Pleasing 4 Pets

A revolutionary new study carried out at the University of Edinburgh has revealed that cats in the UK are starting to suffer from illnesses which would ordinarily only be linked to their owners, and an increasing number are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a result of feline obesity.

It was discovered that one in 230 pet cats in the UK is now diabetic, with indications that this figure us increasing swiftly. In stark contrast a similar study carried out in the USA during the 1970’s revealed only 20% as many confirmed cases.

The professor controlling the study, Danielle Gunn-Moore commented:-

“The lifestyle of cats, just like their owners, is changing. They are tending to eat too much, gain weight and take less exercise. Unfortunately, just like people, cats will overeat if they are offered too much tasty food, particularly if they are bored and have little else to do.

While cats would naturally exercise outside, many cats are now house-bound — perhaps because they live in a flat or because their owners feel that it is too dangerous to let them out — so they have little to do all day but eat, sleep, and gain weight.”

The effects of feline diabetes are brutal and are in many cases deadly.
Affected animals require insulin injections each day and strict dietary management is required as diabetic cats face increased threats such as urinary tract infections and pancreatitis.

Symptoms of the disease include excessive urination and thirst.

Measures to ensure that a cat doesn’t become affected by feline diabetes include keeping the animal active and thus within recommended weight limits of 11lb’s maximum for the average cat.

To maintain optimum health cats should be offered small meals at regular intervals where possible. Choose a well balanced natural organic diet, which consists of a dried food with more than 26% meat content or wet food which contains more than 80% meat

A leading UK veterinary charity, the PDSA which has been running for some 91 years, has revealed huge increased in the number of rabbits diagnosed with myxomatosis over the past 12 month period.

Myxomatosis is a disease which can often be fatal to pet rabbits, and PetAid animal hospitals in the South East and the west Midlands have reported dramatic rises in the numbers of cases being presented at facilities there, whilst similar facilities in both Hull and Romford have reported a massive 300% surge in the numbers of cases of the disease.

Myxomatosis can be spread amongst a rabbit population by flies or fleas that bite as well as by contact with other infected rabbits.

Symptoms of the disease include lethargy, lack of appetite and inflammation of the rabbit’s eyelids, head and genitals.

Sean Wensley, a PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon offered advice to worried rabbit owners, saying:-

“The effects of the myxomatosis virus are very distressing to witness and are usually fatal. By the time clinical signs have developed, such as facial and genital swelling, it is often too late to be able to help affected rabbits.

Myxomatosis is preventable through vaccination and protecting pet rabbits from disease and suffering should be a priority. I strongly advise owners to ask their vet about vaccinations, as well as how to minimise numbers of biting insects.

PDSA is drawing attention to these outbreaks because rabbit owners should be aware that myxomatosis is present and can cause terrible suffering if rabbits are not protected from the disease.”

He concluded there was presently no proof of a countrywide pandemic or of the disease being transmitted to any other species of animal.

A national leading animal welfare charity has voiced its concern that a feline ‘copycat’ killer could be on the loose in the West Country.

Over the past 5 months the RSPCA have reported that 19 cats have met an untimely end after ingesting anti-freeze in the Bridgewater area of Somerset.

And over the past few weeks, another 9 cats have died in similar circumstances across Weston-super-Mare.

After suffering symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea, fits and ultimately kidney failure which are thought to been caused by swallowing ethylene glycol which is universally present in anti-freeze, all of the cats had to be put to sleep.

The RSPCA investigation is focusing on two main lines of enquiry - one that the deaths could be the work of a ‘malicious psychopath ‘ and the other being an innocent but unknown source of ethylene glycol.

A spokesperson for the charity said:-

“Geography and distance would suggest the fact that cats’ are being poisoned in both places is just a coincidence.
However, as we don’t know if this is an accident of deliberate poisoning it is possible that the person responsible read about what was happening in Bridgwater and decided to be a copycat cat killer.
Until we can find and confirm source of the poison we cannot rule out the possibility that someone is putting out ethylene glycol laced bait to target cats.”

Under current UK law any persons found guilty of bringing about excessive suffering to any animal faces a fine of up to £20,000 as well as a six-month prison sentence.

The nations animals could become the next costly item on the agenda in the divorce courts, after a court in the UK awarded the wife of a wealthy banker a divorce settlement which included £50,000 per year for the maintenance of her horses.

Her city-worker husband who declared annual earning of £60,000 with additional bonuses claimed that the horses were unnecessary extravagance and that without them his ex-wife could purchase a property without extra land for less than £600,000.

But the court awarded the bankers ex-wife with a £1.5million overall divorce settlement, £900,000 of which was to purchase a property which housed sufficient grounds for her animals to graze.

Although the couple had no children, the court was advised that the horses had become child-substitutes throughout the course of the 11 year marriage

The case was heard by the most senior family judge in the UK, who said of the case:-

“During the marriage the horses played a major part in the wife’s life with the consent and encouragement of the husband. The animals took on this role all the more so after she lost a baby in 2001 and the husband gave her a third horse to celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2004, to add to her own two horses which she had bought herself for £20,000 out of a personal inheritance in order to justify her eventing”.

This Sunday 5th October at 6.00pm, the Holy Trinity Church in Southport will hold its 3rd annual pet service
Local Reverend, Rod Warner will thanks for the animals which enhance our lives and offer us unconditional companionship and love. Each pet will be individually blessed by the reverend at the altar.
The pet service remembers the patron saint of animals - St Francis of Assisi. In 2007, the Holy Trinity Church made acquaintance with many of its parishioner’s domestic pets from cats and dogs to ferrets and hamsters and even the odd turtle!
One church goer transported her dog which was suffering from severe arthritis, to the altar to be blessed in a shopping trolley.

The Rev Garner commented recently:-

“We have an open door so you never know what will be coming down the central aisle. Thankfully, in the previous two years the animals have been on the smaller side. I always take care when blessing the ferrets, though, and the parrots always seem to be well behaved. A warm welcome will be given to everyone, whether they have been before or not. It is not just for pet owners but pet lovers too, animals mean the world to many people and this is a great opportunity to give thanks to God”

After the sermon and blessing have taken place a community vet will provide a short address on his efforts inside the local area.