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Dental Treats For Cats Take A Bite Out Of Vets’ Pocketbooks

Dental Treats For Cats Take A Bite Out Of Vets’ Pocketbooks

Cat Healthcare, Veterinary News
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Dental treats for cats are replacing dentals done by vets. But are they really good for your cat’s teeth?

Dental treats for cats are growing in popularity. But nothing works as well as a toothbrush.

Dental treats for cats may taste good, but they can’t replace a toothbrush.

Here’s something to chew on: Dental treats for cats are taking a bite out of vets’ pocketbooks as more and more people opt for home dental care for their cats instead of expensive dentistry at the vet’s office.

Just eight percent of the people who responded to the 2017-2018 American Pet Products Association’s National Pet Owners Survey said their cats saw a veterinarian for dental care in the past year. Meanwhile, Packaged Facts found that dental treats for cats and dogs account for 25 percent of all treat sales. Dental chews also took a sizable bite out of vets’ pocketbooks.


But Do Dental Treats For Cats Clean Their Teeth?

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Feline Diabetes Risk Factors: Dry Cat Food & Cats Living Strictly Indoors

Feline Diabetes, Cat Healthcare, Cat Research
Reading Time: 2 minutes
A new study shows dry food and a strictly indoor lifestyle are two risk factors for feline diabetes.

 

Getting a cat outside on a harness and leash can reduce the risk of feline diabetes.

Getting a cat outside on a harness and leash can reduce the risk of feline diabetes.

Here’s a good reason for making sure your cats get some outdoor time. Among the feline diabetes risk factors: dry food and living strictly indoors. This news comes from a study by a Swedish pet insurance company and published by the Winn Feline Foundation.

Using a Web-based survey, the insurance company looked at 396 diabetic cats and 1670 control cats. Among the findings: The risk of feline diabetes increases for inactive and moderately active cats who live strictly indoors.

All of the cats in the study were the same age.

The cats least likely to develop diabetes: females, cats who are not overweight, cats who have access to outdoors and cats who free feed (but not dry food). Living with a dog helps, too!


Top Feline Diabetes Risk Factors

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Cats With Cancer – A Different Kind Of Treatment

Cats With Cancer, Cat Healthcare
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Veterinary oncologists suggest a different, gentler kind of treatment for cats with cancer.

Cats with cancer could benefit from a different kind of treatment.

If you have a cat with cancer, he may benefit from a different kind of treatment.

Think about the sound of a metronome. It’s always steady and often slow. And now its name is inspiring a different way of treating cats with cancer.

Conventional treatment using chemotherapy for cats with cancer calls for giving the drug at the maximally tolerated dose. But patients need a rest period between treatments to allow healthy cells to repair and regenerate and to minimize side effects.

Cancer cells never rest, though. And during the break in treatment, damaged tumor blood vessels can recover along with healthy cells, lessening the benefit of the treatment.


Enter Metronomic Chemotherapy For Treating Cats With Cancer

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Finally — The Truth About FIV Cats

FIV, Cat Healthcare, Cat Research
Reading Time: 3 minutes

FIV Research confirms it! FIV cats can live with other cats without infecting them.

 

FIV cats can go outside like this one and live with other cats without infecting them.

This study could change the lives of many FIV cats.

Finally. It’s official. FIV cats can live with other cats and not infect them.

Veterinarian Annette L. Litster of Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, studied more than 100 cats who were in rescue group shelters. The cats were not in cages but lived together in a group home setting. Her research was published in a recent issue of Veterinary Journal.

Litster initially tested 138 cohabiting cats with Rescue Group One. At the time, eight of the cats tested positive for FIV. The others were all negative. When she did a  second test 28 months later, the 45 negative cats who were still there were still negative. She got the same results 38 months after the first tests. By then, all but four of the negative cats and seven of the eight positive cats had been adopted.

“These results show a lack of evidence of FIV transmission, despite years of exposure to naturally-infected, FIV-positive cats in a mixed household,” she wrote.

Now if veterinarians will just read the study and believe it.


FIV Should Not Be A Death Sentence 

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High-Pitched Noises Can Cause Seizures In Cats

Cat Healthcare, Cat Research
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Who would’ve thought? Crinkling tin foil can cause seizures in cats. Cats, especially older cats, can have a very bad reaction to sounds we make all the time, like crinkling tin foil or tapping a computer keyboard. This news comes from researchers at Davies Veterinary Specialists, UK.

 
High-pitched noises can cause seizures in cats.

Is your cat prone to seizures? They could be caused by a sound she hears.

If you live with an older cat, you might want to think twice about crinkling tin foil or clanking a metal spoon against a ceramic bowl. These and other high-pitched sounds can cause seizures in cats, especially elderly ones.

Audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS) were first reported in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. Other sounds that can trigger FARS are tapping on glass, crinkling paper or plastic bags, tapping on a computer keyboard or clicking the mouse, clinking coins or keys, hammering a nail and even clicking your tongue.

Until recently, no one had even thought there might be a connection between loud noises and seizures in cats. But International Cat Care received so many inquiries from alarmed caretakers, the UK-based charity asked neurologists at Davies Veterinary Specialists, UK for help.

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I’ll Write For You

If you have a vet clinic, grooming shop, pet supply store or pet sitting service, I’d love to write for you. To find out how we can work together, write to missyzane@comcast.net.

 

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