Psychogenic Alopecia in Cats

By: Christian Yost

April 2, 2009

Hair pulling, or trichotillomania, now recognized in humans as an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), was formerly classified as an impulse control disorder. The new definition helps us better understand and determine the cause, course, and therapy of the feline equivalent, psychogenic alopecia. One of the results of compulsive hair pulling in humans and cats is alopecia (baldness). The problem can be so mild as to be barely discernable or so severe as to warrant wigs for affected persons and to make cats diagnosable from the top of a double-decker bus with a telescope turned the wrong way round.

The Humble Beginnings

You’ve probably all seen cats groom themselves nonchalantly in moments of anxiety, stress, or indecision. People engage in similar behavior.

If a person is in a situation of conflict, a stop-go situation, such as being stuck in traffic, they too engage in self-grooming to pass time and relieve the stress. Look to the side of you next time you’re stopped at a traffic light. Chances are the person in the car next to you will be looking in the driving mirror, straightening his hair or picking his teeth. These stop-go conflict behaviors are called displacement behaviors because the person or cat, when caught between two opposing objectives or drives, will displace into a third seemingly irrelevant behavior, in this case, self-grooming.

Now picture a situation in which the conflict is chronic and associated with anxiety. In this scenario, the self-grooming displacement behavior will be performed for prolonged periods of time to a point at which it becomes habit and is performed out of context. That is to say, even when the conflict is relieved, the cat (or person) continues to self-groom to the point of overgrooming. At this point, hair, sometimes skin and nails, too, are licked, chewed, damaged, and stripped, leaving telltale signs of depilation and damage. The areas most commonly involved are the abdomen

and the inside of the limbs.

At this stage, the condition is diagnosable as OCD. There may be some slight skin damage but more often than not this is not the case. Where nails are chewed these can become shortened and frayed.

There are natural and nurtural components to the condition. It is more prevalent in oriental breeds of cat, possibly because they are more highly strung. Domestic moggies that have had a rough ride growing up, especially those that have been improperly socialized or abused as youngsters, seem to be more prone.

Conditions to “Rule-out”

Medical conditions that can be confused with psychogenic alopecia and must be ruled out before the diagnosis can be confirmed. These are:

Skin parasites (mites, fleas) might cause excessive irritation and thus overgrooming. For those familiar with psychogenic alopecia, the appearance is fairly typical, and parasites are fairly easy to detect, but confusion is possible in some cases unless a careful inspection is made. Skin scrapings may be needed.

Fungal infections of the skin. Skin scrapings and fungal culture should be performed. A trichogram [microscopic inspection of shed and purposely depilated hairs] can be helpful. With psychogenic alopecia it is common to find broken, barbered hair shafts rather than intact hairs with the root attached.

Hormonal conditions can be ruled out by means of appropriate blood work.

Allergies can produce a similar pattern of baldness and their possible contribution should be carefully considered. Sometimes the irritation caused by allergies

can focus an anxious cat on self-grooming so that the two conditions become intertwined. A simple rule to remember to assist in diagnosis is that allergies respond to treatment with corticosteroids whereas OCD does not.

The Clinical Picture

An anxious, nervous, perhaps overly attached cat in a seemingly stressful environment.

Baldness across the abdomen and inside the limbs.

Usually no obvious skin lesions, no ectoparasites, no medical explanation for the problem, no response to corticosteroid treatment.

Owner-reported excessive self-grooming – perhaps induced by obvious stress. Stressors for cats include other cats in the house, people who the cat doesn’t like but is forced to tolerate, outside cats, wild animals, and separation distress.

Oriental breed, most likely, or history of improper socialization/early abuse/neglect.

Treatment

Eliminate environmental stressors, if at all feasible. Separate feuding cats and gradually reintroduce them under pleasant circumstances. Countercondition to strangers and all incumbents using food treats/meal feeding. Keep outdoor animals away from windowsills and gardens. Motion-sensitive lawn sprinklers can be useful here.

Click and treat train the cat (see separate section). Encourage and reward independence for cats with separation anxiety.

Enrich the cat’s environment. Moving toys, food puzzles, climbing frames, a room with a view, window bird feeders, fish tanks, pet rats or mice, white noise,exercise, quality time and interactions with the owner.

Treat concomitant medical conditions.

Pharmacological treatment designed to stabilize mood, reduce anxiety and reduce compulsive behavior. The most useful drugs are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). They take a while to work, 3-6 weeks normally, may take as much as 4 months to reach their peak effect, and are usually necessary long term (at least one year). Side effects are uncommon if the dose is titrated properly and are usually transient. The most common side effects are drowsiness, reduced appetite and (paradoxically) increased anxiety.

Not all cats with psychogenic alopecia respond to SSRIs. For those that don’t, the anxiety-reducing drug buspirone (Buspar) may be tried. It takes at least two weeks for the effects of buspirone to be seen. Side effects of buspirone are uncommon but include increased affection, increased playfulness, occasionally hyperactivity 30-40 minutes post-pilling, and occasional spats of aggression between formerly non-aggressive cats.

Please visit us at  www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

Introduction to Feline Fears

By: Christian Yost

April 1, 2009

Fear is a normal response for any animal to a fear-inducing stimulus or situation. Without a reasonable amount of fear neither cats nor humans would fare very well. As unpleasant as fear may be to experience, it keeps our animals and us safe by encouraging caution and by preparing us for fight or flight when danger threatens. Problems arise, however, if fears become so excessive and irrational that they disrupt normal functioning. At this stage, fear has crossed a definitional divide and is now better classed as phobia.

Excessive, irrational fears (or phobias) have three possible triggers:

Other living creatures (especially cats, dogs, and humans)

Inanimate cues (most often noise)

Certain situations, such as being left alone or visiting the vet’s office

Development of Fears/Phobias

Nature and nurture interact to produce excessive fearfulness.

The natural component is the innate hard-wiring that acquires and processes fears. Specifically, it involves neural pathways in the brain to a structure called the amygdala, where fearful stimuli are processed and then relayed to emotion centers in the limbic system. The natural tendency to acquire fears can be exaggerated in individual cats, families of cats, or whole breeds of cats.

While nature provides the substrate necessary for fear, learning is key. Without learning, fears do not arise in the first place.

Fears can be acquired suddenly and cataclysmically when an extremely traumatic event polarizes a negative learning experience. This can be thought of as a variation on the post-traumatic shock theme. From the time of the negative experience onwards, the fear-inducing stimulus will be avoided or repulsed at all costs. Permanent learning of this type is facilitated by the release of a fight or flight neurotransmitter, called norephrenephrine.

Another way in which fears develop is more slowly over time. In such instances, fears are compounded by repeated exposure to the instigating cause. Over time, the fear gets worse.

Once acquired, fear learning will fade if not reinforced – but it never completely disappears and can be rekindled quickly when circumstances dictate. Fortunately, it is often possible to reduce fearful perceptions and fearful responding by superimposing new learning that masks an older negative association.

Learning What to Fear

The “sensitive period” of learning (about many lifelong perceptions) occurs between two and seven weeks of age in cats. During the early part of this period, fearless kittens bravely go where older cats fear to tread. But, as the sensitive period rolls on, a certain caution or tentativeness emerges in our young heroes. This is a necessary development if  kittens

are to stay out of harms way. The more driven a kitten becomes to explore his environment, the more essential a dose of apprehension and caution are to his continued safety.

It is adaptive for a growing kitten to associate fear with people who are yelling or gesturing wildly. It is good for the youngster to become frightened by the loud noise and commotion of a busy highway. And it is good for the kitten to learn to avoid experiences that cause him to feel pain or discomfort. It is not so good when these fears become exaggerated, generalized, or misdirected, so that, for example, all strangers generate a powerful fear response from the cat or all visits to the vet’s office wind up nightmarish.

Avoidance of Excessive Fearfulness

Many fearful cats have fears that could have been avoided. The most critical time to guard against negative events is during the early part of a kitten’s life, notably the latter part of the sensitive period. Throughout this stage, it is imperative for kittens to be raised in a warm, friendly environment and to be introduced to a variety of people and other animals without having any bad experiences, such as prolonged social deprivation or punishment. Conscientiously shielding a young kitten from adversity will ensure a confident well-adjusted adult.

A kitten raised without human contact or who has had bad interactions with people during the first seven weeks of his life will never be entirely comfortable around people and will most likely be afraid around strangers. Adverse experiences may also cause profound and long-lasting fears later in life, but the ante goes up. That is, it takes more of a challenge to produce the same long-lasting fearful result. The susceptibility of older cats to acquiring fear varies with their behavioral experience. A properly raised, fully socialized cat will be much less likely to interpret occasional unfortunate experiences as the “rule” and more likely to interpret such events as exceptions.

Common Expressions of Fear

Fear of Animate Cues. Cats that are frightened of people and other cats have usually been undersocialized or have had bad experiences with people or other cats. Aggression, running away, and hiding are common signs of fear of living cues. Enlarged pupils, body hair raised, large bushy tail, and inappropriate elimination (urine or feces) are also seen.

Inanimate Fears. Fear of noises – demonstrated by hiding, signs of high arousal, and hunkered, cowering postures.

Fear of Situations. These can be divided into fear of cat carrier, car travel, and visiting the veterinarian’s office, and fear of separation. Fear of the carrier, travel and vet office often go “hand in glove” and represent a learning process known as back-chaining. The latter is a process by which learning experiences become linked together so that one heralds the next, and so on. When the cat experiences pain at the vet’s office, he associates the location and vetinary personnel with unpleasant consequences. The cat then associates car travel with a visit to the vet’s office. Next, he realizes that being put in the crate means a possible trip in the car – which might possibly culminate at the vet’s office – which might conceivably result in pain.

Separation anxiety. This occurs when a cat that is closely bonded to his human companion (or sometimes feline companion) becomes distraught when separated from them. Signs include: crying out when left alone, house soiling, and lack of appetite. Some cats may even pull out clumps of their own hair and most greet their owner’s over-exuberantly on their return  home.

Be able to control the fear-inducing stimulus so that it can be presented at low, incrementally increasing levels of exposure (e.g. for fear of strangers – a volunteer fear-inducing stranger who will agree to present himself/herself at varying distances).

Test the fear-inducing stimulus to make sure that it does, in fact, produce the fearful response. Then wait a few days before commencing the program.

Present the offending stimulus at a low level of intensity.

Gradually increase the challenge by decreasing the distance between the cat and the feared stimulus, by increasing the volume of a sound recording, or by adding new dimensions to the fearful situation.

Do not advance consecutively through such a program of desensitization; instead proceed in a random fashion. As long as the cat remains calm, for instance, expose the cat to a stranger at 20 feet, then 12 feet then 20 feet, then 8 feet, and so on.

Though the distance may vary in either direction between sessions, over time there should always be a progression (i.e. in the example above, the stranger is being accepted at progressively closer distances).

If a problem occurs at any stage of the program, return to an earlier stage of the retraining process, always finishing a training session on a positive note. The following day the session can be reinitiated at a low level of exposure, which is subsequently increased to, and finally through, the former upper limit of acceptance.

Training should preferably be conducted every day, however, training sessions 2 to 3 times weekly sometimes suffice.

Desensitization is usually performed in conjunction with counterconditioning (with cats, this almost always involves using delicious food to change the cat’s perception and behavior at each stage of the reintroduction process).

Global Fear

The most difficult cats to treat are those with “global” fear, meaning simultaneous fear of multiple cues; animate, inanimate, and situational. Cats of this disposition are almost impossible to desensitize to the multiple stimuli that trigger their fear. They are the “Nervous Nellies” of the feline world and are probably best treated medically to alleviate the impact of negative experiences that pervade their world. Even these cats, that seemingly have nothing to fear except fear itself, can be brought around by means of judicious anti-anxiety medication and subsequent weaning of the medication over time. The latter process should be conducted only under the strict guidance of a veternarian, perhaps with input from a veterinary  behavioral specialist.

Medical Treatment

Many anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs have been employed to facilitate retraining – with varying degrees of success. The best are (in order):

Buspirone (BuSpar®)

Alprazolam (Xanax®)

Fluoxetine (Prozac®)

Clomipramine (Clomicalm®)

Amitriptyline (Elavil®)

Propranolol (Inderal®)

Conclusion

If whatever frightens your cat can be consistently represented in an attenuated, non-threatening way, gradual reversal of the fear will result. The principle is similar to that involved in homeopathy – that of treating a condition by administering small carefully gauged quantities of things that excite the symptoms. Behavioral medicines can be helpful in ameliorating entrenched fears and fears that are “global” in proportions. Finally, there is a very good chance of rehabilitating cats with excessive fearfulness, especially if the fear can be clearly identified, is discrete, and can be easily isolated and controlled.

Scaredy Cats: Fear of The Animate

By: Christian Yost

April 1, 2009

Fear is a natural and functional response to a fear-inducing stimulus. If we, or our cats, were frightened of nothing, we would soon wind up in serious trouble. When we talk about fearfulness as a behavior problem, we are referring to excessive fearfulness or, more specifically, a phobia. A phobia is an excessive and seemingly irrational fear – one that is unnecessary and dysfunctional not, in reality, protective.

There are some cats that are frightened of almost everything unfamiliar, including people and other cats. They hide when people come over, shy away from other cats and, in general, are much better when they live with the few people or other cats they have come to accept.

According to one scientific classification of feline personalities, such cats would be deemed as having “low sociability” – i.e. they don’t get along well with other living creatures.

The question arises, why would a cat become so fearful? The answer, as usual, is a combination of nature and nurture. Some cats are set up to become fearful by virtue of their genetic makeup. One or other parents or grandparents  may have been excessively fearful, and the “fear” genes were passed on.

But the genetic component is only part of the puzzle; a kitten’s environmental experiences play at least as important a role. A cat that is genetically prone to be fearful may grow up relatively secure, if properly socialized. On the other hand, a genetically sound cat can become fearful if s/he had bad experiences with people or other animals during a sensitive developmental phase.

The sensitive period for learning in cats is between 2 and 7 weeks of age. During this early period of life, cats learn their social Ps and Qs and can develop lifelong acceptances of people, other cats, dogs, birds, even mice, as long as the circumstances are conducive. It is as if they open their young eyes and see the world as it is and accept it.

During the latter part of the sensitive period, kittens start to develop natural and necessary apprehension about things with which they are not familiar. Without fear they would be at great risk from all of life’s dangers so this component of learning is just as important as the seemingly more positive aspects. The trick is to get the kitten pleasantly associated with people and other animals before this socialization window closes.

How Fearfulness Appears

A frightened cat has several ways to respond to fear-inducing stimuli (persons or other animals)

Run away

Hide

Press herself against a wall (thigmotaxic behavior)

Become immobile

Threaten/become aggressive

Cats do not have the canine attribute of being able to signal appeasement to defuse a threatening conspecific. Because catecholamines are released during fearfulness, affected cats’ pupils dilate, their heart rates and blood pressure increase, and their hair stands on end (piloerection). The latter can create a larger-than-life appearance and the notorious big bushy tail.

The Mechanism

A brain region called the amygdala is the central repository for learned fearfulness and seems to function like camera film, retaining images of fearful cues. One or two regions within the amygdala are involved in memorization of visual images, e.g. angry face, while another is more closely linked to fear of noises. The amygdala activates the hypothalamus and brain stem regions involved in physical manifestations of fearfulness. A brain region, the locus coeruleus, is also activated during fearfulness in freely moving cats.

Treatment

Prevention is better than cure. Raise all kittens ensuring frequent (daily) handling and optimal social exposure, especially during the first 7 weeks of life.

Counterconditioning. The way to a cat’s heart is through the stomach. Arrange for strangers to come bearing gifts for the fearful cat. Delicious food works well for a hungry cat. The more strangers that feed the cat the less frightened of them she will be.

Desensitization. If a cat is too frightened to take even dropped or tossed food treats from a stranger, the next step is to engage a desensitization program. This entails:

- Shielding the cat from any uncontrolled exposure to fear-inducing stimuli
- Introducing strangers at a distance so that they are less threatening (it may be necessary to use a harness or cat carrier to ensure that the cat stays within eyesight)
- Encouraging the cat to eat or play in the person’s presence
- Gradually reducing the distance between the stranger and the cat

Medical Attention. In advanced or refractory cases, it is helpful to alter a cat’s perception of the subject of which she is fearful. This can be achieved using either the anxiety-reducing drug BuSpar® (buspirone) or a mood stabilizing anti-depressant. Clomicalm® (clomipramine) or Prozac® (fluoxetine) are probably best. BuSpar seems to make cats less anxious, more confident, more outgoing, friendlier, and more playful. It is extremely safe, virtually non-toxic, but side effects include occasional “paradoxical” responses of increased activity. Prozac is indicated for the treatment of “social phobia” in people and it seems to work just as well for social phobia in cats.

Postscript

When a cat is extremely frightened by visitors, whether people or other cats, it is not always the owner’s problem because the cat simply hides. It is, however, a problem for the cat. Cowering upstairs under a bed for hours at a time is no way to enjoy life. These anti-social, nervous Nellie’s of cats are often created by our ignorance of their needs and education. The condition of excessive fearfulness once fully developed, cannot be completely reversed. It can, however, be substantially alleviated by means of appropriate therapy.

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

Compulsive Reproductive Behavior

By: Christian Yost

April 1, 2009

Living in confined areas and lacking the chance to perform the full range of normal behaviors, some cats develop compulsive behaviors related to natural sexual/reproductive behaviors. Sexual compulsions may arise in neutered and intact cats, in males and in females. Masturbation, copulation with objects or human limbs, and attempts to copulate with unreceptive pets in the household (male or female) are sexual behaviors that may sometimes achieve compulsive proportions.

In the wild, male cats in rut will sometimes copulate with other males when females are not accessible. Females may also attempt to copulate with other females in the absence of males. This is thought to represent an overflowing of sexual activity under conditions of extreme frustration. Neutered cats that repetitively engage in misdirected sexual behaviors may be exhibiting a compulsive disorder.

Signs

Sexual compulsions usually take the form of masturbation and copulation with objects and/or human limbs. Masturbation involving the use of inanimate objects is presumed to represent a manifestation of misdirected sexual drive. It is possible that cats that “hump” inanimate objects or people may be showing an effect of erroneous sexual imprinting. This may occur if humans are the only subjects available for the cat to focus his or her attention on during a sexual imprinting period. Cats that have been sexually imprinted on humans, will show a preference for mounting human limbs even when sexually receptive felines are accessible.

Another behavior problem related to sexual/reproductive behavior is pseudo-pregnancy in queens. Queens showing pseudo-pregnancy may exhibit the following behaviors, even though they have not conceived: nesting behavior, adopting an object (toy, garment, shoe, etc.), and direct maternal behavior towards that object. These behaviors may be accompanied by physical signs of a “ghost” pregnancy, such as swollen mammary glands, pseudo-parturition, and lactation.

Treatment

If the cat showing excess sexual behavior is intact and is not going to be bred, spaying or neutering the cat, if an option, will usually solve the problem.

If a cat intended for breeding has sexually imprinted on humans, the prognosis is poor, but shaping may help focus the cat’s attention in a more natural direction. In such cases, the cat should be rewarded for displays of sexual behavior close to other cats, as opposed to humans.

If a cat that has been neutered/spayed displays a misdirected sexual compulsion, getting a cat of the opposite sex may help refocus the cat’s attention. In most cases, the new cat will provide an interest if not an outlet for the misbehaving cat’s sexual behavior. If this tactic fails, a combination of environmental enrichment plus anti-obsessional medication may provide some respite from the behavior.

Ovariohysterectomy (spay) is recommended for queens that repeatedly show signs of pseudopregnancy.

Pharmacological Intervention

Clomipramine is a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor that can be used to treat sexual compulsive behaviors. A latent period of up to 4 to 6 weeks should be anticipated for this medication to produce appreciable effects. Treatment should be continued until symptoms disappear. Length of treatment varies between individuals, ranging from 2 months to long term (lifetime). A gradual weaning off regimen (over 2 to 3 weeks) should be used at the conclusion of treatment. Possible side effects include reduced appetite, sedation, social withdrawal, and urinary retention. If unacceptable side effects do occur, the dose of medication should be decreased for a while and later increased as tolerance develops. In some obdurate cases, an alternative treatment may have to be sought.

Fluoxetine is another anti- antidepressant drug that can be used to treat sexual compulsions. The latent period is up to 4 to 6 weeks and treatment varies between individual cases, ranging from 2 months to long term (lifetime). A tapering dose schedule should be used at the conclusion of treatment. Possible side effects include restlessness and reduced appetite. If side effects are observed, the dose should be titrated to minimize such effects until tolerance develops. Alternatively, the medication can be discontinued.

Treatment with progestins can alleviate sexual compulsive behaviors. However, long-term use of progestins is associated with serious systemic complications, such as hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease), diabetes mellitus, mammary hyperplasia or even cancer, and endometritis or endometrial hyperplasia. Therefore, treatment with serotonin re-uptake inhibitors is preferential, if they are effective.

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

Inappropriate Elimination in Cats

By: Christian Yost

March 30, 2009

You love your cat and, until now, have enjoyed a perfect relationship with him. But suddenly he can’t seem to find his way to the litter box. Nothing can be quite so distressing for a cat owner as this pungent issue. And as tolerant as you may be, there’s probably a limit to the amount of time you can put up with living in a house that smells like a feline latrine.

Sad but true, inappropriate urination is responsible for the annual surrender of myriads of cats to shelters and pounds, a result that more often than not is the equivalent of a death sentence. So what causes cats to behave in this way? Why would they choose to foul their own nest, and what can be done about it?

Causes

Inappropriate elimination does not comprise of just one condition but rather a spectrum of conditions: some medical, some physiological (pertaining to normal biological functions), some to do with elimination preferences, and others related to anxiety and stress

.

It is important to find out what motivation underlies inappropriate urination in any particular case so that therapy can be properly directed.

Medical Causes

Cystitis and other bladder conditions

Medical conditions that cause increased thirst and urine formation, like certain kidney problems and diabetes.

Intestinal parasites, especially worms (contributing to inappropriate defecation problems only)

Hormonal Causes

Hormones are normally only a factor in the case of intact cats. Hormonally induced urine marking often begins around puberty (5 to 8 months of age), and will persist for life if unchecked. The way to deal with this problem is neutering. Not all cats stop urine marking following neutering, but most do – nine out of ten in fact – and those that continue may have other issues.

Although testosterone levels plummet after removal of male cats’ testicles, the behavioral “fix” is not immediate. A respectable reduction in spraying frequency may take a few months after neuter surgery. No one knows what causes this latency: It may simply be that old habits die hard.

Some intact females urine mark around the time of a heat period to signal their receptivity to passing males. Spaying a female will resolve this problem in 95 percent of cats and is recommended for medical and other behavioral reasons, too.

House Soiling Problems

Although technically all elimination problems are “house soiling problems,” this term tends to be reserved for simple litter box problems. This is a behavior problem in which the cat chooses not to use the litter box for any one of a variety of reasons, electing to use an alternative area for elimination of urine, feces, or both. Affected cats simply avoid shun the litter box and select a quiet, carpet-clad spot behind a chair or in the corner of a room instead.

There are many reasons why your cat may dislike his litter box:

Too few boxes

Inappropriately positioned boxes (damp cellar, high traffic area)

Inconvenient location (basement)

Hooded box (most cats dislike hoods)

Box too dirty (not scooped often enough)

Box too clean (cleaned with harsh smelling chemicals, such as bleach)

Liners (some cats are intimidated by plastic liners)

Plastic underlay (convenient for the owner but not always appreciated by the cat)

Wrong type of litter

Litter not deep enough

Animosity between cats in the house (competition/guarding of litter boxes)

Difficulty getting into/out of the box, especially inelderly, arthritic cats

Treatment

While inappropriate urination used to be a condition that veterinarians found extremely difficult to fix, clinical knowledge has increased to the point that no cat need lose his life as a result of now eminently treatable syndrome.

Medical problems should always be ruled out first before trying to control inappropriate elimination disorders and most can be addressed or contained. Have your veterinarian examine your cat and perform laboratory tests (usually a urine test, blood test and fecal exam) to establish the presence of any contributing medical problem. Obviously such conditions should be treated before proceeding further, but sometimes, even when the medical problem is under control, the elimination problem may persist because new habits have become established.

Anxiety-based problems are now treatable, thanks to modern medicines and a better understanding of the root cause of these problems. Drugs like buspirone (Buspar®) and fluoxetine (Prozac®) have revolutionized the treatment of anxiety-based inappropriate elimination problems.

Litterbox problems are a cinch to treat. Increasing the number of litter boxes to N + 1 (where N is the number of cat in the household), altering the location of litter boxes for the cat’s convenience, using scoopable litter, removal of hoods from hooded boxes, etc., will usually produce a dramatic turnaround, especially if done in conjunction with proper clean-up of previous “accidents” using a proprietary odor neutralizer (nothing less!).

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

How to Help Ease Itching

By: Christian Yost

March 28, 2009
First, contact your cat’s veterinarian if your cat has skin or coat problems. If your cat turns out to be allergic, your veterinarian will advise how to avoid specific allergens or may recommend giving your cat allergy shots. It can work well when the allergy source is known.

The basic treatments for itchy skin in an otherwise healthy cat are steroids, antihistamines, antibiotics prescribed by a veterinarian. Also, �Cats have higher protein (and) fatty acid requirements than other animals. Lack of protein, for example, could cause dry, brittle hair and flaky skin.

As most cat owners know, some scratching is normal, but if it seems excessive, consult your veterinarian. A humidifier can remedy dry environments, which sometimes aggravate itching.

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

Giving Your Cat a Pill

By Christian Yost

March 28, 2009

Giving Your Cat Medication With a Minimum of Stress

Partnering with your veterinarian is the key to keeping your cat healthy, and that goes beyond the occasional check-up and immunization. Be sure to schedule veterinary visits at least every six months and to give your cat tender, loving care.

If you do find that your cat needs veterinary care, it’s often necessary to give your cat medications at home after she’s seen the doctor. This, as you may already know, can be a challenge. Most cats aren’t anxious to take medications, and owners often physically struggle with their cats just to get a pill in their mouths. If you’ve ever tried to give your cat a pill, and she managed to get away from you, you know how difficult it is to coax a cat from under the couch.

Besides being a frustrating experience for you, your cat also finds it frustrating and stressful. That’s why it’s important to know an appropriate and easy way to give your cat her medication. Use the following steps to make the medicine go down a little easier.

Step 1: Call for backup. Have a partner hold your cat while you administer the pill. Ideally, your cat should be sitting on a table so she’s at a convenient height to handle. Have your partner hold onto her hindquarters to keep her from backing away from you. If working alone, try sitting with your cat near the corner of the couch�this will help provide a natural barrier to keep her from backing away while you give her the pill. Begin by �palming� your cat’s head. Place one hand firmly over the crown of the skull.

Step 2: Keep your hand on the head and point the mouth upward so her nose is pointing toward the ceiling.

Step 3: With your free hand, take the pill between your thumb and forefinger, then pry open the mouth by inserting your middle finger between the jaws. Your cat should naturally open her mouth. Though she may resist, with gentle pressure, you will be able to get the mouth open.

Step 4: Once the mouth is open, place or release the pill as far back in the mouth as possible and then hold his mouth closed for 5 to 10 seconds. At this point, you must work quickly. If your fingers clear her mouth and you hesitate to close the jaws, your cat will try to spit out the pill. Once the mouth is closed, gently rub her throat to stimulate the swallowing reflex.

After you release her jaws, your cat may still spit out the pill if she hasn’t swallowed. If this happens, it’s probably because the pill was released too far forward on the tongue, which makes it easy for the cat to hold it in her mouth until she’s �free.� Repeat the steps and try to get the pill as far back on the tongue as possible.

With practice and patience, this technique will work without putting a lot of stress on your cat. The method is quick and easy and will keep your cat from dreading pill time.

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

Urine-marking

Urine-marking

By: Christian Yost

March 20, 2009

Urine-marking can be a troubling behavior for cat owners and may indicate some hard-to-handle stresses in the cat’s life. It is probably the most common form of inappropriate elimination and is the number one cause of surrender of cats to shelters and pounds, which often results in their untimely demise.

There are several reasons why cats may urinate outside their litter boxes, most of them simple in etiology. But when urination is employed as a signaling device, there is often intriguing motivation underlying the behavior. This motivation must be understood before the problem can be properly addressed.

All cats are capable of urine-marking – both males and females, intact and neutered. The likelihood of urine-marking is greatest in the intact male cat; neutered males are next most likely to urine-mark, then intact females, and finally spayed females.

Urine-marking can be performed with the cat in a standing position or in a squatting pose. The volume of urine passed ranges from small and almost insignificant to a regular flood, and vertical surfaces are often the target. There is also a type of “virtual” marking behavior in which no urine is passed at all, so called phantom spraying, though owners do not usually regard this as a pressing behavior problem.

Spraying is the most common form of urine-marking behavior. In spraying, cats back up to a vertical surface, tread with their hind legs, quiver the tip of their tail, and deliver a fine stream of urine onto the surface. The purpose of this behavior is to inscribe a urine-born pheromonal message for subsequent passers-by to detect. The message probably reads something like: “Kilroy was here,” or “This is Kilroy’s place: Keep out.” Intact males have the greatest motivation to mark because of the behavior is testosterone-enhanced, but neutered males will also spray if suitably aroused. Though females can spray, especially intact females in heat, they urine-mark more commonly from the squatting position.

Recognizing Urine-marking

It typically involves interesting and varied locations, such as counter tops, heating registers, stereo speakers, electric toasters, oven tops, refrigerators, windowsills, blinds, desks, screened porches, shopping bags, clothes or beds, heating registers, stereo speakers, electric toasters, oven tops, refrigerators, windowsills,blinds, desks, screened porches, shopping bags, clothes or beds.

It usually involves multiple sites and often has a discernible pattern, such as on a person’s belongings or near sites of access to the outside world.

It often involves a small amount of urine deposited on a vertical surface.Diagnosis and TreatmentUrine-marking used to be the most difficult behavior problem to treat. However, we now know much more about the reasons why cats mark with urine and have numerous treatment options at our fingertips. Here are some things you can do.

Patterns. Recognize the typical pattern of urine-marking and consider possible initiating factors. It is important to consider events that occurred at the same time as the onset of urine-marking, such as the arrival of a new person in the household the departure of a key household figure, the arrival of a new cat, or the opening of porches in the springtime.

Neutering or spaying. Intact males almost always mark. Neutering eliminates urine-marking in 90 percent of male cats. Intact females may spray when they are in heat, but spaying intact females is 95 percent effective in eliminating female estrus-linked marking behavior.

Medical examination. Rule out all possible medical causes of inappropriate urination by means of a urine analysis plus any other relevant veterinary tests. Sometimes, feline urological problems can trigger spraying and, if present, must be addressed first.

Litter boxes. Make sure there are enough litter boxes, at least one more than the number of cats in your household. Make sure the litter boxes are cleaned regularly and litter boxes are strategically placed at all levels of the house.

Odors. Clean up all urine marks as soon as possible with an enzymatic odor neutralizer. A black light can help detect urine marks.

Stress. Address any stresses in the cat’s life, such as conflict with other cats or separation anxiety.

Outside visitors. Shield the cat from unwelcome outside visitors by adding translucent plastic shields positioned in the lower half of windows to make window sills inaccessible, using curtains to cover windows, moving chairs, to deny access to certain windows, shutting doors to certain “high risk” rooms, and closing off screened-in porches.

Pheromone spray. The use of a pheromonal spray containing facial pheromones in an alcohol base (Feliway®) can help deter some cats from urinating in particular locations. The active ingredient in Feliway is oleic acid. It is thought that this delivers a message of “peace and love” rather than the angry “keep away” message of territorial urine-marking.

Medication. In some cases, urine-marking can be reduced through medication that decreases feline arousal and thus the drive for territorial or anxious urine-marking. The most effective medication is fluoxetine (Prozac®), which resolves the problem in some 90 percent of cases. The next most effective medication is a trycyclic antidepressant, clomipramine (Clomicalm®) (80 percent effective), then buspirone (BuSpar®), with a 50 or 60 percent efficacy rate, and finally, the trycyclic antidepressant, amitriptyline (Elavil®), which is also sometimes effective.The purpose behind giving these medications is to stabilize the cat’s mood and reduce anxiety. Sometimes medications need to be given long-term, but other times a short course of medication for just a few weeks, can be enough to resolve an otherwise chronic problem.  Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com