Scratching The Surface on Cat Scratching Behaviours

Cat showing normal scratching behaviour

Scratching is normal cat behaviour, serving to sharpen and groom the front claws and leave markers of the cat’s presence. They are not trying to modify the look of your favourite sofa because they prefer the tattered, shredded, distressed look in furniture. They are not destroying the living room drapes in a vindictive action against their owner. No, they are just doing what cats do and have always done.

To live in harmony with a cat, though, it will likely be necessary, to achieve some sort of understanding and accord with the cat and control the potentially destructive consequences of scratching behaviour. Proper training to scratch on appropriate surfaces, combined with nail care and providing acceptable scratching posts may be able to manage the issue.

The Animals of the Nativity

There are many people in our modern world who love animals. We enjoy their companionship and value their friendship. We marvel at their skills and appreciate how they improve the quality of our lives. We cannot imagine life without them.

We sing about them, we read and write about them, we study them, and we strive to better understand them. We have quite a wonderful relationship with them. They are very much a part of our lives and have been so, for a very long time. Not much wonder then, is it, that they are important participants in, The Christmas Story. Think about the Nativity Scene that is such a familiar part of Christian celebrations around the birth of Jesus. Animals are very much a part of that scene. I thought it might be interesting to think a bit about those animals gathered around the manger in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

 

Camels were there and for those of us living in this part of the world they are surely one of the more exotic and interesting species present. We are told they brought wise men from the east bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus. In fact, it is thought that camels were first domesticated by frankincense traders many thousands of years ago. Camels were used by these traders to make the long arduous journey from southern Arabia to the northern regions of the Middle East. Later they went on to become the desert dweller’s primary source of transport, shade, milk, meat, wool and hides.

The camels in the Holy Land would have been one-humped camels, sometimes called dromedaries. Dromedaries were domesticated and began their close relationship with humans about 5000 years ago or about 3000 years before they appeared in the Nativity.

Another animal always pictured in the stable in Bethlehem is the donkey.  A donkey, also known as an ass, is a close relative of the horse and zebra. Donkeys are probably derived from two wild species of ass each native to Africa. They are more sure-footed than the horse. They live longer and they are more tolerant of hot arid environments than their larger equine cousins.  The ass was domesticated by the Egyptians about 3000 BC. Therefore, like camels, they had a well established and long relationship with humans at the time of Jesus’ birth.

 

The Bible reports the Holy infant lay in a manger. It was probably a cow’s manger.  Cattle are always depicted as animals present in the stable where Mary and Joseph found lodging. The cattle were probably members of the Anatolian Black breed. They are brown-black to dark gray coloured, shorthorned cattle that have been present in Asia Minor since the Hittite period over 4000 years ago. They are hardy, disease resistant, tolerant of a meager diet and adverse climate and are used as a work animal and cows provide milk. Remains of domesticated cattle dating to 6500 BC have been found in Turkey and other sites in the Near East. Cattle had been important friends for some time before the event in discusssion.

Finally, in every crèche, there are sheep, accompanying their shepherd. Today, there are well over 250 different breeds of sheep in the world.  We cannot know, for certain, the breed of sheep present those many years ago, but, it could have been they were Jacob sheep. Jacob sheep are a primitive, domestic, multi-horned, black or lilac sheep with white spots (piebald). The Biblical story of Jacob’s striving to achieve spotted sheep and goats is thought to be the earliest record of selective breeding of animals. Sheep were among the first domesticated animals, tamed from wild species by hunter-gatherers, about 9000 years ago. We would want sheep to be with us, at such an important moment for humankind, as the birth of baby Jesus.

Well, there you have them, the animals of the Nativity, gathered with their human friends, with whom they have had such a long fruitful relationship, to celebrate the birth of a Saviour. However, I believe, there must have been at least two more kinds of animal in that gathering. Somewhere nearby, calmly observing the event, probably stretched out on a beam overhead, was a cat. Cats, you see, were likely derived from Felis silvestris libyca, a subspecies of the African wildcat, and they began living with us between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago.

Finally, on such an occasion, there surely would have been a dog – interested, attentive and excited to be there. Remains of domesticated dogs have been found in a cave in Iraq that dates to 12,000 years before the present. Remains of domestic dogs have been found at other sites dating 10,000-15,000 years ago. For the past 6500 years dogs have been found everywhere that humans have been found. Our “best friend” and earliest animal companion, with us for over 10,000 years at that time, would have been with the worshippers in Bethlehem.

Fashion or Function: Are coats really necessary?

A reader of this column recently suggested she hoped I might say something that would encourage more people to get sweaters or jackets for their dogs. She reported that throughout the harsh season of winter she was greatly distressed to see dogs chilled and shivering when outside for a walk or some exercise.

A quick response might be that dogs don’t really need protection against the cold. We have all seen pictures of their close relatives, wolves, tracking through deep snow quite oblivious to freezing temperatures in their search for food. Veterinarians will tell you that unless exposed to extreme conditions for extended periods, dogs are unlikely to suffer from frost bite or hypothermia. Many dogs seem to quite enjoy playing in the snow, gulping great mouthfuls of it as they plow into the snowdrifts. Why then would you bother with cumbersome, constricting wearing apparel for a dog going outside?

Not Just “Blah Blah Blah”: How to get the most from your veterinary visit

Everyone realizes the task of the veterinarian, in providing health care for a pet, is more challenging because they can’t tell us where it hurts. Veterinarians are also unable to speak directly to their patients with advice concerning their health. The pet owner is the middle man (or middle person). We rely on you, the pet owner, to give us accurate, detailed information about your pet and you must hear and understand what we tell you about your pet. Good communication is vital in many aspects of life. Good communication between a veterinarian and a client on behalf of a pet is certainly of great importance. Here are some tips to help in achieving effective communication with the animal doctor.

1) If you are visiting because your pet is ill, don’t be afraid to ask at the outset, after the examination, about the prognosis. Your first concern will be about the well-being of your pet. You will listen much better and understand more completely when your anxiety is lessened.

Leptospirosis: The Silent Killer

It was all really quite low key in the beginning, There was nothing to indicate a serious, possibly life threatening, battle had begun. Her owner, in a matter-of-fact manner, listed the signs that had led her to bring Bonna, a grey and white spayed female husky, born in 2007, to see the veterinarian. Bonna had been off her food the day before, but that wasn’t unusual – almost once a week she would have a day when she wasn’t very hungry. Her stomach had been doing a great deal of rumbling the evening before but that seemed better now. She drank water and had no trouble keeping it down. She was quite quiet, as she usually was, when having an off day. However, even though quiet on such days, she could always be enticed to play a bit. This time, though, she had even refused to go for her morning walk. Her owner was certain that meant, something, was very wrong.

The veterinarian gave Bonna a thorough physical examination. Her body temperature was 39.5 Celsius, just a bit above normal. The mucus membrane colour of her gums and eyelids was perhaps a bit pale but still quite pink. Her pulse and breathing rate were normal. Her heart and lung sounds were normal when her chest was auscultated. Nothing unusual was detected when her abdomen was palpated. Her lymph nodes were normal. Bonna’s weight had not changed from her last visit, 5 months earlier. From her check-over there was no apparent cause for her symptoms of mild fever, loss of appetite and lethargy.

The Golden Years: Not Just A Human Concept!

No question about it, there are more senior pets with us today than ever before. With better diets and improved medical care, the average life span for both cats and dogs continues to increase. Environmental enrichment and accommodation adjustments can do much to maximize the welfare of older pets in our homes.

We know that people who remain active and engaged in their senior years are less likely to show mental decline.

ACLs and CCLs: What our dogs have in common with Pavel Bure

Bruno was a 2 year old male Rottweiler who was brought to the animal hospital because he was lame on his left rear leg. Julie was a 9 year old spayed female Cocker Spaniel examined for the same problem, except it was her right rear leg that was affected. Bruno was young, athletic and an ideal weight for his size. Julie, now considered a senior aged pet, weighed 17 kg., at least 3-5 kg. heavier than her ideal weight.

The day before his visit, Bruno had gone out in the leash free park playing and romping with some of his best buddies. His owner had been chatting with another dog owner, while Bruno was off with his friends. He was unaware that anything had happened, but when Bruno came back he was holding up his left rear leg and would only walk on his three other limbs.

Another Hairy Tale

If your pet is completely or partially missing hair in areas where it is normally present, it has alopecia. Alopecia sometimes remains in relatively small localized areas, sometimes these small localized areas are found in multiple sites and occasionally it may be generalized, affecting most of the body.

Alopecia is not a disease, rather it’s a problem, like a fever, that may be caused by a number of specific causes. In previous columns there has been discussion about how alopecia may develop and some of the things a veterinarian needs to do to try to identify some of the more common causes of the disorder. In this column I want to mention a few more causes for alopecia.

A Hairy Tale

What better says Golden Retriever than its thick, full, golden haircoat? What would a Persian cat be without long, flowing locks of hair? Would you even recognize a Dalmatian without that distinctive black and white hair coat colour? Yes, indeed, there’s no doubt many breeds of dogs and cats are defined by the distinctive hair that covers their body.

Not much wonder then, is it, that pet owners are often very distressed if that hair starts to go missing. The condition is called alopecia and it can affect any breed of cat or dog. Even though male pattern baldness commonly affects human members in a family, if baldness is noticed in a pet, it’s a reason to visit the veterinarian. It may be a primary problem, the result of trouble affecting the skin or hair follicles only. However, it may be secondary, caused by disease or disorders in other parts of the body.

One of the first questions the owner of a balding pet will be asked is whether it’s itchy.

The Tale of Aston the Schnauzer

While his family was on vacation, Aston was staying with friends. A handsome, always obedient, 4 year old neutered male Schnauzer, he was no trouble at all and his caregivers were happy to have him visit them again for a few days. However, they became very concerned when, two days after arriving, he vomited four times during the day and seemed in considerable discomfort. When consulted, his veterinarian agreed that Aston needed to be examined. Aston had been seen at the veterinary hospital ten days earlier for occasional early morning vomiting in the previous two weeks. Blood tests had revealed no abnormalities and anti-nausea medication had been prescribed for a few days of treatment.

This time when Aston was given a general physical examination, besides being a bit more quiet than his usual cheerful self, the most significant finding was that he seemed to be painful when the forward part of his abdomen was gently palpated. An x-ray that was taken did not reveal any foreign material that might have been swallowed. Aston was admitted to the hospital for further care. Blood tests were repeated and an abdominal ultrasound was performed. Changes now in the blood values that had been normal earlier and the ultrasound examination were consistent with pancreatitis being the cause of Aston’s illness.