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09/29/09
The AVMA celebrates Senior Healthy Pet Month in September, which is a good time to reflect on whether you’re doing everything you can to keep your senior cat healthy and happy.
Cats are considered “seniors” after age 10, and “geriatric” after the age of 13. The AVMA recommends twice-yearly checkups for geriatric cats. That might sound like overkill, but early detection of common senior afflictions (thyroid problems, diabetes, chronic renal failure, cancer, heart problems and the like) can mean the difference between effectively managing the disease long-term and having to euthanize your beloved pet.
10 Tips to keep your senior cat healthy and happy:
1) Take her in for regular dental checkups.
Cats mask discomfort and pain, and it’s often hard to tell if your cat has dental problems unless her breath is horrific, or her face swells from an abscessed tooth. Regular dental checkups and treatment can save her months of discomfort, and keep her from losing weight – weight that, for a senior cat, might difficult to regain.
2) Groom her often
The benefits of grooming extend beyond keeping her coat tidy. Senior cats are far less aggressive groomers than their younger counterparts, and usually end up with a lot more loose hair … leaving them especially vulnerable to hairballs. Grooming your cat daily will help you learn your cat’s body to such a degree that you’ll be able to recognize tender spots or lumps early on. You’ll be able to spot skin flakes and a dull coat that might be symptomatic of thyroid disease or a poor diet. And it will give you invaluable bonding time — time you won’t have together once she’s gone.
3) Encourage play
It’s easy to forget to interact with older cats, since they sleep most of their days away and don’t seem like they want to play. But it’s worth trying to engage them in play — try their favorite toy and some catnip, and see what happens.
In addition to the quality time you’ll spend together, activity will help keep the cat in better physical shape, and you’ll be in a better position to tell when the cat is lethargic, which could be a clue to a health problem. Be sure to play in a private area, where a younger cat won’t encroach upon the game, which will sometimes cause older cats to back off.
 4) Buy bed steps
Older cats often have difficulty jumping up on the bed. If she’s accustomed to sleeping with you, and no longer can get up on the bed to do so, she might feel depressed and alienated.
So, if your senior cat likes sleeping on your bed, consider buying a set of steps for the bottom or side of your bed.
5) Provide a heated cat cup or heated pad
Geezer cats feel the cold more, and appreciate a warm place to sleep.
6) Evaluate accessibility and make changes, if necessary
Consider providing a litter box with lower walls, and raising the height of her food and water bowls.
7) Create a stable environment
Change is difficult for a lot of cats, especially as they get older. For example, adding a kitten to the household may be difficult on an older cat, especially if she’s long been an only cat.
8] Consult with your vet about food supplements
Supplements or special formulations of food can provide additional Omega3 fatty acids, glucosamine with chondroitin, immune system boosters, probiotics, or other supplements that may offer benefits to your cat’s health. Discuss the options with your vet. (Never give your cat supplements designed for humans)
9) Switch to a senior formula cat food
Talk to your vet to determine if your cat might benefit from one of the  many senior formula cat foods on the market. These foods typically provide an optimal balance of appropriate protein, fat, calories, vitamins and minerals for older cats.
10) Provide a fresh, appealing source of water
Cat fountains are very popular with cats, and may encourage your senior cat to drink more. Keeping your cat well-hydrated is especially important for proper kidney function and overall health.
And 2 bonus tips from our readers:
11) LOLA SEZ: Get a good pet or baby scale.
Good scales that weigh accurately in ounces may cost $80 to $100. Weight loss is often the first signal of disease or dental problems (as in your #1 tip) but can slip by undetected until it’s significant. Get a scale, use it regularly — for all your cats, not just seniors — and catch problems early. You can use a people scale, but it may be hard to detect a few ounces lost, which can be a significant loss for us small cats.
12) FRECKLES SEZ: Once you are ten years old, join the Olde Furts Group on Catster.
It’s a good place to meet other geezers and get good health advice and support.
Thanks Lola and Freckles for making it an even dozen tips!
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09/15/09
Last week, Skeezix and I visited Iams/Eukanuba’s facilities in Dayton, Ohio. This is one in a series of posts on what I learned.
Every discussion of corn in the cat’s diet starts out something like this: “You have corn on the cob for dinner, and the next morning, if you care to peek, you’ll note it has been expelled from your digestive tract wholly intact. Thus, it’s only a cheap nutrition-free filler in pet food.”
When it came to discussing the nutritional value and makeup of Iams and Eukanuba foods last week, the word on the tip of everyone’s tongue was CORN, spoken with the same derision as one might say “cyanide” or “rat poison.”
 At the earliest opportunity, I asked Dr Maury Docton, DVM (right), the Technical Services Vet at Iams/Eukanuba, what role corn plays in the composition of their foods, and whether the new grain-free diets are a better bet for our pets.
We were in for an episode of Mythbusters.
There’s been a lot of recent press about grain-free diets, with corn, wheat and rice portrayed in a negative light.
According to Dr Maury the most common myths include:
- Corn is not digestible
- Corn causes allergies
- Cats don’t have the ability to digest grains
Dr Maury explained that corn is a nutritionally superior grain because it provides a highly available source of complex carbohydrates and substantial amounts of essential amino acids and fatty acids, providing more of the nutritional building blocks the pet needs for repair and maintenance of its body. And, corn minimizes blood glucose response to help maintain a healthy weight and blood sugar level.
To access the nutritional part of corn, you have to remove its outer hull and produce ground corn meal which is highly digestible. Although there are individual variations, once the hull is removed, ground corn is less than 2% fiber; therefore 98% digestible by your cat. Being 98% digestible means that more of the nutrition stays inside your cat, and less ends up in the litter box.
The only part of an ingredient that can trigger an allergy is the protein portion of that ingredient. Unless corn is used as a protein, in its gluten form, it is very unlikely to trigger an allergic reaction — corn meal contains less than 8% protein. Beef, dairy and fish account for most reported food related allergies in cats. Of food ingredients reported in veterinary medical literature to cause adverse reactions in cats, corn was at the bottom of the list, just above egg*.
The trend to replace grains with fruit and vegetables for the same carbohydrate function is well-meaning, but as yet there is little research documentation to prove how they will affect the energy level and glycemic response of the cat. Although you won’t see cats in the wild chowing down corn on the cob, they do consume a diet of up to 10% carbohydrates, which they get from the stomach contents of their prey.
Bottom line: When processed correctly, corn is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, as proven by data that Iams has collected during 50 years of research. Although cats are obligate carnivores, most do need a small percentage of complex carbohydrates in their diets for energy, and they will get that from a correctly balanced diet.
In rare cases, corn may cause an allergic response, but if your cat eats a food that contains corn and develops an allergic reaction, it’s far more likely due to beef, dairy or fish.
Like humans, some cats may need to be on low-carb diets, in which case your vet can recommend the best food for your cat’s needs.
In the interest of full disclosure, this trip was fully paid for by Iams/Eukanuba. I’ve fed my cats Eukanuba for nearly 20 years, and the only cat of mine with digestive issues is the one who won’t eat the Eukanuba, but sticks to an all-meat Catkins diet.
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* source: Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Vol 5, Issue 9, 2002.
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08/20/09
In yet another great benefit for Catsters, Catster has partnered with Trupanion Pet Insurance to offer Catster members 60  days of free pet medical insurance from Trupanion.
All you need to do is join the Pet Insurance Clubhouse Group on Catster and fill out your pet’s info. You don’t even need to provide a credit card number. Cats with Catster profile pages who are between 8 weeks and 14 years of age are eligible to receive this free coverage.
Catster recommends Trupanion. They are veterinarian approved and offer the most complete pet health insurance coverage for unexpected illnesses and accidents, covering 90% of all veterinarian bills.
Not a Catster member? It only takes a minute to sign up, and it’s free!
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03/23/09
 There’s no excuse not to have a window cling for your home. The ASPCA is giving away safety packs that include them along with a poison control magnet.
In the event of an emergency, the pet rescue window decals alert rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. The safety pack also includes an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet—a great way to keep the APCC’s toll-free emergency number and website address handy in case your pets get into something they shouldn’t!
Click here to request your free safety pack.
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03/13/09
This week on Web MD, there is an informative article by Jeanie Lerche Davis how pets can improve your health. Here’s a summary:
Allergy Fighters
A growing number of studies suggest that kids growing up in a home with “furred animals” — whether it’s a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals — will have less risk of allergies and asthma, according to James E. Gern, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Gern analyzed the blood of babies immediately after birth and then again one year later. He was looking for evidence of an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and for reactions to bacteria in the environment.
If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies — 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of some immune system chemicals — a sign of stronger immune system activation.
“Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger immune system,” Gern says.
On a personal and unscientific note, my own experience bears this out. When my husband and I were first dating, he claimed to be allergic to cats. But he was so in love with me that he toughed it out. Within two or three months, he no longer suffered from cat allergies and his other allergies had improved as well. Which is good because I really liked him and wanted him to stick around.
Date Magnets
Pets are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking — a pet is a natural conversation starter.
This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness, according to Nadine Kaslow, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta.
“People ask about breed, they watch the dog’s tricks,” Kaslow says. “Sometimes the conversation stays at the ‘dog level,’ sometimes it becomes a real social interchange.”
If you’ve been following the series on “Cat Guys” in the Cat’s Meow, you know that cat lovin’ women are drawn to Cat Guys like supermagnets. The women I’ve talked to feel that men who love cats are more sensitive and compassionate than the average guy.
Elder Care Benefits
 “Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home,” says Lynette Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog,” says Hart.
For elderly people who are ambulatory, walking a dog or caring for a cat can provide exercise and companionship, even provide a “reason to live.” Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of their medical screening — which often helps tip the scales in their favor.
Increasingly, rest homes and assisted care facilities are encouraging pet visits through Animal Assisted Therapy programs. Such programs make a significant difference in the emotional health of residents, especially since most have to surrender their cherished pets before moving into elder care facilities. If you have a mellow pet, consider volunteering — contact your local SPCA or shelter to find a program in your area.
Good for Mind and Soul
We think a purring cat can help anyone sleep better. Pet owners with AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. “The benefit is especially pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets,” says researcher Judith Siegel, PhD.
In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.
People in stress mode get into a “state of dis-ease,” in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.
Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, said Justice.
Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine — nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties, he told WebMD.
“People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature,” says Justice, who recently hiked the Colorado Rockies with his wife and two dogs.
Good for the Heart
Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels — than non-owners, researchers say.
Fred, the Therapy Cat, working at a children’s Christmas party.
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01/20/09
If, like me, you didn’t manage to finish writing all of your New Year’s resolutions, how about pledging to be a better cat owner? I’ve rounded up advice from Catster and the Catster Cat Blogs to make it easy for you!
HEALTH
- Know the major health concerns for cats. If you know what symptoms to look for, you can get your cat to the vet before the health problem requires an expensive emergency visit.
 Select a good vet, if you don’t have one already. I’ve heard stories from cat owners who aren’t entirely comfortable with their vets, but they feel “funny” about switching. Your cat deserves high quality care, and you should always feel that your vet is providing it. If you don’t — even if you can’t quite put your finger on the reason — switch vets. Read some tips on how to select a vet.
- Watch health trends and discuss your cat’s health with others. So, your cat has been diagnosed with a health problem. You’ve had a great consultation with your vet, but what do you do after you bring Fluffy home? You might find it helpful to talk to cat owners who are dealing with the same health issues that you are. Sometimes you just need comfort and support, sometimes you need tips on administering care — whatever you need, you’ll probably find it here.
- Follow the Catster Vet Blog for tips and advice from Dr. Barchas.
LOVE
EXERCISE
DIET
RESCUE OR ADOPT A PET
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12/04/08
Buying a Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush this weekend? Today, PetPlace.com published “10 Steps for a Cat Safe Holiday Tree”, to help you ensure your cats are safe from the minefield of hazards that await them in your festively decorated holiday home. Here they are:
 1. Choose the Right Spot. Pick an area where the tree can be enjoyed by the family without becoming a “climbing toy” for your pet. The tree should be secured to the wall or ceiling, away from furniture that can serve as a springboard for your pet. Try to place the tree near an outlet so you don’t have to run electrical cords long distances.
2. Prepare the Area. Lay down plastic sheeting or buy a “tree bag.” This is an extra large trash bag used for live trees. Center the tree on the bag. When the season is over and you have removed the tree ornaments, pull the bag over the tree.This will catch the pine needles as they fall from the tree – and prevent them from being chewed or swallowed by your pet.
3. Secure the Tree. Cats – kittens especially – love to climb trees. Many a tree has been sent swaying with a happy kitten on top. Kittens can be injured if the trees or ornaments fall and break. Dogs can knock over a tree by rubbing against or playing under it. You can place the tree in a corner and secure it from two sides to small hooks in the walls. Another trick is to place a small hook in the ceiling above the tree  and use clear fishing line from the top of the tree to the hook. Apply gentle tension and tie. The clear line is invisible.
4. Hide the Cords. Electrical cords are a grave danger to pets – especially puppies and kittens that chew on anything. Cords can cause electrocution and serious injury or even death. Secure the cords by positioning them higher than the pet can reach or hiding them with special covers.
5. No Hooks. Check your ornaments and replace hooks with a loop of string tied in a knot. Ornaments often fall from the tree and pets may catch their mouths on or swallow the hooks.
6. Choose Safe Ornaments. There is no perfectly pet-safe bulb, as any ornament can be ingested and cause an intestinal obstruction. Pet “safer” bulbs would be plastic or wood. Glass bulbs on the lower limbs can be especially dangerous. If broken, pets can step on them and cut their feet or worse yet – treat the bulbs like a ball and chew on them causing them to break, resulting in mouth or throat trauma and bleeding. Many pet owners have learned the hard way not to place any ornaments on the lower limbs. Ornaments made of food may be especially attractive to pets.
7. Ribbons. Big red velvet ribbons are a lovely addition and may replace tinsel and garland that can be eaten by cats and dogs and caught in their intestine. Cats are especially attracted to the bright shiny tinsel. Ingestion of this material can cause intestinal obstruction that may require surgery.
 8. Presents. Dogs and cats love to investigate and most don’t understand that the presents are not meant to be opened before Christmas Day. Decorative ribbons and string can be ingested, gifts can be destroyed by a playful pet. Consider storing the presents in a safe area until right before the holiday or make sure your pet is always supervised while investigating and searching for his special gift.
9. Sweep and Water. Sweep up the pine needles. Ingestion of needles can cause vomiting and gastric irritation. Keep the tree watered and only turn the lights on when you are at home. Risk of fire is always there with a live tree. Do not allow your pet access  to the tree water to drink.
10. Supervise. The safest thing to do is to allow your pet access to the tree only when supervised. Pets that continue to want to bother the tree should be encouraged – using positive reinforcement – to leave it alone. Bitter apple can be sprayed on low branches for persistent chewers.
Consider these steps for a holiday safe tree. For other tips on holiday hazards, please click on Holiday Hazards.
(Have you taken your Catster Christmas stroll yet?)
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11/02/08
This week, China Daily reported on recent studies promoting the health benefits of cat/pet ownership:
Having a pet helps improve many aspects of your health
The body of evidence supporting the notion that pet ownership is good for your health  grew even fatter this month. A new study, published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, found that keeping animals could cut the risk of developing the relatively common cancer of the immune system, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, by almost one third.
“The idea that pets and good health are associated goes back 20 years or more,” says Dr June McNicholas, a psychologist who has researched the relationship between people and their pets. The catalog of health plusses can’t all be attributed to regular dog-walking, however.
When a study suggested that people who own pets have better cardiac health, says McNicholas, “one of the significant factors in people recovering well from a heart attack was owning a pet, but it wasn’t just dogs. It applied equally to cats.” Here are some of the many ways in which pets have been found to strengthen our constitutions.
Pets are good for cardiac health
The Baker Medical Research Institute in Australia studied 6,000 people  and found that those who kept animals had lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol – and therefore, a lower risk of heart attack.
Another study, conducted at the University of Minnesota and published earlier this year, concluded that cat owners were 40 percent less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack than people who didn’t have a cat. Adnan Qureshi, the neurology professor who led the study of nearly 4,500 people, said he believed that people who stroked their cat experienced less stress and anxiety and therefore were at a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Pets boost the immune system
This month, a study by researchers from Stanford University and the University of California found that regular exposure to a cat or a dog could reduce one’s chance of developing non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It is thought that exposure to allergens – from cats and dogs – could boost the immune system.
The immune-boosting power of pets is something that McNicholas has also investigated. In 2002, she studied 256 primary school children and found that children aged from 5 to 7 from pet-owning households attended school for three weeks more than those who didn’t.
Meanwhile, a study in Japan found that pet owners over the age of 65 made almost a third fewer visits to their doctor than people the same age who didn’t have pets.
Pets help improve self-esteem
“There have been studies that have suggested pet owners are more likely to have higher self-worth and are less likely to suffer loneliness and depression,” says Dr Deborah Wells, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, who has conducted several studies on the benefits of pet ownership. “Dogs seem to bring people the biggest benefits –  you have to get out and walk them every day, and they can act as a social catalyst.”
Wells says pets are particularly useful for children. “If children are bullied at school, or their parents are getting divorced, children will often tell their pets their problems whereas they wouldn’t always talk to a person.”
The charity, Pets As Therapy, has been running for 25 years and has 4,000 dogs and 106 cats, which visit 120,000 people in hospitals, hospices, care homes, day-care centers and schools for children with special needs every week.
“We started taking dogs into nursing homes, because elderly people had had to give up their pets when they went in and it was making them depressed and in many cases ill,” says Maureen Fennis, the chief executive.
The routine and “normality” of having a pet can help people suffering a traumatic event, such as bereavement or a diagnosis of terminal illness. In one study, McNicholas found that people with animals to care for adjusted far better after the death of someone close than those without pets.
“We live in a society where we do not like to cry in front of people,” she adds, “but there are a large number of people who can cry in front of their pets.”
And you know, I think even dogs can benefit from having a cat around the house!
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10/07/08
Over in Olney, Buckinghamshire, a black cat named Cadbury is sitting in his favorite spot in the conservatory and meowing with delight. But that’s no ordinary meow. His is a $17,000 meow.
His guardian, Jean Kelly, paid £10,000 (about $17,500) for corrective surgery to fix Cadbury’s meower. After he suddenly lost his voice, he was diagnosed with a paralyzed larynx, which was blocking his throat. Two operations were required to fix the condition. Ms Kelly’s insurance, Petplan, paid £6,000 (about $10,500) of the costs, but she had to fork over the remaining £4,000 ($7,000) out-of-pocket. She put a planned holiday to Namibia on hold to pay for the treatment, which involved a stint in intensive care, six days in an oxygen tent and four months of nursing care.
She’s had Cadbury since he was five months old and he followed her sister home. When asked why she would spend such a princely sum to fix a condition that was not life-threatening, she responded, “It was never about me – it was about Cadbury and his quality of life. I know he’s not a young cat but I wanted to give him a fighting chance.”
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
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09/27/08
 Hey, evrybuddy, Skeezix heer! In today’s Catster Vet Blog, Dr Eric Barchas ansers the qwestion, “Should Cats with FIV/Feline AIDS be Euthanized?” The short answer was no, and I was vary happy to reed that.
Yoo see, my gramma’s cat, Babe, is FIV-positive. (That’s a pikcher of Babe above.) He was a tame feral cat hoo showed up on Gramma’s doorstep (we think he wuz dumped win his owners found out he was FIV-positive), and he’s bin the best cat she ever had. He sleeps with his hed on her pillow at nite and keeps her cumpany. Win she’s sik, he’ll klime on her chest and put his paws on the side of her cheeks. She ferst fownd owt he was FIV-positive many yeers ago win he ferst came to live with her. She was alarmd, but owr vet reassured her that Babe could live a long, happy, helthy life. He was rite. Babe’s had no more helth problems than the rest of us.
Babe is a geezer cat now, over 15 yeers old. If my gramma had made him go to the Ranebow Bridge win she first fownd out he was FIV-positive, she wood have mist owt on many many yeer’s of Babe’s wunderful companionship.
Shelters often have trubbul adopting out FIV-positive pets. If you have no other cats in the howsehold (or have anuther FIV-positive cat), consider adopting an FIV-positive cat. I can’t guarantee they won’t have any helth problims, but then, yoo takes yer chances with any cat yoo adopt — my vet bills have bin a million times higher than Babe’s, and I’m only 4 yeers old!
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