From the September 2019 Issue
Prednisone vs. Prednisolone
The most commonly used steroids are the oral preparations prednisone and prednisolone, which treat a wide range of illnesses from autoimmune disease to allergies to eosinophilic granuloma complex, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, and certain cancers.
Current Issue
Most Expensive Cats
TheRichest.com is a “leading source for Internet-savvy millennials searching for information on the topics they love.” With a pretty obvious focus on money, the website recently listed the 10 most expensive cats:
FIP Research Grant
The Winn Feline Foundation awarded $307,679 to 16 feline research studies for 2019, including $25,000 to Gary R. Whittaker, PhD, at Cornell University, and Susan G. Baker, PhD, at Loyola University, for “Generating an attenuated feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) vaccine by inactivating EndoU.”
Cats in the U.S.
The American Veterinary Medical Assocation lists these numbers for cat ownership in the United States:
Predictable Cat Behavior in Breeds
Different dog breeds are known for certain behaviors, like a Border Collie herding sheep or a German Shorthaired Pointer indicating a bird. Cat lovers have long noted the vocalizations of Siamese as an example of certain breed-specific behaviors, and now a recent study from Finland, published in Scientific Reports, found genetic connections between cat breeds and certain behaviors.
Food Reduces Allergens from Cats
A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Immunity, Inflammation, and Disease in June 2019 found a statistically significant reduction in an allergen that comes from cats when they were fed an egg product that neutralizes the allergen.
Dental Sprays for Cats
Studies have shown that 50 to 90% of adult cats are affected by periodontal disease to some degree or another. These are pretty staggering statistics for our beloved pets, especially when you consider that dental disease can be a precursor to systemic infections and organ failure as well as being painful in and of itself.
Emerging Effective Cancer Option
The Animal Cancer Foundation says that of the 32 million cats in the United States, 6 million are diagnosed with cancer each year. That’s a staggering number, and researchers are working hard to find cures. Among the most recent advances in oncology is immunotherapy. While standard cancer therapies—chemotherapy, radiation, surgery—directly destroy cancers, they also may harm normal cells and tissues. Immunotherapy is different. It destroys only the abnormal cells.