Beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat

Photographed by Helmi Flick, here is a truly beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat. He has a nice name when he is not on the show stage, "G Baby" or "Guri". Of course his show cat name (I'll call it his stage name) is a lot longer: RW QGC/CH HattKatts Guri of ForestKatz. At the date of this post he is 7 years of age and he has a red classic tabby and white coat. And what a coat it is! This is a really stunning cat. So sweet, so NFC.

Beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat - "Guri"
Red classic tabby and white
Photo copyright Helmi Flick

I made a picture video a long time ago using Helmi's photographs and it has Guri in it. Guri is a stand out cat. Here is the video. You can see lots more beautiful Norwegian Forest Cats but Guri is the one that sticks in my mind.



Guri is a male breeding cat at ForestKatz. He has won many prizes and it is hoped that his offspring will do the same. They probably already have.

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Are cats carriers of parvo?

Parvovirus - Wikimedia Commons file
Author: Nephron

Yes. "Parvo" is short for parvovirus. The feline panleukopenia virus is a member of the parvovirus family. The feline panleukopenia virus causes the infectious disease feline panleukopenia which is also called feline distemper (a misleading name). It is sometimes referred to as panleuk.

The feline panleukopenia virus is highly contagious and "is present wherever there are susceptible animals" (1). Wild cats, mink, ferrets and monk serve as a reservoir.

Cats that are immune to reinfection can shed the virus for weeks. There are asymptomatic carriers (infected animals with no symptoms). This causes repeated exposure in a group of cats. This can actually boost immunity in cats that are already immune through antibodies.

Kittens can be infected before birth. For these kittens mortality rate is 90%. It can cause brain damage in kittens.

Read more: Feline Distemper Symptom and Panleuk or Feline Distemper.

Note: (1) Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook ISBN 978-0-470-09530-0

Is the lynx Canadian?

Canada lynx - Photo by Oregon State University

The Canada lynx is one of four species of lynx cat. This is the full list:

1. Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)
2. Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)
3. Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)
4. Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

They are all a member of the Genus "lynx". They are all medium sized wildcats.

The answer therefore to the question, "Is the lynx Canadian?" is that the question is badly formed. The question should be, "Is the lynx found in Canada?". To that question the answer is, "Yes, and in Spain and Portugal (Iberian lynx) other countries of Europe, Central Asia, Russia (Eurasian lynx) and the United States (bobcat).

See more on the Canada lynx.

Caring For an Old Cat

I am caring for a very old cat. She is 20 years old. This is a short post about what it is like. It is a labor of love. It is no different as far as I am concerned to caring for an old person. You don't get a lot of feedback. You have to do things that your old cat does not like in order to keep them alive and out of pain and discomfort.

For example, I have to administer antibiotics twice a day every day for the rest of her life to manage a massive infection on her right kidney. Her left kidney is hard I am told. She has a heart murmur and is anemic. She has kidney failure. She is somewhat anorexic. She is very static all day and night and demands to be static outside. She is outside about 10 paces from my home, day and night, 24/7 (except for eating and drinking and going to the toilet). She is so static that flies have laid eggs in her fur. I have to comb these out and she hates it because it is at her rear end.

Binnie - old cat - she looks quite good but is dying. Taken ten minutes ago (1-11-11)

So, I am doing things for her that she dislikes. This does not help the relationship. Because of her dementia I have already lost most of her. In other words this is one way traffic and my actions are altruistic. I do it all for her. I give her the best food, plenty of cuddles, flea combing and general combing. You will need unconditional love.

For this reason I can understand why cat owners euthanize their old cats before they should do it. You have to look into your heart and ask am I euthanizing my cat because she is inconvenient and troublesome? Or am I euthanizing my cat for her, to stop the discomfort, and because the quality of her life has deteriorated so much that is it pointless.

In other words there should be the same standards for our cat and a person when it comes to decide how to administer care. Let's not fool ourselves many very old people are quietly euthanized in care homes and hospitals.

That said we should not apply overly zealous rules about euthanasia that govern our behavior towards people. Death is not something to be feared. It should be treated as just another part of life; the final moment.

Hairless Devon Rex

A reminder that the curly haired Devon Rex can be hairless or partially hairless. I think the hairlessness can be permanent or transient. Perhaps someone can clarify that?

The point I am making is that if a Devon Rex is hairless the cat becomes something like a Sphynx cat. They have a similar appearance anyway. On that basis why not adopt a Sphynx instead? I think it just creates a complication. After all the main reason why people adopt a rex breed of cat is for the unusual curly coat. If that is missing, your not getting what you wanted.

Here is a picture of a hairless Devon Rex advertised for sale (at 1st Nov. 2011):

Hairless Devon Rex - see the advert.