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There can be no doubt that cats think a lot of themselves. They always take the best seat in the house – whether that be on your lap as you read, on the fresh laundry basket, or even on top of the radiator. They no doubt feel that they deserve this. But where does this high opinion of themselves stem from? Well, it all started long ago, on the banks of the River Nile…

Cats were worshipped as the earthly incarnations of Egyptian gods for more than 30 centuries. This perhaps started as they were used to catch vermin and kill venomous snakes. The Egyptian economy depended on grain, and the fact that cats could protect your hoarded food yielded them a special status in society. Gradually cats were accorded a special place in Egyptian religion, even coming to represent Ra – one of the most powerful gods, in the Book of the Dead. It is not uncommon to find representations of gods with cat heads in hieroglyphics. As an aside – one of Lecale’s own sons, the Rev Edward Hincks of Killyleagh was an early expert in deciphering these hieroglyphics.

The next step in the veneration of the cat was mummification. Egyptians wanted to travel into the afterlife with their feline companions, so they had them mummified! Tens of thousands of cat mummies have been found. One has even made it to our own shores, and is exhibited in the Ulster Museum, alongside the mummy of Takabuti. The techniques of mummification were identical to those used on their human “masters”.

Cats were protected by law in ancient Egypt. It was a serious offence to harm a cat, and this left a cultural legacy that persisted well into the time of Cleopatra. Indeed a Roman citizen was lynched in Egypt for harming a cat around the time Caesar invaded that country. So great was the respect that the Egyptians had for cats that their enemies heard of it, and used it against them. Cambyses II, the King of Persia, placed cats at the head of his army, dissuading the Egyptians from attacking.

With the coming of Christianity and then Islam, the veneration of the cat went into decline with the Egyptian population. The cat sanctuaries were abandoned, and thousands of mummified cats lay undiscovered and dusty with the desert sand until our own time. But an echo of the time cats were seen as gods is found in our own fondness for moggies today, and it is surely something that cats have never forgotten.

You may have heard the word “Chimera” in the news this week. A chimera occurs when an animal or person has the DNA of another animal contained in their body; mixed in among their own cells. The chimera in the news is a bundle of monkey and human cells in a test tube in a lab. The name “Chimera” (which is pronounced Khimeera) derives from the Greek legend, “Chimera and Bellerophon”. The Chimera was a hybrid creature composed of the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent. The creature breathed fire and was a menace to mankind. Bellerophon was the hero who killed the Chimera, while riding on the winged horse, Pegasus.

Chimera’s can occur naturally. If two fertilised eggs merge in the womb, the resulting individual will be a chimera. This is sometimes known as having a “vanished twin”. It is actually the norm with marmoset monkeys Most marmoset twins are chimeras, having cells with different genetics in different organs.

Chimeras can of course be artificial, like the one in the news this week. One of the earliest artificial chimeras was created in a lab in Cambridge in the 1980s. It was an embryo composed of the cells of both a sheep and a goat – otherwise knows as, wait for it, a Geep! The embryo eventually developed into a new life – and a baby geep was born. It looked quite like you would expect – a cross between a sheep and a goat.

Bone marrow recipients are chimeras, as are organ transplant recipients. Folk who have been kind enough to donate their organs are life savers for this reason. Their cells and DNA enter the recipient, and start to work with the recipient’s body, producing the necessary functions that had been lost and so saving the recipient’s life.

So what’s the point of creating an artificial chimera? The supply of organs is one possible benefit. There is a worldwide shortage of organs for people in need of a transplant. At present the only source of these organs is other people. And it takes a huge amount of organisation, not to mention emotional capital to harvest organs from donors, and then transport them to the place where they are needed. Creating a chimera of say, human liver cells mixed with pig cells could result in an animal that contained a ready-made human liver. Taking things a step further, human liver cells could be bundled with a fast growing species in a lab to make a near artificial organ ready for transplant in weeks. In the future there could be warehouses of organs being grown near to hospital operating theatres, ready to be implanted as part of a routine operation list. This would reduce waste, waiting times and patient morbidity.

Like all new inventions, we need to tread carefully with artificial chimeras. They have the potential to revolutionise healthcare, expanding treatment horizons to levels that we can only dream of. However, we need to be mindful that approximately 60% of human infectious diseases are zoonosis – that is, they infect both animals and people. An obvious risk of combining human and animal cells, apart from ethical concerns, is that we facilitate new disease transfer between the species. We may need a new Bellerophon if we are creating a new chimera.

So we live in Lecale. But how many of us know what Lecale means? It comes from the Irish Leath Chathail – “Cathal’s half”. Cathal was a prince of the Dál Fiatach tribe, who were lords in this part of the world in the 6th Century AD. Downpatrick was their capital, centred on the Mound of Down, as we know it today. However, the Mound of Down has a different, older name. It was known in times past as “Rathkeltair” – the fort of the warrior Keltair. Keltair was an ancient Irish hero hailing from this part of the world. He is mentioned in the “Ulster Cycle” – the great epic story of warriors and battles that forms part of our heritage. It is from this cycle that we know of Cú Chulainn and the Tain.

So what does all of this historiography have to do with animals? Everything. As usual, most of our history is tied to the natural world. Folk in those days regarded their animals every bit as highly as we do. So Celtchar had two pet dogs. One was called Lúch Donn (brown mouse) and the other Dóelchú (possibly “sad hound”). They were very fierce, and only Keltair could handle them. Evidently irony was not lost on our ancestors, as “brown mouse” is an amusing name for a big dog!

I find it interesting that we do not know the names of many humans from that period of our history, but we do know the names of three dogs – the two above and of course “Cú Chulainn” – the hound of Ulster. It says much that as a culture we commit to paper the names of man’s best friend for time immemorial. I have yet to see the day when a dog named “brown mouse” is called into my consultation room, but when that day comes, I will be braced for a wolfhound!

You may have been following the story of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) in the media this week. This disease has been with us for a long time, and is always contentious. The current furore surrounds attempts to control TB, and it is an emotive issue. A major part of the job of a country vet in Lecale is helping to facilitate the government’s TB eradication scheme in cattle. This involves at least annual testing of all cows in the national herd to see if they have TB. It requires a major organisational effort on the part of both farmers and vets and not inconsiderable expense to the public purse. In this week’s article, I would like to explore the reasons as to why we resort to such measures to control this disease.

TB is caused by bacteria called mycobacterium. There are several types. The main cause of TB in humans is Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. However the main strain of TB in cattle is Mycobacterium Bovis. The reason that we are concerned about the cattle TB strain is that it used to be a major cause of tuberculosis in people. In fact this only changed after the development of pasteurisation of milk. Prior to pasteurisation, milk was a transmitter of TB from cows to people. Many famous people have been infected, and died with TB in the past. You may recognise names as diverse as George Orwell, the author of “Animal Farm”, Frederic Chopin, the composer and Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish romanticist. Of course, many hundreds of thousands of ordinary folk died in miserable circumstances of this disease too. It robs the sufferer of their breath, causing distress and wasting of the body. For this reason it was known historically as consumption.

So why do we care now? You may think that pasteurisation has solved all of our problems. Indeed, it has helped reduce the infection of TB from cattle to people. However, studies have indicated that Mycobacterium Tuberculosis was the number one infectious cause of death worldwide in 2018. So TB is still a major threat to public health. As a society we do not want to see a recurrence of this disease in transmission from cattle to people. We want to do all we can to ensure that this will not happen again. The TB control programme is a part of this effort by society to protect ourselves. Cattle TB can be spread in unpasteurised milk. It is also thought to spread in the breath of an infected animal. So vets have to be ever vigilant against its recurrence.

There is another reason to support the TB control program. It is a vital element in ensuring public confidence in the supply of animal products from our farms. Because we have a rigorous testing programme, various countries will import our agricultural products. This underpins thousands of local jobs, ensuring prosperity in our rural communities. Without a TB control programme, it would be harder to export our excellent produce.

TB has been with us for thousands of years. It has even been found in Egyptian mummies! So it is not going to go away overnight. The future of TB control seems to be in improved testing and preventing spread. We have seen how improved hygiene and social distancing has reduced spikes in the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps a similar approach is required with TB. Vaccination may also play a role, and we will explore this and other control methods in a future article.

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!

In our last column we covered ultrasound scanning as a way to image your pet. This week, we’re going to look at another way of seeing inside the animal body: the CAT Scan.  “CAT” is an abbreviation of “computed tomography”. This is derived from the Greek words “tome”, meaning “slice”, and “graphi” which means “to write”.  The reason this name is used is because CAT scans make images of the body in slices.  These slices are then assembled to make a study of the body.

A CAT scanner is a type of x-ray machine. It is very large and looks like a doughnut. Inside the doughnut is an x-ray tube and a semi-circle of sensors. The patient lies on a tray that can move in and out of the doughnut. Images are generated when X-rays pass through the body to the sensors in a rotating arc. As the tray moves in and out of the doughnut, these images are generated in slices. These slices are then transmitted to a computer to form a complete picture of the area under examination. The images can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional depending on the computer and the requirements of the vet.

The use of CAT scans has exploded in recent decades as the price of these machines has come down. It is now reasonably routine for pets to be scanned for a range of conditions. These conditions include fractures, spinal problems, tumours and virtually any other issue you can think of in the body. When we have an animal that is undergoing a CAT scan they generally require sedation or even full anaesthesia. The reason for this is that we cannot have an animal standing up and walking off a scanner in the middle of a scan! This means that when your pet undergoes a CAT scan they usually have to be admitted to hospital for at least a day.

CAT scans have some advantages over traditional X-ray images. CAT scans have better resolution than traditional radiographs and because a number of images are taken CAT scans avoid the superimposition of structures that can happen on a plain one-dimensional X-ray. This means that interpretation of these images can often give more information than would otherwise be achievable with a normal x-ray.

CAT scans also have some disadvantages. One disadvantage is the cost of the machine.  Purchase and operation of CAT scanners is expensive. Another disadvantage is the radiation dose that the patients can receive during the scan. Clinicians are aware of the need to reduce radiation exposure in patients. Therefore only patients which require a scan will undergo one.  The clinician must undertake a cost-benefit analysis before ordering a scan for any particular patient to balance the risk of the scan against the benefits of increasing the knowledge of a patient’s condition.

CAT scans have undoubtedly moved veterinary medicine forward over the past two decades. They have enabled us to see deeper into the body of an animal than we have ever been able to see before. They provide more information on cases that enable us to tailor treatments better to the individual animal and improve patient outcomes.  We hope that in the future costs will come down even further to broaden their use in general practice.

There is a fairly old joke about a bloke going to a doctor complaining of a mystery illness.  The doctor is stumped so he turns to a cat who paws at the man, slowly shakes her head and walks off.  The doctor then asks a Labrador to give the man the once over.  The Labrador sniffs the patient, shakes his head, and leaves the room.  The doc then hands the patient a bill for £1000.  The bloke is furious – he exclaims – you didn’t do anything except let a few animals into the consultation room.  The doctor calmly explains that he did.  He requested a cat scan and a lab test!

OK, so perhaps the joke isn’t as funny as I thought when I first heard it.  But this week in the news we saw a great example of how technology is changing the world of medicine.  Headlines related how Google Health had used a computer to diagnose particular cancers as successfully as experienced and skilled doctors.  It is an encouraging example of combining powerful technology and medical skills to improve patient outcomes.  This got me thinking – could we use tech to help our animal patients?

Change is coming.  And it’s exciting.  One obvious area that we can use computing power to improve diagnosis is in assessing x-rays, scans and test results.  When vets look at these tests, they are evaluating them for patterns.  Certain patterns mean that their patients are suffering from this or that disease.  If we can train a computer to look for the same patterns, then we can increase the accuracy and rate of diagnosis.  A computer is very good at repeating the same task over and over.  The computer will not replace the vet, but will add and extra opinion that can be very useful in tricky cases.

Another area which is promising is patient-side diagnostics for disease.  If we could take a sample from a patient and run a test telling us what bug is causing that disease within 5 minutes, then we can get treatment started sooner.  E.g. at the moment it takes us about a  week to culture bacteria, and find out what antibiotic kills them.  If we can speed this up, then we can treat the disease quickly, and also save antibiotics by only using the correct one for the first time, every time.

3D printing is perhaps another technology that is already changing how things are done in surgery.  Orthopaedics is the science of fixing bones.  In order to fix broken bones we often have to fix them together with bits of metal – plates and pins.  Every patient is different, so it can be hard to find the correct size of pin to suit the patient.  Now, though, we can scan the patient’s bones, measure their length and actually print an implant that is tailor-made for the patient.  This can improve the chances of success of any surgery.

These are just a few areas that technology is likely to change patient care in veterinary medicine.  It will be interesting to revisit this article in a few years to see if any of my predictions have come true.  Watch this space!

It’s that time of year again for the farmers of Lecale – the time to start preparing your herds for housing during the winter months. As covered in previous issues, a big threat to the health of cattle at housing is calf pneumonia. We have seen a lot of pneumonia in the past weeks even in cattle grasinging in the fields. We suspect that the culprit in this case is lungworm, and we will cover that disease in another article. For this article I would like to discuss the spread of viral and bacterial pneumonia as a result of close contact of animals at housing.

Calf pneumonia, also known as bovine respiratory disease (BRD), is a prevalent and potentially devastating condition that can affect young cattle, especially in their first few months of life. This illness not only impacts the health and growth of the calves but can also lead to significant economic losses. At Downe Vet Clinic, we advocate for a proactive, three-pronged approach to prevent calf pneumonia: maintaining excellent hygiene, providing balanced nutrition, and implementing a strategic vaccination program.

Understanding Calf Pneumonia
Calf pneumonia is caused by a combination of viral and bacterial pathogens that exploit stressors such as poor ventilation, sudden changes in weather, or inadequate nutrition. These factors weaken a calf’s immune system, making it more susceptible to respiratory infections. Early and consistent preventive measures are crucial in reducing the incidence and severity of this disease.

The Importance of Hygiene: Good hygiene is fundamental in preventing calf pneumonia. By maintaining a clean environment, you reduce the number of pathogens that calves are exposed to, thereby lowering the risk of infection.

Clean and Dry Housing: Ensure that calf pens are regularly cleaned, dry, and well-bedded. Wet, dirty bedding can harbour harmful bacteria and viruses that lead to respiratory problems. Regularly removing soiled bedding and replacing it with fresh material is essential.

Proper Ventilation: Adequate ventilation is critical to minimising the buildup of ammonia and moisture in calf housing, both of which can irritate the respiratory tract and increase vulnerability to infections. Ensure good airflow without creating drafts that could chill young calves.

Routine Disinfection: Regularly disinfect feeding equipment, water troughs, and housing areas to reduce the pathogen load in the environment. Use effective disinfectants and adhere to recommended protocols to ensure thorough cleaning.

Colostrum Management: Providing high-quality colostrum within the first few hours of life is vital for boosting calves’ immunity. Proper handling and feeding techniques are necessary to prevent contamination and ensure that calves receive the full benefits of colostrum.