Cat-o-Nine Tails and Lives...

Going away to vet school was a big move for me.  I went "away" to undergrad but was only an hour and forty five minutes away from home at any given time.  In New England the states are so small compared to the Midwest, that I was three states away in that short distance.  I lived in Rhode Island and went to Franklin Pierce College in Southern New Hampshire.  So starting in Rhode Island, I would head through the entire state of Massachusetts, to my destination in Rindge, New Hampshire.  To make the same trip in Iowa, I would only be in the next county!  This short trip made it easy for me to head home for weekends, holidays, and special occasions.  During vet school, moving from Rhode Island to Iowa was a completely different story.  I was fortunate to have been able to go home for holidays and vacations, but I had to get used to not being able to head home any weekend I wanted to, no matter what the reason.

I coped with this separation by calling home routinely, twice a week.  My Mom was always glad to hear from me, but when the conversation started getting too long, she would say, "Ok, that's enough."  This was before the cell phone era (ok, I am dating myself), so each minute on the phone was a billed minute.  Mom figured one minute less on the phone, was money put towards my trips when I did get to come home or even towards my education. 

One night I was talking with my Mom on the phone.  The only phone we had was in the kitchen.  It was one of those phones that was physically attached to the wall (again, dating myself).  You were tethered to it by one of those curly cords and were very limited in the distance you could travel as we only had about a two foot cord on it.  This shortened any lengthy conversation any teenager might have because there was no privacy, and you had to sit down on a stool that was certainly not meant for long term use.  Mom stopped me in the midst of our conversation that evening by stating, "Hold on a minute, the cat's tail is on fire." 

There was no panic in her voice.  There was no urgency in the statement at all.  I hear the phone being placed down on the counter.  Meanwhile, I am on the other end of the phone panicking!  "Mom?! What do mean on fire??? MOM?!" 

A few moments later, she returns to the phone.  "It's okay, I put it out." she says very matter-of-factly and proceeds to continue with the previous conversation. 

My mind is in a frenzy, "Mom, what happened with the cat? Which cat was it?  How did it catch on fire?  Is it okay?  Does it need to go to the vet? How did you put it out?" 

Mom had lit a scented candle on the center of the stove.  Oreo, our longhair tuxedo cat, had pounced onto the counter and proceeded onto the stove to investigate Mom's supper which was still in a pan on the stove.  During the cat's investigation, her tail spent a moment too long hovering over the jarred candle, and burst into flame.  The cat was completely unaware of the danger it was in.

Mom witnessed the flame, walked to the stove, picked up the cat, carried her over to the faucet, and doused that tail under a cool stream of water before any harm was done.  The cat was safe, although agitated that it did not get a taste of  Mom's supper! 

The funniest part was my mother's calmness during and after what could have been a disaster!  What if the cat ran?  What if the cat was seriously injured and Mom could not catch her?  What if the cat jumped down and spread the fire throughout the house?  The possibility of damage to the cat, to the house, and potentially to my Mom is very sobering.

While I love scented candles for the fragrances they provide, I dislike the potential for danger that escorts them into the house.  With pets, children, and my swiss cheese-like memory, I worry about the risks of them getting knocked over or being forgotten and left to burn when no one is home.  I also happen to be married to a man who blows the candles out as fast as I can light them.  He worries about soot stains developing on the ceiling. Each time he blows them out, he declares "The wick is too long!  The wick is too long!" like Paul Revere declaring that the Red Coats are coming during his Midnight Ride.

Recently, a friend approached me about a new product, Scentsy flameless candles. From their website, "Scentsy Warmers use a low-watt bulb to melt specially formulated wax slowly, maximizing the fragrance time of the Scentsy Bar or Scentsy Brick. With no flame, soot, smoke or lead to worry about, the Scentsy system is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 delightful Scentsy fragrances."

The scents are fragrant and there are so many that everyone can find a favorite.  If your child sticks their fingers into the melted wax, it is completely safe.  It does not burn the skin.  It is comparable in temperature to a paraffin wax dip.  Warm but not dangerous.  There is no flame so if your furry feline knocks the unit over, there is no flame to spread.    The Scentsy burners are much more attractive than a half burned soot filled jar-o-candle. 

I can finally have a nice scent emanating throughout the house without the husband blowing out the flames, and without the fear of letting it burn too long or unsupervised.  The Scentsy plug-in has taken the place of our night light in the hall.  It provides plenty of light for the stairwell and we awaken to the scent of our preference each morning.  I am so enamoured with this product that our South Hamilton Animal Alliance is having a fundraiser with our local Scentsy representative. 

From now until May 30, we are holding a Scentsy products fundraiser.  You can view the products at https://judebeme.scentsy.us/Home .  When you arrive at this page, you will see a little box in the upper right hand corner labeled "My Open Parties".  Scroll through them to find the "South Hamilton Animal Alliance Fundraiser" then click on "Buy from Party".  You can then view the products, with styles that represent everything from animals to sports, contemporary to vintage, classic to country.  If you already own a Scentsy burner, stop in and order a few new scents!  The burners make wonderful gifts for showers, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and there is something to suit everyone's taste.  The only downside to buying them on the internet is that you cannot smell the fragrances. 

Rest assured that with each purchase, you will help us provide shelter and medical care for our animals in need, as well as make your home a safer place for your family, furry and otherwise.   If you order online, your order will be shipped directly to your shipping address, and the South Hamilton Animal Alliance will be credited for the sale.

You can visit our adoptable animals at http://www.jewellanimalhospital.petfinder.com/ . If you cannot find a Scentsy product that suits you, hopefully you will find a furry friend that will...


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