Hi everyone. Here I am again with a new edition of “Cat Tales.” If you are a first-time reader of my column/blog, my name is Maverick. I write about all kinds of things. It’s like keeping a journal about my life with my mom and friends, only I let other people read it.
I hope your year is going well so far. I think I should explain the title of this week’s column. I told my mom the other day, that I thought I was a bear because all I want to do anymore is sleep. Okay, and maybe eat too. I think I could sleep the winter away like bears when they hibernate. My mom says she is the same way. It’s fun to cozy up in bed, read, and sleep. And on these cold mornings, who wants to crawl out of bed? Not me. When my mom gets up I crawl over to where she was lying because it’s nice and warm. She doesn’t make the bed right away either because I am in it. My mom says she needs to get me some socks for my paws because it’s so cold. I gave her the look. You know the one that says, “You got to be kitten me.” Just because she wears socks on her paws to bed, doesn’t mean I want to.
My mom has been a bear. She switched insurance companies this year, and boy was she lied to. She was told that customer service was not offshore, and there wouldn’t be a robot thing like her last insurance company had, which drove her nuts. This one is offshore too, and they have a robot thing, but it doesn’t have a name. I’m pretty sure my mom could give it one. Needless to say, she is now looking for another insurance company, one that doesn’t lie to her. The thing is the doctor pushed back her surgery to February 18th, instead of the fourth, so she’s trying to figure out if she should switch before or after her surgery. My mom says they did away with the “donut hole” for those on Medicare, but they got her with the price of her meds that skyrocketed and took away a lot of the benefits she used to have. It’s scary the things those companies do to older people. Enough about that because I get mad when my mom doesn’t feel well and the insurance company treats her badly. Also, when I hear the words “donut hole,” I get hungry.
I haven’t seen any of my friends lately. Spaghetti Betty, Oliver, and Oscar have been busy. But I am sure I will see them soon. I think we all hibernate in the winter. It’s way too cold to go outside, and I’m not allowed to anyway unless my mom is taking me to the doctor, and I don’t like talking about that.
I want to share something serious concerning your furry and non-furry family members. It’s about health hazards, more specifically cleaning products and those plug-ins that people use in their homes and workplaces. According to Pet MD, “As parents and caregivers, one of the earliest lessons we learn is the concept of ‘baby-proofing’—keeping toxic substances and dangerous situations well out of the way of our children. As pet parents, we need to do the same. But unlike children, instead of this being a temporary obligation, it’s something we’ll need to do throughout the lives of our pets.
“Some of the things we do to improve our environment, such as cleaning or using chemical air fresheners, can pose dangers to our animal friends, whether furry, feathered, or scaled. So, do pet owners need to forever do away with their room sprays, plug-ins, candles, oils, and solids? That’s a question that’s not so easily answered. However, there are some ways to play it safe when using these products in the home.
“‘If we are putting some kind of chemical into the air merely to mask scents, then we have to be concerned about the negative implications for our pets,’ says holistic veterinarian Dr. Patrick Mahaney of California.
“Sadly, some forms of air fresheners can be quite toxic, especially to animals (and children!) who might ingest the substances or not have the wherewithal to avoid parts of the home where they’ve been used.
“According to Dr. Mahaney, one of the main offenders in the ingredient list for most air fresheners are volatile organic compounds (VOC). VOCs are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. This causes these compounds to easily turn into gasses or vapors from a solid or liquid form. This transformation is called volatility. In other words, volatility is just how air fresheners are meant to behave: dissipate into the air, thereby changing its scent.
“Unfortunately, this is the same volatility that occurs in paints and varnishes, fossil fuels, benzene, formaldehyde, refrigerants, aerosol propellants, cigarette smoke, and the dry-cleaning process. You wouldn’t open a can of paint in your living room to improve the quality of the air, but this isn’t too far removed from what happens when you break out an air freshener.
“These substances can cause a laundry list of maladies. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the health effects of VOCs may include: Eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, lethargy and nausea, damage to the liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some VOCs can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.
“In a study published in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review, testing of top-selling air fresheners and laundry detergents ‘found 133 different VOCs emitted from the 25 products, with an average of 17 VOCs per product. Of these 133 VOCs, 24 are classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws, and each product emitted at least one of these compounds. For “green” products, emissions of these compounds were not significantly different from the other products.’”
I am going to discuss this in more detail next time and what my mom has gone through concerning these products. Please take this seriously and share this information with others. These substances are not safe for humans or pets.
That’s it for this edition of “Cat Tales.” Snuggle up, keep warm, and always be kind to everyone.
Today’s quote: “I had been told that the training procedure with a cat was difficult. It’s not. Mine had me trained in two days.” – Bill Dana
Love Maverick 
- Be My Valentine - February 11, 2025
- I Think I’m a Bear - January 16, 2025
- Happy New Year - January 2, 2025
