Even if your cat is strickly an indoor cat, its fur may thicken as winter sets in.  This is normal but can be aggravating as you clog your vaccume cleaner and find more and more fur balls scattered throughout the house. 

Thick undercoats can lead to tangled hair and mats.  When the seasons are changing, it’s good to brush your cat on a regular basis.  One of the best products I know of is the Fuminator.  My cats love it and it helps reduce the mess left from loose hair.

Some cats actually enjoy walking on a leash.  Here are a few tips to get started:

1. Go Slow.  Get you cat or kitten used to their harness first.  The harness should fit snuggly but leave at-least a finger space around each part of the harness.  Give you cats treats as soon as you put on the harness.

2. Start Indoors.  Once your cat has accepted the harness, take short walks around your living room-without a leash.  Drop treats as you slowly walk or have a toy that drags along behind you.

 3. You first outdoor adventure.  Once your cat follows you around your house or apartment, you might be ready for an outside adventure.  Make sure there are no dogs around.  Sit outside with you cat on his leash and follow him or her as she sniffs about.

Tune in Next week for part II.

Did you know the whiskers of a cat help a cat navigate?  The ends of the wiskers are approximately the same size of the cat’s body.  Cat’s use their whiskers to determine whether or not their body will fit in or through an opening.  There may be other uses for whisker as well which are still being discovered.  So, it’s important you do not cut your cat’s whiskers.

 The tail also helps a cat navagate.  The tail helps the cat maintain balance and without a tail the cat would loose a great deal of it’s ability to pounce so precisely on prey.  It always amazes me how so many parts of an animal (ourselves include) have dual functions.

Many people think you cannot train a cat, which is not true. However, cats can be difficult to train because they will not do tricks simply for your approval. If you’d like to train your cat for simple behaviors or tricks I’d suggest the following:1. Find out what you cat really likes. I have one cat that loves soft treats, another that likes a stinky fishy smelling crunchy treat, and a third cat that loves to be brushed. Depending on which cat I’m working with, I use their favorite reward.2. Keep in mind that dogs and cats are not the same so they cannot perform the same tricks. It’s much easier to teach a cat to jump than a dog, and easier to teach a dog to roll over.3. Never use negative punishment with your cat but always positive reinforcement. If you punish you cat by hitting, startling or swatting with an object, you are teaching your cat to be afraid of you. This is counter-productive. Cats must feel secure, and must be able to trust their handler before they can absorb a new trick.

Interesting facts about your cat:

Typically, cats sleep 16 hours a day.

A cat’s whiskers are the width of the body.  They actually help the cat know whether or not it can get through a small space.

Cats see very well and night and can detect movement far better than you or me.

Cats purr at various times.  It may or may not be because they are happy.  Several pet parents report their cat purred while it was dying.

The lifespan of a cat varies by breed and environment.  An outdoor  cat’s lifespan is approximately 4 years.  They are more suseptible to disease and being killed by cars.  Cat’s that are kept indoors in a low stress household have the greatest possibility of a long life within breed specific parameters.  Maine Coons life span is about 8 years where as a Siamese is closer to 18.

If you can’t find the cats favorite toy, or money is a bit tight, don’t worry.  There are plenty of things you can do on next to nothing.  Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Wad up either a piece of paper or tin foil.  Form a ball just slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball.  Toss it across the room and see what happens.  Most cats love to play with these items and some cats even retrieve.

2. Find a clean box.  Cut a few holes in it.  Put it on the living room floor or play area.  Once your cat hops in, scratch on the outside.  Once your cat starts pouncing on this part of the box, scratch somewhere else on the outside of the box.

3. If you have an area of your house that has vinyl or hardwood floors, find a clean rope or string.  You can use box string, yarn, an old cloth belt or rope.  You need the rope or string to be 4-6′ long.  Hold one end in your hand and let the rope drag behind you on the floor.  Walk around like the pied-piper.  The cat(s) will pounce and stalk and have a great time attacking the rope.  This is my favorite game for cats that are elderly or that have vision impairments.

I thought I knew about most common animal diseases, but recently I learned about FIP.  Known as FIP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis is a viral disease that can affect many systems of a cat’s body. It is a progressive disease and almost always fatal. It occurs in both domestic and wild cats.  This disease works fast.  Signs of illness include chronic weight-loss, fever, and loss of appetite. Approximately 25% of cats with FIP show neurological effects as well: dizziness, disorientation, mobility issues, etc.  Unfortunately, there is not a cure at this time.

Why haven’t we heard about FIP?
In the past many cats with FIP also had FeLV (Feline Leukemia).  Since Feline Leukemia is terminal, most people were not even aware their cat had FIP as well.  As more and more people use vaccinations to prevent Feline Leukemia, veterinarians are seeing cats with FIP.  Approximately 1 in 5,000 household cats catch this disease, but 5% of cats from catteries or multi-family households are likely to catch this tragic disease.  

What can I do?
FIP is caused by a virus.  Cats with weak immune systems are most vulnerable.  Keep nursing mothers and kittens separate from other cats.  Keep kittens under 4 months of age away from older cats.  Do all you can to support your cat’s well being by providing nutritious food, keeping water and food away from litter, clean litter boxes regularly and prevent needless stress.  For details about this disease I suggest reading Dr. Holly Nash’s article on FIP.  

It’s essential to human and animal health that feral cats are spay or neutered a.s.a.p. , and you must follow guidelines specifically for feral cats.  Typically feral cats run away the minute you spot them.  I have had the pleasure of getting to know several feral cats over the last decade.  Some of these cats became loving pets; others remained wild and never allowed me to pet them.  Some survive fairly well outdoors in rural or urban areas. 

Feral cats are captured in humane traps by volunteers (i.e. you and me) and brought to special facilities or clinics who understand feral cats.  While they are unconscious and being spayed or neutered a veterinarian typically checks them for signs of infectious disease.  If he or she suspects the cat has a terminal illness that can be transmitted to other animals, or if the animal is very ill, severely injured or suffering from a painful condition they may euthanize the cat immediately.  (None of the feral cats I trapped had to be euthanized despite poor conditioning and shabby coats). It’s very important to find a veterinarian or a program that specializes in feral cat spay and neuter programs.  I’ll talk more about this in the weeks to follow. 
When you work with feral cats there are several things tips to help you successful complete a trap spay and release program.  The first step is form a relationship.  It can be achieved by the power of stinky food, respecting boundaries but pushing the edge, and acceptance.
When you first spot a wild cat that will not allow you to touch it or one that runs away, start placing stinky food out each night in the same location.  Ideally, this should be a location you can view from inside your home or apartment.  You want to make sure that the food is being eaten by the cat and not another nocturnal creature like possums or raccoons.  Also, if you live in an urban area, place the food next to a tree or safe place so the cat can escape if there are any stray dog packs.  Feral cats are often nocturnal so they are more likely to approach new situations at night. 

The best type of food is either canned cat food or left over fish.  Like all cats, feral cats are carnivores and need to eat meat.  However, they often survive on poor diets like left over trash, snakes, mice, insects and birds.  Don’t feed too much food or something rich.  Doing so may cause the cat to vomit or have loose stools, which can lead to dehydration.  Start with one or two tablespoons of inexpensive canned food, tuna fish or a single sardine.  Over time you can increase the food and add mineral content.     Also, think about leaving out a small dish of clean water.  Don’t let the water sit though, it may attract bugs and if the feral cat has leukemia the water dish may spread the disease healthy cats in the area.  Next week I’ll talk about respecting boundaries but pushing the edge, and acceptance.

Last week we discussed Feline Aids and whether you should vacinate.  Approximately 12% of all cats have Feline Aids.  Although Feline Aids can be terminal, FIV is not as a death sentence like it is in humans.  Infact, cats can test positive for aids and never manifest the disease.

In 2002 Fort Dodge Animal Health released a vaccine designed to prevent a healthy cat from acquiring Feline Aids. The drug is controversial for several reasons.

1.There are at least five known strains of FIV. The drug does not protect against all strains. Cat guardians may feel secure that there pet is protected, but in fact, the pet is only protected from certain strains of the disease.

2.Once you vaccinate a cat for FIV, it will always test positive for FIV. This means that a veterinarian can not tell the difference between a healthy cat vaccinated for FIV and a cat infected with FIV. If your healthy cat was vaccinated to protect against FIV, and later is infected with FIV and becomes ill, it is impossible for a veterinarian to know if your cat is infected with another strain of the illness. This makes treatment challenging.

3.The FIV vaccine is an “adjunctive” medicine. One of the common side effects of “adjunctive” medicine is the growth of tumors.

4.Lastly, the FIV vaccine has a success rate of 82%. This means that one out of five cats exposed to FIV will contract the disease, even if they were vaccinated with the drug.

Here are a few things you may want to keep in mind. If you have an indoor cat and it’s not exposed to other cats, it can catch viral diseases such as Leukemia, but it cannot contract Feline Aids. There is no need to vaccinate an indoor cat against FIV. If you have a cat that spends time outdoors, make sure it’s spayed or neutered before sexual maturity (approximately six months). This is the first line of defense. Your cat will be far less likely to be involved in a cat fight. This greatly reduces the chance of a bite, or blood-related injury with an infected cat. If you decide to vaccinate your outdoor cat, make sure it also has a microchip and collar that identifies you as the owner.

If your cat was ever picked up as a stray, and the shelter could not easily find the owner/guardian, your cat would be euthanized quickly since it would test positive for FIV. If your cat contracts FIV, this does not mean a mandatory death sentence. Most indoor cats with FIV can live a long and reasonably healthy life. Lastly, be assured—there are no known incidence of Feline Aids effecting humans or dogs.

Approximately 12% of all cats in the United States have been exposed to Feline Aids (FIV). Unlike aids in humans, most cats with FIV can live many years without health issues. Eventually, secondary conditions like viral infections, diabetes or kidney disease can affect a cat with aids and attack the immune system. The cat infected with FIV that develops a secondary condition, may not be able to fight their illness, so FIV can be the major cause of death.

There is some debate as to how Feline Aids is passed from cat to cat. Most veterinarians agree it’s passed through blood such as cat bites or it can be passed from a pregnant female to her offspring during gestation (pregnancy). Some veterinarians believe FIV is also contracted through mutual grooming.
In 2002 Fort Dodge Animal Health released a vaccine designed to prevent a healthy cat from acquiring Feline Aids. The drug is controversial for several reasons.

Next Week will look at why the FIV vacination is controversial.