Infectious Diseases: (FIV)

Cats are prone to catching a number of slow virus infections. Of particular interest is the number that they are susceptible to.

The FIV is one of these..

How do cats get it? How is it spread?

The FIV is in the same Retroviridae family as Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), although its subfamily, the lentivirus, is different. Lentiviruses are responsible for disease in many types of animals, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in human beings, caused by HIV. FIV is often referred to as “Feline Aids.” The viruses are apparently specific for each species, and there is no evidence that FIV is infecting people, or HIV infecting cats. FIV-infected cats are found throughout the world. According to the Cornell Feline Health Center “In the United States, approximately 1-3% of healthy cats are infected with FIV.”

The primary mode of transmission of FIV is through bite wounds. Therefore outdoor cats, especially territorial tomcats, are at greatest risk of infections. Casual contact among cats sharing food and water dishes is not a significant mode of transmission as it is with FeLV. Unlike humans, sexual contact is probably not a significant way for the disease to be transmitted. This virus may be transmitted from a mother cat to her kitten, though this is rare. Kittens may also be aborted or stillborn if the mother is infected.

What happens if cats get it?

After infection, the virus enters the bloodstream (viremia) and from there it can become latent (or inactive) in the body for a while, or progress to an active disease, which eventually progresses to a terminal illness. In young kittens in the early phase of infection, fever and swollen glands (lymph nodes) may be the first signs noted. The primary target of the virus is the cells of the immune system such as CD4+ / CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and macrophages.

Malfunction of the body's protection system leads to many opportunistic infections. FIV infection has been associated with a wide variety of disorders including, but not limited to: enlarged lymph nodes, ulcers of the tongue and inflamed gums, progressive weight loss and wasting, poor haircoat and skin disease, diarrhea, anemia, eye and nervous disease, cancer, and many other diseases. They all take advantage of the immune system dysfunction.

Infected cats may appear normal for months to years until signs of their suppressed immune system begin to show. In the late stages, changes in behavior such as increased aggression or anxiety may occur in some cats.

How can infection be prevented?

Preventing infection is the key. Cats bitten by infected cats are at highest risk. Keeping your cat indoors alone or with tested negative cats will prevent the type of contact necessary for infection. If you introduce a new cat to the home, an FIV test should be carried out in order to make sure that the new cat is FIV negative BEFORE it is introduced to the resident cats.

A vaccine for FIV is available, but does not prevent infection in all vaccinated cats (60-80% effective after 3 doses). After vaccination the results of certain diagnostic tests may be affected, so discuss whether FIV vaccination is appropriate for your cat. Your veterinarian will help determine the risk for infection.

How is it diagnosed?

In FIV testing, confirming a positive antibody test result is crucial especially in asymptomatic cats since a portion of uninfected cats may have false positive results. A second test using a different technique will be done in the laboratory to try to confirm the positive first test. In most cases, a negative second result is reliable and means the cat is not infected. If there is discrepancy between tests, then the cat will be retested in about 12 weeks.

If the cat has been bitten by either an FIV-infected cat or a cat that has not been tested negative, starting at 60 days post-injury, testing will be done in order to pick up possible new infection.

Young kittens may have positive test results for 3 to 4 months after birth without actually being infected with the virus because of antibodies that were transferred from the vaccinated mother; others might have been born to an infected mother who passed protective antibodies to the offspring. If kittens aged 6 months or less test positive for FIV, retesting will be recommended to determine whether the kitten is positive for antibodies because they are truly infected, or whether the kitten had maternal antibodies for a while and has become negative.

False negative tests occur, though rarely. This can happen when a late stage cat is tested and the immune system is so exhausted, antibodies are no longer being produced at detectable levels.

Is it treatable?

There is no cure for FIV infection. Although the disease is considered fatal, many cats infected with these viruses but without clinical signs of disease can live for many years in relatively good health. Once infections move in, medications can be given to control those secondary diseases. Because of the immune system suppression, longer and more aggressive treatment may be needed to help FIV positive cats overcome routine infections. Some of the same drugs used in people have been tried off-label in cats and show some promise.

Identification of infected cats via testing allows the veterinarian to develop a long term management plan for cats that are positive. Once a veterinarian suspects that a cat may be infected, a quick blood sample will be taken. The test can be performed in most veterinary offices and results are usually available within ten minutes. A combination test for both FeLV and FIV is available in most facilities.

There are no medications or therapies proven to help prevent the transition from asymptomatic to symptomatic cat. Raw uncooked foods should be avoided in infected cats due to an increased susceptibility to food-born bacteria. The environment should be kept clean. If you cat dies and a new cat is coming home, complete a careful cleaning process before bringing home the new cat.

Infected cats need to see the veterinarian more frequently than a well cat. Thorough physical examination, complete blood count, blood chemistry, urinalysis, and fecal examination should be performed as recommended by your veterinarian. Symptomatic cats should receive veterinary attention promptly at the onset of any clinical signs. Accurate identification of any secondary illness is extremely important for successful treatment. Vaccination programs to prevent infection by other diseases should be maintained in asymptomatic cats. Sexually intact males and females should be altered (neutered) to reduce the stress associated with estrus and mating behaviors.

If owners are unable to quarantine infected cats from healthy cats in the home due to living circumstances, confine the infected cat indoors, or bear the costs of the veterinary care that ill cats require, the veterinarian should be consulted.

Urinary System--Chronic Kidney Disease

The kidneys are an amazing pair of organs! When we think of the kidneys, we think of urine production, but they do much more than make urine. They produce hormones that help control red blood cell production and calcium levels, and they are the gates for recycling nutrients using a sophisticated filtering system. They also play a very important role in conserving water, and assist with the control of blood volume and concentration!

Now you are wowed, let us talk about what happens when they don’t work properly anymore. Once again, you would be amazed to hear that the kidneys are able to do their job up for your kitty up to the point where 75-80% of their tissue is damaged. The body can compensate for significant loss of functional filtration units (nephrons) by engaging the remaining functioning ones left in the kidneys to do extra work. These nephrons working overtime do eventually get exhausted though, and when this occurs, the kidney dysfunction moves from a compensated disease to true kidney failure!

At this point, obvious signs that the system is failing occur. Toxins build up in the blood stream, and lead to generalized malaise. Urine volume will become greater, cats may become very thirsty, and the urine is more dilute (color changes from dark yellow, to pale yellow to clear). Kitty may even have accidents in the house! The appetite drops, ulcers may occur in the mouth and cats may drool, the body condition becomes thin and wasted, and kitty gets progressively weaker. Sometimes the head even droops and cannot be raised if a specific blood electrolyte (potassium) is low. Vomiting is a frequent sign, and some cats (when they develop more advanced problems) may become so weak they cannot get around. Dehydration will set in, anemia will occur, and kitty will become critically ill. Organ failure is much more common in senior and advanced geriatric aged cats, with an average age of onset at nine years old.

There is no cure for chronic kidney failure. Catching kidney problems while in the early phases allows us to start therapy to help slow the progression of the disease and to improve the quality of life. Sometimes X-rays and ultrasound will show shrunken rough kidneys, and sometimes the kidneys will swell up. Blood pressure may be elevated.

In the early phases, while the kidneys are still able to compensate, special diets may help to take the load off of the failing kidney, and supplements and medication may be started at this point also. Once the cat is in full failure, the veterinarian will admit Kitty to the hospital for a period to provide intensive care. Intravenous fluids are the mainstay of therapy. The goal is to “flush” the toxins out of the bloodstream. Drugs to encourage the appetite and reduce vomiting may be administered, and the specific correction of imbalances (potassium replacement, phosphate binders) will be carried out.

If the cat can be stabilized during the crisis, she may get along for months, or sometimes, even a few years with continued supportive therapy. Regular monitoring is essential. Performing annual wellness monitoring of senior cats provides an excellent opportunity to identify cats in the early phase of organ dysfunction, so you and the veterinary health care team get working on preventive therapy before the crisis hits!

See Client Procedures: Administering Subcutaneous Fluids if you wish to learn more about how chronic kidney failure cats benefit from home fluid administration.

Skin and Bite Wound Infections

Go into any urban neighborhood at night, and you can hear them shrieking and hissing and spitting! That’s cats for you.

They love a good fight! Roaming tomcats really love to dig into their opponent so they can claim the turf and lady cats for themselves. Unfortunately, all this cat fighting leads to cat bite wounds.

It is actually quite interesting to think about the way cats have evolved. All that loose skin has developed for a reason! Having distensible skin has allowed cats to adapt so that when they are grabbed in a fight, there is a lot of give. This has probably saved the skin of a more than a few young scrappers! Loose overlying skin also allows the area to accommodate abscess development. The flaps of skin stretch out as pus fills the pocket formed around the tooth entry wounds, and this allows the cat to get along better than animals like us or dogs where tight skin means significant pain and lost mobility if a pus pocket develops. It is not unusual for a cat to continue to go out and roam about with a big pus pouch, and unless the client notices a swelling (may be tough, especially in longhairs) or the cat’s fever reduces appetite and activity enough to be noticed, sometimes an abscess can go unnoticed for quite a while!

If a bite wound does become infected, there can be serious consequences so if you see a painful swelling, lameness, pus in the hairs, or the cat is lethargic or has reduced appetite, prompt veterinary attention is important. First, swelling begins under the skin at the wound site, then pressure eventually forces the pocket to burst, releasing pus out into the haircoat.

All bite wounds should be examined by your veterinarian due to the high probability of infection. Cat’s mouths are filled with bacteria and a bite serves to “seed” the bacteria into the tissues where they can easily multiply. Even a very small wound can lead to a life threatening infection. Deep puncture wounds are the worst offenders—and the most difficult to see in the fur! The sooner a bite is seen, the more likely it will heal without complications.

Normally, an abscess or cellulitis (where infection spreads throughout tissue planes without forming a pus pocket) needs to be treated with an antibiotic. An abscess is lanced under anesthesia, and the pocket thoroughly flushed. Sometimes, the veterinary surgeon may elect to place a drainage tube into the area for a period of a few days after surgery to allow continued drainage of the toxic pus. If the pocket is deep, or extends along tissue planes, it may take quite a long time to obtain full healing. If the pocket has placed considerable pressure on the overlying skin, an area of skin may die off and need to be removed during surgery.

Deep punctures can extend into important structures like chest and damage important blood vessels, nerves, or extend into the abdomen. This can be a real problem, as in cases when a large dog attacks a cat or kitten. These wounds can be life threatening.

The type of bacteria that move into a wound will vary. Usually, one type gets the upper hand and starts to multiply in the injured area. A culture of the area taken before clean up will help the veterinarian prescribe the most effective antibiotic. Treatment for serious wound infections may need to continue for quite a while in order to fully clear the infection. In mild infections that have been caught early, just a good flush and clean may do the job!

Note that cat bite wounds can also spread very deadly chronic virus infections that affect the whole body of the cat, such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), so you should have your cat tested for these infections if a bite wound has occurred. Though vaccines are available to protect against these viruses, the only way to completely eliminate the risk of picking up these nasty infections is to keep Kitty indoors!

You can tell if your kitty is the aggressor or the scaredy cat by the location of the wounds—top cats will usually grab scaredy at the back end as he tries to run away!

Feline Heartworm Disease

Cats can become infested with a parasite called Dirofilaria immitis. This nasty little worm likes to hang around in the heart and the adjacent blood vessels of the lung, leading to heartworm disease. Though most people think of heartworm as being a doggie problem, cats can get this disease as well.

Both dogs and cats get infected when they are bitten by a mosquito carrying tiny immature worms. These enter the body through the bite then go via the circulation to the chest.

Once disease starts in the host, the similarity between dog and cat heartworm ends. Dogs are the natural preferred host, and cats are not! This means that there is a big difference in the way the parasite goes on to develop in the body. It is considered a more serious threat in cats because treatment is generally unrewarding.

In cats, frequently only a few adults (average 2-4) and few if any microfilariae (the baby immature worms) survive, and adult worms have a shorter lifespan (2-3 years) in cats than in dogs. These few adults can wreak plenty of havoc though! This low worm burden makes it harder for vets to pick up an infected cat on the routine heartworm tests.

Successful testing for heartworm in cats often requires an ultrasound examination —sometimes the worms can be seen. X-rays rarely lead to identification of heartworm disease in cats, but sometimes surveys are done to check in on the health of organs and vessels in the chest. It is not unusual to make the diagnosis in cats after death (post mortem).

Frequently, there are no signs the cat has heartworms. The cat may remain normal until serious symptoms occur suddenly, and without warning. Sometimes sudden death occurs. These types of signs are often the result of worm material getting into the lung vessels (embolism) and leading to a severe allergic-type reaction. A common sign of heartworm disease in cats is vomiting. The cat might also be a little less active and develop a picky appetite. Coughing and difficulty breathing also may occur.

Drugs that kill adult worms (adulticides) when used in dogs are fairly safe, though not risk free. In cats, the cure is about as bad as the disease, with no statistical difference in outcome whether or not adulticide treatments are given, so treatment in cats is focused on supportive care.

The chances your cat will get heartworm disease depend a lot on what part of the country you live in. Around the Gulf States , heartworm disease is very common, while in the Northern States, it is less commonly seen. Note that indoor cats get heartworm too! In one study in North Carolina , fully one third of cats testing positive were indoor cats. All it takes is a few skitters coming in through a hole in a screen or open door!

Because cats are not routinely screened for heartworm disease, there are no hard and fast statistics on how many cats have it, but generally, for every 10 heartworm positive dogs in your neighborhood, about 1 cat will be affected. In the geographic hot spots, or in areas where there is an active outbreak, ask your veterinarian about screening your cat, and about protection with heartworm preventive medication. There are three licensed prevention products available; one topical, and the other two are oral medications.

External Parasites of Cats--Fleas

We welcome you to an article on the world's best jumper (for their size).

The most common flea affecting both dogs and cats in North America is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis.

Flea infestation is most common in the summer months (or when the temperature is between 60-80°F, and humid). Eggs are usually found in dark, humid areas such as deep in carpet pile. Flea eggs and pupae are more resistant to pesticides than are adult fleas. Fleas are about 1 mm long, thin, brown and shiny, and can jump long distances. Sometimes, a flea may not be seen (they scurry under the fur pretty quickly!), but the telltale flea dirt which appears as small dark clumps or coils may be seen in the fur when it is parted. A flea comb can be very helpful to screen for flea infestation as it will pick up both dirt and fleas!

Fleas like to live on their warm host, and the flea dirt you see is the digested blood that the flea passes out. Eggs fall out and develop in the rugs and furniture. Within a week if environmental conditions are right, first stage larvae are crawling around and feeding. These larvae molt twice then form a little pupa in a cocoon. Three to four weeks later, an adult emerges. In some environments, immature forms can survive up to one year before developing into an adult flea.

Fleas can cause a variety of diseases, from allergy to zoonoses. Flea infestation can cause blood loss anemia in young or debilitated animals. When animals ingest fleas, parasites such as Dipylidium tapeworms may be transmitted. In these instances, not only do fleas need to be treated, but the tapeworms as well. Some cats have hypersensitivity reactions to flea saliva resulting in flea allergy dermatitis. Flea allergy dermatitis can cause intense pruritis (itchiness) and alopecia (hair loss), especially around the head and neck, over the topline near the tail, and in the inner thighs. Sometimes eosinophilic skin lesions develop. See our article Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex to learn more. Just a single flea or only a very small number of fleas can result in allergic reactions.

Your veterinarian can treat fleas with a variety of products. Topical monthly pesticides such as selamectin (Revolution ®), fipronil (Frontline ® Spray), and imidacloprid (Advantage ®) are available. Lufenuron (Program ®), an insect growth regulator is available as an injection or oral medication. In addition to appropriate treatment of all animals in the household, the environment needs to be treated with proper chemicals. All bedding should be washed, carpets thoroughly vacuumed, and every crack and crevice of the home needs to be treated. The environment needs to be treated twice, two weeks apart, so as to kill the newly hatched eggs that may have been missed the first time. It is easiest to hire a professional exterminator to get rid of fleas. If the cat goes out in the yard, family car, cat carrier or in the garage, these areas should also be treated. If there are dogs in the house, or other cats in contact with the infested cat, they should all be treated. Flea collars are no longer considered a control method of choice. They tend to just keep the fleas away from the neck area. Many insecticide products found at your local pet store are dangerous, especially in cats. Cats should not be given permethrin, organophosphate, or piperonyl butoxide containing products. They should never be given dog flea products. Many sprays and powders that were in use 20 years ago are no longer first choice options for cats so consult your veterinarian for the modern treatment that is best for your cat.

If your pet has flea allergy dermatitis, your veterinarian will likely prescribe anti-inflammatory medication such as corticosteroids for symptomatic relief while flea control gets underway. Flea problems can be frustrating to clear, so work with your veterinary health care team to get a comprehensive control program in place!

Anemia in Cats (Pale Cats)

Cats with low red blood cell count or poorly functioning red cells become pale, a condition we call anemia. The blood really is the" lifeblood" for the cat! Without enough red cells to grab oxygen molecules during their trip through the lungs, Kitty is in trouble!

At home, a caregiver may notice the cat is pale when the cat yawns. Instead of a nice healthy pink tongue and gums, a pale whitish appearance is noted. Note that cats normally have pale pink gums, so the tongue is actually a better barometer for checking color!

If you suspect your cat is paler than usual, you can gently move the eyelid away from the normal position to expose the conjunctivae, or the mucous membranes surrounding the eye under the lid margins. These are also normally a light pink, but may appear ghostly white in an anemic cat. The third eyelid will pop up from the inside corner of the eye if you put pressure around the eyelids, and this is normally quite pale so this is not the best place to monitor membrane color.

If there is any likelihood the cat is paler than normal, a visit to the veterinary hospital for a professional assessment is in order. Cats with anemia may be weak and lethargic, sleep more than usual, and if they exert themselves, they may need to open-mouth breathe to catch their breath. They may also breathe faster than normal. Certain types of anemia may cause fever and discolored urine.

Diagnosis

The veterinarian will take a complete blood count (CBC) sample to check the red blood cell count, red blood cell appearance, and other key blood parameters. Other tests may also be recommended such as a Feline Leukemia Virus/Feline Immunodeficiency Virus combo screen, urine analysis, and a blood chemistry panel.

Note that in most cases, it is an abnormal CBC test that will be the first indicator of an emerging anemia condition. The cat may appear quite normal still at home, but the cell count tells another story! A professional assessment of the cat may also provide the first clue, as your veterinarian is very experienced in assessing the mucous membrane color of cats and will often pick up subtle changes in color during the routine physical examination. This may then trigger a recommendation for further testing.

The severity of anemia may range from mild to moderate, to extreme (life threatening), and may wax and wane in certain conditions. Routine wellness testing is an important means for your veterinarian to help check your cat for early signs of anemia. In a best case scenario, early intervention will prevent progression to the advanced stages.

Causes

The most common reasons for anemia are reduced or abnormal red blood cell production by the bone marrow, or loss or destruction of functioning red cells. Whether the anemia shows signs of regenerative response or not is also an important consideration. Regeneration means that the bone marrow is healthy.

Some specific anemia conditions include:

• Kidney failure. Anemia of chronic failure is primarily associated with reduced stimulation of bone marrow to produce red cells due to low production of the hormone erythropoietin
• Hemoglobin oxidation. Hemoglobin carries the oxygen inside the cell so reduced function of the hemoglobin leads to Heinz body anemia or methemoglobinemia. Oxidation interferes with red cell function.
• Blood parasites (such as Mycoplasma haemofelis and Mycoplasma haemominutum, formerly called Haemobartonella felis)
• Blood type incompatibility hemolytic anemia; where red cells burst (neonatal isoerythrolysis, transfusion reactions)
• Virus-associated or drug-related bone marrow disorders (aplastic anemia, or larger than normal red blood cells produced in FeLV-infected cats)
• Parasites. Hookworms or fleas (heavy infestations, especially in kittens)
• Trauma blood loss (hit-by-car, deep penetrating wounds)
• Abnormal red cell production due to inherited conditions (osmotic fragility syndrome, Pyruvate Kinase deficiency, congenital porphyria)
• Uncommonly, see iron deficiency anemia of kittens (5-10 weeks old; is transient)

Oxidation is seen with:

• certain drugs [acetaminophen]
• dietary components [onion, propylene glycol]
• toxins [zinc toxicity, moth ball toxicity]
• diseases [complicated diabetes-ketoacidosis, lymphoma cancer]
• 
  

Treatment

Sometimes anemia is so severe that blood transfusions are required. Note that blood is typed in cats before transfusions are done to help reduce the chance of incompatible blood being selected.

In other less severe cases, supportive care is offered while the cat responds to the toxicity, blood loss, or other situation leading to the low red cell counts. Erythropoietin replacement is sometimes used for cats with chronic kidney failure. For some types of anemia, there are no effective treatments. This may be the case with certain cancers or terminal infections that damage cell production in the bone marrow.

Your veterinarian will help you understand the cause of your cat’s anemia, the expected prognosis, and will monitor your cat closely to help determine whether therapy is effective.

Principles of First Aid

When “cat-astrophy” strikes, will you be ready?

This is the sort of information to read before disaster hits. If your cat is suffering any kind of emergency, do not stop to read this item—contact your veterinarian immediately.

Otherwise, if your cat is gently swinging from the drapes, or perching precariously on the edge of that tree branch outside your window, this just might make good reading!

Not all emergencies can be handled by first aid, but knowing the basic principles of safe handling, bandaging, and wound care can help you play an important role as a first line health care provider. Also, accurate assessment of your cat so that the vet on the other end of the phone line gets a more accurate picture of what is happening at your home can only help your cat!

One step you can take to help prepare for the unexpected is to put a Kitty Kit together, a home first aid kit at-the-ready—see our article Kitty Kit: First Aid Kits for Cats! Another way to prepare is to learn how to assess your cat and know what is normal for her. See Home Monitoring for Health for more information on this subject.

Here are some tips for first aid home care:

• Obtain professional advice before administering most first aid measures because improper application of home care may do more harm than good!

• If you are handling any area that might be sore, take precautions to avoid bite or scratch injury. Gently wrapping the cat in a soft towel, leaving only the affected area exposed can help you to restrain the cat safely, with minimal stress to the cat.

• Tourniquets should not be applied without professional oversight, and especially, not left on for long periods of time. This can result in loss of the toes, foot or tail. Apply according to veterinary advice only in a severe bleeding emergency.

• Bandages likewise should not be applied as tight (pressure) bandages and left on for long periods because the circulation to the area will be disrupted leading to tissue injury, sometimes irreversible.

• If a limb is broken, and the bone is showing, a loose soft cover of sterile bandage material and splint can be applied gently to stabilize the area for transport if the cat allows it. Do not attempt to set the bone back in place. If there is a break or dislocation, minimize movement to help prevent further soft tissue injury.

• Dirty wounds and burns can be gently flushed with body-temperature sterile saline and gently covered with a non-stick wound dressing for transport. An awake cat will not allow complete cleaning of wounds so a trip to the clinic is in order.

• If handling bite wounds, wear gloves. This will help protect you from potential rabies exposure.

• Sharp objects piercing deep in the body should NOT be removed since sometimes this will lead to extensive hemorrhage if a deep blood vessel has been torn.

• Cats generally tolerate topical creams and ointments poorly. If they can reach it, they will groom it off. Cats often also tolerate bandages poorly, so these should be reserved for situations where professional advice has deemed them necessary.

• If contact chemical burns or contact poisoning is suspected, wearing protective gloves, eye covers, and clothes, warm water rinse the cat to immediately remove the toxin from the fur. Save any containers of chemical or poison that you find in association with the exposure event so you can relay the nature of the poisoning accurately to the veterinarian.

• When taking the rectal temperature of the cat, make sure the cat is properly restrained so that a glass thermometer is not broken or lost. It may be necessary to have a friend or family member assist with the procedure—and some cats will not tolerate this.
• Never insert thermometers into the mouth. The digital thermometers are often flexible at the tip and are thus safer. They are also faster. Leave the digital thermometer in just long enough to get the beep activation that indicates a reading. Human ear thermometers are not very accurate for cats unless the ear canal is carefully and gently straightened.
• Though veterinary ear thermometers are available, they are quite expensive. The liquid glass type thermometer should be left in for 1-2 minutes—it does not need to be inserted the full length—an inch to an inch and a half is plenty. Make sure adequate lubrication is applied to the thermometer before insertion using gel or petrolatum, and it is passed along the wall of the rectum, not into the middle of a “poop” ball. Don't forget to shake down glass thermometers between each use.

• A grumpy cat may be muzzled, but only in certain circumstances. A cat with nose discharge or any kind of nose blockage should not be muzzled as breathing cannot occur. Any cat with signs of breathing difficulty should also not be muzzled. Cats with very short faces may be impossible to muzzle anyway, and shorter faced cats should not be muzzled at home because these cats have conformation changes in the back of the nose and throat that may interfere with breathing.
• Obese, weak, stressed, debilitated, very old or young cats are also not appropriate candidates for home muzzling. Any cat that may have been stung, or perhaps is having an allergic reaction is also not a suitable muzzling candidate.
• A muzzle is only used for a very short period of time during handling to protect from injury. Remove it for transport and observation.

• If cleansing a wound, do not put any soaps, alcohol, peroxide, powders or ointments etc down inside the wound. This can be very painful and lead to tissue damage and poor healing. Sterile diluted salt-based (saline) solutions such as human nose or eye wash (without preservatives) warmed to body temperature are suitable for first aid cleansing. Wound treatments can be applied at the wound margins, or to superficial scrapes.

• A fresh, large clean wound will generally be sewn closed by the veterinarian immediately so don’t delay care. In some circumstances where there has been contamination, or there is tension at the wound margins, or there has been some delay between the injury and the visit to the hospital, other strategies including grafting or leaving the wound open to drain may be selected by the veterinarian. But all gaping wounds should be assessed early.

• Cats with breathing difficulties or serious health problems should be handled and transported with “kid gloves”. Even minor stresses can lead to worsening of the condition and even death, especially with cats in respiratory distress. Avoid holding her closely or wrapping her tightly or else you might interfere with breathing efforts.

• If a cat has become overheated (heat stroke), cold water bathing is suitable for first aid cooling. Avoid placing her in ice water as this will drop body temperature too fast and too far, and is dangerous.

• Vomiting may be induced to help clear certain swallowed poisons. Contact your veterinarian for advice and dosage for induction of home vomiting. Oily substances or caustic substances such as acid and base chemicals should not be brought up. Never use a finger at the back of the throat to induce vomiting.

• Tweezers can be used to gently remove bee stingers, small slivers, or ticks but care should be taken to remove the entire item by grasping at the base next to the skin.

• If applying an emergency support bandage, the area to be bandaged should be larger than the area of concern. Band-aid type treatments will not stay in place. For example, a cat with a wound of the front leg half way down should have the bandage placed to cover the leg joint next to the wound both near to the body and far from the body. In this case, a bandage covering the whole limb up to and including the elbow would be suitable. Avoid applying a tight wrap to a leg / tail and leaving the foot / tail tip unwrapped as tissue fluids will build up, causing swelling, and eventually, lead to loss of circulation and damage if left on too long.

• Light hemorrhage can be controlled by applying gentle, firm pressure to the area (as in a toenail trimmed too short). Count to 60 slowly, and in most cases, the bleeding will stop.

• Do not try to give food or water to an unconscious cat. They cannot swallow, and it may end up in the lungs. To transport an unconscious cat, place the head a little lower than the chest and abdomen to help keep blood flowing to the brain. As well, this helps to keep any fluid coming up from the stomach draining from the mouth since swallowing will be compromised.

• In cats, a seizure will not lead to swallowing of the tongue. Never place fingers inside the mouth of a seizuring cat or a bite may result. Placing the cat on a soft pillow or comforter at ground level will help to prevent falls, or bruising. Contact the veterinarian and try to keep track of the length of the seizure by noting the time on your watch or clock in minutes. This information is helpful to the health care team. If a seizure does not seem to be resolving, immediate transport for veterinary care is required.

• CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be used if the cat is not breathing and the heart is not beating. To check for the heart beat, place your ear right on the chest at the point where the elbow hits the ribs on the left side. The rate is normally about 3 times as fast as ours (~180 beats/minute). Contact your veterinarian for resuscitation instructions.

• Transport an ill or injured cat in a carrier containing soft bedding. When you arrive at the hospital, ask hospital staff for assistance for transfer from vehicle to hospital.

The Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)

Cats are prone to catching a number of infections. Of particular interest is the number of slow viral infections that they are susceptible to.

FeLV is one of the most common.

How do cats get it? How is it spread?

The FeLV virus is a member of the Retroviridae family, and is somewhat related to FIV virus, with the FeLV being in the subfamily oncovirus and the FIV in the subfamily lentivirus. According to the Cornell Feline Health Cente , about 2 to 3% of American cats are infected. The Leukemia virus is shed in the saliva, nose discharges, and in lower concentrations in urine as well. The virus is relatively unstable and cannot live outside an infected cat for more than a few hours in a dry environment. Cat bites can be a source of infection. The virus is carried form the saliva of the infected cat and is introduced into the tissue of the recipient. Cats that are housed closely together and share food or water dishes are also at risk. Infected pregnant queens may also transmit the virus to their kittens ( >20 % of kittens infected). Abortion or stillborn kittens may result. There is a strong, natural resistance to FeLV infection that improves as cats mature. Kittens less than four months of age are at a much greater risk of infection than are adults.

What happens if cats get it?

There are a number of possible outcomes after infection. The presence of viremia (virus in the bloodstream) may progress to full infection, sequestered infection, or no disease. There are a proportion of cats exposed to the virus that develop immunity and clear the virus infection so they do not carry the virus in their blood and bone marrow. It turns out after careful study that many of these cats are really latent carriers of the infection, but some of these cats with deeply integrated sequestered virus can live a healthy life without ever developing disease symptoms.

Some cats, especially young kittens, when infected become progressive and will become ill within weeks of the exposure. Other cats will contract the virus and then sequester it (hold it inactively) in their bone marrow or other tissues for a variable length of time. Later, when stressed or treated with immune suppressing medications, the leukemia virus can erupt and cause active disease.

Cats infected with the virus can exhibit a wide array of diseases. System-wide infections, diarrhea, skin infections, eye disease, respiratory tract infections, bladder infections, abortion and infertility, anemia, nervous signs, and cancers can all be associated with FeLV infection. About 80% of cats with lymphoma cancer have FeLV infection. Other cats may develop leukemia, fibrosarcoma, or other tumors. The virus attacks the cat’s immune system and leaves them open to infection by any infectious agent. Any severe, chronic illness can be a sign of FeLV infection.

How can infection be prevented?

Although scientific research may eventually discover a cure for this disease, preventing infection is the best way to protect a cat. Control exposure to other cats by keeping her indoors, having the cat vaccinated if she contacts other cats (especially strays), testing all new cats adopted or bought before they are brought home, and keeping the cat’s environment clean will all help to prevent the disease. Although the FeLV vaccines available are effective, it is important to remember that they do not give 100% protection against infection in all cats. At-risk kittens will be vaccinated at 9 to 10 weeks of age, with a booster given in 3 weeks, and then given in an interval dictated by the lifestyle and risk of exposure of the cat. Cats should be tested negative for the virus before vaccination.

How can the veterinarian diagnose this disease?

Testing for FeLV is somewhat complex. It is important to remember that not all tests are 100% accurate under all conditions. If a cat has a positive FeLV test by the ELISA method, then a second test using a different method will be used to verify the results. Often this second assessment will be sent out to a laboratory for an IFA-type test. According to the Cornell Feline Health Center, “the majority of IFA positive testing cats remain infected for life”. Those cats, as well as many of those that are ELISA positive are shedding FeLV in the saliva and are infectious to other cats.

Sometimes, “discordant" test results occur. Discordant tests are seen where results are conflicting. According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners, discordant tests may be a consequence of the stage of infection, the variability of host response, or technical problems with the testing system.

If results of two ELISA tests are discordant, an IFA test will be performed. If results of an ELISA and an IFA test are both positive, the cat is very likely to be persistently infected. If the result of an ELISA test is positive and the IFA test is negative, both tests should be performed again in 60 days. If they remain this way, recent research suggests that these cats are infected, just not circulating significant virus (viremic). Kittens may be tested for FELV at any age but the virus may not be detected until weeks to months after birth, and therefore most kittens are not tested until weaning.

Is it treatable?

At this time there is no cure for FeLV infection. Although some therapies may help alleviate clinical signs or in some cases produce temporary remission of infections, they are not permanent cures. The disease is usually eventually fatal. Chemotherapy may allow the infected cat to continue life in a healthy state for weeks to months. Antiviral drugs or immune system modulators used in people may also be used off-label to treat infected cats and may provide some clinical improvement for a while.

Ringworm or Dermatophytosis

Ringworm…………now there’s a word that can strike fear and trepidation into the hearts of dedicated cat owners everywhere. Ever wonder why?? Well, let’s take a look at this pesky skin infection.

To start with, despite the common name, ringworm is not a worm or wormlike parasite. That common name refers to the "bullseye" raised lesions often seen on the affected animal’s skin. The microscopic organisms responsible for this infection are scientifically known as dermatophytes (fungi) and the infection itself is known as dermatophytosis. The two most common fungi belong to the genus Microsporum and the genus Trichophyton. So, ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin, hair and nails of mammals, including humans (yikes!).

How does my cat get infected?

Ringworm is very contagious and is able to spread from pet to pet, pet to human or human to pet. So how does it do this? Dermatophytes, during their infectious stage, produce spores and these spores are dispersed into the environment. The spores can be anywhere—the soil, pet bedding, tools, your pet’s comb or brush, or in carpets and in your air ducts. These spores can exist in the environment for very long periods of time. The spores attach to the pet’s skin or haircoat and germinate. This produces hyphae, small strands which invade the skin and hair. Skin that is broken or damaged is much more susceptible to infection by the organism. Ringworm seems to be more common in kittens or young cats, and cats that are immunosuppressed. An immature or weakened immune system is less effective at resisting infection.

What are the clinical symptoms of a cat with ringworm?

In the cat the clinical appearance of ringworm is variable. Typical lesions are circular hair loss and scaling or crusting. But not all appear in this form. There can be dry, flaky, reddened skin, broken hairs or hair that comes out easily as well. Pruritis (or itching) may be present. The most common areas of hair loss are on the edges of the ears, around the eyes and on the legs. Some lesions are limited to only the feet causing inflammation of the nail beds and toes.

Lastly, some cats do not exhibit clinical symptoms but can be normal appearing carriers of the fungal organism.

How is my cat diagnosed?

If you suspect your cat may have ringworm it is best to see your family veterinarian. There are many tests which can be performed to help confirm a diagnosis. The Wood’s lamp exam is a start. In a dark room, your veterinarian will shine a Wood’s lamp over your cat’s haircoat. Typically infected hair and skin will be fluorescent yellow green in the dark. However, a negative Wood’s lamp test does not rule out ringworm because not all dermatophytes will fluoresce. Therefore, other testing is warranted for a diagnosis. Suspect hairs can be examined under the microscope to look for spores or hyphae. A far more reliable diagnostic tool is the fungal culture test. Suspect hairs from the cat are placed in a special culture medium tube and incubated for a time period. If the medium changes color this is a positive result. This means that the cat in question is indeed infected with ringworm. Your veterinarian may also want to perform additional diagnostic tests such as a CBC (complete blood count), blood chemistry profile, viral screen, and urinalysis .

How will my cat be treated?

The veterinarian will most likely recommend oral antifungal medication along with an antifungal shampoo. The oral antifungal medication will probably need to be given with food or after a meal. This helps the drug to be absorbed better by the cat’s body. Usually these medications are given once daily for 3 to 6 weeks. This may seem like a long time but it is necessary to completely eliminate the infection. Your veterinarian may wish to perform periodic blood work during treatment to ensure that your pet is not having any problems with the medication.

Some veterinarians may also use a commercially available ringworm vaccine to aid in treatment of your cat. This vaccine does not prevent ringworm but does appear to cause a decrease in clinical symptoms.

Shampooing is necessary to help control environmental contamination. Longhaired cats may be clipped so that shampooing is more effective. Clipped hair should be disposed of in sealed bags. Generally your pet will need to be shampooed once or twice weekly for 3 to 6 weeks with an antifungal and antibacterial shampoo recommended by your veterinarian. This product should be placed on the animal’s dampened coat, lathered and massaged into the skin and allowed to sit for several minutes to be effective. It is then rinsed off completely. If a caregiver is bathing the cat they should take proper precautions to protect themselves from getting infected. This would involve wearing rubber gloves, a face mask, and eye cover while bathing the cat and making sure to disinfect clippers or scissors if they are used. Other considerations for the owner include quarantining infected animals especially if there are other pets in the household, disinfecting contaminated pet bedding by washing with dilute bleach, and destroying toys and other contaminated items that cannot be easily disinfected. Follow-up visits with your veterinarian are also carried out to make sure the infection is eliminated.

Tell me more about the risks to people…..

As previously stated, ringworm is highly contagious between pets and people. Children and people who have a weakened immune system are especially vulnerable so it is important to minimize their exposure to infected animals. Whenever you handle the infected cat, either wear gloves or make sure you wash your exposed skin with warm water and soap. Do not break the skin. Keeping the infected cat isolated will help prevent unnecessary exposure of other pets and family members to the fungus. If any skin lesions and itching are noted on you or your children consult your physician immediately. Make sure you tell the human health care professional that there has been exposure to ringworm.

Why Do Cats Cough Hairballs?

So why do cats cough up hairballs? Anyone who has lived with a cat for long enough has probably had the misfortune of stepping on one of these wet clumps of matted fur barefoot, and it is not an experience that you’d care to repeat. The reason why cats cough up hairballs has to do with their self-grooming process. You’ve certainly seen your cat lick itself to clean its fur, and sometimes a cat will swallow too much of its own dead fur. A cat’s tongue is a rough surface, and they aren’t capable of spitting out any fur that they accidentally swallow. This leads to hairballs.

Normally, this swallowed fur makes its way smoothly through the cat’s digestive tract. If the cat is shedding an inordinate amount however, the swallowed fur collects in the cat’s stomach and forms a tangled clump. Once the wad gets too big, the cat wretches it up. Every cat brings up a hairball now and then, but if it becomes a chronic problem the owner might want to look into it.

Some breeds of cats are more susceptible than others. Longhaired cats like Persians and Abyssinians are especially prone to hairballs, due to the larger volume of hair that they accidentally ingest. Hairballs are potential health hazards, so if your cat starts coughing them up frequently then it is a cause for concern. Every now and then, a hairball gets stuck and a cat can neither pass it nor cough it up, leading to intestinal blockage. In a worst case scenario, this will make it impossible for the cat to digest other food. If you notice that your cat is not eating or drinking or that it frequently gags without vomiting, take it to a vet and mention these symptoms.

There are a couple things that owners can do to minimize the risk of your cat suffering from hairballs. Good grooming is a great start. Brush your cat frequently in order to minimize the amount of hair that it ingests. This is especially true with longhaired breeds. Also, if you live in a home with central heating, the cat will probably drop more hair during the winter. Especially if it is fond of lying on a windowsill over the radiator, you’ll see that the heat in the middle of winter causes the cat to shed more than any other time of the year. Pay special attention to grooming your cat during these high-risk periods in order to reduce the risk of hairballs.

Questions surrounding vaccinations

Every cat owner faces a series of health care decisions for their animal. Vaccines are a very important part of health management in cats. Just like in humans, vaccines fool your cat’s body into believing it is being attacked. The body then stimulates defense systems to produce antibodies to fight the attack. While no vaccine is 100 percent safe or effective for every cat, many protect your animal from terrible diseases. For example, distemper, a viral disease of the blood and intestines, is now under control due to rigorous vaccinations.

All cats are not created equal

Lifestyle is the basis for determining which vaccines are appropriate for your feline friend. Vaccination protocol differs for indoor and outdoor cats. All cats must receive what are called “core” vaccines. These include:

• Feline Panleukopenia : Distemper, usually high effectiveness with low incidence of side effects
• Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis : viral disease of the eyes, nose, and throat, usually high effectiveness with low to moderate side effects
• Feline Calcivirus : viral immune disease that is usually fatal, moderately effective but may not work in carrier animals, moderate side effects
• Rabies : nervous system disease that is always fatal, usually high effectiveness with low incidence of side effects

A combination vaccine called FVRCP is usually given for Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calcivirus and Panleukopenia.

Non-core vaccines are given to cats that could be exposed to other diseases by life outside the home. Some cats and kittens are vaccinated with these “non-core” vaccines due to exposure at breeder facilities. Non-core vaccinations include:

• Feline Leukemia (FeLV) : this virus suppresses the immune system and causes cancer; can easily pass between mothers, kittens, and all cats; vaccine can causes sarcomas (cancer), low to moderate effectiveness
• Feline AIDS (FIV) : immune deficiency disease, all cats test positive after receiving vaccination
• Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) : highly infectious disease causing inflammation of the stomach; cats rarely survive, low effectiveness
• Ringworm : fungal infection in cats, easily spread, low effectiveness
• Chlamydia : infectious eye disease, usually not given to cats unless exposed, low effectiveness.

Exceptions to the vaccine rules

Vaccines are rarely given to cats that have a chronic illness or are receiving cortisone therapy. Pet parents of older cats (above 10 years) can request that some boosters be discontinued if their animal remains indoors. However, locally required vaccinations such as Rabies are still required. Vaccines are typically not given to kittens under six weeks of age and pregnant cats.

Side effects

Some cats will experience discomfort at the booster site, mild fever, and decreased appetite for a day or two. Watch your cat closely and call your vet if your animal is exhibiting any worrisome behavior. Severe side effects happen very rarely.

Kittens are special

Since kittens rely on their mother’s immunity for protection, determining when their own immunity takes over is difficult. For this reason, kittens are given a series of boosters spaced four weeks apart until three sets of shots are completed. Kittens begin their shots at six to seven weeks of age with the combination FVRCP vaccine. Rabies shots are given at 16 weeks. Your vet will determine the necessity for non-core vaccines. Boosters are given at one year and then repeated every three years.

Adult cats

Core vaccines should be given to adult cats every three years. Some manufacturers recommend that cats be vaccinated every year. Consult your veterinarian to determine what is best for your animal. Non-core vaccines are usually given yearly, as their effectiveness is not as great as core vaccines.

Just as every human immune system is different, so it is with your cat. And so it goes with determining the necessity of vaccinations for your pet. Opinions on this matter vary from vet to vet. However, there are a few certainties. No vaccine is safe for every pet all the time. No one can predict if a vaccine will cause immune system overload. Each cat’s immune system is so unique that your vet can’t predict how your cat will react to a vaccination.

Some vets recommend stopping or decreasing vaccinations for cats when they reach 10 years of age. At this point, your cat’s immune system might react abnormally and attack itself. In many cats, concern for elderly diseases such as kidney failure and hyperthyroidism are higher than infectious diseases. Your vet can test your cat for diseases to be sure you’re making the correct choice in discontinuing

How to Treat Pain Relief for Cats

t can be awful to see a pet cat in pain. Of course, any cat owner’s first instinct is to help their pet, but it can be difficult to figure out what’s wrong. Fortunately, the animal medical profession has developed several methods of pain relief for cats, ranging from patches and pills to acupuncture and massage. Since cats can’t talk, it’s up to an owner to perceive that something isn’t right. Sometimes you’ll be able to easily determine the source of your cat’s pain, but other times it could take an educated expert. If your cat is behaving in a way that leads you to conclude that something is wrong, consult your vet, who will then be able to recommend one of several methods of pain relief for cats.

Pet pain relief is a rapidly growing field, due in large part to pet owners’ willingness to spend serious money on a pet’s medical care. As our cats and dogs become more like family members, research into their medical care becomes a higher priority among the medical community. Vets recommend that owners ask animal hospitals about pain relief options prior to surgery, and also that they maintain a healthy home environment for their cats, feeding them high quality foods as a preventive measure.

Vets say that, essentially, there are five basic categories of pain relief for cats. These break down as follows:

• NSAIDS : This stands for “Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drugs”, and includes both prescription and non-prescription products. For example, some manufacturers produce a version of aspirin for cats that can be hidden in food. Prescription NSAIDS include medications like Butazolidin, Rimadyl and Metacam. No NSAIDS should be used on your cat without a vet consultation. These are frequently prescribed for after-surgery use and chronic pain.
• Nutraceuticals : There are non-prescription nutritional supplements that strengthen body tissue, helping to repair damaged tendons or joints that could be causing your cat pain. You might be surprised to see that many of these supplements, like Omega 3 capsules or Glucosamine, are also recommended for humans. This therapy will take time to work but, ultimately, these products speed up the healing process and your vet can recommend these treatments after evaluating your cat.
• Opioids : These controlled substances are seldom prescribed for cats, but it has been known to happen in severe cases. Drugs like morphine, Demerol and codeine are all serious painkillers, and are only likely to be suggested if your cat is suffering from advanced arthritic pain or cancer. The goal here is to improve the quality of your cat’s remaining life.
• Chiropractic exercises : As vets become more familiar with the feline body, there is mounting evidence that massage and acupuncture can be effective pain relief for cats. Especially if the pain seems to be muscle related, consult a specialist to find out more about this potential treatment.
• Steroids : Many cats are athletic, which has lead doctors to experiment with pain treatments that are similar to those prescribed for human athletes. Drugs like Cortisone and Depo-Medrol have shown promise as anti-inflammatory treatments. However, they are only recommended over short-term courses since side-effects can also be similarly unpleasant to those occurring in humans who use steroids.