Hudson Veterinary Hospital in Ossining, NY

Bartonella, the "Cat Scratch" disease
Litterbox Problems
Your New Kitten
Recipe to De-Skunk your Cat
Cat care document (doc file, 121k)

American Association of Feline Practitioners - The American Association of Feline Practitioners has developed a great website dedicated to cat care. Feel free to check this out for great tips on care for your pet.

Cat Boarding Registration Form (doc file, 597k)

BARTONELLA, the "Cat Scratch" Disease:

Approximately 20% of healthy cats, living in the United States, are infected carriers of dangerous Bartonella bacteria which can potentially be transmitted to your family. Now you can stop the spread of these bacteria with a simple blood test of your cat.

Healthy cats can carry four members of the Bartonella bacteria in their blood, which can be transmitted between cats by fleas. The bacteria can be spread to people via cat scratches and bites, contact with fur and rarely by infected fleas. Bartonella can cause chronic insidious diseases such as inflammation of the eyes, inflammation of the gums and oral cavity, enlarged lymph nodes, fevers, kidney disease, upper respiratory disease, and vague neurological signs in some cats.

However, most infected cats are healthy carriers and go unnoticed by their owners.

Test:
Now cat owners can easily have their cats tested for bartonella infection. Most infected cats show no sign of illness yet some cats carry as many as 1,000 bacteria in each milliliter of blood. The test requires only a small amount of blood which can be drawn at your cat's yearly heath checkup. We recommend that all healthy pets, especially those obtained from shelters, as strays or from rescue organizations be tested. Kittens are more likely, than older cats, to transmit the bacteria due to their playful nature and their interactions with people, especially children.

Treatment:
If your cat is found to be infected, we will prescribe an antibiotic therapy for your pet. Antibiotics can rid these bacteria from your cat and make him or her a safe pet again.

Litterbox Problems
Cats are naturally fastidious animals, and this fastidiousness extends to their bathroom habits. When they live outdoors, as farm cats do, they avoid eliminating in the same location more than once unless they are spraying urine to indicate a territorial signature. When we keep cats indoors as pets, we expect a lot from them when we provide one small litterbox that is infrequently cleaned. Consequently, the most common behavior problem of pet cats is urination and defecation outside the litterbox. The most effective treatment for this behavior problem is prevention. Here are some suggestions for the prevention of this stressful problem:

Provide at least one litterbox for every cat in your household, plus one extra box. For example, a household with one cat should have at least two litterboxes: a household with four cats should have at least five boxes, and so on.
Cats as a group tend not to like certain aspects of litterbox management. These should be avoided if possible:
Avoid the use of covered litterboxes, particularly the type that requires the cats to climb into the box through a slot. The confinement and "blindness" in a covered box makes cats feel unsafe. Open (uncovered) boxes are the best.
Avoid heavily perfumed or deodorized litters. Use plain, undeodorized litters. Litter additives also add perfume odor, so use these with caution. If an additive is necessary, try plain baking soda beneath the litter.
Avoid the use of plastic liners, particularly if your cats are declawed. The scent and the feel of plastic may contribute to your cat abandoning its box.
Do not place the box near noise-producing or startling devices, such as washers and dryers.

Litterboxes should be easily accessible, not hidden in closets or behind walls. Avoid placing your box in the basement (unless there are other boxes upstairs).
Cats do have a preference for the clumping or "scoopable" litters. You may want to try both types and see which you prefer. The advantage to the clumping brands is that you can scoop both urine and feces, and therefore will not have to empty and refill the box as often.
Boxes should be kept as clean as possible. To provide the most attractive box (and minimize the chances that your cat will choose the carpet instead) scoop both urine and feces daily. If you use the clay litter (non-scoopable), empty and refill the box weekly. If you are using the scoopable type empty the box completely once a month. Do not "stir" litter to distribute urine - this only serves to distribute the ammonia to which urine is converted. When washing litterboxes. Use plain soap and water.
For young kittens, provide a litterbox within easy view (and reach) and periodically place the kitten in the box gently. Because kittens are naturally attracted to litter for elimination, your kitten should soon use the box appropriately.

In many instances, the cause of inappropriate urination or defecation is discomfort or infection, and the problem is solved by treating the disease. If your cat is male and un-neutered, this could be spraying or marking behavior. In this case he should be neutered and it will eliminate the problem.

YOUR NEW KITTEN: The Kittens New Home
By selecting a kitten as your pet, you have chosen an extremely clean pet with legendary skills for hunting and one that usually needs little housetraining because its mother usually has already taught it to use the litter box. All these advantages come in one furry package that requires little care but provides excellent companionship. Cats, however, demand that their love and loyalty be earned.

Cats must have regular meals, clean litter, grooming, and attention in the form of play. A cat will be quite content to live its entire life indoors provided that its owner offers companionship.

Male or female, kittens and cats are affectionate, intelligent, and playful. However, unless you plan to breed your cat, neutering is recommended to keep males from spraying, and females from producing unwanted litters. Neutering and spaying should be performed at 6-7 months of age.

Prepare your home for the new kitten before letting it loose. Be sure all doors and windows are closed to prevent escape. Place the kitten's bed in a secluded area and the litter box in another secludedarea. Take the kitten out and let it explore the room where it is to stay. Kittens and cats will explore endlessly until it feels totally comfortable in the surroundings.

Show the kitten the litter box, and place the kitten in it several times. It's rare for a kitten to reject the box. If this does happen, the litter box should be moved to another more secluded area. If the problem continues, it may be necessary to place several boxes around the home. The kitten will find one that suits its need for privacy within 24 hours. Remember, cats are extremely clean pets.

It is surprisingly easy for kittens and even dogs to adapt to each other-if they are gradually and gently.

Unlike most pets, cats remain true to their "meat-eater" heritage, and have special food requirements.Taurine, for example, is an amino acid that is vital to eyesight. Non-meat eaters can make taurine in their body, but cats cannot. Therefore, they must eat foods that contain taurine. Commercial diets for cats must be balanced and nutritional, specialized, and concentrated in small portions. Therefore feline foods are slightly more expensive than dog foods. Wet or dry food for a cat should contain 30-40% protein.

We highly recommend High Quality Kitten Food for all kittens. It can be fed free-choice. Only put out what the kitten will probably eat in the one day period. We prefer to put fresh food out every day. Some canned food should be fed for the first couple of weeks if the kitten is small or does not eat well.

Water is extremely important to the cat. Insufficient fluid intake can cause the urine to become too concentrated leading to urinary stone problems. It is interesting to note that cats do not have a "thirst" reflex. This makes it easy for the cat not to drink sufficient water each day, since they do not sense the need to drink since they are not thirsty. Grown cats should drink a cup of water daily.If the kitten does not eat well within the first 36 hours in the new home, it may be that it misses familiar surroundings. It may be necessary to force feed the kitten to stimulate appetite. We also recommend feeding some strong smelling canned foods during the early growing months.

The major appetite stimulant for the cat is SMELL!! Since dry foods do not have as strong a smell as canned foods, some cats are more reluctant to eat dry food.

Make diet changes slowly. Any abrupt change can cause digestive upsets resulting in vomiting and/or diarrhea.

Milk is NOT necessary in the diet.

Allow the kitten plenty of REST TIME. Cats sleep about 22 hours each day. Adequate rest is necessary for optimum growth and development. Shaking when sleeping is "mother nature's way" of exercising the muscles.

Guard against the kitten swallowing foreign objects. Quite often, we must perform surgery to remove foreign objects from the stomach and intestinal tract. These objects include string, fishing line, marbles, needles, or just about any other small object you can think of.

By reducing stress and allowing the kitten to feel comfortable on its own terms, you will enjoy many years of affection, love, and loyal companionship.

Recipe to deskunk your cat:
1 Quart FRESH hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid (Joy, Dawn, etc..)
Wet animal thoroughly, then wash for 10-15 minutes with this solution

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