December 25 through 31 is International Language Week,
People expect their pets to understand our rules and what we’re saying, but often we fail to reciprocate. If we’re really more intelligent than our pets, we should take some time and learn to translate what they are trying to tell us.
December is Cat Toy Safety Month. Okay, I’m stretching the official name a bit. December is actually Safe Toys and Gifts Month. This is the month to be aware of toy safety, when buying any gifts and stocking stuffers–for your kids and your kitties. Better still, go back and examine their old toys, just to make sure they’re still safe to play with. The hazards to kitties are exactly the same as with toddlers.
December is Cat Toy Safety Month (sort of). Take time to check your cat’s toys for the dangers listed below.
Cat Toy Dangers
No small parts to swallow. Any little piece that can choke a child can choke a cat or dog,
No loose strings. While string toys are the best at mimicking prey, they should be used only under the supervision of a human. If swallowed string can actually cut holes in the intestines causing peritonitis and eventually death. When you’re finished playing with string toys on a stick, store them where your cat cannot get to them, in a closet or cabinet.
No sharp edges.
No exposed staples. Carpeted cat trees often use staples to affix the carpet to the wood. Carefully check around with your hands to locate any sticking out.
Laser pointers are great, but don’t let children use them without adult supervision. If shined in the eyes, lasers can cause injury to humans and kitties.
Best Cat Toys Ever
Da Bird-This irresistable toy on a string has a patented lure that twirls as it moves through the air, making the sound of a bird’s flapping wings.
Egg-Cersizer™ Cat Toy-This is a food puzzle that cats adore. It also keeps them busy and out of mischief.
Play ‘n Squeak toys– When touched these toys emits a squeak that sounds just like a mouse.
Stimulo Cat interactive feeder– Another brilliantly designed food puzzle. My cats actually pass up full bowls of food in order to fish the food out with their paws. The optional
December 15 is Cat Herders Day., a day for people whose job is like herding cats. However, some of us do actually herd cats. In honor of the day, why not read (or better still, buy) a copy of my multicat care book, Cat Wrangling Made Easy: Maintaining Peace & Sanity in Your Multicat Home.
Poinsettias were once thought to be deadly to cats and dogs. But, according to the ASPCA/Animal Poison Control Center, poinsettia ingestions typically produce only mild to moderate gastrointestinal tract irritation, which may include drooling, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
However, lilies of all types are highly toxic to cats. Never give them to cat-owning friends. For more information check out the ASPCA/Poison Control Center site.
Kiki has tested positive for FIV since she was eight weeks old. Despite this, she has never developed the ful-blown disease. She is now 12 years old.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). People contract the virus through unprotected sex or sharing needles.
Cats can suffer from a similar disorder, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), a retrovirus in the AIDS family that impairs the cat’s ability to fight infections. FIV is found in felines worldwide including lions, tigers, cheetahs and cougars. One to three percent of visibly healthy domestic cats in the U.S. are actually infected with FIV. Around fifteen percent of sick kitties test positive for the disease.
The slow-acting autoimmune disease is sometimes called “the disease of angry cats” because it’s transmitted from cat to cat through bites. The most at-risk kitties are intact, outside males who fight over mates and territory. Unlike the human disease HIV, FIV is seldom directly transmitted through sexual contact, but the male cat can infect his lady friend with an amorous neck bite during mating. On rare occasions an infected mom cat can infect her kittens during birth or nursing.
People often confuse FIV with the Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), which is in the same retrovirus family. These two diseases cause many similar secondary complications, but unlike FIV (that requires aggressive contact), FeLV is passed through shared food bowls, litter boxes and mutual grooming. Because of this, FeLV is sometimes referred to as “the disease of “friendly cats”.
The best news is FIV is species-specific, meaning humans and dogs can’t catch it.
Disease Progression
Because it is such a slow-acting virus, an infected cat may appear healthy for many years. However, eventually the cat’s immune system declines and kitty will begin to suffer from secondary infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites that usually don’t affect healthy animals. Symptoms from secondary infections may wax and wane in severity for years.
Protecting Your Cat
You can protect your cat by preventing cat bites. Alter him and keep him inside and away from potentially-infected adversaries. Fortunately common bowls, litter boxes, mutual grooming or sneezing don’t appear to spread the virus, so cats who don’t fight are at little risk for contracting the disease even when living with an infected feline housemate.
For kitties who do go outside, there is an FIV vaccine available, but it has drawbacks. After receiving the FIV inoculation, cats will test FIV-positive for life. If your vet recommends the vaccine for your at-risk cat, have the cat tested beforehand. Make sure he has been implanted with a microchip and that the chip registration database is notified regarding his FIV status.
Don’t Abandon Hope
Goofus had been infected with FIV before he was rescued at the age of eight. When he was 11 he began showing symptoms. But with good care he lived to be 19.
In the 1980s, my husband’s kitty Goofus, who was found living next to a dumpster, was brought in off the street and neutered at the age of eight. After he turned 11, Goofus developed a persistent inflammation of the gums (stomatitis). His vet pulled all his teeth, and treated the inflammation with steroids. Goofus made it to 19½, finally losing out to cancer.
Kiki, an orphan kitten, came to us with an abandoned litter when she was only two weeks old. When the four kittens were tested for viral diseases, Kiki was the only one who tested positive for FIV. Eleven years later, Kiki still tests positive, but remains healthy except for similar dental issues. In both cases, no other cats in the home contracted the virus.
If your kitty develops any of the symptoms below, take him to the vet immediately:
Persistent fever, or bladder, skin or upper respiratory infections
Weight loss or loss of appetite
Dental disease including inflammation of the gums and mouth or bad breath
Dropping food while eating
Persistent diarrhea
Conjunctivitis or chronic eye conditions
Unkempt coat
Enlarged lymph nodes
Anemia
Wounds that don’t heal
Caring for FIV-positive kitties
Stray cat Braveheart tested positive for FIV, but was adopted by a wonderful family anyway.
There’s no specific antiviral treatment for FIV, but some antiviral therapies may help FIV kitties who suffer with seizures or stomatitis. Vets work to keep kitties healthy as long as possible. Once symptoms appear they provide supportive care as secondary infections crop up.
Your vet will likely recommend:
Altering your cat
Keeping him exclusively inside to reduce stress and protect him from exposure to bacteria, parasites and other diseases
Feeding a balanced diet. Avoid uncooked meat, as it may contain bacteria or parasites that would not affect a healthy cat, but may cause problems in immunity-compromised cats
Monitor your cat for any symptoms listed above or changes in behavior
Vet examinations every six months
Treatment for secondary infections
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Immune-enhancing drugs
Parasite control
If you reduce your kitty’s stress, keep him inside, monitor changes and treat secondary issues as they arise, your FIV kitty may have months to years of good health.
December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities Day.
There are so many wonderful animals disabilities in shelters. Why not open your home to a special needs dog or cat? The kitty below is Leggo, a stray who lost his leg inside a car engine. He’s such a sweetie and he doesn’t jump on the counters.
Pets with disabilities teach children compassion, and to accept others who are different. Many “special” pets don’t even require special care.
December 3 is “Roof Over Your Head Day” and Taco needs a permanent roof over his head. .
Some despicable person burned Taco, but despite his terrible encounter he loves people.
It’s been a rough year for Taco. He’s such a sweet boy. All he wants is a home of his own and a family to love him.
Around the middle of March Taco showed up at an Irving automotive repair garage with a massive burn on neck. The garage took the injured stray to Irving Animal Services. At first they thought it might have been an accident-perhaps from Taco rubbing up against a hot muffler-but then two more cats showed up with similar wounds. Taco’s was the most severe. One of his vets had no doubt that his injury occurred at the hand of a bad person. Trusting, affectionate Taco, loves people and would have gladly approached the attacker who burned him from the base of his skull to below his shoulder blades.
Irving Animal Services needed help with Taco. For a week those dedicated volunteers sent out desperate emails begging for a foster home to take their sweet boy. Animal Allies of Texas stepped up and took him in.
Poor Taco had to endure twice hydrotherapy treatments. He never ran from his foster mom and he stood in the kitchen sink as gracefully as a wet cat could. No fighting, no hissing, simply embarrassed resignation. For four months Taco had to wear a T-shirt to prevent him from scratching his wound. He’s the perfect companion for the lady who wants to dress up her cat.
Today Taco has completely recovered from his attack. He’s active and affectionate. He’s quick to claim an empty lap. He gets along with other cats. He even likes the family dog. This gray tabby and white, gold-eyed boy is about a year-old (born in Summer 2013). His adoption fee is only $110 and it includes:
Neuter surgery (already done)
Microchip
FVRCP and rabies vaccinations
Negative feline leukemia and FIV test.
Do you have room for brave Taco? If you are interested in adopting Taco, please go to animalalliesoftexas.org, fill out and submit our online application. He’ll be waiting!
You can support Animal Allies of Texas whenever you shop online by choosing Animal Allies of Texas as your AdoptAShelter.com charity and then going to your favorite e-store.
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Thank you to my favorite science fiction visionaries for taking me to strange new worlds, especially: Douglas Adams, Gene Roddenberry, H.G. Wells, C.S. Lewis, Bob Aspirin, Neil Gaiman, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Kurt Vonnegut, Mary Shelley, Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey, Jules Verne, Terry Pratchett, Fritz Lang, Michael Creighton and George Lucas.
But remember, the best science fiction stories have cats in them. Check out All The Marbles (Yard Dog Press), a humorous science fiction by me, Dusty Rainbolt! Science fiction with an attitude.
You can also read my short fiction anthology, that includes my short fiction: “One Spoiled Rotten Cat Lives Here”. It and many other wonderful science fiction cat stories appear in the ebook, The Mystical Cat:An Anthology of All Things Feline (Sky Warrior Book Publishing). Mystical Cat also includes the Muse Medallion-winning story, “A Cat Out of Time” by Bev Freed and “Keeping the Tradition” by Dana Bell.
December 25 through 31 is International Language Week,
T
