Pleasing 4 Pets

British scientists have recently revealed that elderly felines are at risk of suffering from a form of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists discovered abnormal proteins which were similar to those found in humans suffering from the disease, in the brain matter of cats whilst carrying our routine feline autopsies.

But the threat of the disorder can be lessened by means of a healthy diet, good mental stimulation and regular companionship.

Alzheimer disease is the primary cause of dementia in aged humans, and affects an estimated 12million people globally. There are around 9million domestic cats in the UK and one third of them are considered to be old-aged.

Initial indications of the disease include changes in behaviour, loss of the ability to use their litter tray and changes in sleeping patterns.

Danielle Gunn-Moore a spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh’s Royal School of Veterinary Studies said:-

“We now know that our old cats, like old people, are at risk of developing these conditions.

I suspect that a lot of animals simply never get that old. If they are in the wild it would be very unusual for an animal to still be alive to the point it could develop Alzheimer’s.

But we are keeping our pet cats alive longer and longer.”

She began her investigation with colleagues in both Scotland and California subsequent to becoming aware of behaviours indicating senility in her then eight year old pet cat.

Felines age at much faster rate than their human owners and could offer scientists crucial information in relation to the ageing process, including the development and progression of dementia and prospective cures for animals and humans alike.

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

When your cat is sick, he cannot tell you that he feels unwell, so as a pet owner you should be responsive to any unusual physical or behavioural symptoms and have him checked over by a veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns regarding his wellbeing, regardless of how trivial they may seem.

The Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) is an immunosuppressive virus which was discovered more than thirty years ago as being present in a group of cats which were diagnosed with cancer of the white blood cells. It is a fatal illness which causes a massive increase in the production of white blood cells of leukocytes.

In contrast to the human form of leukaemia FeLV is extremely infectious and can be transmitted from one cat to another very quickly. The infection can be frequently passed between cats via contact with urine, faeces or saliva, although there is no suggestion that it can be transmitted to humans.

Whilst symptoms of the disease may differ somewhat from cat to cat, the most common indicators incorporate distended nymph nodes (which will cause pain and make eating and drinking distressing for a cat), anaemia, tiredness, weight loss, diarrhoea, and sneezing, coughing and cancerous tumours

FeLV will ultimately cause loss of life usually from pneumonia or from cancer as a consequence of the loss of cat’s capacity to fight off infection.

Fortunately vets are able to quite easily diagnose FeLV with a simple blood test.
However the limited treatments available to prolong the life of infected cats are usually only effective during the primary period of the disease. They are able to offer immunisation against the FeLV and recommend that any cat that will be allowed outdoors be protected against the disease.