Cat Chit Chat

A form of feline behaviour which all cat owners are aware of and which the experts have spoken of is bringing prey animals back into their caregiver's home where they either eat the mouse if it's dead or they 'play' with it until it dies and then perhaps eat it. Cat bringing prey home. Image in public domain. Normal explanation The normal theory for this form of cat behaviour is that domestic cats are bring their prey back to their natal den within their natal range because they have the mental state of a kitten and they are kept in that state by their human care givers who provide for them completely. They are bringing prey back to their mother in the den as she teaches them how to hunt (and see below - role reveral). That is my preferred theory.  New theory A new theory has been proposed by Celia Haddon in conjunction with Dr. Daniel Mills FRCVS in their book Being Your Cat: What's Really Going on in Your Feline's Mind . They say that domestic cats bring their

NEWS AND OPINION - USA AND AUSTRALIA: Like me, Nike, find the killing of 2 million kangaroos every year objectionable and they are doing something about it. They've announced that at the end of 2023 they will no longer be using kangaroo leather in any of their products. Note: this is a cross-post as it is very important in animal welfare . Perhaps the best-known product in which they use kangaroo leather (K-leather) is football boots. The uppers are often made of kangaroo leather because it is flexible, durable and more functional. As I understand it, many professional footballers have kangaroo leather football boots. The problem is the source of the leather. We are looking at about the shooting of 2 million kangaroos by shooters employed by harvesters and professional marksmen sometimes at night for their meat and leather. I have a deep sense of unease about this. I think a lot of the shooters don't just do it for the meat and leather i.e. the commercial interest, but because

A study (lead scientist: Jun Ji) detected the presence of cachavirus in Chinese pet cats, with a low infection rate of approximately 1.17% in diarrheic cats (cats with diarrhea). The virus was found to co-infect with FPV (Feline parvovirus) in one sample, and there was no statistically significant association between the presence of the virus and diarrheic signs. Tabby and white street cat in China. Image in public domain. The study suggests that larger investigations and animal inoculation experiments are needed to determine whether cachavirus may be pathogenic (a pathogen such as a bacterium or a virus causing disease). The phylogenetic trees based on NS1 and VP1 indicate that the cachaviruses from dogs and cats belong to the same branch, suggesting a recent common origin. However, the cachavirus strains detected in Chinese cats were quite different from the fechavirus and more closely related to the virus previously found in dogs in the United States.  The study only obtained a par

The people who dislike cats say that cat owners and other people get toxoplasma gondii infections from cats through cat faeces as the feces can contain oocysts for a short period. And there's lots of discussion on the Internet about this and whether a pregnant woman should have a domestic cat companion. Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease. But the experts, and I would include myself in that, say that the major way people contract toxoplasma gondii infections is through their handling of and their eating of certain foods. I'm referring to undercooked or uncooked foods and handling raw foods and then using their hands to eat cooked foods. This creates cross contamination. And in this vein, I've picked up a study on the Internet about Toxoplasma gondii infections in humans in China dated 2011. The study is interesting because in certain parts of China they have very specific eating habits. Sometimes these eating habits exacerbate the likelihood of contracting toxoplasmosis. T

Screenshot marked up. Well, this is on the Reddit.com website. The cat's owner asks whether his cat should be doing this. NO, is the answer but no one could say what is happening. I have never seen this before.  Sensibly, he took his cat to the vet who diagnosed a body twitch but it is enormous and rhythmical in time with a heartbeat it looks like to me. But I am wrong it seems. It is a rhythmical muscle spasm. There you go. But don't be surprised if you find out the cat died. Should my cat’s body be doing this? by u/TheStockRavager in catcare It is likely that the video will be removed from Reddit in which case it will stop working here.

The dominant white gene in cats is associated with an increased risk of deafness. This is because the gene affects the development of the cells in the inner ear that are responsible for hearing. All-white semi-feral cat. Image in public domain. The dominant white gene can cause the cells in the inner ear to fail to develop normally, leading to a condition called congenital sensorineural deafness. This type of deafness is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, which are responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. RELATED:  What percentage of white cats are deaf? Cats that have one or two copies of the dominant white gene are at an increased risk of developing congenital deafness. This is particularly common in cats with white fur and blue eyes, as the gene that causes blue eyes is closely linked to the dominant white gene. RELATED:  Deafness in cats – causes, diagnosis and management plus dog info. too It is important to note

Feline leukemia (FeLV) is a viral infection that affects cats. The virus responsible for FeLV is called the feline leukemia virus. Cats can become infected with FeLV through close contact with an infected cat, such as grooming, sharing food or water dishes, or through bite wounds. FeLV cat. Image in public domain. FeLV attacks the cat's immune system and can lead to various health problems, including anemia, cancers, and other infections. FeLV is most commonly found in cats that spend time outdoors, cats that live in multi-cat households, and kittens born to infected mothers. Chart by MikeB. Not all cats that come into contact with FeLV will become infected. The virus is relatively fragile and can be easily destroyed by most household disinfectants. It is important to vaccinate cats against FeLV and to test cats for the virus before introducing them to a household with other cats. Additionally, keeping cats indoors and limiting their exposure to potentially infected cats can reduce