Showing posts with label cat health 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cat health 4. Show all posts

Sunday, 10 April 2022

How urgent is your cat's health problem? Here is a list.

A common problem that some cat caregivers have is getting their cat to the vet promptly enough when a health problem demands prompt action. Delay obviously makes things worse. The usual reason for the delay is an understandable concern about the open-ended nature of a veterinarian's fee. How much is it going to cost? If the health problem is unknown or unclear the cost will be unclear as well until tests have been concluded etc. 

How urgent is your cat's health problem? Here is a list.
Cat at vet's. Image is a screenshot.

Some procedures have fixed costs but a lot of health issues do not. The main reason for delaying is to see if the problems resolve itself to avoid vet's fees. And, of course, there is the hassle and stress of taking a cat to the vet. Both cat and person are probably stressed equally.

This page might help in deciding how soon you should take your cat to a vet. The information comes from: A-Z OF CAT DISEASES & HEALTH PROBLEMS by Bradley Viner BVet Med MRCVS Published by Howell Book House Macmillan - USA. ISBN 0-87605-043-7.

Against each symptom/illness is a number 1-3:
  1.  = See vet immediately
  2.  = Book next available appointment with vet
  3.  = Make arrangements to see vet in due course
This list is alphabetical:

Sunday, 10 June 2012

Doctors are no more that specialist veterinarians

To those of us who love cats and are aware of our cat's needs and behavior I think we knew this all along . What do I mean? I mean that animals suffer from the same or similar psychological and physical health problems that we do. They are more like us than billions of people realize. This is gradually dawning on the human race, rather late in the day, and it may put some resistance into worldwide animal abuse and misuse.

The title is a reference to the fact that doctors (General Practitioners let's say) treat the human animal, one species of animal amongst all animals on the planet and are, therefore, specialist vets because vets treat all animals.

Vets should be funded better through a state subsidy perhaps. They are paid less than doctors. Although in America they call themselves doctors. Being paid less can create distortions and anomalies such as declawing cats, a highly profitable process for vets. Some never declaw.

I would like, as well, to refer to the book, Zoobuity, that is out on the 14th June 2012. You can pre-book on Amazon. It is the book that gave me the idea for this post.

Here is an example of how close we are to animals. God, that statement will upset some people, sorry. Take people who self-harm. This could be a distortion of preening in birds. When birds are upset because they have been left alone they peck themselves. A similar form of self-harm. When horses are left alone they gnaw themselves.

In general doctors keep a distance from veterinarians and vice versa. There is a call for these two professions to collaborate much more to the benefit of both, particularly the human animal. Of course, we are far more important than animals aren't we?

Monday, 4 June 2012

Kibble Kats

There have been three recent cases of famously obese cats: Meow, SpongeBob and now Garfield. Meow was 39lbs. SpongeBob started off at 33lbs and Garfield is just 40lbs in weight. He's the latest in this line of large cats. He is a big boned cat anyway so that extra size puts him above the other two. Both Garfield and SpongeBob are New York state cats.

Garfield weighing in at 39.75 lbs.

The interesting bit for me is what the shelter people say. They believe that Garfield was fed a diet of kibble constantly. I suppose that means there was always a large bowl of dry cat food on the ground for him to graze from. It must have been very tasty kibble. As you know it is the high level of carbs in kibble that causes weight gain - and potentially other health problems such as urinary tract problems and diabetes. Garfield, though has been checked out and is in good health, except for his weight which could cause bad health.

Another interesting thing to come out of this is that some cats simply can't regulate their intake of food. They eat like humans, for pleasure. That is not a wild cat trait. It is a domestic cat development. And it does point to the fact that dry cat food is designed to be very tasty. Although cats can't taste sugar (sweetness) they perhaps can be addicted (is that too strong a word?) to a taste - the pleasure of eating. Boredom may also play a role in cats becoming obese. The experts say 30% (or is it a third - 33%?) of American domestic cats are obese.

The shelter people who cared for SpongeBob also mentioned the health risks of dry cat food. There seems to be a consensus. Are vets coming around to the idea that kibble does carry health risks if not managed properly? What are vets doing to manage this? They have a role to play too, I believe.

Garfield's caretaker sadly died. That is how he was discovered. Perhaps the elderly "owner" had difficulties engaging Garfield and exercising him etc. Dry cat food is incredibly convenient. That's what makes it so marketable. From the standpoint of profitability it is the perfect product. It stores for a long time without any particular requirements and stays edible in the bowl for a long time too. The ultimate convenience food: cat fast food.

Kibble Kats are modern cats. I don't want to over do this. But these famous Kibble Kats are a nice bit of promotion for wet food manufacturers and raw diet makers. Both products are better than dry cat food. Kibble has a place in cat's diet as part of an overall varied diet of mainly wet food that mimics a cat's prey better but let Garfield and the Kibble Kats be a warning. Full-time kibble is not suitable as a cat diet.

The Sick Kitten (1903) is Not Sick

The title comes from video. The video is piece of 1903 film about a sick kitten. The kitten doesn't look sick to me but you can't really tell. It is just that the kitten drinks up vigorously and frankly looks perfectly healthy.


The interesting bit for me is what are the children feeding the kitten  - a tabby cat incidentally?

The boy brings a container of "medicine". On the bottle is the word "FISIK" as far as I can tell. The boy makes sure the bottle is facing the camera so that the name of the product is visible.

My guess, therefore, is that this is a promotion film for a product called FISIK! As I said, pure guesswork, of course. If I am right it would explain why the kitten does not look ill.

What do you think?

Sunday, 3 June 2012

Overweight Cats Should Cut Out Dry Food

The good thing about the current heaviest domestic cat in America (probably) is that we can find out what the experts are doing about getting some weight off him. It is a crash course in weight loss for cats. Obesity is a big problem in America and the root cause of it is an unregulated supply of dry kibble packed with carbohydrates. Or that seems to be the case. SpongeBob (Bob) weighed 33 lbs when he entered Animal Haven. He is healthy apparently so his obesity was not due to health problems. The world's most recent heaviest domestic cat was the late Meow at 39lbs.


All you have to do is listen to the nice lady in the video. She says that they cut out dry cat food and are feeding Bob with a "special protein diet". It contains lean chicken some fish and pumpkin and other vegetables. But no carbohydrates. We know that dry kibble contains a high level of carbohydrates. Is dry cat food a major contributor to cat obesity? It could. It probably is. The pet food manufacturers won't admit it will they? It is a very profitable product. They could easily manufacture healthier alternatives.

Bob also needs more exercise. The staff at Animal Haven use catnip to get him moving! I suppose it gets him rolling around excitedly until he falls asleep. They also feed him treats that he has to run for. That is the exercise bit. It has worked so far as Bob has lost 3 lbs to currently weigh 30lbs. The next hurdle is to make sure his new family carries on the good work.

Monday, 14 May 2012

Cat Health And Stress

Reducing a cat's stress as a way of improving health has not been adequately recognised and tackled. Stress reduction is an important part of medical treatment. This is something that is well recognized in people.

Stress can affect a cat's immune response and therefore the cat is more likely to develop a disease. Once infected, stress can prolong the disease. One aspect of a cat's daily life that can cause stress is being forced into close proximity with other cats that the cat does not want to be close to. This can happen in multi-cat households where the person introduces new cats rather than the cats being related. The person chooses the cat's companions rather than the cat choosing them (as happens naturally in feral cat colonies).

Short-term stress increases the hormone cortisol, which does not reduce the effectiveness of the immune system. The problem is long term stress resulting in long term release of hormones such as cortisol and cytokines.

One disease is repeatedly mentioned as being exacerbated or caused by stress: idiopathic feline lower urinary tract disease (e.g. cystitis). "Idiopathic" means arising for an apparently unknown reason. The well discussed "inappropriate elimination" (not using the litter box but going somewhere inappropriate to the human) can be caused by stress.

Stress can also exacerbate disease through a loss of appetite and poor diet.

In places where cats are thrust together such as multi-cat households, catteries, shelters etc. paying attention to "social stress" can have a positive effect on the welfare of the cats. The domestic cat has learned to be a social animal. Many domestic cats are thoroughly in tune with idea of living in groups and socialising. However cats are individuals and some cats will not wish to socialise. These cats might become stressed if forced to socialise for the long term with little means to escape.

When there is an outbreak of a disease in a multi-cat establishment, one long term strategy should be to look at the reduction of stressors through reorganising the social groups and by making environmental changes.

Associated: Stressed Rescued Cats

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Home Treatment for Cat Ringworm

This is how I manage my cat's ringworm. Important: you don't know me and you don't know whether I am good or bad at this sort of thing so please see your veterinarian. I am writing about my home treatment for cat ringworm because I think I know cats well. I believe I would not take risks with my cat's health and my veterinarian agreed that I could treat my cat on an ad hoc (unscheduled) basis. Therefore I would like to write about it. He said that it was difficult to diagnose cat ringworm. The available techniques were not that reliable and in his experience he found it difficult to confirm that a cat had ringworm. It is also difficult to see on a cat most times. Your vet may have different ideas. My vet is good, though.

Ringworm on a person it is very easy to see (see picture). But on a cat there is, of course, hair in the way and secondly the ringworm does not form the same kind of obvious rings as seen on people in my experience. You might know that ringworm can be transmitted from cat to person (zoonotic) and that it is not a worm but a fungus.

I actually saw the ringworm on my cat. It showed up as an elongated area on the base of his tail where the hair was sparse (it was not ring shaped). It was sparse because my cat had licked the hair off. He had licked the hair repeatedly because the ringworm irritated him. Ringworm itches slightly. It is not bad but noticeable sometimes.

Cat ringworm might be fairly obvious. However, usually it isn't. As a result I developed a technique for diagnosing cat ringworm. First look for obvious signs. You might see bald patches or thin patches of fur. Secondly, if you pass a flea comb through the fur you will feel irregularities on the surface of the skin as the comb passes over the skin. These irregularities are the flaky inflamed parts of the skin caused by the ringworm. As the comb passes over the skin you can also hear the irregularities.

Note 1: This technique is difficult and probably impractical to employ if your cat has long fur and it is not regularly groomed.

Note 2: If your cat has a single coat and is placed in the sun you can see where the fur is thin due to over grooming cause by irritation due to the presence of cat ringworm.

Note 3 : The flea comb should be in gentle contact with the cat's skin as it passes through the fur. Gentleness is key. Never be hard with a cat.

If you feel or hear cat ringworm utilizing the above technique, you should be able to see it on your cat's skin if you comb back the fur in the area where you have detected it. This is difficult to do but possible.

When you detect the damaged surface of the skin hold the fur back and apply standard human grade ringworm treatment to the spot. Note: caution. I only advise what I know works. Drugs vary from place to place so don't do it unless you are sure it is safe. Never take medical risks with your cat for the sake of few quid or bucks.

I use (in the UK) Daktarin GOLD 2% Cream. This is marketed as for athletes foot but it kills fungi and was recommended by my pharmacist (fungal treatment are almost universal it seems).  It works well in clearing up ringworm on people and I can vouch for the fact that it helped my cat substantially. My cat licks less and the bald or thin patches of fur have gone. I just checked in the sun about 20 minutes ago.

Update three weeks later: This treatment has worked very well for my cat. I am very pleased with the results. Conventional treatments for cats can be uncomfortable.

Saturday, 5 May 2012

Should We Kiss Our Cat?

Yes, of course but...This is a controversial subject or a non-subject. It depends on your point of view. Nearly all of us kiss our cat. I do all the time and recommend it. We have an urge to do it. I am making the presumption that we are cat lovers and that we like cats; not everyone does.

The usual place to kiss your cat is probably on the forehead. I can remember a visitor to one of my Flickr photographs of a black cat annotating the photo "kiss". The spot was bang in the middle of the forehead.

But she would not have been able kiss that cat in my opinion because the cat was a fourth generation from the wild Savannah cat who had little contact with people. If you could get close to her and lean forward to kiss her on the forehead she would have backed off well before you got close. There would have been a risk of defensive action by her.

We kiss a cat for our benefit. Cats don't kiss each other. They greet in various ways but the nearest they get to a kiss is to touch noses. It is a greeting and they are probably smelling each other.

Cats are much smaller than us and our heads are a large object. Cats in general don't like large objects approaching them. They might become a bit anxious. It depends very much on the individual cat. Certainly if the kiss is placed on the forehead and the person approaches from the front, a cat might back off even if she knows you. Also some cats don't like to have the whole body of a person leaning and towering over them. Leaning forward to kiss a cat can mean that you tower over a cat. It depends on your positioning.

There is a slight risk of getting scratched on the face if you place your head quickly in front of a cat; especially if the cat is not familiar with you.

So, one possible downside is a scratch. What about ringworm? Ringworm is one of the most common diseases in cats. It is easily transmitted between cats and I am told that it is one of the most common diseases in rescue cats. I suppose this is because they are close together.

Ringworm can be transmitted from a cat to a person. It is conceivable that you could get ringworm from your cat if you kiss her. Ringworm normally develops at the site of contact. A cat with ringworm rubbing against your leg might result in ringworm on your leg. I have a seen a picture of man with ringworm all over his neck having cuddled his rescue cat.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a criticism of cats. I love cats. But I also like a bit of realism. We should respect our cat fully but also respect his or her behavior as a domesticated small wildcat and observe common sense in relation to possible downsides from what is an essentially a very pleasurable experience: kissing your cat.

Thursday, 3 May 2012

Veterinarians Dealing With Cat Euthanasia

A really good and experienced veterinarian is essential during the time when decisions have to be made about the possibility of euthanising your cat companion. Whereas on rare occasions a person may have to deal with the death of their beloved cat, a veterinarian will be routinely involved in advising clients about euthanasia. People don't have the experience of dealing with euthanasia because we don't euthanise people, or at least it is extremely rare.
My Darling Girl - Her Last Hour
My darling girl about to be euthanised.

These are big decisions as almost everyone who losses a cat companion will be sad and some will be devastated. In fact in an Australian survey it was found that 40% of people who had lost a pet were devastated.

You can imagine therefore the great difficulties that pet owners go through leading up to euthanasia. It might be a period of months while efforts are made to recover the health of the cat or dog, with the constant threat of euthanasia hanging over every decision.

The process of euthanasia being a new process for some pet owners, an experienced vet is essential to advise when best, in the interests of the cat companion, euthanasia should be considered. It is a decision that depends on the cat's health but the decision is also made upon the life experiences of the vet. That is why I believe the best vet to advise under these circumstances is not a young vet.

I am sure that veterinarians have a wide range of perspectives on euthanasia. It is a question of timing. There is a lot of emotion involved and the client (the cat's human caretaker) may ask the vet to euthanise a cat that is healthy. How does a vet deal with that?

Many people are frightened to discuss their sadness due to the loss of their pet or discuss their anxieties leading up to the death of their cat companion for fear of being ridiculed. Once again a good and open minded vet will be helpful.

People appreciate vets who can provide clear information on euthanasia and also provide the options available whilst listening to the client.

A sensitive vet will ask if the client would like to leave the consultation room while euthanasia takes place. The vet will also, perhaps, bill the client later by post rather than in the usual way on leaving the clinic.

There is also the question of how to proceed immediately after euthanasia. A good veterinarian should have a business relationship with the nearest good crematorium and be able to make arrangements on behalf of the client. Those arrangements should include the option to individually cremate the cat while the former cat's caretaker waits. If you want to keep you cat's ashes you need to ensure that you are keeping her ashes and not the ashes of something else.

The only way to find to a good veterinarian is to suck and see. You simply have to try someone else if you can see euthanasia on the horizon and you are unhappy with your current veterinarian.

Associated: Humanely Euthanize A Cat -- How can I tell when a cat is in pain?

Monday, 30 April 2012

Cat Snake Bites

Poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are found throughout the United States. In Britain there is just the adder and that is very scarce. Motzie, a very famous F2 Savannah cat once caught a snake and his human companion wrote about it: Savannah cat Motzie Caught a Snake.

That is a flimsy excuse for showing this radiograph (X-ray) of a snake that I post-edited a bit.
Snake radiograph (colored by me) - Photo Nottingham Vet School.

I don't know...I just liked it. The original was in B&W but I added a bit of color and the words. That's it.

Poisonous snakes can be a hazard to domestic cats in the USA. See this visitor's post for an example: My Cat was Bitten by a Snake.

Apparently 90% of snakes bites on cats are on the head or legs. Poisonous snake bites to the cat's body are most often lethal. Poisonous snakes in the USA are:
  1. Cottonmouths - pit viper
  2. Rattlesnakes - pit viper
  3. Copperheads - pit viper
  4. Coral snakes
All four snakes are large (4-8 feet in length), have triangular heads, pits below the eyes and between the eyes, elliptical pupils, rough scales and retractable fangs on the upper jaw.

Two puncture wounds will be seen on the skin. They may be difficult to find for obvious reasons. Sudden swelling, redness and bleeding may be present at the site of the bite. The cat will be in severe pain. It may take several hours for the symptoms of a snake bite to appear.

On being bitten by a pit viper, the cat will:
  • be extremely restless
  • pant
  • drool
  • show weakness..then..
  • have diarrhoea
  • have depressed breathing
  • collapse
  • have seizures sometimes
  • be in shock
  • die, perhaps.
Coral snakes produce the following signs in a cat:
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • urinary incontinence
  • paralysis
  • convulsions
  • coma.
 Some cats survive coral snake bites.

Treatment

Get your cat to a veterinarian asap if you can get their in 30 minutes. If not do these things first:
  • keep cat quiet
  • apply a constricting bandage to a leg bite (loose enough to get finger beneath bandage). Place it between the bite and cat's heart. Loosen it every 5 minutes. 
  • don't wash the wound or apply ice or make cuts over the wound or try and suck out the venom.
Source: Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook ISBN 978-0-470-09530-0

Sunday, 29 April 2012

Does dry cat food clean cats' teeth?

No, not really. The idea behind the belief that dry cat food can clean a cat's teeth is that being dry it has an abrasive quality that cleans the teeth like a toothbrush. The mechanical abrasion theory is based on the shape, texture and fiber alignment of the dry kibble.

Apparently dry cat food does reduce the build up of plaque and calculus but in a limited way.

The action is limited because the kibble is normally broken by the tip of the tooth and so does not have any abrasive action at the place where periodontal disease takes place: the line where the gums surround the teeth (gingival margin). Periodontal disease (gum disease in layperson's terms) in cats and dogs is one the most common health problems for these companion animals.

Also dry cat food is high in carbohydrates. That surely is not good for teeth health.


Plaque: soft and colorless. A mixture of food particles, organic and inorganic material and bacteria.
Calculus: also called tartar. Hardened plaque. Mixture of calcium phosphate and carbonate with organic material1.

Note: 1. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

Associated: Picture of cat with gingivitis.

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Mutual Benefit of Cat Human Relationship

The domestic cat to human relationship is of mutual benefit. That is why the relationship exists. There was a moment thousands of years ago when the cat went from being a utilitarian animal (in killing rodents to protect grain), to becoming a companion animal and then a member of the family who sometimes takes precedence over other humans.

Human Benefits
  • Physiological - control over blood pressure, relaxation, decrease in anxiety, improved survival, longer lifespan after heart attacks.
  • Psychological - decreased depression, improvement in mood.
  • Practical - animal-assisted therapy, alerts to oncoming medical problems (anecdotal), focal point for conversation and action.
  • Communal cooperation, common goal - e.g. assisting in trap-neuter-return programmes, assisting in reducing cat abuse including eliminating declawing, devocalisation operations,  or being part of a team of foster carers for cats that need rehoming.
Cat Benefits
  • Reliable food source/supply.
  • Medical care.
  • Protection from predators and disease.
  • Pleasant environment (dependent on the quality of the cat caretaker).
  • Decreased stress (also dependent on skills and commitment of human).
Note: it could be argued that the relationship is unbalanced as millions of unwanted cats are deliberately killed each year at shelters. Accordingly as a result, it could also be argued that the domestication of the cat has been a failure for the cat due to humankind's inability to respect the cat sufficiently.

Associated: Human - cat relationship

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Cat Health Problems Not Eating

Cat health problems, cat not eating? In other words loss of appetite. You can't simply list out the reasons for a loss of appetite because it is such a general cat illness symptom. When you feel ill you lose your appetite. So the cause of not eating is being ill! Great, not very helpful.

However, I have written several pages on the subject of cats not eating, partly because visitors to the site ask about this and I respond as best I can.

Also, I have written about it without being prompted by visitors' submissions.

Here are some pages on cat health problems not eating:
If you would like to see lots more pages you can use the search box at the top of the home page.

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Responsible Cat Breeding

The European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (signed:1987) - "the Convention" - has a bit so say about the breeding of animals. I am sure very few people know about this convention let alone cat breeders. Yet all breeders anywhere in the world, particularly those countries where they like to breed to extremes, would do well to read it. I'll just summarize certain aspects of it on this page.

An international "convention" is no more than an agreement. There is no real enforcement as I understand it. There would be embarrassment if there were flagrant breaches of it. If North American countries were signatories to the Convention there would be embarrassment in some quarters.

If you want to sum up the Convention in respect of cat breeding it states that breeders should not breed to extreme where the cat's health and welfare is put at risk.

Article 5 refers to breeding:

Article 5 – Breeding
Any person who selects a pet animal for breeding shall be responsible for having regard to the anatomical, physiological and behavioural characteristics which are likely to put at risk the health and welfare of either the offspring or the female parent. 

Under Article 15 parties to the Convention agreed to meet routinely to refine the Convention.  It was agreed that cat and dog breeding associations should be encouraged to alter their breeding policies. Clearly they recognized that the cat and dog associations were not doing enough to ensure that their members breed for health and not just appearance.

They even set out some guidelines for change and provided examples of cats and dogs the breeding of which were unacceptable under the Convention.

They asked the cat associations to "set limits to the shortness of skull, particularly the nose, so that breathing difficulties and blockage of lachrymal ducts are avoided..." they are referring to the notorious contemporary, flat-faced Persian that is championed by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA). They also refer to the "abnormal positions of the teeth" of the Persian. Persian cat health problems.

The recommendations under the "Guidelines for the revision of breeding policies.." include (where the defect cannot be eliminated) discontinuing the breeding of dwarf cats, Scottish Fold, hairless cats (e.g. Sphynx) and the Manx. Dominant white cats (cats carrying the dominant white gene) should not breed as it results in a relatively high level of deafness.

These are examples. The underlying philosophy is common sense and well known and discussed. Breeders of any kind should not breed cats if the cats are anything other than as healthy as the healthiest random bred cats; nor when breeds are vulnerable to environmental conditions - hairless cats are just that.

It is interesting to note that the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe have issued a resolution on "Breeding and Animal Welfare" that includes the belief that one function of veterinarians is to promote and safeguard animal health and welfare. That concept is completely alien to United States veterinarians who declaw cats and nearly all do. Sorry but it's true. There is a chasm of difference between Europe and the United States.

I'll finish there to avoid getting bogged down in detail. See also:
  1. Selective cat breeding
  2. Persian cats
  3. Persian cat breeding

Saturday, 7 April 2012

Prevalence of FeLV and FIV

Here is some data on the prevalence of two well known diseases in cats that were domestic and feral: FeLV (Feline leukemia virus) and FIV (Feline immunodeficiency virus).  There is a comparison in some rows between domestic and feral cats in the table.


Place

FeLV

FIV

Animal shelter, Birmingham, England - 1997

2% feral cats and 3.6% tame cats

20.4% feral cats and 9.4% tame cats

Vets - Istanbul, Turkey

6% outdoor cats and 5% for indoor cats

22% for both indoor cats and outdoor/feral cats

Texas University, USA

5% of cats trapped

6% of cats trapped

Florida University, USA

7% of cats

7% of cats

North Carolina Uni

4% of cats

4% of cats

Prince Edward Island, Canada

5% of trapped cats

6% of trapped cats

Some added information:
  • In Istanbul, FIV was more common in male cats probably because they were not neutered. 
  • In the Florida and Carolina and Prince Edward Island studies FIV was more prevalent in male cats.
  • An interesting conclusion was that in colonies where TNR is practised the prevalence of FeLV and FIV was found to be low. Conclusion: TNR managed sites are a limited or low threat to the health of other cats.
  • The university programs in the USA relate to trapped cats. These were therefore feral or stray cats.
    Source: The Welfare of Cats edited by Irene Rochlitz:


    This is a very good book. Scientific, yes but sound.

    Monday, 19 March 2012

    The Veterinarian's Disease

    The veterinarian's client is our companion animal not us. As guardian's of our animal companions we need to be vigilant for the greedy veterinarian who has a tendency to over treat an animal for financial profit. There are many great veterinarians, mine is one of them. The best vets just do what is right for the client. That brings the client's guardian (us) back again and again. That is where the profit is.

    The poorer vets let their motivation for financial profit get the better of them. They think short term. They will find ways to get you back to the clinic for "check ups" or for booster vaccinations even though your cat is full-time indoors and 14 years of age!

    One veterinary clinic, American Animal Hospital, 8135 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego, CA 92126(858) 586-7387, appears to have fallen into the habit of prioritizing their income over their client's health. This assessment comes from the comments left by disgruntled animal guardians. The vet referred to on more than one occasion is Dr. Gill. Things may have changed as the comments are fairly old. If so, so much the better.

    "Veterinarian's disease" affects the brain. It turns a good, caring vet into a greedy vet. I think they catch it from the toxoplasmosis gondii protozoan which is currently in the news as affecting the human brain causing a change in a person's character! A greedy vet will never be a good vet. Neither will a vet who declaws cats, as declawing is a very clear sign that the vet puts financial profit before the client's health.

    The difficulty in trying to be vigilant is that you are possibly a bit stressed at a veterinary clinic as is your companion animal and you might not have sufficient knowledge to gently challenge the vet. Most people tend to take what a vet says on face value. They will agree with him or her automatically. They are pillars of society aren't they? Think about that for a bit.

    One obvious sign of overselling is when a vet starts to behave like a shoe salesman, offering you products or treatments for sale that you had never considered. Automatically question the need for continued booster vaccinations or regular checkups, the bread and butter earners for Mr Veterinarian.

    Questioning does no harm and puts the vet on the alert that you are not a pushover. In fact any single question by you that has merit will help to put the brakes on the vet who suffers "veterinarian's disease".

    Thursday, 9 February 2012

    A cure for a serval with bladder stones

    This is a nice story by Dolly Guck about her domesticated serval "Sawabu" who developed a urinary tract infection (UTI) and who had calcium oxalate stones in his bladder. The urinary tract problems were first noticed when Sawabu was doing one of his tricks at a public meeting. He embarrassingly peed on a table. This is the exact same symptom you get with domestic cats who have urinary infections. For my cat it was cystitis. The urine is bloody too - readily noticeable.

    X-rays revealed the bladder stones and the vet decided to operation to remove them. Calcium oxalate crystals cannot dissolved naturally through a change in diet hence the need to physically remove them. The operation went well. The stones were about one centimeter in diameter (think the size of the nail of your little finger).

    The vet administered antibiotics, the standard treatment for UTIs. Sawabu was well bahaved throughout. He had to wear a protective collar and he put up it with just like a domestic cat.

    The interesting bit is this. What caused the stones? What was the underlying condition that prompted the development of the infection?

    Dolly does not say in her article and her vet does not say either. However the cure does tell us I think. A colleague of the vet recommended a diet of Royal Canin High Protein Calorie Control canned food - three cans per day. Sawabu's diet to that point was some raw plus "crunchy Mazuri" and Zupreem canned small feline. Sawabu did not like the Royal Canin but Dolly practiced tough love and made him eat it. Good thing too.

    I will presume that crunchy Mazuri is specialist dry cat food for "exotic felines". It is dry cat food (kibble) for domesticated wildcats I'd say. It might have been Mazuri Exotic Feline-Small (25 lb) - 5M54. Zupreem Exotic Feline Food is canned (wet) exotic cat food - canned food for wild cats.

    It would seem to me that the underlying cause or at least one of the underlying causes or a compounding factor was the dry cat food. Sawabu liked it. He may have eaten too much of it. Dr. Hodgkins in her book Your Cat (a book about cat health and nutrition) concludes with a firm conviction that dry cat food is the cause of many UTIs. I can confirm that my cat was cured of her cystitis by taking her off dry cat food and feeding wet with added water.

    Dry cat food can cause mild dehydration because cats don't compensate by drinking more water. The urine becomes concentrated and the flow slower promoting bacterial growth and stones. As I understand it, that is the theory in outline.

    The Royal Canin wet food prescribed worked nicely over time and stopped the stones returning. I am not sure what it contains other than it is wet and therefore contains a lot more water. Wet cat food is more natural for a cat domestic or wild. The Royal Canin wet food prescribed might also contain less of certain minerals etc to reduce the possibility of formation of stones.

    Moral: feed wet cat food and specialist raw food to a domesticated serval as an ideal. Obviously Sawabu is just one cat and I am sure some people who keep servals feed dry cat food but it should only be as a part of the overall diet.

    There is one other compounding factor that I am aware of that can predispose a cat to UTIs: stress. Without being critical (Dolly is a very caring human companion to Buddy) but Buddy may have been stressed for whatever reason. The obvious one being a lack of space in which to exercise natural behavior.

    See also Urinary Tract Infections.

    Source for story: Feline Conservation Federation magazine Jan/Feb 2012 Vol 56 Issue 1.

    Wednesday, 8 February 2012

    American Curl Health


    This is a healthy purebred cat as there appears to be no evidence at the time of this post (Feb 2012) that there are any specific health issues relating to this cat breed. Certain cat breeds are predisposed to health problems due to genetic inheritance. That is not the case with the American Curl. This is probably due to the fact that the cat associations allow outcrossing with random bred cats. The CFA American Curl breed standard says for American Curl: allowable outcross breeds, "domestic longhair or shorthair for litters born before 1/1/2015". These are random bred cats they are referring to, both short and longhair. The genetic health of the American Curl is a very positive aspect of this cat breed.

    American Curl health -- Source: Page 37 of Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats - ISBN 0-9634124-0-X

    Manx Cat Health Problems

    The famous Manx cat is perhaps known to have some health problems associated with its genotype. This should not be unexpected because where there is a genetic mutation that alters the appearance of a cat it, there may be medical problems that are not immediately apparent from the appearance.



    In the case of the Manx cat, when the "Manx gene" is inherited from both parents (homozygous) it results in the death of the offspring in the womb. In Manx to Manx matings 25% of the potential litter is lost in womb during fetal development.

    Accordingly, in breeding the Manx you cannot breed Manx to Manx and the offspring is a heterozygote (carries one Manx gene).

    The shortened tail is what we see as a consequence of the presence of the Manx gene. However, the gene affects other parts of the cat's anatomy causing Manx cat health problems (Manx Syndrome).

    Spina bifida

    This is a malformation of the vertebrae and spinal cord. The neural tube (the precursor to the central nervous system in the embryo) is not fused together. Skin can cover the defect. The medical condition can result in fecal incontinence and urine incontinence (in some cats). Other health problems caused by this condition are:
    Other spinal cord defects
    • cavitation
    • syringomyelia
    • brain deformities
    • hemivertebrae
    Atresia ani

    This refers to "imperforate anus". A membrane covers the anal opening. Surgery rectifies it as I understand the condition.

    Rectal prolapse

    Spinal defects can lead to straining when going to the toilet which in turn can cause rectal prolapse. In layman's terms this means rectal tissue is forced to the exterior at the anus. This condition requires immediate veterinary treatment.

    Corneal dystrophy

    This Manx cat health problem "exists in an inbred line of Manx" cats.  This is an autosomal recessive trait meaning not sex linked and an inherited recessive gene causes the problem. The symptoms are central cornea edema (swelling) at four months of age and ulceration of the cornea later.

    Pyoderma

    Pyoderma may affect the dimple where the tail should be. Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin. The dimple should be kept clean. If it develops the hair should be trimmed and a local antibiotic (cream) applied to the area.

    Arthritis

    Some cats can suffer from arthritis. I am not sure how prevalent this is or how much more common over the average. Arthritis can affect all cats, purebred can random bred.

    Although I am writing about Manx cat health problems meaning the purebred cat, it would seem reasonable to presume that these conditions can affect random bred cats affected by the Manx gene.

    Source: Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats ISBN 0-9634124-0-X

    Tonkinese Health

    There are few health problems reported for the Tonkinese. The foremost book on cat breed health and genetic diseases in cat breeds says that Tonkinese cats have a low resistance to upper respiratory diseases (also called URIs). Upper respiratory diseases are one of most common cat illnesses.

    Tonkinese - photo by julicath/Cath (On- Off ;-))

    The Tonkinese may be sensitive to "certain vaccines". Finally, this excellent book says that when anesthetizing the Tonkinese for whatever medical reason it is best to use gas rather than intravenous injections. Anesthetizing a cat carries risk of injury and death, please note.

    It would seem then that this cat escapes the rather more extensive list of genetically inherited health problems associated with the Siamese and to a lesser extent the Burmese. The Tonkinese is a Siamese/Burmese hybrid.

    I am a little surprised, accordingly. You might like to see the page on genetic diseases in purebred cats to see what I mean.

    Source: page 181 of Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats - ISBN 0-9634124-0-X

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