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 My daughter’s cat recently came in from an outdoor excursion looking very ragged.     Examination revealed that Felix had been mugged by a neighborhood cat and sustained a puncture wound through the skin. Antibiotic therapy was started and Felix recovered quickly, or, so it seems.
     Felix is free of bacterial infection, but what about a viral infection such as feline leukemia (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Infection by these agents is more subtle at first and harder to detect. Clinical signs may not appear for weeks to months to years, and by that time, it is too late to stop the virus.
     Detection of these virus infections is by a blood test specific for those virus agents only.  There is a lag time before the test can detect infection, 2 to 4 weeks for FeLV and 8 weeks for FIV. Prevention of Felv is by vaccinating the cat before exposure. There is a vaccine for FIV but this is generally not used for certain reasons that can be discussed later. Another form of prevention is to prevent Felix form encountering the other outdoor cats and avoid bite injuries.

     Fortunately, Felix has been vaccinated for FeLV, but not for FIV. We will need to test him after the 8 week period to determine if he has been infected. Meanwhile, he will be fed a good diet and watched for any signs of illness. Hopefully this is not the start of a long medical illness.

Joe Simon, DVM

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Now that we have reached mid-Feb, the daylight hours are getting longer and that means one thing—all the little girl cats in town are getting poised to go into heat!

Unspayed female kitties come into heat every 2-3 weeks, and this will continue until they are either spayed or get pregnant.  Each cycle lasts several days.  While they are cycling, they tend to get extremely loving, may arch their bottoms into the air more than usual, and become amazing escape artists.  The urge to find a boyfriend can be so overwhelming that they might even chew through screens, jump out windows, or quietly slip out the door when no one is looking.  Yowling, which usually results in sleep deprivation for the humans in the house, is also a common occurrence!

To add insult to injury, some girl kitties will advertise they are in heat by “spraying” their urine.  Since most of the cats we take care of here at the cat clinics are inside kitties, this is occurring in the house.    The flip side of this is the boy kitties answering the girls—usually by spraying urine around the outside perimeter of the house/property. 

The cure of course is simple—spay and neuter these little kitties!  As a bonus, spaying before the heat cycles begin greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer in our girl kitty population.  

Ah, kitty romance--I think I prefer chocolate and roses!

Dr. Maria Berger

How does your cat feel about leaving the house?  If he/she is like most cats, this is not a cause for great joy and merriment!  Cats are very much home-bodies, and are motivated by a great desire to remain in their territory. Your cat may love you dearly, but would prefer to love you in his/her own territory.  Here are a few ways we have found to make leaving the house a more positive experience for most cats.

1.  Spray the car and the cat carrier with Feilway Spray.  Feilway is a synthetic form of the pheromone that cats produce in their lip glands.  This is the "everything's ok" scent, and is very self comforting to most cats.  Spray a small amount into the carrier and the car where the carrier will sit, about 10 minutes before travel time.  Never spray Feilway near anyone's face.   I have never had the same results from the generic forms of this product, so I would recommend sticking with the brand name "Feilway", not products that say they "contains Feilway pheromone".  Amazon.com has the most competitive prices on Feilway spray.

2.  Apply Rescue Remedy to the kitty.  Rescue Remedy is a Bach Flower remedy that is composed of 5 flower essences all aimed at acute stress and anxiety reduction.  Rub 4 drops into the ear flaps and the top of the kitty's head 20 minutes before travel and  then again right before placing your cat in his/her carrier.  This can be applied again as needed.  This product is over the counter, and we have it at both our clinics as well.  If you want to apply it to the skin as we do, avoid getting the Rescue Remedy that says "for pets" on the label.  That formulation is made specifically to give by mouth, and you will have a very greasy kitty if you rub it onto them!

3.  Place a "pee-pee" pad, or a piece of one, in the bottom of your cat's carrier.  In case of accidents, the absorbent pads will soak up urine and help prevent your pet from becoming saturated. 

4.  If you are traveling to a new home across country, it is also a good idea to travel with water from home.  Drinking water tastes different depending on what part of the country you are in, so bringing water that has the "home" taste that can be mixed with the new water, can be very helpful.

These little tricks will not work for every pet, but we see enough positive response that it is worth trying.  Trips to the veterinarian, a new home, vacation, or the groomer can be made happier!

Dr. Maria Berger

Ethylene glycol is an example of better living through chemicals. It is the main ingredient in antifreeze, the substance that keeps your car radiator and window wash from freezing in cold weather. It is also highly toxic to mammals, including your cat.

It is very unfortunate that this substance has a sweet taste. A spill of the concentrate or leakage from your car is an invitation for your pet to lap up the poison. Once consumed, the body eliminates it preferentially by way of the kidneys where it exerts its damage in a very short time. Death follows in a couple of days. Of course, the amount of damage done is dose dependent. A sub lethal dose will not kill your pet but it will destroy kidney tissue making, for instance, a 3 year old kidney suddenly 13 years old. A lethal dose will simply destroy kidney function.

If you identify an antifreeze spill or leak it needs to either be wiped up and disposed of or washed away with lots of water. Antifreeze bottles need to be capped and stored in a secure location. If a pet is identified or suspected of antifreeze contact immediate veterinary intervention is required to save or salvage kidney function.

Many people have more than one kitty.  5 tips to help everyone stay happy:

1)  Think up-Cats like heights.  I consider vertical space extra territory.  The more cats you have, the more vertical space you need.  Options:

                           Cat Trees
                           Book cases
                           Shelves
                           Hammocks
                           Ledges
                           Window Sills

2)  Multiple litter boxes-Open boxes are best.  Cats like to urinate in a different place then they defecate.  Have at least on more box then you have cats.  Place the boxes in different spots in the house so the dominant cat does not prevent others from reaching the boxes.  Scoop daily and use a soft unscented clumping litter. 

3)  Separate food and water dishes so cats can all eat at the same time.

4)  Your Attention-At least 10 minutes per day per cat.  Play with laser pointers, ping pong balls, etc. to keep kitties active and engaged.  A great feeding toy is the egg-cersizer.  The kitty bats the egg-cersizer to make the kibble come out of the openings.

5)  Feliway diffusers in the cats’ favorite rooms.  These synthetic feline pheromones help calm kitties and make them more comfortable.  They reduce the chance of urine spraying and aggression.