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American Association of Feline Practitioners Senior Care Guidelines

The American Association of Feline Practioners (AAFP), of which all of our doctors are proud members, recently released an update of their Senior Care Guidelines. The AAFP publishes guidelines on a number of issues regarding feline health, but these guidelines are especially relevant because so many of our patients are older cats. As veterinary care improves and more cats live indoor lifestyles, the proportion of senior cats is increasing. We find working with senior cats to be very rewarding, since we have the opportunity to improve their quality of life and their lifespan with some relatively simple changes.

The Senior Care Guidelines are directed at veterinarians, but are available for perusal by the general public, and can be found on the AAFP’s website at http://www.catvets.com/uploads/PDF/2009SeniorCGL_4-21.pdf. If you’d like to check them out, there are two very nice figures with a picture of a cat and a listing of common symptoms and diseases that can befall older cats.

The Guidelines cover a number of topics, but in general they emphasize early detection of disease so that it can be managed promptly, which in many cases delays severe disease signficantly. The most important part of early disease detection is twice-yearly exams for healthy senior cats. At these visits, we look for weight loss or changes on the physical exam, and we ask questions to help guide you in thinking about whether there are any changes in your cat’s behavior, eating and habits, litterbox usage, and mobility.

The Guidelines cover the management of common cat diseases such as weight loss and gain, high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, dental disease, and GI problems, but especially emphasize the most common condition in older cats, kidney disease. Arthritis is another point of emphasis, because it is a very common disorder that has the potential to decrease an older cat’s quality of life significantly, but is also very manageable in most cases.

If you check out the Guidelines and have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you are concerned about any suspicious symptoms in your older kitty, make an appointment for a senior exam today!

April is Heartworm Awareness Month!

April has been designated by the American Heartworm Society as Heartworm Awareness Month.  Heartworms are parasites that are carried by mosquitoes in their larval stage.  When an infected mosquito bites a cat or dog, the larvae are deposited into the bloodstream.  The larvae develop through several stages and as they mature, they travel to the pulmonary (lung) arteries.  In dogs, the larvae then develop into adults, mate, and start releasing new larvae into the bloodstream so that a new crop of mosquitoes can pick up the infection and carry on the life cycle.  Cats are not the ideal host for heartworms, and in many cats the larvae don’t successfully become adults, and if they do they are usually sterile and don’t reproduce.

Just because cats don’t propagate the heartworm infection, however, does not mean they are immune to the consequences of infection.  Heartworm larvae and adults in the pulmonary arteries stimulate a reaction by the immune system.  The walls of the arteries become thickened and the surrounding lung tissue gets inflamed.  This inflammation can cause asthma-like symptoms of coughing and wheezing, which can progress to severe respiratory distress.  Sometimes unexpected symptoms, like chronic vomiting, can also be a signal of heartworm infection.  If an adult heartworm is able to mature in the lungs but later dies, the sudden breakdown of heartworm tissue can cause a sudden, severe immune response that result in shock and sudden death.

Heartworm infection is common in dogs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and there are plenty of infected mosquitoes carrying the disease.  We recommend heartworm protection for outdoor cats.  Owners of indoor cats should consider their neighborhood’s overall mosquito population when decided whether to provide protection to their pets.  If you have a lot of mosquitoes in your yard, chances are that they are coming into your home as well.  The percentage of indoor cats with heartwom disease is the same as the percentage of outdoor cats with it, so staying inside does not guarantee protection.

We carry two proven heartworm preventatives so that you have options for protecting your cat.  Heartgard is a chewable, beef-flavored treat that cats can eat once a month.  For indoor cats, this medication is usually sufficient.  Revolution is a topical medication that also protects against fleas, certain intestinal parasites, ear mites, and some ticks.  This is also given once a month, and is a good option for outdoor cats who need protection from multiple parasites.  We usually recommend treating cats between the beginning of April and the end of November, and longer in the year if we have a warm winter and you are still seeing insects in December.

For more information about heartworms, please contact the office or check out the American Heartworm Society’s website at www.heartwormsociety.org.

Rabies and Indoor Cats

Rabies vaccination is required for dogs, cats, and ferrets in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  Many people have questions about why their indoor cats need to be vaccinated for rabies.  Rabies is a viral disease that infects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).  When an animal or person is bitten by a rabid animal, the virus is present in the saliva of the biter and gets injected into the bite wound.  If the victim is not vaccinated for rabies and does not receive prompt wound care, the rabies virus particles infect the nerves around the wound.  The virus then travels slowly up the nerve until it reaches its origin in the spinal cord.  From there, it slowly migrates to the brain, where it causes the behavioral disturbances that make an animal more likely the bite and pass it on.  It also migrates to the salivary glands so that it can pass again in the saliva.  This slow migration can take up to 6 months in small animals, and up to 4 years in humans.  Once the virus makes it to the brain, however, the victim usually dies within 10 days.

Indoor cats are at a low risk of being bitten by infected wild and domestic animals, and it is logical to question why they need to receive a rabies vaccination.  The reason is partly about protecting the cat and partly about protecting humans that come in contact with it.  Most humans are not vaccinated for rabies and public health authorities want to make sure the risk of getting infected from a pet bite is as close to zero as possible.  The most effective way to do this is to make sure all pets are vaccinated.

You must also consider your cat’s welfare.  Even indoor cats get outside occasionally, either because they decide to become an escape artist and zoom out the door while you are not paying attention, or because a workman or guest in your home mistakenly leaves the door open.  Another problem, which many owners don’t consider, is that wildlife occasionally invite themselves into your home.  Raccoons can enter through an open window, skunks sometimes wander into the garage, and bats can find their way in through the attic.  Bats are, by far, the most common outdoor invader and they very commonly carry rabies.  Worse, bat bites are so small you may not know that your cat (or you) has been bitten, and you may not take the appropriate steps to reduce the risk of contracting rabies.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has an excellent website about rabies at www.cdc.gov/rabies and a very informative article about bats in your home and rabies at www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats.html.  If you find a live or dead bat in your house, you should bring your cat in immediately to receive a rabies booster.  You should also contact your Board of Public Health to find out about testing the bat for rabies and ask whether you need any post-exposure protection from rabies.

Please contact us if you have any questions.