Month: December 2024

One benefit of modern veterinary medicine is the prolongation and increase in quality of life for our patients. For example, the average domestic cat can now expect to lead a long and healthy life into their late teens. However, unfortunately with age can also come some challenges, and one such challenge which is becoming more recognised in moggies is the disease hyperthyroidism.

The thyroid gland is located in the neck in both cats and dogs. One of it’s most important jobs is to produce a hormone called thyroxine. Thyroxine has many functions in the body, such as helping to regulate temperature, heart rate and appetite. But sometimes production of thyroxine can go wrong. Cats in particular, can produce too much thyroxine, and this can be a problem. This is called hyperthyroidism.

The symptoms of hyperthyroidism can include weight loss, high heart rate and a ravenous appetite. Indeed, it is the combination of a skinny cat that eats a lot that first alerts an owner that there may be a problem. If left untreated, the cat can become very ill and is prone to heart disease. Luckily, modern veterinary medicine has provided us with several effective treatments. These include dietary modification, daily medicine and occasionally surgery. These treatments can reverse symptoms and allow the cat to lead a normal life again.

Hyperthyroidism can be diagnosed via a simple blood test carried out by your vet. If your cat has a persistently high blood thyroid concentration, combined with weight loss and an increased appetite, then hyperthyroidism is likely. A recent study has indicated that hyperthyroidism is more common than we first thought. Indeed, one school of thought is that many older cats should be considered for thyroid testing if they are off-form. But prompt diagnosis and treatment will ensure that your cat will not suffer the worst effects of this disease, but live to a ripe old age.

Following on from our article “Should You Feed Your Dog Raw Meat”, there has been a timely article on a related topic in the national press this week. A study carried out by vets at the University of Edinburgh has found that cats may have contracted TB from eating a “natural” raw food diet. This has not been conclusively proven, but the evidence is suggestive.

TB is short for “Tuberculosis”. It is a disease that affects many animals, including man. In times past it was known as “consumption”, as it consumed the people infected with it. They lost weight and wasted away, often with a hacking cough. TB has claimed many victims over the milenia. Famous victims include Keats, Shelley, Charlotte Bronte and Geroge Orwell. The causative agent is a bacteria called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It is hard to kill and can lie dormant in the host for years. Indeed, it is thought that one quarter of the world’s population is currently infected with TB. Fatal cases occur overwhelmingly in the developing world. Pasteurisation of milk and control of TB in cattle by vets have helped stem the disease in Ireland. But we are ever vigilant for the return of this pernicious killer. Vets have a special role to play because TB has a reservoir in many animals like cattle and deer, and can cross the species barrier to infect man.

For these reasons the public health authorities are alert to any sign that the incidence of TB is on the increase. So when a group of house cats began developing symptoms, vets became concerned. These cats were all kept indoors, so their diet was predictable. The only common feature was that they were fed a raw venison-based diet. It is reasonable to conclude that the diet may have contained the TB bug and this passed to the cats. Normally TB is spread in the air by coughing animals, but it can cause infection when eaten. While we can’t be sure that cats can spread TB to people, given that the disease is so serious it is wise to be cautious.

The good news in this story is that the disease was quickly identified. The cats are no longer fed this particular diet as a precaution. It is better to stick to non-raw diets for pets from pet food companies as these are prepared to strict standards, and reduce the chances of disease spreading via the food. The government has a robust TB control program in cattle and is ever vigilant for the return of this victorian killer. You can do your bit by consulting your vet if you have any questions.

The evenings are drawing in as we near the darkest day of the year.  I’ve begun to notice that it is getting darker and darker as I drive home from work.  The headlights of oncoming cars on the road are glaring more noticeably than they did even a few weeks ago.  Yet even on the mundane commute home there are wonders to behold.  I am referring in particular to “cats eyes”.  Not the actual eyes of a cat, but those small glass beads in the middle of the white line, reflecting the lights of your vehicle to illuminate the centre of the carriageway.

Cat’s eyes, or reflecting road studs, are a world famous safety feature of road travel invented in the UK in the 1930’s.  The idea was to find a way to guide traffic in the dark, rain or fog.  The inventor, a Mr Percy Shaw of Halifax, was inspired to invent the reflective beads by the shine of  a real cat’s eye.  This shine is created by an anatomical quirk in the cat’s eye – the tapetum lucidum.  This is a latin term meaning “bright tapestry”.  The tapetum is a highly reflective layer of tissue behind the retina.  Its purpose is to reflect light coming into the eye, enabling the animal to see in the dark.

Cats, dogs and horses, among other animals, have a tapetum lucidum.  Humans, sadly, do not.  Therefore these animals can see in the dark much better than we can.  You are all familiar with the tapetum lucidum.  If you snap a photograph of your pet in the dark, you will likely see two bright lights emanating from their eyes.  It is this effect that Mr Percy Shaw sought to copy with his ingenious invention.  The light generated by the “road” cat’s eyes contributed greatly to commuter safety.  The invention came into its own during the London Blitz whenever a blackout was imposed, aiding clandestine travel at night.  After World War II, cats’ eyes spread across the world, and they are now used in a variety of colours in motorways in many countries.

So next time you see a cat’s eye in the road at night, you know that this simple invention has saved many lives.  Percy Shaw had the genius to apply simple observation of natural phenomena to real-world situations to provide a practical solution.  And, of course, we must also thank the cat!