Feline Weight Loss

photo by Janesdead

The causes of feline weight loss in cats are varied and some, perhaps not all, are set out here. The classic, perhaps simplistic response to the question, "what causes weight loss", must be that the cat is either eating less or the cat is not benefiting from the food that is eaten. There may be a number of causes. These two scenarios are at the root of the matter; the next question is why is this happening.

There are four types of Hookworm (Ancylostoma) that infest cats. They are quite small in comparison to Tapeworms (see tapeworms in felines) at about a maximum of half an inch in length. The signs of an infestation include weight loss, anemia, diarrhea and weakness. The treatment is drugs and preventative measures should be in place (proactive treatment). I'll be discussing this more in a later posting.

Feline weight loss occurs (through and including loss of appetite) when cats contract Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), which is a nasty disease and a killer when cats develop the secondary severe infection. I discuss in more detail feline FIP and an overview plus other diseases here: Cat Health Problems FIP.

Another nasty disease and one which can cause cancer and exacerbate other diseases is Feline Leukemia Virus Disease Complex or FeLV for short. One symptom is loss of appetite and weight loss. See a lot more on FeLV.

Another very serious disease that produces a wide range of nasty symptoms including loss of appetite and feline weight loss is what is commonly known as FIV or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. FIV is the feline equivalent of human AIDS (HIV) and was first discovered in cats in California in 1986 (quite recently). It affects about 1-3% of cats. See more on Feline Aids.

A protozoan (a single celled organism) causes the disease Toxoplasmosis. It is quite well known to cat people because of the perceived dangers to pregnant women catching the disease from cat feces (see cat feces and pregnancy). Cats can acquire is by eating infected animals that they have hunted or raw or undercooked meat. Eating undercooked meat is the most common way for people to get the disease. Most often there are no symptoms and when there are signs of the disease one is feline weight loss. Prevention is probably the best treatment - indoor cat + enclosure could be one answer.


Feline weight loss? Not sure. This cat looks thin but that's all. Nice but sad picture that is why it is here. Photo by Jun Cruz Na Ligas.

Bad teeth and gum disease will be a classic reason for feline weight loss as it will be uncomfortable to eat. Periodontal disease affects the supporting tissues of teeth, namely the gums and bone. The disease starts with plaque and tartar (calculus) build up on the gum line. Bacteria live in the plaque. This leads to gingivitis (gum infection). The first signs are mouth odor but inspections of our cats teeth should be routine. This can be done on a simplistic level when our cat yawns. Cats can develop bad teeth so concerned observation will allow early steps to be taken to prevent and cure the disease. Some people think that cats eating dry kibble have better teeth. There are downsides to dry food however. This post: Feline Diabetes touches on one possible downside.

Feline weight loss can be due to an upset stomach. This may be due to an inflammation of the stomach (Gastritis). When this condition persists over a long time (i.e. it is chronic in medical parlance) will cause weight loss plus cause vomiting and a loss of vigor. Ingestion of foreign objects can cause Gastritis such as too much grass (cats eat grass for the folic acid), rubber, paper etc.. Bengal cats particularly like to use their teeth and chew paper, for example - see weird behavior. The other wildcat hybrids are similar - see Savannah cat, Chausie and Safari cat. Hairballs can also cause gastritis. These are often vomited up (see cat vomiting). There are other reasons for an inflamed or bleeding stomach lining (drugs for example) and a veterinarian's diagnosis is essential.

Inflammatory Bowl Disease (IBD) is possibly caused by the cat's immune system being primed into taking action by specific bacteria or food proteins leading to the creation of antibodies that attack the cells of the cat's intestine (in other words the immune system is malfunctioning). An inflamed intestine ensues and this can cause poor absorption of digested food from the intestine to the blood and thence to the body. This in term can lead to feline weight loss and other symptoms such as diarrhea and anemia.

A liver that is not functioning properly due to liver disease will result in a number of symptoms including lethargy and a loss of appetite (leading to weight loss). See Feline Fatty Liver disease - the most common liver disease in cats. These diseases involve the liver: FIP and toxoplasmosis.

The commonly diagnosed disease in cats, sugar diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus) in its later stages results in loss of appetite and feline weight loss. There are other symptoms such as excessive urination and drinking lots of water. The disease is due to insufficient production of insulin in the pancreas. See Feline Pancreatitis. Feline Pancreatitis also caused malabsorption syndrome causing weight loss.

Feline Anemia is another cause of feline weight loss. This is full described in this post: Feline Anemia.

Kidney disease leading to kidney failure is another cause of weight loss in cats. Once again I have a post on this condition which can be see here: Feline Kidney Disease.

Older cats are more likely to show feline weight loss due to for example kidney disease (see above), gum disease (see above), cancers (see cat health and cancer) and loss of smell - cats rely on smell hugely and judge food largely by smell. Food that they like and which is cold may be passed over as cold food gives off less smell.

Finally it goes perhaps without saying that some cats are starved by cat keepers and some are overfed, while many feral cats are undernourished all causing feline weight loss.


Feline Weight Loss to Cat Health Problems

Feline Weight Loss - Sources:

• Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Drs Carlson and Giffin

Photos: published under creative commons license. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

Karelian Bobtail

Karelian Bobtail cat - this picture comes from the cat breeder Angelur (located in Moscow, Russia, I believe). I am giving a link in exchange for use of the photograph. This particular cat looks like a tabby and white.

Other names for the Karelian Bobtail are, Karel Bobtail, Karelian or Karellian. This is a natural cat in that the mutation that gives this cat breed the bob tail occurred naturally. The same applies for the Kurilian Bobtail cat, whose place of origin is, in fact, on the other side of Russia near Japan (the Kuril Islands).


The place of origin of the Karelian Bobtail cat - Lake Ladoga - Russia - Republic of Karelia in northwestern Russia, fairly close to Saint Petersburg. This is the area of origin it is said of this cat breed. Another bobtailed Russian cat that occurred naturally is the Kurilian Bobtail, a similar name, interestingly. This photo is by _val_

--- see map below for location.


This shows the map of Russia where Lake Lagoda is situated - published under a Wikimedia commons license.

This rare cat breed can either have short or semi-long hair (but see below). The cat is registered by the World Cat Federation (WCF). Their breed standard states the following:

The WCF breed standard for the Karelian Bobtail states that the hair is short and very dense (this presumably is a reference to the warmth of the coat bearing in mind the area from which this cat originates). The breed is medium sized with a tail that can be between 4 to 13 centimeters long. The tail is kinked or curved and the hair longer on the tail to create the pom pom appearance.

The face of the Karelian Bobtail is an equilateral triangle in shape meaning the sides and top of the head form a triangle with equal length of sides (see Japanese Bobtail breed standard page, which has exactly the same breed standard regarding head shape - you'll see a diagram). The Kurilain Bobtail has a head that is described in even more technical terms as being a trapesium (see a diagram and a perfect example of the Kurilian Bobtail trapesium head shape).

A wide range of coat colors are allowed under the breed standard except: cinnamon, lilac, chocolate, fawn and pointed.

A Russian breeder (Angelur - see link to cattery website above) of this cat says that the breed is vanishing and asks anyone for a Karelian Bobtail. I said this was a rare cat breed.

Karelian Bobtail to Home page

American Polydactyl cat

American Polydactyl cat - by Creepy Uncle J - the photographer lives in Fort Worth USA.

The American Polydactyl cat is not a cat breed (in my view) although it is spoken of as such in the articles that I have read on the Internet. The problem with the phrase or name "American Polydactyl" is that it implies that this cat is a breed of cat with the same status as the many other cat breeds developed in America such as the American Shorthair and American Bobtail; there are others. However, this cat is recognized by the Rare and Exotic Feline Registry and they talk of the cat as a specific cat breed and say that any cat with the extra toes can be registered. That runs counter to the usual method for establishing a cat breed or perhaps I should say a pedigree purebred cat breed. Is it possible to have a cat breed that is not purebred/pedigree?

There are some (probably few in number) cat breeders whose objective is to breed cats with more toes than is usual but these cats are not a recognized cat breed except as mentioned above. In my view a cat breed is a breed when it is formally recognized by a cat registry and that happens over a period of time when the cat's pedigree has been established.

There is the genuine question as to whether there really is any sense in breeding a cat with extra digits. This is an abnormality. I personally don't see the point - please forgive me if this sounds harsh. If we need to breed cats the objective should be to create healthy well balanced and attractive cats that are physically in good condition and which in an ideal world have a use, which is, classically, to catch rodents.

The name also implies that this cat is specific to the USA - it is not. A genetic anomaly (mutation) causes any individual cat to have more toes than usual. Some cat breeds are more prone to this because of their genetic inheritance, in the same way some cat breeds have a predisposition to certain health traits. The classic is the squint in the Siamese cat as an example only.

Some cat breeds are or were predisposed to having more than the usual digits. Examples are the Pixie-bob an American cat (an American Polydactyl cat one could say) and the Maine Coon, one of the largest domestic cat breeds and one of the most popular domestic cat breeds.


photo by The Flooz

Polydactylism in cats is associated with America through the famous author Earnest Hemingway. Earnest Hemingway was an American who lived in Florida (Key West), Cuba and Paris, in fact. He liked big game hunting something now outmoded somewhat and something I despise although he wrote brilliantly. He obviously liked polydactyl cats as he had a number of them at his home in Florida, or did this just come about by chance? In fact he was given a polydactyl cat and it went from there, I presume because the cat wasn't neutered or spayed. There are now about 60 cats at his former home about 30 of which are American Polydactyl cats. There are a number of proposed/experimental (call them what you like) cat breeds that are centered around Mr Hemingway. These are all potential American Polydactyl cat breeds:-

• Hemingway's Breed (Hemingway tried to create his own breed)
• Hemingway Thai (see Thai cats) - colorpointed polyactyl cats
• Hemingway Spotted - Bengal mated with polydactyl cat to produce Bengal cats with extra digits
• Hemingway Sphynx - Yes a many toed Sphynx cat
• Hemingway Fold - Yes, a Scottish Fold with extra toes
• Hemingway Curl - this is a further mutation of the Hemingway cat to produce a cat with curled ears and extra toes. The American Curl is the established breed of cat with curled ears and the normal number of toes.

Polydactylism is caused by a dominant mutated gene that is not sex related. The gene is signified by the letters Pg. A dominant gene means that if a polydactly cat is mated with a non-polyactyl cat at least half of the offspring would have extra digits. It is a congenital deformity. The word "congenital" means present at birth. Polydactylism is generally benign (i.e. no secondary defects that impact the health) but, apparently, there is a bad form of it that has been described as the the "thalidomide" or "twisty" mutation. It is a gene that causes a disease called triphalangeal pollex-radial hypoplasia.


American Polydactyl cat - Thumper - photo by actor212 who lives in America.

American Polydactyl cats are more frequently found, it seems, in the East of America. This might be explained by the suggestion that American Polydactyl cats originate in England and were brought over with the early settlers to America. The Maine Coon for example is East American (Maine) and probably or possibly originates in early settlers importing the cat. Although the history of cat breeds is wondrously vague sometimes. See History of Maine Coon Cat.

There are English and Welsh Polydactyl cats too, none of which are cat breeds. Lastly this congenital condition is not confined to domestic cats. It affects other animals including big cats such as the tiger (see Bengal tiger facts) and humans. A famous human being who had one too many fingers on his hands was the great Caribbean cricketer, Sir Garfield Sobers. The extra digit was surgically removed at birth. I wonder if he would have been a better cricketer (almost impossible as he was so talented) if he had kept his extra fingers?

Update 18-3-09: Here some more on Hemigway cats:

• Carlene Brennen wrote a book on them called,"Hemingway's Cats," published in 2006 by Pineapple Press.
• There are apparently 44 Hemingway cats as at the date of this update - not all are polydactyl.
  
• The house is currently owned by Mrs. Bernice Dixon who bought it in 1961.
• The cats are officially not allowed to go into the house but some do and get away with it.
• At 12, one of the oldest cats is Charlie Chaplin, named for a black spot on his upper lip.
• The cat's names are chosen by the staff who manage the house
• The cats fend for themselves during the typical Florida hurricane we know about so well.

American Polydactyl cat to Household cats (mixed breed cats)

American Polydactyl cat - Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Myself

American Polydactyl cat - Photos: published under creative commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License

Havana Brown genetics

Havana Brown Genetics show inbreeding - In an article now published for some time and written in 2000, but only now discovered by me, the author Leslie Lyons PhD, says that the Havana Brown suffers from poor genetic diversity. The genetic diversity (meaning narrow gene pool or, effectively, but perhaps crudely described means the cat is or was inbred) is similar to or "as low as" that of the Florida Panther. I have a post on the Florida Panther which can be seen by clicking on this link: Florida Cougar.

The research was carried out professionally and funded by the Winn Foundation. 12 catteries contributed 50 Havana Brown cats for the DNA.

The cat breed needed to be outcrossed with suitable other breeds such as the chocolate Oriental Shorthair cat (similar conformation) to widen the gene pool and create healthier Havana Brown genetics.


Havana Brown genetics to Havana Brown

Chestnut Brown cat

Havana Brown cats - I love this rich brown coat color - photo by alasam

The name Chestnut Brown cat was formally used on the 15th November 1958 at the Croydon Cat Club's Annual Championship Show as a new name for the then "Havana" cat. Up until then the Havana had been registered under "any other variety". The Havana is referred to as the Havana Brown today by the CFA.

The change came about because of expected misunderstandings with rabbit breeders (who I shall presume had rabbits called Havanas and probably still do).

The show was held at the Central Hall, Westminster, London. This is in the heart of London not far for the Houses of Parliament. Seven Chestnut Browns were entered for competition. The winner of the adult and kitten class in this show were exhibited by Mrs I Monro-Smith of Reading. (Reading is west of London)

It is thought that the first brown cats in the UK originated by accident in a cross breeding perhaps in a desire to breed a different kind of cat. This happened in the creation of the Ocicat for example (also called the Accicat - accidental cat for that reason).

When this distinctly brown cat cat was first shown in England this cat was it seems given the name "Swiss Mountain Cat", then "Havana" after the cigars and as stated at the above cat show the name changed again to Chestnut Brown.

The GCCF lists the name of this breed as "Havana breed No. 29" on its website at the date of this posting, so it seems that is was decided that the name was not confusing after all and the name has gone full circle.


From Chestnut Brown cat to Havana Brown cat

Sources:

• Times Archive
• www.havanabrown.com

Tapeworms in Felines

Tapeworm Dilylidium Caninum - photo by Sean94110

Cat fleas transmit some tapeworms in felines. Cat fleas are unpleasant in a number of ways and are more than simply irritating to our cat. Cat fleas feature in these posts:

Cat Scratch Fever
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
Hair Loss in Cats
Cat Parasite Pictures
Cat Health Problems...........................there are more posts, these are just examples.

The technical name for tapeworm is "Cestodes". Tapeworms in felines is the most common parasite in adult cats, living in the small intestine. The small intestine is between the stomach and the large intestine and where most food digestion takes place.


This picture shows the head (scolex - organ of attachment) of a tapeworm under a microscope - photo by Wearn

Tapeworms in felines clamp onto the wall of the small intestine using suckers and hooks (see above). The worm takes nutrients from the food in the gut and do not draw blood from the host as is the case with Hookworms. A tapeworm is made up of segments. The segments contain eggs.

The tapeworm known as Diphylidium caninum is transmitted via fleas (or lice). Fleas may have immature tapeworms in them. A cat may eat a flea inadvertently. Once inside the cat, the tapeworm segments are passed in feces and they look like rice when dried. They may stick to the fur at the rear end of the cat indicating an infestation.

Once out of the cat in feces the dried segment breaks open releasing the eggs, which are eaten by lice or flea larva where they reside in the flea's intestines. The cat eats the flea and voila the cycle starts again.

Tapeworms in felines can be from less than an inch to several feet long. The symptoms in the cat are abdominal discomfort. The cat may vomit and may be poisoned by toxins from the worm causing convulsions in the cat. The cat may scoot (see feline scooting) to remove the segments from the bottom.

The tapeworm Taenia taeniaformis is transmitted by eating uncooked meat or freshwater fish (see cats fish). Two other rarer types of tapeworms can be transmitted to a cat by eating freshwater fish; these are Dibothriocephalus latus and Spirometra mansanoides.

Exceptionally feline tapeworms can transmit to humans if for example a person ate a flea inadvertently.

The treatment is a drug called Droncit. There are others - the vet will prescribe of course. The head (scolex) of tapeworms in felines must be destroyed otherwise the worm will regenerate. It goes without saying that the life cycle of the tapeworm Diphylidium caninum must be broken through effective flea control. Roaming domestic cats are more likely to pick up Taenia taeniaformis so indoor living, controlled outdoor living (leash) or cat enclosures are the answer.

Tapeworms in Felines to Cat health problems

Tapeworms in Felines - Sources:

• www.peteducation.com
• Cat Owners Home Veterinary Handbook by Drs Carlson and Giffin
• Wikipedia

Classicat

The cat above is an Ocicat, which has the spotted tabby coat - photo copyright Helmi Flick

The Classicat is an Ocicat with the classic tabby cat coat rather than a spotted tabby coat. The New Zealand Cat Fancy describes the cat as a classic patterned Ocicat. The name probably derives from the classic nature of the tabby pattern. The classic tabby pattern is blotched pattern instead of the spotted pattern (e.g. as seen on the Bengal cat or the Ocicat above). I discuss cat coats tabby on a different page. An example of a classic tabby pattern is on the cat illustrated below:


Classic brown tabby pattern but as you guessed the cat is not a Classicat nor an Ocicat. The picture is simply to show the classic tabby pattern. - photo copyright Helmi Flick

I also discuss in some detail the Ocicat - Ocicat.

The Ocicat is a fine looking cat, which could be described as an exotic cat owing to the similarity with small wild cats but is not a wildcat hybrid. Neither is the Classicat, which has been fully developed from domestic cats. This is the breeding diagrammatically:-

Abyssinian X Siamese = offspring X Siamese (bred back to Siamese) = Ocicat X American Shorthair = Ocicat with preferred bone structure (medium to large breed) and silver color.

The classic tabby pattern (instead of the spotted pattern of the Ocicat) is, I presume, cultivated from mating with classic blotched tabby patterned American Shorthair cats. The classic tabby pattern is not the same as the marbled pattern on marbled Bengal cats (see Marbled Bengal cats) The markings should be clearly defined and dense. It is more important in competition to have good contrast between the pattern and the ground color than the color itself. The forehead will have the classic tabby marking. "M".

The Classicat colors are Tawny (brown tabby), Blue, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Lavender and Fawn.

The Classicat is a New Zealand breed; it seems that the breed is currently exclusively bred in New Zealand.

The Classicat will be athletic and a good size with a sleak coat. Another name for the Classicat is the Jungala (Sanskrit for the word "jungle"). The Classicat is a medium to large cat of moderate type, meaning nothing extreme in terms of conformation. The conformation (shape) and character are the same as the Ocicat and as stated the only difference is the coat pattern.

Classicat to Ocicat

Cats and Water

Cats and Water - by Tempo no tempo (No Video)

This fine picture prompted me to address the question as to whether cats really don't like water as has generally been (or still is) the view.

The more you think about it, the less true it seems. When do people use water or play in water? Not many actually go swimming, probably a very low percentage of the entire population so it can't be said that humans like water particularly. We run out of rain for instance, while most cats, certainly feral cats, tolerate rain better than humans.

We use water to wash, that is our main connection with water other than drinking it in various forms. Cats don't need to use water to wash so one can't criticize them for not liking water for that purpose.


Abyssinian cat in water - cats and water mixing nicely - Abys are lively cats but not as far as I am aware particular attracted to water but this one is. The point is that some cats, as is the case for some individual people, like water and some don't. It cuts across cat breeds. Photograph by isbye

A number of cats actually like water, particularly the wildcat hybrids, such as the Bengal cat and Savannahs. A natural cat of Turkey the Turkish Van sometimes goes for swims in it. Cats and water aren't necessarily polar opposites.

A lot of wild cats live by and paddle and even swim in water as it is a good source of food. One wild cat the Asian Fishing cat is a particularly good fisher but there are others. The Asian Leopard cat likes to live near water for fish and other animals living on or near it.

There is a picture of a White Siberian tiger swimming under water; now he likes the stuff that's for sure.

My cat, a moggie tuxedo cat doesn't particularly like it but goes out in it without an umbrella or overcoat!! So, I can't say that she is that averse to water. However, one thing that may make a cat a little reluctant to get wet is the fact that she will need to re-groom her fur afterwards. It may be a laziness thing, not wanting to have to groom again having got wet.

No, I am convinced on reflection that the idea that cats don't like water is exactly accurate, it's a misconception, some do and some don't just like humans. Cats and water can go together.

Cats and Water to Turkish Van the water loving cat

Cats and Water - the photographs are published under creative commons licenses, usually Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (Abyssinian) and Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License (white cat at pool).

Bramble Cat

The Bramble cat - photo credit: Gary Bramlett - see base of post.

The Bramble cat is named after the founder Gary Bramlett and for the reason that the coat is wiry. Just to be absolutely precise a bramble bush is a particular type of prickly shrub or bush which is difficult to negotiate if one is inclined to pick fruit from it. The term "bramble" would also seem to refer to the "wiry underbrush" (src: Designer Cat Association) found in bushes. The coat is not prickly but very nice to touch. This is a nice name.

The Bramble cat is registered with the Rare and Exotic Feline Registry (REFR). The breed was created at Gary Bramlett's cattery Magnoliachat Cattery. Gary was influenced by the Bengal (a very athletic cat with plenty of "bling"), the Peterbald (a cat with a sparse and very interesting coat that varies between hairless and a "brush") and other breeds, which have been incorporated into the breeding program.



Having some Bengal in the breed means that this cat is very agile and athletic. In terms of character it will also mean that this cat is active and perhaps a little mischievous.

The Bramble cat has a wide range of coat types the most usual being a rosetted (cloud like spots) coat that is a ticked (broken appearance). The Abyssinian has the classic ticked coat. The Bengal has the classic rosetted spots (see Bengal cat coat). The American Wirehair has the classic wirehair coat.

Bramble cat - Photo: I have published this photograph without first seeking Gary Bramlett's permission. I very rarely do this. I have done it on this occasion for the sake of expediency and provided a link to Gary Bramlett's cattery in return. If anyone objects, please leave a comment and I'll remove the picture immediately. Update: see Gary's comment below - thanks Gary.

From Bramble cat to Mixed breed cats

Sources:

• Gary Bramlett's website
• Messybeast
• The Designer Cat Association

Arabian Mau

Arabian Mau - this is a photograph from the WCF website which I have taken the liberty of using as there was no photo credit or copyright notice - wrong? Please tell me and I'll take immediate action, guaranteed.

The Arabian Mau is a current cat breed located in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Is this a cat breed - yes - see comment below. This cat was essentially a feral cat of the area, with a very long indeed ancient history, however. And lets remember that both the purebred British and American Shorthair cats started off as moggies in England before the creation of the cat fancy. There are many examples of moggies becoming purebred cats.

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This cat has been acknowledged thanks to the Middle East Cat Society (MECATS). MECATS is affiliated to the World Cat Federation (WCF). Neither MECATS nor WCF have this cat currently as a listed as a cat breed - i.e. formally recognized by these associations. This is probably destined to change judging by the comments made on the MECATS website in which they state that the Arabian Mau will be recognized by the WCF.

Studies carried out on the Arabian Mau by the head of MECATS indicates that this cat has characteristics different to other breeds. The research has been presented to the WCF and it was planned that the WCF would announce recognition of this breed in Nov. 2007. That I presume has happened but formal recognition in the form of a listing as an accepted breed is yet to take place unless I am missing something. A search on the WCF website did not produce a result - but see below, please.

The objective of MECATS is full acceptance of the Arabian Mau as a cat of full championship status and I wish them well in this task. This will mean meeting the requirements of the WCF in establishing a pedigree (a family history from a breeding pair for several years) and a standard plus meet the other requirements laid down by the registry.

Perhaps it is far to say that before the Arabian Mau became a recognized purebred cat it was probably defacto purebred as it only mates amongst like cats. There are three color types, mackerel tabby, black and white and white. This cat has been effectively promoted by the Middle East Cat Society.

Update 9-9-08: A comment (see below) helpfully states that this cat has been accepted by the WCF. When I visited the website the English version (of the German website) wasn't working and the Russian office of the WCF had no record of the Arabian Mau (as at 9th Sept.2008). However, on visiting again after reading the comment, the English version of the German WCF is now working and the Arabian Mau is listed as the newest shorthair breed - well done I'm pleased.

Arabian Mau to Mixed cat breed (Household pets)

American Keuda

American Keuda - The name is nice and even nicer because it stands for something. This is an efficient name, one of the best I've seen. I wonder whether the originators of this breed dreamt up the name of the breed first and then fitted the name of the survey ("Kitten Evaluation Under Direct Assessment") to the name of the breed? The logical sequence would be the other way around but the name of the survey is a little artificial so I reckon the sequence of events is as I have suggested. I could be barking up the wrong tree big time though.....

Anyway, back to this cat breed. The assessment program mentioned took place, apparently, in the 1980s in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico (the Southwestern United States of America). The objective was to study the barn cats of that region to find out the kind of characteristics that make a barn cat a good quality barn cat. In other words the study was looking at utility, how useful the cat would be in keeping down rodents as that is the classic role for barn cats. We are turning the clock back a long way here as the Maine Coon when first domesticated was, it has been supposed, a very hardy and effective barn cat. The barn cat is a semi-feral cat as he/she lives on the property of a farmer and provides a service for which I would expect he/she gets the occasional reward.

The area selected for the assessment is, it is thought, one where the longest genetic development of barn cats has taken place, going back to the European settlers - the 1600s (as does the Maine Coon) and perhaps right back to the 16th century. The long history gave the imported European cats plenty of time to adapt to the conditions, thereby evolving and become very efficient survivors and therefore hunters.

The idea was to create a cat breed that was founded on the objective of maximum utility as opposed to best appearance. I love that starting point. I'm basically a Utilitarian. Anyway, having found cats of the region that were the most efficient and talented barn cats (e.g. hardiness, strength and hunting skills) the founders breed from the best to start this utility cat breed. The development program is confined to breeding from these feral cats and no outcrosses to wild cats are permitted.

The end result, the American Keuda, is a cat very similar to the Egyptian Mau (on occasions). The Egyptian Mau is a very glamorous looking cat so I am surprised because feral cats are not usually glamorous looking and in any event the purpose is not good looks but function. The similarities many relate however to physiology (the functions of the body) rather than coat pattern - the appearance (see an Egyptian Mau below). However, some American Keuda cats look very much like an Egyptian Mau.


Egyptian Mau cat - this is a fine show cat example - photo copyright Helmi Flick - could a feral barn cat look like this? No but a feral barn cat could look like the feral Egyptian Mau below.

The Amerian Keuda has a wide range of coats. If breeding, as planned, is only from feral cats the coat types will be the types commonly seen for mixed breed cats, namely tabby cats, tabby and white, solid and white and Tuxedo for example.

The quality of the spots seen on an Egyptian Mau as seen in the cat above would need to be "bred in" carefully in my view. However, the feral Egyptian Maus of Egypt have spots with what seems to be ticking. The spots are, therefore, less well defined (see the photograph right a feral Egyptian Mau and a very well feed one at that. This photograph is published under a creative commons license of this type: Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike -photo by vagabondblogger). Feral Egyptian Maus are commonplace and poorly treated generally.

A spotted cat is a tabby cat. This is not a registered cat breed despite the origin dating back to the 1980s. However, it would seem "active" development has only taken place since 2002.

I have to take issue with the Wikipedia author on one issue. The author says that the "morphology" of the cat is important. Morphology means the outward appearance. Physiology relates to function. I am sure that this is a mistake as the American Keuda is meant to be about function, utility and not appearance (morphology).

There is an association, The American Keuda Cat Association (AKCA). The cats illustrating the webpages are of nicely balanced cats, nothing extreme, which I think is commendable and of course to be expected from feral cats. The AKCA make a point about the loose skin assisting running and athletic abilities. At present I am not convinced that this is the case, i.e. this cat probably has no more loose skin than other breeds. Nonetheless the strengths of this cat is the normality but this probably works against the American Keuda becoming a purebred pedigree cat as the major associations like to see differentiation through appearance above all else.

American Keuda to the Domestic cat

American Keuda - Sources:

• Messybeast
  
• Wikipedia
  
• AKCA
  

Feline FIP

Feral cats Israel - photo by yell saccani (A.S)


Introduction

Feline FIP is cat infectious peritonitis. Peritonitis affects humans as well and in humans it is an inflammation of the peritoneum, which is a thin membrane in the abdomen that hold the internal organs in place and acts as a conduit for blood vessels, nerves and lymph vessels.

In cats the disease is not confined to the peritoneum, however. The virus that causes the disease, a member of the family Coronaviridae, causes inflammation of the fine blood vessels (the capillary blood vessels) of the body generally. This is called "vasculitis". This results in the loss of fluids to the tissues.

The Coronavirus (FCoV) is so called because the virus is circled by a corona or crown of circular structures on thin spikes. These structures are called viral spikes or peplomers.

The virus lives in the cat's intestine. For 9 out of 10 cats it's presence has no detrimental effect. For the remaining cats the virus leaves the intestine and, as mentioned, inflames the capillary blood vessels (vasculitis). Half of the cats that contract vasculitis develop Feline FIP.

The disease is spread from cat to cat through close and continuous contact with infected secretions. This can be through, for example, sneezing or sharing a food bowl when transference takes place through the saliva. Apparently the most common route for transmission of the virus is through feces. The virus enters the cat through the nose and mouth.

Three quarters of exposed cats show no sign of infection. Of the 25% that do show signs of infection the first symptoms of feline FIP are a runny nose and/or eye discharge. Cats can recover from this and show no symptoms but remain carriers of the disease nonetheless.

Of the cats exposed to the disease, 5% go on to develop the secondary disease, which is fatal. Feline FIP tends to infect either young or old cats. That is cats in the age range 6 months to 5 years and 11 years and older. It would seem that an age less than 18 months is the most vulnerable time.

Clearly there is a greater chance of infection where many cats live together as in a cattery or a multiple cat household. Catteries are concerned with the breeding of purebred cats so it is often purebred cats that suffer the disease. Also more vulnerable cats will be those that are run down (and have a lowered resistance) because of a prior illness.

There are two forms, wet and dry feline FIP. Both forms prove fatal.

Wet Feline FIP

Fluid builds in the body spaces including the heart sac, hence the name. The symptoms are general and it can be hard to differentiate the symptoms of this disease from other feline diseases. Symptoms include loss of appetite and weight, listlessness, running a temperature (fever of 106 degrees), vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, anemia, jaundice (yellow skin - liver failure) and unsurprisingly the cat looks very ill.

Dry Feline FIP

Fluid is not produced hence the name. This is also called the "disseminated form" and is difficult to diagnose. "Dissemination" means diffused or dispersed. The symptoms, early on, are similar to Wet Feline FIP.

In a quarter of cases the eyes are affected. The color of the eyes may change and a reddish area on the iris, bleeding into the eye and the eye may be cloudy.

A number of organs can be affected namely the brain (brain damage), liver (liver failure), kidney and pancreas (see Feline Pancreatitis). 10-20% of cats with Feline FIP also suffer from Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV - see Feline Leukemia Symptoms). The dry form leads to death over a longer period. This is a traumatic disease for both the cat and the person. People whose cats have died by this disease have spoken of the devastation they felt. It was obviously a traumatic event for them.

______________________________

The prognosis as mentioned is bad as there is not cure and all cats who develop either version of Feline FIP will die in a few weeks. All vets and keepers can do is to make the cat as comfortable as possible.

Prevention is the only option therefore. A controversial vaccine is available that is inoculated into the nose. It is a problematic vaccination and not recommended it seems as a routine vaccination (see cat vaccination recommendations).

Maintaining the cat's natural immunity is a factor. This is achieved in a common sense way through good nutrition, low stress environment (spacious enclosure and room to exercise), good cat parasite control (see cat parasite pictures - this is not comprehensive), early treatment of illness and regular grooming (grooming your cat).

Cat breeders and boarding catteries will disinfect with bleach regularly. Routine testing of all the cats for Feline FIP in homes where there are a number of cats is a proactive measure. Testing though it seems is also problematic.

Update 11-Jan-2009: Bearing in mind that the corona virus is carried by a large number of cats in a benign way could it be possible that vaccination carried out too early might trigger the onset of feline FIP? Cat vaccinations are quite traumatic for a young cat and are to be taken seriously by the cat owner. They are not routine procedures to become complacent about. One two breeders might agree with the above suggestion, I think.

More information: Feline Infectious Peritonitis


Feline FIP - Sources:

1. www.veterinarypartner.com
2. Veterinary Notes for Cat Owners by Dr Trevor Turner and Jean Turner VN
3. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Drs Carlson and Giffin

Feline FIP to Cat health problems

Shaved cats

Shaved cats - for medical reasons - sorry no fancy shaving or lion cut.

Well my cat has become one of the shaved cats. And why? Well a few anxious moments were spent at the vets to have a look at her, er, um, rear end as it had become a bit sore and she was licking it at lot.

I posted about this earlier thinking she may have had a spot of Feline Alopecia (going bald sometimes by over grooming) or Feline Hyperesthesia (behavioral problem). The vet didn't really discuss this but another possibility was compacted cat anal sacs.


Google earth - no shaved cats syndrome and a bit of feline dandruff.

Anyway, all those theories boil down to practical solutions, which in this instance amounted to becoming one of the shaved cats. So, this one is not one of the lion cuts or fancy shaves some people get into but entirely for medical reasons.

Her bottom and rump was shaved. The rump was shaved because she was unable to groom that area and it had become matted and the bottom to make it more healthy as she is really quite long haired (well more medium haired but a very dense hair).

She was given and anesthetic to calm her for the shaving and an antibiotic injection for a possible infection to her anal sacs.

That's it for now...

Shaved cats to Home page

Anatolian cat

The Anatolian cat is a bit of a mystery cat. This is apparently an experimental breed and is also called the Turkish Shorthair or Anadolu Kedisi.


A Turkish Van cat - maybe this is also the Anatolian cat - photo copyright Helmi Flick

However, the breed is apparently accepted by one cat association, the World Cat Federation (WCF). The German based (.de) WCF website's link to their pages in English is broken at the date of this post so I couldn't easily discover more about the Anatolian from their website but another search produced a website for the WCF Russian Office and they had breed standards for all the accepted cats by the federation including the Anatoli ANA. Is this the same breed as the Anatolian? The letters "ANA" is the federation's code for this breed. If it is the cat breed it is not experimental it would seem, not as regards the WCF anyway, as there is no mention of the breed being experimental on their website.

The German page of the German WCF website also mentions the Anatoli with a full breed standard but there is no photograph of the cat. Neither is there a photograph of the cat on website of the Russian branch of the WCF as far as I can see - a mystery cat....


{This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. It has been modified by en:User:Denizz (drawn a rectangle around Anatolia) and by me (cropped the image to fit this page)}

Anatolia, incidentally, is an area that encompasses most of Turkey and is an ancient term defining a certain region. This informs us about the connection between Turkey, the Turkish Van and the Anatoli or Anatolian cat.

One last thing, the WCF don't list the Turkish Van as a breed that is accepted by them. This strongly suggests that the Anatolian cat is in fact the Turkish Van under a different name. The Turkish Van is a well established breed with a long history (a natural cat breed therefore) and fully recognized by the conservative CFA so it is surprising that the WCF don't recognize the breed.

For that reason it would seem that the Anatolian is the Turkish Van or a very similar breed. On that basis I am not going to go into great detail about the cat here but respectfully point you, if I may in the direction of the Turkish Van page of the Pictures of cats website. The major feature other than the long and natural history is the short coat that has no undercoat (easy to maintain - less matting) and the cat's likeness for playing in water or even swimming in it and of course the famous Van pattern.

Anatolian cat to Home page

Arctic Curl

Turkish Angora cat, which when crossed with a Selkirk Rex results in the Arctic Curl. - photo copyright Helmi Flick - this cat was photographed in America.

The Arctic Curl is a proposed new cat breed and the word "curl" is not included in the name to describe curled ears as is the case for the established American Curl.

The term "curl" for this cat relates to the hair and the curly cat coat comes from the Selkirk Rex, one of the Rex cats, the others are the Devon Rex and LaPerm. There are others but these are the main current cat breeds with curly hair. The LaPerm has either short or long curly hair.


Selkirk Rex - photo copyright Helmi Flick - this is an American Selkirk Rex.

As mentioned, the Arctic Curl is a cross between the Selkirk Rex and the Turkish Angora. The breeder who is proposing it is based in the UK, Tremarie Persians, Chinchillas and Selkirk Rex. The cattery owner, Penny Odell is aiming for a cat that looks like the Turkish Angora with slightly rounder eyes and the coat semi-long and curly. Her preference is for white cat coats with blue eyes and this I presume is the reason why the cat is called an "Arctic Curl". She is also interested in the shape of the ear and how that might develop by possibly incorporating the Balinese breed as an outcross.

Of course in due course a Standard of Points (the GCCF equivalent of the breed standard) will eventually have to be drafted. This I am guessing is quite a tricky task.

Arctic Curl to Home page

American Longhair

American Longhair in Norway - photo by Sberla

American Longhair is another now unused name for the Maine Coon cat. It is (or was) also the name for a proposed or actual long haired American Shorthair, if that makes sense.

I say unused but maybe some people still use it. One person has written about the American Longhair as if it is a current breed of American cat. They don't refer to the Maine Coon when doing so - strange because there is no such breed of cat. There are cat breeds in America that have long hair but the characteristic of long hair cuts across breeds and is not confined to a single breed.

The Maine Coon is one of the best looking cats, there is no doubt about that; many would argue the best looking domestic cat. And one of the largest domestic cat breeds as well - the size adds to the attraction and so does the nice placid temperament (usually). The show cat Maine Coons have great soft characters.

The range of coat types allowable under the various breed standards is wide but the most popular is the classic tabby (takes you to a detailed post on the tabby coat) which is blotches as opposed to spotted tabby. Tabby and white looks fantastic too.

American Longhair to Home page

American Longhair - About the photo: I like it as this is the home of the Norwegian Forest cat, a similar cat and one possibly with the same origin. Also this Maine Coon cat is so typically a Maine Coon with a nice tabby coat and a splash of white, which is nice and symmetrical on the nose. Published under a creative commons license - Attribution License.

American Forest Cat Longhair

photo by ~Sage~

The American Forest Cat Longhair is another name for the Maine Coon cat (src: Sarah Hartwell). There is not much to say about that except the name seems to be rarely used and it creates a confusion particularly to people outside the cat fancy. The Maine coon cat is similar to the Norwegian Forest cat in appearance which adds to the confusion.

The picture heading this post is of a Maine Coon at a cat show, so this is a seriously nice cat. This one is a ginger tabby and white (in my opinion - see cat coats tabby and white). The photo is published under a creative commons license; Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. The same applies to the photo published below.


Norwegian Forest Cat - photo by KouK's -this shows the similarity. The head shape for one is slightly different and the American Forest Cat Longhair is generally heavier (see largest domestic cat breed).

American Forest Cat Longhair to Home page

American Burmese

American Burmese - Sable color - photo Copyright Helmi Flick

It is unfortunate for cat people that there is such a cat breed as the American Burmese as it automatically implies that it is differentiated from other Burmese cat breed(s) which is the case.

Americans have bred the Burmese along different lines and produced a different cat that is cobbier, compact, not so "foreign" in appearance and with a rounded head (almost mimicking to a certain extent, what happened to the flat faced Persian). The more extreme Persian has a health problem as a result and the same is the case with the American Burmese. Although I am sure Burmese cat breeders are doing all they can to resolve the matter.

The CFA recognize 4 colors: sable, champagne, blue and platinum for the American Burmese in contrast to the European Burmese, which has a wider range of colors (10). This is due to the introduction of the red gene. The introduction of this gene through outcrossing with Siamese. The full range of European Burmese colors are: chocolate-tortie, blue-tortie, lilac-tortie, brown, chocolate, blue, lilac, red, cream, brown-tortie.

You can read about the American Burmese generally on this page which focuses on the American Burmese cat breed but deals also with the European Burmese.

I personally believe that we need to at least think about perhaps turning the clock back a bit in the cat fancy to simplify and rationalize the cat breeds in the interest of health, the public and the cats. Although health issues related to breeds only applies to a limited number cat breeds (see genetic diseases in purebred cats). That though is my view and many will disagree with it. I think some people are perhaps too close to the issues to see the whole, the bigger picture. The recent Savannah cat ban into Australia is one example of the bigger picture.

I think that when cat breeders "over egg" the breeding process they may damage the cat fancy. At least they give ammunition to people who want to attack the cat fancy, which I find unfortunate. I would also like to see the Burmese cat as one cat breed and known as the same cat. And for that cat breed to be as healthy as possible.

American Burmese to Home page

American Cornish Rex

The fantastic photographs of the Cornish Rex cat that you can see on this page are of the American Cornish Rex breed. If you don't want to go to that page here is one of the photographs:


Photo strictly copyright Helmi Flick

If you go to the Cornish Rex page of the GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy - UK) website and see the Cornish Rex cat you can see the difference with the Cornish Rex cat on this page: Cornish Rex cat (these show photographs of American breed cats).

The American Cornish Rex has been selectively bred with the German Rex, the Oriental and the Cornish Rex.

The British Cornish Rex looks less rangy, less fragile (wrong word?) and the face a little more average looking (less long and less thin). The cat, then, is generally less delicate looking than the American Cornish Rex, which as you can see from the photographs looks very slender and seems delicate (but probably isn't) and leggy.

American Cornish Rex to Home page

Cat anal glands

My cat photo copyright Michael at Pictures of Cats.org

Cat anal glands are semi-redundant and were used for territory marking and in some animals for defense.

In cats they are rarely used and can become blocked. This can cause discomfort and a visit to the vet.

My cat (see picture) has blocked cat anal glands, I think. See this post.

Cat's try to unblock the glands by dragging their bottoms along the ground. My cat's anal glands might be infected due to blockage for a time.

It is hard to tell what the problem is. My cat looks healthy and is relatively active for a cat in her mid-80s (she is about 16 years of age in human age terms).

See how old is my cat.

Feline scooting

This is my cat and she is doing feline scooting.

My cat is scooting. She is not young anymore. She scoots after going to the toilet so I think scooting has two purpose but I could be wrong. First though, lets explain feline scooting, which is a cat dragging her bottom along the ground while driving herself forwards with her front legs.

The two reasons, first main reason:

1. She wants or needs to empty her anal sacs that are located just inside the area of her anus. The sacs contain a substance that is strong smelling used for territorial marking and defense but are somewhat redundant in cats and dogs (the Skunk still finds them useful).

If they become blocked (perhaps through no or little use) they cause discomfort. Our cat might try and encourage the sacs to empty by scooting.

2. To wipe the bottom (I'm not sure if this is the case, mind you - though it certainly looks that way)

My cat is doing it for the first reason and her rear end is a little infected and she licks it a lot. This tells me she has a blocked anal sac.

Of to the veterinarian tomorrow to see if I am correct - and I'll report back.

Feline scooting to home page

Feline scooting - photo heading post - of you'd like to use it that's fine. If you'd like to give a link or credit that's fine too.

American Blue cat

The American Blue cat is another, now unused, name for the Russian Blue cat, or is it? Here's a picture of a Russian Blue - one of the best:


Russian Blue cat - photo strictly copyright Helmi Flick

There is a breeder who called her cats "American Blue". Type in "American Blue" into a Google search and see. Are these Russian Blue cats called American Blue cats to make them a little different? Why not? I think she breeds Russian Blues. If not they are her own breed of cat, an unregistered cat breed.

American Blue cat to Home page

Allergen free cat

Ashera GD - Allergen free cat? Controversial - nice looking cat - photo copyright Life Style Pets Inc.

Is there such a thing as an allergen free cat? Allergens cause allergic reactions (see feline allergies). Cat dander (cat saliva and skin) contains allergens for some people that cause an allergic reaction. The percentage of people who are affected is small but significant. The allergen is called Felis domesticus allergen 1. This post talks about this particular allergen: Fel d1

There are no regular cat breeds that are hypoallergenic although some are claimed to be better than others (Siberian cat for example or the hairless cats - Sphynx being the classic - but they are still cleaned with saliva and they still have hair - downy hair).

There were proposals many years ago to genetically modify cats to create a cat that could not be allergic to humans but it seems this hasn't happened unless one believes Life Style Pets Inc. the company behind Allerca cats including the "flagship" Allerca cat the Ashera GD, which skeptics say are unregistered F2 Savannah cats. Life Style Pets say they are an allergen free cat.

However, I have not heard of any paying customers of Allerca cats claim compensation or sue Life Style Pets for breach of contract on the basis that they have become allergic to the cat they bought from them. As their customers would normally be only people who are liable to be allergic to cats, if the cats were not hypoallergenic there would be some problems which would normally surface on the Internet. Does anyone know of any claims for compensation?

Are there any other attempts to create an allergen free cat?

Allergen free cat to Home page

Feline allergies

Feline allergies caused hair loss in this instance. The hair loss was also a result of alopecia (balding) Alopecia can be due to Feline Hyperesthesia. Photograph published under creative commons license. The cat is called Oreo and the photograph is by lil moe72

Cat allergies are relatively easy to understand. Allergic reactions affect humans as much as cats so we are probably all familiar with them one way of another. For example, not long ago I suffered from allergic contact dermatitis at the desk I was working at. A cleaner was using a spray polish which contained a chemical to which I was allergic. That chemical substance is called an "allergen". This resulted in a rash on the wrist area where I rested my arm. I had suffered an allergic reaction or a hypersensitivity reaction. In a variety of ways, the same thing affects cats.
An allergic reaction to an allergen is not confined to direct contact with the skin. Feline Allergies can be caused by allergens entering the body of the cat:-

• through the lungs in the form of dust or for example pollen,
• by eating food containing an allergen
• by way of insect bites or a vaccination
• direct absorption through the skin

Whereas human allergies usually take the form of hay fever and asthma (by allergens entering the lungs), feline allergies are usually concerned with the skin (e.g, flea bite allergy) and digestive tract (food allergies). A connection between humans and cats is in the form of an allergic reaction to a cat from cat dander (Fel d 1 (cat allergy))

So, what is happening? For me, at least, I'd like to know what is happening at a microscopic level. However, what actually happens is highly complex and not, as I understand, it completely researched and understood as at the date of this post. However, at a more simplistic level an allergen is not a parasite. It is does not benefit from its association with the cat or human (such as a worm). An allergen is an antigen and an antigen is a substance that generates an immune response. The immune system protects the body of animals from bacteria, viruses, foreign bodies etc. that can cause harm. Specifically allergens prompt the generation of antibodies. Antibodies are proteins in the blood and body fluids of an animal that identify and "neutralize" foreign objects as mentioned (e.g. viruses). Clearly in an allergic reaction the immune system is to a certain extent going wrong in reacting in a manner that causes the person or cat discomfort and illness.



Feline Allergies - Food Allergy

Cats can become allergic to certain substances in food. Apparently the most common foods causing an allergic reaction are beef, chicken, pork, eggs, milk, fish, corn, wheat and soy. Well, I don't know when a cat would eat wheat (probably if she liked cereal and milk - some cats do). Actually now I think of it my cat likes to lick the bottom of the cereal bowl.

The symptoms of a food allergy are:

• rashes on the head, neck and back
• possible swollen eyelids
• possible hair loss
• sores due to scratching
• possible diarrhea (seetreating cat diarrhea)
• possible vomiting (see cat vomiting)

One treatment/diagnosis will be hypoallergenic cat food this link also looks at IBD - Irritable Bowl Disease. The bottom line and most obvious solution is a change in diet to remove the offending allergen. The problem is finding in which food the allergen exists. Hypoallergenic cat food helps in that process.


Buzzy has an allergy and is wearing a "lamp shade", I suppose to stop him scratching his head, where the symptoms are. He usually prefers to sleep outside under a hebe (a plant I believe found in New Zealand) - is the photographer and human companion a Kiwi? Photograph by riotcitygirl I hope you're alright now Buzzy.

Feline Allergies - Miliary Dermatitis

My first thought is where the term "miliary" comes from. Well thefreedictionary.com comes to my aid and tells me it means, "having the appearance of millet seeds". The skin lesions have the appearance and size of millet seeds. Here is a picture of red millet seeds (on the left)!


Photo by ShinobiHammies (opens in new window)

Miliary Dermatitis is an allergic skin reaction to a number of possible substances:

--flea bites (the most common cause in cats - see cat and dog parasite pictures)
--mites (see cat ear mites for example)
--lice
--bacterial infection
--fungal infection
--drug reactions
--food



Of all the feline allergies it would seem that an allergic reaction to flea bites is the simplest to deal with. Even in the best households it is possible for a well kept cat to get fleas. But we owe it to our cat to check for fleas regularly. If this is done it is unlikely it seems to me that our cat will develop any of the rather severe symptoms associated with military dermatitis. The symptoms are:

--severe itching - resulting in scratching - resulting in raw patches of skin - leading to infected skin etc.

It is relatively easy to check for fleas by combing with a flea comb. The flea(s) and a black granula substance will be combed out onto the teeth of the comb. If this accompanies the symptoms described it is likely that the dermatitis is due to a feline allergy to flea bites. I would have thought, though, as mentioned, that the state of affairs should not become so severe provided we are observant and proactive in dealing with fleas. There are many ways to deal with them. I personally favor simple combing (once combed out they should be crushed immediately as they jump off back to the cat) or if there are too many fleas a dropper treatment such as Frontline should control flea infestation.Cats can be given cortisone which treats the symptoms but can cause detrimental side effects. A "lamp shade" protector as above may be necessary.

Feline allergies - Allergic Contact Dermatitis

Clearly a cat is relatively well protected by fur from coming into contact with chemicals that contain allergens to which the cat is sensitive. However, there are some areas where it can happen namely, the nose, paws, chin (thin hair), abdomen and groin (thinner hair). These areas point downwards and are generally nearest the ground so are in fact more likely to pick up irritant chemicals. Despite this the condition is rare.

Contact with the chemical gradually creates a sensitivity to it at which point the symptoms appear: inflammation of the skin as red itchy bumps, which can lead to hair loss and a crusty skin. Substances that can cause this feline allergy are: flea collar (the allergen is in the insecticide), flea powders (this is why I prefer the physical way, it's safer), some shampoos, some plants such as poison ivy, some fibers, plastics and rubber (this might lead to dermatitis in the tail and rear end of the cat due to the litter tray being made of these materials), dyes on materials such as carpet, drugs and medication.

Feline allergies - Inhaling allergens

Although the allergens are breathed in the symptoms are similar to allergic contact dermatitis and/or food allergies. There are many possible sources of allergens that can be inhaled namely, dust, pollens, molds, smoke, litter dust, carpet deodorizers etc. The rash can extend from around the head, neck and back.

In some cases an asthmatic attack can be triggered by inhaling allergens. Feline Asthma is also called Feline Allergic Bronchitis. Inhaling allergens can cause nasal allergies (allergic rhinitis) causing sneezing and watery discharge from the nose. Steroids and antihistamines are the treatment (but see a vet obviously).

The answer is the obvious; to isolate the cause, the allergen and remove it from the environment in which the cat lives while relieving symptoms (vet prescription). However, this shampoo Zymox Enzymaic Shampoo (12 Oz)has received some glowing reviews by people who have struggled to cure skin infection problems. This might be an interim measure at least if the cause of the hair loss in uncertain, for example.


From Feline Allergies to Cat health problems

Feline allergies - Sources:

1. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Drs Carlson and Giffin
2. Wikipedia for definitions and some detail

Cat rescue in China

Cat rescue in China is actually happening and it is the Chinese who are doing the rescuing. For me it is great to read about feral cat rescue in China, the country where feral cats are rounded up, caged and beaten to death before being eaten.

Yet there is a report in the China Daily newspaper of a group of "animal lovers" (as the China Daily calls them - the newspaper uses the term in an almost derogatory manner, it seems) from the Shanghai Animal Protection Association who rescued 800 feral cats that were about to be shipped to Guangdong Province the place where they eat cats from dealers in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. About 1,500 cats were being shipped and 800 released. Great work, but it is so hard for the people of the Shanghai Animal Protection Association and the cats. Where did they go after being released? Will they survive and will they be recaptured? After all there are no animal protection laws in China so the police could do nothing really.

The really great thing is that this is happening and reported. It is the beginning, I hope, but there is a long way to go. The next significant step is for the Chinese government to create some effective law to prevent animal cruelty and protect animal rights and conservation.

I hope and pray that Cat rescue in China is the beginning of an enlightened era and the beginning of the end of the pain suffered by so many cats in China. Let us think of the 800 or so cats who were not rescued and who died a terrible death in the cat markets. I think China wants to feel "accepted" if that is a fair word to use. The fantastic effort and funding put into the Olympics seems to support this. Enacting laws to protect human and animal rights would be a fantastic step.

Cat rescue in China to cat meat name and shame

Cat rescue in China

Cat rescue in China is actually happening and it is the Chinese who are doing the rescuing. For me it is astonishing to read about feral cat rescue in China, the country where feral cats are rounded up, caged and beaten to death before being eaten.

Yet there is a report in the China Daily newspaper of a group of "animal lovers" (as the China Daily calls them - I'd prefer "moral people") from the Shanghai Animal Protection Association rescued 800 feral cats that were about to be shipped to Guangdong Province the place where they eat cats from dealers in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. About 1,500 cats were being shipped and 800 released (the numbers may have been bigger). Great work, but it is so hard for the people of the Shanghai Animal Protection Association and the cats. Where did they go after being released? Will they survive and will they be recaptured? After all there are no animal protection laws in China so the police could do nothing really.

The really great thing is that this is happening and reported. It is the beginning, I hope, but there is a long way to go. The next significant step is for the Chinese government to create some effective law to prevent animal cruelty and control the monster, that crime against animal rights and conservation, ancient Chinese medicine.

A more recent report talks of an 80 year old lady named Lu Di. She apparently directs many of the rescue efforts. Fantastic, I praise and comment this brave lady. She used to work for Mao Tse-tung the former leader, reading to him when his eyesight failed.

And there is a protest, activist animal welfare group called The Small Animal Protection Association. I am sure there are some more. They are all doing great work. Cat rescue in China is happening. The Chinese government should sit up and listen, enact some decent animal protection laws and create an efficient enforcement agency (not the police). They have the money. Wildcats need as much protection as well.

Cat Rescue in China to Home Page