The Best Ways to Treat a Cat Bee Sting

Learning in advance how to treat a cat bee sting can save you time and money. Of course, advance preparation can also offer your kitty immediate comfort in the unfortunate event that she is ever stung. As the temperature continues to rise outside, so will your cat’s curiosity about the new scents and colors bursting around her. It’s this sort of curiosity, however, that often leads to painfully unexpected meeting with a busy bee! Here are our best tips on how to effectively treat a cat who has been stung.

How Serious Is a Cat Bee Sting?

In most instances, a cat bee sting isn’t that serious. Painful, yes, but not life threatening. Just like humans, however, your cat may be allergic to bee venom and, if this is the case, do not delay taking your cat to the veterinarian for immediate emergency care. While most will only experience soft-tissue swelling and pain at the site of the sting, some cats may experience more severe symptoms such as:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Loss of consciousness
• Anaphylactic shock

Again, if you suspect that your kitty is having an allergic reaction to a cat bee sting, do not hesitate to visit an emergency veterinarian right away!

How to Treat a Cat Bee Sting at Home

When pets are stung by a bee, the most telltale symptoms include swelling and tenderness at the location of the sting. Usually, these symptoms appear on the face due to a curious cat moving in on a bee for a closer inspection. A sting may also occur on the paws as a result of swatting a bee away or even accidentally stepping on one while walking outdoors. As soon as you notice the symptoms and are able to identify where the cat bee sting is centered, it’s time to spring into quick action by following these steps:

1. Try to scrape the stinger out with a credit card or a similar object (do not try to pull the stinger out with your fingers or a tweezer as you risk breaking the venom sack and causing more of the toxin to spread throughout your cat’s body).
2. Apply a cold, wet washcloth to the area of the sting to help soothe it and reduce the swelling.
3. Call your veterinarian for further care instructions.

Some cat owners report success in using Benadryl to treat the pain and swelling that follows a cat bee sting. We cannot recommend that you try this, however, as it is illegal for us–or even your vet–to advise you to use an over the counter medication to treat a cat bee sting. Benadryl is only approved for human use and, while many report success with using it, an incorrect dosage might make your cat sick.

How Do You Treat Bee Stings?
Do you have experience treating a cat bee sting? What do you want to add to our advice? Please remember to share this post with all of the cat lovers in your life and spread the news about treating bee stings in pets on social media. Use the #fetchpetcare hash and we’ll gladly meet you there, too!

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The truth about “service” dogs

Guest post by JME Thomas, Executive Director, Motley Zoo Animal Rescue. Motley Zoo Animal Rescue is a 501c-3 Not-for-profit Corporation based in Washington.

As the Executive Director of Motley Zoo Animal Rescue, I see a lot of interesting things: I see the best of people and the worst. Another thing I see are fads and patterns when it comes to people’s desires- especially, in regards to people requesting service dogs. This is now as common now as every fifth application we review- which means many people need dogs with very specific personalities and traits. It is when they follow that up with “needing a puppy so we can be sure to get what we want”, that I begin to worry.

That thinking couldn’t be more inaccurate.

When people request a service dog, we know they typically don’t need a dog that will literally help get them around; to be their eyes or ears. What they are usually seeking however is an emotional support or therapy dog. What’s the difference? A lot!

A service dog is one which is trained specifically to detect medical conditions such as seizures, or perform tasks or duties for a physically disabled individual, such as a Seeing Eye dog for the blind. These dogs require more than 2 years of intense training and development.

Emotional support animals (EAS) however, are those whose job is to be themselves: a companion to those who are psychologically disabled from issues such as panic attacks, PTSD (pot-traumatic stress disorder) or other debilitating mental challenges- ones that truly affect quality of life and day to day function.

A therapy dog on the other hand is a dog that is trained to provide comfort and therapy for someone- other than their owners- such as those dogs who visit the elderly in nursing homes or children in hospitals that need cheering up. There are also strict requirements for dogs to be registered as such.

Most people believe “dogs with jobs” as I collectively refer to them, are selected as puppies- but really, that couldn’t be further from the truth. While service dogs are selected for certain qualities as puppies, it can safely be said less than 50% of the puppies that start out as candidates, actually ever become one. But why? Especially with all that training?

Sometimes dogs don’t pass muster because of a health condition that develops, such as hip dysplasia- but most often it has nothing to do with training and everything to do with development. It’s simply their personality: they didn’t grow up to be the dog needed to do that very specific job. Much of the two years spent training a true service dog is actually for evaluating their personalities- not just teaching them what they need to learn.

Expectation and reality differing is pretty much “no duh”, when it comes to children. Somehow though this is baffling when applied to puppies.

Everyone knows parents work hard to mold their children the way they’d like, but how often is the outcome the same as the parents’ exact hopes or expectations? Perhaps it’s the football player dad who played catch every weekend with his son growing up, but when the son gets older, he prefers tennis…or *gasp*, maybe no sports at all! Or the piano aficionado’s child who grows up to be in a heavy metal band instead of joining the orchestra. Parents accept- and really, expect- their children will not be everything they hope or dream.

Very likely, neither will a puppy.

When seeking a dog to fill the “dogs with job” role, it’s a gamble when it comes to puppies. If you choose one, be sure you are prepared to accept responsibility for the dog, indefinitely, no matter how they may turn out. Your desire for a loving companion must take precedence over your desire for them to develop a specific way. Otherwise, it is terribly unrealistic and a heavy burden to put on your puppy who just wants to have fun and be themselves- as dogs should be allowed to do!

However, with adult dogs, “what you see is what you get”- especially dogs with proven experience, such as those in foster homes; those surrendered for the many reasons that have nothing to do with behavior issues. The shelter animals you see today, were most likely a family’s beloved pet the day before- as opposed to terrorizing the neighborhood as many envision. These are dogs that could make great dogs with jobs with very little extra effort- they are already what you’d need! Certainly more adult rescue dogs could fill the role of EAS dogs than couldn’t- and many can pass the requirements needed to become therapy dogs in the community too.

When selecting a dog to perform a job, look at who they are as individuals- not simply breed or age, which are really irrelevant. Frankly, like fine wine, many dogs get better with age! Even seniors can make great therapy dogs because they are not youthful spazzes, flopping on the leash, peeing on the floor and play mouthing everyone’s hands! You can better count on them for reliable, consistent and most importantly, calm behavior required of dogs with jobs.

For a great example of a rescue-turned-therapy dog, check out “Ottis to the Rescue” on Facebook. The page features the adventures of Ottis- long-time foster brother to hundreds of dogs and his “sister”, Nikki, a 15 year old, deaf and blind Pomeranian who is making the most of her golden years as a therapy dog in retirement homes. Nikki is a great example of a rescued dog that was selected as a therapy dog for her “perfect” intrinsic qualities already- not a puppy that was forced into a role he or she is not capable of living up to.

If you’re interested in some first-hand experience and advice, check out our interview with Brooke Mallory, Ottis and Nikki’s mom, here.

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Thanks For Your Amazing Support Of the Warrior Dog Foundation

We want to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiastic support of our post on behalf of the Warrior Dog Foundation! Together, we’ve managed to raise a whopping $156 from our Memorial Day posts in their honor!

About the Warrior Dog Foundation

Founded by a former Navy SEAL, Mike Ritland, the Warrior Dog Foundation helps care for specially trained K-9 animals who have been retired from military service. The foundation helps to ensure that these dogs make a healthy transition from active service to living in a kennel facility designed especially for these heroic animals who’ve spent their entire lives training to protect and serve America during various deployments. While at their new facilities, each dog is also treated with much-needed rehabilitation services to assist them with their mental and physical needs. By joining Fetch! Pet Care in supporting this incredible foundation, you have helped these four-legged heroes access the care they need and deserve for the rest of their lives!

Spotlighting Your Comments

In case you missed the posts we’re referring to, we invited our Facebook and Instagram followers to join in our efforts to assist the Warrior Dog Foundation simply by publishing a comment under each post. We committed to giving the foundation $1 per comment up to a total of $250. We are overjoyed that your comments pushed that donation all the way up to (insert amount)!

All of your comments are deeply appreciated and here are a few we’d like to spotlight as they really warmed our hearts:

“Thank you for your service, K9 warriors” – Cheryl Barnes, Facebook

“Wonderful that you are also honoring the dogs who serve us. Thank you for remembering them too!” – Lisa Mariona, Facebook

“God bless our service dogs. They saved numerous lives and some lost theirs in return.” – Aline Guzzo

“Today da military doggiez dat died shud be honored too. Tankz fur ur service!” – Bea T Puddy, Facebook

“Many military working dogs have lost their lives protecting their handlers and saving many others. I thank and remember the canines the same as I remember our human service members. Thank you to the loyal and furry warriors that have put themselves in the way to protect others.” – a.c.chavez, Instagram

As you can see, the sentiments shared were so heartfelt and we are so appreciative that we could all come together to lend the Warrior Dog Foundation a most deserving hand!

Tell Us Your Warrior Dog Stories

Are you a military veteran who had the honor of serving with a K9 hero? If so, we would love to hear all about your experiences. Please take the time to tell us a little about your buddy soldier and even share a picture, if you like. We applaud you for giving so unselfishly of your time in serving our country and we look forward in hearing from you soon. For the rest of you, please show these amazing soldiers and their K9 compatriots some social media love by sharing this post on social media (along with the #fetchpetcare hashtag so that we can follow along, too)!

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Meet the Now Famous Cats Of the Keanu Movie

Today, we celebrate the rags-to-riches story of seven newly famous cats currently starring in the hilarious film, Keanu. While you only see one cat in the title role, it actually took seven specially trained fur-lebrities to bring the role of one wittle kidnapped kitten to life. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, we suggest you do so right away. Really, their performances are of the must-see-to-believe variety that will just make you fall in love and leave you awe struck by their abilities. Think cats can’t be trained? Well, think again as you read the story of these magnificent seven!

Who Are the Famous Cats of Keanu?

A grand total of seven kittens rescued from various shelters around New Orleans, Louisiana were trained specifically for the role of Keanu. The film’s directors actually started working with three tabby kittens, but those first little fur babies grew so quickly that four more had to be adopted and hired in order to complete the film. When asked why a computer-generated cat wasn’t used to play the title role, the film’s director, Peter Atencio (aka our newest hero), made it quite clear that nothing beats the real thing when working with such fuzzy cuteness! With cats having a reputation for being…uh…shall we say independent and not very interested in taking orders, we applaud Mr. Atencio for insisting on directing these young stars all the way to box office success. Now that he’s proven doing so possible, we hope that we’ll see many more feline-centered films in the future!

How’d They Do It?

Working with two highly experienced animal trainers, Larry Payne and April Macklin, the rescued kittens participated in a solid month of preparation before they began filming. These little guys had to get used to very loud noises and all of the action taking place around them without becoming startled or afraid. Within a month’s time, these purr-fessionals also became experts at dodging fake bullets during shootout scenes, running for cover and looking oh so adorable in every single frame! The now famous cats also had to learn how to tolerate various wardrobe changes as Keanu was often decked out in cool leather jackets, snazzy hoodies, miniature do-rags and funky fake gold chains.

Eventually, it became clear to their trainers that some of the kittens were naturals at playing certain parts. For example, one would be really good at running for cover, another at sitting on cue, another at making cute little meowing sounds when needed and others at the ever-important task of cuddling. This meant that the film’s human actors had to accommodate several kitty changes as these different furry thespians switched places for various scenes.

Kudos, Humans!

We want to give a warm thank you to all of the humans who helped these famous cats find success in their film debut. This includes Director, Peter Atencio, of course, as well as its stars Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. We’re even told that Key has a serious cat allergy and had to be medicated during the entire filming. He seriously took one for the team and we are so grateful that he did! We also give major props to the dedicated team of trainers and vets who worked so closely with these rising stars (including the rep from the American Humane Association who was always on set to ensure their safe handling).

Most of all, we’re grateful that these seven former orphans now have furever homes as one, now named Catonic, was adopted by another of the film’s actors, Tiffany Haddish. The other six highly trained purr-fessional actors will continue their Hollywood careers. As they await their next gigs, two live with trainer Larry Payne, two with another trainer April Macklin and two live at a beautiful California ranch which is home to other famous cats, dogs and other animals who act.

What Do You Think?

Have you watched these famous cats do their thing in Keanu, yet? What did you think of their performances? Tell us your thoughts on these famous cats, their rescue and the movie in the comments section below. And don’t forget to share this story with your social media friends using the hashtag #fetchpetcare so that we can join you in conversation there.

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