The most common cat illnesses

We should be able to gauge which are the most common cat illnesses by checking which are the most common reasons for going to the veterinarians. And we can decide that by analyzing the number of claims made to insurance companies for medical expenses in relation to treatment of cat illnesses.

So Veterinary Pet Insurance say these are the most claimed for illnesses (the most common cat illnesses) - this list applies to the most recent figures available namely 2007:

1. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) - see feline kidney disease and FLUTD
2. Gastritis/Vomiting
3. Chronic Renal Failure - see feline kidney disease
4. Enteritis/Diarrhea - see treating cat diarrhea
5. Diabetes Mellitus -see feline diabetes
6. Skin Allergies - see feline allergies
7. Colitis/Constipation - see home treatment for cat constipation
8. Ear Infections - see cat ear mites (this is an infestation)
9. Respiratory Infections - see URIs
10. Hyperthyroidism - see this brief overview

Diarrhea has surged up the list. Some causes of diarrhea are, diet change, intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral disease, drugs, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergy, intestinal cancer, fungal infection, hyperthyroidism, bacterial overgrowth in intestine, stomach ulcer, colitis.

At 2006 a study by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. the most common cat illnesses were:

1. UTI
2. Stomach upsets
3. Kidney disease
4. Skin Allergies
5. Respiratory infections
6. Diabetes
7. Ear infections
8. Colitis
9. Eye infections
10. Wound infections.

That is really about it for this post on the the most common cat illnesses.

The most common cat illnesses to cat health problems

Cat food and Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Cat food and Bisphenol-A (BPA) may be an issue although recent press reports are about this chemical's use in canned food for human consumption.

Bisphenol-A is a ubiquitous chemical that is used in many consumer products. This post concerns its use in canned food for cats.

Cans containing food (for pets and people) also contain, as I understand it, a resin coating on the inside wall of the can. This resin coating contains the chemical Bisphenol-A. The coating allows the can of food to be heated to kill bacteria without allowing the metal of the can to contaminate the food.

It would seem though that the protective coating is contaminating the food instead. Firstly, I find it interesting that the canned food is heated to what must be a high temperature with the food in it. Bacteria is killed at about 75C. Doesn't this cook the food? Maybe this is how prepared food in cans is cooked?

Maybe this is why cat food contains "ash" (see cat food ash). Bisphenol-A is one of a large number of substances that can interact with our hormone systems. In a recent press release it was reported that research carried out by the Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, USA, found a possible link between this chemical and a heightened risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in humans. The research looked at the levels of BPA in the urine of 1455 Americans. The researchers say that they can't be sure that BPA is the direct cause of increased cases of heart disease and diabetes. The research is counter to previous research.

I also have a concern over the effect this chemical might have on animals and particularly cats. A lot of cat food is sold in cans and some cats probably eat canned cat food to the exclusion of all other food increasing exposure to this chemical. There would also seem to be increased incidences of diabetes in cats (see feline diabetes). I just wonder if there is a connection - does anyone know?

Cat food and Bisphenol-A (BPA) to home page

Cat food and Bisphenol-A (BPA) - Source:

• Times Newspaper
• www.food.gov.uk

Bagral cat or Machbagral cat

The Bagral cat or Machbagral cat is an experimental breed of wildcat/domestic cat hybrid. The breeding is/was taking place in America/Canada.

"Experimental breed" means what it says and this cat is not recognized by the cat associations. The Bagral cat is a cross between the wild Fishing cat (a classic small wild cat not that far removed from the domestic cat - see Asian Fishing cat) and a melanistic tabby spotted domestic cat. This sort of domestic cat is black with a faint spotted tabby pattern.


Fishing cat - photo by The Brit_2 - looks a bit like the Scottish Wildcat. Coarse tabby pattern, ideal camouflage. The ears are a lot smaller than is seen in some purebred cats probably because cat breeders like to produce big ears (sometimes) as these look more interesting. Sometimes breeders breed cats with extraordinarily large ears (see the Peterbald cat for instance). Ears play quite a big role in purebred cat breeding! The Persian has a round face and appropriately smaller ears to enhance the face. I personally love this kind of face - wild, strong and independent looking.

In the breeding of the Bagral cat or Machbagral cat, the objective is the same as for the other wildcat hybrids (such as the Bengal and Savannah), which is to allow people to keep a cat that behaves like a domestic cat but has the appearance of an exotic wild cat, in this instance a miniature black panther (black panthers are melanistic normally colored and patterned panthers).


This is a melanistic Jungle cat a small wildcat that is used in the breeding (in normal pattern and color) of the Chausie cat another wildcat/domestic cat hybrid. The picture is here to show the melanistic black color. Photo by Joachim S. Müller. I am sorry that I don't have a picture of the Bagral cat - too rare.

Breeding from wild cats is problematic; the Savannah is a case in point. This is one reason why they are very expensive.

The Bagral cat or Machbagral cat breeding program is progressing slowly it seems (wrong - please tell me). This is because of the inherent difficulties of wild cat breeding (I presume) and F1 (first generation) cats are infertile (does that just apply to males or both females and males - I think it only applies to males?).

This hybrid cat has a nice dense coat and is apparently very friendly, intelligent and likes water. This mirrors other wildcat/domestic hybrids very accurately. See for example Bengal cat behavior or Bengal cat and Savannah cat behavior.

One last point. I think the name Bagral or Machbagral comes from an alternative name for the Fishing cat, which is also called the Bengali Mach-Bagral.(src: www.coolquiz.com)

Bagral cat or Machbagral cat to domestic cat breeds

Bagral cat or Machbagral cat - Photos: both are published under a creative commons license. The Fishing cat license is: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License and the Melanistic Jungle cat license is: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. This is a cropped and slightly lightened version of the original.

F1 Savannah and F1 Safari Stolen in Florida

A cat breeder has had an F1 Savannah and F1 Safari Stolen in Florida. Both are wildcat hybrid first generation cats, rare and valuable cats. This post is to try and help (if the post ever gets seen!). I am sorry to hear about. The cats were in an enclosure - see photo. The cattery owner is Debra. I'd like to publish her phone number but it is probably the wrong thing to do.


This is IVY a fantastic looking cat. She is an F1 Savannah cat. You can read more about Savannah cats generally and read about F1 Savannah. Both Debra's cats were microchipped.


Lilly - F1 Safari cat - White/Silver with big brown rosettes - see Safari cat details. This cat was bred by crossing Geoffroy cat (a wild cat) and Egyptian Mau.

Please leave a comment if you have any knowledge of this very distressing theft. I feel for both the cats (it must be very difficult for them as cats like routine and familiar surroundings) and Debra who is understandably very distressed.

F1 Savannah and F1 Safari Stolen in Florida to Home page

Pet Food Recalls

The phrase Pet Food Recalls has almost become as ubiquitous as the word "Hoover". There seems to be quite a large number of them but I don't remember ever having seen one in the UK or Europe but that doesn't mean they don't take place (there were in fact 98 cases of Salmonella outbreaks in England in 2006-7 compared to 20 the year previous - src: http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpr/archives/2007/news2007/news1107.htm).

The pet food recalls that I am talking about happen in the USA. I suspect the manufacturers are more open about problems or even potential problems in America and for this reason the pet food recalls become more widely known. If this is the case it is great for cats and humans alike because sometimes the recall can be because of a contaminant that cut across species (e.g. Salmonella).

One of the recent pet food recalls occured in the USA because of suspected salmonella contamination in dry pet food. The company is Mars Petcare US. The company voluntarily stopped production at one of their manufacturing plants (at the Everson facility) on July 29, 2008. That is some time ago in fact. The company seemed to have made a connection with their product and two people who were infected with (poisoned by) Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

There is a long list of products (or at least it looks long), which can be seen on the Mars recall page. What is Salmonella poisoning and how is the food contaminated? These are the questions that pass through my mind when I read about these events.

Food borne illness (or more commonly called food poisoning) is caused by poor food handling storage or preparation either at home or in manufacture. Salmonella:

"Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and foodborne illness"(src: Wikipedia published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version). To put it in simpler language it is a bacteria that causes illness. Bacteria are microscopic living creatures. Some are useful to us and some not. Bacteria is everywhere. Salmonella poisoning is the most common type of food poisoning (src: http://www.fsis.usda.gov). It causes about 500 deaths on 1.4 million infections annual in the USA (src: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))

Salmonella poisoning can be prevented by proper sanitization of preparation surfaces and proper cooking of food. Cooking food above a certain temperature kills the bacteria. 140 F or 60 C will do the trick. Cooking above 75 C will kills all harmful bacteria apparently (src: http://askville.amazon.com). Clearly pet food recalls would be eliminated if this was always the case.

The USA Food and Drug Administration make recommendations on handling pet food. It is called "Safe Handling Tips for Pet Foods and Treats". I have never considered the need to practice safe handling of pet food. They remind us that pet food (like other foods) can be susceptible to harmful bacteria contamination.

In order to minimize food borne illness the FDA recommend (my summary):

• buy products in good condition
• wash hands before handling pet food (not many will do this!)
• wash bowls properly and regularly
• dispose of old pet food safely
• refrigerate promptly at 40F
  
• store dry food below 80F in a dry place
  
• keep pets away from storage areas and waste areas
• store pet food in the original container and inside another container if feasible
• the FDA don't recommend preparing your own raw pet food (my comment: this though is the best kind provided it is done properly)

From Pet Food Recalls to Home page

House plants poisonous to a cat

Should I eat it...photo by Mrs eNil

Before looking at house plants poisonous to a cat it might be useful to ask why an obligate carnivore wants to eat plants in the first place. There are probably several reasons. But we know that cats like to eat grass and grass is actually a green plant (monocotyledonous green plants). When she goes out into the garden, my cat always chews a piece of grass and occasionally goes for one of the flowering plants instead. It seems that she is treating the grass the same as the flowering plant.

The reasons why cats eat plants (including grass) has puzzled the experts. Some think or thought that it is a laxative to help the cat pass hairballs, for instance. Or that eating grass would induce cat vomiting and force the hairball up the other end! This was decided on the basis that cats were sometimes sick after eating grass. However the sickness may have been present before eating the grass. Other theories were that eating grass added roughage or ameliorated throat inflammation.

When cats eat grass it is usually only a strand or two - very little which would tend to disprove the above theories. The most recent theory is that cats eat grass because it contains folic acid, a vitamin that has a role in the production of haemoglobin.

"Hemoglobin (also spelled haemoglobin and abbreviated Hb or Hgb) is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates....... Hemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs or gills to the rest of the body, such as to the muscles, where it releases the oxygen for cell use." (src: Wikipedia published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia licensing below).

A shortage of haemoglobin may result in feline anemia. Even full-time indoor cats can eat grass cultivated in a tray - you can buy one as a Christmas present...

The fact that cats eat plants in very small quantities does not mean that people who are vegetarians can convert their beloved cats to the same diet. Cats eat meat, need meat and become ill if they don't.

So cats eat grass but cannot or should not eat house plants poisonous to a cat which is more likely to happen for indoor cats. Such plants are:

• Poinsettias (not that toxic apparently - cat will salivate - looks bad but not that bad)
• Easter Lily may induce kidney failure.
• Oleander - "(Nerium oleander), is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae" (src: Wikipedia published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia licensing below) - this can cause cardiovascular problems
• "Dieffenbachia is a genus of tropical plants in the Family Araceae noted for their patterned leaves. Members of this genus are popular as houseplants because of their tolerance to shade" - see picture below (src: Wikipedia published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia licensing below) - can cause the tongue to swell and inflame the intestine wall.
• this list is not comprehensive.

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Update 3-12-08: We bring in plants at Christmas. Some can be poisonous. Watch out for these:

Holly (Ilex sp.). A plant often brought in at Christmas time, can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea plus mental health problems - depression

Amaryllis (Amaryllis spp). A cat ingesting this plant can result in vomiting, diarrhea, depression, lack of appetite, tremors, drooling and abdominal pain.

Mistletoe (Phoradendron spp.). This is another wellknown Christmas plant. If a cat eats it, it can also cause significant vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, this plant has been associated with difficulty in breathing, a slowed heart rate, collapse and it can cause death if a lot is eaten. Sometimes animals may show erratic behavior and hallucinations.

---

House plants poisonous to a cat - Source:

• www.petplace.com

Wikipedia licenses: click on the link to see the terms of a Wikipedia license.

House plants poisonous to a cat -Photos of plants: published under Wikimedia creative commons license license = Attribution-ShareAlike License

Heading photo: published under creative commons license = Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License

House plants poisonous to a cat- Attributions:

• Poinsettias - by André Karwath aka Aka
• Easter Lily - by Solipsist
• Dieffenbachia - selbst fotografiert
• Oleander - by Alvesgaspar

From House plants poisonous to a cat to cat health problems

Trim Cat Claws

We should trim cat claws carefully or not at all. Cat claws are wonderfully useful tools for the cat. They have a wide range of uses including, climbing, getting purchase on the ground for efficient running, defense (yep they are great defensive weapons), kneading (when a kitten - this stimulates mother's milk flow) and catching and grabbing hold of prey and digging etc.. Cats scratch to remove an outer layer from the claw.

They are retractable making them useful when required only. The Cheetah's claws are in fact semi-retractable so are out more than usual probably because this cat needs them more than usual to hunt at great speed and turn with dexterity (see Cheetah speed)

The claw itself is made of a hard protein called keratin and it has a soft interior called the quick and blood vessels and nerves supplying the claw.

To trim cat claws safely without cutting into the soft interior and without fuss is not easy, in my opinion. Sometimes we get lucky and our cat gets used to it quickly by most often a cat will not settle for a sufficiently long time to allow us to trim cat claws with accuracy. And accuracy is needed is we are to avoid cutting into the soft interior and/or shattering the claw and yes to avoid us getting scratched a bit in the process.

I've just seen a product for which I am not getting commission, which seems to get around the weaknesses of the conventional approach of using nail clippers. Even specialist claw clippers with depth restrictors can be problematic if we are honest. They need some expertise and most of us don't have the time or patience to practice to acquire the expertise.

Anyway, the product is called PediPaws. It uses a depth restriction system but uniquely it files the claw down using what seems to be a little grinding wheel driven by a battery. It looks a nice product with which to trim cat claws. Particularly so as it seems almost impossible to hurt our cat (or dog) when used. In other words it is fool proof and our cats should accept its use more readily. It is made in the USA so I would expect it not to be available elsewhere - is it?

With a new product and procedure, especially one that makes a bit of noise, I'd try and introduce it gently to help my cat get used to it.

I think if I could lay my hands on one I'd buy it. They are cheap by UK standards at under $20 USD.

The picture of the colored claws shows an alternative to the need to trim cat claws. It is sticking plastic covers over the claws (SoftPaws). They are quite popular in America as far as I know. I am not sure about them myself. I'd rather our cat use his paws normally but hopefully a little less destructively and the gentle filing down by the PediPaws device, I think, is one answer.

Also see Trim Cat Claws

There is no doubt that the preferred thing to do is to trim claws.

Trim Cat Claws safely to cat anatomy

Photo of claw sheath heading picture: by Alice Wiegand, (Lyzzy) under a Wikimedia commons license.

Photo of SoftPaws covers by .robbie and published under a creative commons license.


A safe way to trim claws.