DVD For Cats

Chilled out - Photo by abbesses

DVD for cats means music for cats. One fine cat lady who knows a lot about cats says she is very happy with her Amazon purchased cat music. Her name is Elisa Black-Taylor and she refers to cat music in an article that discusses whether cats can tell the time. She doesn't mean reading a clock! Just whether cats get a feel for the time based on sensory markers, routines and the light (dawn, dusk etc.) - Can Cats Tell Time? There is no doubt that cats can tell the time.

This is important when cats are left alone at home for hours on end. What happens? If we live alone with our cats we don't know how they react when we are out. We might be out all day at work. Or we might visit a relative overnight. We provide good food, plenty of fresh water and a nice clean litter box so all is well. But is it?

What about the cat's expectations and emotions. Is she stressed? It is almost impossible to tell except that she will probably be very pleased to see us on our return. That in itself tells us that she might have been stressed. Stress can cause behavioral problems (inappropriate elimination for example) and health problems (cystitis for example).

The idea is that playing a DVD for cats may de-stress our cat. Here are some Amazon.com products to try out:






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First Time Cat Owner

Some tips for the first time cat owner. Before starting to think about adopting a cat it is wise to get one's expectations right. I call it "expectation management". If we have the correct expectations were are unlikely to be disappointed. If we are not disappointed and do not struggle to care for our cat adequately, we are much less likely to relinquish our cat. This is so important in respect of cat welfare.

People adopting a cat need to know about the realities of cat caretaking. Before I go on it is worth mentioned that I prefer the phrase, "cat companion" and/or cat "caretaking" to "cat owner". I explain why on this page: Should we "own" a cat?

If you are buying a purebred cat this page might help: choosing a cat breed. If things go wrong this page may assist: How to sue on a cat contract.

New Cat - I hope the owner understood cats - Photo by -Qualsiasi

Here are some posts that provide tips and guides for the first time cat owner:

• 15 ways to avoid cat behavior problems - this covers a wide range of issues all of which should help the first time cat owner. I think it is an important document. It is a PDF file so will open differently and look different.
•  We should remember that cats live in a land of giants and we are the giants. Go gently and quietly (use a melodious voice) and create a harmonious routine for your cat. Cats love that. It will reduce stress and a confident unstressed cat is what we like because stress causes behavioral problems including inappropriate elimination.
• Learn how to speak cat.
• Learn how to keep your cat calm or calm him or her down. A calm, confident cat is a happy cat. Here are two posts on the subject: Post One - Post Two.
• A stimulated cat is a happy cat.
• Understand aggressive cat behavior. There is always a logical explanation and it can be avoided.
• Provide the best cat food (USA). Best Dry Cat Food and Best Canned Cat Food.
• Know what it cost to keep a cat for the life of a cat and it is for life. Be prepared for the near certainty of your cat dying before you. It can be heartbreaking.
• Know a bit about cat health. Understand the main diseases and watch out for them: upper respiratory infections, lower urinary tract infections, FIP, FeLV, FIV, Distemper, diabetes, allergies. They are all listed here: Cat Health Problems.
• This page might help too: Cat behavior explained.
• Act responsibly towards other people in relation to cat caretaking. Some people don't like cats. Don't piss them off by allowing your cat to trespass on their land etc.

I think that covers the important subjects. There are lots more. You can search for more using the search box above right.



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Cat Asthma

Cat with asthma using a bronchodilator - Photo: by jivedanson

Cat asthma is feline allergic bronchitis. Bronchitis is the inflammation of the smaller bronchi. Bronchi are the passages of airways in the respiratory tract that conduct air into the lungs"¹.

The inflammation is caused by a hypersensitivity to allergens in the environment and sometimes it may be due to heartworm. Causes are not that well known, apparently. Allergens are substances the can cause allergic reactions. Examples are:

• drugs,
• pollens,
• foods,
• dust,
• smoke,
• litter dust,
• deoderants etc.

Humans are sometimes allergic to a protein in the cat's saliva called Fel D1 which causes itching.

Cat asthma is similar to human asthma. It affects about 1 in 100 cats. It affects a slightly higher percentage of Siamese cats. Siamese cats may have the greatest number of all the cat breeds of genetic diseases - diseases caused by the presence of certain genes - inherited diseases.

This may be due to its long history in the cat fancy resulting in more selective cat breeding in this breed than in most others. I am talking about the modern slender Siamese by the way.

Cat asthma can be seasonal depending on the cause. I am thinking of pollen for example. Human asthma suffers know all about the potential seasonal nature of asthma.

The symptoms are:

• chronic long term cough
• chronic wheezing
• respiratory distress

An asthma attack begins with difficulty in breathing and coughing and wheezing. The muscles of the airways contract and are narrowed.

The cat's mouth may be open as he or she strains to inhale enough air. A lack of air results in a lack of oxygen in the blood leaving a bluish color to the mucous membranes. An example of a mucous membrane is the lining of the mouth that extends to the lips (oral mucosa).

Other diseases that cause similar symptoms are pleural effusion and pulmonary edema.

Chronically asthmatic cats are treated with "maintenance doses" of an oral corticosteroid (a steroid that is a hormone¹). These drugs cause side effects or can cause side effects. They don't cure asthma. They simply reduce the symptoms.

You can use cat inhalers these days. A commonly used cat bronchodilator in the USA  is Albuterol (see header picture - not sure if the inhaler in the picture contains this drug however).

Everything to do with this condition should be vet supervised.

Something to consider for the full-time indoor cat is an air filtration device. House plants can also purify air.

Cat Asthma -- Note:

1. Wikipedia authors



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Cat Skin Cancer

Cat skin cancer was in the news today, March 18th 2011 (GMT). The story concerns an earless cat looking for a home. I think he will find one in the not too distant future because he is a complete charmer. His name is Winston. He lost his ears because of cancer. He was abandoned by his "owners" who moved and left him behind. Yes, it's one of those stories again. How can people do this? He had been living outside for five years through fierce sun and freezing cold (20 degrees Fahrenheit).

He is an all white cat and the exposure to the sun on his ears had caused the cancer. His ears were black (caused by the tumor) and his coat white. A very decent person, Marilyn Hendrickson, of the Kirkland’s MEOW Cat Rescue shelter took him to a vet who amputated his ears. He is now cancer free and looks a bit like a Scottish Fold (the cat breed with folded ears that lie flat to the head). He looks cute and is cute.

I can't publish his picture because I don't have permission but here is a picture of another cat, Lily, who lost her ears for the same reason:

Lily has no ears - photo Nana Wickström (Flickr)

It appears that the ears are particularly vulnerable as the covering of fur is very thin. White cats are even more vulnerable it seems. As I understand this is it because there is less pigment in their skin of the ear flaps. Skin pigmentation follows the fur pattern and colour. You can see this in Sphynx cats. Dark pigmented skin is underneath dark patches of fur. Winston should be a full-time indoor cat now or use a sheltered cat enclosure. And for that matter Sphynx cats should too! This probably also applies to the thin haired cats such as the Peterbald and Devon Rex.

Cats have higher rates of cancer than dogs probably because of the occurrence of FeLV. Cancer occurs more frequently in older cats (10-15 years of age).

Apparently skin tumors are common in cats, although many are not malignant. The incidence is high at 25 percent of all feline cancers.  The occurrence of cancer is based in both genetic and environmental factors.

Carcinogens are environmental factors that cause alterations to genes and chromosomes affecting cell growth.

Skin cancer can be caused by ultraviolet light (a carcinogen). This I presume was the cause of Lily's and Winston's ear flap (pinna) cancer. Ultraviolet light is invisible to us. It causes sunburn.

Cancerous cells are diagnosed through a biopsy (taking a sample and inspecting it microscopically).

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Most common type of cat skin cancer. Occurs in older cats and Siamese and domestic longhair cats. "Small nodular growths beneath the skin"¹. Can be a growth on the head, back and upper chest. They rarely become malignant (malignant means: "to become progressively worse"). In Persian cats they are more likely to become malignant, however. The treatment is to remove the cancer.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Called an "epidermoid (epidermal tissue) carcinoma (a malignant new growth)". Cauliflower appearance. More commonly occur around body openings and where there is "chronic skin irritation". Can spread. Can occur near base of tongue. Needs early detection and treatment.

Mast Cell Tumors

Usually under one inch long and found on "hind legs, scrotum and lower abdomen"¹. About 33% are malignant.

Melanomas

A malignant "neoplasm". Neoplasm means: An abnormal formation of tissue; for example, a tumor².

Pigmented spot enlarges and spreads, becomes raised and bleeds. Occur anywhere on the skin and in the mouth.

Uveal Melanomas

Eye tumors - slow growing. Eye pigment changes and possible pain and redness. Persian cats are predisposed to this form of cat skin cancer.

Cat Skin Cancer -- Note:

1. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook chapter 19

2. The Free Dictionary.




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Cat Colony Diseases

Cat colony diseases are going to be similar to, or the same as, the sort of diseases that multi-cat households and cat breeders are subject to. A customer wrote about her purebred cat bought from a breeder: FIP In Breeding Cattery Cats.

It is important to note that in a study of feral cats in Florida, the cats, "had similar or lower prevalence rates of infections [for FIV and FeLV the targeted diseases] than those published for pet cats in the United States." See: Prevalence of infectious diseases in feral cats in Northern Florida by Brian J. Luria et al (Science Direct).

Feral cat colony. Longhaired feral cats are rare. Photo in public domain.

The way I see it there are two types of cat colony disease. There are the usual upper respiratory infections and urinary tract infections that all cats and particularly outdoor cats are going to be more susceptible to and we also have the deadly, some of which are highly contagious, diseases that are probably responsible for the majority of deaths. We know that the life of the feral cat is much shorter than that of the cosseted indoor cat. And it is feral cats that live in colonies. Colonies form around food sources.

These deadly viral disease would seem to be FIP, FIV, FeLV and feline distemper to use the shortened language of cat medical dictionaries. FIP is feline infectious peritonitis; FIV is feline immunodeficiency virus and FeLV stands for feline leukemia virus.

Below is the result of a survey that was part of a trap-neuter-return program that took place on Prince Edward Island, Canada:


View Larger Map

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

I am not sure why FIP is not referred to in this survey. It may be because the subject of the survey was FIV and FeLV.

This page has a bit more on the subject: Stray and feral cat illnesses.




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Vitamin Supplement Senior Cat

18 year old cat - she is losing weight

Because of a geriatric cat's reduced ability to absorb vitamins through the intestinal tract, the senior cat needs more vitamins and minerals.

Also, reduced kidney function leads to a loss of vitamin B in urine.

However a high quality cat food for the geriatric cat will accommodate this change in dietary requirement.

Accordingly, there is no need for a vitamin supplement for the senior cat unless the cat has an eating problem when vitamin supplements can be discussed with a veterinarian.

However, there might be a consensus amongst cat health experts that antioxidants benefit the elderly cat.

Antioxidants most commonly used are vitamins E and C (and co-enzyme Q). The Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated (at page 509) says that, "you can safely supplement your cat's diet using an antioxidant product prescribed by your veterinarian."



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Cat Licked Paint Off Paw

My cat licked paint of her paw. What should I do? We decorate. Our cat is inquisitive. Our cat walks into the paint or falls into the paint. This is what happened to my cat. I was painting the bathroom using solid paint. It is like a slab of butter in a tray. She climbed the bath and slipped. She fell on her side into the paint and ran off leaving a trail of paint paw prints on the carpet and fear in my heart for her health.

I found her, grabbed her and put her in a sink full of water! The paint was water based so it washed off. Some paint is water based and some oil based. The latter is washed off using turps or a specialist paint brush cleaner (but don't do this if it is on your cat). This paint might have lead in it. Lead makes the paint more durable and usually applies to outdoor paints. Lead though is poisonous. Lead is probably banned in many European countries and parts of America in paints at the time of writing this.

So, if your cat licked paint of his or her paw the first question is what kind of paint is it? It might be possible to catch your cat before she licks much off and the paint might be water based. Check the tin.

Lead is listed as a poison (and rightly so). Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook says that lead "previously served as a base for many commercial paints" (i.e. does no longer). Correct. Paints these days should be lead free. This applies to America and Europe I suspect as mentioned. Apparently the USA banned lead paint in 1977!

However, many countries are not at that stage where lead in paint is not used or banned. Cat toys manufactured abroad is one example.

I would check the paint. Is there lead in it. Read the can. In fact if we keep cats there is an argument that we should check the paint before buying it! The paint should be water based and lead free.



If your cat has walked in paint and is licking it off, the first thing to do is to stop him or her licking her paws - obviously. If the paint is water based it can be washed off with water. Water is a solvent and soaking the paws that are covered in paint will dissolve the paint. It can then be washed off.

If the paint is oil based it is more complicated. The same book says that residual [paint] should be saturated in vegetable oil and left for 24 hours. Then wash the area with soap and water. Apply nail polish remover and "follow with a good rinsing" if the "substance is on the feet".

Meanwhile the cat should be prevented from grooming off the paint. An "Elizabethan collar may be required" (one of those plastic collars that vets put around the neck).

Solvents such as turpentine (turps) and gasoline should not be used to remove the paint because they are toxic to the cat and harmful to the skin.

If in doubt see a veterinarian as an emergency. Take the paint can with you.

Diversion: Turbo scratcher cat toy: Furby's First Toy By Furby



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Cat Deworming

Cat deworming agents or drugs are poisonous to the worm and less poisonous to the cat but they are still poisons. Care needs to be exercised.

The reference material comes from the book shown adjacent left to these words. You can buy it on Amazon. It is the best book on cat health care anywhere.

Kittens

It appears that the general advice here is to have a good veterinarian check your kitten or kittens stool for worms as "a very large proportion of kittens are infested with ascarids"...but it cannot be assumed that the infestation is limited to ascarids. Certain deworming drugs are ineffective against certain worms so a proper diagnosis needs to be made at the outset. Ascarids are roundworms.

Kittens should be healthy and unstressed before administering deworming drugs - i.e. no diarrhea or signs of illness.

Kittens infested with roundworms should be treated at 2 - 3 weeks of age and at 5 - 6 weeks of age and beyond if still present. Treatments should be vet supervised in my opinion as kittens are too vulnerable.

Sid - he had worms and died of an unspecified illness - photo by rore

Adult Cats

The general modus operandi is to deworm when when worms are present and not as a precaution. Diagnosis is through inspection of the cat's stool through a microscope.

Any underlying illness or undiagnosed illness is best treated and resolved before deworming.

Outdoor cats should be checked yearly or automatically treated as a precaution. Tapeworms need more frequent treatment.

Breeding mothers should be dewormed before breeding.

Medications

Please see a vet first. Where a worm is not listed the drug is not effective for that worm.

Epsiprantel - effective for tapeworms.

Fenbendazole - Effective for ascarids, hookworm and tapeworm.

Invermectin - prevents heartworm, good for hookworm.

Milbemycin oxime - effective for roundworm and hookworm, prevents heartworm.

Piperazine - effective for roundworm.

Praziquantal - for tapeworm.

Praziquantel with pyrantel - for roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm.

Pyrantel pamoate - for roundworm and hookworm.

Selamectin - as for Pyrantel pamoate.

See cat parasites and cat cough and cat heartworm and "Cat has a bug that looks like rice coming out of butt"and kitten health.



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Cat Health Book

Healthy tabby cat? Photo by julicath/Cath (On- Off ;-))

I am going to keep this post short because there is no doubt in my mind what the best cat health book is: Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook - click on the picture of the book to buy it (or just hold the cursor over it). It is very good value indeed



Why is this the best (worldwide)?

1. Comprehensiveness
2. Readability
3. Ease of reference (you can find things easily)
4. Updated regularly

I'll press on though as there are other cat health books that I use and this is the list:

1. Your Cat
2. The Veterinarian's Guide to Your Cat's Symptoms
3. Veterinary Notes For Cat Owners

These are the "also rans" for me. It is a personal thing of course. But I think that you will probably agree that my top pick is the best. I use it all the time and willingly promote it.



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Dry FIP

Ivanhoe - Somali cat who died of FIP - Photo Finn Frode

FIP stands for Feline Infectious Peritonitis. There are two forms, wet and dry FIP. Both are "invariably fatal"¹. A Victim of FIP.

I have already written about feline infectious peritonitis on this page: Feline FIP, where you can read about the disease generally including its cause, which is believed to be a mutation of the benign coronavirus.

Click on the following link to read about how certain breeds of cats are more susceptible than others: Prevalence of feline infectious peritonitis in specific cat breeds.

Dry FIP is also called, "disseminated form". Signs of the illness are not specific. They include:

• loss of weight and appetite
• listlessness
• depression
• cat obviously very ill

This illness is difficult to diagnose.  The disease affects the eyes, brain, liver, kidney and pancreas. Sixty percent of cases involve the eye or brain or both.

The diagnosis may require surgical exploration. During this procedure the vet may see "sticky mucous or strands of fibrous protein" on the surface of the liver spleen or intestines. About five percent of cats with dry FIP are also infected with the feline leukemia virus. Organ biopsy is the only certain diagnostic test.

Other tests for diagnosis include

• blood count
• liver function tests
• "abnormal serum protein pattern"
• analysis of chest fluid
• tests to detect the coronavirus antibodies

Once a cat has signs of secondary disease (the stage from benign to virulent) the cat will die after up to one year of a decent quality of life.

Medication may improve the quality of life and it may be prolonged with chemotherapy. Vitamin C can be helpful¹. Aspirin cat reduce inflammation - only administer with vets supervision - Feline Pain Relief.

Prevention is clearly better than cure. This is a deadly disease at the secondary stage. Multicat households, breeders, boarding catteries and shelters are more at risk. See for example: FIP In Breeding Cattery Cats.

Excellent facility and cat management is required including:

• parasite control
• prompt treatment of health problems
• regular grooming
• excellent nutrition
• use of effective disinfectant (diluted bleach 1:32)
• spacious quarters for cats
• exercise for cats
• new cats can be isolated for 2 weeks and tested for FIP

Dry FIP -- Note:

1. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook updated current edition page 87.




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Cat Acid Reflux Cure

A visitor to the main site had a problem with her Siamese cat that may have been caused by acid reflux. The cat was vomiting routinely when waking up. The problem may not have been acid reflux but it looked that way. Acid reflux is technically called: gastroesophageal reflux. Click on this link to see the post. In this post I referred to the failure of the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach as a possible cause of the gastroesophageal reflux. There are other causes.

Some other causes are frequent vomiting (there will, of course, be an underlying cause for that), hiatal hernia, cancer of the esophagus, foreign body in the esophagus.

I am going to refer to PetPlace.com for a cat acid reflex cure. The "cure" is to treat the underlying cause of the acid reflux. Other than that the treatment is to treat the symptoms, which includes:

• drugs to inhibit the production of stomach acid. This is the classic treatment for people with this condition. There can be side effects such as diarrhea.
• "gastric coating agents". Liquids that protect the lining of the esophagus. These are also commonly used by people with acid reflux. This page on the Peteducation.com site discusses anti-acids (note: links can sometimes become broken).
• changes in diet. This may help but cats prefer acid based diet.
• if there is a foreign body in the esophagus it is removed.
• surgery if needed.
• antibiotics may be required where there is "secondary pneumonia".

Clearly a good veterinarian is required to diagnose the underlying problem. Treating that and "curing" that, if it is possible, is preferable to continually treating symptoms.



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Cat Vomiting Blood

This can be kept short because a cat vomiting blood is caused by a specific condition. Fresh blood in vomit is a sign of a damage to the intestinal lining between the mouth and upper small bowel usually caused by a foreign body. Tumors and cancer can also be a cause.

"PJ" - he vomited blood - photo Bellah (Flickr)

The cat in the picture was thought to have feline pancreatitis. He was placed on a special diet and given Pepcid. Pepcid is an "acid controller", meaning stomach acid so I presume he had a stomach ulcer. This might have been exacerbated by the pancreatitis but I have not looked that up.

Blood that has be partly digested and which resembles, "coffee grounds", indicates that the actual internal bleeding has taken place in the stomach or the outlets from the stomach.

The above serious conditions that require an immediate trip to the veterinarian should be distinguished from a cat swallowing blood and vomiting it.

Reference:



I highly recommend this readable book on cat health problems. There is only one thing I dislike about it. Drs Carlson and Giffin the authors (with others?) do not decry the declawing of cats. They support it under strict conditions even though those conditions are for non-therapuetic purposes. Wrong, sorry.

See also:

Cat Vomiting and

Cat Vomiting (main site)



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Donor Cat Adoptions

I had never heard of donor cats never mind donor cat adoptions until reading a book on cat behavior I recently acquired. Donor cats are cats that have served as a blood donor at a veterinary hospital.

"Leo" a blood donor cat - Photo by dr.r.lam (Flickr)

Because they are selected to give blood (shame that the cat has no say in the matter) they are healthy cats with an even temperament. They need to have a nice sociable character to make the job of giving blood easier, more manageable.

They are then damn good cats that have usually spent their early years as strays or they have been relinquished for whatever reason. They range in age from one to ten years and have a weight that is over 10 pounds. This seems to be a requirement in the selection process.

When I say that they are healthy, I mean that they have been carefully screened and they have had echocardiograms to ensure that they have healthy hearts.

They would seem to be ideal candidates for adoption. They have served other cats, the cat community! They are healthy and of sound character. What more could a person want in a cat companion?

However, unfortunately, I don't know much about how to go about adopting these cats. There is nothing on the internet that comes to hand.  I would have thought that contacting a veterinary hospital within a reasonable distance of where you live and asking questions would be a useful first step. You can go from there.



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Cat Losing Voice

The medical terms for a cat losing its voice is laryngitis, which is the inflammation of the mucous membrane of the voice box.

Healthy cat! I couldn't find a picture of a cat that had lost its voice. Photo by Mindaugas Lickus (Flickr).

The symptoms are loss of voice as mentioned and hoarseness. The common causes of a cat losing its voice are a chronic cough and excessive meowing. These strain the vocal cords.

Laryngitis can also be associated with:

• tonsillitis
• throat infections
• tracheobronchitis
• pneumonia
• inhalant allergies
• tumors in the throat although this is rare
• See Feline URIs

If excessive meowing is the cause, the reason for this needs to be assessed and removed. It will usually be due to stress and anxiety or the cat may be distressed about something.

Clearly if the cat is coughing a lot the cause needs to be assessed and treated. The page on cat coughing deals with when we can and can't treat a cat cough ourselves. Most often we cannot if it is chronic. In which case a veterinarian is required.

Some cats are very quiet and have silent voices. This is simply a cat characteristic. British Shorthairs are like this.



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Cat In Pain

Perhaps the most significant thing about a cat in pain is that they hide or mask it. It is said that they do this is as an act of survival. It is also said that the domestic cat is small and therefore vulnerable to larger predators and so hides pain that would give a signal to a predator that the cat might be easy prey being weakened by an illness that causes the pain.

That makes sense in one way but not in another. Do lions and tigers mask pain? They are top predators and they are cats! They probably do mask pain or at least it won't be obvious that the lion or tiger is in pain.

There is no doubt that it can be difficult to tell if a domestic cat is in pain. But it is not all that difficult. A domestic cat in pain will become quiet and more passive. He or she will find a quiet corner or place that is well protected, curl up and keep out of the way. If a cat is fatally injured he or she will find a quiet spot to die.

I am not sure that this is a survival strategy. It is more to do with a simple and logical reaction to feeling ill and pain. Humans go to bed and are passive when in pain and feeling ill. We don't want to do anything. We feel depressed and demotivated. I am sure that cats feel the same way.

A cat in pain will feel poorly and become inactive. If we notice a change in the routine of a cat towards being more passive and quiet,  or demonstrating a "do-not-disburb-me" behavior we might assess that our cat is in pain and go to the vet.

Other possible signs of a cat in pain might include:

• inappropriate elimination - although the cause is more likely to be stress or other causes
• eating habit changes
• eating litter
• weight loss
• sleep habit changes
• more vocal

These, though can also include general symptoms of feeling ill.

Many years ago, when my lady cat got a grain of wheat stuck in her eye - a sharp and painful object - she went to the bottom of the garden and kept quiet. She had not gone to that spot before. There were two changes in routine - quiet and a remote, new place to rest.

I noticed this, checked her out and spotted the object in her eye. I stopped her, held her still and between the nails of my thumb and finger grabbed the end of the grain and yanked it out. I was lucky to get it. She yelped and immediately looked more comfortable. A lot of gunge had built up around the grain to protect the eye but it must have been painful.

At the time, I was about to take her to the vet. Look for changes in routine and quietness if assessing whether a cat is in pain or not and when there is no obvious reason why your cat should behave differently. However, when pain is acute the cat will probably be vocal and try and relieve it. In short the cat might move.

But please don't administer pain relief without a veterinarians supervision. Pain killers can kill cats - feline pain relief.

See the story behind the picture heading this post.




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Signs of Cat Mouth Disease

It is something that we tend to put to one side. We are too busy etc. Our cat is there, utterly reliable and he or she takes care of herself just fine but we should really keep an eye on some basics and we, as companions to our cats, can do quite a lot in the way of inspections. Grooming and inspecting for fleas is the classic example.

Inspecting for signs of cat mouth disease is relatively straightforward too and should be picked up early so that preventative steps or early reactive steps can be taken. We don't even have to inspect our cat's mouth at the outset because there are early signs of cat mouth disease.



One of the first signs of cat mouth disease is that the cat has difficulty eating because the mouth is sore. It wants to eat but stops. The cat might look at the food longingly and even try and eat but stop.

As the mouth is sore another sign will be an unkempt coat as it is too painful for the cat to groom her coat in the usual way by licking. If the cat does groom itself it may drool. This will be indicated by saliva on the cat's chin and/or chest below the chin.

Another sign and one that is pretty obvious but you gotta get close is bad breath. The likely causes of bad breath would be Stomatitis (an inflammation of the mucous lining of any of the structures in the mouth) and Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums around the teeth without loss of the tooth attachment). Bad breath may also be caused by tartar build up.

If these signs are present the mouth can be examined but your cat won't like it particularly as the mouth is sore. If you are right handed, to open a cat's mouth, place the left hand over the cat's head and the finger and thumb of the hand against the corners of the mouth and press in gently. The mouth will open and it can be opened slightly further by pressing down on the chin with the index finger of the right hand. Warning: be careful and if in doubt see a good veterinarian. Preferably one who does not practice the crime of declawing cats for non-therapeutic reasons (in the USA) as this will be a sign that the vet is more in tune with the cat and less in tune with turning a profit.

Here is a nice cat having its teeth cleaned. This is taking proactive measures! Difficult though and I would say that this cat is more accepting of having his teeth cleaned than most. If the mouth is diseased, however, a visit to vet is needed and not teeth cleaning. Too late for that for us to deal with unless you want a good scratch!





From to Home Page

American Vets are Unethical Towards the Cat

I am convinced that a large number (not all, please note) of American vets are unethical towards the cat and as a consequence they are in breach of the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and their oath, if they are members of that association.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), established in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 78,000 veterinarians….

The veterinarian’s oath under the AVMA is:

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.
I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

Selected clause of the AVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics:
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR

1. Veterinarians should first consider the needs of the patient: to relieve disease, suffering, or disability while minimizing pain or fear. (comment: this is a basic principle and is right at the top of the document. It goes to the core of everything the vet does in his or her practice. The patient is the cat in this instance)

American vets are unethical towards the cat - Please Note: I have reproduced the above verbatim for accuracy and I justify this under fair use as they are extracts of a large document and it is in the public’s interest and the companion cat’s interest to have this discussion.

American vets are unethical towards the cat – Note: If anyone wants to use this article and is brave enough to do so! - I hereby license its use under creative commons. Please place this near the article if reusing it (including the links): American Vets are Unethical Towards the Cat by Michael is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. It is based on work of my own. The license applies world wide. Also Please Note: I like America and Americans but strongly dislike the culture of declawing. It is not found anywhere else. Everything that I say or do in relation to the cat is on the basis of treating the cat as I would a person, with respect. Declawing is highly disrepectful of our cat companions.

Accusing a vet of being unethical is strong language, I know, but declawing cats on the whim of a cat “owner” who wants to protect furniture is an assault on the cat. Under these particular circumstances, it is deliberately inflicting a physical and possibly psychological injury on the cat. It is detrimental to the cat, a violation of a vet’s oath and a violation of the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics.

In fact, the president of the AVMA seems to agree with me! If that it the case what are they doing about it? The rules should be enforced more strictly and tightened up. She wants the law to prevent it when she can prevent it in changing the code of conduct of veterinarians.

In the UK a vet doing that on a consistent basis would, in my view be struck off and prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. He or she would probably be convicted and punished to a jail term not exceeding 51 weeks and/or a fine not exceeding £20,000 ($32,302 USD). His career would be ruined.

Yet in the United States of America, where they are proud to uphold basic human rights (but not the rights of cats, it seems) highly qualified and intelligent veterinarians have criminally assaulted, by European standards, at least 20 million cats. As there is almost no declawing in the UK, despite being allowed on medical grounds, I can only presume that 99.9% of that 20m are for the personal reasons of the person keeping the cat or the landlord renting out his flats (apartments).

American vets are unethical towards the cat – Note: I realise that some people use the argument that declawing saves the lives of cats as it means they can be kept by people living in apartments where the lease forbids it. I don’t go along with that argument. These people should not keep cats at all if the lease forbids it or seek a lease that does etc. It is this kind of self serving mentality that results in unwanted rescue cats that are put down in the millions in the USA.

If it is to be done appropriately the operation to declaw a cat should cost about 600 dollars but may increase up to 800 dollars if done using lasers, but it is worth it, says a well known vet tech (Asker) who contributes to Yahoo Answers. There is also a lot of pain treatment after the operation and “arthritis develops early in these cats and life long supplementation helps keep them comfortable and less stressed” (Asker – vet tech). This all equates to big money (total: $12,000,000,000 (USD) at today’s prices – I think this is 12 billion US dollars) for vets and it is money that drives some vets (a far too large a percentage, I allege) to carry out this operation in defiance of their code of conduct and their oath and also against the best interests of the cat (but in the interests of an ill advised human client).
There is an acute conflict of interest in the US veterinary profession: money –v- ethics. In the USA and elsewhere vets have, over recent years, strived to be treated as the equal of doctors. They started to call themselves doctors. This is a newish concept. If they want the status of doctors they should act like doctors and treat cats in the same way doctors treat people. Cats have no voice and cannot decide for themselves. That places a greater responsibility on the vet towards the cat. And it also places a great responsibility on the vet to explain all the facts to the person who keeps the cat. What the vet says to the cat keeper is the make or break moment as to whether the operation takes place or not. The cat keeper is in the hands of the vet at that moment. The vets words are critical and must comply with the ethical principles and oath.

Only on rare medical grounds should the operation be carried out. You know, there is quite a lot of denial in the veterinarian profession about cat declawing. There is a kind of manipulative management going on in some vet’s practices (I allege) that coerces vet techs and other employees to participate in the process of cat declawing against their better judgment (see the Psychology of Declawing).

The form below is, by the way, completely confidential. I have no idea who is voting. You can see the spreadsheet that stores the votes here: Results

In the UK (a country that is culturally close to and similar to the USA), the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which criminalises cat declawing, made no difference to the act of declawing because it simply hardly ever happened before. It is just not part of the culture and I think this comes to a very large part from the veterinarians. It can’t be the case that British people are more ethical generally that American people. It comes down to being trained and guided by the “experts” (the vets). In many ways they guide us in respect of how to treat our cats and they indirectly police us and dictate how we treat our cats.

“The procedure was considered cruel by almost all British vets, who refused to perform it except on medical grounds. The Guide to Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons stated that declawing was "only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner ... the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable."…(Wikipedia author)

As can been seen, the code of practice of vets in the UK is very explicit on this subject. What is happening in the United States? It would seem to me that the American Veterinary Medical Association, which is no doubt run by veterinarians is complicit in this cruelty and in fact condone it (as I understand it they permit it when there is destructive use of claws - this will always happen so it is a full approval but using what I call "weasel" words, words dressed up to sound like the veterinarian is doing the operation for a good reason) . In fact they must allow it as otherwise they would have taken steps to better manage what is a blot on the profession in the United States.

The surgery is basically an American “thing”. And it is an American thing because Americans are very driven by financial profit. It is why they are the richest nation in the world. What has happened is that self interest has got the better of American vets. But as mentioned their actions have, over time, coloured and altered the culture and opinions of a large number of ordinary Americans into believing that declawing is alright and acceptable when it clearly is not as it is in breach of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s code of conduct (when carried out for the personal and non-medical reasons of the cat keeper). That said, incidentally, polls in America (e.g. Petplace.com) strongly indicate that the majority of people are against declawing of cats.

It is considered inhumane and is illegal in many countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Japan (src: Yahoo answers).

America is out of step with the world on declawing and it is in the hands of the directors and managers of the veterinarian associations to change an entirely distorted culture that is deeply ingrained in a substantial percentage of the American people.
American vets are unethical towards the cat - See also:

• Declawing Cats
• Declaw cats
• Cat declawing

Update: Babz made a comment and left a link for a petition. This is the link: Declawing Petition (new page).

From American vets are unethical towards the cat to Home Page

Reason to Keep Your Cat Indoors

Here is another reason to keep your cat indoors, permanently. It is all over the cat news. It is the always fatal (although this could be 95% fatality), no cure, bobcat tick disease. The disease is caused by the blood parasite Cytauxzoon felis, which is carried by the American dog tick, which in turn is carried by the American bobcat in America but in Africa, this disease is carried by ungulates (animals with hooves). The parasite does not affect the bobcat, which is widely distributed throughout the USA. The disease is called cytauxzoonosis after the name of the parasite.

"The pathogen is spread to domestic cats through the American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis), which can be found in heavily wooded areas and fields. Because of the route of infection, it is most likely that outdoor cats develop the disease. The biggest risk of infection occurs in May through September, but even during that time, it is a very rare disease." (Wikipedia)

Above: Range of the American Bobcat. Published under Wikimedia® creative commons license = Attribution-ShareAlike License. Author: Tim Marskell

Although it is rare, it is fatal which creates a dilemma for cat owners. Do we let them out? When a cat lives in an area that is suitable to go out (i.e. quite and traffic free - are there such places?) there is this added danger. It is a fast moving and nasty disease that causes a painful death.

Initially, the disease shows no apparent symptoms. When the symptoms show the cat is near death. Quite shocking and frightening. The disease is in the news because of the loss of 4 cats in one family nor far from Topeka, Kansas:


View Larger Map

The first cat to die used to spend a lot of time outdoors in a hedgerow

The disease is caused by a protozoa microorganism, which gets into the red blood cells of the cat which causes severe anemia. There are also blood flow problems through some of the cat's organs e.g. the liver and spleen. The organs fail. The symptoms start 1 to 2 weeks after infection and are:

• A high temperature - 105 degrees + the normal body temperature is 99.5 to 100.5 degrees)
• Anorexia
• Lethargy
• Jaundice in the eyes, gums, and skin (skin looks yellow). This is due to liver damage.

Historically this nasty disease is found in the south and south east of the USA . The temperature and humidity are high in these areas. However, it is migrating north and west due to climate change and bobcat migration.

As the disease is fatal the only action that can be taken is preventative measures and it is regrettably one more reason to keep your cat indoors. This is a shame. Keeping cats indoors will prevent transmission of the disease from bobcat to ground to domestic cat. Another measure is the well known Frontline:

"Although it can be prevented in most cases by use of such medicines as Frontline, there have been cases of cats treated with this medication that have died of Cytauxzoonosis because of the delay between application and absorption into the hair follicle of the feline"

From Reason to Keep Your Cat Indoors to Home Page

Cat Catches Bubonic Plague

When a cat catches the bubonic plague in the Truckee area of Nevada as reported by the County Health Department last Friday I hope that this time cats generally are not going to be unjustly persecuted.

When the famous bubonic plague (“black death” as it was called because black patches formed on the skin) hit London (from where I write this) in 1665 cats were slaughtered as it was thought they carried the disease. In August of 1665 in London, 31159 people died of the plague and in all 15% of the population of London died because of it.

There were probably a large number of feral cats in those days. There still are, in fact. We are wiser these days (are we?) and now know that it is flea infested rats and rodents that carry the disease. In the modern era, bubonic plague still occurs where rats are present in large numbers or are not successfully controlled.

In the USA where there are 10-15 cases a year (src: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) and these usually occur at some hot spots:

• Northern New Mexico
• Northern Arizona and southern Colorado
• California
• Southern Oregon
• Far western Nevada.

Cats are susceptible to harbouring fleas because of their fur. Fleas will jump onto a cat (from the ground) having jumped off an infected rat or rodent. It is our beholden duty to routinely check for fleas on our cats and comb them out. This for me is the preferred way as it is benign and safe. Flea powders I think are dangerous. In fact any sprays (directly onto the coat can cause problems as cats will lick it off and ingest it) are unsafe. This is just my personal view. If the flea infestation is bad a chemical dropper like Frontline is invariably successful but even that should be administered with caution. These chemicals are rather potent so lets think of the cat.

When a cat catches bubonic plague it will usually be the fault of the local health department for failing to control rat populations not the fault of the innocent messenger, the cat, who should have been treated by us. In short it comes down to us again. Nearly all “problems” to do with cats originate with us.

Further reading about flea control:

• How to Control Cat Fleas (new window)
• Can Cat Fleas Bite Humans
• Cat Flea Life Cycle
• Homemade Flea Control
• Diatomaceous Earth (new window)

From Cat Catches Bubonic Plague to Pictures of Cats org

Maine Coon Cat Health in Europe

This is a post about Maine Coon cat health in Europe and is based on an email from a concerned Maine Coon cat breeder in Italy, Max. This is his email. One or two bits have been amendeed as his email was written in English and Max is Italian. I therefore tidied it up a bit. He writes pretty good English though.

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…..Hi I am Massimo (Max). I run a Maine Coon cattery in Italy. It is called Trillo Team (new window). We are first and foremost 'cat-lovers' and then breeders. We also have two rescue cats who were condemned to death and we had bottle feed them to complete their weaning. If you look at our website, which is unfortunately only in Italian (sorry), you'll find lots of information relating to the health of the Maine Coon.

We are currently fighting a tough battle against many Italian breeders to isolate and eliminate the HCM gene from our breeding lines, but unfortunately the situation between breeders in Italy and in Europe is very serious, especially for what I reluctantly consider to be their irresponsible behaviour, that I'll try to explain below. I am sorry to say this but I feel that I must. In Italy there are breeders who continue to reproduce cats that HCM test for p / p (homozygous) and more so cats that test for n / p (heterozygous) not caring to only breed with cats that test negative n / n. But in doing so, in a litter, for example, of 6 puppies, 20% of the pups could be n / p, and therefore bearers of HCM.

I consider this irresponsible behaviour, because thinking about the reproductive life of a cat of at least 5 years with 2 litters per year, for an average of 6 pups at a time, this means that a cat that is n / p, gives the world at least 20 baby carriers of HCM ... Can you tell me, if you know, how the breeders in the U.S.A. are doing? Is it the same? We, as a breeder, unfortunately in these 4 years of activity, took cats from other breeders with the assurance that the examinations had resulted in negative HCM testing resulting in n / n. But the re-test on these cats indicated that they were n / p. I think it is irresponsible behavior. There are only 3-4 breeders in Italy who breed Maine Coon cats under rigorous testing and removing carriers of HCM from the reproductive cycle.

So we are looking the U.K. for instance to see if we can find a guaranteed cat, n / n, from a line that is not present in Italy, for at least 6 generations. We would like to found a Quality Maine Coon Club, bringing together Italian and foreign breeders, that pursue a rigorous selection in its breeding.

Another problem has occurred in relation to laboratories in Italy that perform analytical testing of HCM. In Italy there is a laboratory at the University of Milan (Vetogene) running this test that is connected to the University of Michigan, where the gene was identified and isolated. Otherwise we turn to a laboratory in Germany (LaboKlin) or France (Antagene). But what has happened is that the same cat resulted in, n / n in Italy was found to be n / p in Germany. So we no longer know what to do.

I've read with interest the study of HCM made in Stockholm, Sweden, but I've seen that they didn't talk about HCM's genetic analysis. I think that there is a lot to do to in generating awareness in people about this problem. For me, it is really a nightmare to think of selling a kitten, that after 2 or 3 years is dead of HCM. A cat is not a computer or a radio, for example, so that I can say “this cat is under warranty and can be replaced with another puppy”. When a cat becomes part of the family he or she becomes the object of attention and love from all, and when he dies you can not replace this companion just like a broken TV ...

I would welcome any input or comments from breeders or concerned people who might be able to assist in eliminting the curse of HCM from Maine Coons in Italy.

Max.

From Maine Coon Cat Health in Europe to Maine Coon Cats