Cat Doings Around the Web - Ohio, USA

I found an interesting blog from Cleveland, Ohio. Below are some extracted bits...

$1,000 raffle for cats
Caroline's Kids Cat Sanctuary is again raffling $1,000. Tickets at carolines-kids.org are $5 each or six for $25 for the Friday, April 27, drawing at the shelter, 7394 Morley Road, Concord Township. The last $1,000 raffle netted $3,215 for the care of 250 cats. The group also hosts a Polka for Pussycats event from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Kirtlander Party Center, 9270 Chillicothe Road, featuring sideboards, a cake walk, German food and music by Ralph Szubski, the Accordion Man. Tickets are $42; call 440-449-3496.


Cleveland cats
Residents of the Broadway and Slavic Village neighborhoods, ZIP code 44105 in Cleveland, can get owned and stray cats neutered for free through the Public Animal Welfare Society. Call 216-739-0705 to schedule a surgery. Details: 440-442-7297, pawsohio.org.


Feral cats
Euclid Beach Feral Cat Project volunteers in Cleveland's North Collinwood neighborhood have captured more than 640 cats and kittens since April 2009. Most were taken to the Cleveland Animal Protective League for adoption. More than 100 feral cats were vaccinated, neutered and returned to small shelters, where they're fed daily. More volunteers and donations are needed to continue the progress; ebfcp.org.



Cats in Medina County
Save Ohio Strays, based in Wadsworth, offers vaccinated, neutered cats for $9.99. Details: saveohiostrays.org, 440-567-3585.



PetFix
Low-income pet owners and stray-cat caregivers can have dogs and cats neutered by PetFix Northeast Ohio for $30 to $70 each in the PetFix mobile clinic, which visits humane societies, rescue groups and pounds in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Portage and Trumbull counties. The nonprofit group has neutered nearly 22,000 pets since January 2006. Details: petfixnortheastohio.org, 216-536-0930.

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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Rep. Dennis Kucinich continue to prod the Food and Drug Administration to step up its search for toxins in dog treats made in China.

"I'm urging the FDA to expedite this testing, and to complete the 153 tests still pending as soon as possible. I will continue to press the FDA on this issue because Ohio consumers shouldn't have to worry about the safety of their pets' food," Brown said in a news release.

The FDA began testing chicken jerky treats in 2007, after receiving the first reports of sickened dogs. Since then, about 600 dogs have become ill or died of kidney or liver failure after eating treats from China, according to reports submitted to the FDA. The agency has issued three warnings about the treats, but has never ordered a recall because a contaminant has not been identified. "

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Yep, lots of interesting stuff available in Ohio! Does anyone else have stuff from another state?

Why I Recommend Twice-a-Year Vet Visits for Kitties

By Dr. Becker

Why I Recommend Twice-a-Year Vet Visits for Kitties
I encourage semi-annual vet checkups for cats for a number of reasons, including:

• Your kitty's health can change quickly, and especially if your pet is older. I frequently see senior cats with normal kidney enzymes in January who have elevated kidney enzymes 6 months later. The earlier I detect a problem, the more successful I am at slowing, stalling or reversing a disease process.
  
• If your cat has a health problem brewing, the earlier it is found and treated, the better the chance for a full recovery. Because I take a proactive approach to your pet's well being, I'm able to address a developing issue before it turns into full-blown disease. But I can't do that unless I see your kitty regularly.
  
• Unfortunately, many cats these days are overweight or obese. I have found getting a too-heavy cat back in shape is more successful when the owner and I work together toward a weight loss goal. And since good nutrition is the foundation of good health, even for kitties at optimum weight I find it extremely beneficial to regularly review diets and nutritional supplements and make adjustments as necessary.
  
• Many indoor cats never get out of the house except for trips to the vet. More frequent trips can sometimes reduce the amount of stress your kitty feels at each visit.
  
• In addition to regular professional checkups, I also recommend you perform routine at-home wellness exams on your cat. This will help you learn what's normal for your pet, and therefore, what's not normal.

How You Can Ease Your Cat's Vet Visit Phobia

Suggestions offered in the “AAFP/ISFM Feline-Friendly Handling Guidelines”ii include:

• Perform 'rehearsal visits' to the veterinary clinic to help get kitty accustomed to trips in the car and the clinic environment. This includes loading your cat into her carrier and traveling around the block in the car.
  
• Do mock vet exams at home to familiarize your cat with human handling. Do things like handle your pet's paws, inspect her ears, clip her nails, open and inspect the inside of her mouth, move your hands over her legs and body, and comb or brush her coat. If you do this regularly your cat will be less stressed when faced with the real thing at the vet's office.
  
• Get your cat used to his carrier. If the only time your cat sees the carrier is for vet visits you can't blame him for panicking. Put your cat in his carrier with a few treats for 5 minutes a day for a week prior to the visit. Even consider feeding your cat in the crate, leaving the door open to encourage exploration on his own.
• Leave the carrier out for a week prior to the vet visit so your cat can inspect it.
  
• The morning of the appointment find him well in advance of the time of your vet appointment and encourage him to enter the carrier on his own. Put an item with a familiar scent in the carrier, like his bedding or a toy he's fond of.
  Consider administering homeopathy and Bach Flower Essences prior to the visit. There are several remedies including Bach Rescue Remedyiii and homeopathic Aconitum that can reduce anxiety and fear.
  
• Stay cool. Keep in mind your kitty can sense your anxiety and stress, so remain calm. Stay positive and proceed at your cat's pace. Be aware of his response to what's happening, and use treats and other rewards to encourage desired behavior.

Help for Cats That Freak Out at the Vet's Office

Posted By: Dr. Becker on March 21 2012

Those of you reading here today who share your lives with a cat know taking Tiger for vet visits can be an upsetting experience for both of you.
In fact, many kitties are so distressed by vet visits their owners decide it's more harmful than helpful to subject their pet to routine wellness exams.
According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP)i:
In the United States, there are 86 million owned cats and 78 million owned dogs
Almost twice as many cats than dogs never visit the veterinarian
Of the cats that do visit the veterinarian, they average 26% fewer visits than dogs

• 41% of cat owners visit the veterinarian only for vaccinations (which is the worst reason for routine vet visits)
  
• 39% of cat owners say they would only take their cat to the veterinarian if the cat was sick
  
• 60% of cat owners report that their cat hates going to the veterinarian
  
• 38% of cat owners report that they get stressed just thinking about bringing their cat to the practice

The result, of course, is too many cats are not seen by a veterinarian until they become sick. And because kitties are excellent at hiding discomfort and illness, often a disease process is quite advanced before the cat parent even knows there's a problem.

Making Veterinary Practices More Feline Friendly

To help provide solutions to the problem of declining feline vet visits, the AAFP has created a "Cat Friendly Practice" initiative aimed at veterinary clinics. The goal of the initiative is to help vet practices become more welcoming places for cats, and more accommodating to their unique needs. Hopefully this will ultimately encourage more cat owners to bring their pets to the vet for routine wellness checkups. In order to be designated a "Cat Friendly Practice," a vet clinic must have at least one DVM on staff who belongs to the AAFP. The clinic must also comply with a 10-item checklist covering the following areas:

1. Staff Training & Continuing Education / Client Communications
   
2. Veterinary Practice / Waiting Room
   
3. Feline Handling & Interaction with Clients
   
4. Examination Room & Clinical Records
   
5. Wards Facilities
   
6. Pain Management / Operating Room & Anesthesia
   
7. Surgical Equipment & Dentistry
   
8. Diagnostic Imaging & Laboratory Facilities
   
9. Treatment / Health & Safety
   
10. Preventative Care by Life Stages

The staff submits their completed checklist for review, and if the AAFP approves, the clinic receives the "Cat Friendly Practice" designation.
The vet office then receives marketing materials to promote its cat-friendly status to the community, and is listed in a Cat Friendly Practice online database.
According to the AAFP, there are actually two levels a veterinary practice can qualify for. "Silver Standard" status means the practice has met the standard criteria to be a Cat Friendly Practice. "Gold Standard" status is awarded to vet practices that have implemented an optimum level of cat-friendly criteria.

More tomorrow....

Feral Cat Population Programs (TNR)

New York is trying to clear up homeless cats


Another New York Post

Northwest Ohio has another view

North Dakota SCRAPS (love that name!)

The Local College Press and the Cat Coalition in Billerica Mass., have a new take on helping kitties

If you can help any of these (or your local organization), please donate or help them to trap the cats. The overpopulation of feral cats is a problem all across the country, as more cats go homeless because their owners have to move or downsize. This is not to catch and place the unfortunate cats - just to spay and neuter them. Some placement programs may also be involved for the kittens, but usually the adult cats are left to live feral.

Salmonella in Cat Food

http://prn.to/A5gWDi
The official announcement is here...

http://prn.to/A5gWDi

Iams Renal Feline Formula and Iams Veterinary Renal Feline Formula. Lot numbers are listed here...

Product Name	Lot Code	UPC Code
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs	01384174B4	0 19014 21405 1
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs	01384174B2	0 19014 21405 1

Diabetes in cats

My Missy Fluffs has come to have diabetes. She was a bit on the pudgy side when I rescued her, having lived in a cage for the first 2 years of her life. I've slimmed her down with exercise, but she's always had a very healthy appetite.

Recently, she began drinking a lot of water. I knew something was up, and then she vomited all over my house - got several rooms, and there were no hairballs in it. So, time to change the food and start monitoring her.

The monitoring isn't so bad, really, just a prick in her ear and take a drop of blood on my glucose meter. The same ones used for people can be used on cats. Just be sure you are looking at the correct range of blood values.

For food, the crunchies are hard to eliminate. Bugsy still eats nothing but crunchies, and the others supplement caloric intake with free-feeding all day. I'm getting some special food, Young Again Pet Food, Cat, Diabetic formula...

http://www.for-the-love-of-cats.com/YoungAgain-Food-D

I'm also using some Instinct dehydrated raw food and adding some vitamins. That makes up a kind of gruel when mixed with hot water (thereby cooking the meat). They look at me like "what is this?" instead of eating it.

http://www.for-the-love-of-cats.com/RawInstinct-Food

Princess seems to love it. Beasley will eventually put his nose to the bowl, Fluffy and Queenie just go hungry, and poor little Bugsie doesn't know what to do with it.

I'm currently feeding the Lamb formula, and will switch to the Venison later this week. I find it takes 3 mini-patties per feeding for 5 cats. I could probably do 5 of the patties, but right now this is working. Once they are all eating it, I will increase.

I'm adding a taurine supplement, since there is no taurine listed in the ingredients on the label. Cats must have that added to their food. Since the food is used for both cats and dogs, there are no additives of any kind. Pretty good stuff, actually!

Some new internships for veterinary students!

Veterinary Medicine Student Internships – http://1.usa.gov/zMwW61

There was a dog food recall today!

The US Government published a dog food recall today:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm290117.htm?source=govdelivery

Advanced Animal Nutrition Recalls Dog Power Dry Dog Food

Click on the link to get the lot numbers.

DOG FOOD RECALL!

Dogfood Recall - Cargill Foods...

http://1.usa.gov/xU1Xtf

What Does a Cat Whisperer Do?

A cat whisperer - or cat trainer - can help with a troubled cat and human relationship. We can help the cat to adjust to changes around the home.

This includes helping a cat to accept other cats or dogs, a new baby, spouse, or partner. We can help the cat to feel comfortable in a new home, including a feral or rescue cat. Not that the cat will like it, but we can help the owner (or foster home) to make the cat more comfortable by their actions.

I work with shelters, foster families, folks who want to feed the feral cats in the neighborhood, and new parents; to help their cats feel more comfortable, adjust to the vagaries of life, and be more friendly.

There are times when a cat will mark it's territory, or bite and scratch for no apparent reason. I work with the humans to identify the issues, and adjust the cat's behavior accordingly.

Some cats seem hopeless and helpless. There is no bad cat. There is no hopeless cat. All the cat wants is to feel safe and eat it's fill. It wants to sleep in the sun and chase mice or birds. We, as humans, can help cats to feel safe and secure, to chase toys instead of live animals, and we do that by our actions.

I also talk a lot about a cat's diet. A cat has to eat healthy food and since we tend to keep cats in our homes, that means we have to provide that healthy food. Not all cat food is good for cats. I test foods, read labels, and keep on top of the additives and recalls that affect our furry friends. If I find something you, the owner, needs to know about, I pass it on as fast as I can.

I hope I can build trust with you, and you will learn to rely on me a little bit.

Best purrs and scratches...