Manx Cat
Manx Cat
The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, and domestic cat, Felis catus,
are two of the most widely kept pets worldwide. In the US and many European
countries 40% of homes have a dog. This is not the case elsewhere such as
in mid east and Muslim countries where dogs are regarded as unclean. In Western
Europe it is estimated that there are 40 million dogs and in the USA 50 million.
Around $10 billion is spent annually on pet food in USA and $4.5 billion
on veterinary expenses. Cat numbers are more difficult to estimate but it
is believed that there are more than 95 million cats in the USA and Europe.
DOGS
Golden Retriever.
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class- Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family - Canidae
The dog is a member of the family canidae of which there are 36 other species incuding the wolf, coyote, and jackal. Ancestor was the Asiatic wolf. The wolf is a pack and territorial animal and will be protective of home and adopted pack (family). These characteristics are common in the domestic dog, The initial relationship with humans is of dependence, then social dominance and leader/follower. With some breeds reaffirmation of social dominance is important and this may lead to problems with family members not perceived by the dog as dominant.
PROESTRUS - responds to increase in levels of estrogen. Serosanguinous
discharge and swelling of the vulva. Males are attracted but the bitch will
not allow mating. Usually lasts some 3-9 days.
ESTRUS - ovulation occurs will allow mating. May last for only 3 days but
more usually 4-12 days.
METESTRUS - stops accepting males gradually followed by pregnancy or by
ANESTRUS - no ovarian activity which lasts until the next proestrus..
Deficiency diseases - Zn deficiency can lead to skin problems, hyperkeratosis
as well as poor growth. Excessive feeding problematic. Too much fat can lead
to pancreatitis with the possible complication of diabetes. Excessive protein
can lead to renal (kidney) failure. Older dogs less able to absorb nutrients,
decreases appetite - loss of body weight.
Health and disease
VIRAL DISEASES
Canine Distemper. One of the leading causes of death in unvaccinated puppies. The virus is closely related to the human measles virus. Transmission is usally airborne and the disease is highly contagious. Early signs are fever, inappetance and conjuctivitis . Signs of the disease become more serious including coughing, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, vomiting and blindness. Well controlled by vaccination.
Parvovirus. Related to the feline panleucopenia virus affects unvaccinated puppies. Signs are vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Control by vaccination.
Rabies. Dogs may be
affected and this is most likely to occur where they interact with wildlife
reservoirs. Caused by a Rhabdovirus with a variable, and sometimes long,
incubation period. Rabies is a neurological disease which exists in both
a "furious" and a "dumb" form. Spread via saliva and bites.
Transmissible to humans. There is no treatment, infected animals should
be humanely destroyed using appropriate precautions. Prevention is by a highly
effective vaccine. Information on dealing with rabies is available
at http://www.avma.org/care4pets/anrabie.htm
BACTERIAL DISEASES
Leptospirosis. Caused by a bacterium, Leptospira interrogans, this disease is seen primarily in animals betwen the ages of 1 and 4. Organisms damage heart, liver and kidneys. Fever, vomiting diarrheae and bloody urine are typical signs. Left untreated often fatal. Tretament by high levels of antibiotics. Prevention is by the DA2LPP vaccine in puppies and adults. Associated with urine transmission and poor sanitation.
Kennel Cough. May be caused by many bacteria or viruses but a common cause is Bordetella bronchiseptica. This is related to the cause of whooping cough in humans and can result in serious damage to the airways if not detected and treated early.
PARASITIC DISEASES
Heartworm. Heartworm disease is a serious disease
causing many thousands of dog deaths annually. It is caused by parasite
Dirofilaria immitis which targets the heart and also the lungs, liver
and kidneys. Can fill up and block the heart leading to signs of breathlessness,
lethargy. The disases is transmitted by mosquitos and is prevented by administering
antiparasiticides during the mosquito season.
Fleas are by far the commonest ectoparasite. In addition to the irritation they also transmit diseases, paticularly endoparasites such as the dog tapeworm. Ticks and mange (mite infestation) are also significant ectoparasite problem in dogs. Ticks are also involved in the transmission of Lyme Disease.
Endoparasites such as tapeworms and roundworms are frequent problems controlled or treated by parasiticides.
CATS
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class- Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family - Felidae
The cat is a member of the family Felidae. There are many species - lion,
tiger, cheetah leopard etc. Other than the lion and cheetah which live in
groups, members of the cat family are solitary. Two possible ancestors are
the European or the African wild cat. Most opinion favors the African wild
cat.
Cats have been highly succesful in ecological terms. They have spread across all continents, other than Antarctica. Cat is the only domestic animal that is not a herd animal. Still reflected in its relationship with humans. Cats tolerate humans and utilize the benefits. Probably earliest domestication by the Egyptians - 3000BC. Probably started as civilization developed with wild cats being tolerated as controllers of vermin. May have been 4 stages in the domestication:
Prior to 7000BC wild cats were competing with humans for food. The process of domestication probably began as a commensality, or half wild cats scavenging in early settlements. This followed by confinement of cats in temples for religious purposes and feeding. This was followed by full domestication and secularization of cat keeping.
The genetics of color and hair type are complex and Table 1 below identifies some of the associated major alleles.
Table 1. Major alleles of the cat
| HAIR TYPE | |
| H (h) | normal hair (hairless) |
| L (l) | shorthair (longhair) |
| Wh (wh) | wirehair (normal) |
| R (r) | Normal hair (rex) |
| COAT COLOR | |
| A(a) | Agouti (non agouti) |
| B (b,b1) | Black (chocolate brown, red-brown) |
| C(c, cb,cs,ca) | Full color (albino, Burmese, Siamese, blue-eyed white) |
| O(o) | Sex-linked orange (nonorange) |
| W(w) | Dominant white (colored) |
| T, Ta ,(Tb) | Striped tabby, Abysinnian tabby, (blotched tabby) |
| S (s) | White spotting (no spotting) |
| D(d) | Intense color (dilute color) |
| I(i) | Normal pigment (pigment inhibition) |
| OTHERS | |
| FD(fd) | Folded ear (normal ear) |
| M(m) | Manx tail (normal tail) |
| PD (pd) | Polydactyly (normal toed) |
The nutritional requirements of the cat are more exacting requirements than those of the dog. Cats have an unusually high protein requirement, twice that of humans or dogs, because they use protein not only as asource of amino-acids but also as an energy source. Other species can also do this but in the cat the enzymes to produce energy from protein are constitutive while in other animals they are inducible. Consequently cat always uses some protein for energy metabolism irrespective of other sources of energy in the feed. The cat has specific requirements for two amino acids - arginine and taurine. Arginine is unlikely to be deficient in the diet, however, taurine can be and leads to a disease called Central Retinal Degeneration which causes blindness. Most animals synthesize taurine from cystine but cats cannot do this. Thus cat foods are differently formulated from dog foods to contain taurine and should not be interchanged. Feeding too much of certain types of meat to a cat can also be a problem. Too much uncooked fish can lead to destruction of the vitamin B1 by an enzyme (thiaminase) present in fish which destroys the vitamin leading to B1 deficiency, which in turn can cause neurological problems including paralysis. Diets too low in calcium and vitamin D (particularly in an indoor cat not getting much sunlight) can lead to skeletal problems.
Commercial cat food is available in three basic forms - dry, semi-moist and canned. To compare these from a nutritional perspective it is necessary to operate on a dry matter basis. This is calculated following the removal of all water (even "dry cat food" has around 10% water). See Table 2 below.
Table 2. Nutrient composition of
commercial cat foods.
| DRY | SEMIMOIST | CANNED | ||||
| As is | Dry | As is | Dry | As is | Dry | |
| Water (%) | 10 | 35 | 75-77 | |||
| Protein(%) | 31 | 34 | 23 | 36 | 10 | 41 |
| Carbohydrate(%) | 41 | 46 | 27 | 41 | 8 | 33 |
| Fat (%) | 11 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 12 |
| Ash (%) | 7 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 12 |
| Enery (kcal/lb) | 1600 | 1300 | 460 |
Health and disease
VIRAL DISEASES
Feline panleukopenia (also called feline infectious enteritis and feline distemper). It is highly contagious with a rapid onset of fever, loss of appetite, dehydration and leukopenia(Decreased in white blood cells). Caused by a member of the parvovirus group, it is primarily a disease of kittens. The disease has a high mortality rate but is effectively prevented by immunization at around 8-10 weeks of age. For more information check out the AVMA site at http://www.avma.org/care4pets/felhpanl.htm
Feline Leukemia. Caused by a oncogenic (cancer producing) RNA retrovirus. Causes lymphatic cancer, wasting and immunosuppresion that then leads to various opportunistic infections. Fifty % mortality in 6 months , 80 % in 3 years. There is no treatment other than reducing clinical signs and treating complications. Control is based upon the diagnosis and removal of infected cats to prevent infection of others. There are vaccines available but are considred as additional safeguards rather than a primary protection.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Another retrovirus but does not produce cancer.Related to HIV and group of other virsues causing immunosuppression of their host. Clinical signs are diverse becuase they are a consequence of various secondary or opportunistic infections. Transmission is probably primarily by bite wounds or in utero. Sexual transmission is possible but infrequent. Although similar to the human HIV virus it is species specific with a minimal risk of transmission to humans.
Rabies. Cats may be affected and this is most likely to occur where they interact with wildlife reservoirs. Caused by a Rhabdovirus with a variable, and sometimes long, incubation period. Rabies is a neurological disease which exists in both a "furious" and a "dumb" form. Spread via saliva and bites. Transmissible to humans. There is no treatment, infected animals should be humanely destroyed using appropriate precautions. Prevention is by a highly effective vaccine. Information on dealing with rabies is available at http://www.avma.org/care4pets/anrabie.htm
BACTERIAL DISEASES
Salmonellosis. Typically a consequence of ingestion in contaminated feed or water. Can be restricted to the gut leading to an enteric disease with diarrhea and vomiting as major signs or become invasive leading to fever and anorexia. Treatment with fluids and antibiotics. Careful disinfection of utensils and removal of feces important to protect other cats and also humans. Depending upon serotype, Salmonella is easily transmitted to and causes disease in humans.
Cat-scratch disease. This is not serious for the cat but is a problem in humans. Cats may carry an organism called Bartonella henselae which can infect humans by a bite or scratch. A small skin papule develops at the site of injury followed by enlargement of lymph nodes. In a minority of people it can lead to a serious flu-like disease with fatigue, loss of appetite, fever and headache. Ninety percent of human cases are associated with young cats. Infection is more common in feral cats than domestic cats.
PARASITIC DISEASES
Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii is
a protozoan of concern to cat owners, not because of the disease it causes
in cats, but because of the severe disease it can induce in humans. The oocysts
of the parasite are excreted in cat feces and when ingested can infect other
hosts, including humans. In the cat the Toxoplasma may cause an enteric disease
but most of the time cats excreting the parasite show no signs of disease.
In humans the most severe complication of exposure occurs in pregnant women.
Infection occurring during the second or third trimester can lead to serious
brain lesions, and damage to the retina. Often it is fatal but may be inapparent
at birth. Some children get infected after birth and suffer a flulike disease
with complications such as heart disease, pneumonia and neurological disease.
Other endoparasites affecting the cat include tapeworms (Taenia taeniaeformis
and Dipylidium caninum ), threadworms (Strongyloides) and Hook
worms (Ancyclostoma). In addition the cat is affected by ectoparasites
of which the most common is the cat flea.
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