Protect your cat against Feline Bordetella:
Feline Bordetella bronchiseptica (FeBb) could pose a significant threat to your cat. Now it's possible for your veterinarian to protect your cat against one of the primary causes of upper respiratory infection (URI).
One of the most common diseases in cats is URI. A recent research study indicated over 85% of cats had been exposed to FeBb. And since it's a highly contagious bacteria, you'll want your cat protected.
Clinical Signs of FeBb Now there's a new vaccine available to protect your cat against FeBb. It's safe for cats of all ages, even kittens, and has been proven effective after 1 dose at 4 weeks of age. It's administered intranasally, which means no needles are used, so it is a painless vaccination for your cat.
Feline Bordetella is a highly contagious bacteria that causes upper respiratory infection, which can lead to pneumonia and may cause death. That's why it's important to have your cat vaccinated. Here at Harmony Animal Hospital, an up-to-date (within 6 months) FeBb vaccine is required for cats boarding with us. Ask one of our veterinarians about it today.
Your favorite feline is a special member of your family and deserves the best of care. This is the latest information about an important disease that can affect your cat. New tests are helping us track and treat this potentially deadly problem.
Fluffy, a beautiful Persian cat, had been vomiting regularly for many weeks. Her owner assumed that hairballs had to be the problem in her extremely hirsute kitty. But when the usually ravenous Fluffy suddenly stopped eating, her owner became alarmed and called her veterinarian. After a thorough history, examination, and lab tests, a surprising diagnosis was made: Fluffy had Heartworm disease!
The most common signs--coughing, vomiting, breathing difficulties, weight loss, and lethargy--are often mistaken for other conditions. Heartworm disease in cats often affects the lungs rather than the heart and may cause injury that could leave your cat with permanent respiratory problems.
It is now easier than ever before to determine whether or not a cat has Heartworm disease. The more recently available accurate testing has pointed out the incidence of the disease, where in the past it was thought that the disease was only in very isolated cases because of the paucity of reliable testing.
Both treatment and non-treatment are risky because there is currently no approved product for treating adult Heartworms, and the onset of clinical signs is impossible to predict in cats that are left untreated. Even if the disease is treated, your cat may experience severe complications or even death when the worms die.
Prevention is the best medicine. Just as dogs are given medication to prevent Heartworm disease, there is also a monthly preventative for cats called Heartgard. We recommend starting your cat on this preventative. It may give your feline friend the best shot at living nine long and healthy lives.
The fertile period of a female animal's reproductive cycle (the mating period) is called estrus, commonly referred to as "heat" or being "in season". The female will not mate with a male except during this period.
The average female cat (queen) or dog (bitch) reaches sexual maturity at about 6 months of age. Some female cats and small-breed dogs begin to cycle sooner.
The female cat has 2-4 estrous periods every year, each lasting 15-22 days. If she is bred, estrus seldom lasts more than 4 days.
If successful mating does not occur, estrus may last for 7-10 days and recur at 15- to 21-day intervals. Estrus in cats most often occurs during the seasons of spring and fall. During these seasons, an unmated female cat may come in and out of heat continuously until she is bred.
Female cats reared indoors in the absence of a tomcat (uncastrated male cat) may not come into heat until later. Large-breed female dogs may not have their first estrous period until 9 or 10 months of age. The first cycle may be so subtle or mild that it goes unnoticed.
Cats also have an estrous period 1-6 weeks after giving birth, so a female may be nursing one litter while pregnant with another.
Mating Behavior in Queens (female cats)
Beginning at puberty, estrus in queens normally occurs about every 3 weeks between January and November. Each estrual period lasts about 1 week, with about 2 weeks between the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. During estrus, the queen becomes increasingly restless, and may eat and sleep less. Housecats in heat may try to escape.
Since there is usually no obvious vaginal discharge or swelling of the genitals during estrus in cats, as is seen in dogs, behavioral changes are the only obvious signs that your cat is in estrus.
A cat in estrus carries her tail to one side, keeps her hindquarters elevated, exhibits "treading" movements of the hind legs, and seems unusually affectionate. She spends a good deal of time rolling on the floor and seems much more restless than usual. The cat's voice seems more piercing than usual and she may "call" for 1-2 days before she accepts the male.
The queen may vocalize excessively, sometimes crying in a loud and plaintive tone. She may roll on her back, becoming more docile and solicitous of petting or attention. She may groom herself more, frequently licking her vulva. During peak estrual behavior, the queen presents her hindquarters, elevating her hips by leaning on her forepaws with tail quivering. This behavior becomes more and more insistent. The estrual queen may display this behavior toward her owners, who may at first find it amusing. After several sleepless nights, however, they may be less entertained.
Estrus is a stressful and exhausting experience for the queen, who may eat and sleep less despite heightened levels of activity. Weight loss is not unusual during heat. Because the queen cycles so frequently, she may not have adequate time to regain lost weight before the next cycle begins. Changes in temperament, ranging from lethargy to irritability, may be observed in queens between heat cycles.
Queens advertise their reproductive status by chemical signs in urine and vaginal secretions. The scent attracts tomcats across many barriers, leading them to your home even if the queen is indoors. Immediately after mating, the queen may briefly show aggression toward the tomcat. This behavior is normal.
Unless purebred queens are intended for breeding, females should be spayed before heat cycles begin. Rather than allowing your cat to roam outdoors and possibly be injured or become pregnant, keep your cat indoors at least until it is spayed, and preferably also after it is spayed.
Spaying Prevents Estrus
Spaying your female cat or dog is a surgical procedure usually performed at 6 to 8 months of age. There are many more reasons to have your pet spayed than not to have it spayed.
A few words about neutering your male pet:
Neutered pets make better pets. They stay at home more instead of roaming and getting into fights. Neutered males don't get testicular cancer either. The surgery consists of removing both testicles. We urge you to have it done.
Considering the emotional and physical stress endured by cycling females, spaying a pet is an act of kindness. Unless you are sincerely convinced that you want your dog or cat to have a litter, we recommend this important procedure. Feel free to call us if you have any questions.
What is feline cystitis?
The term "cystitis" literally means inflammation of the urinary bladder. Although this term is rather general, there is a common form of cystitis that occurs in male and female cats. This disease is also known as Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS) or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). It affects the bladder (not the kidneys), resulting in the production of tiny crystals and urine which is bloody. The cat often urinates much more frequently than normal, usually with the passage of only a few drops of urine. This is often confused with constipation. Many cats will urinate in places other than the litter box, and often on hard surfaces such as tile floors, counter tops, sinks, and bathtubs. They should not be punished for doing so.
What causes feline cystitis?
We are not completely sure of the cause of this problem. Bacterial infections are the most common cause of cystitis in dogs and humans, but most cats with cystitis do not have bacteria in their urine. Neutering of male cats and feeding of dry cat food have been proposed as potential causes, but these have been disproved as initiating factors. It is true, however, that many dry foods may aggravate the problem after it begins. A herpes virus has been incriminated and someday may be proven to be the cause. Despite extensive research, the cause remains elusive.
Are bloody urine and straining to urinate the main problems?
Most cats with cystitis exhibit blood in the urine and discomfort in urinating. The discomfort is usually mild but can become much worse if it is not treated. Female cats may develop l/2 inch diameter stones in the bladder that must usually be surgically removed. Male cats may develop enough crystals in the urethra (the narrow tube carrying urine out of the body) to cause an obstruction. This obstruction prevents elimination of urine from the bladder. If the obstruction is not relieved within 48 hours, most cats will die from kidney failure and the retention of toxins that were not removed by the kidneys. Because the urethra is relatively larger in the female cat, the emergency posed by complete obstruction is almost always found in male cats.
How is cystitis treated?
Each cat with cystitis is treated according to the changes in the urine (pH, crystals, blood, etc.), the type of crystals present, the presenting clinical signs (straining, increased frequency, etc.), and the presence or absence of a bladder stone or urethral obstruction.
If neither a bladder stone nor urethral obstruction is present, proper medication will generally relieve the discomfort. A urinalysis is necessary to determine the proper medication. A special diet, explained below, will help to dissolve crystals in the urine and hasten recovery.
If the cat has an obstruction of the urethra, a catheter is passed into the bladder while he is under a short-acting anesthetic. The catheter is frequently left in place for about 24 hours. The cat is discharged from the hospital when it appears unlikely that obstruction will reoccur, usually 1-2 days later. If he is experiencing kidney failure and toxemia, intravenous fluids and additional hospitalization are needed.
How long is treatment continued?
Following initial treatment, you will be asked to return the cat in 7-10 days for a recheck of the urine. This is very important because some cats will appear to feel much better, but the urine is still bloody or contains crystals. If medication is stopped based on how the cat appears to feel, treatment may terminated prematurely and a relapse will probably occur.
Can cystitis occur again?
Many cats have recurrence of cystitis. This is one reason that a virus is suspected as the cause. It is also the reason that a proper diet should be fed in the future.
Are there ways to prevent recurrence?
Two things should be done to help prevent recurrence.
However, we know that many cats do not like canned food and that there are several distinct advantages to feeding dry food. Therefore, if there have been only a few infrequent episodes of cystitis, these other factors may be more important.
What complications may occur due to an obstructed urethra?
The most common complication of a urethral obstruction is bladder atony. Atony means that the muscles of the bladder wall are unable to contract to push out urine. This occurs when they are stretched to an extreme degree. Not all cats with obstructions develop atony; in fact, most do not. However, if this occurs, longer hospitalization is necessary. The muscles will nearly always rebound and become functional again, but this may take several days to as long as a week.
Another complication that occurs occasionally is kidney damage. Although feline cystitis does not directly affect the kidneys, if the bladder becomes extremely enlarged, urine may backup into the kidneys and create enough pressure to temporarily or permanently damage them. If this occurs, prolonged hospitalization will be necessary to treat the kidney damage. However, with aggressive treatment, most cats will recover their normal kidney function.
It should be noted that both complications, bladder atony and kidney damage, are the direct result of the bladder becoming extremely enlarged. Both problems may be prevented by prompt recognition of the problem and prompt medical care.
My male cat has had several urethral obstructions. Can this be prevented?
Male cats that have more than one urethral obstruction can benefit from a surgical procedure called a perineal urethrostomy. The purpose of this is to remove the narrow part of the urethra that is the typical site of the obstruction. Although this prevents future obstructions, some of these cats will still have an occasional recurrence of cystitis, though usually not as severe.
This surgical procedure is also performed if the urethral obstruction is so severe that normal urine flow cannot be reestablished or if there are permanent strictures that develop in the urethra.
Surgically changing the cat's urethra makes him more prone to bacterial infections in the bladder and bladder stones. Therefore, this surgery is only recommended if other means of prevention or treatment are not successful. However, the complications associated with the surgery are not life-threatening like urethral obstructions, so the surgery generally offers a significant benefit for the cat that really needs it.
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It seems that when it comes to heartworm disease, dogs and cats have a lot in common. Both get the disease from the pesky mosquito. But there is the potential for cats to have more severe reactions to the Heartworms, including sudden death. Even indoor cats are at risk.