Spotlight: Feline Leukemia

Spotlight: Feline Leukemia

Among the recommended vaccines your cat should have is that for FeLV, the feline leukemia virus. Why is this inoculation important for your cat's health? Because FeLV is the cause of a preventable cancer, and yet the most common cancer in cats. While its victims are found worldwide, it infects 2% to 3% of cats in the U.S. This low percentage is likely due to good veterinary care that includes administering the vaccine.

What FeLV Does

Much like HIV, the AIDS-causing virus in humans, FeLV produces an enzyme that causes the virus to copy its genetic material over into other cells when it infects them. That means it attacks the immune system and starts turning your cat's own defense cells against themselves. This has earned it and others like it classification as a "retrovirus".

FeLV infection occurs in two stages. In the early stage, some cats are able to mount an effective immune response to it. In these lucky cats, it may never progress beyond the initial stage. But if it progresses into stage two, persistent infections of your cat's bone marrow will bring on all the symptoms, and will always prove fatal. If an initial "ELISA" FeLV test in your veterinarian's office comes back as positive, you should request a second "IFA" test, which will be sent to a lab to determine whether the disease has progressed into stage two. Repeated testing may be necessary.

When the disease begins, your cat will lose his appetite and his coat will look unhealthy. You may feel swelling in the throat that indicates enlarged lymph nodes. There may be a persistent fever. His mouth and gums will become inflamed, yet appear pale in color.

As FeLV progresses, your cat will lose weight as infections in his skin, bladder, and upper respiratory tract take hold. His weakened immune system will be unable to fend off any bacteria, viruses or fungi in his environment. He may suffer from persistent diarrhea and various eye conditions. Pregnant females may spontaneously abort their kittens.

Soon, you may see your cat experience seizures and other neurological disorders that can cause changes in behavior. Toward the end, severe wasting will cause even more rapid weight loss until poor kitty succumbs to the disease.

How long this will take is difficult to determine. A lot will depend on the care and diet of the infected cat, as well as how far along the disease had progressed when discovered. Some cats may live only months, while others may survive for a few years.

How FeLV is Spread

Again, just as with HIV, FeLV is spread through bodily fluids. These include saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, and mother's milk. Natural feline behaviors such as fighting and grooming each other facilitate spreading of the disease. More rare is spreading through human-imposed situations such as sharing litter boxes, toys, beds, or food bowls. Once outside the cat's body, the virus can survive for a few hours at most.

If you have an FeLV-infected cat, your other cats are at risk of catching the disease. So are cats who go outdoors without supervision and any kittens who have nursed from an infected mother cat. All should be tested and vaccinated as soon as possible.

There is no indication that FeLV can be spread to humans. However, some of the other diseases that may have infected a cat whose immune system was suppressed may be. Elderly or immunosupressed people, infants and pregnant women should avoid contact with FeLV-infected cats. If you are unable to keep your cat once he has contracted FeLV and cannot find him a cat-free home or a shelter specifically for FeLV+ cats, the humane thing to do would be to have your veterinarian euthanize him. Never try to surrender him to a regular animal shelter or sanctuary, as he would be immediately euthanized as soon as he was tested and found to be infected with FeLV.

Treating FeLV+ Cats

While FeLV will ultimately claim your cat's life, there are ways to give him a good quality of life and delay the more severe effects of the disease. Feeding him a balanced diet with complete nutritional needs is first and foremost. Never feed him raw or unpasteurized foods. Get him checked by your vet at least twice a year to monitor progress of the disease, including blood and urine analyses and weight monitoring. If you notice any behavioral changes, alert your vet at once.

There is a new USDA-approved drug that's now being used effectively to treat both FeLV and FIV. It is only available through veterinarians. The long name of it is Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator, and it's made by T-Cyte Therapeutics. The drug works by restoring the cat's normal immune system. Shots are given weekly for a month, then monthly thereafter, depending on the cat's response and the veterinarian's opinion. Some cats have responded within the first few weeks of treatment. If your veterinarian has not heard of this drug, the company's website is http://tcyte.com. Several companies sell homeopathic or natural supplements that may also help normalize the cat's immune system, or treat some of the infections that accompany FeLV. You'll find many of them in our "Health Time" section on OldMaidCatLady.com.

Preventing FeLV

While the symptoms of FeLV sound bleak, it is preventable! Vaccination will keep most cats safe from it, but test any new household additions before vaccinating them; if they already have the disease, the vaccine will not help them. And not all cats are protected by the vaccine, so preventing exposure is of great importance. Be careful of adding any untested stray cats to your home, as strays are at higher risk for FeLV.

If, for some reason, you weren't able to get one of your cats vaccinated before he contracted FeLV, you should take steps to protect your other cats and any others that will be introduced into your home. Keep any unvaccinated cats isolated from the infected one. Once the infected cat is gone, throw away all his bedding, cat toys, litter boxes, and dishes.

Disinfect any surfaces with which your cats come into contact. And keep in mind that these won't all be horizontal, as cats tend to rub their faces on vertical surfaces to "scent mark" furniture, walls, appliances, and anything else they pass. If you can mop and wipe these surfaces with a solution of bleach water (4 oz. of bleach per gallon of water), you should. Carpets are more difficult and may require the help of a professional carpet cleaner. Make sure you tell them that your carpets need disinfection.

While FeLV is a horrible disease that claims cats' lives, it can be diagnosed, averted, and treated. Education is the first step, and by reading this article, you've just taken it!

Do You Know How to Give Your Cat CPR?

April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month! Are you prepared in case your cat gets injured?

This goes far beyond having the right first aid items on hand, although that's an important first step. But it also means knowing what to do and, sometimes, what not to do when something traumatic happens to your little furry baby.

As with most things, preparedness is key. Keep a first aid kit on hand. In the event of a disaster that would require evacuation, make sure you also have an evacuation kit prepared so you can grab it and go quickly. This is something most Floridians think about during hurricane season, but just ask people in Japan how important it is to be prepared for an emergency evacuation at any time of the year.

Knowing what to do is also important. Do you know how to perform CPR on a cat? In the event that your cat has nearly drowned, been electrocuted, gotten hit by a car, or suffered a heart attack, the cat's breathing and heartbeat may have stopped. It's important to keep blood flowing to your cat's brain, as brain tissue starts dying when it's deprived of oxygen for 4 to 5 minutes. Since it would likely take you much longer than this to drive to the nearest vet, knowing how to perform kitty CPR could save your cat's life. So here's how you do it:

1. If there is profuse bleeding, especially if bright red blood is spurting from an artery, make sure to stop this first by pressing on the area (preferably with a soft cloth or paper towel you can hold there) or applying a tourniquet. If you don't stop the bleeding, the cat will be losing more blood with every chest compression. Extreme blood loss could lead to shock or even be fatal. Keep pressure on the area as long as the bleeding continues. This may require someone to help you.
   
2. Make sure that the cat is not breathing. Do not perform CPR on a cat that is breathing. If someone else is around, have them phone the vet while you're performing CPR.
   
3. Check the cat's airway to make sure nothing is blocking it:
   Remove any type of neckwear the cat is wearing.
   Open its mouth and pull the tongue forward.
   If there is anything in the mouth or airway, try to remove it with your fingers.
   
4. If your cat has fallen into a pool or pond and drowned, pick him up by the back legs and gently swing him back and forth a few times to allow any water to drain out of the airway.
5. Lie the cat on its right side, being careful to keep its neck and head straight to maintain an open airway. Its left side should be up, so the heart is not stressed by the cat's body weight lying on it and so that you have better access to it if you need to do chest compressions.
   
6. Place your mouth over the cat's nose and gently blow into it for about 3 seconds. Make sure you're not also covering the cat's mouth. You'll be able to feel any excess air coming out of the mouth and see the chest expanding. If you can't see the chest expanding, lightly cover the cat's mouth and blow a little more strongly.
7. Allow the chest to naturally expel the air you have just blown into it; you'll see it going back down from where it had just expanded with your breath.
   
8. Check to see if the cat's heart is beating. You should be able to find a pulse right next to the dew claw pad (sort of like the "thumb" on the cat's paw), in a spot that would correspond to a person's wrist. Feel with your fingers, not your thumb. If you can't find a pulse there, feel inside the rear leg, in the femoral artery area. If there's no pulse there, it's a good bet that the cat's heart has stopped beating.
   
9. If the heart is beating, just repeat the breaths about every 3 to 5 seconds until the cat begins naturally breathing again.
   If the heart is not beating, place your thumb on the cat's ribcage, just behind its elbow, with the palm of your hand cupping the chest from underneath the cat. Gently, but firmly, squeeze for about 1/2 second. Repeat this for about 10 compressions, averaging one compression per second.
10. If the cat is still not breathing, repeat the breath into the nose, alternating with the chest compressions, checking after each to see if the vital signs have returned naturally. Sometimes the heartbeat can return before the breathing, so discontinue the compressions if this happens, but keep up the breathing until the cat begins breathing naturally.
    
11. As soon as your cat is stable, immediately transport it to the vet. Be aware that your cat may be very disoriented once he regains his senses and more prone to scratching or biting as he will be frightened and not understand that you're trying to help him.
    

You'll also likely feel panicked in this situation, and your cat will pick up on your emotions, adding to his own distress. So try to remain as calm as you can and mentally reassure your cat that he's going to be okay, even if you're not sure of that yourself. Knowing what to do will help you maintain your composure. If you need to, print this list and post it where you can find it easily. Hopefully, you'll never need this information. But if you do, now you have it.

Purrs!

Want more information? This book has extensive sections on first aid, home nursing, and homeopathic remedies for your cat.

The OldMaidCatLady Story.m4v

Just created this new video to tell the story of OldMaidCatLady.com! What do you think?

Is There Hope for Cats With FIP?

Is There Hope for Cats With FIP?

Frankie, pictured here, was one of those special cats you have only once or twice in a lifetime, those ones who really steal your heart. He loved everybody and was certain that they loved him back...and they usually did. Dog people would say he was "just like a dog," which is something they consider to be a compliment. He was a large cat with beautiful green eyes that looked directly into your soul, strong as an ox, fearless, gregarious, smart and curious. Every time we'd raise the garage door upon driving up to the house, he'd run out to greet us.

FIP: Stage 1

When Frankie started sneezing all the time and having runny eyes, we put it off to allergies. After all, it was springtime and there was a lot of pollen in the air. I had allergies, my mother had allergies, so it only made sense that our cat who mainly lived outdoors would have them, too. He'd gotten into a tussle with something that had given him an abscess in his ear shortly before, so we wondered if there was a connection. The vet said that some cats just get chronic upper respiratory infections that are hard to cure. We got used to being sneezed on because Frankie was worth it.

FIP: Stage 2

The following spring, he was plagued with terrible stomach upset that the vet diagnosed as pancreatitis. Since he didn't use a litter box, but went outdoors, it was hard to notice at first. But then after he'd eaten we'd see him squatting right in the middle of the yard, as though he had painful intestinal spasms. His vigorous appetite seemed to wane a bit, probably to avoid the spasms he experienced post-mealtime. After a pricey and extended hospitalization, they put Frankie on a special prescription diet we could only buy at the vet's, and said he'd have to stay on it for the rest of his life. We jokingly called him our million-dollar alley cat.

FIP: Stage 3

As it turned out, "the rest of his life" would be less than a year. The following Valentine's Day, he went into the third and final stage. He was breathing very quickly and shallowly. Looking down at him from above, he almost looked like a body builder, with an abnormally huge chest and tiny hips. I scooped him up and rushed him to the emergency vet. Since they didn't have his history, they didn't make the connection and had no idea what was causing his condition. They drained his chest cavity of the fluid, put him in an oxygenated box overnight and sent him home Sunday afternoon, but said he was still a very sick cat who needed to see his regular vet Monday morning.

That Sunday night, Frankie was so happy to be home that my mother let him in the house. He laid on his back in my lap and kneaded the air. She even let him do the same in her lap for a few minutes, something my mother never did. But she knew this was probably our last night with him, and she did love him so. Something told her this was the mysterious "FIP" disease, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, that I'd read about online after encountering the term in an article. "Hey," I'd said, "You know, Frankie has had both the symptoms of the first two stages of this disease; I wonder if that's what's been causing all his problems?" My mother thought so, and kept waiting for the final stage to appear. I didn't want to believe it, but she was right. Despite the vet's best efforts, which included a week of hospitalization and a chest tube to drain the fluid that kept accumulating in his chest, our darling little kitty boy died there a week later. He was textbook case of FIP.

Difficulties Diagnosing FIP

Even with all the evidence pointing to FIP, my vet couldn't make a definite diagnosis without running expensive post-mortem tests that we didn't want to do. And that's not his fault. He's a very good veterinarian, but the disease is so mysterious that it's difficult to diagnose. Since it's caused by a mutation of a very common and usually benign feline virus to which virtually all cats are exposed as kittens, most cats would test positive for it, whether or not they actually had it. So there's no reliable test for it. There's no vaccine against it, largely for the same reason. It's as impossible to prevent as the common cold. And even with a correct diagnosis, there's no treatment for FIP. Once the virus morphs into the wet (effusive) or dry form of the disease, it's always a death sentence. Dr. Al Legendre of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine says that FIP is the most complex disease he's ever studied.

But more cats are affected by FIP than you'd think. It kills one in 100-300 of all cats under 5 years old. Our Frankie was older, but he still developed it. With over 93 million cats owned as pets in the United States, that works out to a disease that will kill roughly 1-2 million cats in this country alone. Cats who have lived in catteries or shelters are even more susceptible. Frankie may have picked it up while he was a resident of our local humane society. With funding for research into cat diseases lagging far behind that for dogs, however, a cure for FIP has remained elusive.

New FIP Treatments Offer Hope

But hope springs eternal. One drug developed to treat feline herpes virus, which causes an upper respiratory infection in cats, has proven effective in the short term at treating the dry form of FIP in about 20% of cases. It's called Polyprenyl Immunostimulant (PI). But PI is completely ineffective against the wet form, the one that claimed our Frankie. Studies continue on the reasons for this difference, and why it works on some cats and not others. While at the Global Pet Expo last week, I heard of another new drug called T-cyte that was developed to treat FIV and FeLV that has also shown promise in treating FIP.

Want more information? Dr. Legendre will join Dr. Niels Pederson, who directs the Center of Companion Animal Health at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, in headlining the 2011 Winn Feline Foundation Symposium in June, entitled WINNing the FIP Fight. It will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Virginia. While the symposium will be of most interest to veterinarians, anyone may attend. Register online or by calling 856-447-9787.

Nobody should have to lose a beloved cat the way we lost Frankie, and no cat should have to suffer as he did. Until my mother's death five months after his, whenever we would arrive home and Frankie wasn't there to greet us, she would lament, "I miss him every day." Let's hope that new research will soon yield a cure for this terrible disease.

Which Cat Matches Your Personality?

Cat adoption agencies that match cats with adopters' personalities should have more success, and now there's a study to prove it.

A research group at the University of Vienna's Konrad Lorenz Research Center conducted a study of 40 cats and owners over a 3 1/2 year period. Using video cameras, interviews and written questionnaires, the personalities of the owners and cats were compared with how the two interacted.

Owner personalities were analyzed in five dimensions:

• neuroticism
• extraversion
• openness to experience
• agreeableness
• conscientiousness

Cats' personalities were also assessed in five dimensions based on observations and the owner's analysis. Interactions were examined to determine their level of complexity. Previously hidden patterns of behavior were detected by software that analyzed video footage of the cats and owners interacting with each other. Repeated behaviors discovered this way were referred to as temporal, or t-, patterns.

Turns out that the personality and gender of the owner, along with the personality and age of the cat, are the main factors influencing their relationship. The length of time they've lived together is not as important as these personality factors. Women interact more with their cats. Older cats like simpler patterns of interaction, just as older human couples become more ritualistic in their interactions. This is less true for same-sex pairings of owner and cat; women with girl cats and men with boy cats continue having more complex interactions through the years.

More neurotic owners have less t-patterns with their cats than their more well adjusted counterparts. The cats don't seem to enjoy interacting with those who fuss over them all the time. Extroverted owners interact more frequently with their cats. Very active cats interact less often with their owners, but each of their t-patterns has more complexity. And it turns out that the best interactions are initiated by the cat, not the human.

So what does this mean for us average old maid cat ladies? Looks like matching the right cat to the right person does have some validity, after all! Dr. Kurt Kotrschal, who penned the study, told TheStar.com, “Cats are more interesting than dogs. Dogs can’t help but be attached to their owners. Cats regard their owners differently.” Well, duh! We could've told them that without a long study...but it is nice to have some bona fide research to back up what we know.

An abstract of the study's findings was published in the January, 2011 issue of the journal Behavioural Processes. Or, if your German's good, you can read it online at the University's website.

Got a cat who's suddenly acting crazy? It may be anything from an indication of illness to a mere disruption in the cat's normal routine. Our little furry buddies don't like change, and they're masters at hiding the symptoms of illness. OldMaidCatLady.com's Health Time section has an assortment of calming products, along with holistic and natural supplements for whatever ails Kitty, whatever her personality (or yours).

Beyond Geriatric

Okay, so cats are supposedly "senior" by between ages 9-12, and "geriatric" by age 14. So what would you call one who's now 23? Super-geriatric? Tenacious? Determined?

That would be my little Vixen, whose birthday we celebrate this month, when she first came to live with me 22 years ago! That's her pictured on the fake Cat Fancy cover (which I created at fakeazine.com; very fun site!). She's always had a habit of crossing her front paws, so ladylike. It always makes me smile to see her do it.

Vixen has a lot of the symptoms of aging; her knees bother her, her heart races sometimes, she can't hear at all, doesn't see as well, and her sense of smell isn't as sharp as it used to be. She gets cold more often, and no longer jumps up on anything. There aren't as many teeth in her mouth as there used to be. Her voice has dropped down from the sweet, soft little "meows" she used to emit into a gravelly, old-lady yowl, sort of like the chain-smoking aunties on The Simpsons. She gets grumpy when she's hungry. (We old maid cat ladies can relate to that one!)

But she's also much wiser in her old age. Every morning, if she wakes up before I do, she walks by to see if I'm awake yet. If I seem to be asleep, she'll quietly move on, eating some crunchies or going to the potty. Then she'll sit next to her heater and check on me every few minutes until I awaken. After a quick little "Aaar" greeting from the floor (her way of saying "hey"), she wants to come up and have some cuddle time with me, followed closely by her first of several breakfasts.

Cuddle time is much more important to Vixen these days. She'd told pet psychic Laura Stinchfield that she thinks we should spend some time together every day, "thinking good thoughts." The types of thoughts she described sounded an awful lot like the positive visualization that's hyped by motivational speakers. See what I mean? She's a wise little lady.

And so we both continue, her into the twilight of her life as I venture boldly forth in my middle age. We're both thankful for every day, both a little apprehensive about what the future may bring. But we still have each other, a roof over our head, and good food on the table. As she regularly reminds me, what more do we really need? We are rich, indeed.

Little Vixen was the inspiration for the Senior Cats section of OldMaidCatLady.com. If you have a kitty who's getting up in age and needs a little help every now and then, you may find just the things there to help.

Dangers of Vaccines

Dangers of Vaccines for Cats

You're supposed to get your cat vaccinated every year, right? Well, maybe not for everything.

In a presentation yesterday at the Western Veterinary Conference entitled "Feline Vaccination: Protocols, Products and Problems," Dr. Alice Wolf of Texas A&M University outlined concerns about the safety of some vaccines for annual use on cats.

You see, vaccines work by introducing either the dead or a modified live version of the disease-causing agent into the cat's bloodstream. The body then produces antibodies that kill the invading pathogen, producing immunity from the disease in the cat. But about 20-25 years ago, some modified-live versions of rabies vaccine resulted in the animals actually getting rabies. Yes, from the vaccines. The veterinary community began using new types of vaccines made with killed rabies virus. To improve their effectiveness, the vaccines were "adjuvanted", or enhanced with a substance containing aluminum. This increased the body's immune response to the invading virus and improved the effectiveness of the vaccines, without the risk of actually causing the cat to get rabies. Another advantage was that the cats only needed to get these new vaccines every three years instead of annually. Hmm, more efficient and saves you money! Great improvement, right?

Well, not so fast! Dr. Wolf explained that these adjuvanted vaccines are now being shown to cause vaccine-associated sarcomas (VAS), a type of cancer, in cats. The substance used to create adjuvanted vaccines is deemed by the World Health Organization to be a Class 3 carcinogen, with Class 4 being the strongest. Up to 20,000 cats per year have shown symptoms of VAS.

What does Dr. Wolf recommend? Citing a study by Dr. Julie Levy of the University of Florida, she noted that the modified live virus (MLV) vaccines are much more effective than the killed-virus versions. They provide quicker protection and work on a wider number of animals. She highly advised fellow veterinarians to opt for the MLV versions given annually.

But what about other diseases beyond rabies? Dr. Wolf said that only the FVRCP vaccine that protects against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia, needs to be given at all. Others are ineffective and expose your cat to unnecessary risks. Kittens should also receive the FeLV, or feline leukemia, vaccine because they are at higher risk for that disease, as should older cats that go outside a lot. But most adult cats have a higher natural immunity to FeLV and if they stay indoors, it is not a major risk for them.

There are also vaccines Dr. Wolf does not recommend be given to cats at all. They are:

• giardia
• feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)
• feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
• virulent calcivirus
• bordetella

In addition to their being ineffective, they are not needed. She said that a vet practicing good hygiene and disinfection procedures and isolating sick or shelter cats from regular patients should have no problems with spreading contagious diseases between patients.

As a responsible cat owner, be aware of what's being used on your cat, and ask your veterinarian to use the safer options whenever possible.