We don’t see some of the parasites listed below in all geographic areas, or in some cases, frequently in cats as a species. Parasites have adapted to take advantage of their cat hosts in some unusual ways as you will read below—interesting reading!

Cuterebrosis

These flies (Cuterebra) are normally parasites of rabbits and rodents. The fly eggs are deposited on blades of grass, and a cat out hunting can pick up the eggs as she walks past. The maggots then find a body orifice to enter, and migrate throughout the body tissues, eventually producing an encysted larva or bot (warble) under the skin. Migrating larvae can also produce problems in the body systems as they migrate. Eye problems, or respiratory or nervous signs may

 
New mites are being diagnosed in cats and new research is shedding light on the fascinating world of mites. Mites are much more common than you think.

Cheyletiellosis

A contagious skin parasite of cats, the Cheyletiella blakei mite is often referred to as “walking dandruff.” It usually causes pruritus (itching) and scaling of the skin, but sometimes the skin is normal. Skin lesions may also occur in people. Cheyletiellosis is more common in young cats, but any age can be affected. Heavy scales in the fur along the topline, or symmetric bilateral alopecia (hair loss) can develop. Your veterinarian will need to rule out flea allergy dermatitis, food allergy, and other skin diseases.

Diagnosis can be made by observation of the mite

Most of us are familiar with hairballs. The squishy feeling as you accidentally step on one in the middle of the night or the lovely sounds Kitty makes as she brings one up.

A hairball is technically known as a “trichobezoar”; “tricho” meaning hair, and “bezoar” being an accumulation of indigestible material forming a lump in the digestive tract. Bezoars used to be thought to have magical properties, including acting as antidotes to certain poisons.

How do hairballs form?

Cats are built to swallow fur. Rough one-way barbs on cats’ tongues collect loose fur when grooming, and prey fur is often consumed after hunting. The majority of this fur passes along the digestive tract; cats do not cough back up pellets, like owls. Sometimes though,

 
Fleas are ectoparasites (external body parasites) that typically cause skin irritation. Flea bites can cause flea-allergy dermatitis, and severe flea infestation causes blood-loss anemia. Fleas can carry infectious agents, including tapeworms, feline hemotropic mycoplasmas, and Bartonella species bacteria (the causative agents of Cat Scratch Fever). Flea bites are itchy and uncomfortable, and some flea species can even bite and infest human beings.

Flea control in pregnant and lactating animals and very young kittens can be challenging. However, good flea treatment and control is still possible with the current arsenal of available products. There are a large number of available topical medications, pills, and sprays that are licensed for

Cats by nature are very clean. A typical cat spends 5 hours a day grooming herself—and 16 sleeping. But sometimes even the most fastidious feline sometimes needs a makeover.

Here are some of the benefits of regularly grooming your cat:

• Keep your cat’s coat and skin clean and in good condition
• Reduce the amount of hair on your clothes and furniture
• Decrease hairballs
• Help allergy sufferers tolerate your cat better
• Reduce damage and injury from sharp toenails
• Discover health problems (wounds, fleas, ticks, lumps, rashes, weight loss, ingrown toenails, ear infection) before they become serious
• Prevent uncomfortable and unsightly mats
• Spend “quality time” with your

 
Before medicating ears, one cleans them out. This is so that debris is removed and the medication can then contact the ear canal properly. Your veterinarian may prescribe medication for ear infections or other ear conditions. As long as you cat is not in too much pain, she should tolerate ear treatments quite well.

Ask your veterinarian to demonstrate ear cleaning while you and the cat are still at the veterinary facility, and try ear cleaning yourself while there too. That way, any awkward aspects of the procedure can be worked out, and your questions can get answered.

Tips for Ear Medicating:

Heartworm Disease is caused by a roundworm (nematode) parasite called Dirofilaria immitus, which is carried by mosquitoes. It is more common in warm, humid areas but can be seen anywhere, especially as animals are often moved around geographically.

Life Cycle

Animals cannot directly infect each other with heartworm (A mosquito is the go-between).

The life cycle is as follows:

1. Female worms in an infected animal lay eggs which hatch into early larvae (microfilaria) in the bloodstream.
2. A mosquito bites the animal and drinks the microfilaria with the blood.
3. The microfilaria become mature larvae within the mosquito.
4. When the mosquito bites the next animal, these larvae are injected into the

Many cats who are amenable to having their shoulders and backs combed are resistant to anyone combing their bellies. However, gunk, dirt, mats, and other undesirable things can accumulate on kitty’s undercarriage just as they can on other parts of the body. So there are definite advantages to getting your cat to let you comb in that area.

Here’s one approach to acclimating your “just on top, please” cat to belly-combing. The usual caveat to cat-related endeavors—”your results may vary”—applies. In addition, any new routine involving a feline-human combination tends to proceed best when the two parties have developed a trusting and caring relationship.

25.06.2011 | 0 comments

 
Cats normally do not require ear cleaning on a regular basis. However, your veterinarian may prescribe an ear cleaning routine for a number of reasons.

It might be necessary for a cat with:

• ear infection or wound
• mites, used in conjunction with specific ear mite therapy
• naturally greasy ears that develop a low-grade buildup of waxy secretions.

Before medicating ears, one cleans them first. As long as your cat does not have a painful condition, she should tolerate this procedure quite well.

Ask your veterinarian to show you how to do the ear cleaning while still at the veterinary facility, and try it out there yourself. That way, any procedural questions can be addressed.

A Few Tips for Ear

Ticks can transmit a number of diseases, including Lyme, Ehrlichia, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Anaplasmosis. Some of these are potentially lethal.

Flea infestation can lead to skin infections, tapeworms, hair loss from scratching, and anemia. This anemia can be life-threatening, especially in kittens, and geriatric animals. Flea Allergic Dermatitis (FAD) is quite common, in which even a single bite can cause a severe rash.

Signs of Infection

Ticks bury their head under the skin and stay in one spot. When they first attach they may be as small as a pinhead, but they enlarge when they become engorged with blood. They often attach in warm areas, such as the neck or head.

Flea infection usually leads to itching,

 
Psychogenic alopecia is a condition of excessive grooming. Cats usually spend 5%-25% of their waking time grooming. Excessive grooming occurs when the grooming behavior takes precedence over other activities, with no apparent goal. Feline psychogenic alopecia and feline hyperesthesia syndrome are two interesting and often overlapping syndromes of cats. “Psychogenic alopecia” means “hair loss having a psychological or emotional origin.” It may escalate to, or be complicated with, feline hyperesthesia syndrome.

The hair loss in psychogenic alopecia is usually symmetrical in distribution, and typically found over the trunk, belly, the inner thighs, groin, or the rump. Sometimes cats lick themselves bald; other times stubby, broken hairs remain. Cats lick, bite,

 
After cleansing, specific prescription therapy may need to be instilled into a cat’s eye in those cases when illness is present. These eye preparations are generally liquid or ointment formulations.

Liquid Eye Medication

• For treatment with liquid medications, steady the cat (especially her head), and apply gentle pressure below (+ above the eye) to help keep the eyelid open. Using the other hand, gently express a drop or two of medication so that gravity will carry it into the eye.
• One wants to have the dropper distance far enough away so Kitty does not panic and think she will be getting a nasty poke in the eye, but close enough so that the drop impact will be minimized. The optimal distance is about 1 cm away from the

 
Worms, or intestinal parasites, can affect all kittens and cats. Intestinal parasitism is one of the most common conditions in clinical veterinary practice and is frequently identified in outdoor cats.

Types of Parasites

Many types of parasites infect cats. The most common feline intestinal parasites in the United States are roundworms (Toxocara cati or Toxascaris leonina) and tapeworms (Taenia taeniaeformis, Dipylidium caninum, Echinococcus multilocularis), followed by hookworms (Ancylostoma tubaeforme, Ancylostoma braziliense). Some intestinal parasites can infect kittens through lactation from an infected mother, and this is why it is important to treat kittens with de-worming medications throughout

Why?

Good dental health is an important factor in your cat’s overall physical condition and well-being. Painful teeth and gums can be detrimental to nutrition, overall health, and quality of life. The long-term consequences of poor dental hygiene in cats include:

• Bad breath, often a symptom of dental disease
• Dental abscesses and tooth loss due to periodontal disease
• Pain from infected teeth and gums
• Systemic infection starting in the teeth and gums and possibly spreading—via the bloodstream—to your cat’s kidney, liver, heart or lungs
• Expense of repeated dental treatments, anesthesia, extractions and surgery

The good news is that by caring for your cat’s teeth on a

Feline hyperesthesia syndrome and feline psychogenic alopeciaare two interesting, and often overlapping syndromes of cats. The names are quite a mouthful!

“Hyperesthesia” means “abnormally increased sensitivity of the skin.” It may begin with signs typical of feline psychogenic alopecia (follow link to the right), and then escalate. It is known by many names including “rolling skin syndrome,” “twitchy cat disease,” “neuritis,” and “atypical neurodermatitis.”

Cats with this syndrome are extremely sensitive when touched along the spine, down the back, and to the base of the tail. The clinical signs seen are:

• Rippling of the skin over the back
• Muscle spasms and twitching
• Twitching of the tail.
• Cats may

Cats with normal eye health do not require regular eye cleansing.

Regular cleaning may be advised if the:

• Cat has an eye infection
• Cat has a head conformation with prominent eyes, short muzzle and domed head (brachycephalic)
• Cat has scarring or blockage of the tear duct (these normally drain the tears away from the eye)
• Cat has pigmented tear staining

Here are some tips:

• Your veterinarian will advise you regarding suitable cleaning solutions. Frequently, a sterile dilute (normal) saline (salt) solution is used (free of preservatives).
• Make sure you have the cat gently but firmly restrained before cleaning—sudden

 
Summer is here, the days are longer, and we are spending more time outside. And the ticks are waiting!

Even your indoor kitty is at risk of tick bites or infestation. Ticks are accomplished hitchhikers and can be transferred into the home on clothing, tools, furniture, and any other item that enters your home from the outside. Once inside they will lie in wait for a warm mammal to brush by them, then attach themselves and be on their way to a warm blood meal.

Besides being just plain icky, ticks are a health hazard to humans and pets. They are known to transmit tick-borne disease (TBD). Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rickettsiosis, Babesiosis, Tickborn Relapsing Fever, are just a few. TBD can range from simply annoying, to serious or fatal for you

Ideally, handling of paws and nail care should be started with the kitten is young. At this age, training will be easy if one remembers to be gentle and patient.

The scratching post is an important piece of cat equipment. Kitty uses the post to scratch and sharpen the nails, but the act of scratching also helps remove dead pieces of toenails (sheath). This is how the wild cat cares for his own nails.

Nail care means regular trims.

Start slow. Gently hold your cats’ paw in one hand and with your thumb on top of the paw and forefinger on the pad gently squeeze your thumb and finger

Cats can normally have slightly fishy breath that smells like cat food, but it’s usually not strong or offensive. Foul-smelling breath or a sudden worsening of normal breath can be an early sign of a problem, and it is really important to take your cat to your veterinarian if you notice these changes.

Dental Disease: This is one of the most common causes of halitosis in cats. The build-up of food and saliva can result in dental plaque and tartar, similar to that seen in human dentistry. This plaque and tartar can lead to periodontal disease and gum inflammation (gingivitis). Along with halitosis, you might notice that your cat is reluctant to chew and is reluctant to have his mouth touched or manipulated. It’s important to ask your