Thoughts on Laser Play
Laser pointers catch your cats attention, and rare is the cat who doesnt chase that red dot. But it may not be all that fun in the end. While a bouncing laser causes the cat to leap and run, it doesnt give the cat a satisfying finale: He cant catch that beam, and he may end up feeling frustrated.
The Good, the Bad, and the Coffee
Playing with cats while enjoying a cup of coffee-what more could you want? Cat cafs have blossomed in popularity since the first one opened in Taiwan in 1998. Expansion into the U.S. has been slow due to regulations around food preparation and animal welfare, but theyre starting to appear.
A Feline DNA Analysis
Not that long ago, a DNA analysis on anyone or anything was unthinkable. It wasnt until 2003 that the human genome (genetic material) was fully sequenced. In 2007, the feline genome was partially sequenced in an Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon. This is important because sequencing helps us understand what an organism will look like and what disease conditions it might be prone to having. DNA analysis can be valuable to cat owners and breeders.
Feline Anemia
Anemia is the state where a cat has too few red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues. They circulate for 70 to 80 days in cats before being removed from the circulation and replaced by the bone marrow. Since red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients to tissues, a loss of these cells is a serious problem and can be fatal.
Download the Full October 2019 Issue PDF
Download the Full October 2019 Issue PDF
Is That Cat Angry or Frightened?
Your cat is tense and clearly unhappy, but you arent quite sure what hes feeling. Here are some tips for decoding his body language.
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.
Assemble a Simple First-Aid Kit
A cat lover should be prepared for any minor first aid that her cat may need over her lifetime. Special items may need to be customized for your individual cat (such as extras of any medications she is on), but a basic first aid kit can be started with just 10 items.
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.
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. Thats 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.
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.
Download the Full September 2019 Issue PDF
Download the Full September 2019 Issue PDF