Protect your Kitty from Toxic Mishaps

Protect your Kitty

FROM TOXIC MISHAPS

by Gigi McWhirter

Cats, just like dogs, can sneak a snack. Sometimes, they get into things that are not so good for them.

To reduce the risk of poisoning and to help create a pet-poisonproof home, it is important to know the most common toxins.

Here is a list of the top 10 cat toxins according to Pet Poison Helpline: 1. Lilies (Lilium species) 2. Topical flea and tick treatments for dogs 3. Household cleaners 4. Human anti-depressant medications 5. Essential oils 6. Human or Non-feline antiinflammatory medications 7. Mouse and rat poisons 8. Human stimulant medications (e.g. for ADD/ADHD) 9. Onions and garlic 10. Vitamin D overdose

You can find a more extensive list of toxins on these websites: www.aspca.org or www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

If you suspect your kitty (or other animal) has ingested a poisonous substance, it is essential that you contact a veterinarian right away.

If you can, you should have the name of the product or plant consumed along with as much product information as possible including the pharmacy label noting the name and strength of the medication, the product label listing the name of the ingredients along with any manufacturer’s warnings and consumer hotline information. There are pet poison hotlines created to help owners understand what to do in the event of a possible poisoning. These hotlines have vets on call to assist you. There is usually a fee for their service: • Pet Poison Helpline: 844.492.9842 • The ASPCA Animal Poison

Control Center: 888.426.4434

Happy Tails to you!

Stories by Blake Herzog The Pinal County Press

Work Starts on Inland Port AZ Infrastructure

Construction formally began on $18.1 million of road improvements supporting the Inland Port AZ (IPAZ) development with a June 27 groundbreaking ceremony at the border of the cities of Coolidge and Eloy.

Construction or reconstruction of two roads is expected to be completed in less than a year.

This project has been in the works since early 2019 when Pinal County was awarded $15.4 million through the federal BUILD Act to improve access to IPAZ, a planned industrial and commercial hub aiming to use freeway and rail access to position it as an alternative to congested coastal ports.

Shortly afterward, Saint Holdings announced the first land sale within its 1,600 acres there to Nikola Motors.

The budget also includes $2.7 million in local funding from the county, Coolidge and Eloy.

The project includes multiple components to improve vehicular access to IPAZ, including: • Construction of a two-lane paved road along Hanna Road for 1 mile between State Route 87 and Vail Road, where it is currently a two-lane paved road. Additional drainage infrastructure will be installed, along with a railroad crossing signal with gate arms at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Hanna runs along the northern border of the IPAZ site. • Replacement of Houser Road’s two-lane stretch between SR87 and Vail Road with a paved three-lane segment, to include a left-turn lane.

Drainage will be upgraded and the signalized crossing with a gate arm at the Union Pacific railroad tracks will remain as is. Houser forms the southern border of IPAZ and provides access to the Nikola factory. • The intersection of SR 87 and Houser will be upgraded with left- and right-turn lanes and a new traffic signal.

Now that construction has begun, officials hope to wrap it up relatively quickly.

“Probably in the April/May time frame we’re going to be standing on a paved road,” Celeste Garza, assistant Pinal County engineer, said during the groundbreaking.

Photo courtesy of Pinal County