Corona Virus Now Spreading

[PushPurrCatPaws]

There have been stories about hackers spoofing coronavirus maps to get personal information off of your computer or device. I don't know which maps/domains are doing this, but you can search "coronavirus maps + malware" to find out about it.

I'd recommend you only try to get accurate and safer info from more official sites like the CDC,
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htmlcdc.gov

and WHO [World Health Organization],
Home

and I personally would only use the map linked specifically from Johns Hopkins' domain, to be safe,
Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

Be careful out there people!

 

[terestrife]

Pardon me for intruding, but I live in California and one of my fur babies has a chronic illness. Governor Newsome has shut down bars as"non-essential businesses" which is great except that (expletive deleted) humans might think that veterinarians are "non-essential".

Could somebody PM me? I don't feel capable of acting nice in public right now but I really appreciate the information on this thread.

Edited

Please post your own thread. I only say that so more people can help you and see that you're in trouble. <3 also, is there any way to reach your vet? Are they still monitoring emails?

 

[Willow's Mom]

I don't want anyone over 65 on Reddit for awhile either. None of the Millenials on TCS feel that way about us anyway. Facebook is probably just as bad, lol.

Stay safe, everyone, and please get a physical copy of all of your kitties' prescriptions when your vet isn't too busy on Monday just in case.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

This whole situation with the virus has sadden me. More specifically, with regard to human behaviour. It seems like when we fear for our lives, we become quite selfish. And there are much worse things that could happened. How would we react in those situations too? Really makes you think.

 

[Willowy]

Ah but there are some good stories too. On the local rummage Facebook page, people are offering to babysit for free, to feed kids for free, offering their spare toilet paper, baby supplies, etc. and just all around being helpful.

At work (post office) we keep wondering if they're going to shut us down. But. . .well, we can't, can we? Neither can FedEx or UPS. Who would deliver the stuff people order? We've been considered "essential personnel" in the past so probably will be this time too.

 

[Katie M]

This whole situation with the virus has sadden me. More specifically, with regard to human behaviour. It seems like when we fear for our lives, we become quite selfish. And there are much worse things that could happened. How would we react in those situations too? Really makes you think.

Tell me about it. I rely on Motrin for my chronic pain. This last grocery trip (the one where I couldn't get bread), I was genuinely afraid that all of the Motrin would've been bought up. Luckily, it wasn't. I would've had a problem because other pain medications don't work nearly as well for me.

In times like these, we need to think of others. Heck, we should at ANY time.

 

[catapault]

susanm9006 Look at the proportions. It's 1/2 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. But why do you want to mix up that large a quantity for home use?

Keep the solution dark, in a cool place, and well capped.

From the Chlorox site:
Disinfecting Bleach Solution (½ cup Clorox® Regular Bleach2 added to 1 gallon water) The disinfecting solution has very specific instructions for mixing and use because Clorox® Regular Bleach2 is registered with the EPA as a disinfectant, with efficacy assured by following label instructions. Your mom’s hospital was correct to ensure its effectiveness (critical in a hospital environment) by mixing a fresh solution daily, but I can also understand that you don’t want to make it up every day if you don’t have to. To simplify things for you, you could make a smaller amount (2 tablespoons diluted in 4 cups water) that you use up over several days for general countertop cleaning. However, when you are cleaning up after things that are highly likely to spread bacteria (like raw meat), you would want to use a freshly mixed solution.

And here's another helpful link: How to Make Your Own Disinfectant Bleach Solution

 

[Moz]

I've been hearing that Canada's federal ministers have been talking about a "major announcement" tomorrow regarding Canada's reaction to this. People are speculating that all non-essential businesses will be closed. I'm hoping they consider veterinarians essential business, or else I'll have to run out tomorrow to get a bunch of Tango's prescription wet food while I still can. I have about a bag and a half of her dry food, thankfully.

 

[goingpostal]

At work (post office) we keep wondering if they're going to shut us down. But. . .well, we can't, can we? Neither can FedEx or UPS. Who would deliver the stuff people order? We've been considered "essential personnel" in the past so probably will be this time too.

No one at my office currently has any hope of us being sent home. I clerk at my PO, with school being out now I'm betting I will be tapped to work more if others can't find childcare. I'm part time also at a liquor store, today we were very busy, about half the customers seemed to be buying 2-3x the norm. Interacted with so many people and only had time to get away and wash my hands a few times, we have sanitizer and I wiped down the counters and machines but I'm definitely worried about getting sick or spreading it. Almost half the liquor store employees are very high risk and really should not be working with customers like this.

 

[lutece]

Snuggling is fine, but why do you feel a need to kiss them? In my experience, cats don't seem to think of kissing in the same way that humans do, so it's not as if they're going to feel deprived if you stop doing that.

Our kitties like being up close to our faces, and it makes us happy to kiss them and reduces our stress levels

 

[Willowy]

No one at my office currently has any hope of us being sent home. I

Well, it's mostly a new carrier asking the questions. We told him nah, we're essential personnel, but on the other hand, so many weird things are happening that we don't know what to think anymore. We have all agreed that it would have to be a nationwide shutdown because if only one area shut down for even a few days, it would be an utter disaster when we got back! And we're pretty sure a national shutdown isn't going to happen.

 

[Willow's Mom]

W Willowy

And we're pretty sure a national shutdown isn't going to happen.

even if it does, you're still my hero. Not everybody wants to live in their smartphones and you sound just like the healthcare workers at my hospital: you signed up for what you knew could be a dangerous job and your only fear is for society if you don't have the resources to do that job, not your own safety.

I'd give you one of my six double rolls of Angel Soft Toilet Paper just for being so awesome if I could.

 

[donutte]

I am curious how they define "essential" with businesses. Vets being forced to close also crossed my mind today. I'm a professional pet sitter and while we had a whole lotta cancellations, we DO have some visits. I can't just not go and take care of the kitties. Some of them are on medications and fluids.

I DO have backups in place if something should happen to me. However, I am not quite sure how to handle if they deem pet sitting to be "unessential" when the family isn't here.

 

[Willowy]

I feel like most vets would make arrangements to see sick animals somehow. They're pretty dedicated to animals. They may not be doing vaccines or spays but they'd definitely find a way to help the ones who are sick.

 

[Willow's Mom]

However, I am not quite sure how to handle if they deem pet sitting to be "unessential" when the family isn't here.

Your clients would have to become your friends and they would have to pay you in Toilet Paper, but then it wouldn't be a business, just basic human decency. I raw feed and my local meat supplier did something similar when I wasn't taking this thing seriously enough to buy cat food I didn't think I was going to need.

I've been lurking for days but I'm really too upset to post. I think I can do it without accidentally putting my foot in it big time and I want to do that every bit as much as everybody in a wheelchair wants to get up and do the tango.

It's not just a California thing and it's not just about me. How can we compensate our helpers and friends for risking their lives for us? How can we reduce the risk to veterinarians, pet sitters, dog walkers, and the other people who aren't exactly friends but are doing something a lot more essential than peddling products for profit?

I think those are more important questions than "How can we make Willow's Mom shut up about random controversial issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with cats.", lol.

 

[Twylasmom]

My vet's office sent out a notification that they will be open but cat parents should either wait in the waiting room or drop off their cats for treatment/exams so that the staff has minimal exposure in the small exam rooms. Smart, I think.

I teach at a university and we are on Spring Break and when it is over we will be teaching online until at least April 6 and most likely until the end of the term. Faculty are also being asked to work from home if possible. My discipline tends to be very hands on and practice based so online teaching is a big challenge. I do have to go in tomorrow and pick up my course materials as all courses need to be transitioned by Friday.

 

[Willowy]

I just read that Sioux City schools will be closed for 4 weeks. . .I assume SD schools will do the same, might take them a few days to decide but I bet they will eventually. Yikes!

 

[kittyluv387]

Well, it's mostly a new carrier asking the questions. We told him nah, we're essential personnel, but on the other hand, so many weird things are happening that we don't know what to think anymore. We have all agreed that it would have to be a nationwide shutdown because if only one area shut down for even a few days, it would be an utter disaster when we got back! And we're pretty sure a national shutdown isn't going to happen.

Thank you so much for the dedication!! Since I couldn't make it out to LA to see my family and friends I mailed some things out to them. Was so nice to have that option.

 

[Willow's Mom]

Tomorrow when your vet's office opens, it would be a good idea to make sure that you have physical copies of all of your furbabies' prescriptions. If they are on injectible meds like Cytopoint, you should also know how to give them yourself or have a backup prescription for something like Temeril that you can administer yourself just in case.

It was very alarming to wake up to my governor's moratorium on truly non-essential businesses (bars and liquor stores) and assumption that everybody over the age of 65 was all prepped and ready for self-isolation. Some of us have furbabies with chronic illnesses and even though we all know that veterinarians are essential businesses here, things have been very science fiction for the last few days.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[Willow's Mom]

Please post your own thread. I only say that so more people can help you and see that you're in trouble. <3 also, is there any way to reach your vet? Are they still monitoring emails?

Done. My communication skills have taken a major hit from all this stress, though, so I hope I made sense. I did get a PM from a mod when I asked and an objective eye saw absolutely no indication that I won't be able to call my own vets in the morning. The emergency vet said that most likely both practices I use were at a meeting of local vets and that they would send out emails to all of their clientele shortly.

Cytopoint is to me what Toilet Paper is to normal people; I was too judgemental so I got what I deserved.