with the addition of the Becha Becha designs, including the Kitsu and Dead Ed character lines. Inspired by Japanese design, these kawaii (cute) characters will be bringing a new wave of change with them.

Another big addition to the FasTags site is the addition of Pet Lover’s Printing, which will launch next week. I’ve worked with all sorts of companies over the last 30 years, helping them with design and printing. Now, I’m passing on the benefit of that knowledge to you with Eco-friendly Printing at Amazing Prices!

FasTags partners with city to promote Census 2010

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:36:00 +0000

FasTags was selected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the city of Goodyear, Arizona, as a great give-away to promote the 2010 Census.

These fun and durable ID tags are custom designed and include strong co-branding messages that promote participation in the Census, the vibrant community of Goodyear, and the exciting events hosted or sponsored by the city.

City of Goodyear - Census 2010 Package

The cost of the tags is paid for through the U.S. Census MicroPurchase Partnership Program, which provides up to $2,999 to buy items to distribute at events sponsored by cities, counties, NGOs, community organizations, faith-based groups and others. There is no limit on the number of separate requests that can be made by various departments, groups, or activity leaders within a single organization. Goodyear, for example, submitted a dozen micropurchase applications, which were all approved by that city’s regional Census representative.

“We wanted something different from the ordinary give-aways like pens and sticky-notes,” said Nora Fascenelli, public information officer for the city of Goodyear. “FasTags were perfect because the vendor was able to do a custom co-branded design with Goodyear’s logo and the Census logo. There are inserts than can be printed with whatever message we want. The tags pack flat and are super lightweight to carry to event venues.”

FasTags come individually packaged. Write a name and contact info on the shrinkable, high-tech plastic, pop it in the oven for a few minutes, and tag everything from school backpacks, gym bags, and computer bags to mp3 players, digital cameras, and even the family pet. The tags start out as a nice, large surface upon which information can be easily written. After just five minutes in the oven, the tag shrinks into a lightweight, durable tag small enough for today’s compact electronics, yet big enough to be easily spotted on any airport’s luggage carousel.

Vendors are paid by credit card, directly by Census officials. That means no waiting for invoices to clear and no procurement hassles.

For more information, contact FasTags toll-free at 866-412-6860 or by email at cynthia@fastags.com. To learn more about partnering opportunities and the 2010 Census, visit http://2010.census.gov/partner

US Census Bureau Regions

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:51:39 +0000

The following PDF document contains a map of the regional offices, and phone numbers for each of the partnership and data services offices.

Please click on the link below to download the PDF document.

PDS-Map2-Contacts-July2009

Special QuickBooks Credit Card Processing Deal

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:38:25 +0000

If you are thinking about processing credit cards for the first time, just setting up your first business, or looking to process credit cards through a different credit card gateway, you way want to take a look at Intuit Payment Solutions, the makers of QuickBooks. They have a special deal that we can offer to our customers and friends that may make it especially interesting.

Intuit Payment Solutions allows you to process payments directly through your Quickbooks program, which makes life especially easy. You don’t have to fill out anything by hand, the computer will process everything and record the payments directly into your Quickbooks program. It’s so easy to use!

By mentioning FasTags, you can save on your set-up fees and more!

Simply call 1-800-601-3751 and give them the following information:

Our Company: Project FasTags, Inc
My name: Cynthia Kirkeby
Our phone number: 714-633-0100

This will give you some serious savings:

No set-up fees
No application fees
AND not service fees for 2 months!

Don’t delay, start saving money and selling with the help of QuickBook’s Intuit Merchant Services now.

How to Feed and Care for Orphaned Kittens

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:36:32 +0000

Over the last 15 years, I have raised nine orphaned kittens. Four of them were two weeks old when their mother was killed; three others were only hours old when their mother died; two more kittens fell out of the nest in our barn when they were only a day old. Raising motherless kittens is not a difficult process, but it does require patience, time and plenty of TLC.

Here are some tips to help you raise your orphaned kittens:

Make a nest.

Normally, a mother cat spends many hours a day in the nest with her kittens, which helps her babies stay warm. Keeping the kittens warm is important because if they’re not warm enough, they won’t want to eat, and in fact, all of their bodily functions will slow down.

To keep your orphaned kittens warm, make a nest in a small box and line it with towels or old t-shirts or sweatshirts to help the babies conserve their body heat. Put a towel over the box to keep out the light. Female cats choose nests that are dark. If you don’t have a heat lamp, use a small 40-watt desk lamp and place it several feet above the box to help keep the kittens warm.

If the box is big enough, you can also use a jug or another large container filled with hot water to keep the babies warm. Place the jug in the box and then make a nest with towels beside it. Refill the jug when it cools off. You can use a quart jar as a “hot water bottle” too except that a quart jar cools off very quickly.

Use an eyedropper or a syringe to feed the kittens.The first time I raised orphaned kittens, I discovered that the small nursing bottles available at vet clinics were too big. The kittens couldn’t get their mouths around the nipples. So, at first, for newborn kittens, I used an eyedropper. As the kittens grew bigger, a syringe worked very well, the kind of syringe for giving injections (without the needle of course!). I started out with the 3 cc size and used larger syringes when the kittens grew bigger. The tip of a syringe is about the size of a cat’s nipple, and my kittens eventually sucked hard enough on the end of the syringe to draw the plunger down by themselves. Check with your vet clinic to see if any used syringes are available or to see if you can buy new syringes from the clinic.

A word of caution: Whether you’re feeding with an eyedropper or a syringe, be careful to give only a few drops at a time. My veterinarian told me that if the kittens were given too much formula at once (more than they could swallow), they might inhale it. Inhaling formula will make your kittens much more susceptible to pneumonia.

Along the way, I have also discovered that it is best to feed the kittens as much as they want to eat. They will settle down and sleep until the next feeding if they are getting enough to eat. Tiny kittens will start out taking maybe 1 CC at a time. As they grow bigger, they will eat around 12 CCs at a time (usually in several different helpings).

Kittens learn very quickly that food comes from the syringe you hold in your hand. If you are having trouble getting them to take the formula from the syringe, let nuzzle in the palm of your hand for a few seconds or let them suck on your fingers. Then introduce the syringe and let them suck on it while you very slowly press the plunger down.

Feed the kittens KMR or kitty formula that you have mixed yourself.KMR, the canned cat milk replacer, is available at most vet clinics in either a premixed or dry form. It is specifically formulated for kittens to provide all the nutrients they need. Follow the directions on the label. The amount to feed is determined by body weight. My newborn kittens weighed three ounces each, and for the first several days, they only needed a half an eyedropper of KMR at a time.

My vet clinic also gave me a recipe for “kitten formula.” After the first can of KMR, this is what all of my kittens have been raised on.

Here is the recipe for Kitten Formula

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

Mix in a blender and mix it up far enough in advance so the bubbles will have time to dissipate.
Warm over medium heat. Heat the formula so it feels slightly warm to the touch. All of my kittens have refused to swallow the formula if it was too cold or too warm. The same was true for KMR.

Feed your kittens on a regular schedule three times a day.Mother cats nurse their kittens every couple of hours. The veterinarian I consulted cautioned me not to feed them that often. “They won’t eat well and you’ll get frustrated and they’ll get frustrated and it will be harder on everybody,” he said. He was right. Feeding the kittens three times per day worked out very well.

Groom your kittens with a warm, wet washcloth and help them to empty their bladders and their bowels.Young kittens are unable to empty their bladders or move their bowels, so you’ll have to help them. Use a warm, wet washcloth and wipe under their tails until they have emptied their bladders and/or moved their bowels. Be prepared to use as many as four washcloths for each kitten. If they only have to empty their bladders, you won’t need that many. If they have to empty their bowels, look out — it could get messy! Smaller washcloths that you can wring out with one hand while you hold onto a squirming kitten with the other work best. I put the washcloths in a pail of warm water and put the pail where I can reach it easily.

Young kittens also do not know how to groom themselves, and after a day or two of eating kitten formula, they become sticky from the formula that inevitably dribbles down their chins. From time to time, use a warm, wet washcloth to wipe off the formula, but be careful not to get the kittens TOO wet or it will be hard for them to stay warm.

Provide a litter pan when they’re four weeks old.Cats have a strong instinct to use material that they can scratch around in when they have to empty their bladders and move their bowels. By the time the kittens are four weeks old, they will already be thinking in this direction and providing them with a litter pan will help them get the idea. You might still have to assist them with a washcloth for a while, but it won’t be long before they are using the litter pan.

Kitty litter in an aluminum pie plate works well to start out. As the kittens grow bigger, use a bigger container for a litter box.

Start feeding solid food when the kittens are about six weeks old.Kittens that are raised by their mothers probably will start eating sooner than six weeks, but you will be able to provide more milk than their mothers would have available.

When your kittens have gotten their teeth, you can begin feeding them solid food. If you want to feed dry food, a good quality kitten chow will work fine. Kitten chow has all of the nutrients and protein that they need to keep growing. Kitten chow also is made in tiny kitten-bite-sized pieces. To tempt their appetites and to give them a “treat,” you can also try a little canned kitty food. Be sure to provide fresh water for your kittens to drink, as well. And until the kittens are eating solid food regularly, supplement their caloric intake with kitten formula. By this time, you won’t have to feed them with a syringe. You can put the formula into a small saucer, and once they discover where it is and what it is, they will drink by themselves.

Be prepared to be surprised and amazed by your kitten.

Kittens grow very quickly, and on some days, you will think they are growing right before your very eyes.
Kittens get their eyes open when they’re about 10 days old.
They will start purring when they are as young as 6 days old.
Kittens will start other “kitty behaviors” such as shaking their heads, attempting to groom and lifting a hind food to scratch behind their ears when they are between two to three weeks old.
Young kittens will sometimes get the hiccups (!) while you are feeding them.
Young kittens are like baby humans, in a way. Their days consist of eating, sleeping and emptying their bowels and bladders. After the kittens have gotten enough to eat and have had their bodily functions taken care of, when you put them back in the “nest,” they will sleep or rest quietly until you are ready to feed them again. If they are restless and crying and meowing, they might need a little more to eat, or they might have to empty their bladders or move their bowels, or they might feel cold.
As the kittens grow older, they will be awake for longer periods of time and will eventually start playing with each other.
By the time the kittens are four weeks old, you will most likely have to move them into a bigger box, if not sooner, because the first one will be too small and they will know how to get out on their own!

If you have any questions concerning the raising of orphaned kittens, you can e-mail me at bigpines@ruralroute2.com

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books: *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* (trade paperback) and *Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories)* (e-book; 66 pages). To read sample chapters and to sign up for the FREE! monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News & Updates, visit — http://ruralroute2.com

The Dharma of an Introverted Dog

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:28:17 +0000

One of our best kept secrets as introverts is that often our pets mean more to us than some of the people in our lives. Pets can be the perfect companion for an introvert and I don’t think we should apologize for this. Pets are quiet, like us. They enjoy curling up with us for a good read by the fire. They’re always enthusiastic and available for a walk in the park or a hike in the woods. And they can go for long periods of time without verbal communication!

Pets can be deeply meaningful as well. Phyllis explains how a chocolate Labrador retriever named Ygraine helped her through the worst time in her life. This is called dharma, because a dog’s dharma is to be a loving companion to a person.

Phylllis is an introverted classical pianist from Pittsburgh. In her later years, she has also become a coach and counselor. After the tragic death of her 21-year-old son, Phylllis was unable to bear the company of human beings and took great solace in Ygraine’s love and understanding. Ygraine is her Chocolate Lab.

Phyllis begins, “It is very hard to lose a child. To lose a child at the age of 21, they say, is the worst thing that can happen. That, among other words spoken to me over the course of my grieving, made it through the fog as “meant well” but words were of little use or comfort.

“Though I’m a coach and counselor, I speak in the first person, because it’s different for each grieving parent and a situation where you are inevitably alone. You walk under a different sun. I happened to be living alone at the time.

“The pain is so different from anything else, and so visceral, one of the things I had to deal with was terror at ever loving like that again in the face of loss. Yes, even at the ripe old age of 52. I didn’t want to ever care like that again. My willingness to connect with people was tenuous.

“My therapist helped me because he didn’t demand words. My sister helped me because she didn’t demand words and because we go way back. . . . I was between the living and the dead.

“And then Ygraine helped me.

“My surviving son gave me Ygraine. Chocolate Labs, as they say, are really people. They’re just the right size, and they are very one-person dogs. My son had her perfectly trained and actually offered me either of his Labs, Bailey or Milo. Bailey came first. When I would cry, Bailey would force her head into my lap, just push and push, and insinuate her way in. This didn’t work for me. It was “too much.” I then had to care about her, as much as I did about myself, because of her giving, and I couldn’t tolerate that at the time.

“Milo came second. She was the second dog in my son’s household, and acted like the second dog. She was shy and quiet and kind of puzzled about things. I really think she’s an introvert like me. She was used to Bailey doing the interpreting of “people language.” If you told her to “sit,” she would look over at Bailey to see what that meant. They thought she was ‘quirky,’ and preferred her less. Sometimes human introverts get the same reaction, I think!

“I immediately renamed her “Ygraine,” and let her stay with me. She was just “around”, in an unobtrusive sort of way. She needed to be tended to a little, just enough – - her food and water, daily walks, and letting her in and out. She moved with me. If I was working, she slept in her bed on the side of the office. When I went to bed, she went to bed. If I forgot her feeding time, she leapt up on the back of my chair and ‘told me.’ If I was staying up late, or all night, she would go on and go to bed. She kept decent life-rhythms. She knew how to be a dog, though I had momentarily forgotten how to be a person. That’s stabilizing.

“I’m an intellectual; I like to know what’s going on. I’d read a beautiful book called ‘A General Theory of Love,’ that talked about how we mammals (dogs, cats and people) operate on an open-loop feedback system. We cannot regulate our life forces alone; we need each other. It’s not good to live alone; in fact it’s quite detrimental to your health. This can be hard for an introvert at any time, but especially at a time like this. You need a mammal around to look into their sentient eyes and see life, and orient to it. That’s the scientific explanation.

“The personal explanation is that it was comforting to have a quiet, undemanding sentient presence in the house when I could not tolerate having a person around. I knew I could meet the rudimentary needs of an animal, though not the more complex needs of a person, while I licked my own wounds. Dogs don’t care about words. She didn’t ask me to comment upon my condition or to tell her how I was doing, or what it’s like to lose a son, or even what I planned to do that day. We were together and in the moment. Neither of us had plans for the future.

“Ygraine is a huntress who is often attacked by her prey. One night she was crying in pain, suddenly, and I saw her groin was swollen and she couldn’t move. Some creature had bitten her. She weighs 65 lbs. and I couldn’t lift her. I pushed her over blankets and tried to pull her across the floor, but that didn’t work. It was 3 a.m. and she needed to get to the vet.

“Finally, in desperation, I looked into her eyes and told her, wordlessly, “Ygraine I want to help you and I cannot do this. You must get to the car so I can take care of you.” Silently she got up and got herself outside and up into the car. Even though it was excruciatingly painful, she didn’t even whimper. When we got to the vet’s she wouldn’t move, and when the man came out to lift her out of the car, she cried.

“She became “my” dog almost immediately and stuck by my side if we went for a walk, or if a repairman came in.

“Best of all, when I went to visit my son and brought her along, he told me how she had thrived and blossomed under my care, how she had come into her own and was a different dog.

“Your job, as a parent, is to keep your child alive. If nothing else, you should be able to keep your child alive. When they die, you have failed. This feeling is primordial and has nothing to do with intellect or explanation. Ygraine restored my faith in my ability to nurture life. She was faithful to dog dharma, as one of my clients told me, living her purpose of being a loving companion. And a more extroverted dog would have been just impossible. I loved Ygraine most of all because she was an introvert like me.

Disaster Preparedness for Pets

FasTags® Staff — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:21:36 +0000

Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, hazardous material spills; disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. If you think you will never have to evacuate unless you live in a flood plain, near an earthquake fault line or in a coastal area, you may be tragically mistaken. It is imperative that you make preparations to evacuate your family and your pets in any situation. In the event of a disaster, proper preparation will pay off with the safety of your family and pets.

If You Evacuate, Take Your Pets

The single most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to take them with you when you evacuate. Animals left behind in a disaster can easily be injured, lost, or killed. Animals left inside your home can escape through storm-damaged areas, such as broken windows. Animals turned loose to fend for themselves are likely to become victims of exposure, starvation, predators, contaminated food or water, or accidents. Leaving dogs tied or chained outside in a disaster is a death sentence.

If you leave, even if you think you may be gone only for a few hours, take your animals. Once you leave, you have no way of knowing how long you’ll be kept out of the area, and you may not be able to go back for your pets.
Leave early; don’t wait for a mandatory evacuation order. An unnecessary trip is far better than waiting too long to leave safely with your pets. If you wait to be evacuated by emergency officials, you may be told to leave your pets behind.

Don’t Forget ID

Your pets should be wearing up-to-date identification at all times. It’s a good idea to include the phone number of a friend or relative outside your immediate area; if your pet is lost, you’ll want to provide a number on the tag that will be answered even if you’re out of your home.

This is a great time to use your FasTags® to ID your pet!

Find a Safe Place Ahead of Time

Because evacuation shelters generally don’t accept pets (except for service animals), you must plan ahead to ensure that your family and pets will have a safe place to stay. Don’t wait until disaster strikes to do your research.

Contact hotels and motels outside your immediate area to check policies on accepting pets. Ask about any restrictions on number, size, and species. Ask if “no pet” policies would be waived in an emergency. Make a list of pet-friendly places and keep it handy. Call ahead for a reservation as soon as you think you might have to leave your home.
Check with friends, relatives, or others outside your immediate area. Ask if they would be able to shelter you and your animals or just your animals, if necessary. If you have more than one pet, you may have to be prepared to house them separately.
Make a list of boarding facilities and veterinary offices that might be able to shelter animals in emergencies; include 24-hour telephone numbers.
Ask your local animal shelter if it provides foster care or shelter for pets in an emergency. This should be your last resort, as shelters have limited resources and are likely to be stretched to their limits during an emergency.

If You Don’t Evacuate

If your family and pets must wait out a storm or other disaster at home, identify a safe area of your home where you can all stay together.

Keep dogs on leashes and cats in carriers, and make sure they are wearing identification.
Have any medications and a supply of pet food and water inside watertight containers, along with your other emergency supplies.

As the Disaster Approaches

Don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. Warnings of hurricanes or other disasters may be issued hours, or even days, in advance.

Call to confirm emergency shelter arrangements for you and your pets.
Bring pets into the house and confine them so you can leave with them quickly if necessary. Make sure each pet and pet carrier has up-to-date identification and contact information. Include information about your temporary shelter location.

Make sure your disaster supplies are ready to go, including your pet disaster kit.

In Case You’re Not Home

An evacuation order may come, or a disaster may strike, when you’re at work or out of the house.

Make arrangements well in advance for a trusted neighbor to take your pets and meet you at a specified location. Be sure the person is comfortable with your pets, knows where your animals are likely to be, knows where your disaster supplies are kept, and has a key to your home.

If you use a pet-sitting service, it may be able to help, but discuss the possibility well in advance.

After the Storm

Planning and preparation will help you weather the disaster, but your home may be a very different place afterward, whether you have taken shelter at home or elsewhere.

Don’t allow your pets to roam loose. Familiar landmarks and smells might be gone, and your pet will probably be disoriented. Pets can easily get lost in such situations.
For a few days, keep dogs on leashes and keep cats in carriers inside the house. If your house is damaged, they could escape and become lost.
Be patient with your pets after a disaster. Try to get them back into their normal routines as soon as possible, and be ready for behavioral problems that may result from the stress of the situation. If behavioral problems persist, or if your pet seems to be having any health problems, talk to your veterinarian.

Evacuation Planning:

You may not be in a flood zone or have to flee wildfire, but even a hazardous material incident on a nearby street could force you to evacuate. It pays to be prepared!

Disaster Supply Checklist for Pets

Every member of your family should know what he or she needs to take when you evacuate. You also need to prepare supplies for your pet. Stock up on non-perishables well ahead of time, add perishable items at the last minute, and have everything ready to go at a moment’s notice. Keep everything accessible, stored in sturdy containers (duffel bags, covered trash containers, etc.) that can be carried easily.

In your disaster kit, you should include:

Medications and medical records stored in a waterproof container and a first aid kit. A pet first aid book is also good to include.
Sturdy leashes, harnesses, and carriers to transport pets safely and to ensure that your pets can’t escape. Carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand comfortably, turn around, and lie down. Your pet may have to stay in the carrier for hours at a time while you have taken shelter away from home. Be sure to have a secure cage with no loose objects inside it to accommodate smaller pets. These may require blankets or towels for bedding and warmth, and other special items.
Current photos and descriptions of your pets to help others identify them in case you and your pets become separated and to prove that they are yours.
Food and water for at least three days for each pet, bowls, cat litter and litter box, and a manual can opener.
Information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, behavior problems, and the name and number of your veterinarian in case you have to board your pets or place them in foster care.
Pet beds and toys, if you can easily take them, to reduce stress.

Other useful items include newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags, grooming items, and household bleach.

Other Evacuation Tips

All mobile home residents should evacuate at the first sign of a disaster.

Evacuate to the safest location you can that’s as close as possible to home. Long-distance evacuation can be a problem when highways are crowded.

When planning for hurricanes, identify your evacuation zone and level to determine if and when you would have to evacuate. Be prepared for one category higher than the one being forecast, because hurricanes often increase in strength just before making landfall.

Your local humane organization or local emergency management agency may be able to provide you with information about your community’s disaster response plans.

Source: The Humane Society

Travel Memories At Christmas

FasTags® Staff — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:44:09 +0000

Dealers: Print out this FasTags® worksheet and make it available in your store, or include it in your next mailer to your customers.

Download the PDF document: Using FasTags® While You Travel Has a Bonus at Christmas

FasTags® The Tag That Shrinks

FasTags® Staff — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:34:07 +0000

What are FasTags®?

FasTags® are great little tags that you can make at home in about 5 minutes, right in your own oven. Each one starts off large enough that you can write your information on it comfortably, and then through the power of science, they shrink down to a strong, durable, stylish ID tag. The writing is large enough to read (as long as you write it nice and big as you start), but now the tag is the perfect size to tag your pet, your computer bag, your school backpack, your camera, your sports gear, or just about anything else you might want to identify as yours. Pretty cool!

Stop! Don’t Give Your Cat That Chocolate

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:04:05 +0000

“Where’s the harm? My cat seems to enjoy chocolate and it’s only a small piece.”

Just because certain foods, such as chocolate, are enjoyed by us humans and are perfectly safe for us, it does not mean they are suitable for cats. Chocolate contains chemicals which rarely cause problems for humans, but for cats and other domestic pets, these chemicals can, in rare cases, be deadly.

One problem is that cats in general find chocolate very tasty and so, it is important not to feed it to them, otherwise they will eat what you give them up to the point where it poisons them.

Chocolate contains the compound theobromine, which is a diuretic as well as a cardiac stimulant. This can cause the pet’s heart rate to increase or it may cause the heart to beat irregularly, both of which can be dangerous to the animal. The level of theobromine present in chocolate varies depending on the type of chocolate. For example, dark chocolate contains higher levels than milk chocolate and so could pose a greater risk to your pet.

There are many problems that can result from feeding a cat chocolate. Chocolate is relatively high in calories so it can contribute to the development of obesity in your cat. A cat can lose its appetite for it’s normal food if it eats chocolate. The largest problem is though the fact that chocolate contains the chemical theobromine as mentioned above. If this chemical builds up in the cats system, it can be potentially lethal, and one reason for this is that cats cannot clear theobromine from their bodies as quickly as people can.

Many cat owners would simply expect their pet to develop an upset stomach after eating a large amount of chocolate but few realize its lethal potential.

Further problems which can arise from chocolate poisoning are Diuresis (increased urine production), diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, depression, and muscle tremors. These are signs which must be recognized by any cat owner so that the cat is not fed too much chocolate.

Treatment for chocolate poisoning in its advanced stage can be very unpleasant for both the cat and the owner of the cat, so it is much better to be safe and to cut down chocolate consumption of your cat to a minimum. If you do have worries that your cat has consumed large quantities of human chocolate it would be wise to consult your vet – pronto. Spotting the symptoms early on can be very beneficial and can give the cat a much better chance of surviving any poisoning which may have occurred.

If you wish to feed your cat chocolate, there are alternate “chocolate” treats for cats which are produced by some pet food manufacturers. They will either use a vegetable substitute made to taste and look like chocolate, or they will take out the theobromine, or use greatly reduced, safe levels in the chocolate treats they produce. While a very small amount of chocolate may not be harmful to some cats, it is always safest to avoid giving any to them at all.

Larry Chamberlain is a lifelong lover of cats and lives in London England. He is the webmaster and owner of http://www.best-cat-art.com Where you will find great cat art, cat art prints, cat posters, cat figurines and cat related gifts.