Feline Gingivitis

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

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

Feline Gingivitis - Terms

gingiva - this means gums
itis - this means inflammation

The two together mean inflammation of the gums

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

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

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


Feline Gingivitis - The disease

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

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

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


Feline Gingivitis - The treatment

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

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

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


Feline Gingivitis to cat health problems

Feline Gingivitis - Sources:

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

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

Celtic Shorthair cat

The Celtic Shorthair cat is registered with the World Cat Federation (WCF). There is incidentally a Celtic Long Hair & Semi Long Hair Cat Society, which is based in Wales. This club is called "Celtic" because it is Welsh but there is no connection with the Celtic Shorthair cat (I guess for obvious reasons).

This brings me nicely onto the naming of the cat breed. What does "Celtic" mean? The Celtic nations today are set out in the map to the right - i.e. where one of the Celtic languages is spoken. This map published under Wikimedia® creative commons license license = Attribution-ShareAlike License. The author is QuartierLatin1968.

However most countries of Central and Western Europe have been influenced by the Celts. This indicates to me that the name for this cat breed originates in the concept that the Celtic Shorthair cat is a cat of all places in Europe. In other words a standard mixed breed domestic cat that we would see in any large parts of Europe. I am guessing. If the person(s) who made the name could leave a comment that would be great.

I have been unable to find a picture of the Celtic Shorthair cat nor a breeder (but see below). But I think we can visualize a nicely balanced standard looking cat that we are familiar with. This is strongly reinforced in the WCF breed standard which states that this cat "corresponds to an average European cat". It goes on to say that there should be no hybridization (i.e. no formal development with outcrossing bringing in other breed types, appearances). The Celtic SH is not accepted by the WCF in the pointed coat, cinnamon and lilac or the dilute versions of these colors.

The better known shorthair cat breeds, the American, the British and the European Shorthair cats all started from the good old mixed breed domestic cat. So where does this leave us? How is this cat breed different to the European Shorthair. The European Shorthair has similar restrictions as far as I know on outcrossing (wrong, please tell me in a comment). The answer I think is this (and the answer is not easy to find).

The Celtic Shorthair cat is the WCF's name for the European Shorthair cat. You can see a picture of the European Shorthair cat on this page: American Shorthair, British Shorthair, and European Shorthair cats



Celtic Shorthair cat to British Shorthair cat

Feline reproductive system

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feline reproductive system - Females

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

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

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

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

From Feline reproductive system to home page

Some cat breeds are predisposed to Patellar Luxation

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cats shot with air gun

It is not uncommon in the UK to read stories of cats shot with an air gun. This seems to come about through boredom. Yes, it sounds absurd. Boredom and a complete disregard for others including animals. This is the action of a bored ignorant person. A not uncommon situation in the UK.

In this instance cats in Loughton, England are being shot. Loughton is close to London and north east of it. Two cats belonging to a woman were shot and hit. Both survived, one has a limp as it was impossible to remove all the pellet. Two other cats are involved, one is dead and one missing.

Both the police and the RSPCA are involved. The police said that they were investigating under section 41 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. I think that they meant section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Cats shot with air gun is a crime and the person doing it if convicted could receive a prison sentence of no more than 51 weeks and/or a fine of £20,000.

Cats shot with air gun - Update 30-10-08: Another cat has been shot with an air gun. This time it took place in Haverhill. Haverhill is further from London than Loughton but also north east of London. A cat was hit in the shoulder by an air pellet. The vet couldn't operate for fear of damaging the nerves. The owner will now have to keep Phoebe in. Could this be the same person?