1
Q
role of cats (5)
A
- pet
- rodent control
- showing - pedigrees
- commodity - breeding
- strays
2
Q
3 ways they may maintain/mark territory
A
- rubbing
- spraying
- claws
3
Q
attitudes towards conflict and stress
A
prefer to avoid conflict
very good at hiding stress
4
Q
socialisation period in cats:
A
2-7/8 wks
(dogs = later and longer - 5-16wks)
5
Q
what is the socialisation period?
A
- defining normal
- good and bad experiences which will impact cat’s behaviour and outlook
- likely to be fearful of new experiences
- broader range and greater no of experiences during this period = more adaptable cat as adult (all situations)
6
Q
categories that are a part of socialisation period for cats:
A
Gentle handling – holding, stroking; ears/paws/nails/mouth, grooming, in carrier, in car
People - different ages + genders
Other pets
Surfaces – carpet etc.
Sounds – household
Scents – household
Litter – diff types
Food – assortment of flavours/types e.g. kibble and pouch
Scratching post – diff types
Toys – diff types
Outdoor environment – variation: grass/concrete/cars etc.
7
Q
key behavioural characteristics: 3
A
- territorial
- predator (innate hunters - obligate carnivores)
- prey instinct? (natural fear of unknown, run away + up high to escape danger, aggression as last resort - not good survival tactic)
8
Q
factors that influence sociability of cats:
A
- genetics
- kitten soc.
- social mature yet? (1.5-4yrs)
- prev experiences
- relatedness
- see each other as in same soc. group
9
Q
indicators of being in same soc. group: 4
A
- mutual grooming (allogrooming)
- mutual rubbing (allorubbing)
- sleeping together touching
- communal nursing of young (feral cats)
10
Q
cats and soc groups: points to note (3)
A
- same family ≠ same soc group
- NOT hissing/fighting ≠ enjoy spending time together
- WILL tolerate each other for a valued resource (e.g. sleep spot - on same bed but not together)
11
Q
cat handling - 3 things to do:
A
- work from behind/side
- calm with rubbing/stroking
- invite to approach you (as opposed to other way around)
12
Q
what if a cat has had enough/has become aggressive and unable to handle?
A
- dark quiet place to calm down, at least 30mins
- give up and try another day (with medication prior e.g. gabapentin – THINK OF KIKI teehee)
13
Q
zoonotic disease transmission from cats (5 types)
A
- bites and scratches
- fleas/flea dirt
- ringworm
- toxoplasmosis
- roundworms
14
Q
one thing you can assess by looking at cat whilst still in carrier:
A
resp. rate and pattern (NOT HEART - YOU CANNOT SEE THIS)
15
Q
CLINICAL EXAMINATION: looking at…
A
Head to toe
Facial symmetry
Ear, nose and throat
Eyes
Open mouth
Neck
Anterior chest spring
Abdominal contents
Legs
Claws
Coat
Tail
Sex
Anus & genitals
Auscultate (stethoscope to listen to organs)
Respiratory rate
Palpate pulses
16
Q
temp:
A
36.7 - 38.9 °C
(THESE are the most up to date values from SVMS so ignore others)
17
Q
heart rate:
A
110-180 bpm
18
Q
resp. rate:
A
20-30 breaths/min
19
Q
handling during exam: 3 things that will serve you well
A
- LESS IS MORE
- 4 ON THE FLOOR (PAWS)
- LITTLE AND OFTEN (contact/handling?)
20
Q
5 ROUTES of medicine administration (not sites):
A
- topical
- oral
- subcutaneous
- intramuscular
- intravenous
21
Q
5 SITES of medicine administration (includes routes first so you know which site is for which routes):
A
- topical - skin (spot on), eyes, ears
- oral - worming tab?
- SC - between shoulders usually, can be anywhere where skin loose enough
- IM - quads, lumbar
- IV - cephalic (front legs), or jugular (?)
22
Q
3 sites of blood sample collection
A
- jugular (preferred)
- cephalic (front legs)
- saphenous (back legs)
23
Q
administering spot on medication:
A
- Cat’s rear end to your body (cat is facing away)
- One hand in front of shoulders
- Other hand to part fur behind the neck to expose skin
- Use same hand to squeeze liquid onto skin
24
Q
administering eye medication:
A
- may need to cleanse eye before
- position cat so you behind/to side
- tilt head back (thumb on top of head and fingers under the chin)
- other hand (with bottle in), place curved little finger on top of head to steady hand
- drops from approx. 1 inch above eye
- do not touch eyeball
- wipe away XS using cotton wool
25
administering ear medication:
- cleanse ear
- hold ear flap in upright position or fold back (onto head) to expose ear
- medication into the ear canal
- massage outside of ear canal for a minute or so
- allow the cat to shake head
- wipe away dirt/discharge with cotton wool
- wipe nozzle clean + replace lid
26
administering oral medication: see ON for photo
- place hand across back of skull and hold zygomatic arches with thumb and middle finger
- tip head upwards
- hold the tablet in other hand between thumb and index finger (/pill popper with soft tip)
- middle finger to open mouth by gentle pressure over lower incisor teeth
- place pill as far back in mouth as poss and close mouth
- keep head tilted and stroke cat’s throat to encourage swallow
(licking lips = likely swallowed)
- follow with small vol of water/wet food to keep down
27
SC injections:
- lift skin to create little tent
- restraint normally more trouble than worth (just do it if cat seems calm enough?)
28
jugular venepuncture: (not step by step moreso points to watch)
- control claws and teeth (nurse - holds paws with one hand, head held up with other) see ON for photo
- may need to drop forepaws off table (try to avoid)
- may need to wrap in towel for effective restraint
29
IM injections:
- restraint
- where (+why?)
- light restraint via shoulders/towel/blanket
- lumbar muscles (fillet steak)
OR
- quadriceps (prefer cranial->caudal NOT lat. - avoid sciatic nerve)
30
veterinary input to shelter cats:
Clinical examination
Treatment of illness
Blood testing (FeLV & FIV)
Vaccination
Flea/worm treatment
Neuter
Microchip
Dentals
Infectious disease management (e.g. ringworm)
Euthanasia
31
are most tortoiseshell and calico cats male or female?
FEMALE (see ON for why)
32
why is breed important?
- What is ‘normal’? (e.h. physical ch.)
- Management (?)
- Congenital/genetic diseases (predisposition
33
3 +'ves of grooming:
- Reduces hairballs
- Improve skin and hair quality
- Owner/cat bonding
34
6 common pedigree ***shorthaired*** breeds:
Siamese
Burmese
British Shorthairs
Rex
Abyssinian
Bengal
35
4 common pedigree ***longhaired*** breeds:
Persian
Birman
Maine Coon
Ragdoll
36
Choosing a cat - factors to consider?
Pedigree vs non-pedigree
Longhair vs shorthair
Male vs Female
Adult vs kitten
How many?
Where from? (socialisation)
Single person/couple/family
Working vs non-working
Location/environment
Size of home
Other pets
Financial status
37
how many litter trays?
one per cat PLUS 1 (AT LEAST)
38
ideal feature for a collar:
- **QUICK RELEASE!!!**
39
define obligatory carnivores:
obligatory carnivores (essential components only found in food of animal origin)
40
DIET: essentials
- amino acids - taurine + arginine
- vitamins - A+D
- essential fatty acids (EFAs) - linoleic + arachidonic
41
diet: important point to note!
- highly protein dependent
- high and constant rate of protein metabolism
- quickly go anorexic/into stage of deficiency
- **particularly important in sick cat** (48 hours max in a cat not eating before big metabolic changes occur)
42
bowl size - why it matters
whisker fatigue
43
type of diet may depend on: (2)
- life stage
- medical condition
44
types of prescription diet (3):
Weight control
Dental
Therapeutic (kidney disease/bladder stones etc.)
45
overweight vs obese:
Overweight up to 20% above ideal weight
Obese is >20% above ideal weight
46
obesity: ^ risk IF (4)
Indoor cat
Male cat
Middle-age
Owner also obese
47
obesity: ^ risk OF (4)
Diabetes (Type II)
Arthritis
Hepatic Lipidosis
Urinary tract disease
48
mistakes in cat diet:
Vitamin A toxicity (high liver diet)
Vegetarian diet
Human products – onions - toxic
Cow’s milk – become lactose intolerant
Overfeeding
49
bowls in vet practice (point to note)
do NOT swap between cats (also applies to litter trays)
50
2 functions of scratching:
1. nail conditioning
2. scent marking (territory)
51
vertical scratch posts: point to note
height and strength of post should allow cat to fully stretch against
52
CATNIP: scientific name and name of component responsible for effects
Nepeta cataria
nepetalactone
(do we actually need to know??)
53
common illnesses/causes of injury:
- cat flu
- dental disease
- cat bite abscess (CBA)
- RTA
- FELINE LOWER URINARY TRACT DISEASE
- hyperthyroidism
- chronic kidney disease
- toxins (e.g. onions)
54
cat flu symptoms
-Rhinitis and nasal discharge
- Conjunctivitis and ocular discharge
- Sneezing
- Fever
- Caused by a variety of bacterial and viral pathogens but NOT INFLUENZA!!!!
55
dental disease symptoms:
- Halitosis
- Hypersalivation
- Inability to eat/pain when eating
- Tartar
- Gingivitis
- Fractured or missing teeth
56
feline lower urinary tract disease symptoms:
- Frequent urination of small volume (or none)
- Blood in urine
- Pain on urination
- Urinating in wrong place
- Repeated licking of perineum
- Repeated episodes
- If completely unable to urinate, quickly life threatening
- Associated w stress
57
hyperthyroid symptoms:
- Older cat
- Goitre
- Thin
- Polyphagic
- Altered behaviour
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
58
chronic kidney disease:
- Kidneys no longer able to excrete nitrogenous waste from the body
- Electrolyte and acid/base imbalance
- Older cat
- Thin
- Polyuric/polydipsic
- Inappetant
- Vomiting
59
5 types of preventative healthcare: (think routine procedures)
- vacc
- flea treatment
- worming
- neutering
- microchipping
60
most common vaccines given:
**Cat ‘flu’ – mainly viral
Feline herpesvirus (FHV)
Feline calicivirus (FCV)**
**Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV)**, aka enteritis/Feline Parvo virus/
**Feline Leukaemia virus (FeLV)**
61
vaccination - when?
Start at 8-9 weeks of age
Kitten course – 2 injections 3-4 weeks apart
First annual booster is important (i.e. at 15 months)
Followed by annual vaccination
62
fleas can carry...
tapeworm
63
microchipping
- Injected under the loose skin around the neck near the area of the shoulder blades
- Databases of owner and vet details
- NOW LEGAL REQUIREMENT (JUNE 2024)
64
REPRODUCTION: general info
Seasonally polyoestrus
Induced ovulators
Cycle is ~ every 2-3 weeks
Oestrus lasts 7-10 days
Oestrus can be very obvious – behaviour can be bizarre!!
Inexperienced owners can call as an emergency
“my 5 month old female cat is in pain – she’s rolling on the floor yowling!”
Puberty/Sexual maturity – from 4 months of age
Pregnancy is ~63 days (61-70d)
Parturition is generally uneventful for most queens
65
gestation
around 63 days
66
do cats need to be sexually mature before neutering?
NO
AHW - cats
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