Hip dysplasia in cats

Hip dysplasia in cats is relatively uncommon but is a genetic disease that tends to raise it head more frequently than other diseases. It is not confined to purebred cats nor cats generally. It affects dogs and is common in many dog breeds particularly the larger dog breeds. It also affects humans at the rate on 1 in 1 thousand.

The disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Hip dysplasia in cats and other animals is caused by the ball and socket joint where the leg joins the hip being misshapen and being ill fitting.

Normally the top of the leg bone, the femur is a smooth ball shape covered by cartilage for a smooth action and a wide range of movement. The balled shape top of the femur normally fits nicely into the socket of the hip. If the fit is poor and the surfaces ill shaped there will be friction and a loose fit.

The disease is often found alongside patellar luxation. The signs are walking abnormally, intermittent lamness and a lack of desire to jump. The joint can become severely degraded and arthritic. Most cats will suffer a mild form. Hip dysplasia in cats can be checked for by a veterinarian on a physical examination.

The symptoms might not be evident until later in life. Surgery may be necessary.

Read more here.

Hip dysplasia in cats to cat health problems

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats

Worlds fattest cat

I'm going to be a real kill joy and ask, "what is so interesting about the worlds fattest cat"? This is a cat weighing almost 41 pounds. He is ginger cat. He is actually quite mobile. He can run up the stairs for example. But he is grossly overweight. I presume that this is because he has been overfeed by the person with whom he lives. What is so interesting about that? I would have thought that there would have been some shame not an acceptance or a desire to show off a cat that has been overfeed.

This cat must have health problems. It is like doing anything for 15 mins of fame. The guy who shot John Lennon wanted to "be somebody". Well he is but at what price and such a cheap way to be somebody. The same goes for overfeeding a cat. I guess the owner is vicariously getting the fame through his cat.

The cat doesn't know what is going on, except he can't groom and will probably die a lot younger than he should. I think we need to get a handle on this and present to the world and make famous animals and people who present a positive image, something useful and inspiring.

Just my rambling thoughts. But there is no doubt that it is wrong at a fundamental level to present to the world the worlds fattest cat. Unless there is some criticism going on but I doubt that. Overeating is obscene in a world where millions are starving (in Zimbabwe alone about 7 million are at risk of starvation). They'd probably eat the cat food given a chance.

Worlds fattest cat to cat health problems

Feline Gingivitis

Nice teeth and gums - they can chew through anything....photo by aylaujp

Feline Gingivitis is gum disease. This happens when bacteria infects the gums where dental plaque, calculus and trapped food combine in the small gaps in between the tooth and gum. The plaque, calculus and trapped food are an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria. Feline Gingivitis is a periodontal disease.

Feline Gingivitis - Terms

gingiva - this means gums
itis - this means inflammation

The two together mean inflammation of the gums

plaque - Dental plaque is biofilm (usually colorless) that builds up on the teeth. If not removed regularly, it can lead to dental cavities (caries) or periodontal problems (such as gingivitis). The microorganisms that form the biofilm are almost entirely bacteria (src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia® licensing below). Plaque is soft and colorless. It is made of inorganic and organic material.

Periodontal - this relates to the periodontium — that is, the tissues that surround and support the teeth. Periodontitis (peri = around, odont = tooth, -itis = inflammation) refers to a number of inflammatory diseases affecting the periodontium (src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia® licensing below)

Calculus - another word is tartar - refers to calcified deposits on the teeth, formed by the continuous presence of dental plaque. Its rough surface provides an ideal medium for further plaque formation, threatening the health of the gingiva. Calculus absorbs unaesthetic stains far more easily than natural teeth. (src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia® licensing below). Calculus is made up of calcium phosphate and carbonate plus organic material. It produces yellow/brown staining on the teeth.


Feline Gingivitis - The disease

Sometimes Feline Gingivitis can occur with a disease such as feline panleukopenia or feline viral respiratory disease complex.

The gums become red, swollen and painful. When rubbed they may bleed. Note: the same disease affects humans as we are all probably aware. If left unattended it leads to periodontal disease and tooth decay. A sign of periodontal disease is bad breath which sometimes cat keepers treat as normal and so ignore a potential worsening situation. As it hurts to eat the cat may not eat, losing weight and looking unkempt.

Some cats suffer more than others. My cat, a 16 year old moggie has great teeth. I have never done any work on them except inspect them. Chronic gingivitis may be due to an immunal deficiency in some cats. A lowering of the immune response can be caused by FeLV (feline leukemia virus) and FIV (feline aids). Chronic gingivitis is difficult to treat.


Feline Gingivitis - The treatment

Feline gingivitis is normally treated by professional cleaning of the teeth followed by a program of dental care and treating any diagnosed underlying cause or exacerbating diseases such as feline calcivirus (one of the viruses that cause upper respiratory infections). This may mean antibiotics. Once home the cat keeper should clean the cat's teeth regularly (twice a week). This I think is easier said than done.

It will require commitment and patience using standard training techniques. One way is clicker training. A slow and purposeful build to full blown tooth brush cleaning will probably have to be adopted. This means first rubbing the cats muzzle where the teeth are. Then progressing to rubbing the teeth below by raising the lip, then applying special tooth paste to the fingers and rubbing with that. Obviously advice on this is a vet's domain.

Where vets differ in opinion is on the type of diet that might help resist the onset of Feline Gingivitis. Some recommend dry kibble as the abrasive action will, it is said, clean the teeth. Is this true? A specialist veterinarian, Dr. Hodgkins DVM says that tartar control cat food doesn't work. She also does not recommend dry cat generally (see cat food recipe). Her advice for cats that acquire plaque and calculus faster than normal is to be fed raw or cooked meat with ground bone on occasions. Dry cat food contains high levels of carbohydrates making them unsuitable for cats generally (being obligate carnivores) and for the control of tartar and plaque.


Feline Gingivitis to cat health problems

Feline Gingivitis - Sources:

1. As stated in the text.
   
2. I use Wikipedia as an supplementary means to define terms for the sake of certainty
3. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Drs Carlson and Giffin
4. Veterinary Notes for Cat Owners by Trevor and Jean Turner.

Photo: published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License

Feline reproductive system

People Google "Feline reproductive system" but what do they mean? This could mean the anatomy of the male and female domestic cat and/or it could mean the procedure of reproduction. That is from mating through pregnancy to birth.

Well for those people who want a bit of soft porn (joking) there is a page on the website about cats mating which covers all the angles (and positions) on the subject of copulation between domestic cats. Click on this link: Cats mating.

As it happens the big cats employ similar if not identical techniques, but the preamble may be a bit different. You can see a post on lions mating by clicking on this link: Lions mating.

If we are to discuss the mating process, I guess we need to look at the consequences, namely pregnancy. Click on this link to read and see more: Cat pregnancy (includes a section on the estrus cycle).

If we are to discuss cat pregnancy it follows that we should discuss ways to prevent it as there are too many feral cats that are euthanized or plain killed. Click on the link to see and read about: Neutering cats.

That leaves one area unanswered, which is dealt with here - the anatomy of the feline reproductive system. Both cats and humans are vertebrate mammals. This means that the feline reproductive system is similar to the human reproductive system. There are some adaptions. I couldn't find diagrams for the feline reproductive system. It is similar to the human system.

Note: I can't show an image of the reproductive systems as Google Adsense deems them to be shocking sexual images. Please click the link below instead. Sorry.

Click this link to see an illustration showing male and female reproductive systems. Image in the public domain.

The major parts of the male cat's reproductive system are (a) the testicles contained by (b) the scrotum and (c) the penis which contains the urethra and (d) the prostate gland and (e) bulbourethral glands that produce fluid for the semen. Sperm is produced in the testes. Production of sperm (spermatozoa) is influenced by the hormone testosterone. Testosterone is produced in the testicles. Testosterone also has an influence over male cat behavior (e.g., territorial behavior so important for a male cat).

Sperm produced in the testes (which are in the testicles) is pushed into the epididymis [the epididymis is part of the human male reproductive system and is present in all male mammals. It is a narrow, tightly-coiled tube connecting the efferent ducts from the rear of each testicle to its vas deferens] - (src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia® licensing below). The sperm completes its "maturation process" in the epididymis.

From the epididymis the sperm, during copulation, is moved through the ductus deferens to the urethra, the tube within the penis. The penis has barbs on it. When penis is removed from female vagina it hurts the female cat and stimulates the production of eggs.

I can't show a domestic cat's penis because advertisers don't like it. So, please click on the link below to see the domestic cat penis showing the barbs. I know that this is very undignified, and I feel for the boy cat but thanks because it is helpful for us humans to see this. This photo is published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License and is by Many Cats 4 Me.

CLICK TO SEE A PIC OF A DOMESTIC CAT PENIS SHOWING THE BARBS

Feline reproductive system - Females

The major organs are the ovaries, the oviducts, the uterus, the vagina, the vulva and the mammary glands. The vulva is the external opening from the vagina.

The ovaries produce the eggs to be fertilized by the male's sperm. Hormones are also produced by the ovaries. The eggs are passed from the ovaries into the oviducts, where fertilization takes place. The fertilized egg travels down the oviducts to the uterus, where is becomes attached to the wall of the uterus and begins its development. Without fertilization the egg is absorbed by the body. During pregnancy the cervix, a ring of muscle in between the uterus and the vagina, closes and prevents access to the uterus. It relaxes at birth.

The page on cat pregnancy has a section on heat cycles (estrous or estrus cycle). The female cat has 4-5 mammary glands either side (10 in total). These supply colostrum, milk that provides immunization protection to the kittens. You can also see a female in heat on this page.

Wikipedia®
Click on this link to see the Wikipedia® License src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version, November 2002 Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA - - no other conditions to the license are added.

From Feline reproductive system to home page

Some cat breeds are predisposed to Patellar Luxation

Some cat breeds are predisposed to Patellar Luxation. You can see a list of cat breeds that are predisposed to this disease and other diseases. In a survey of Californian Abyssinian cats, 26 out of 69 (38%) had patellas that could be dislocated. For other cat breeds the figure stood at 1.2% for the same condition.

Although some cat breeds are predisposed to Patellar Luxation, so is the non-pedigree mixed breed shorthaired cat. (src: Wikipedia®)

What is Patellar luxation? It is a condition in which the knee cat (the patella) either moves out of position or dislocates. The knee cap slides to the inside of the leg. It should stay in a grove and remain at the front. The symptoms can be mild and include lameness, a lack of desire to jump and a locking of the joint. Cats with the disease tend to bear weight on the affected leg, have a crouched stance and are bowlegged.

The condition occurs in dogs and humans too. Patellar luxation can occur with hip dysplasia.

Source: Medical, Genetic and Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats edited by Ross D. Clark DVM

Some cat breeds are predisposed to Patellar Luxation to British Shorthair cat

Happy cat

What makes a cat a happy cat and can we tell? It honestly can be a bit difficult to tell if our cat is happy. In the same way it can be difficult to tell when your cat is sad or even ill.

The best way to tell is to be close to your cat. That also allows you to keep an eye on your cat's health. The most important factor in ensuring that our cat is a happy cat is to make sure that (s)he is healthy. You can't be happy being unhealthy. That of course applies to all animals including human animals. Health and being allowed to express natural behavior in a safe environment are two key elements in ensuring your cat is happy.


Happy cat - Toji - not surprising as he/she has the photographer fofurasfelinas caring about him. fofurasfelinas is a great photographer and cares for cats.

OK, first port of call is to keep our cat healthy. The first method to achieve this is to be sufficiently involved with your cat to see changes in eating and toilet routines. And also if she is sufficiently active. If a cat is eating well, has a decent level of activity (for that cat breed) and is producing quality feces (yes I know) at regular intervals it is probable that she is healthy. The opposite conditions are anorexia, lethargy and diarrhea/constipation/peeing problems, all bad signs and general symptoms of ill health.

Her coat should be in good condition too. It is fun to brush and comb your cat's coat. Nearly all cats love it and if not something is possibly wrong. It pays to brush at the right time, when she is more likely to accept and like it. And it also pays to brush at a sensible level of vigor and pressure; cats don't like it too hard. Grooming includes checking for fleas and fleas can be present in the cleanest of homes. The best way is with an ordinary flea comb around the neck, shoulders and under the chin plus the end of the spine where it joins the tail. Fleas are irritating to cats at the best of times and can cause disease and worms. For example they are part of the tapeworm life cycle and can cause an allergy

See cat flea life cycle | tapeworms in felines | cat and dog parasite pictures | feline allergies

The best way to get rid of fleas as far as I am concerned is combing them out. If the infestation is bad Frontline® is good; a dropper that goes on the skin but always be observant and careful when applying insecticides as they are poisonous.

Combing takes some skill and patience. A cat is normally a happy cat when being flea combed if he has fleas (or even not). Good flea control is important and it is something we can do and should do. Good flea control management means daily checking and combing, there is no doubt about that. In a large establishment or a home with hard flooring and a flea problem food grade diatomaceous earth can be useful. All feral cats have fleas, often lots of them, so they will need treatment on an industrial level (see taming wild feral cats and kittens).

I am harping on about fleas because they are a barrier to a happy cat and it is relatively easy to allow your cat to get fleas. If you are busy etc. things can develop without your knowledge. Being busy and under demands from work and or family commitments can mean your cat getting the short straw.

The approach that produces good flea control is concern and being close to your cat and it is this approach and what it produces in action by you that makes a cat a happy cat. It can be shown in playing with your cat regularly.

For me it is going out into the garden with my cat when she asks me and I comb her in the garden and also flea check there. She likes me to stand around with her, this can be tiresome for me sometimes but it is good for her; another happy cat.

I mentioned eating well. I confess that I am not a great fan of the quality of cat food. It is just average at best and it looks so commercial; you know the jelly and the unappetizing bits in between. There is enough waste left over for me to feed the foxes on a daily basis. Quality cat food is important to keep our cat a happy cat. But unless we pay through the nose for it in supermarkets we can't get it. Also, and I regret to say this some of the big manufacturers of pet food also partake of animal testing. This seems very cynical to me when they project a caring image while hurting cats and other animals for commercial gain. Purina® is one such company (note this though, a company is a business with shareholders if it is a public company so we need to think about that). See more here for a list of pet food manufacturers that don't animal test. Buying this food makes us happy.

The being close approach also means talking to our cats. Cats prefer a melodious human voice. I don't thing that admonishing a cat for doing "wrong" works. Firstly because from the cat's perspective she hasn't done wrong, she has acted normally so admonishment confuses. A typical example would be kneading on our lap or bringing in a mouse she has caught. These actions can be explained as natural to a cat. Secondly they can't understand human language but can understand the sound if it is soft and reassuring or aggressive. Aggression from the owner towards their cat causes stress, produces no gain for either party and our cat is not a happy cat. The best way is to accept your cat's behavior. In other words we adjust because we can. See cat scratching new approach. And mistakes cat owners make. We need to to be aware of cat behavior so we can fit in. A fairly typical problem is people considering their cat aggressive when this is probably not the case. See for example, referred cat aggression.

I also think that a happy cat is one that can go out safely. A lot of people keep their cats in. This is common in the United States, less so in Europe and the UK (90% of Brits let their cats free-roam). Back in the old days (the 1960s and before) cats were put out at night - weird I know. But perhaps we have over reacted to the dangers outside sometimes anyway. There is no doubt in my mind that the best compromise is a decent sized cat enclosure perhaps covering the backyard (back garden) entirely. In the UK, I'd recommend ProtectaPet. They make an excellent fence which is effective and discrete. This results in one happy cat who is safe and one happy owner who is not worried. See building a cat enclosure

Back to health. A regular trip to the veterinarian is recommended (by vets). I think yes and no to this. We as humans don't make yearly trips to the doctor. Yet it is different for a cat because as I said earlier we cannot sometimes tell is our cat is ill or has early signs of an illness. A vet can advise there. If we are observant and close to our cat I don't think a yearly visit is needed. That said cat vaccinations are yearly events (or used to be - this is changing) so we might as well have a check up at the same time. However, today the approach to vaccinations is more cautious - see cat vaccination recommendations - and used less by vets to generate trade. The bottom line for a happy cat is a healthy cat who is loved and allowed to behave naturally. That should guide us.

Happy cat to Home page

Lysosomal storage disease in Abyssinian cats

Lysosomal storage disease in Abyssinian cats is apparently well documented. I do not know the frequency of occurrence. Studies indicate that it is inherited through an autosomal recessive gene. The disease is difficult to describe as this is a very technical area. What happens is that a certain enzyme is not produced in a subunit of a cell called a "lysosome". Enzymes break down macromolecules to other substances. If there is no enzyme there is no breakdown and instead the macromolecules are stored. This causes the cells to become dysfunctional. In turn this causes neurological problems the symptoms of which are first noticeable when the kitten is 8-12 weeks old. The first clinical sign is a head quiver. This is followed by ataxia, dysmetria, muscle tremors, in-coordination and an inability to walk. Often kittens will seizure when handled. The symptoms are due to cerebellar disease and the cats die before one year of age. An amorphous material becomes stored in neurons and macrophages.

Lysosomal storage disease in Abyssinian cats - See Wikipedia definitions below of the more difficult terms above. These are reproduced under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia licensing below

Ataxia: Ataxia meaning "lack of order" is a neurological sign and symptom consisting of gross incoordination of muscle movements.

Dysmetria (Greek: "difficult to measure") refers to a lack of coordination of movement typified by the undershoot and/or overshoot of intended position with the hand, arm, leg, or eye (this refers to people but is equally relevant for cats).

Macrophages (Greek: "big eaters", from makros "large" + phagein "eat") are cells within the tissues that originate from specific white blood cells called monocytes

Wikipedia licensing:
Click on this link to see the Wikipedia® License src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version, November 2002 Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA - - no other conditions to the license are added.

Lysosomal storage disease in Abyssinian cats to Abyssinian cats

Abyssinian cats can inherit renal amyloidosis

Renal amyloidosis is a disease that is apparently well established as being associated with Abyssinian cats. It is also a disease associated with Siamese, and oriental cats (src: http://www.merckvetmanual.com)

In medicine, amyloidosis refers to a variety of conditions in which amyloid proteins are abnormally deposited in organs and/or tissues, causing disease. A protein is amyloid if, due to an alteration in its secondary structure, it takes on a particular insoluble form, called the beta-pleated sheet. (the section in grey is a Wikipedia® verbatim copy of a part of a larger article)

In the case of renal amyloidosis the amyloid proteins are deposited in the kidneys.

The onset is 1-5 years of age. Severity varies. Some cats may live up to 10 years from diagnosis.

Symptoms include poor hair condition, weight loss, lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, polydipsia - Polydipsia is a medical symptom in which the patient drinks abnormally large amounts of fluids (the section in grey is a Wikipedia® verbatim copy of a part of a larger article), polyuria - polyuria is a condition characterized by the passage of large volumes of urine. Polyuria is sometimes used to refer to urinary frequency, or frequent urination, irrespective of the volume of urine passed. Polyuria often appears in conjunction with polydipsia (increased thirst), though it is possible to have one without the other, and the latter may be a cause or an effect (the section in grey is a Wikipedia® verbatim copy of a part of a larger article)

Cats are dehydrated. There may be gingivitis and oral ulcers. The kidneys are small, irregular and firm.

Abyssinian cats can inherit renal amyloidosis to genetic diseases in purebred cats

Is neutering young cats and kittens wrong

The answer is "No" to the question, "Is neutering young cats and kittens wrong". Neutering of cats means spaying female cats ( Ovariohysterectomy) and neutering male cats (castration).

The operations are best done when the cat is a kitten. The Cat Hospital of Chicago carries out operations at aged 3-6 months. Sometimes veterinarians carry out the operation on cats as young as 6 weeks. Research indicates that kittens suffer no more complications at this age than older cats and recover sooner. Neutering is the most important responsibility of the cat keeper in the light of the high feral cat population. Lets think of feral cats and the hard life they lead. The truth is they shouldn't be born.

Read and see more at this webpage:

Neutering cats

Is neutering young cats and kittens wrong to Home Page

Cat scratch fever symptoms

Cat Scratch - we can avoid them
Photo by Hodowca

Cat scratch fever symptoms can include impairment of vision. There is a very useful document on the PubMed Central website, which describes the symptoms of cat scratch fever and an interesting case of a person whose sight was affected - this however is rare please note.

The general symptoms are flu like to varying degrees and the area around the scratch (or bite, both can be equally responsible) becomes swollen (usually the hand or arm) and the lymph nodes swell and become tender. This can last for about 2 months, a long time.

There are more extensive and specific symptoms that may occur and these are listed here. The first to mention is the case of a 25 year man who acquired a kitten and no doubt played and enjoyed that. He got scratched numerous times apparently and began to suffer from flu-like symptoms from which he recovered in about 2 weeks.

However tests on his eyes indicated that he had suffered visual loss in his right eye due to a swelling of the optic nerve and a "macular star" (presumed star shaped spot). This was cured by an antibiotic.

This is obviously quite serious and actually makes me more cautious about playing with my cat. Anytime that I have been scratched bitten it has been in play and I have overdone it and got my cat too excited.

Other diseases than can occur - these are rare cat scratch fever symptoms as far as I am aware:

Cat scratch fever symptoms - Ocular - relating to the eye

Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome - a small sore develops on the membrane lining the eyelid. There can also be conjunctivitis and swollen lymph nodes at a point in front of the ear. This form of cat scratch fever symptoms could be caused by transmitting cats saliva from the fur to the eye after rubbing one's eye with a hand.

• Disciform keratitis - an infiltration of an abnormal substance into the cornea
• Anterior uveitis - an inflammation that involves the iris and ciliary body
• Vitritis - an inflammation of the jelly in the posterior portion of the eye
• Pars planitis - inflammation of the peripheral retina
• Focal retinal vasculitis - sight can be damaged by an inflammatory eye disease affecting the retinal vasculature
• Neuroretinitis - an inflammation that affects the optic nerve head and posterior pole of the retina
• Retinal vascular occlusions - blockage of blood vessels in the retina affecting vision
• Focal choroiditis - An inflammation of the layer of the eye behind the retina
• Serous retinal detachment - retina becomes detached
• Peripapillary angiomatous lesions

Cat scratch fever symptoms - Non-ocular - not relating to the eye

• Encephalopathy - degenerative disease of the brain
• Polyneuritis - widespread inflammation of the nerves
• Arthritis - sore inflammed joints
• Endocarditis - inflammation of the heart lining
• Osteomyelitis - an acute or chronic infection of the bone and bone marrow
• Hepatosplenic infections - related to liver disease
• Erythema nodosum - inflammation of fat cells under skin

Cat scratch fever - see another picture.

Go to Cat Scratch Fever for a full description of this illness.


Cat Scratch Disease

This disease is also called, "Bartonella" as it is caused by the "rickettsial organism Bartonella henselae. This organism is in infected fleas which feed on the cat. Cat scratch disease affects about 22,000 per year in the USA. Cats usually carry the organism without signs (asymptomatic).

The cat nearly always transmits the organism to a person through:

• infected flea feces under its nails and then scratching the person and;
• grooming and getting infected flea feces in its mouth and thence to the person through a bite.

Most cases occur September - January. Signs are enlarged lymph nodes for several weeks. Initial signs in half the cases are a "raised red sore" at the site of the scratch three to ten days after the scratch. All cases result in enlarged and tender lymph nodes in armpit, groin and neck.

Five percent of cases develop fever, fatigue and headache. Rarely the symptoms progress as mentioned above (eyes). The liver, brain, spleen, joints, lungs and other organs can be affected. If the person affected has a reduced immune system, cat scratch disease can be life threatening. Although from my standpoint it is extremely rare to even get cat scratch disease but that is a layperson's opinion/experiences.

Prevention

You can't tell if a cat carries the organism. Avoid getting scratched and bitten. That is our responsibility. Be gentle with your cat and respect your cat.

If bitten/scratched wash the area immediately. Your cat should not lick any open wound that you might have.

Cat declawing is not the answer - try the numerous alternatives, please (The Shocking Truth About Declawing Cats). If a person has become infected by the house cat, the cat should be quarantined and veterinary assistance sought. Cats can be treated with doxycycline, amoxicillin-clavulanate or azithromycin.

Notes:

Information about cat scratch disease from Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated page 101 - 102.

Information about cat scratch fever symptoms (eyes) - Sources: too various to list but lots. Some of these diseases are rare/unusual. The list comes from PubMed Central.

Cat scratch fever symptoms to cat health problems

Cat bite symptoms

Cat bite symptoms can be due to contracting cat scratch fever. These are the symptoms:

Some 7 to 20 days after being bitten or scratched the person feels like they have real flu, with a fever, sweating and aching joints etc. However the symptoms can be mild or severe.

In about 50% of cases the area around the bite or scratch swells (see photo below but this may be a mild case - click on the link below to see this). The whole limb (if bitten, as is likely, on a limb) can swell up and the lymph nodes nearest to the bite/scratch become swollen and tender (on the arm these are at the armpit).

Cat scratch fever can last a long time, about 2 months, so it is quite serious.

This is taken from the webpage below:

To see and read more about possible cat bite symptoms, please see: Cat Scratch Fever

From Cat bite symptoms to home page
How strong is a cat bite compared to other animals?

Cat bite infection

A cat bite infection may be cat scratch disease (fever), which is a bacterial infection. The disease can also be transmitted by cat fleas. Yes, not very pleasant. If you'd like to read more see this:

Cat Scratch Fever

How strong is a cat bite?

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Feral cat health

What is the state of feral cat health? We know that feral cats live a tough life. And a short life estimated at about 3 years. There is an unwarranted argument that says that feral cats spread disease. Do people who say this mean that they spread disease to people? If so they are wrong. Very few cat illnesses are zoonotic (diseases that can be transmitted between animal and the human animal).

A trap neuter return program that took place on Prince Edward Island during the spring and summer of 2001 informs us about feral cat health. This is tabulated and summarized data (below) that I have selected and which I personally find interesting. Please go to the full article if you want to see the full unabridged version (see base of post). 185 feral cats were trapped and treated. This was a very humane program.

The cats testing positive for FeLV and FIV showed signs of being in a fight - scars, cuts and bites (see this post for an example: damaged cat ears)

There is wide range in the numbers of feral cats infected with FeLV and FIV. For FeLV is varies between 4-35% and for FIV the range is 2.2-24%. See chart below for more. It may be that contracting FeLV makes a cat more likely to contract FIV.

Cats that suffer form FIV and/or FeLV are more likely to contract other diseases such as chronic abscesses, FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), respiratory tract infections (see URI), hemobartenollosis, lymphosarcoma (see cat health and cancer) and myeloproliferative disease (this last disease is a group of diseases that affects the bone marrow and which results in excess cells being produced).

Data/disease/information	Prevalence - comment
% kittens 6-12 weeks of age that were trapped	25% of all cats trapped
fetuses removed during spaying operation	41
number of females nursing litters	14 - 7.6%
% of cats/kittens positive for FeLV	9 - 4.9% -only adults were positive
% cats/kittens positive for FIV	11 - 5.9% -only adults were positive
% adult male cats positive for FeLV	7.7%
% adult female cats positive for FeLV	5.4%
% adult male cats positive for FIV	13.8%
% adult female cats positive for FIV	2.7%
cats least likely to be infected with FeLV +/or FIV	younger cats, female cats and/or owned and indoor cats

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From Feral cat health to cat health problems
Feral cats in Australia and the Savannah cat
Feral cats

Feral cat health - Source and thanks: PubMed Central article on TNR program on Prince Edward Island - see full article:- http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=339549

Photo: published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License. Photo by Sister72

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Cat poison

Note: this page was written around 13 years ago. I have just added a few more lines (April 29th 2023) and there have been many other updates. I could add some more as cat poison is a very big topic. It is still valid and it contains over 300 comments. At the time it was controversial and provocative.

The page is a little haphazard but I believe useful but don't come here to figure out how to poison cats. If you do that, you'll be an AH and possibly a criminal.

Aussie authorities are poisoners

The Australian authorities are the planet's biggest cat poisoners bar none. Yes, they like to poison feral cats with sausages chucked out of helicopters laced with 1080 poison (Sodium fluoroacetate) which kills slowly as I recall. And they've built a device which chucks poison over a feral cat or any animal that walks by. It is motion sensor activated. The cat licks their coat and bingo they're dead after a while. Highly immoral. But they don't mind. And they don't mind destroying the habitat of their small native marsupials and mammals despite the fact that they kill feral cats to try and protect them. Hypocritical comes to mind and thoughtless. 

As I said below it is normally a crime to poison cats but not in Aussie land when it comes to feral cats which they detest. It is the same in Kiwi land.

Flea treatments

Flea treatments not infrequently poison cats because for example a cat owner may use a dog flea treatment on their cat. Bingo, another cat accidentally poisoned to death by their owner. Or they want to help their cat by administering painkillers. Human painkillers are plain killers when used on cats. Another accidental way to poison a cat.

Commercial cat foods

Commercial foods can also poison cats:

Mycotoxins in dry cat food. 

If a pet food manufacturer poisons cats due to negligence the cat's owner should be able to claim damages up to $10,000. This is not the case at present as cats are seen as chattels - items to possess like televisions.

Carpets and sofas

Yes, carpet protecting chemicals impregnated in carpets and fire-retardant chemicals in some furniture are both potentially poisonous to cats. Beware of them. They are a hidden and insidious danger.

Antifreeze

Car antifreeze is a cat poison. It is probably one of the most common cat poisons. There is a spate of poisonings in Weston-super-Mare, UK, at the date of this post. All seem to have died from eating/drinking antifreeze. This has all the signs of being deliberate (but may be due to carelessness). Some people hate cats. A substantial number do in fact. A fair number of people search for the keyword "cat poison". That implies that some people are possibly thinking about poisoning cats. And some are trying to work out what might have poisoned their cat. Note: Go immediately to the vet if you suspect poisoning as speed can save lives.

Hydrogen peroxide can be used as instructed by your vet to make your cat vomit if she has been very recently poisoned by antifreeze.

This video no longer works and has been deleted...

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Important: It is a crime to poison a cat deliberately. This is cruel indefensible behavior. In the UK, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 applies. It states that a person found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal shall face a maximum six-month prison sentence plus a £20,000 fine. My message to anyone contemplating it is to stop and think, why? There is no good reason to do. It is pure cruelty. Ask yourself what is driving you to think in that way. If you are able to do this honestly you will realise that the motivation to harm should be directed at someone else not the innocent cat. In which case help is needed. Please bear in mind that responsibly for a cat lies with a person. If you are incensed by a cat's behavior ask if the cause is an irresponsible cat owner. It will always prove to be the case. In which case leave the cat alone and talk with the person instead. The cat is a victim of our behavior.

To all those people in the USA thinking about poisoning a cat, the laws are often very similar to the UK and animal cruelty is a crime in the USA as well. Punishment varies from state to state but can be as severe as here in the UK. See Cat Cruelty Laws in the USA (this link opens in a new window).

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Important: A visitor has left a comment saying he has killed 14 domestic cats (about 30 comments down). He lives in Australia (surprise). He is almost certainly committing serious crimes. Please read the comment and if you know who he is please tell me by leaving a comment. I will then inform the police and local RSPCA.

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For those few who are planning poisoning: why do people plan malicious cruelty to cats? I seems that they are bored, unable to cope, angry, damaged individuals who strike out against the world and in doing so pick on a vulnerable creature, a companion animal that provides a lot of comfort and pleasure to a lot of people.

The poisoned cats are domestic cats. Yet a lot of cat keepers are irresponsible in letting their cats roam widely risking injury and yes poisoning by ill people.

It is a combination of events. Cat poison is used by ill and bad people against cats that are sometimes poorly looked after. The best immediate solution is to keep cats in or under control and supervision plus to find out where the anti-freeze is or was (if this is caused by anti-freeze) and do some work on investigating the matter ourselves. We cannot rely on the police in this country. They don't even bother to investigate many crimes against people (e.g. burglary) and those against cats are going to be low priority. Some plants are cat poison: see House Plants Poisonous to a Cat (which contains pictures) and/or Plants Poisonous to Cats for a fuller list.

Cat poison - Update 9th Oct 2008 on antifreeze poisoning: if this is not an act of maliciousness (and I shouldn't presume that it is) then it could be carelessness but I find this a little hard to believe but perhaps I am being cynical. Apparently this last spate of cat poisonings may be due to people topping up their cars with anti-freeze and spilling some. It also means that cats are drawn to antifeeze. The number of cats that have been poisoned indicates that this is deliberate, however, and that the anti-freeze was in more than one place. Also you don't need to put antifreeze in modern cars. The water coolant rarely if ever needs topping up and has antifreeze in it from purchase. Antifreeze is ethylene glycol and it causes acute kidney disease.

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Other cat poisons and what to look out for and do

Cats are by nature curious and are liable, therefore, to ingest something poisonous and it is often not clear what it is as it might not be nearby. If the poison can be identified it will obviously help to decide treatment.

The first and most important step is most likely to be to make your cat vomit (although this is not always the case). How to make a cat vomit is mentioned below. What appears to be an excellent advice service in the United States called the Animal Poison Control Center(new window) run by ASPCA tel (888) 426-4435 that I would have thought would be the first thing to do after trying to make your cat vomit (if sure that this is the right thing).

Fungi

One fungi that is not that uncommonly seen in badly managed homes that are poorly ventilated and damp might be black mold or toxic black mold. This is: stachybottys chartarum (also known as S. atra) is known as "black mold" or "toxic black mold," and is frequently associated with poor indoor air quality that arises after fungal growth on water-damaged building materials. It is known to produce trichothecene mycotoxins including satratoxins.

Stachybotrys is a genus of molds, or asexually-reproducing, filamentous fungi. Closely related to the genus Memnoniella, most Stachybotrys species inhabit materials rich in cellulose. (Verbatim from Wikipedia as allowed under license).

Rodent Poisons

Strychnine: Rat, mouse, mole poison and coyote bait contains strychnine. In America it can be bought as a purple, green or red dyed pellet. Symptoms appear within 2 hours:

• Agitation, apprehension
• seizures lasting about 60 seconds (in contrast, epileptic seizures last about 3 minutes)
  
• cat throws head back, turns blue because it can't breathe
• small stimulus such as noise causes a seizure
  

Inducing vomiting should not happen is breathing is laboured (src: Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook). Take cat (covered with coat to protect from stimulus) to vet immediately.

Sodium Fluoroacetate: It is mixed with rat feeds. Very poisonous. Signs are sudden and include vomiting, agitation, staggering walk, convulsions, collapse. Induce vomiting. Take to vet for antidote.

Zinc Phosphide: Signs are laboured breathing, vomiting (blood), convulsions. No antidote.

Cat poison - update 9th October 2008: looking back on the massive pet food recall in the USA in 2007 it seems that the cause was a chemical called melamine that was added to wheat gluten that in turn is added to cat food to thicken the gravy. China recently went through a scandal about baby milk poisoning babies because it contained melamine. Apparently it adds protein to the product. It is also a human and cat poison. The cats poisoned suffered acute kidney disease. The wheat gluten was imported from China but I don't know if it originated in China. As far as I am aware the baby food products and the added melamine originated in China.

Wheat gluten is a meat substitute as it looks like meat. It is meat for vegetarians. Cats are obligate carnivores so I have no idea why it is in cat food. But then again lots of cat food is not meat or anything remotely like meat. If it was it would make it too expensive. I think cat food is too cheap. If it was more expensive it would be genuine cat food and the price might deter irresponsible cat keepers. See a lot more on melamine in cat food.

Cat poison - Update 21st October: Regarding the pet food poisoning referred to above, it would seem that damages have been agreed at $24 million. I suppose the USA pet food suppliers paid this and will try and sue the China suppliers of the poisoned ingredient for indemnity. Anyway, what is interesting about this is that the damages are for economic loss only. That is compensation for veterinarian bills, time spent away from work and property damage. The average claim is worth $1,500. There is no compensation for the greatest loss, the loss of ones dearly loved cat. This is called pain and suffering and is part of a claim in an action for injury arising out of negligence, for example, if one is suing on behalf of a person.

As I understand it the damages are limited to economic loss because a cat is considered a "chattel", an object considered no different to, for example, a washing machine. The law needs updating. This happens.

Update 3rd April 2009: Another case of cat poison being either carelessly left about (highly unlikely) or put out deliberately (far more likely, in my view). This latest incident happened in north Wales and Shropshire, UK. Three cats have died. The generous RSPCA inspector said that he wasn't sure if it was malicious or deliberate. But how often do we see antifreeze left lying around these days? Modern cars do not need antifreeze to be changed or renewed. This has almost got to be deliberate and as usual I am concerned that not enough effort is being made to catch the perpetrator or to investigate the matter. I wonder how many criminals actually get caught for poisoning or injuring cats? Very very few, I am sure.

Cat Poison Update 8-07-09: This is an imaginative way to poison a cat and commit a crime, cover the cat in motor oil and grease and wait to see if the cat tries to lick it off. This happened to two cats in Mattapan, Boston, USA. Fortunately, someone saw and rescued them. They were taken to the local MSPCA in Boston and washed clean. Never consider using cat poison. It is morally very wrong and a serious crime. Here is a street view of Mattapan:

Map no longer works - sorry.

Something more positive for a change. The treatment for poisoning from antifreeze (ethylene glycol) is to induce vomiting and get to the vet as soon as possible. This has to be done quickly. The signs of toxicity, which happen suddenly are vomiting a walk that looks as if the cat is drunk, weakness, stupor and eventually coma. According to the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook you can induce vomiting by giving "hydrogen peroxide 3 percent: one teaspoon per 5 pounds of body weight (up to 3 teaspoons per dose) every 10 minutes or until the cat vomits This can be repeated 3 only 3 times. I would ask you vet about this and keep some in safe storage as inducing vomiting is often (but not always) the first and immediate step.

Cat Poison Update 29-8-09: In Wales, UK (see map below) a person seems to be poisoning cats with antifreeze. 8 cats have been put down with kidney failure the sign of anti-freeze poisoning. As it is summer there is no need to be dealing with anti-freeze right now so this seems like deliberate poisoning but tests are still being carried out. Anyone in the area with suspicions should please contact the police and/or RSPCA as soon as possible.

Cat Poison update 9th May 2010: Someone or persons are poisoning cats with antifreeze in the north Sheffield suburb of Walkley. More than 11 cats have been poisoned. It is said that someone is putting down cheap dry food laced with antifreeze. The food is shaped as bite sized stars and fish.

You know that there are many poisons (more than 213) that a cat can encounter naturally by which I mean poisons not put down by humans with the deliberate intention of killing cats. I have a page on these poisons which you can read by clicking here. It is a list, no more.

The deliberate poisoning of outside cats proceeds unabated. It has done over many years. It is as if the perpetrators are untouchable as I never read about them being prosecuted and punished.

Antifreeze should and could be manufactured so that it is not poisonous. Read this article: Making Antifreeze Unpalatable to Cats.

• Cat poison to cat cruelty
• Cat poison to cat health problems

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Cat allergy symptoms

Lovely Celeste - photo by fofurasfelinas

Cat allergy symptoms range from mild rhinitis to an asthmatic response that might at its worst be life-threatening. Allergic disease is commonly caused by being sensitized to the domestic cat. According to some scientists the domestic cat is one of the most common causes of allergic disease in the world.

Cat allergens are not only on the cat. They can be found in unexpected places such as schools and on public transport. The allergens are airborne.

An allergen causes the allergic reaction. The allergen in this case is in cat dander (cat saliva and pelt). The saliva is on the cats fur after grooming. The most potent allergen that causes cat allergies has been known for 30 years. It is called Felis domesticus allergen 1 (Fel d 1). It is a glycoprotein.

Specifically the symptoms are as outlined on this table. Note: a gradual acclimatization to the cat allergen specific to the cat in question can take place so patience may be rewarded:-

cat allergy symptoms

Symptom	Explanation
Rhinitis	The inside of the nose becomes inflamed and swells causing symptoms similar to a cold such as sneezing, itchiness, blocked nose, runny nose. 20-30% of people experience this. 10% of people are sensitive to cat allergens. Pollen can cause Rhinitis. Allergic conjunctivitis can accompany Rhinitis. The symptoms are irritated eyes.
Dyspnea	This is difficulty in breathing, short and painful breathing. It is caused by a large number of medical disorders.
Chronic sore throat	------
Coughing	------
Wheezing	high pitched whistling sound when breathing caused by the air going through narrowed breathing tubes.
Itchy skin	This can start within 30 seconds of picking up the allergen and any part of the body can itch even though only the hands have touched the cat. It is not always a bad itch but irritating all the same.
Hay fever like symptoms	see above
Asthma	Asthma is a chronic condition involving the respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict, become inflamed, and are lined with excessive amounts of mucus, often in response to one or more triggers (verbatim Wikipedia reference - see license below)
Skin Rash	A rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and therefore treatments for rashes, vary widely. (verbatim Wikipedia reference - see license below)

Cat allergy symptoms to Feline Allergies (these are allergies suffered by cats)

Cat allergy symptoms - Verbatim Wikipedia® copies. These are allowed under the Wikipedia license. Click on this link to see the Wikipedia® License src: Wikipedia® published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version, November 2002 Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA - - no other conditions to the license are added.

Cat allergy symptoms - Other sources:

• http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov
• medical dictionaries

Cat allergy symptoms - Photo: this is published under a creative commons license - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. I use lots of this photographers photographs as they are some of the very best. I have given links to her Flickr website elsewhere.

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Magnesium supplements for cats with HCM

Tests were carried out to see the effect of Magnesium supplements for cats with HCM. The tests were carried out by L M Freeman, D J Brown, F W Smith, and J E Rush at the Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachussetts 01536, USA. The report is dated 1997 it seems.

Low magnesium cat food was introduced by cat food manufacturers as a means to reduce the incidence of Urinary Tract Infections (URIs). See Low Magnesium Cat Food for more on this.

The authors say that a deficiency in magnesium has been linked to heart disease in some species. They imply that the introduction of low magnesium cat food referred to above may have had an impact in respect of the incidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The study was to correlate the magnesium status of cats with HCM and to see if magnesium supplements helped.

As I understand it the conclusion was that the study suggested that cats who suffered from HCM were likely to be fed low magnesium cat food but this did not alter the magnesium status of these cats in relation to healthy cats. Magnesium supplements for cats with HCM appeared to have no benefit.

This seems to be saying that feeding low magnesium cat food did not alter the amount of magnesium in the cat. If this reading is correct it would seem that feeding thi s food would have no effect on the prevalence of URIs or am I missing the point?

Magnesium supplements for cats with HCM to Bengal cats and HCM

HCM in Maine Coon cats

The prevalence of HCM in Maine Coon cats that were asymptomatic (got the disease but no symptoms) and in Sweden is set out below:

Background

Maine coon cats have a familial disposition for developing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with evidence of an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance [1]. The current method to diagnose HCM is by the use of echocardiography. However, definite reference criteria have not been established. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of echocardiographic changes consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Swedish Maine coon cats, and to compare echocardiographic measurements with previously published reference values.

Echocardiography is cardiac ultrasound.

Methods

All cats over the age of 8 months owned by breeders living in Stockholm, listed on the website of the Maine Coon breeders in Sweden by February 2001, were invited to participate in the study. Physical examination and M-mode and 2D echocardiographic examinations were performed in all cats.

Results

Examinations of 42 asymptomatic Maine coon cats (10 males and 32 females) were performed. The age of the cats ranged from 0,7 to 9,3 years with a mean of 4,8 ± 2,3 years. Four cats (9,5%) had a diastolic interventricular septal (IVSd) or left ventricular free wall (LVPWd) thickness exceeding 6,0 mm. In 3 of these cats the hypertrophy was segmental. Two cats (4,8%) had systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve without concomitant hypertrophy. Five cats (11,9%) had IVSd or LVPWd exceeding 5,0 mm but less than 6,0 mm.

Conclusion

Depending on the reference values used, the prevalence of HCM in this study varied from 9,5% to 26,2%. Our study suggests that the left ventricular wall thickness of a normal cat is 5,0 mm or less, rather than 6,0 mm, previously used by most cardiologists. Appropriate echocardiographic reference values for Maine coon cats, and diagnostic criteria for HCM need to be further investigated.

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HCM in Maine Coon cats (the original title is "Prevalence of myocardial hypertrophy in a population of asymptomatic Swedish Maine coon cats" - This article is reproduced under a Attribution 2.0 Generic license. These are the details appertaining to this article:

(HCM in Maine Coon cats) - Copyright © 2008 Gundler et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Prevalence of myocardial hypertrophy in a population of asymptomatic Swedish Maine coon cats

Suzanne Gundler,corresponding author1 Anna Tidholm,2 and Jens Häggström3

1Bagarmossen Animal Hospital, Ljusnevägen 17, S-128 48 Bagarmossen, Sweden

2Albano Animal Hospital, Rinkebyvägen 23, S-182 36 Danderyd, Sweden

3Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, PO box 7018, Uppsala, Sweden



Update

9th July 2011: VG, a work colleague and a professor has added some useful scientific thought to the matter of the limitations of the echocardiography. You can see her comments on the document referred to above annotated to the document.

 These are VG's comments:

• How the cardiogram is done is important. (not for amateurs), say at cat shows (my comment: the person who I saw at a cat show in Oklahoma doing ultrasound was a professional and he used a mobile ultrasound device (see video above).
• Cats’ hearts are affected in different ways and there is no typical pattern of morphological measures/ abnormalities from echocardiograms for cats with HCM. So, it’s not a simple thing, like “look here” “see that” It’s not like getting your car’s muffler checked.
• Seems like the breeders in Stockholm were interested in participating in this study.
• There may be other heart abnormalities that eventuate in HCM, or possibly sudden cardiac death.
• Whatever heart anatomy abnormalities [were] observed via echocardiogram [they] were not due to random other diseases.
• The diagnostic criteria differ according to cardiologists, and how different researchers define “abnormality”. This is important! So, It is not an exact science.
• They are being cautious as to how the percentage range of HCM they report for the cats in their study would extrapolate to the global MC population. This is a responsible statement. It does not, however, take away from the more general thrust of the problems with using echocardiograms to assess HCM.
• [a] more recent article I am analyzing certainly suggests that the one identified genetic mutation for MCs is not the only mutation responsible for HCM. From the Meurs study (or studies), - different mutations in Maine coons and Ragdolls.

Cross-eyed cat

Cross-eyed cat - not a Siamese cat - in fact a tabby cat - photo by fazen

A Siamese cat is often crossed-eyed (it is thought) to the point that many Siamese cat owners/keepers consider it normal and accept it. Slightly confusingly the cross-eyed condition is sometimes referred to as a squint. However, squinting can and probably more normally refers to the closing/tightening of the eyelid muscles which partially closes the eye. When severe is can be induced by irritants and is called Blepharospasm.

The classic cross-eyed cat look of the Siamese cat and of course other cats, purebred or not, is an entirely different condition. The medical term is Strabismus. It is a condition in which the eyes are not aligned in relation to each other.

The extraocular muscles lack coordination. This lack of coordination can be due either to the brain or the muscles themselves.

A cross-eyed cat may lack proper binocular vision and depth perception as these two skills/senses are a result of having two eyes that work together. Either a one or both eyes can be misaligned.

In the Siamese cat it has been thought that the breed suffers from an inherited convergent vision (cross-eyed cat - see header picture). This cat health problem may be due to a disrupted visual pathway. A visual pathway is the pathway or route followed by the signals generated by the retina of the eye, which travels from the eye to the primary visual cortex, or V1 of the brain. This route goes via a "relay station" the LGN (lateral geniculate nucleus).

Sometimes Siamese kittens have a mild "squint" or are cross-eyed, which is naturally corrected later on. The condition is inherited and it could be monogenic or polygenic. More research is required. See Siamese cat health problems for more on the most popular purebred pedigree cat.


Cross-eyed cat to Traditional Siamese cat

Source:

• http://www.hhmi.org
• Wikipedia
• Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders & Veterinarians

Spaying procedure

Spaying procedure is discussed in outline with photographs on this page: Neutering cats.

The page also discusses other topics to do with neutering cats. Spaying procedure is the desexing of female cats.

Spaying procedure to Home page

Devon Rex cat breeding

Devon Rex kitten - Tilba - aged 13 weeks
Photo by petrichor
His health has no connection to this post.

Current Devon Rex cat breeding is or perhaps should be focused to at least a certain degree on hybridization and outcrossing to entirely different breeds when bearing in mind the history of the Devon Rex cat.

This cat breed started life from a single discovered cat, Kirlee in 1959 (see Devon Rex cat). That automatically meant a very small gene pool from which to breed. The gene pool remained small. Because the gene that makes the Devon Rex what he/she is (the curly coat) is recessive the gene pool was expanded by inbreeding at the early stages.

Inbreeding can (will?) eventually cause genetic problems (genetic diseases) and this was and is the case with the Devon Rex cat. This breed has a larger than normal number of genetic diseases (see Genetic Diseases in Purebred Cats for a comparison). A notable and distressing genetic disease is Spasticity, which prevents swallowing.

As I understand it Richard Malik of the University of Sydney who did work on this believes that the Spasticity that rarely occurs in the Devon Rex is a form of muscular dystrophy. The kittens die when choking on food - most distressing. The signs and symptoms include:

• head sinking to chest when in the litter box
• slow use of litter box
• bobbing head
• gait has a high step
• chin rests on chest
• biting is painful
• enlarged esophagus that traps swallowed food

Devon Rex cat breeding includes outcrosses to the British Shorthair and American Shorthair under CFA rules. Other outcrosses have been used in the past. As mentioned the gene that produces the curly coat (signified by the symbol re) will only produce curly coats in second generation outcrossed kittens and then only 50% will be curly. This is not useful economically to a breeder and is a barrier to hybridization. It is the classic commerce -v- health argument for breeders.

In addition to the above genetic disease a blood type problem has been encountered. When a male with type A blood in mated with a female with type B blood the mother creates antibodies that can kill her kittens. Under these circumstances the breeder hand feeds the kittens until the kitten gets used to the antibodies. This would seem to prevent the death of the kitten. Blood typing is carried out to avoid the problem happening in Devon Rex cat breeding.

Breeders are doing all they can I understand to resolve these matters in their Devon Rex cat breeding programs.

From Devon Rex cat breeding to home page

Devon Rex cat breeding - Source of info on Spasticity: www.pandecats.com - source of blood type disease: CFA.