When you think about the most deadly animal in the world, what creatures come to mind? A great white shark? Venomous snakes? Crocodile? Hippopotamus? Mankind? Nope, not even close.
The most dangerous creature is also one of the most annoying: the mosquito. Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project says that mosquitoes have killed more human beings than all the wars, famines and natural disasters throughout history combined—that’s more humans than are alive in the world today.
If you’re not intimidated by those tiny bugs, you should be. According to the World Health Organization, in 2012 there were between 135 million to 287 millions cases of mosquito-caused malaria, and 473,000 to 789 000 malaria deaths. According to the American Mosquito Control Association over one million people worldwide die every year from all mosquito-borne diseases. Not only do humans suffer from mosquitoes mosquito-borne diseases, our dogs and cats fall prey to mosquitoes, including heartworms.
Mosquitoes not only transmit disease, they can cause allergic responses in sensitive cats.
While heartworms were once thought to be specifically a transmitted by mosquitoes to dogs only, but we now know that unprotected cats are at risk of being infected with heartworm larvae too. Unlike dogs, who develop a spaghetti bowl of worms in the heart, cats develop Heartworm-Associated Respiratory Disease affecting the lungs. There is no cure, and vets can only treat the symptoms.
It’s almost impossible to diagnose in cats. Tests are notoriously inaccurate. Veterinarians often mistake symptoms like coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, exhaustion, vomiting and loss of appetite, for asthma or another respiratory ailments. Some heartworm cats never show any symptoms at all. Somewhere between 10% and 17% of HARD kitties die with no symptoms at all. HARD cats can also succumb to blood clots in the lungs.
Indoor cats aren’t exempt. Mosquitoes can sneak in through a hole in the screen or as you close the door. In one North Carolina study, 28 percent of the cats diagnosed with adult heartworms were inside-only.
Protect your cat and dog with a monthly application of preventatives.like Revolution or AdvantageMulti. Also be diligent about emptying containers with standing water.
For more information about the world’s most dangerous creature, check out www.mosquito.org.
High-rise Syndrome is a collection of injuries sustained by cats falling from higher than two stories, often from windows in high rise apartments. Most of these kitties accidentally fall from high-rise apartment windows, terraces or fire escapes. Not surprisingly, high-rise syndrome usually occurs in urban settings. Unscreened windows or windows with damaged screens are most frequently at fault. Amazingly, many of these cats survive.
You can protect your cats (and kids) by:
Checking your screens and regularly. If they’re not snug and secure, replace them.
Don’t expect childproof window guards to protect your cat. Most kitties can slip right past them.
This month is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month. So it’s a great time to introduce you to Taco. He’s my one-year-old foster–a tabby and white boy, neutered, of course.
Taco came to me a couple of months ago from the Irving Animal Shelter. Someone had done something very cruel to him and the shelter needed an foster home for him. He was sweet; he was friendly; he was hurting. They sent out pleas, “Please, someone help him!”
The cat chair of Animal Allies of Texas asked me if I was interested in fostering the injured kitten. Of course. I couldn’t ignore that wound. How could I turn away from that face? But what’s with the name the shelter gave him, Taco?
Despite the trauma he experienced, nothing seems to upset Taco.
I After bringing him home, I quickly learned why the volunteers worked so hard to save him. He’s a doll. He loves being with peopleh. This kitty gets along with everyone: cats, dogs, kids. You name it.
I had to do hydrotherapy on his wound every day. That involved spraying tepid water on the wound for 10 minutes. The poor little kitty who had been through so much would look up at me as if to say, “Why are you doing this to me?” But he didn’t struggle or fight. I never got a scratch.
Although he’s so well-mannered, Taco doesn’t want to have to go to any more adopt-a-pets.
So now the time has almost arrived for Taco to go to a new home. I have to find someone who will love him always. I guarantee you, he’ll love you forever.
But no matter where you live, there are millions of Tacos who want nothing more to snuggle up with their person at night. Many shelter cats have suffered so much, yet still have a gentle, loving dispositions. Please, go to a shelter near you and adopt a kitty. Better still, adopt a hard-to-adopt kitty, a mature cat, a senior, a black cat or a cat with health issues.
You’ll feel great. You’ll have a new best friend and you’ll save a life. Comment below about your new best buddy. I can’t wait to hear who came home with you.
If you live in Texas and a’re interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application at the Animal Allies of Texas website.
Nixie taught me a lot in her almost 18 years. In saying goodbye to her, she taught me her greatest lesson. Read about how I learn to use the quality of life scale at Catster.com.
Four years ago Animal Allies of Texas (AAT) adopted out a feisty black girl kitten named Shadow. Adoption counselors did all the usual background checks and thought the lady would be a responsible adopter. A couple of months ago we got a call from the woman wanting to return Shady. The woman had violated the contract and declawed the kitty, and now her two male cats were picking on her, so of course, she had to give up the nice defenseless cat.
Since AAT suffers from a chronic lack of foster homes, I agreed to take Shady for a “couple of weeks”. No big deal.
When I met Shady, it was a way bigger deal than I thought. I felt like Sheriff Brody in the movie, Jaws. “We’re going to need a bigger carrier.” Shady looked like a Great White, except she was all black. Poor kitty tipped the scale at almost 20 pounds. There was enough fat on that cat to build two tabbies.
Apparently, like many of cat lovers, what the woman couldn’t give Shady in attention, she made up for in food. After all, humans equate food with love, and we certainly don’t want to skimp on love, do we? Shady’s woman had almost loved her to death.
Shady the Great Black certainly isn’t alone. According to the CDC, 69% of human adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Pets aren’t far behind. The Banfield Pet Hospital State of Pet Health 2012, in the US, 53% of dogs and 55% of cats are now overweight or obese. Over the last five years the number of overweight or obese cats has increased by a heartbreaking 90%.
Shady and I eyed each other. Who in their right mind would adopt a black cat big enough to have her own personal zip code? Where do we go from here? First step, the vet’s office where I heard “the weight lecture.”
The sad truth is, most pet parents don’t even realize they have obese or overweight cats. I confess I have a couple of plumpies myself. I do worry about the extra girth affecting their health. I’ve tried to help them lose weight and failed. Controlling portions or withholding treats is tough. No one wants to feel like they’re starving their cat– even when it’s to help them stay healthy. And who can resist those big green eyes? But I digress…
Shady is such a sweet girl. Despite her reputation as a victim, she gets along with our resident kitties and even the dog. The vet said she needed exercise, so I tried using the Rainbolt Test Kitties’ favorite feather toy to get her blood pumping. She stared at me as if I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. “Does this body look it should be exercising?” Shady refused to extend so much as a claw. There goes the vet’s exercise program. She reminds me of the cat in the One Big Kitty video.
So what’s the trick behind this cat weight loss thing?
Since Shady’s not going to be burning calories except to convert oxygen to carbon dioxide, I had to come up with Plan B. Diet, oh no! A friend of mine mentioned that Hill’s was conducting a special program for overweight cats.
Hill’s says you can transform your pet’s weight simply by changing what you feed, not how you feed. Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution . is clinically proven nutrition that naturally activates metabolism to burn fat and regulate appetite. They say pets feel full and satisfied and still lose weight. (Cool. Do they make a taco-flavored formula for humans?) They tell me the diet is safe, effective and fast, and I’ll see a leaner, more playful Shady in just 60 days. Alright Hill’s, you’re on.
How is Metabolic Different?
The program includes dry and canned food and even treats designed to work together. Yea, I still get to give her treats. Since I’m not cutting back on her portions, I’m more likely to stay on the program and be compliant with my vet’s recommendation.
On what do they based these claims?
314 pet parents just like you and me participated in an at-home feeding study using Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. Without strict protocols or precise measuring, 88% of pets lost weight within two months at home. 8 out of 10 pet parents said they’d recommend the program to a friend with an overweight pet. Hill’s even offers a 100% great taste guarantee.
Cat and Dog Giveaway Information & Instructions
But why should Shady and I have all the fun? Do you have a Great White of your own? Hill’s has offered ALL of my readers a free Feline Metabolic Starter Kit (a $70 value). Each kit contains:
• 1 Weight Loss Success Tote Bag
• 1 Weight Loss Success Guide
• 1 4lb bag of Metabolic dry cat food
• 2 (5.5oz) Metabolic cans
• 1 (2.5oz) Metabolic treats
• (2) $25 coupons
To receive a free Feline Metabolic Starter Kit fill out the form completely including your vet’s contact information. There’s also a kit canine kit, if you have a pudgy pooch. You don’t have to pay for a vet visit. Hill’s just needs to get your vet’s authorization to send the product.
I’ll be receiving my kit in a few days and will keep you posted about Shady’s Metabolic Adventure.
It’s full disclosure time. This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, but as you know, Dusty Rainbolt’s Universe only shares information I feel will benefit my readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
Snowball is a squamous cell carcinoma survivor. His owner was afraid treatment would destroy his dashing good looks, but as you can see, he’s still handsome with his rounded ear tips.
June is Cancer from the Sun Month. White and light-skinned cats and dogs are particularly at risk. Light-skinned pets exposed to ultraviolet sunlight may develop squamous cell carcinoma especially on the ear tips and nose. Early detection and treatment of squamous cell carcinoma is critical.
The disease is seen most frequently in cats who in cats that spend a lot of time in the sun and those who live in high altitudes. “This kind of cancer is most commonly seen in older cats.”
The cancerous lesions most often appear on the temples, the outer tips of the ears (pinnae), the eyelids, the lips and the nose. The tumors usually single, small and poorly outlined, with irregular, hardened borders.
This disease occurs in older cats and may first become apparent in summer, when sunlight exposure is greatest. Symptoms include reddening of the ear tip, hair loss and flaking of skin on the ear tip or scale and inflamed skin like psoriasis.
If you notice any of these symptoms in your kitty, take him to the vet immediately.
This flamedepoint named Snowball was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the age of eight. He lost the tips of his ears, but he lived to the age of 12.
To reduce the chance of your cat or dog developing skin cancer, lf you white or light-colored cats to sun exposure to times when the sun isn’t a intense. Apply pet-safe sunscreens to the ears of light-colored cat who are outside during intense exposure.
What’s old is new again, at least when it comes to rodent control in California. A California ban on rodenticides containing Brodifacoum, which will take place on July 1, will prevent the sale of second generation anticoagulants by d-CON® to the general public.
Environmentalists claim these compounds are responsible for numerous wildlife deaths via secondary poisoning. If a mouse or rat that has consumed the is eaten by a predator like such as a bird of prey, coyote or bobcat supporters of the ban say the predator could be also affected.
Charlotte Fadipe, Assistant Director of Communications for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)says “After July 1, there will be plenty of options and products for consumers who may have rodent problems. These include first generation anticoagulants that were not subject to the regulatory action. DPR also would like to point out integrated pest management practices that are less toxic alternatives to controlling rodents such as exclusion and mechanical and sticky traps.”
Greg Loarie, attorney for the environmental group, EarthJustice says agreed with the snap and sticky traps and added people could also use cats. That ought to sit well with the bird lobby. Just saying.
Interesting that no one mentioned the fact that individuals will still be able to purchase neurotoxin rodenticides over the counter to dispatch vermin. Unlike the anticoagulants, which can be treated with Vitamin K, these chemicals have no antidote. If directly ingested by a kid or pets, it’s bad news.
Homeowners will still be able to purchase more expensive Brodifacoum feeding stations where rodents dine in, but they can’t check out. And it can be used by professional pest control providers.
According to d-CON’s website, discontinuing the anticoagulants “result in the removal of the most cost effective rodenticides from the consumer market and severely limit the rodent control options available to consumers. If EPA’s Notice is implemented, the rodent control products that would remain available to consumers would include a powerful neurotoxin with no known antidote (unlike d-CON® products), or older and less effective products to which mice and rats have shown resistance.”
Don’t get me wrong. I want to save wildlife. But during the Middle Ages, when humans banned the most effective rodenticide of the time (cats), a third of Europe died of the bubonic plague.
Maybe d-CON can strike up a deal with Barn Cats, Inc., the feral cat relocation organization, for a cooperative new product, the deadly but loving Black Cat.
Until then I have one suggestion for the state of California and the EPA: Better start doing some research for that neurotoxin antidote. The kid you save could be your own.
When you think about the most deadly animal in the world, what creatures come to mind? A great white shark? Venomous snakes? Crocodile? Hippopotamus? Mankind? Nope, not even close.
