My apologies to Cat Chat followers. Writing blogs is more challenging than I thought it would be. I will make an effort to blog more often. Thank you for your understanding. So here we go again:
Our beloved "Louis" was originally called "Bug boy" because he was infested with many internal and external parasites. Mr. Louis Burgo was our exterminator, it felt right to name this cat after him. Mr. Burgo was delighted, thankfully. Mr. Burgo passed away several years ago and our "Louis" is a living tribute to his memory.
"Louis" was extremely thin and his coat was dry and matted. His sweet disposition was the only thing we saw though. We treated him for fleas, tapeworms, ascarids (roundworms), coccidia, and hookworms.. He also tested positive for heart worm and the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
Let's address the FIV first. Many people think FIV is a death sentence. In fact, there are a number of shelters that still euthanize FIV positive cats. FIV, unlike feline leukemia virus (FeLV), is not transmitted by casual contact. FIV is transmitted through sexual contact and deep penetrating bite wounds, the kind of wounds suffered in cat fights between un-neutered tomcats. Both FIV and FeLV are diagnosed most frequently in un-neutered males. This is one of the main reasons for neutering cats, it decreases the fighting thus decreasing the transmission of disease and pestilence. "Louis" has, in fact, help to raise several kittens that have never tested positive for FIV. "Louis" has been affectionately nicknamed Uncle Louie. FIV can lower a cat's immunity making them more susceptible to different infections. It can also predispose cats to several different cancers. There are supplements and medications to help keep the virus in check and promote a healthy immune system. Uncle Louie is the picture of health today and a testament to the care he's received at Capricorn Clinic for Cats.
Parasites are not reserved for outdoor cats only. Heart worm is transmitted by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have a nasty habit of coming in homes uninvited, Bringing with them all the diseases like heart worm and West Niles virus with them. More information at http://www.knowheartworms.org/ and www.petsandparasites.org/cat-owners/heartworms.html
Louie is now heart worm negative. It again took medication and time to treat. Not all cats are as lucky as Louie. We have had several patients that died suddenly from heart worm. Most of these patients were indoor only cats. Heart worm prevention is just as important for house cat as it is for cats that go outside.
Another external parasite mistakenly thought to be exclusively an outside cat problem is the flea. Fleas can hop a ride on your shoes, socks, and pant legs while you're doing yard work or even walking to get your mail. If you live in an apartment complex fleas are not deterred by locked doors and can come into your apartment uninvited. Alternatively, they may already be a house guest from the previous tenant. Fleas carry the intermediate life cycle for tapeworms. Cats ingest fleas when they groom themselves and get tapeworms from the ingested fleas. Cats get two parasites for the price of one...OK, not funny, just gross.
There are many products to prevent or control parasites for cats. We use and recommend Advantage multi for several reasons. It kills adult fleas, prevents heart worm disease. It also treats and controls ear mite, hookworms, and roundworm infestations. This is applied to the skin on the back of the head and neck area once each month. I would rather treat a cat topically than have to do battle with carnivore teeth for oral treatments.
What can we learn form "Louis"?
-FIV is not transmitted by casual contact and can be treated to give a "positive" cats a long and
happy life.-Parasite prevention is for indoor cats too. (heart worm and fleas)
-Neutering cats decreases the spread of disease
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