My friend Debbie told me an amazing story about her cat. Debbie rescued a cat that was about to be euthanized because it was "retarded." The cat was not adoptable, but kind-hearted Debbie, who would save all the animals in the world if she could, took the unwanted kitty into her home.
Debbie carefully chose cat litter and bought a covered litter box. Right away Debbie noticed the poor cat's problem. It would pass out and fall down. At times the cat would become unconscious and fall from high places, hitting the floor with a hard thump.
With the cat's history, Debbie thought this could be what had caused the "brain damage" -- the reason the cat was said to be retarded.
Luckily for this little kitty, Debbie did some research and discovered the litter she was using was poisoning the cat. First the litter with fragrance and then the second one, the clay, caused the cat's fainting spells.
The litter was replaced with a natural pine product, and within days the cat was fine. No more passing out. "He does have a brain and now he is smart," Debbie told me on the phone.
If she had not investigated and been persistent, the cat would probably have ended up being euthanized.
Debbie is one who has learned the hard way about chemicals and products we use that are harmful to people and pets. She owns a cleaning business and has her own problems with chemical sensitivity. No longer can she use bleach for cleaning, and she can no longer use products with fragrance on her person or in her house. In her fifties now, the products she has used all these years have damaged her with the harmful chemical fumes she breathed. She believes that anyone who cleans with the popular brands on the shelves will eventually develop the same sensitivities. Debbie has searched far and wide for safe products. I appreciate her suggestions for clean, green products available locally and by mail-order.
Like that poor cat, when chemically sensitive people are overcome with harmful fumes that shut off the oxygen to their bodies, their brains don't work properly. We can't think when we can't breathe. One day we all may be presumed "retarded" like Debbie's cat.
