Purring joy…

What would you do if you find an injured cat on the street? Probably you would feel sorry for the cat and wish she gets well. Would you try and take the cat to safety?

One evening, I was taking a walk with one of my friends when suddenly a streak of black ran near our legs. I looked down to see a really thin cat looking up at me and mewing. Before I could think how to reach, the cat started rubbing herself against my legs and purring. I, very cautiously, started petting her and she started purring even more. I picked her up against my friend’s warning that cats can be very dangerous. I took her to the park and sat down on the grass next to her. She climbed onto my lap and I could feel that she felt secure.

Since I have two dogs at home, I was little apprehensive and called my mother outside. My mother also instantly liked the cat. She brought her some milk to drink, which she lapped away hungrily. It was then that I discovered that she was hurt on her hind leg. We took her to the vet, who treated her wounds and gave her an injection. We told him that the kitty couldn’t be left in the streets because we were sure she won’t survive and we couldn’t keep her in the house because we have dogs.

We decided to get one of our dogs and see the kitty’s reaction. But when we got my dog out (I was holding her by collar so that she wouldn’t frighten the kitty too much), the kitty started hissing and struggling to get out of my mother’s arms. The plan failed, but we knew that we couldn’t just leave the kitty on the streets because she looked like a domesticated cat who was abandoned. Since we could not risk the life of this kitty, we decided to leave her at an animal shelter, where she would be cared and may even find a good, loving home. We found a good animal shelter and left our kitty in caring hands.

I only spent three and a half hours with the cat but I feel I have developed a strong bond with her. When I grow up, I would love to work at an animal shelter and spread awareness about animals. I also request all pet parents never to abandon their pets as this is extremely cruel to them. That kitty was lucky to be rescued and sheltered …let’s all make this world a better place for all!

Caring for the pearly whites!

We are responsible for the health and welfare of our cats and good mouth and tooth management is just as important as all other care factors with our animals. Let’s see why.

Importance of teeth...

Teeth are used to chew bones and larger pieces of meat and it must be clean and free from any infection. A cat with sore teeth only wants to eat soft food and this is not good for her. They use their teeth to fight and bite and generally for chewing, although some cats just swallow large chunks of food to get it down quickly.

A kitty’s teeth...

A kitten has twenty-six teeth and all adult teeth are in by six months. An adult cat has a total of thirty teeth. Situated in the cat’s mouth like this:

Importance of tooth care...

A healthy cat has firm gums that are closely attached to the teeth. When we see healthy, pink gums we feel sure that our cat has clean, healthy teeth. If we see any blood around the teeth and gums we should have this checked to make sure that the cat is not anaemic and that there is no sign of gingivitis which is an unpleasant and often painful inflammation of the gums.

Ulcerated gums can cause dental problems and often you will notice that your cat is not interested in her food and just prefers to drink either water or milk. If a cat has really sore teeth and gums she will not groom herself and this can make for a very unkempt and unhappy cat.

Just like humans, cats can develop tooth decay or abscesses. More often than not, this is caused by a poor diet. Tooth ache is unpleasant for humans and cats and caring for their teeth on a regular basis makes for a happy cat.

Tooth care...

Here’s how to take care of your cat’s teeth:

• It is wise to check your cat’s teeth on a regular basis.


• Do not feed your cat only soft, sloppy food as her teeth will not be cleaned and will develop plaque or tartar which, in turn, can cause decay.


• Never give any cat/kitten cooked chicken necks or bones as these can splinter and cause serious problems.


• Hard cat biscuits are also very helpful to keep cat’s teeth clean.


• A small, soft toothbrush is often useful for pet parents to clean the cat’s teeth. You must start to do this when the animal is quite young so that, as they get older, they will be used to this procedure and accept it quite willingly.


• Use the smallest amount of mild toothpaste for cats.


• If you are not sure that you can do this yourself please take your cat to the veterinarian every six months so that her teeth can be checked and cleaned.


• As your cat gets older, it is important to keep a check on the teeth so that any problem can be remedied and prevent your cat becoming distressed.

(Joan Henderson is based in Australia and she has judged furry felines in many other countries including USA, Bermuda, Malaysia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Philippines and New Zealand)

Feline mammary tumours

Know some facts about feline mammary tumours, which are the third most common tumours in female cats.

• Around 80-90 percent mammary gland tumours in cats are malignant (serious).


• Size of the tumour is probably the best prognostic indicator, whereas factors like age of the patient, tumour number and location have less prognostic value.


• Tumour size larger than two cm is considered to be serious.


• Risk of feline mammary tumours is similar for spayed and non-spayed cats.


• Chemotherapy may have minimal anti-tumour activity. But adjunct chemotherapy may be used together with surgery to remove the tumours.

Therapy

Mammary neoplasms in the cat have been treated in a variety of ways. Surgery is the most widely used treatment. It may be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy or other modes of cancer therapy.

Surgery

The success of surgery is hindered by the invasive nature of the disease and its tendency for early metastasis. Radical mastectomy (i.e., removal of all glands on the affected side) is the surgical method of choice because it significantly reduces the chance of local tumour recurrence. This procedure is frequently utilised, regardless of the size of the tumour.

The surgeon’s knowledge of the anatomy of the area is critical for local control of the tumour. The cat, unlike the dog, usually has four pairs of mammary glands. The two cranial glands on each side have a common lymphatic system and drain into the axillary lymph nodes and then to sternal nodes. The two caudal glands tend to drain to inguinal lymph nodes.

Several surgical principles are observed when performing a mastectomy on feline mammary tumour patients. As opposed to the dog, in which more conservative resections may be appropriate in carefully selected cases, most cats require a complete unilateral or bilateral mastectomy. Tumour fixation to the skin or abdominal fascia necessitates en bloc removal of these structures. Complete unilateral mastectomy is usually performed if the tumours are confined to one side. Staged mastectomy (two weeks apart) or simultaneous bilateral mastectomy is done when the tumours are bilateral. The inguinal lymph node is virtually always removed with gland, while the axillary lymph nodes are removed only if enlarged and cytologically positive for tumour. Aggressive or prophylactic removal of axillary nodes, whether positive or negative, probably has little therapeutic benefit.

Although ovariohysterectorny has been shown not to decrease the incidence of recurrence, some believe that it is warranted because of the occasionally seen coexisting ovarian and uterine disease. If the mammary mass is due to a benign condition such as fibroepithelial hyperplasia, ovariohysterectorny often results in regression of the hyperplastic tissue. This condition often resolves spontaneously within a few weeks of diagnosis; in some cases, without performing an ovariohysterectorny.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is not used routinely to treat feline mammary tumours. Currently, there are no major claims that radiation increases the survival rate of feline mammary tumour patients.

Chemotherapy

Combination chemotherapy has been shown to induce short-term responses in about half of the cats with metastatic or nonresectable local disease. In one study, 7 of 14 (50 percent) had a partial response (>50 percent regression). The chemotherapy protocol can be repeated every 3 to 4 weeks. We have found that the major side effect with this protocol has been profound anorexia and mild myelosuppression. Reducing the dose may limit toxicity to an acceptable level. Prospective studies using combined adjuvant chemotherapy and mastectomy in the cat have yet to be performed.

(Dr M Chandrasekar is Associate Professor at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ethics and Jurisprudence, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai).

Purring love – Tonkinese

Part puppy (following their pet parents around the house), part monkey (in their antics) and part elephant (the sound they can make while running through your house) - the colourful, warm and loving personality of the Tonkinese makes them an ideal addition to a feline loving family.

The Tonkinese is a stunning feline who has attracted attention not only for their exceptional good looks but also for their engaging personality.

The lineage…

Tonks were developed in North America in the 60s and 70s from Siamese and Burmese to get a more moderate breed than the extremes of the two parent breeds and they wanted new mink colours with aqua eyes.

The physical traits…

Tonkineses are medium-sized, surprisingly heavy and muscular cats. They have short, soft silky fur that is easy to care for and feel wonderful to pet. A weekly brushing with a small rubber brush will keep the shedding to a minimum and give them a shiny coat. Tonkineses come in four base colours and three coat patterns for a variety of 12 different looks. The base colours are Platinum (frosty gray), Champagne (medium brown), Natural (dark brown) and Blue (slate gray). The coat patterns vary in contrast between the body and the face, ears and tail. Each coat pattern has a corresponding eye colour. The three patterns are Point (high contrast with blue eyes), Mink (medium contrast with aqua eyes) and Solid (low contrast with green to yellow green eyes).

People cats…

People-oriented, social, active, playful and loving, the Tonkineses and their affectionate ways are impossible to ignore. They quickly endear themselves to family and visitors. In addition, the Tonkinese gets along with children, other breeds of cats and dogs. They just don’t like being ignored or left alone. They love to invent games to play with their pet parents or other family pets. Two of their favourite games are fetch and hide & seek.

They often climb or leap on people’s shoulders just to give a hug or a kiss. In doing this, they seldom use their claws. They also insist in sleeping in bed with their pet parents and usually will be found under the covers.

Although kittens are great fun, the Tonkineses tend to remain kittens throughout their life. What’s even more amazing is that Tonks love to talk to their pet parents. They talk in sentences and paragraphs when they have something to say, not just to hear their own voices.

Health…

Tonkineses are relatively a healthy breed with no known genetic inherent health issues.

(Nancy Mikita has been breeding and showing Tonkinese in CFA since 1993. She is an active member of the Tonkinese Breed Association, which is an intentional CFA Tonkinese Breed Club).