my cat likes junk food

Posted on April 27, 2017 by kittycat

Am I feeding my cat junk food?

Most vets recommend not giving your cat only dry food. It is dessicated, plus most, if not all, dry cat foods have some type of starch in it, which is necessary as a binder. So wet food is better. But there are so many choices. And if your cat is like mine, well, my cat likes junk food.

Toby wonders about cat food
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017

What is cat junk food

If wet cat food is better than dry food, what makes it junk food? Some canned cat food is cheap, and the cheaper it is, the less protein it has and the more carb based it is (and other undesirable ingredients) things that are unnatural in a cat’s diet. The proportion of protein and carbs (and other fillers like ash) shifts with the more expense cat food. Ideally, your cat’s can of wet food contains high quality protein, possibly a select variety of vegetables, in small quantities, and perhaps some minimal supplements and not much else. Read labels!
and to learn about cat food labels, read this: how to interpret cat food labels

less healthy wet cat food
photo by shari smith dunaif©2017

My cat likes junk food

So do my cats. They happen to like Fancy Feast, which is bad, but not terrible as far as cat junk food goes. But like any junk food, it’s OK sometimes, but not as a steady diet. So I bought some expensive cans of high quality protein wet cat food, in a variety of brands.
They didn’t eat it. Any if it.

I ended up tossing the rejected food just about every time.

Then I finally figured it out – my guys needed a gradual transition.

Healthy and not so healthy wet cat food
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017

I started by serving dnner that was mostly Fancy Feast with a little bit of the good quality cat food mixed in. Each week, I’d change the proportions, increasing the good stuff and decreasing the junk food, very slowly.

Now they’ll dine on just the high quality wet cat food. Most of the time.

Toby eating mixed wet food
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017

Then I resort back to mixing the good with the junk.

My cats still like cat junk food, but now they also dine on better quality fare.

What declawing does to cats

Posted on April 10, 2017 by kittycat

I know someone, a big time cat lover with multiple cats, including a new rescue. The rescue cat had been abanonded, then brought to a kill shelter, a big, handsome older male cat. But he scratched and attacked everyone in his new home: the other cats and the people. Instead of giving him up, they decided to declaw him. So that got me wondering

what declawing does to cats

I realized I didn’t really know. I mean, I assumed declawing a cat was like a radical nail clipping.

But it’s more than that.

All cat owners, even people who have never owned a cat know that cats scratch. It’s instinctive, they need to do it and they like doing it. It’s a way they leave their mark, and it’s how they defend themselves. Cats also scratch to keep their claws healthy: it’s how they shed the outer sheath of the nail. So they need somewhere to scratch – your upholstery, rugs and curtains are perfect. But we humans disagree.

What the surgery does

Declawing, or the technical term onychectomy, is the cutting off of part of the toe. Since a cat’s claw grows out of bone, declawing requires cutting off the entire first joint of each of a cat’s toes – basically, it’s an amputation. The human equivalent would be amputating the first joint of a finger.

PETA shows the human equivalent to declawing

The surgery removes not only the claw, but bones, nerves, the joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the flexor tendons. Declawing also severs tendons, causing them to contract and pull the toes back. This changes the angle at which the foot connects with the ground.

It’s problematic for a cat, because cats walk on their toes. Normally, they carry 60 percent of their body weight on their front paws ? If the front paws become damaged, even temporarily, the effects are felt all the way through the cat’s wrist, elbow, and shoulder, down the spine to the tail. A declawed cat is forced to shift her weight backwards (the back paws are rarely declawed) which can lead to stress on the ankles, which can be very painful.
.

Here’s another problem with declawing… when a small piece of bone is purposely left in, a painful regrowth can occur, even as much as 15 years later. Declawing can lead to additional complications such as chronic small bone arthritis, degenerative joint disease, and neuralgia.

Cat’s behavior after declawing

Although most cats appear normal and may resume playing, climbing and jumping after being declawed, it isn’t normal because their physiology has been altered. Studies have been done about what declawing does to a cat: a 2001 study (published in a prominent veterinary journal) reported that 80 percent of declawed cats had at least one medical complication following surgery and one-third developed behavior problems, such as biting or urinating outside their litter box.

Following the surgery, owners have reported that their cat became morose, withdrawn, irritable, and even aggressive. Others describe their cat as nervous, fearful and again, aggressive. The aggression might be accounted for by the cat’s sudden loss of their primary defense, relying solely on their remaining defense, which is biting.

Another observation concerns high perches. Although many cats like high perches, declawed cats end up spending more of their time on top of fridges, or high shelves – even if they had been confident on the ground before they were declawed.

Urination outside of the litter box has also been noted. Some declawed cats, once they discover they can’t mark their territory with their claws, begin to urinate around the house instead. This can result in long-term inappropriate elimination problems.

from avma.org

Onychectomy is an amputation and should be regarded as a major surgery. The decision to declaw a cat should be made by the owners in consultation with their veterinarian. Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents an above normal health risk for its owner(s).

Declawed cats should be housed indoors and allowed outside only under direct supervision.
Scientific data do indicate that cats that have destructive scratching behavior are more likely to be euthanatized, or more readily relinquished, released, or abandoned, thereby contributing to the homeless cat population. Where scratching behavior is an issue as to whether or not a particular cat can remain as an acceptable household pet in a particular home, surgical onychectomy may be considered.

Yet surprisingly, the AVMA (American Veternarian Medical Association) states

There is no scientific evidence that declawing leads to behavioral abnormalities when the behavior of declawed cats is compared with that of cats in control groups.

An opposing opinion

oocities.org is a site presenting an opposing view: that the declawing surgery isn’t so bad, and could be a good option for scratching issues. The site suggests declawing cats before cats are 2 years old.

Declawing seems like an extreme solution only for extreme situations. If the complaint is about scratching upholstery, then reconsider alternative solutions: scratching options, keeping your cat’s nails clipped, and protecting upholstery. As for the male rescue cat, he is at least as aggressive if not more so, since the surgery.

declawing.com
vetstreet.com
peta.org

can cat skin condition be mange

Posted on March 1, 2017 by kittycat

can skin condition in cats be mange?

There are some nasty skin conditions in cats, including mange, although it’s not very common for cats to get mange (which is sometimes called scabies.) but yes, cats can get mange.
There are, in fact, three types of mange cats can get.

Demodectic mange affects cat’s head

Demodectic mange (caused by Demodex cati or Demodex gatoi) is not considered contagious: it can’t be transmitted from dogs (who are more likely to be affected) to cats. The cigar-shaped mites are normal residents on a healthy cat’s skin and hair follicles. If these mites appear in large quantities, then a cat has demodectic mange and it’s apparent as a skin condition. A compromised immune system is often the cause of excessive demodectic mites on cats.
It primarily affects the head and foreparts of a cat.

Sarcoptic mange (a form of mange caused by the itch mite.) There are varieties of Sarcoptes scabiei which infest a wide range of mammals, including canines, people, horses, cattle, and cats, although cats are rarely infested with this type of mite.
These pests tunnel into the skin, which becomes intensely itchy, irritated, red and swollen. The skin thickens where bald patches develop. Sarcoptic mange is contagious, but the mites don’t survive for long on hosts other than the host they have adapted to: they are considered host-adapted strains of a single species rather than a distinct species.

Notoedric mange mites cause severe skin infections in cats, generally starting on the face and ears and spreading to the rest of the body, and are highly contagious between cats. This mite burrows into the cat’s skin to lay eggs and live there. When the eggs hatch, the cycle repeats and the new mites continue to tunnel under the cat’s skin. The cat loses hair and the skin becomes crusty and sore: it will appear flaky and scabby, starting on the head and ears, and then spreading to the armpits, legs and body. If the mange is severe enough, the cat’s forehead and eyes can become so swollen it’s described as “cro-magnon” kitty. Notoedric mange is extremely itchy (called pruritis), and causes inflamed bumps similar to chicken pox. Notoedric mange can spread to humans, although we are not their natural host, so the mites won’t live long. If it does get on you, it will cause redness and a bumpy rash, with minor itching. It usually goes away on its own within days.

Symptoms of mange

A cat with mange may be restlessness, have intense itching and frantic scratching, which appears one week after exposure. Then, typical is patchy hair loss and a moth-eaten appearance to the skin. The most commonly affected areas are a cat’s ears and face, but it can spread to the entire body.

If your cat has mange

First, take your cat to your vet so they can perform a skin scraping test in order to confirm the presence of mites with a microscope: identifing mange mites can be difficult if they’re buried deep in the skin. The vet will also consider symptoms and your cat’s history (contact with contaminated cats, for example). Notoedric mange are generally treated with an Ivermectin based drug, applied topically to the back of the cat’s neck.

Ivermectin on cat’s back
photo by shari smith dunaif©2017

Ivermectin treats fleas, but it will also treat mange, ear mites, hookworms and roundworms in the stomach, plus it’s a heartworm protection, for up to 30 days.
If the Notoedric mange is extreme enough, the cat may need follow up treatments of Ivermectin injections or Revolution balm at weekly or bi-weekly intervals for 4-6 weeks. In serious cases, a vet may choose to use cortisone to help the itching, or possibly prescribe antibiotics to treat any secondary infections.

How to prevent spreading mange

Indoor cats undergoing mange treatment need their bedding washed daily, and anything else you can launder wherever they sleep, loll, and lounge. If one cat in your household has mange, all of them should be treated with a preventative like Revolution, because of how quickly it can spread between them.

just remember, however unpleasant mange is for you and your cat, don’t panic! Mange in cat’s is treatable, so get your cat to a vet and commence treatment as soon as possible.

fixnation.org

cat skin condition could be mange

Posted on January 28, 2017 by kittycat

Sweet cat has nasty skin condition

We were in Costa Rica, staying at a small hotel, when two stray cats appeared. They looked alike enough to appear to be siblings, they both were all black, very sweet and small. They were also too skinny, so against hotel policy, we bought cans of cat food and fed them dinner every night.

There was one difference between the two cats – the sister cat had a skin condition – I was concerned that the cat skin condition could be mange, although mange is not common on cats.

The mites responsible for mange causes severe skin infections, restlessness, itching and often appears as patchy hair loss, as if the fur is moth-eaten.

The most commonly affected areas are a cat’s ears and face, but it can spread to the entire body. It’s also highly contagious. Even for humans, contact with mangey cats can get a reaction. That’s because of the mites – they transfer onto people, causing red bumps, very like mosquito bites. The good thing is that the mange mites can’t survive outside of their host’s environment, although the rash can be really uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, other guests at our hotel, even a lovely couple from Santa Cruz, California who confessed to also being cat people, were understandably wary of any contact with the girl cat. Since no one knew what the awful skin condition really was, everyone feared mange or some other nasty condition which could be contagious and be transported by mites or bugs. We too were hesitant to pick her up or even pet her (OK, yes, I did, albeit gingerly). She (and her brother) certainly would never be adopted.

The only thing to do was take her to a veterinarian.

So we did, we brought her to Safari Animal Clinic in Garza Costa Rica.

The vet was wonderful, and her assistant was lovely too. Turns out she didn’t have mange or any skin condition from bugs or mites. Instead, her skin condition was caused by a food allergy. We were so relieved.

The vet suggested we buy high quality food, which we did. We opted for dry food to make it easier for people to feed both cats once we left Costa Rica for home.

She also received an injection to alleviate the itching from her allergy, a deworming pill, and tick and flea treatment. The visit to the vet enabled us to reassure people that the girl cat had allergies, not some dreadful skin condition.

Hopefully someone will adopt both sweet cats soon.

safari animal clinic facebook

eco kitty litter bags

Posted on October 12, 2016 by kittycat

eco kitty litter bags

I do try to be ecological about things, so how do I use eco kitty litter bags? I clean my cats kitty litter at least once a day, sometimes twice, so I need lots of bags for used kitty litter.

OK, I love guacamole and chips. Especially the chips part. So, we always have a stash of tortilla chips at my house.

Which means that there’s also plenty of empty tortilla chip bags to throw out. But why not recycle them? A great use is as eco kitty litter bags.

Tortilla chip bags are quite strong – definitely strong enough to hold kitty litter clumps.

for more suggestions on going green kitty litter bags

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my cat likes junk food

Am I feeding my cat junk food?