Cat Care and Health Links
Skin Mites, Ringworm, Chin Acne etc featured below.
There is a comprehensive list of vet links at the bottom of the page.
To keep your cats healthy it is most important to care for them yourself unless you are able to hire a qualified vet tech or somesuch person to do it for you.
If you do the feeding, you will notice who is
not eating and might be ill.
If you clean litter trays, you will notice who has diarrhoea , cystitis. or
worms.
If you do the grooming, you will pick up skin/teeth/ear problems.
If you clean the cattery, you will notice who is shedding too much coat, who was
ill and a myriad of other things. Not to mention spending more time with your
cats!
This is very important and should accompany every cat to each new home
Ten Commandments of Cat Ownership
My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you will be
painful for me. Remember that before you buy me. Give me time to understand what
it is that you want of me. Place your trust in me---it's crucial to my well
being. Don't be angry at me for long, and don't lock me up as a punishment. You
have your work, your entertainment and your friends. I have only you. Talk to me
sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice when
you are speaking to me. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget
it. Remember before you hit me that I have teeth and claws that could easily
hurt you severely, but that I choose not to bite or claw you except in
self-defense. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy,
ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the
right food, or I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart is getting old and
weak. Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old. Go with me on
difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch it," or
"let it happen in my absence". Everything is easier for me if you are
there. Remember that I love you.
From my friend Karen
Parasitic infection by large, non-burrowing mites of the Cheyletiella species, causes a dermatitis classically known as "walking dandruff." Clinically, the disease may range from
Pruritic cats with little or no dandruff may have varying amounts of scabs or crusts of dried exudate.
Cheyletiella mites are either easily found or very difficult to find. The cat may swallow mites and eggs while grooming, therefore, fecal floatations can aid in finding eggs and mites when they cannot be found on the cat. The itching is a result of the allergic response of the cat to the mite, which in turn causes a decrease in the mite population, thus making it difficult to find mites. Wrapping sticky tape, sticky side out, over your fingers and dabbing cats skin MAY pick up mites which can then be see by the microscope.
Effective therapy requires treating ALL animals in contact as well as the environment. The life cycle of the mite is 21-28 days. The adult will live 14 days and can live all of these 14 days off the host. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment that kills eggs. Insecticidal dips that are safe for use on cats must be used once a week for at least 5 weeks. The premises should also be treated with insecticides designed for this and which are also proven safe for cats. Two new drugs, Dectomax and Ivermection (neither drug approved for use in cats) have proven effective for Cheyletiella dermatitis but should only be used by or with the direct supervision or guidance of a veterinarian knowledgeable in the use of these drugs.
Dosage is 0.1 ml per 5 kgs (10 lbs). of a 1% solution of Ivermectin. Weigh animals as dosage is crucial. Dose once a week for a minimum of 3 weeks.
Either drug may be given orally or by injection. Dectomax is longer lasting by injection and does not cause stinging like Ivermectin. Both drugs also kill worms and earmites.
A selenium sulphide shampoo such as Selsun may also be used. Leave shampoo in for 5 minutes and rinse well. Repeat once a week for 3 weeks.
Cheyletiella mites may infect humans and cause small reddened, pruritic spots that are transient and regress spontaneously, as the mite does not multiply in humans.
Using Program to treat Ringworm
Science and the Breeder: Ringworm and Lufenuron Carol W. Johnson, DVM PhD
Microsporum canis, the most common cause of ringworm, is a parasitic fungus that is highly adapted to cats. Once introduced into a cattery, ringworm can rapidly spread and can infect most or all of the cats in a cattery before the breeder is aware that there even is a problem. In an infected cattery, the lesions often appear to resolve in adult cats after several months and kittens often will no longer show lesions as they approach maturity. In most cases, however, these cats still harbor low levels of fungus and serve to infect the kittens that are born into a cattery.
Ringworm can also infect humans. While ringworm infections tend to be self-limiting in most adults, children and immunosuppressed individuals may develop severe infections that may take weeks or months to eradicate. One elderly woman told me of suffering for months after her children surprised her with a purebred kitten to provide companionship during her post-kidney transplant convalescence. The kitten carried ringworm and the poor woman developed huge skin sores and lost her hair. She became quite ill from the antifungal treatment, then almost lost her transplanted kidney during the effort to get rid of the fungal infection. Children, also, can get very severe lesions and ringworm infections of the head are considered to be fairly serious by pediatricians.
Some of the biggest impediments to all catteries becoming ringworm-free has been the expense of treatment and the limited safety of the less expensive drugs. Griseofulvin (Fulvicin) is inexpensive and moderately effective against ringworm, but causes severe neutropenia and immunosuppression that can be fatal in up to 10% of the treated cats. Itraconazole (Sporonox) is much more effective and safer, but can cost up to $200 to treat a cat. Those of us who claim a ringworm-free cattery have often had to spend thousands of dollars to maintain that status and treatment of a large cattery is often beyond the economic ability of some breeders.
However, an exciting recent article [Ben-Ziony Y, Arzi B. Use of lufenuron for treating fungal infections of dogs and cats: 297 cases (1997-1999) JAVMA 217(10) (Nov 15) 2000] describes what may prove to be an economically viable treatment and prevention for ringworm. A veterinarian in Israel noted that dogs and cats treated with lufenuron for flea prevention did not appear to develop ringworm, even though they were not being treated for ringworm.
Lufenuron (sold in the US by Novartis under the brand name PROGRAM) is a chitin synthetase inhibitor used for flea control. Chitin is a structural molecule in the exoskeleton of insects and their eggs. After administration, lufenuron sequesters in the fat and is slowly released into blood where it is ingested by a female flea. The drug then interferes with the production of chitin in the eggs, which leads to the eggs drying out after they are laid. Chitin is not found in mammalian tissues, but is a structural component of the fungal cell wall. Thus, this drug does not appear to affect mammalian enzymes and as a result has had an excellent safety record when used according to its product insert.
The Israeli clinic systematically tested lufenuron in ringworm-infected
cats and dogs. Over the 2-year period, they treated 201 cats and followed 23 on a daily basis. Most cats treated with lufenuron doses ranging from 51.2 to 266 mg/kg (23.1 to 120.9 mg/lb) cultured negative for ringworm in 8.3 days and began growing hair in 12 days. Four cats either cultured positive for ringworm or developed lesions again but responded well after a second treatment. None of the cats showed signs of toxicity.
I had some concerns regarding the safety of this treatment because the article used between 5 and 20 times the recommended dose used to treat fleas, so I called Novartis' Customer Service line and spoke with a veterinarian. He reported that Novartis had no information on the use of lufenuron for ringworm and the article took the company by surprise. Because this is off-label use, he can not recommend the drug for this indication. However, Novartis is very excited about the article and its potential. We extensively discussed the safety data Novartis had performed for registration, and then I reviewed the safety data on the FDA website made possible through the Freedom of Information Act. Safety studies in both dogs and cats showed the drug had a wide margin of safety. Reproduction studies were performed in dogs and cats and lufenuron did not to cause toxicity or congenital defects at the doses tested.
Because this is off-label use and one article does not prove efficacy or safety, I can not recommend lufenuron for the treatment of ringworm in cats. However, for those breeders determined to try it, I have some suggestions. Lufenuron is sold under the brand name PROGRAM. SENTINEL also contains lufenuron, but in addition contains milbemycin, which may be toxic when given at the overdoses suggested by the article. So do NOT use SENTINEL for ringworm. Lufenuron comes as a tablet, a suspension, or as an injectable. The injectable lasts 6 months, but can leave a lump (granuloma) at the injection site, and this may be a consideration for show cats. Novartis found that the tablet appears to have better efficacy than the suspension. I have not used PROGRAM, but understand that some cats do not like the taste of the suspension, so this may be a consideration when treating some cats.
If you are going to try it to see if it works on a few cats, try to keep them separate from other ringworm-infected cats. Ringworm, like many parasitic organisms, can become drug resistant and it will do neither the breeder nor the rest of the cat fancy any good to develop Lufenuron resistant ringworm. Similarly, once the decision to treat a cattery is made, break down, bite the bullet, and treat the whole cattery and not just a few cats. Couple treatment of cats with physically cleaning the cattery to get rid of the spores so the cats are not reinfected. Getting rid of the problem will be cheaper in the long run than living with it and will be much less likely to generate resistant forms. Plan to treat once monthly for 2 to 3 months to make sure it is really gone. Yes, the article had good success after one treatment, but a cattery situation is very different than the average pet household. If it works please let other breeders know!
Aspirin for eye ulcers
By sheer chance two Vets discovered that Aspirin can help cure eye ulcers by acting as an anti-inflammatory. Please note that this is NOT a substitute for veterinary treatment however and if you suspect that your cat has an ulcer, please get it seen to by a vet and get advice as to whether you can use aspirin as a treatment IN ADDITION to whatever medication is prescribed. Aspirin can be dangerous for a cat that is very young, elderly or has problems such as kidney disease. ALWAYS consult your vet before giving your pet any medication.
The dosage is as follows- to be given orally. 20mg (no more no less) of soluble aspirin in water given alternate days for 5 days. i.e. 1 dose Monday, 1 dose, Wednesday, 1 dose Friday. Per mouth. Mix the dose with a small amount of water ie. 1/2 cc/ml . Remember a Normal Strength Aspirin is 200mg, so the dose would be 1/10 of a tablet, or even less if the aspirin is an extra-strength one. DO NOT OVERDOSE as this could be FATAL for your cat.
Continue with any prescibed eye meds in the eye until at least 5 days after it has cleared
Adjust dosage for a kitten to 10mg
NB NEVER give a cat Paracetamol (Panado) as this is extremely toxic for cats !!!!!!!!!!
Chin Acne
The first and most important thing in curing
chin acne is to get rid of plastic feeding and water bowls!
Clean the area with Betadine Surgical scrub diluted 1
teaspoon to 100mls water. Dry the area and dab on hydrogen peroxide 10%
strength. Do this daily until it clears.
Declawing
Because it provides no benefit to the cat, declawing is considered a cosmetic
surgery. It is a horrible thing because of the suffering and disfigurement it
causes. It is for the sole purpose of providing convenience to people.
Declawing robs a cat of a necessary means of defense and movement. They
obviously cannot defend themselves adequetely against attacks from other
animals. This surgery also deprives them of their natural ability to climb and
to mark their territory by scratching, and to chase and exercise. Most declwed
cat's personalities change profoundly. They may become extremely agressive and
mean, or unusually timid and shy.
Surgical claw removal is called an onychectomy. The entire last part of the ten
front toes are amputated. Just imagine yourself without your fingers from the
knuckle up. That is how a declawed cat feels.
Because general anesthesia is used for declawing surgery there is also the risk
of death and disability to your pet. Declawing is painful and recovery is
lengthy and may include postoperative (after the surgery) complications.
Complications such as infections and hemorrhaging (heavy bleading), can also
cause death.
Scratching posts are the most common alternative to declawing. Placing a
scratching post in an area where you generally spend alot of time is ideal.
Cats don't want to go into the lonely back room when they can claw in the room
that you are in.
Trimming their nails lessens the amount of husk-removal scratching a cat does.
They will have less a desire to remove the dead claw by scratching. Scratching
things is often mistake for sharpening their claws.
Nail caps are commercial products that cover the claws and reduce the need for
trimming the nails. They are alleged to last for up to six weeks and are not
harmful if eaten by you cat.
Surgical claw removal is call an onychectomy. The entire last part of the ten
front toes are amputated. Just imagine yourself without your fingers from the
knuckle up. That is how a declawed cat feels.
The thought of declawing a cat leans notion that a cat can be treated as an
inanimate object who can be modified, to the point of mutilation, just to suit
a person's idea as to what a cat should be. Which, I feel is untrue.
You should accept the fact that claws and scratching are inherent feline
attributes, and people are the ones that have to adjust their lives accordingly
if a cat is desired as a companion. If you don't agree then maybe you should
look into getting a different pet to suit your needs. Hamsters don't claw
furniture and they are fuzzy, just like cats.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Forest/2052/nodeclaw.html
Dosing a cat with foul tastng medication
Flagyl and Metro are a particular problem for dosing in cats
due to its horrible
taste. Those of us humans who have had the opportunity to be prescribed
the same medication can truly sympathize with the cat. I tell people who
are giving it the first time that if their cat tastes the pill once, they
may find that they are never able to pill the cat again. It can easily
make a young kitten afraid of having its head handled.
Buying gelatin capsules is a very good idea and I have used it. However, I
more frequently coat my own pills. I take one tablespoon of unflavored
gelatin and mix it with 1 tablespoon of water. I heat it in a microwave
oven for about 30 seconds until it is dissolved and thick. The pill is
dipped in the thick gelatin and placed on a foil paper to cool for 30
seconds in the freezer. The gelatin hardens to a rubbery consistency which
makes the pill slide down easy and prevents the cat from tasting it. Just
to be sure, I usually use a pill gun with the end dipped in food.
The remaining gelatin can be covered, stored refrigerated and reused each day.
Carol W. Johnson, DVM PhD
If an older cat has trouble bending you might like to try raising their food dishes. This can be done in an attractive way as show in the pics below.
MEMORY TEST
We know that the ability of cats to investigate new environments is legendary, but it has also been proven that their ability to retain information is superior to that of other domestic animals. In a test of canine-versus-feline intelligence, Dr. Maier, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and Dr. Schneirla, curator at the Dept. of Animal Behavior, American Museum of Natural History, compared I.Q. as a function of memory in dogs and cats. Both species were shown a large number of boxes and taught that food could only be found under the one with a lighted lamp on top. Once the training was complete, researchers turned the lamp on briefly. Then to test the animal's memory, the researchers prevented them from going to the box for a period of time. Canine recall lasted no more than five minutes. Cats, however, returned to the correct box as long as 16 hours later, exhibiting a power of recall superior to that of monkeys and orangutans.
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While the cat is the most intelligent of all our domestic animals, it
is important for cat owners to be clear about the limitation of their
cat's thought processes, as attributing human motivations to the pet can
interfere with the patient, methodical, approach necessary to treat
behavior problems. For example, a cat cannot ponder the past or make
plans for the future. It is therefore useless for an owner to punish a
cat for something it did even a few minutes earlier, because the cat is incapable
of making the connection between the action and the punishment.
Conversely, its actions can not be motivated by revenge for some past insult
by the owner. Stress caused by the owner's actions, and not spite, is the
culprit here.
VERSATILE VISION
The location of the eyes in the front of the face (rather than at the side as in the rabbit or horse) enables the cat to calculate the exact distance it has to leap in order to catch prey. Its pupils dilate at night to let in as much light as possible and form a slit by day. The cat's visual acuity is 10 times less than man's but is compensated for with a retina whose structure provides it with "movement detectors" to help it locate prey. (Prey, or toys, must move to be seen.) The cat can scan a yard with a single sweep of its eyes. The tapetum, a reflective layer at the back of each eye, increases the amount of light passing through the retina and enables the cat to see well when the light intensity is low. Cats can't see any better than humans in total darkness. ** Be sure your cat's litterbox areas are cat-friendly and are equipped with night lights.
WHISKERS; NOT JUST FOR LOOKS
Whiskers are extensions of the skin and not special hairs. Each whisker is
an intricate receptor designed to detect even the most minute changes in
the environment: tiny movements, air currents, changes in air pressure, temperature,
or wind direction. They help the cat to navigate at night, acting as
radar. They are double the thickness of the cat's guard hairs and are
embedded three times as deeply in the skin in order to translate the
slightest contact to sensory cells at their roots. They stimulate an eye
blink when touched which helps to protect the eyes. The cat can change the
position of its whiskers when hunting. They reach forward to give information
about the prey in the cat's mouth. The whiskers are located across the
muzzle (12 on each side in 4 rows), high on the outer edges of the
cheeks, above the eyes, and on the back of the front legs (carpal hairs).
And you thought they were there just to look cute!
WHO'S TRAINING WHOM?
Cats learn by observation, imitation, trial and error just as humans do. Stories abound which describe cats turning doorknobs to open doors, ringing doorbells, opening cupboards, turning off lights, and even using the toilet, solely by observing the owner perform these activities. Many feline behaviorists, as well as child psychologists, seem to agree that the intelligence of an adult cat equals that of a 2 to 3 year old child. We know how clever and manipulative children of this age are, is it any wonder that cats are better at training their owners than the owners are at training them?
HEARING OR RADAR?
The cat's outer ear (pinna) is connected by 27 muscles and can
rotate 18 degrees to scan the environment or to direct its attention to a
particular source of sound. Cats can detect higher frequencies than dogs
(e.g., a mouse's ultrasonic squeak). They can discriminate with 75%
accuracy between two sound sources separated by an angle of only 5
degrees. The direction of the source of sound can also be
calculated by the cat sensing differences in the time of arrival
and intensity of sound received by the two ears.
Rodents don't have more than a sliver of hope of escape when this little
tiger is on the prowl!
DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY
Consider the following scenario...
Fluffy is sitting by the window as usual. You pass by and gently stroke her back. Suddenly your affectionate and gentle pet has her teeth in your arm.
What just happened? Has Fluffy gone mad?
The phenomena of redirected aggression can be puzzling and frightening to cat lovers. It occurs when a cat is highly aroused and in an aggressive state (for instance, by the sight of an outside cat, by just having been in a fight, or by a loud, disturbing noise), and the cat attacks a person or another animal within reach. Generally, cats do not redirect aggression unless they are touched or closely approached by another animal or person.
If a cat is in an aggressive state or mood, it can be very dangerous for the owner to approach it, or try to pick it up. The owner should wait until the cat has changed its mood before interacting with it. The state of arousal can last two hours or more, but in most cases is over within thirty minutes. After the cat has engaged in another behavior, such as grooming, playing, or eating, it is usually safe to approach it.
To treat this type of aggression, the arousing stimulus must be identified so that it can be eliminated. For example, if the cat is upset by looking at other cats through the window, the outside cats should be kept from passing near the window or the resident cat's view should be obstructed by pulling a shade or keeping the cat out of the room with the windows. If the triggering stimulus cannot be removed, then the cat should be systematically desensitized to it. In the case of a disturbing noise, it should be repeated at regular intervals at very low levels until the cat is used to it and then the volume gradually increased, always keeping it below the cat's stress threshold.
If the owner is the victim of redirected aggression, it is important that he not retaliate so strongly that the attacking cat develops a fear of him and becomes defensively aggressive toward him, thereby creating another, more difficult problem to solve. Keep in mind that it is the cat's predatory nature that enables it to concentrate so single-mindedly on a particular object (or animal) of interest. This all-consuming focus of the cat's attention is not easily transformed into a recognition of the touch of an old friend--so don't take it personally! ----------------------------------------------
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Some useful and interesting health sites:
http://www.geocities.com/~pawsplus/vet_links.html
a comprehensive list of vet links.
http://www.altvetmed.com/index1.html
http://www.vet.co.za/
http://www.cfainc.org/health/FIP.html
http://www.fanciers.com/vetmed.html
http://www.vetinfo.com/catindex.html
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/public/fhc/
http://www.naturalrearing.com./
http://www.blakkatz.com/nrn/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hollow/1991/genetic/
http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/declaw.html
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/index.html
http://www.eyevet.org/index.html
