home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!dreaderd!not-for-mail
- Message-ID: <cats-faq/misc_1082200966@rtfm.mit.edu>
- Supersedes: <cats-faq/misc_1079601013@rtfm.mit.edu>
- Expires: 31 May 2004 11:22:46 GMT
- X-Last-Updated: 1999/08/13
- Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu
- Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.announce,rec.answers,news.answers
- Sender: tittle
- Organization: RPC FAQ auto-posting
- Followup-To: poster
- X-No-Archive: Yes
- From: RPC FAQ Poster <rpc-info@iname.com>
- Subject: rec.pets.cats: Miscellaneous Information FAQ
- Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU
- Date: 17 Apr 2004 11:26:09 GMT
- Lines: 683
- NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu
- X-Trace: 1082201169 senator-bedfellow.mit.edu 568 18.181.0.29
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.pets.cats.announce:3280 rec.answers:86480 news.answers:269699
-
- Archive-name: cats-faq/misc
- URL: http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/misc.html
- Last-modified: 13 Aug 1999
-
- =======
- The latest versions of these FAQ's may be obtained via the Web at
- http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/
-
- The multiple posted (ASCII) parts of the FAQ are all archived at rtfm.mit.edu
- (18.181.0.24) in the directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/cats-faq. These
- files will also appear in other sites that mirror the RTFM archives.
- ==========
-
-
- Miscellaneous Information
-
- Note: Please see the [1]Table of Contents FAQ for a complete list of
- topics.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Author
-
- Originally written 1991 & updated through 1997 by Cindy Tittle Moore.
- Maintained by the Fanciers website as of July 1999.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Removing Urine Odor
-
- For fresh urine: clean the spot with any good carpet shampoo (Spot
- Shot is one). Then soak it with plain old club soda, leave it for
- about ten minutes and blot it up.
-
- If the urine has soaked the pad and the floor below that, it will be
- difficult to remove the odor regardless of what you use.
-
- To find spots if you're not sure where they are, get a UV lamp that
- has the filter built in (to eliminate any remnant visible light).
- Urine fluoresces in "black light." You can get them at hardware
- stores. There are also UV lamps in hobby stores and places that cater
- to spelunkers and rockhounds, but they're more expensive. The UV
- source is safe as long as you use the longwave lamp and not the
- shortwave lamp used for tanning.
-
- Enzymatic products
-
- Products that remove odors: Nature's Miracle (carpet, has 800 number);
- Simple Solution (carpet and other items); Outright! (carpet); Resolve
- (carpet, perhaps other items); Odor Mute (originally for deskunking
- dogs, has other applications, leaves white residue, works on
- concrete). Odor Abolish, by Endosome Biologicals, may also be useful.
- These products use enzymes to break down the odor causing compounds in
- urine and feces, and are quite effective.
-
- When using enzymatic products, it is important to use freshly diluted
- enzymes, let it soak in as deeply as the urine has penetrated, and
- *keep the area warm and wet for 24 hours*. Chemical reactions,
- including enzymatic reactions, go faster at higher temperatures.
- Unfortunately, most enzymatic reactions don't do well much over 102F
- (38-39C)-- so not too hot. Try covering the area with towels soaked in
- plain water after applying the enzyme, then a shower curtain or other
- plastic over that to make sure the area stays moist.
-
- The enzymes in laundry products are the same as those in the expensive
- odor-killing products, but they cost less than 1/3 as much. They work
- just as well. Biz is one product. You'll find it in your grocery
- laundry section with the pre-soak laundry stuff. Remember, you have to
- soak the area and then cover it to keep it from drying out. The smelly
- area must be wet with the enzyme for 24 hours or more.
-
- Launderable items
-
- On launderable items: put in the washing machine with a cup of vinegar
- and no detergent, then wash again as usual.
-
- Concrete
-
- If you have concrete (eg, in the basement) into which urine has been
- soaked, this can be difficult to remove, as unsealed concrete is very
- porous. You will have to neutralize the urine and then seal the
- concrete properly. A specialty cleaning service is probably the best
- way to properly neutralize the urine in the concrete. Vinegars and
- other cleaners may help, but only temporarily. Odor Mute is reputed to
- work on concrete. Improving the ventilation may also help. In extreme
- cases, pouring another 1/4-1/2 inch layer of concrete over the
- original concrete will solve the problem.
-
- Hardwood floors
-
- Hardwood floors that have been stained with urine can be difficult to
- clean. First treat with an enzyme-based product such as Nature's
- Miracle to remove the odor. You can find wood bleaches and stains at
- your hardware store: you may want to consult with one of the employees
- on what is available. You will need to remove any varnish or
- polyurethane from the area, sand it down a bit, bleach and/or stain
- it, and then apply the protective coat. There are also professional
- companies you can consult. In severely stained cases, you may have to
- replace the wood.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Catnip and Valerian.
-
- Catnip is a plant that causes various reactions in cats. Very young
- cats and kittens will not be affected by catnip. About 20% of cats are
- never affected by catnip. It is not known why or how catnip has the
- effect it does on the rest of the cat population. It is a
- non-addictive "recreational drug" for cats with no known harm to the
- cat. There was an article in Science [exact reference?] on the
- neurological effects of catnip on cats. It seems to stimulate the same
- pleasure centers in the feline brain that orgasm does. Most cats
- "mellow out" and become sleepy and happy, others start acting very
- kittenish. A small percentage will become possessive of their catnip
- and may snap or hiss at you.
-
- You can find wild catnip plants in most weedy areas, and harvest the
- seed. Or you can buy seed from companies like Burpees or Parks or
- Northrup King -- most garden centers have catnip seed this time of
- year -- check the "herb" section. Or even seed racks in the grocery
- and discount stores.
-
- Catnip is easy to grow. You will need to keep the plant itself out of
- the reach of the cats as catnip-lovers will quickly destroy it. The
- best strategy is to get some growing, and then pinch and prune it
- regularly and give the harvested leaves to your cat. Keep it in its
- own pot, as it will spread rapidly. Cats will tend to dig up
- transplanted catnip and eat it roots and all, but are much gentler on
- plants started from seed. The leaves have to be bruised to release the
- odor, and transplanting seems to be enough bruising...
-
- Nepeta cataria is the common catnip; other Nepeta species have varying
- amounts of "active ingredient". A good one is Nepeta mussini, a
- miniature-leaved catnip that makes a good rockgarden plant. Nepeta is
- a genus of the Lamiaceae (=Labiatae), the mint family. There are about
- 250 species of catnip, plus a bunch of hybrids between species. Only
- about 10 are available in this country, though.
-
- You can order seeds from Burpee (215-674-9633)
- Nepeta cataria B61424 $1.25; N. mussinii B38828 $1.45
-
- Valerian root is an herb with effects very similar to catnip and
- generally makes cats a bit nuts. It is however not as readily
- available as catnip and perhaps a bit more potent than catnip.
-
- Catnip and Valerian both act as sedatives on humans.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Cats and Water
-
- There are breeds of cats with an affinity for water. There have been
- reports from rec.pets.cats readers about cats getting into showers
- with them; other anecdotes have been very entertaining to read.
-
- Most cats, whether or not they like to get wet, will be fascinated
- with watching water drip out of faucets or drain out of tubs, sinks,
- and toilets.
-
- Reports of cats drinking from the bottom of the shower, from the sink
- and other unlikely places are common. Some cats can be fussy about
- water; they seem to like it as fresh as possible, preferably still
- moving. You may be able to stop some of this behavior by changing the
- cat's water every day and moving it some distance away from the food
- dish. In general this habit will not hurt your cat, however unpleasant
- it may look to you. Toilet water drinking *should* be discouraged, but
- this is easily done by leaving the lid down.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Do All Cats Purr?
-
- Most domestic cats purr. But do the big ones? Most people say not, but
- from The Big Cat:
-
- Assertions have been widely made that the roaring cats above are
- not able to purr, assertions that have now been disproven. George
- B. Schaller reports purring in the lion, tiger, and leopard, as
- well as in the cheetah, but remarks that in the lion the sound is
- produced only during exhalation and appears to be a much less
- common vocalization than in the domestic cat [160]. Snow leopards
- purr, like the house cat, during both exhalation and inhalation
- [60]. Others have reported that tame, young adult tigers, leopards,
- jaguars, and cheetahs purr in response to petting. Finally, purring
- has even been reported in five species of viverrids, as well as
- suckling black bear cubs and nursing spotted hyenas [36]. These
- observations are interesting when compared with Gustave Peters'
- comment that there is still some question about the occurrence of
- purring, in a strictly defined sense, in the wild cats [178]. He
- questions whether the noise identified as a purr from the big cats
- is pthe same in detail and manner of production as the purr of a
- domestic cat. Of the seven large cats he studied (he did not
- consider the cheetah), he observed true purring only in the puma,
- but considered it probable that snow leopards and clouoded leopards
- also purr. Thus there is still some doubt about the distribution of
- the ability to purr among the wild cats.
-
- [36] Ewer, R. F. 1973. THE CARNIVORES. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
- Press.
-
- [60] Hemmer, H. 1972. UNCIA UNCIA. MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 20, 5 pp.
-
- [160] Schaller, G. B. 1972. THE SERENGETI LION. Chicago: University of
- Chicago Press.
-
- [178] Stuart-Fox, D. T. 1979. MACAN: THE BALINESE TIGER. Bali Post
- (English edition) July 23, 1979, pp. 12-13.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Other Cats in the Cat Family
-
- Other cats in the cat family are usually not suitable as domestic
- cats. Generally, they are too big, strong, and destructive. In
- addition many states have strict regulations about keeping wild
- animals as pets. It also appears cruel to have to defang and declaw
- these animals to make them safe.
-
- If you have the overwhelming urge to be around wild animals, your best
- bet is your local zoo. Many zoos have volunteer docent programs and
- you will not only be able to spend time with the various animals, but
- also learn a lot about them and have the opportunity to educate the
- public while conducting tours or participating in other public
- relations programs.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Cat Genetics and Coloring
-
- A cat with patches of red and black is a tortoiseshell, or 'tortie'.
- Add white, and you get a calico. A tortoiseshell that is homozygous
- for the recessive 'dilution' gene is referred to as a blue-cream, and
- that's what color it is: patches of soft grey and cream. This is the
- same gene that turns black cats 'blue' (grey), and red cats cream. A
- blue-cream and white is generally referred to in the cat world as a
- dilute calico. The pattern of black/red or blue/cream can either be in
- big dramatic patches, brindling, or some of both. Having more white
- seems to encourage the formation of the big patches.
-
- Red in cats is a sex-linked color, carried on the X gene. Therefore, a
- male cat whose X carries red will be a red tabby. A female cat who
- carries one red and one non-red X will be a patched tabby, a
- tortoiseshell, or a calico (if she also has the dominant gene for
- white markings). A female cat who is homozygous for red (has it on
- both X genes) will be a red tabby. This is why you see more male red
- tabbies than females. This is also why male calicos are so rare: you
- have to have two X genes to be a calico. Male calicos have genetic
- aberrations of various sorts, of which XXY is most common. While they
- are most commonly sterile, there *are* documented cases of fertile
- male calicos. However, the generalization that "all calicos/torties
- are female" is true 99.999 percent of the time.
-
- The reason red females are "uncommon" is that, statistically, the
- number of red males is equal to the number of tortoiseshell/calico,
- patched tabby, and red females. Red males and tortie/calico/patched
- tabby females can be produced when only one parent has the red gene,
- but to produce a red female, you must cross a red male with a
- red/tortie/calico/patched tabby female. That is why red females are
- uncommon. But not "impossible", in the sense that a male calico is
- "impossible."
-
- A "solid red" cat will always display the tabby pattern (although it
- may be very slight or even undetectable without brushing the fur back
- to check). There's another gene at work which controls "agoutiness"
- (whether individual hairs are banded or solid). Cats who are
- non-agouti will not generally display the tabby pattern, except in red
- areas. The non-agouti gene does not affect phaeomelanin, the red
- pigment, so red cats always show their tabby pattern.
-
- The red gene "overrides" the solid gene, making the tabby pattern
- visible again. (And on other solid colors, you can sometimes notice
- the underlying stripes, especially in strong light.) Solid red cats at
- cat shows may or may not be genetically solid--they are (generally
- longhairs) bred for the "blurring" of the tabby pattern, producing a
- cat that doesn't have dramatic markings.
- Solid Tabby
- ----- -----
- black brown tabby
- blue blue tabby
- red red tabby
- cream cream tabby
- chocolate chocolate tabby
- cinnamon cinnamon tabby
- fawn fawn tabby
-
- The colors a calico will produce depend on the color of the sire. But
- at minimum, she can produce red and non-red sons, and patched
- tabby/tortoiseshell/calico daughters, as well as non-red daughters.
- Whether she will produce tabbies or not depends on the genetic makeup
- of the sire. And *any* of the kittens could have white markings, or
- not.
-
- Basic cat colors:
- Color Dilute form
- ----- -----------
- black blue (a grey color)
- chocolate lilac (a pale pinkish-grey)
- (chocolate is a recessive gene which changes black to brown)
- cinnamon fawn (a very pale pinkish-tan)
- (a light reddish brown, found mostly in Siamese and Abyssinians)
- red cream (ranges from yellowish
- to tannish or buff)
- (red and cream are sex-linked, on the X gene, and mask
- the previous colors. Actually, there's a separate shade
- of red/cream to match each of the previous colors, but
- it's hard to tell them apart, unless you're dealing with
- a tortoiseshell or patched tabby, which has the non-red
- areas to give you a hint.)
- white
- (Here we refer to the dominant form, which is masking over
- the previous colors. It has no dilution.)
-
- Everything else is a modifier!
- Modifier Dominant/Recessive
- -------- ------------------
- white spotting (paws, etc) dominant
- polydactyly (extra toes) dominant
- manx (taillessness) dominant
- silver (inhibits hair color at roots) dominant
- white locketing (small spots on chest and/or groin) recessive
- dilution (black->blue) recessive
- chocolate dilution recessive
- cinnamon dilution recessive
- bobtail (partial taillessness) recessive
- solid (no tabby markings) recessive
- long hair recessive
-
- Some genes are incompletely dominant to each other, and are part of a
- series. For example, the siamese/burmese genes, from most to least
- colored:
-
- Burmese/Siamese/blue-eyed white/pink-eyed white (albino)
-
- The coloring of the Burmese and the points of the Siamese is
- temperature sensitive. The cooler extremities of the Siamese are
- darker; a Burmese that has had a fever may grow in lighter fur for a
- while! Such changes are usually temporary, but may take some time to
- grow out.
-
- All cats (even those homozygous for solid) have a tabby pattern. There
- are different tabby patterns, from most to least dominant:
-
- Mackerel/Classic/Ticked. The spotted tabby pattern is thought to be a
- var`qiant of the Mackerel pattern, not genetically distinct, but the
- jury is not yet in.
-
- Smokes and Chinchillas. This is the combination of the expression of
- the silver gene (a dominant), and the gene for solid color (a
- recessive). Other modifiers account for whether the cat is a referred
- to as a smoke, a shaded, or a chinchilla. From most to least colored:
- a "smoke" has white roots, a "shaded" has about half and half white
- and color along the length of the hair, and a "chinchilla" has color
- only on the very tips of the hair. If the cat is a tabby instead of a
- solid color, that is a silver tabby. And if the base color is not
- black, that would be added to the name as well: blue-cream smoke, red
- silver tabby, etc.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Cat Static
-
- During winter or other dry seasons, cats may pick up static and
- discharge it every time you pet them. One solution is to rub them with
- a fabric softener sheet. The chemicals in fabric softener are not a
- problem for cats, although some of the more heavily-scented ones may
- be objectionable to the cat.
-
- Some people invest in humidifiers for the house, and that reduces the
- static in a cat's fur as well.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Preparing Food for your Cat
-
- The following recipes are extracted from D.S. Kronfeld, 1986.
- Therapeutic diets for dogs and cats including a simple system of
- recipes. Tijdschrift voor diergeneeskunde 111 (suppl. 1) 37s-41s.
-
- Basic recipe for cat maintenance diet
-
- * 70 g dry white rice (1/3 c)
- * 140 g 80% lean hamburger (2/3 c)
- * 30g beef liver (1/8 c)
- * 11 g bone meal (1 tbsp)
- * 5 g corn oil (2 tsp)
- * 2 g iodized salt (1/2 tsp)
-
- Combine rice, 2/3 c water, bone meal, salt, and corn oil. Simmer about
- 20 min. Add meat and beef liver; simmer for 10 minutes. Cool before
- serving. Can be frozen or refrigerated for several days.
-
- Yield: 800 kcal metabolizable energy; 30% protein, %ME. (1.3% calcium,
- 1.1% phosphorus, 0.5% potassium, 0.45% sodium, 0.15% magnesium,
- calculated on a dry matter basis)
-
- Cats at risk of FUS
-
- Replace bone meal with 3 g (2 tsp) calcium carbonate or 1/2 tsp ground
- limestone (NOT dolomite, which is rich in Mg). This lowers calcium
- from 1.3% to 0.7%, phosphorus from 1.1 to 0.3%, magnesium from 0.15%
- to 0.08%. Calcium carbonate or limestone does not blend well; you may
- prefer to give this in pill or capsule form. Salt can be increased to
- 1 tsp to promote water intake, and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ammonium chloride
- can be added as a urinary acidifier.
-
- Kidney disease patients
-
- Substitute 40-50% fat hamburger (50-60% lean) for regular hamburger to
- lower protein content to 13%. For a protein content of 11%, substitute
- 1 medium-large egg (55g) and 1 Tbsp chicken fat (15 g) for meat.
- Animals in renal failure are anorexic, and maintaining adequate
- calorie intake may be one of the most important things in their
- therapy.
-
- Heart failure
-
- Without salt, the "regular recipe" has 0.05% sodium (compares to 0.03%
- in special canned "heart diets" and 0.05% in the dry form). These
- levels are suitable for animals in end-stage heart failure; for 1st
- and 2nd stage chronic heart failure, 0.25% sodium is recommended (use
- 1/4 tsp salt in the basic recipe instead of 1/2 tsp). Or use 1/2 tsp
- "lite salt" (50-50 sodium chloride and potassium chloride) to reduce
- sodium to 0.25% and raise potassium from 0.5% to 0.7%. This may be
- desirable if a potassium-robbing diuretic is being used, and
- especially if digitalis is also prescribed, since digitalis is more
- toxic in animals low in potassium. If salt is entirely left out of the
- diet, 1/4 tsp potassium chloride may be included to keep the animal
- from becoming potassium deficient.
-
- Low fat diet
-
- For non-specific gastrointestinal problems, malabsorption, osmotic
- diarrhea, pancreatitis, hepatic lipidosis, lymphangiectasis, and
- portocaval shunts.
-
- To reduce fat levels, substitute one of the following for the 70 g
- (2.5 oz)of 80% lean hamburger:
-
- 100 g (3.5 oz) 90% lean meat 10% fat
- 120 g (4.3 oz) egg 12% fat
- 180 g (6.3 oz) heart 4% fat
- 230 g (8.2 oz) cottage cheese 1% fat
- 400 g (14.4 oz) egg white, COOKED 0% fat
-
- Substitute 1 tsp safflower oil for 2 tsp corn oil. In extreme cases,
- reduce safflower oil to 1/2 tsp., or substitute MCT (medium chain
- triglyceride)
-
- Low fat, high fiber diet
-
- For geriatric animals, chronic enteritis or pancreatitis.
- * 1/2 c dry white rice
- * 1/3 c 90% lean hamburger
- * 1/3 c wheat bran
- * 2 Tbsp beef liver
- * 1 Tbsp bone meal
- * 2 tsp corn oil
- * 1/2 tsp iodized salt
-
- (this diet has only 700 calories, compared to 800 for the basal diet).
-
- If the bran is too irritating to the intestines, replace all or part
- of the bran with alpha cellulose (e.g. Solka Floc, from Brown & Co,
- Berlin, New Hampshire, USA). This will greatly decrease the available
- calories also.
-
- Reducing diet
-
- * 1/3 c dry white rice
- * 1/3 c 90% lean hamburger
- * 2/3 c wheat bran
- * 2 Tbsp beef liver
- * 1 Tbsp bone meal
- * 2 tsp corn oil
- * 1/2 tsp iodized salt
-
- This diet has only 600 cal compared to 800 calories of the basal diet.
-
- Hypoallergenic diet
-
- Substitute hamburger, ground mutton or lamb, pork, turkey, chicken, or
- fish for the meat that had been normally consumed. Substitute chicken
- or turkey liver for beef liver.
-
- Low purine diet
-
- Substitute a comprehensive trace mineral and vitamin tablet that
- contains vitamin B-12 for liver in base diet. Replace meat with 1 or 2
- eggs blended in 1/4 to 1/2 c cows milk. Carrots or tomatoes can be
- blended in. This may reduce protein content, but increase acceptance.
- Do not add other vegetables.
-
- Kay's comments:
-
- I tried the recipes above on my 6 cats (not picky eaters!) They
- eagerly accepted the basic diet, but were not especially fond of the
- reducing diet... adding a tsp of instant minced onion seemed to
- improve the acceptance, as did a little catnip mixed in.
-
- Most cats should do well with the basic diet. If you make major
- changes (such as the low fat or reducing versions), you may also want
- to make up some basic diet and gradually shift the cat from basic to
- special diet.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Cat Owner Allergies
-
- In general, keep the cats out of the bedroom. If cats can be trained
- to keep off the furniture, that also helps. Substances like Allerpet C
- can be used on cat's fur to dissolve some of the dander and protein
- from the saliva that people are allergic to. Long haired cats have
- more area to deposit their saliva on and they have to be brushed
- (putting more dander in the air), so short haired cats are better for
- people with allergies. Clean and vacuum often; groom and brush the cat
- (outside if possible) often so its hair-shedding around the house is
- minimized; and bathe the cat regularly.
-
- Some people are simply allergic to new cats. This kind of allergy
- means that it will diminish with repeated exposure. Thus you will not
- be allergic to cats that you are exposed to regularly; and actually
- become allergic to your own cat if you're away from it for some time.
- Washing hands frequently helps with this type of allergy.
-
- Other people are allergic to the saliva on the cat's fur. A remedy for
- this is to bathe the cat once a month. No soap is needed, merely soak
- the cat thoroughly. Done on a monthly basis, it seems to keep the
- saliva levels down to a tolerable level. This was reported in a
- scientific journal somewhere; Cat Fancy covered it a few years ago.
- [exact reference?]
-
- You may be allergic to cat hair, in which case you may want to get one
- of the breeds of cats with short, little, or no hair. There is a
- hairless cat, the Sphynx, and there are breeds of cat which are
- entirely lacking in the kind of hair (cats have four kinds of hair)
- most people are allergic to. These are the Cornish Rex or Devon Rex
- breeds, and their fur is short and curly.
-
- You could go to an allergy specialist and get shots to help you with
- specific allergies. This can be expensive, but worth it, especially if
- you have other allergies as well. They'll test you for the things
- you're allergic to, and then give you periodic shots to help you
- develop an appropriate immunity to them. Be sure to find a specialist
- familiar with cat allergies: many will simply recommend you get rid of
- pets. Also, don't expect miracles. They can do a lot for you to reduce
- your allergies, but sometimes they can't track down a particular one,
- and sometimes it takes more than "just shots" to deal with an allergy.
-
- The magazine New Woman (October 1992) has an interesting article about
- a cat-allergy vaccine. Catvax is being developed by the Immulogic
- Pharmaceutical Corporation (I.P.C.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and
- is now being tested on humans at Johns Hopkins University. Tests on
- animals indicate that Catvax is different from traditional cat-allergy
- shots in two ways. First, unlike conventional allergy therapy, which
- involves biweekly or weekly injections for up to a year, the vaccine
- may be able to completely prevent allergic reactions after just a few
- injections. Second, studies suggest that the vaccine will not produce
- allergic side effects, such as asthma, that traditional shots often
- do. I.P.C. hopes to complete its human studies and have the vaccine on
- the market by 1996 or 1997.
-
- There is an informative article "When Humans Have Allergies: Ways to
- Tolerate Cat Allergies," in Cats Magazine, April 1992. The August 1992
- issue of Cat Fancy contains an informative article; the September 1992
- issue has a survey of people's experiences with allergies and what
- worked for them.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- Toxoplasmosis (when you are pregnant and own a cat)
-
- Toxoplasmosis is a disease that can be picked up by handling
- contaminated raw meat, or the feces produced after ingestion of such
- meat. It takes between 36 and 48 hours for the eggs shed in stools to
- reach the infective stage, so if you remove stools from the litter box
- every day, the chances are slim that you could contract toxoplasmosis.
- (Nomenclature: Toxoplasma gondii is the organism, toxoplasmosis the
- disease, and Toxoplasma is a protozoan.)
-
- In theory, you can catch it by cleaning the litter box or by working
- in a garden used as a litter box. Most commonly, people catch it by
- handling raw meat or eating undercooked meat. Many cat-exposed people
- have had toxoplasmosis; the symptoms are similar to a mild cold.
-
- The problem occurs when pregnant women contract toxoplasmosis. This
- will severely damage the fetus. Simple precautions will prevent this
- problem; unfortunately many doctors still recommend getting rid of
- cats when the woman is pregnant. A good idea is to get tested for
- toxoplasmosis *before* you get pregnant; once you've had it, you will
- not get it again.
-
- You should note that there has yet to be a proven case of human
- toxoplasmosis contracted from a cat -- the most common sources of
- toxoplasmosis are the eating or preparing of contaminated raw meat.
-
- To prevent human contraction of toxoplasmosis:
- 1. Cook any meat for you or your cat thoroughly.
- 2. Use care when handling raw meat.
- 3. Wear household gloves when handling litter.
- 4. Use disinfectant to clean the litter pan and surrounding area.
- 5. Change the cat litter often.
- 6. Keep children's sandpits covered when not in use.
- 7. Wear gardening gloves when working in the garden.
-
- To be on the safe side, the litterbox and meat-chopping chores should
- go to someone else if you're pregnant.
-
- An article in Cats Magazine (January, 1994) mentions toxo. To quote:
-
- ...transmission of the disease between cats and humans is highly
- unlikely. In fact, Karen D. Brooks, DVM, states that 'although the
- possibility of transmission from cats to humans exists, there has
- never been a documented case of prenatal toxoplasma infection in a
- human that was caused by a cat' (Veterinary Technician, September,
- 1992). Experts believe the real culprits of toxoplasmosis
- transmission are probably contaminated soil and infected meat.
-
- The only way cats can transmit toxoplasmosis is through their
- feces, so simply having another family member change the litter box
- or wearing gloves and washing thoroughly afterward eliminates the
- risk. A pregnant woman should also wear gloves when gardening to
- avoid any contact with feces that may have been buried by outdoor
- cats. If other children in the family have a sandbox, it should be
- covered to prevent cats from using it as a litter box. It must be
- stressed that it is not possible to contract toxoplasmosis by
- petting, being licked by, or otherwise handling a cat.
-
- If you have had toxoplasmosis in the past, you can't get it again. You
- can be tested to determine if you already have the antibodies,
- indicating that you have had the disease in the past and would not
- contract it again. Even if you do carry the antibodies, it would be
- wise to take all the same precautions, but that simple test could help
- ease your mind about the risk.
-
- Re: toxoplasmosis: This is a short summary from the chapter on
- zoonoses (animal/human shared diseases) by Gary D. Nosworthy (pp.
- 577-582) in Nosworthy, G D (ed.) 1993. Feline Practice. JB Lippincott,
- Philadephia. ISBN 0 397 51204 X
-
- Approximately 80% of the cats in the US show evidence of prior
- infection with Toxoplasma gondii, the causative organism. However,
- cats are able to release the stage (oocyst) that can infect humans
- only once during the cat's lifetime, and then, only for a maximum of
- two weeks. Oocysts remain infective for about 5 days maximum.
-
- About 1/3 of the US population has been infected with T. gondii; once
- you are infected, you are immune. The only time that T. gondii causes
- more of a problem than a mild flu-ish illness is if you are
- immunosuppressed (AIDS, organ transplant recipient, etc.) or you
- become infected while you are pregnant. About 20-50% of the fetuses
- exposed to their mother's new T. gondii infection will become
- infected. Current US estimates of infection are that 1 of 1000 babies
- (0.1%) are infected. If you have a previous infection with T. gondii,
- you can handle infected materials with impunity during pregnancy...
- you and your baby are protected by your antibodies.
-
- Cats are probably not the largest source of infection of T. gondii in
- the US: Having a pet cat, direct contact with cats around the house,
- working in a vet hospital do not increase the likelihood of
- contracting toxoplasmosis.
- (ref: Reif, JS. 1980. Toxoplasmosis: Assessment of the role of cats in
- human infection. Compend. Contin. Educ. Pract. Vet. 2:810; Ganley,
- JP, Comstock, GW, 1980. Association of cats and toxoplasmosis, Am.
- J. Epidemiol. 111:238)
-
- The best way to prevent the problems of toxoplasmosis contracted
- during pregnancy may be to contract it BEFORE pregnancy... The most
- common mode of transmission in the US is contact with uncooked or
- undercooked meat, esp. pork.
- (ref: Jones, TC. 1983. Toxoplasmosis , p 438. IN Kay, D, Rose, LF,
- (eds.) Fundamentals of Internal Medicine. CV Mosby, St. Louis.)
-
- Other modes of transmission in the US (much rarer) include
- transfusions of blood cells or platelets, or organ transplants.
-
- There is also an experimental vaccine for T. gondii in cats. It is not
- commercially available.
-
- Vets and physicians can have blood samples tested for T. gondii
- antibodies. T. gondii antibodies during pregnancy do not mean that the
- woman has just been infected... they probably reflect an old
- infection. Only rising antibody titers during pregnancy are a cause
- for concern.
-
- Good cooking and handwashing practices will reduce the likelihood of
- infection of a previously uninfected pregnant woman to nearly nil.
- _________________________________________________________________
-
-
- Miscellaneous Information FAQ
-
- References
-
- 1. file://localhost/home/t/tittle/public-web/cat-faqs/table-of-contents.html
-