PeopleCats amid COVID-Cat-20

"It's not the size of the cat in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the cat"
- Mark Twain -

While the whole world is suffering the virus attack, cats are no exception. They do not get COVID-19, but they have their own coronavirus - a respiratory condition that may become very dangerous for them. And although cat coronavirus does not affect humans, we can transfer it to other cats through our hands/petting, shared bowls and bedding, etc.
At TopTropicals, we had several cats sick with the flu and it took us a long time and long hospital bills to bring them back to health! Below we are sharing with you a few tips from our own experience that may help you fight and treat cat coronavirus, that we call "Covid-Cat-20".

Chief is breathing through his mouth: "Stuffed nose sucks!"

How to treat Cat Coronavirus

When cats get a flu/virus/cold, they suffer congestion, sneeze and cough. Just like us humans. But for cats, stuffed nose is much worse trouble, because they can't smell food = they won't eat it! In tough cases, they won't even drink any water. Due to specifics of cat metabolism, if a cat doesn't eat and/or drink for more than a couple of days, it may become life-threatening. It is not the virus that kills a cat, it is dehydration, lack of nutrition, and possible secondary infections.

- Vet. During Covid-19 lockdown, many animal hospitals are closed, but if you are lucky to find a vet, it is wise to give the cat a long-lasting shot of antibiotic. You can't treat a virus with antibiotic, but it will prevent secondary infections (like pneumonia, etc.)
- Water is absolutely essential! Make sure your Cat drinks water. If he (she) doesn't want to drink on his own, you need to give him water with a syringe. As often as you can. Little by little. Or, ask a vet to put a "water pouch" under cat's skin. This will save the cat from dehydration.
- Food is the main key! Your cat must eat a normal size portion per day in order to fight the illness. Because he can't smell, it's possible he won't eat on his own. Offer him a smelly, soft/wet food of room temperature or slightly warmer: usually tuna works well. Get Salmon Oil and put on top of the food: it is smelly, plus a great vitamin supplement.
- Hand-feeding. If congestion is bad, even a smelly tuna may not help. Mix a spoonful of pate with some water and try to hand-feed this "soup" to the cat either using syringe, or a small spoon. Little by little. Remember, his nose is stuffed and he can't swallow and breath at the same time, so it must be tiny bites. (Wrap the entire cat tightly in a large thick towel to save yourself lots of scratching damage, leaving out just the face. Guaranteed, he won't like the procedure and you will be surprised how strong he is for a sick cat.)
- Supplements. For an extra nutrition support, you may use Critical nutrition food and other protein supplements. Consult your vet and you may want to try the following aids: High Calorie Liquid or Gel (easier to administer), HomeoPet Nose Relief (for de-congestion), Lysine Soft Chews, and Mirataz ointment (to promote appetite).
- Rest. Keep the cat indoors, in a warm place, away from drafts. Cover with a towel to make comfy. Keep lights dimmed. Change bedding, towels, blankets at least daily to keep clean, get rid of germs and drooling accidents.
- Quarantine from other cats, the cat coronavirus is super catchy! Find that spare room. Bleach, soap, alcohol and Hand Sanitizer - are your friends now to maintain germ- and virus-free environment.
- Mild cases. Some cats have mild symptoms (we've noticed that black cats and tuxedo cats are more susceptible regardless of age). In this case, do not panic - just give them time to recover. Lots of rest, privacy, and be sure to monitor water/food intake!
- Tough cases. Most cats look lethargic when sick. At some point, if within 3-4 days you don't see improvement and the coughing continues, you need x-ray to rule out pneumonia.

Stay well and healthy, PeopleCats!

Biggy sneezed... Ooops, sorry for no mask!

TopTropicals PeopleCat Club

Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us. Every little bit helps! Thank you and God bless you and your pets!

Coughing Marco is practicing Social Distancing

PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Chief, Employee of the Month

"Can we get to normal World?"

If you visited TopTropicals Garden center, you've seen our Employee of the Month board in the office. And the picture on it... with our Chief, who is truly an irreplaceable member of our Shipping Crew. He is definitely the most responsible worker and reliable Chief Supervisor. This week, while greeting customers, he asked everybody to follow these simple rules that he established in the Nursery for everybody's safety during COVID-19 alert:

1. Yes, we are open! But If you want to browse the nursery, please call for assistance at the gate and we will come over to help you.
2. Please NO CHILDREN on the property at this time. If you came with kids, have them wait in your car while you are shopping. Chief can entertain them!
3. Nursery is OPEN for browsing, limiting 2 customers at a time on the premises.
4. If you know what plant(s) you want, just call us directly at our customer service desk 239-771-8081 and we can bring those plants, for your convenience, to the office or even to the gate.

Stay connected and we will get through this, all together, and we all will be just fine! So says Chief.

TopTropicals PeopleCat Club

Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! Donations accepted from our website. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Itembi - the Brave African Cat

by Onika Amell

"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats".
Colonial American Proverb

This is a story of a Cat traveling across the World...
...I found Itembi, a tiny Calico kitten, in 2015 while I was hiking in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve while visiting Cape Town in my mother country South Africa. The little kitty appeared out of nowhere, sitting in the middle of the dusty path I was walking. It took me by surprise to see a kitty there, as I was in the middle of the boonies, with no sign of life for many miles around. She was skin and bones. My heart broke for the kitty. She was sad-eyed and so incredibly frail. I went down on my hands and knees and extended my hand. To my surprise she came over to me immediately and nestled her head into my palm, purring and purring. It was love at first sight. There was nothing else to do but to scoop her up and carry her back to my jeep to take her home with me...

CONTINUE READING >>

Check out Video: and more Cat of the Day stories.

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Mister Booster

Everybody knows our Sunshine-colored Mister B, because... he is the Boss?... Not only that, but he is also very intelligent Purrrson. After over a decade of running TopTropicals marketing team, energetic Mr B decided to lead a new project: Sunshine Boosters.

What's in his store for us? He will guide you through his new website and show you around, where you can find all kinds of good stuff for your plants. For many years, TopTropicals customers have been enjoying the benefits of many effective plant supplements, and today Mr B with Sunshine Boosters brings new formulas of scientifically developed, natural, environmentally safe plant food for all your growing needs!
- For home gardeners and professionals.
- For small plant collections and large commercial growing facilities.
- For flowers and fruit trees.
- For medicinal plants and vegetables.
- For all to be happy.

Please check out Mr Booster's website , he worked really hard for the past year on making this project happen, and helping the Earth to be a better, nicer, and safer place!

And for those of you who are growing your own business, Mr B would like to help! He is offering FREE samples for small business starters! He knows it's not easy to find a perfect nutrition system and make your growing a success. He is here to help!

On February 13-14, as a Valentines Day Special, Mr B is exhibiting his new business Sunshine Boosters in Phoenix, AZ - in the Largest Arizona Expo! Don't miss our presentation seminar Feb 13th, Seminar Room #2, 1:45 PM: Precision growing with Sunshine Boosters. For those who can not attend the show in purrrrson, the presentation will be available for downloading from our website.

Happy Growing!

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Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: James Coconuts progress report

Many people asking about James Coconuts who used to be in charge of our Office and Customer Service team. What is he doing now? Did he get a promotion? We addressed this question to Coconuts and here is what he's got to say:

"Hi folks, I am doing just fine. Yes, I got a promotion and currently working in Sunshine Boosters Lab together with Mr Booster (I just call him Mr B). We are developing a revolutionary Sunshine Plant Nutrition Program. It is important that your plants have good food! I can tell from my own experience. When these nice people at TopTropicals picked me up from the street couple years ago, I was nothing but bone and skin... not even much fur. And look at me now! I am still working on my work out, and my resolution for 2020 is to become even more fluffy, just like that chick in the calendar! I think everyone should eat good... and do good... Like someone said:

"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good!" (Minor Myers Jr).

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