Short Takes

Short Takes: 09/08

While the world holds its breath to see if the highly pathogenic avian flu virus H5N1 mutates enough to spread from person to person, German scientists wondered if the average house cat could have a role. An article in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (Vol. 10 Issue 4: "Prevalence of influenza H5N1 virus in cats from areas with occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in birds"), gave the results of surveys that covered 171 cats in Austria and Germany. The study was presented "to learn more about the role of cats in the spread of the virus and about the risk posed to cats." They were looking for a good "sentinel" animal among mammals, to give an early warning - the way caged canaries in coal mines used to warn of poisonous gases.

Short Takes: 08/08

With 28.7 percent of all adult American cats classified as "overweight" and 6.4 percent as clinically obese, things only get worse with age. Among cats between five and 11 years of age, fully 44 percent are either overweight or obese. Just in time (we were about to have Frannie, the ShortTakes office kitty, fitted for running shoes) comes this report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 232, No. 11): "Nutraceuticals and dietary supplementation for the management of obese and overweight pets." The study looked at everything from omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, amylase inhibitors and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) to L-carnitine, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and dietary phytoestrogens. Some, such as diacylglycerol, make a computers spell-checker burp. And not all, including the last one, have been tested on cats.

Short Takes: 07/08

Theres more finger-pointing toward pets as "reservoirs" of MRSA, the hard-to stop bacterium methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This time the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 358, No. 11) reports on a German woman who suffered deep abscesses and necrotizing pneumonia. The womans cat seemed healthy enough - until tests found the pet infected with a form of MRSA that is extremely rare in humans, spa-type t131 MRSA. Doctors at the Bavarian Food and Health Safety Authority said: "The abscesses in our patient healed only after antibiotic treatment of the cat. It remains unclear whether the cat was the source of the patients infection or vice versa . . . We conclude that pets could be considered as possible household reservoirs of MRSA that can cause infection or reinfection in humans."

Short Takes: 06/08

Despite protests by the Cat Fanciers Association (and the American Kennel Club), Los Angeles has enacted one of the strictest pet-sterilization laws in the country. Unless youre a registered breeder, failure to spay or neuter a cat after four months of age in L.A. can bring a $500 fine or 40 hours of community service. Advocates of the tough new law say they had no choice. Los Angeles animal shelters had to euthanize 8,960 unwanted cats last year.

Short Takes: 05/08

Studies reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 232, No. 6) suggest that the human anti-epileptic drug, levetiracetam, "is well tolerated in cats and may be used as an adjunct to phenobarbital treatment in cats with idiopathic epilepsy." "Idiopathic" means that the root cause of the epilepsy is not known. And researchers acknowledge that no one knows exactly how levetiracetam works - just that it is not harmful to a cats liver or kidneys.

Short Takes: 04/08

Its one of the toughest choices a pet owner can face - between life-saving treatment and quality of life for the pet. During chemotherapy for lymphoma, the third most common form of cancer in cats, for example, the patient might lose hair, appetite, weight, sleep or even its whiskers. Some help in deciding, if the difficult time ever comes, can be found in a Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (Vol. 10, Issue 1) report: "Owners perception of their cats quality of life during chemotherapy for lymphoma." Of the 31 cat owners queried for the study, 25 (81 percent) said they were happy that they had treated their cat with chemotherapy, whereas three felt regretful and three were unsure of their feelings. Most of the owners (19) reported that their cats had "more good days than bad" during chemo; seven reported more bad days than good (including one cat that was miserable every day of the treatment); and four cats had "all good days." Despite the treatment, some cats did die of lymphoma or related causes. Obviously those owners were not happy with their pets eventual fate, but few regretted trying their best to save a life.

Short Takes: 03/08

If statistics help you make difficult decisions, there are plenty of numbers in a Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 231, No. 1) article, "Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats." First the researchers compared benefits and risks of the surgeries. For example, spayed female cats incur an immediate 2.6 percent risk of surgical complications, [IMGCAP(1)]as well as a high risk of obesity, and less than a one percent risk of either FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) or diabetes mellitus - all later in life. None of spayings possible outcomes causes what the researchers termed "substantial morbidity." That is, surgical complications from the spaying (called ovariohysterectomy or OHE) are hardly ever life-threatening.

Short Takes: 02/08

Veterinary science is finally taking a serious look at arthritis in cats, as reported in "Evaluation of Client-Specific Outcome Measures and Activity Monitoring to Measure Pain Relief in Cats with Osteoarthritis" (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Vol. 21, No. 3). Between 25 and 30 percent of older dogs suffer the pain and immobility of osteoarthritis. But veterinary medicine has neither an estimate of the occurrence in cats nor an approved means of pain relief. So researchers at the University of North Carolinas veterinary school asked 13 owners of older cats (between 10 and 19 years) to participate in an experiment. The cats were given complete exams, including X-rays of their legs, hips, paws and spines. To the owners surprise, virtually every cat in the study had several joints where osteoarthritis could be causing pain or restricting movement.

Short Takes: 01/08

The last time Frannie, the ShortTakes office feline, had her annual exam, we asked about heartworm control. The vet said that, as long as Frannie continued to be a strictly indoor cat living in this region (upstate New York), heartworm medication "probably isnt necessary." But ask again when Frannie comes back in six months, the vet added, "because things might change." We had been thinking about the late Dr. Jim Richards, an outspoken crusader for heartworm protection - no matter where in the 50 states a cat might live. All it takes is one mosquito, biting a heartworm-infected dog - then passing the disease on to the next cat it bites -to cause HARD (heartworm-associated respiratory disease), Dr. Richards said again and again.

Short Takes: 12/07

Rushed to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Kansas State University, the year-old cat had been coughing, vomiting and suffering abdominal pain. When all was said and done (yes, she survived, thanks to surgery) the cat was the subject of a report, "Diagnostic imaging for linear foreign bodies in cats," in the journal, Veterinary Medicine (Vol. 102, Issue 8). The cats owners got lots of pictures - from imaging techniques that included survey radiography, compression radiography, ultrasonography and positive contrast upper GI radiography. And veterinary science learned which techniques work best: compression radiography (something like a mammogram of the abdomen) and ultrasound.

Short Takes: 11/07

But of course, cats cant, which is what makes pain management so difficult for cat owners and veterinarians. Fortunately, some help is offered in "Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats" (Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, Vol. 45, September/October 2007) from the hospital association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. The new guidelines highlight the critical role of us cat owners, who can tell veterinarians that we need help "to recognize the subtle signs of pain" and to understand that "methods for the alleviation of pain are available, effective and generally safe. As the guidelines go on to say, "Even subtle changes in behavior are reasons to contact the veterinary clinic because these are the first signs of illness and pain."

Short Takes: 10/07

If you need refills of prescription medications for your cat - and youre tempted to buy the drugs at discount prices from a website - you might wonder whether that bothers your veterinarian. Indeed it does, according to an article in the trade journal Veterinary Economics (Vol. 48, Issue 8). And vets have some persuasive reasons why you should continue to buy cat drugs from them. But first, some reasons to think twice about your cat-care budget: The typical mark-up (beyond the cost to veterinarians) for dispensed medications is 150 percent. Heartworm, flea and tick-control products tend to be marked up 100 percent. And therapeutic food, which some cats eat throughout their lives, is sold by veterinarians at about 45 percent above cost.