Article

Behavior and health issues in Bengal cats as perceived by their owners: A descriptive study

Authors:
  • Odisee University College
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Abstract

The Bengal cat is a recently established hybrid cat breed that was created by crossbreeding the domestic shorthair cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the wild Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). In spite of its popularity, research on behavior and health issues in this breed remains limited. A questionnaire was sent to Bengal cat owners in Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium) and the Netherlands to document the suitability of the breed as a pet from the point of view of the owners by exploring the presence of behavioral and health issues that may provoke the cat’s relinquishment. It included questions about their decision to own a Bengal, the cat demographics and living environment, potential undesirable behaviors and health issues. The owners of 60.5% (n=155) of cats chose this breed due to a combination of looks and character. For most cats (99.2% n=254), the respondents looked for information about the breed before acquiring a cat. Breed-typical health conditions, as described by International Cat Care, were reported in 9.9 % (n=24) of cats, with being overweight as the most common one. The most frequent behaviors were climbing (89.5%, n=229), vocalizing (88.7%, n=227), playing with water (79.7%, n=204) and hunting (78.9%, n=202) These were, however, rarely considered problematic by the owners. The most frequent behaviors often classified as problematic by the owners were destructive behaviors (33.2%, n=85), followed by pica (16.4%, n=42), aggression toward animals (16%, n=41) and urination outside the litter tray (13.3%, n=34). There were no significant differences between cats from early and later generations nor between cats with and without outdoor access. The fact that most owners looked for information about the breed before acquiring the cat and that the most frequently displayed behaviors were not considered problematic by their owners could translate into a lower incidence of relinquishments. Nevertheless, some of those behaviors may still be indicative of welfare issues, independently of the owner perception. Further and more in depth research is needed to understand the potential issues of keeping Bengal cats as pets.

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ANIMAL road traffic accident (RTA) victims commonly occupy the time and energies of veterinary surgeons, particularly during emergency hours. Animal charities help by providing contributions towards the treatment of such animals in private practices, and providing direct treatment to injured animals brought in by their owners, passers-by or as referrals from other veterinary practices. Many feline RTA cases need diagnostic procedures, medical treatment and surgery (Rochlitz 2004). For example, distal limb shearing can produce heavily contaminated wounds and the treatment may be intense, extensive and expensive (Corr 2009). In some cases, emergency euthanasia may be indicated to avoid suffering. In all cases, animal welfare should be the first priority; however, RTAs often occur in difficult contexts with limited resources and absent owners (including cats with out-of-date microchip details). Therefore, the more we can do to prevent RTAs from happening in the first place the better. Owners often ask for veterinary advice regarding whether they should let their cats go outdoors. The answer is essentially a matter of risk management. Any advice given (like all veterinary advice) should be based on the identified risks and benefits and include all of the cat's welfare needs (that is, …
Article
The 14 contributions, 9 abstracted separately, which explore the behaviour and ecology of Felis catus (= Felis silvestris catus) are arranged in 4 major sections (development of young cats, social life, predatory behaviour, cats and people), together with an introduction and a postscript. -P.J.Jarvis
Article
Behavior problems in companion animals are common reasons for relinquishment or euthanasia. Insight into the risk factors for problem behaviors will facilitate the construction of strategies for solutions. We identified risk factors for behavior problems in domestic cats whose owners contacted a companion animal behavior clinic in Brisbane, Australia. Owners of 1,556 cats reported on their cats’ behavior problem, breed, sex and age, and owner’s postcodes and work-routine were also recorded. Risk factors were determined from proportional morbidities for the behavior problem that each cat was reported as having. Breed effects were also assessed by comparing the numbers of cats in each breed group with the breeds of registered cats in a part of the catchment area. Behavior problems in domestic cats where the owners sought professional advice were mostly (71% of all cats) related to house soiling, usually urination, and aggression, especially to familiar people. Persian and similar breeds were at reduced risk of aggression to familiar cats but increased risk of house soiling, compared to other breed groups. Overall, Persian, Siamese, Burmese and similar breeds had more behavior problems than companion cat breeds. Older cats showed increasing tolerance of familiar people but reduced tolerance of other cats. Males were more likely to present with excessive vocalisation and house soiling with urine and less likely to present with aggression between familiar cats. We conclude that cat breed, age and sex, and social advantage of the area in which the cat lives are risk factors for specific behavior problems.
Article
In this study, behavioral characteristics in purebred cats were hypothesized to associate with breed, eye color, coat color, and coat pattern. Owners of 574 single breed, registered cats completed the Feline Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (Fe-BARQ), which generates a standardized behavioral profile incorporating 20 factors. Subjects were also screened for evidence of fear-related aggression, territorial aggression and inappropriate social skills, fear of noises, redirected aggression, separation-related problems, and inappropriate elimination. Subject breeds included Abyssinians, Bengals, Birmans, Burmese, Devon rexes, Maine coons, Norwegian forest cats, Orientals, Persians, Ragdolls, Siamese, and Tonkinese. Coat colors included agouti, black, brown, cinnamon, blue, lilac, fawn, caramel, taupe, red, cream, blue cream, apricot, and white. Phenotypic variants associated with albinism, tabby and tortoiseshell patterning, inhibition of melanin, production of phaeomelanin, and white spotting were represented. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in the Fe-BARQ scores and frequency of behavior problems in cats of multiple coat colors, coat patterns, and breeds (P < 0.05). Interestingly, nearly all associations between behavior and coat type could be attributed to breed-based behavior differences. Associations independent of breed included increased cat aggression in agouti cats and prey interest in red cats, decreased stranger-directed aggression in piebald cats, and increased likelihood of separation-related problems in Siamese and Tonkinese patterned cats.
Article
One obstacle in the development of a coherent theoretical framework for the process of animal domestication is the rarity of domestication events in human history. It is unclear whether: (1) many species are suitable for domestication, the limiting factor being the requirement of people for new domestic animals; or (2) very few species are preadapted for domestication. Comparisons between 16 species and subspecies of small cats (Felidae) kept in zoos indicated that affiliative behaviour towards people, an important preadaptation to domestication, is widely, if patchily, distributed throughout this taxon, and is not concentrated in species closely related to the domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus. The highest proportion of individuals showing affiliative behaviour was found in the ocelot lineage, which is estimated to have diverged from the rest of the Felidae between 5 and 13 Mya. The domestication of F silvestris alone among felids is therefore likely to have been the result of a specific set of human cultural events and requirements in the Egyptian New Kingdom, rather than the consequence of a unique tendency to tameness in this subspecies. (C) 2002 The Linnean Society of London.
Article
Obesity is considered the second most common health problem in pet cats in developed countries. Previous studies investigating risk factors for feline obesity have been cross-sectional, where reverse causality cannot be ruled out. This study is the first to use prospective data from a large scale longitudinal study of pet cats ('Bristol Cats') to identify early-life risk factors for feline overweight/obesity at around one year of age. Data analysed were collected via three owner-completed questionnaires (for cats aged 2-4 months, 6.5-7 months and 12.5-13 months) completed between May 2010 and August 2013. Owner-reported body condition scores (BCS) of cats at age 12.5-13 months, using the 5-point system, were categorised into a dichotomous variable: overweight/obese (BCS 4-5) and not overweight (BCS 1-3) and used as the dependent variable. Cat breed, neuter status, outdoor access, type of diet, frequency of wet and dry food fed and frequency of treats fed were analysed as potential risk factors. Of the 966 cats for which data were available, 7.0% were reported by their owners to be overweight/obese at 12.5-13 months of age. Descriptive data on type of diet fed at different cat ages suggest that a dry diet is the most popular choice for UK domestic cats. Significant potential explanatory variables from univariable logistic regression models were included in multivariable logistic regression models built using stepwise forward-selection. To account for potential hierarchical clustering of data due to multi-cat households these were extended to two-level random intercept models. Models were compared using Wald test p- values. Clustering had no impact on the analysis. The final multivariable logistic regression model identified two risk factors that were independently associated with an increased risk of feline obesity developing at 12.5-13 months of age: restricted or no outdoor access and feeding dry food as the only or major (>50%) type of food in the diet at age 12.5-13 months. The same relationship was revealed when only variables containing prospective data were included in the multivariable model. The study highlights the importance of a cat's early environment in the risk of obesity developing in early adulthood. The amount of food fed, opportunities for exercise and BCS of cats with no or restricted outdoor access and cats fed a dry diet should be monitored, especially whilst cats are aged below one year, to reduce the risk of overweight/obesity developing. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Article
Domestic cats are exposed to a variety of stressful stimuli, which may have a negative effect on the cats' welfare and trigger a number of behavioural changes. Some of the stressors most commonly encountered by cats include changes in environment, inter-cat conflict, a poor human-cat relationship and the cat's inability to perform highly motivated behaviour patterns. Stress is very likely to reduce feed intake, and stress-related anorexia may contribute to the development of potentially serious medical conditions. Stress also increases the risk of cats showing urine marking and some forms of aggression, including redirected aggression. A number of compulsive disorders such as over-grooming may also develop as a consequence of stressful environments. Some of the main strategies to prevent or reduce stress-related behavioural problems in cats are environmental enrichment, appropriate management techniques to introduce unfamiliar cats to each other and the use of the synthetic analogue of the feline facial pheromone. As the stress response in cats depends, to a large extent, on the temperament of the animal, breeding and husbandry strategies that contribute to the cat developing a well-balanced temperament are also very useful. © The Author(s) 2015.
Article
The aim of this study was to characterize pica behavior in cats. Cat owners were recruited to participate in a questionnaire survey on pica behavior exhibited by their cats. Emphasis was put on the type of item ingested. Questions on early history and environment, as well as general health and gastrointestinal signs, were asked. Owners of healthy cats not showing pica were also recruited into a control group. Associations between variables and groups were statistically tested. Pica was directed most commonly at shoelaces or threads, followed by plastic, fabric, other items, rubber, paper or cardboard and wood. Some cats ingested specific items but only chewed others. A significant positive association was found between sucking and ingesting fabric (P = 0.002). Ad libitum feeding was significantly lower in the pica group than the control group (P = 0.01). Prevalence of self-sucking behavior was significantly higher in the pica group than the control group (P = 0.001). Cats with pica vomited significantly more often than control cats (P = 0.01). Pica, the ingestion of inedible items, does not seem to be the consequence of a suboptimal environment or early weaning. Cats with pica were less commonly fed ad libitum than healthy cats. As frequently reported, pica and vomiting were related, but the causative association is not well established and thus warrants further investigation. © The Author(s) 2015.
Article
The health of the cat is a complex interaction between its environment (nurture) and its genetics (nature). Over 70 genetic mutations (variants) have been defined in the cat, many involving diseases, structural abnormalities and clinically relevant health concerns. As more of the cat's genome is deciphered, less commonly will the term 'idiopathic' be used regarding the diagnosis of diseases and unique health conditions. State-of-the-art health care will include DNA profiling of the individual cat, and perhaps its tumor, to establish the best treatment approaches. Genetic testing and eventually whole genome sequencing should become routine diagnostics for feline health care. Cat breeds have disseminated around the world. Thus, practitioners should be aware of the breeds common to their region and the mutations found in those regional populations. Specific random-bred populations can also have defined genetic characteristics and mutations. This review of 'the good, the bad and the ugly' DNA variants provides the current state of knowledge for genetic testing and genetic health management for cats. It is aimed at feline and general practitioners wanting to update and review the basics of genetics, what tests are available for cats and sources for genetic testing. The tables are intended to be used as references in the clinic. Practitioners with a high proportion of cat breeder clientele will especially benefit from the review. The data presented is extracted from peer-reviewed publications pertaining to mutation identification, and relevant articles concerning the heritable trait and/or disease. The author also draws upon personal experience and expertise in feline genetics. © ISFM and AAFP 2015.
Article
Associations between mammalian coat color and behavior have been investigated in a number of species, most notably the study of silver foxes by the Institute of Cytology and Genetics at the Russian Academy of Sciences. However, the few studies conducted regarding a potential relation between coat color and domestic cat personality have shown mixed results, even though many people believe that differently colored cats have distinct personalities. Understanding how humans might perceive personality in relation to coat color may have important ramifications regarding whether cats are relinquished to shelters or adopted from them. In order to assess human perceptions of differently colored cats, we conducted an anonymous, online survey, using a 7-point Likert scale and 10 terms describing personality traits that were chosen based on previous studies of animal personality. This survey examined how people assigned these given terms (active, aloof, bold, calm, friendly, intolerant, shy, stubborn, tolerant, and trainable) to five different colors of cats (orange, tricolored, white, black, and bi-colored). There were significant differences in how participants in this study chose to assign personality terms to differently colored cats. For example, participants (n = 189) were more likely to attribute the trait “friendliness” to orange cats, “intolerance” to tri-colored cats, and “aloofness” to white and tri-colored cats. No significant differences were found for “stubbornness” in any colors of cats. White cats were seen as less bold and active and more shy and calm than other colors of cats. While survey respondents stated that they placed more importance on personality than color when selecting a companion cat, there is some evidence that they believe the two qualities are linked. We anticipate our findings will be relevant to further study in domestic cat personality and to those who work in animal rescue, particularly in how shelters promote differently colored cats and educate potential adopters.
Article
The objective of this study was to survey owners regarding the frequency and duration of their daily interactions with their indoor cats, the provision of toys and activities by cat owners and the prevalence of six selected behavior problems (aggression to owner, aggression to visitors, periuria, inappropriate defecation, inter-household cat aggression and intercat aggression to outdoor cats). The sample population was 277 clients from five veterinary practices who presented their domestic cat for anything except a behavior problem. The average number of toys and activities reported by owners per cat was seven, and the most common toys/activities used by owners in this survey were furry mice (64%), catnip toys (62%) and balls with bells (62%). Seventy-eight percent (78%) of owners reported that they leave the cat’s toy(s) available all the time. All owners reported playing with their cat, while most owners (64%) played with their cat more than two times per day and reported play bout durations of five minutes (33%) or 10 minutes (25%). Owners who reported play bout time equal to or greater than five minutes reported fewer behavior problems than those with play bouts of one minute (p<0.05). Sixty-one percent (61%) of owners reported that their cat engaged in one or more of the six selected behavior problem(s), but only 54% of the owners who reported behavior problems in their cats reported that they had talked to their veterinarian about the problem. The two most frequently reported behavior problems were aggression to owners (36%) and periuria (24%). Female cats were 50% less likely to be reported to have one or more behavior problems than males, in spite of an equal sex distribution in the survey population (p<0.05). The relationship between individual behavior problems and individual toys and activities was evaluated by use of a logistic stepwise regression. These findings are discussed as they relate to the understanding of behavioral needs of indoor-housed cats and the potential role of environmental enrichment in the home setting.
Article
A postal survey was conducted of the owners of 152 cats, mainly of oriental breeds, which exhibited pica (defined broadly, as chewing, sucking or ingesting non-nutritive materials). The most common material was wool (93% of cases), followed by cotton, man-made fabrics, rubber/plastic and paper/cardboard (8%). Actual ingestion was as likely to occur in Burmese cats as in Siamese, in contradiction to a report from the USA (Houpt, 1985). Pica appeared to be linked to infantile behaviour in non-oriental cats, but possibly not in orientals. Onset of pica could occur at any time during the first 4 years of the cat's life, but was most frequent in the 2 months following rehoming. Onset in other cases could not be linked to rehoming, but tended to occur between 6 and 18 months of age, and may therefore be linked to the onset of sexual maturity or territorial behaviour. Neutering had little effect on the expression of pica.
Article
The difference in environmental conditions among indoor and outdoor cats and the main indoor cat behavioural disorders and associated risks factors were investigated through the analysis of 355 questionnaires. This study brings the confirmation of the higher frequency of cat anxiety in closed surroundings in indoor cats (reported by 52% of indoor cats owners versus 24% of outdoor cats owners). The results also show that elimination behaviour problems and pica were associated with confinement (reported respectively by 34 and 11% of indoor cats owners versus 16 and 4% of outdoor cats owners). There were no significant correlation between indoor scratching, obesity, grooming disorders and the living conditions (indoor or outdoor cat). The cats involved in cat anxiety in closed surroundings were mostly young cats (six months–1 year) and cats which were allowed to go outside only seldom (at the weekend or during the holidays). Cohabitation with other cats seems to protect against anxiety but toys, scratching posts and “cat's trees” seem to be useless.
Article
Housing conditions and behavioural problems of a sample of 1177 cats were described by their 550 owners. Indications for inadequate housing in the light of species-specific needs were analysed.A total of 65.1% of the cats were Domestic European Shorthairs and 78.7% were castrated animals. A total of 87% of the responding cat owners were female. A total of 59% of the households had more than one cat (mean 2.2). On average 1.8 of the 2.3 members living in a household dealt with the animals. The average cat could use 34 m2 of the living space and had five different resting places, whereas the owner's bed being the favourite in 52% of the cases. 14% of the owners allowed their cats to run free outside without restriction; 55% let their cats out under various levels of control. Feeding most often took place (79%) in the kitchen; 24% of the cats had communal food bowls. A total of 51% of the cats had to share their cat-toilet, and 22% of the cats were fed in the same room as they had to use for elimination behaviour. More than one toilet in different rooms were available to 28% of the cats.In 644 cats (54.7% of the sample) the owners complained of one or more behavioural problems with their cats. The self-assessed problems most often mentioned were: states of anxiety (16.7% of 1177 cats); scratching on furniture (15.2%); feeding problems (10.9%); aggression (10.5%); inappropriate urination and spraying (8.2%) and defecation in the house (5.1%). The relationship between the occurrence of problems (yes / no) and animal-, owner- and housing- related factors was analysed by chi2-test. Neutered females exhibited problems most often. People without children kept cats more often than others, but they also complained more often about their cats. Quality of the human-cat relationship was also relevant: people who interacted with their pets for several hours spread over the day mentioned problems with them less often. In 568 cats the owners had tried to treat the problems themselves. States of anxiety and scratching on furniture caused relatively fewer attempts to correct the behaviour than other problems. In many cases the owners were unable to solve the problems on their own. These findings show that there are deficiencies in indoor cat housing and that owners need help to correct them.
Article
A retrospective study was carried out on feline behaviour problems presented at the Animal Behaviour Clinic at the Barcelona School of Veterinary Medicine to identify the main risk factors. Three hundred thirty six cats presented for a behaviour problem between 1998 and 2006 were included in the study group. A total of 189 presented at the Hospital of the Barcelona School of Veterinary Medicine for problems other than behavioural and having no record of behaviour problems were used as control group. The main owner's complaint was aggression (47%) followed by inappropriate elimination (39%). 64% of aggression cases involved conflicts between cats and 36% of cases were aggression towards people, owners being the most common target of aggression (78% of all cases of aggression were directed towards people). Play-related aggression and petting-related aggression were the main causes of aggressive behaviour towards people (43.1 and 39.6% of cases respectively). Most housesoiling problems involved urination (59%), followed by urination and defecation (32%) and defecation (9%), and the most common diagnosis was aversion to the litterbox (63.4%). Persian cats were presented more frequently for elimination problems than other breeds (χ2=6.40; p
Article
A 62 question survey was mailed to 375 individuals who adopted a cat from a local animal shelter. The goals of the survey were to identify the incidence of intercat aggression when a new cat was introduced into a household, identify potential risk factors associated with intercat aggression within a household and obtain various descriptive information on methods used to introduce a new cat into a home. The response rate was 72% (n = 252) with 128 of the households containing multiple cats and 124 of the households containing only the adopted cat. For this survey, fighting was defined as scratching and/or biting.Among households with multiple cats, half reported fighting between cats when the new cat was introduced. Approximately half of the people introduced the cats into the home by simply putting the cats together immediately. Neither age, sex, nor number of cats in the household was associated with current fighting (i.e. fighting that was occurring 2–12 months after the new cat was brought into the household); however, current fighting was associated with individual behaviors (i.e. scratching and biting) during the cats first meeting, outdoor access, and the owner's perception of the first meeting as unfriendly or aggressive.
Article
Significant numbers of cats enter rescue and re-homing facilities each year, over half of which are relinquished directly by owners. Identifying the reasons why owners decide to give up their pet is an important step in the development of education strategies to encourage retention of cats by their owners. In addition, identifying why adopting owners fail to retain their new cats is important in the refinement of homing policies. Characteristics of 6,089 cats relinquished and returned to 11 rescue facilities in the UK were recorded over a year. In addition, information was collected on the reason why owners gave up, or brought back, their pet. Sixty percent of cats and kittens entering shelters were relinquished by owners, with 19% being due to owner circumstances, such as moving to rented accommodation or changes in family circumstances. Seven percent were for behavioral reasons, and 5% because of the occurrence of allergy or asthma in owners. Returned cats were significantly more likely to be older (Mann Whitney U, Z = -9.167, p < 0.001) and neutered (Pearson χ2 = 110.0, df = 2, p < 0.001) than the general relinquished population. The reasons for original relinquishment and return of owned cats were also significantly different (Pearson χ2 = 84.4, df = 6, p < 0.001), with 38% of cats being returned for behavioral reasons, and 18% because of allergy or asthma. The commonest behavioral reason for both relinquishment and return was aggression between cats in the household.
Article
One obstacle in the development of a coherent theoretical framework for the process of animal domestication is the rarity of domestication events in human history. It is unclear whether: (1) many species are suitable for domestication, the limiting factor being the requirement of people for new domestic animals; or (2) very few species are preadapted for domestication. Comparisons between 16 species and subspecies of small cats (Felidae) kept in zoos indicated that affiliative behaviour towards people, an important preadaptation to domestication, is widely, if patchily, distributed throughout this taxon, and is not concentrated in species closely related to the domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus. The highest proportion of individuals showing affiliative behaviour was found in the ocelot lineage, which is estimated to have diverged from the rest of the Felidae between 5 and 13 Mya. The domestication of F. silvestris alone among felids is therefore likely to have been the result of a specific set of human cultural events and requirements in the Egyptian New Kingdom, rather than the consequence of a unique tendency to tame-ness in this subspecies.© 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 75, 2002, 361–366.
Article
Free-roaming domestic cats in urban areas often live in defined social groups, and the breeding females in these groups tend to form structures of a matrilineal nature. In recent years, resulting from the growing populations of free-roaming cats in many cities worldwide, these cats are being managed using the Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) method. The aims of this study were to explore the hypotheses that (a) neutering reduces aggression in the females living in such social groups; and (b) if such reduction does occur, that it might be accompanied by a reduction in cortisol levels. The study was conducted on eight cat feeding groups in residential neighbourhoods in Tel Aviv, Israel. The municipal veterinary department offers TNR services upon request. Cats are collected from the feeding group and returned to their original group after neutering.We found that neutered females showed reduced aggressiveness as well as reduced cortisol levels compared to the intact females. In addition, those intact females that displayed more aggression had higher cortisol levels compared to the less aggressive intact females.Based on the results of this study it is possible to suggest for the first time a possible relationship between cortisol levels and aggression in free-roaming female domestic cats. This study is an initial step in assessing the long-term effects of Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) on the welfare of the individual cat. If cortisol levels in female cats are reduced after neutering, partly as a result of reduced social and reproductive pressures (as expressed by lower aggression of the neutered females), it is possible that TNR has an added beneficial role in cat welfare in addition to that of control of population size.
Article
With the exception of diabetic neuropathy, polyneuropathy associated with hyperchylomicronemia, and a few inherited polyneuropathies, peripheral neuropathies are poorly characterized in cats. A chronic polyneuropathy is described in a cohort of young Bengal cats. To characterize the clinical and histopathological features of a chronic-relapsing peripheral neuropathy in young Bengal cats. Thirty-seven young Bengal cats with clinical weakness consistent with peripheral neuropathy. Bengal cats were included in this study after a diagnosis of polyneuropathy was confirmed by muscle and peripheral nerve biopsy specimens. Pathological changes were characterized at the light and electron microscopic level and by morphometry. Clinical information and long-term outcome from case records of Bengal cats with histologically confirmed peripheral neuropathy were then assessed. Nerve fiber loss within distal intramuscular nerve branches was a consistent finding in young Bengal cats with polyneuropathy. The most common abnormalities in peripheral nerve biopsies included inappropriately thin myelin sheaths and thinly myelinated fibers surrounded by supernumerary Schwann cell processes, indicative of repeated cycles of demyelination and remyelination. Recovery was common. Response to treatment could not be determined. A chronic-relapsing form of polyneuropathy associated primarily with episodes of demyelination and remyelination was identified in young Bengal cats. The prognosis for recovery is good, although relapses are possible and there can be residual motor deficits.
Article
The questionnaire based study gives a combined description of management, infectious diseases and reproductive performance in breeding catteries during 1 year. The mean number of cats per cattery was 6.1, and 25% of the breeders let some of their cats have free access to outdoors. Breeders reported that infection with feline panleukopenia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus or feline leukaemia virus was uncommon, but 8% of the breeders had sold or had themselves owned a cat that died of feline infectious peritonitis. Presence of conjunctivitis was reported by 33.3% of the breeders. Mean litter size was 3.7+/-1.5, with 9.7% stillbirths and 8.3% kitten mortality week 1-12. The percentage of stillborn kittens increased with the age of the queen and litter size, and also differed among breeds. Kitten mortality differed among breeds, but did not increase with age of the queen. Seven percent of the litters were delivered by caesarean section, significantly more during winter and positively associated with presence of stillborn kittens.
Article
Millions of dog-human relationships fail each year-some from simple and preventable mismatches. False or unrealistic expectations of a dog's behavior are a common reason for failed human-animal bonds. Veterinarians can reduce the incidence of false expectations and thereby increase the likelihood of successful adoptions by offering preadoption counseling to help clients sort through the many factors involved in the process of successful pet selection, by preparing clients to take on the important tasks of puppy socialization and the management of the home learning environment, and by educating new owners about the needs and behavior of dogs.
Article
To better understand the outcomes of companion animal adoptions, Bardsley & Neidhart Inc. conducted a series of 3 surveys over a 1-year period with dog and cat owners who had adopted their pet through either a (a) Luv-A-Pet location, (b) Adopt-a-thon, or (c) traditional shelter. This article suggests opportunities to improve owners' perceptions of their pets and the adoption process through (a) providing more information before adoption about pet health and behaviors, (b) providing counseling to potential adopters to place pets appropriately, and (c) educating adopters to promote companion animal health and retention. Results demonstrate that the pet's relationship to the family unit, such as where the pet sleeps and how much time is spent with the pet, is related to the amount of veterinary care the companion animal receives, and to long-term retention. Satisfaction and retention are attributed to the pet's personality, compatibility, and behavior, rather than demographic differences among adopters or between adoption settings. The age of the companion animal at adoption, the intended recipient, and presence of children in the home also play a role. Health problems were an issue initially for half of all adopted pets, but most were resolved within 12 months. Roughly one fourth of adopters who no longer have their companion animal said their pet died. Characteristics of pets that died support the contention that spaying and neutering profoundly affects a companion animal's life span. Although retention is similar for dogs and cats, mortality is higher among cats in the first year after adoption.
Article
Despite variation in terminology it is clear that the context in which feline aggression occurs is important for classification, prevention and treatment. Many of the aggressions discussed can be considered variants of normal feline behavior, so client education is particularly important. Educated clients will know when their cat can benefit from veterinary intervention, and when closing a door may be sufficient. The goals of treating all feline aggressions should be safety for all concerned, and quality of their living environment for the cats. The greater our knowledge, the more likely we are to achieve these goals.