Cats

This study explored how domestic cats perform in a horizontal string-pulling task to determine whether they understand this case of physical causality. Fifteen cats were tested on their ability to retrieve an unreachable food treat in three different set-ups: (a) a single baited string, (b) two parallel strings where only one was baited and (c) two crossed strings where only one was baited. All cats succeeded at pulling a single string to obtain a treat, but none consistently chose the correct string when two strings were parallel. When tested with two crossed strings one cat chose the wrong string consistently and all others performed at chance level. There was no evidence that cats understand the function of the strings or their physical causality.

Chondroprotectants and nutraceuticals have become attractive adjunctive or alternative treatments for cats and dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritic patients can be managed satisfactorily in most situations with optimization of body condition, exercise modification, anti-inflammatory therapy, and the use of chondroprotectants agents. Presently, recommendations cannot be made as to which chondroprotectant is best for each dog and cat afflicted with osteoarthritis. Head-to-head comparisons of these products have not been made, and it is not known when the different mediators of osteoarthritis play an important role. Currently, the best recommendation is to use products that have well-designed experimental and clinical research evaluating efficacy and safety, and products that are manufactured under the high quality standards practiced by the pharmaceutical industry.

This article examines the Japanese cat café boom, which peaked in 2009 yet remains a significant retail phenomenon throughout Japan, and in particular Tokyo. How do humans encounter animals in contemporary Japan, not as private owners and companions, but as consumers seeking direct, sensory engagement with cats at a moment of profound social and economic anxieties? Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Tokyo, this article examines how cats have become a newly emergent commodity within the ‘healing boom’ that first emerged in recessionary-era 1990s Japan. Such healing commodities – therapeutic music, aromatherapy, robot interaction, among others – are designed to invoke an affective engagement with the consumer in order to cope with the uncertain and stressful conditions of life in still recessionary, and now post 3/11, Japan. I situate cat cafés within the increasing immaterialization of the economy in post-bubble Japan during which social relationships have become commodified and marketed to those who can afford it. Cats are the affective object through which patrons seek a sense of healing and relaxation.

Five case reports on cowpox virus infections in cats, humans, and for the first time in a horse are presented. It becomes obvious that in most cases the diagnosis cowpox is suspected rather late, although fast and reliable diagnostic tools such as pathohistological examination and polymerase chain reaction are available. The threat of a zoonotic transmission mainly through cats is gaining importance. Although wild rodents have been claimed to be the reservoir and source for cowpox viruses in cats, very little is known about the epidemiology of cowpox virus. Based on the different genome organizations found in the German isolates, we conclude that various subtypes of cowpox virus are circulating in Germany at one time.

Previous experiments have demonstrated that auditory (AS) and/or somatosensory (SS) stimulation can increase the duration of REM sleep periods in rats, cats and humans. The objectives of this study were to determine whether repeated AS stimulation causes habituation to the stimulus and whether any additive effects could be obtained with the simultaneous application of AS and SS. Three experimental procedures were used in this study. In experiment 1, animals were recorded for 4 consecutive days with AS, followed by a post-stimulus session. In experiment 2, they were recorded for 24 hours with AS applied at each REM period, followed by a subsequent 24-hours-post-stimulus recording. In experiment 3, animals underwent AS, SS stimulation, or simultaneous application of both in a random fashion at each REM period. The results of all experiments confirm previous findings showing that auditory or somatosensory stimuli significantly increase REM sleep period duration. In addition, AS--applie...

In order to identify immunoreactive Bartonella henselae proteins, B. henselae antiserum from an experimentally infected cat was used to screen a B. henselae genomic DNA expression library. One immunoreactive phage clone contained a gene (p26) with significant nucleotide identity with orthologs in brucellae, bartonellae, and several plant-associated bacteria. p26 gene sequences from four B. henselae strains, one B. koehlerae strain, and one B. clarridgeiae strain were cloned. Comparative nucleotide sequence analysis showed that p26 is a potential marker for molecular diagnosis of infection, as well as for identification to species level and genotyping of Bartonella sp. isolates. Alignment of the predicted amino acid sequences illustrated conserved putative protein features including a hydrophobic transmembrane region, a peptide cleavage site, and four dominant antigenic sites. Expression of p26 in Escherichia coli produced two proteins (26 and 27.5 kDa), both of which were reactive with feline anti-B. henselae antisera. Furthermore, murine hyperimmune serum raised against either recombinant protein reacted with both proteins. No reactivity to either recombinant protein was detected in nonimmune serum, and reactivity persisted as long as 20 weeks for one cat. The p26 protein product is an immunodominant antigen that is expressed during infection in cats as a preprotein and is subsequently cleaved to form mature P26.

Overview: Dermatophytosis, usually caused by Microsporum canis, is the most common fungal infection in cats worldwide, and one of the most important infectious skin diseases in this species. Many adult cats are asymptomatic carriers. Severe clinical signs are seen mostly in kittens or immunosuppressed adults. Poor hygiene is a predisposing factor, and the disease may be endemic in shelters or catteries. Humans may be easily infected and develop a similar skin disease. Infection: Infectious arthrospores produced by dermatophytes may survive in the environment for about a year. They are transmitted through contact with sick cats or healthy carriers, but also on dust particles, brushes, clothes and other fomites. Disease signs: Circular alopecia, desquamation and sometimes an erythematous margin around central healing (‘ringworm’) are typical. In many cats this is a self-limiting disease with hair loss and scaling only. In immunosuppressed animals, the outcome may be a multifocal or ge...

Sporotrichosis is the most common subcutaneous mycosis in South America. Classic infection is associated with traumatic inoculation of soil, vegetables, and organic material contaminated with Sporothix schenckii. Animals of various species, including humans, are affected by this disease. This subcutaneous mycosis is an infection of implantation. The most frequent clinical form is the lymphocutaneous form. The fixed cutaneous form is characterized by infiltrated nodular, ulcerated, or erythematosquamous lesions located on exposed areas where fungal inoculation occurred. The disseminated cutaneous forms have mainly been observed among immunosuppressed patients, especially human immunodeficiency virus-positive individuals. Sporotrichosis is the only subcutaneous mycosis for which direct examination or histology is of little or no value for diagnosis. The diagnosis rests solely on the isolation of S schenckii in culture. Since 1998, researchers from Brazil suggested that feline transmis...

Since 1979 and 1980 when the first reports of clinical feline hyperthyroidism (FHT) appeared in the literature, our understanding of the disease has evolved tremendously. Initially, FHT was a disease that only referral clinicians treated. Now it is a disease that primary clinicians routinely manage. Inclusion of the measurement of total thyroxine concentration in senior wellness panels, as well as in diagnostic work-ups for sick cats, now enables diagnosis of the condition long before the cat becomes the classic scrawny, unkempt, agitated patient with a bulge in its neck. However, earlier recognition of the problem has given rise to several related questions: how to recognize the health significance of the early presentations of the disease; how early to treat the disease; whether to treat FHT when comorbid conditions are present; and how to manage comorbid conditions such as chronic kidney disease and cardiac disease with treatment of FHT. The 2016 AAFP Guidelines for the Managemen...

Saccharolytic, nonpigmented, anaerobic gram-negative rods isolated from infected dog and cat bite wounds in humans have been poorly characterized, and most are not included in the databases of kits used for anaerobic identification; thus, they are problematic for clinical laboratories to identify. Fifty strains isolated from such wounds were characterized with commercial kits for preformed-enzyme detection, carbohydrate fermentation, and other biochemical tests. PCR fingerprinting was performed on these strains to further characterize subgroups within these species. Bacteroides tectum is a frequent isolate in bite wounds and resembles Prevotella bivia in colony morphology and saccharolytic activity, except that it grows in 20% bile and hydrolyzes esculin. Profile numbers generated by various kits associate B. tectum with P. bivia, Prevotella oralis group, or Prevotella melaninogenica. PCR fingerprinting identified at least four subgroups and confirmed the heterogeneous nature of thi...

The zoophilic dermatophyte Microsporum canis has cats as natural reservoir, but it is able to infect a wide range of hosts, including humans, where different clinical features of the so-called ringworm dermatophytosis have been described. Human infections are increasingly been reported in Mediterranean countries. A reliable control program against M. canis infection in cats should include an antifungal treatment of both the infected animals and their living environment. In this article, a herbal mixture composed of chemically defined essential oils (EOs) of Litsea cubeba (1%), Illicium verum, Foeniculum vulgare, and Pelargonium graveolens (0.5% each) was formulated and its antifungal activity assessed against M. canis arthrospores which represent the infective environmental stage of M. canis. Single compounds present in higher amounts in the mixture were also separately tested in vitro. Litsea cubeba and P. graveolens EOs were most effective (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 0...

Urethral obstruction is a common medical emergency in cats. Frequency of post-obstruction diuresis in cats following resolution of urethral obstruction is unknown. The objective of this study was to document frequency and associated clinical features of post-obstruction diuresis in cats. The records of 32 cats undergoing 33 admissions to the Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital for urethral obstruction were reviewed. Signalment, admission blood values, fluid therapy, and urine output were recorded. Diuresis was defined as urine output greater than 2ml/kg/h. Post-obstructive diuresis occurred in 46% (13/28) of cats within the first 6h of treatment. Occurrence of post-obstructive diuresis was statistically more likely in cats with venous pH<7.35 on admission. Urine production following resolution of urethral obstruction should be monitored so that fluid therapy can be adjusted to the individual patient, as many cats will have a higher fluid requirement secondary to post-ob...