Purrfect Pets

A new study conducted by the Argus Institute at Colorado State University indicates veterinarians communicate differently with clients depending on whether the visit is a problem appointment - one related to a health concern - or a wellness appointment - general check-up.

The Argus Institute found that in wellness appointments, veterinarians focus more on building a relationship with their clients. They try to engage pet owners to take part in their pet’s care and to express their opinions during appointments. Vets also tend to talk in a different tone in these visits with more laughter, compliments, reassurance, and social talk.

During problem appointments, vets tend to focus mainly on medical issues. The tone of the appointment is one of stress as many clients are emotionally distressed and anxious and vets are perceived as being in a hurry.

Additionally, the Argus Institute reports that when vets use a paternal communication style in problem appointments, potential negative consequences could ensue for the pet, the client, and the veterinarian. Specifically, Jane Shaw, DMV, Ph.D., and director of the Argus Institute says, “We know that paternalism is not an effective approach in gaining results. Without engaging the client in a conversation about their pet and obtaining their opinion, they aren’t as likely to follow through with home care. They also are not as likely to build a strong relationship - and subsequent loyalty - to their veterinarian.”

A strong relationship between a client and a veterinarian is important because vets are more likely to get complete and accurate information from clients about their pets and be able to diagnose problems more easily. Clients are more likely to follow at-home care recommendations when vets encourage them to participate in their pet’s care as well.

Dr. Shaw recommends veterinarians ask open-ended questions during appointments to encourage clients to open up about their pets.

Source:

Cat Channel: Vet Communication Style Depends on Visit

Easter is this Sunday, and as with all holidays, Easter brings its own set of risks and dangers to your cat.

Chocolate: Chocolate is toxic to your cat. Keep all chocolate away from your cat at all times. Put your Easter baskets up high or in another safe place where your cat cannot access it. If you start a piece of chocolate candy, be sure to wrap it up again if you want to save the rest for later.

Symptoms that can occur as a result of chocolate poisoning in cats include: hyperactivity, muscle tremors, coma, restelessness, diarrhea, frequent urination, seizures, vomiting, and death. If you suspect or know your cat has ingested chocolate, call your veterinarian or a local veterinary hospital for assistance.

Easter Grass: Easter grass poses a danger to your cat as well. Cats seem to love to play with plastic Easter grass. If your cat eats Easter grass, it could cause intestinal blockage or other problems. If you see your cat eating Easter grass and it is already halfway down his or her throat, DO NOT try to pull it out. Pulling on the Easter grass could cut the intestines. Instead, call your veterinarian for assistance.

Small Candy: Small candy, such as jellybeans can also be dangerous to your cat. If your cat attempts to swallow small pieces of candy, the candy could get lodged in your cat’s throat causing him or her to choke. Keep all candies up high or in another place your cat cannot easily access.

Lillies: Lillies are flowers that are toxic to cats. Lillies can begin to cause kidney failure 24-72 hours after ingestion. Symptoms of kidney failure may include increased thirst, lethargy, loss of appetite/not eating, increased urination, dehydration, and vomiting. If you like flowers at Easter time, get flowers that are not poisonous to cats.

I hope you and your furry friend enjoy a safe and happy Easter.

Source:

Cat’s Meow: Top 5 Easter Dangers

The BDVM Mac Lean Clinic, a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Chicago, Illinois, is set to open its doors for service in late May. The clinic will aim to provide 5,000 spay and neuter surgeries to cats and dogs in its first year of service and wants to gradually increase that number annually as its facility will allow. The clinic will also provide vaccinations and parasite treatments to cats and dogs. The clinic will offer a sliding-fee scale, based on a pet owner’s income and subsidized rates for practitioners of trap-neuter-return programs and low-income individuals.

The clinic was named after long-time donors Sabrina Mac Lean and William Wheeldon.

The clinic held an open house for the public to preview the facility on April 4; however, you can still schedule a time to view the facility before it opens its doors. To schedule a time to see the clinic, please contact Jenny Schlueter at 773-784-5488 ext. 231 or e-mail her at jenny@treehouseanimals.org.

Sources:

CatChannel: Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic to Open in Chicago: http://www.catchannel.com/news/2009/04/03/low-cost-spay-neuter-clinic-to-open-in-chicago.aspx

Tree House Humane Society: Presenting the Tree House BDVM Mac Lean Clinic: http://www.treehouseanimals.org/Appeals/Bucktown08/Bucktown.htm

A while back I posted about the Biggest Losers Contest where owners of obese cats were encouraged to help them lose weight on a veterinary approved diet. The results and winners of the contest were recently published in the May edition of CAT FANCY magazine.

The first place winner is Pumpkin, a 13-year-old cat who weighed 30 pounds before he began his weight-loss journey. At 30 pounds, Pumpkin’s owners, Kathryn Maxwell and Elizabeth Bible, said he didn’t move anymore than he had to. They did not force him to exercise, but began to feed him a recommended amount of weight management cat food every morning and evening. He began his weight loss journey in July 2007, and by January 2009, he weighed 14 pounds. His owners say he now plays and runs with the other cats, is much happier, and can groom his entire body.

The second place winner in the Biggest Losers Contest is Serendipity, a nine-year-old cat, who weighed 23 pounds when he began his weight-loss journey. His owner, Marian Kaplan, gives him a little less than 1/8 cup of diabetes food every morning. She tosses it piece by piece down the hall to give Serendipity some exercise and to keep him from snarfing his food, then stealing the other cats’ food. In mid-morning, Serendipity receives four dental treats, tossed as well. Ten pieces of diabetic food are then tossed to him mid-day. In late afternoon, he is served 1/4 of a small can of wet cat food in a bowl with three posts, which makes him work for his food. Finally, before bed, he gets 10 more pieces of diabetic food tossed to him.

Serendipity now weighs 11 pounds.

The third place winner in this contest is Baron, an eight-year-old cat who weighed 22 pounds at the beginning of his weight-loss journey. Baron’s owner, Nan Schaeffer said when Baron was rescued he was malnourished and gained weight too quickly, which led to him becoming obese. Baron has been eating four controlled meals each day and must jump up to his table in order to eat them. Baron now weighs 13 pounds, and enjoys running and playing.

The Veterinary Pet Insurance company, based in California, has recently analyzed more than 400 pet poisoning claims they received last year to identify the most commonly ingested plants and plant products that made pets sick in 2008. At the top of the list were grapes and raisins. Grapes can cause kidney failure in cats who ingest them. Other signs your pet has ingested grapes include diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetitie, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

The top 10 plants that caused pets to get sick in 2008 were:
1. Grapes and raisins
2. Mushrooms
3. Marajuana
4. Lily
5. Walnuts
6. Onions
7. Sago palm
8. Macadamia nuts
9. Azalea
10. Hydrangea

The Veterinary Pet Insurance also processed poison claims from: dandelions, tea tree oil, oleander, poison ivy, delphinium, crocus bulbs, almonds, scarlet pimpernel, gladiolus, hemlock, brunfelsia, potpouri, hibiscus, rhododendrons, tabacco, nightshade, pointsettia, and kalanchoe.

Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for Veterinary Pet Insurance asserts most pet plant poisonings can be avoided by keeping poisonous plants out of your pet’s environment. For instance, if you see mushrooms growing in your backyard, pick them so that your pet doesn’t eat them.

You can read more about poisonous plants for pets here.

Source:

Cat Channel: Top 10 Poisoning Claims of 2008 Revealed

On Friday, I had to take my cat, Milita, to the vet. I decided to take her because she was shaking her head a lot, isolating herself and hiding in the bedroom, she wasn’t interested in playing with her favorite toys or even in eating all of her wet food, and she seemed to get upset when we touched or looked at her right ear.

The vet looked at her ears to make sure nothing was in there, and there wasn’t. She thinks Milita is having an allergic reaction that’s coming out in her ears. She gave us ear drops to put in Milita’s ears, once a day for a week.

Of course, Milita doesn’t like the ear drops. She would rather not have cold ointment going into her ears; she doesn’t understand it’s for her own good.

We’ve given her two doses of the drops and I can already see that she shakes her head less often than she did before. She is also interested in playing with her favorite toys again and she begs for food at dinnertime once more. I’m glad the ear drops seem to be helping her.

Feline asthma can be a very serious condition, if it isn’t treated appropriately. In asthma, the airways constrict either in response to environmental stimuli or spontaneously. Allergens that can lead to asthma attacks include grass and tree pollens, hair spray, deodorants, air fresheners, flea spray, smoke from cigarettes and fireplaces, and dust from cat litter.

Feline asthma affects cats of all ages all around the world. It affects approximately 1% of the adult cat population, according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association. The symptoms of asthma in cats are: wheezing, coughing (described as a dry, hacking cough), lethargy, and difficulty breathing. In addition to these symptoms, during an asthma attack, a cat will typically squat with its shoulders hunched and its neck extended and coughs or gags foamy mucus-like material. The cat typically swallows hard after this. It may appear as if your cat is trying to cough up a hairball, but nothing comes out.

The symptoms listed above are typical feline asthma symptoms; however, some cats may have just a few of these symptoms while other cats may present with all of the symptoms. Most cats do not present with asthma symptoms between periods of breathing difficulties.

If your cat is suffering with these symptoms, it is important that you get him or her looked at by your veterinarian because asthma attacks, if severe, can be life threatening. There are several medications you can utilize to treat asthma as well as things you can do around the house to prevent asthma attacks for cats. I will discuss these methods in my next post.

Sources:

Cat Fanciers’ Association: Feline Asthma - Updated Information

Feline Asthma and Other Respiratory Disorders: Symptoms

A new study indicates cat and dog obesity is on the rise. The study, conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention discovered more than 57% of cats and 44% of dogs are overweight or obese.

The study was done in October involving 95 United States veterinary clinics, which examined 669 dogs aged 1-16 years old and 202 cats aged 1-19 years old.

According to the study’s findings the number of overweight and obese cats increased by 1% from 2007 to 2008 and the number of overweight or obese dogs increased by 4 percent. It was found that 17.8% of cats and 9.6% of dogs were obese while 39.6% of cats and 34.7% of dogs were found to be overweight.

From these findings, the study estimates there are 15.7 million obese and 35 million overweight cats in the United States. The study also estimates there are over 7.2 million obese and 26 million overweight dogs in this country.

Older pets were more likely to have weight problems than younger ones. Specifically, the study found 55% of cats and 52.1% of dogs over the age of 7 years old were overweight or obese.

Furthermore, most pet owners realized their pets had weight problems. For instance, 71.5% of cat owners with overweight or obese cats admitted their cats were overweight or obese when asked by a veterinarian and 60% of dog owners knew their dogs were overweight or obese.

Obesity leads to many preventable diseases, such as diabetes and arthritis. If you have an overweight or obese pet, please take him or her to a veterinarian to work on a healthy weight loss plan for your pet. You can help your pet live a longer, healthier life.

Just as it is important to keep a child’s toys clean and safe, it is also important to keep your kitty’s toys clean. I thought I’d share some tips about keeping your cat’s toys clean that I read in Cat Fancy magazine the other day. I hope you find them useful and informative.

1. Wash fabric toys in the washing machine several times each year. I’d recommend using a detergent without any odors or dyes, such as detergents made for people with allergies. Try All: Free and Clear.

2. Wash nonporous toys with hot water and dish soap. This will ensure all of the dirt and bacteria are removed from your cat’s favorite playthings.

3. Store cat toys in a container or tub. Ensure the storage container isn’t something your cat can tear apart or eat, like baskets. Those clear tubs with lids department stores like Wal-Mart and Target sell would be a good place to store cat toys.

Give your cat a few things to play with at a time and rotate the toys every couple of days. This way, your house will appear less cluttered and your cat won’t be overwhelmed with choices on which toys to play with.

4. Finally, throw away any toys with loose parts your cat may eat. Throw away any broken toys as well. If string, bells, feathers, or other parts on toys are swallowed, it could cause intestinal blockage, digestive issues, and even death for your cat. Replace any broken toys your cat loves to keep him or her happy.

Cats love their toys. Make sure they stay safe by regularly cleaning your cat’s toys and throwing away and replacing any broken toys.

Bideawee, a humane organization in New York, is conducting its own weight loss challenge with several of its adult cats available for adoption. Bideawee has teamed with Halo, Purely for Pets in order to help the cats lose weight.

Weight management is not only important for humans and dogs, but it is also important for cats. Obesity in cats can lead to several health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, back problems, arthritis, and joint deterioration.

Bideawee is running an eight-week weight loss challenge for seven of its adoptable cats. Every Monday each cat will be weighed in order to determine its progress.

The cats participating in the challenge are: Suki, who is 6 and a half years old and weighed 15.1 pounds at the start of the challenge, Dixie, who is 3 years old and weighed 15.9 pounds, Violet, who is 1 and a half year old and weighed 12.9 pounds, Emily, who is 5 years old and weighed 11.6 pounds, Missy, who is 7 years old and weighed 15 pounds, Minky, who is 8 years old and weighed 14.11 pounds, Domino, who is 8 years old and weighed 16.5 pounds, and Jack, who is 4 years old and weighed 16.9 pounds.

The challenge began on February 2, 2009. Halo, Purely for Pets has helped Bideawee tremendously with this weight loss challenge by donating $32,000 in canned cat food. You can also help these cats lose weight by visiting the Bideawee weight loss challenge page.

Bideawee was founded in 1903 and can be found in three locations, one in New Yokr City and two on Long Island.

Sources:

Halo and Bideawee Team Up to Slim Down

Cat Channel: Shelter Cats Take Weight-Loss Challenge