What cat owners think about communicating with cats and dogs. Infographic.

There is little need to add to the information in the infographic. The responses look pretty typical and normal to me and they reinforce the knowledge that we have very close, enduring and important bonds with our cats and dogs and are able to communicate with them in a pretty refined way (both ways). Cat and dog companions are of vital importance to very many people - a significant proportion of the population of many countries.

What cat owners think about communicating cats by Michael Broad

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Los Angeles pounds are poorly mismanaged, abusive houses of horrors

This is a fictional image of a dog pound created by AI. It looks nice doesn't it? Shame all dog pounds (shelters) are not as clean and colourful.

The words of the title come direct from someone who is the best qualified to write them: Nathan Winograd. This post is a reworking of his email to me. I hope he accepts. I want to get the message out but I have limited time.....

A recent report from the City Controller's Office indicates that Los Angeles shelters are euthanizing dogs at unprecedented rates. In August, the latest data available, 226 dogs were euthanized in L.A. shelters, marking the highest number since January 2022. Additionally, over 250 cats were euthanized in July, the highest figure recorded since that date. The kitten save rate plummeted to its lowest in July, with only 69% being saved.

The report suggests the cause is a staff that is incompetent, indifferent, and abusive.

Moreover, there has been an uptick in euthanasia, with dogs languishing for extended periods in dirty kennels without walks, often lacking clean water and comfortable bedding. This neglect leads to heightened stress, which then becomes a pretext for Los Angeles Animal Services to deem them "unadoptable," despite their health and good temperament outside of these conditions.

Simultaneously, cat rooms remain largely or completely vacant, as staff members reject stray cats, causing widespread abandonment. Near one shelter, volunteers have taken on the responsibility of caring for many abandoned cats.

Investigations by the Los Angeles Times have also revealed rabbits suffering from severe injuries, guinea pigs left without food, and hamsters confined in cages soaked with urine and faeces. Furthermore, when a staff member confessed to hitting dogs, it was the whistle-blower, not the perpetrator, who faced repercussions.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion that assigns blame for the killings in their animal shelters to various parties, excluding the actual responsible parties — the shelter's director and staff. The Supervisors also agreed on proposals that are unlikely to significantly reduce the killings, including the endorsement of potential statewide legislation. 

Moreover, a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that the county's shelters are euthanizing more dogs, despite a decrease in intake and promises of increased adoptions facilitated by new facilities. The report highlighted violations of county policies by staff during euthanasia, a failure to consult with rescue groups beforehand, and inadequate visiting hours for potential adopters. The article did not address a key factor contributing to the rise in euthanasia: staff preventing non-profit organizations and No Kill shelters from rescuing animals, even upon request.

Rescuers have taken legal action against Los Angeles County under the Hayden Law, which prohibits such killings. The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that shelters cannot euthanize dogs if rescue groups are willing to save them, barring cases of severe suffering or documented dangerous behavior. Despite this, the county continues to implement policies that circumvent this ruling. While the shelters may be modern, the staff's outdated attitudes result in a high mortality rate for the animals.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

GP diagnosed neck lumps in cat caregiver as worms from her cat. He was wrong.

Francesca Knee-Wright, from Brighton, had only given birth to her second child three months before she noticed a 'very small' lump on her neck. She had it checked out and was told to watch and wait. More lumps developed and her GP told her that they were caused by parasitic worms (endoparasites - probably roundworms) that she had acquired from her two Spanish rescue cats.

Francesca Knee-Wright. Image: Kennedy News and Media

She queried this and a second opinion diagnosed something entirely different and far more serious: Hodgkin's lymphoma which is a relatively aggressive form of blood cancer that can quickly spread through the body.

She is on chemotherapy and shaved her hair to stop the difficult emotional effect of watching her hair fall out.

Having read the story I did some research on the roundworm and whether it could cause lumps as described. They can.  Here is the lowdown:

Can roundworms in cats be transmitted to humans?

Yes, roundworms in cats can be transmitted to humans, specifically through a process called zoonotic transmission. This type of transmission usually happens if a person accidentally ingests roundworm eggs, which are shed in the feces of infected cats. These eggs can survive in soil, sand, and other outdoor environments for long periods, making it relatively easy for humans to come into contact with them, especially in areas frequented by cats.

In humans, roundworm larvae can migrate through body tissues in a condition known as toxocariasis, which can affect the liver, lungs, eyes, and other organs. Children are particularly vulnerable because they are more likely to come into contact with contaminated soil or sand and might not practice proper hand hygiene.

To prevent transmission, some key measures include:

• Regular deworming of pets, as advised by a veterinarian
• Practicing good hygiene, especially washing hands thoroughly after handling cats, cleaning litter boxes, or coming into contact with soil or sand
• Covering sandboxes to prevent animals from using them as litter boxes
• Avoiding bare-hand contact with soil or areas where cats might defecate.

If you have any concerns about toxocariasis or the possibility of exposure, consult a healthcare provider for advice on testing and treatment.

And these worms inhabit the gut of the human. Correct?

Actually, no—roundworms in humans generally don’t mature in the gut as they do in cats. Instead, when humans accidentally ingest roundworm eggs, the eggs hatch in the intestines, but the larvae don’t settle there. Instead, they migrate through various body tissues in a process called larval migrans.

There are two primary types:

1. Visceral Larva Migrans (VLM): The larvae travel to organs like the liver, lungs, and sometimes the brain. This can cause symptoms like fever, fatigue, coughing, or abdominal pain, depending on which organs are affected.

2. Ocular Larva Migrans (OLM): Sometimes, larvae reach the eyes, which can lead to eye inflammation, vision problems, and even vision loss if untreated.

Since roundworms don't complete their life cycle in humans, they can’t develop into adults in the gut. Instead, they become trapped in body tissues, where they eventually die but may cause inflammation and other symptoms.

And the larvae mature to adult worms in these locations?

No, in humans, roundworm larvae do not mature into adult worms. Instead, they remain in the immature larval stage throughout their lifecycle in human tissues. After hatching in the intestines, the larvae migrate to various organs and tissues but lack the necessary environment to mature fully as they would in a cat or other definitive host.

In these human tissues, the larvae often cause localized inflammation as they move through, but they eventually die off without maturing into adult worms. This can still result in significant symptoms, especially if they reach sensitive areas like the eyes or organs, but full-grown adult worms are not seen in human cases of roundworm infection.

Can they cause lumps in the neck?

Yes, roundworm larvae migrating through human tissues can, in some cases, cause lumps or swollen areas, although this is less common. When the larvae travel through or lodge in tissues, they can trigger an immune response, leading to localized inflammation or granulomas (small nodules formed by immune cells around the larvae).

In the neck, this could potentially result in lumps if the larvae pass through lymph nodes or surrounding tissues, but it’s more typical for them to affect organs like the liver, lungs, or eyes. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck can also react as part of a systemic immune response to the infection, although this symptom can be caused by a wide range of other conditions.

If there’s a persistent lump or swelling in the neck, it’s best to consult a healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis, as they may recommend tests to rule out or confirm conditions like toxocariasis.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Crisis looms for 100 feral cats occupying Denver apartment complex

This feral cat colony at Cedar Run Apartments, Denver has been established for a long time and they appear to be accepted by the the majority of residents. Things appear to be stable with no need for change but the administrators of the complex have decided to get rid of them by:

• Stopping residents feeding them at feeding stations. They intend to remove the stations.
• Relocation the colony
• Bricking up access points under the buildings where the cats have made dens.

Some residents (and non-residents?) are very concerned. Relocation of feral cat colonies don't work well or at all as colonies have their home range with which they are intimately familiar.

Removing the feeding stations and bricking up the basement area will lead to potential starvation and exposure to the elements. All harmful actions when there is a much better alternative namely TNR.

I would expect the animal advocates to lobby the administrators to take a more humane view and instigate TNR. I would hope that they also consult with the residents to gauge their mood on the matter.

This story is very typical of many apartment complexes not only in the US but in other countries. The landlords of these apartment blocks perceive feral cats as very negative to the ambience of the place and want rid of them. They feel that they spread disease. But these fears are often ill-founded.

It may also be very possible that the presence of the cats deters rats and other pests. They should factor that into their decision making process.

Get some volunteers to help. There are many TNR volunteers in the US who'd be willing to start a TNR program. Done properly and the colony population will stabilise and decline in the medium-to-long-term. 

The cats will be 'managed' which will please management and the animal advocates and those sensitive to the sentience of the cats will be satisfied too.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

The moment when a feral cat trusts you is magical

"I don't think non-cat people understand what it means to gain the trust of a feral cat, it's not easy & when it happens it's so incredibly beautiful" - commenter on the video below which is on TikTok

I have heard this a lot over the years and have experienced it myself when socialising my former feral cat who I adopted as a foster carer. He was about 7 weeks old and terrified of me. He hid for a week under the sideboard! Cooked prawns got him out and he loves them to this day.

@jobiquin #catsoftiktok #CapCut #feralcat #cuteanimals ♬ original sound - Jobi

But the point is that you can tell when a feral cats becomes socialised and can be described as 'domesticated'. The fear drops from their eyes and body language. They actually crave human companionship but are inherently (and rightly) fearful. It can take months to break down that fear. But often it happens much faster.

"Watch the feral cat I took in (with her 4 babies) finally let me love her," says a caption shared along with the viral video.

It is an interesting thought: 'finally let me love her'. It is the moment when a cat does indeed allow themselves be loved by a caring human. The trust. The fear falls away.

Her feral cat finally lets herself be loved by this nice lady, Quin. He partner rescued the cat who'd been around their home for a while with her kittens.

Gentleness in interactions and respect for their feral background is essential, plus excellent food (the video maker uses a very palatable treat paste) and also importantly play.

Playing with a semi-domesticated cat teaches them that you can be trusted. The play toy - usually a feather on a stick - is a kind of 'bridging tool' between you and the cat. 

But as you are welding it, in their mind the cat is playing with a sibling which breaks down barriers very fast. It is how I socialised my cat who by the way retains some of his wild character to this day, 10 years later.

I don't think socialised feral cats ever completely lose their feral character. It lurks deep inside them and sometimes (perhaps) emerges at certain times.

"She had to be brave surviving out there in the wild. She is actually a very sweet cat. You can tell she wants to be loved. She didn't give any fuss when I put her little cat collar on her. I feel like she knew it was hers and it meant she was ours," Quin (the rescuer) said. She lives in Texas, US.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.