From the January 2019 Issue
New Feeding Guidelines Address Behavior
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) recently released a consensus statement called “Feline Feeding Programs: Addressing Behavioral Needs to Improve Feline Health and Wellbeing” to address medical, social, and emotional problems that can result from the manner in which most cats are currently fed. It was published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery and transformed into a handout for cat owners.
Current Issue
Understanding Time
Ever wonder how your cat knows you’re late coming home from work? A recent study found evidence that mice can judge time. By examining mouse brains’ medial entorhinal cortex, researchers discovered neurons that turn on like a clock when they wait.
Dolasetron Fails for Vomiting in Felines
Dolasetron (brand name Anzemet) has been used in people to help with chemotherapy-induced nausea. It inhibits vomiting and nausea via pathways in both the gastrointestnal tract and the central nervous system. This dual action made it sound helpful to cats, thought researchers in California. Their study was reported in the August 2018 Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
Hefty Fines for Adulterated Pet Food
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, two companies—Wilbur-Ellis Company, San Francisco, Calif., and Diversified Ingredients, Inc., Ballwin, Mo.— were found guilty in federal court of adulterating and misbranding pet food ingredients. Both companies pleaded guilty of the misdemeanors.
Kids Bored This Winter?
The American Veterinary Medical Association has a downloadable PDF called “Owning a Pet: A Job for the Whole Family.”
Shivering Cats
You turned the heat up, the whole family is roasting, but your cat appears to be shivering! What do you do now?
Helping Stray Cats With Kittens
Few things tug more at our heart strings than a mother cat trying to care for her kittens in the “wild.” Whether or not you should intervene, though, “depends on the relationship between the person and the stray queen,” says Dr. Leni Kaplan, Lecturer in the Community Practice Service at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “Do not handle a cat that you are not familiar with. As rabies vaccination status for stray cats is unknown, the person must first and foremost protect themselves from scratches or bites from these cats.”
Cats vs. Rats, Rats Are Winning
The first study to document interactions between feral cats and a wild rat colony finds that, contrary to popular opinion, cats are not good predators of rats.