Cats- Part II

1. Cats- Part II Small Animal Care

2. When is a cat a better choice than a dog for a pet? • Require less care than dogs because of their independent nature • Feeding and maintenance costs are less for cats than for dogs • Initial purchase price is usually less for cats

3. Qualities to consider in which a cat is chosen: • Adult cats work best for elderly or extremely busy owners • Young kittens adapt quickly and are fun to watch grow • Male cats will start spraying areas to mark its territory at about 6-8 months of age

4. Qualities to consider • Female kittens reach sexual maturity as early as 5 months of age and come into heat about every 3 weeks • Common domestic mixed breeds make affectionate, friendly pets

5. Qualities to consider • Pedigree animals have certain characteristics • Long haired breeds require more frequent grooming and need air-conditioned facilities • Mixed breed cats are usually cheaper to purchase than purebred animals

6. Choosing a healthy cat regardless of the type of cat • Look for signs of health • Gums should be pale pink and teeth white • Eyes should be clear and bright • Nose should be cool and slightly damp • Clean, glossy coat that is free of mats

7. Choosing a healthy cat • Look for signs of illness-Avoid these cats • Discharges from the eyes or nose • Buildup of wax in the ears can indicate mites • Fleas and parasites such as worms should not be present • Potbellied cats may have infestation of worms

8. Longhaired cats • Receive daily care to keep free of tangles and mats (Proper bathing of a cat-tub filled only to 4” of water) • Using a wide tooth comb, comb all areas of animal • Next use a small toothed comb

9. All cats benefit from regular grooming • Grooming removes old, dead hair • Grooming gives the opportunity to check the cat for parasites, skin disorders, eye, and ear problems

10. Longhaired cats • Need daily grooming to keep hair free of tangles and mats and reduces the risk of hairballs • Equipment for longhaired cats include combs, blunt-ended scissors, nail clippers, grooming brush, and grooming powder

11. Longhaired cat equipment • Combs should include one comb with teeth of two sizes and another fine-toothed called a flea comb • A grooming brush should have natural bristles because nylon bristles cause excessive static • Grooming powder may be baby powder, talcum powder, or cornstarch

12. Procedure for grooming longhaired cats • Use a wide-toothed comb to comb all areas of the cat to remove most tangles, being careful around sensitive areas of the stomach, under the tail, and inside the legs

13. Procedure for grooming longhaired cats • Use blunt-ended scissors to avoid injury to the cat and cut out tangled or matted hair • Once the coat is free of tangles and mats, use a fine-toothed comb to comb down to the skin

14. Procedure for grooming longhaired cats • Brush in the opposite direction of natural hair growth and sprinkle grooming powder onto the cat’s skin • Final brushing is done with a soft bristle brush in the direction of hair growth

15. Shorthair Grooming • Usually done with a fine-toothed comb (flea comb) • A soft chamois, silk, or nylon pad may be used to help the hair cling tightly to the body • A rubber grooming brush is used sometimes, but care must be taken to avoid removing good hair when brushing

16. Bathing cats • Performed more often for show animals than any other • Start bathing cats early at about four months of age • Avoid splashing or running the water while cat is present • Use about 4” of warm water in a tub

17. Bathing cats • Water should be kept out of the cat’s eyes and ears • Apply shampoo to the wet coat, lather the coat, and then rinse all shampoo away. Medicated shampoo helps control fleas, but baby shampoo will work for bathing

18. Other grooming • Check ears for mites and apply ear drops if mites are present. Dark, crumbly, wax residue inside the ear are an indication mites are present • Check teeth and gums during grooming. Regular feeding of dry food helps clean the teeth

19. Other grooming • Use clippers when claws need trimming, but do not cut into the pink area of the claw to avoid excessive bleeding and pain • Most cats who use a scratching post do not need claws trimmed

20. Infectious cat diseases • Feline panleukopenia- cat distemper caused by a parvovirus or DNA virus. This primarily affects cats younger than sixteen weeks of age and has a 75% death rate http://www.cvm.okstate.edu/~groups/students/web/2001/virology/DNAviruses/parvoviridae/Feline_panleukopenia_necropsy.jpg

21. Feline panleukopenia • Spread by direct contact but also from infected food and water dishes, bedding, and litter boxes. • Symptoms: depression, loss of appetite, high fever, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration

22. Feline herpes virus (FHV) • Caused by a respiratory virus infection that is a DNA virus. • Shed in the discharges from the nose, eyes, and throat, and transmitted by direct contact • Symptoms: depression, sneezing and coughing, severe eye and nasal discharges with an increase in temperature, and mouth ulcers • Cats become carriers of the virus, but vaccines are available

23. Feline herpes virus http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/docs/lapdog/sam2/herpes.html

24. Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) • Caused by a corona virus that leads to organ failure • More common in domestic cats, but few actually show signs of the disease • Symptoms: fever, refusal to eat, depression, and weight loss http://www.lbah.com/Images/Feline/FIP/fipnode.jpg

25. Feline Enteric Coronavirus • Caused by ingestion of contaminated feces in kittens between four and twelve weeks of age • Spread by the ingestion of contaminated feces • Symptoms: low grade fever, vomiting, soft or watery diarrhea, blood in the feces and dehydration

26. Feline Noninfectious diseases • Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS)- a feline urinary tract disease also referred to as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). May range from mild inflammation to blockage of the urethra, uremic poisoning and death http://maxshouse.com/Med%20Pix/blocked_cat_circ.jpg

27. FUS • May be caused by: • Improper diet (where cats are fed high levels of magnesium and phosphorus) • Low water intake that causes concentrations of various salts in the urine • Possibly a virus

28. Feline Noninfectious diseases • Wet eye- excessive tear production or blockage of drainage canals causing the tears to overflow at the inner corner of the eyes

29. Internal parasites • Toxoplasmosis- Disease caused by infection with a single-celled protozoan parasite Toxoplasm gondii. Contracted from eating raw meat or contaminated feces. Fever, jaundice, and difficulty moving may result. There is no vaccination and humans can become infected by handling cat litter boxes (Pregnant women should not handle cat litter boxes due to risk to unborn fetus. http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/ImageLibrary/Toxoplasmosis_il.htm

30. Internal parasites • Ascarids- (Toxocara cati)- Ascarids from ingesting eggs passed in feces of an infected animal or in the case of kittens from the milk of the infected mother cat. Severe cases may cause pot-bellied appearance (distended abdomen) and an unthrifty cat http://www.apacapacas.com/parasites/para-site_files/112.jpg

31. Internal parasites • Hookworm- (Ancylostoma tubaeforme)- Infection occurs when larvae is ingested from contaminated food or water, or when larvae penetrates the skin http://www.apacapacas.com/parasites/para-site_files/108.jpg

32. Internal parasites • Tapeworm- (Dipylidium caninum)- Tapeworms require a host other than the cat for development. Dipylidium caninum must be hosted by fleas and Tania taeniaeformis may be hosted by rats and mice. Neither type causes major harm http://www.apacapacas.com/parasites/

33. External parasites • Lice- (Felicola subrostratus- The Biting Louse)- Usually found around the head on an infected cat, but healthy and well-cared for cats have little problems http://www.ksu.edu/parasitology/625tutorials/Arthropods20.html

34. External parasites • Mites- (Demodex cati and Demodex species) Only rarely infect cats. Early symptoms include patchy hair loss and red, crusty skin around the neck, ears, and head http://www.ksu.edu/parasitology/625tutorials/Arthropods17.html

35. External parasites • Feline scabies-(Mange)- A skin disease caused by mites resulting in hair loss and crusting skin. Mites may be transmitted to dogs and people http://www.ksu.edu/parasitology/625tutorials/Mites01.html

36. External parasites • Feline mites- ear mites, walking dandruff mites, chiggers, fleas, and ticks that affect dogs also infest cats. Powder used for dogs is too strong for cats, because cats and other small animals lick their fur and may ingest harmful amounts of the pesticide

37. Other problems • Fungal diseases and poisonings are the same as those which are also problems in dogs

38. THE END