Feline coronavirus (FCoV or FECV) is a common viral infection which causes self-limiting intestinal (enteric) disease in cats. Most coronaviruses target the intestinal epithelia, which leads to malabsorption, maldigestion and diarrhea.
Read moreCoronavirus and Feline Infectious Peritonitis in Cats
Litter tray maintenance is important to ensure it remains clean and appealing for the cat to use, but also because cat feces can carry a number of pathogens and parasites with the potential to infect humans.
As a rule, each home should have one litter tray per cat, plus one extra. So a home with two cats would have three litter trays. Too few, and the trays can become dirty too fast which can lead to litter tray refusal.
Cats have a reputation for being easy to care for, and while there is some truth to that, cats do still have needs. With an increasing number of the population working full time, people considering a cat have to be aware of just what is involved and if it is possible for full-time workers to care for a cat.
The current covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of handwashing and if that is not possible, hand sanitiser to reduce the transmission of pathogens. It hasn’t taken long for rumours to circulate social media that hand sanitiser contains antifreeze (ethylene glycol) which is a known toxin to cats. The original post has been shared 447,000 times before it was finally removed by Facebook or the original author.
No, hand sanitiser does not contain ethylene glycol, the active ingredients are either ethyl alcohol (the same alcohol in alcoholic beverages) or isopropyl alcohol (surgical spirit). Alcohol solutions which contain 60% to 95% alcohol are most effective at killing pathogens.
We have selected some of the most commonly asked questions about cats and their behaviour.
The largest cat domestic cat breed is the Maine Coon. Adult males can weigh as much as 11 kg or 24.2 pounds and can grow up to three feet in length. Female Maine Coons are generally smaller than males.
Maine Coons are a slow-growing breed and it can take up to four years for the Maine Coon to reach his or her full size.
Related: Buying a purebred cat
Dental care is an important part of cat care to prevent gum disease, a chronic disease which occurs when tartar deposits cause chronic infection and inflammation which destroy the supportive structures of the teeth. Studies have found between 50-90% of cats over four have gum disease.
Signs of gum disease include bad breath, red gums, drooling, bleeding gums, reluctance to eat hard food and loose teeth.
A perineal urethrostomy is a surgical procedure performed on male cats who have had recurrent bouts of urinary obstruction. Which occurs when mucus plugs, crystals or stones become lodged in the urethra, which is the thin tube that passes from the bladder to the tip of the penis. Once a blockage develops and the cat is no longer able to urinate, the bladder can rupture and toxins build up in the bloodstream, within 24 hours the cat is in acute kidney failure.
Calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones (uroliths) are rock-like formations composed of crystalloids and a small amount of organic matrix, which stick together and form stones that increase in size and number over time. The most common location is the bladder, and kidneys (less often). The etiology isn’t known, but we do know that supersaturated urine promotes the formation of crystals which combine to form stones. The incidence of calcium oxalate stones has increased in the past 35 years. In 1981, calcium oxalate made up less than 10% of stones compared to 47% now.
Litter box problems are one of the biggest sources of frustration among cat owners and a leading reason why cats are surrendered to animal shelters, in fact, behaviour problems kill more cats per year than viral infections.
Firstly, cat owners must be aware of the difference between spraying and urinating. Spraying is targeted at diagonal surfaces such as walls and doors, urinating is on a horizontal surface such as the floor or a bed.
Litter box problems can include sometimes using the litter tray and sometimes not, only using the tray for defecation OR urination, but not both.
People often pin litter box issues as the cat being dirty, but it is far from the truth. Cats are exceptionally clean animals, which can make the issue confusing. Why would such a fastidiously clean animal urinate or defecate outside his or her toilet?