By Alberta Frost I have adopted two wonderful companions from King Street Cats (the only all-volunteer, cats only, no-kill rescue in Alexandria, Virginia). My first was a shy boy who is very solid and muscular. When I took him to his first vet appointment, I was surprised that the doctor said, “this cat should not gain any more weight.” Turns out, at the shelter he had been hiding all day only coming out at night to chow down on dry food. His sturdy frame was disguising a growing waistline. When he began to feel comfortable at my house, he started getting more exercise and, heeding the veterinarian’s advice about weight control, I switched him to canned food. He slimmed down a bit. Now enters Cat Number Two – younger, more active but with a bit of a belly on him, and a great love of eating. Again, to my surprise, at his first checkup the doctor said his weight was perfect; he just had an unusual body shape for a young cat! The cats became good friends. So much so that Cat Number One let cat Number Two eat some of his food at every meal. Suddenly I have one cat who is a bit trimmer and another who – you guessed it—has become overweight. Obesity in cats is defined by the animal medical community as 20% above normal weight. Just like us humans, this condition is a growing problem and it has serious health consequences. Obesity is the most common preventable disease in cats in North America, affecting almost 60% of domestic cats. This condition shortens cats’ lives and increases the risks of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and urinary bladder stones. How do you determine if your pet is overweight and, therefore, at risk for these serious health…
In late June and early July, major media outlets reported that U.S. temperatures this summer were expected to break records nationwide, including in metro Washington. Pet lovers are used to accommodating their animals’ changing needs and protecting them no matter what the weather. When it’s hot out, we know to keep our pets in cool, shaded spaces; to give them tepid water; to help them relax; and to not leave them in parked cars. What else should we be more aware of this year as we head into midsummer? Vets recommend following established guidelines for enjoying summer with your pets safely. Think of safety rules for pets as being even more souped up than those for humans, and often specific to species or breeds. Handling our pets’ particular needs becomes even more important during intensifying heat waves. A good rule of thumb is to be even more careful for our pets (and our kids and other humans!) than we would be for ourselves. During a heat wave, experts recommend that humans stay indoors, drink lots of water and electrolytes, keep out of direct sunlight, and avoid exercising outside. Similarly for our animals, this means keeping them cool, calm, hydrated, and inside. Tracking the Heat Index First, track your heat index online, which projects what heat feels like for humans by measuring the air’s temperature and relative humidity. Humid heat is more dangerous than dry because of that relative humidity. Levels range from Caution (80° to 90°F), which can make people feel fatigue; to Extreme Danger (125° or higher), which can cause heat stroke and death. Please check out the links for heat index trackers/apps and other hot-weather information from the CDC, the National Weather Service, NOAA, and the American Veterinary Medical Association at the end of this article. Walking Our…
By Carolyn Cockroft “If you touch me, you’ll understand what happiness is,” sings Grizabella, the aging feline in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical, Cats. I recall this lyric often when stroking an elderly cat at King Street Cats (KSC), the no-kill shelter where I volunteer weekly. Like Grizabella, the senior residents at KSC once had their days in the sun. Yet now, they are sometimes overlooked by prospective owners in favor of younger and “more adorable” adoptees. Many shelters are filled with aging cats and dogs. Yet, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, senior dogs have a 25% adoption rate, compared to a 60% rate for younger dogs and puppies. “Older shelter cats are just as loving, loyal, and delightful as young ones, but typically the last to be adopted,” ASPCA President Matthew Bershadker explains, “and result in senior cats being among the first shelter animals to be euthanized.” So why the hesitation to adopt older pets? While they may require special care because of their aging needs, the following are some misconceptions that prevent senior animals from being placed in a forever, loving home. Myth #1: They are in a shelter because they are undesirable, and nobody wants them. FALSE. Often an animal has been brought to a shelter because of conditions that have nothing to do with health, personality, or appeal. A new baby in the family, change in marital status, a move to a place that won’t accept pets—these are only a few reasons. The most heartbreaking cause is when the owner passed away or had to give up the pet due to a transition to assisted living. Such cases occur at our shelter; the poor creatures are afraid, lonely, and unable to understand why they are no longer with their human…
By Kristen Koirtyohann It’s June, so in honor of both Father’s Day and National Adopt-a-Cat month, let’s take a minute to celebrate some of the top fathers of the animal kingdom and discuss the steps you can take when you decide to become a cat parent. Champion of the original “dad bod,” the Emperor penguin has a lot of responsibility before his offspring have even entered the world. Serial monogamists, Emperor penguins mate for life at their inland ancestral breeding grounds. Once the mother lays her egg and leaves for her march back to the sea to hunt for food, the father takes over and is responsible for keeping the egg safe, warm, and unharmed. During this time, which could be two months or longer, the dad protects the egg in his pouch and balances the egg on his feet. He also fasts during this time as there is no food at his inland location and he will not get a bite to eat until the mother returns, thus signaling his turn to march to the sea. Next, the flamingo is an exceptional dad who splits parenting duties 50/50 with the mother. Not only do fathers alternate egg incubation with the mothers, but they also help feed their newborns with crop milk (which comes from their digestive tract), the only source of nourishment for their growing chicks. Finally, as one of the very few male species able to give birth, the seahorse is perhaps one of the most astounding fathers of the animal kingdom. To start, female seahorses transfer their eggs into a unique pouch on the male’s tail. The male is responsible for fertilizing the eggs, providing nutrients, and creating a safe environment for his offspring. The babies hatch while still inside the pouch and are expelled with quick…
By Cheryl Burns When your life path hasn’t involved children, Mother’s Day can feel like a reminder of something you didn’t do. But, while I know there’s an ineffable difference, I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite as much like a mom as I did the day the veterinarian said “cancer.” This is my story; Smoky Tiggs Burns’s story. I’m not an expert, but I’m sharing these words with the hope that they help at least one pet parent feel less alone. Because, as I always knew but experiencing feline cancer confirmed, pets ARE family. Smoky was around 12 years old and had been with us for seven years when my husband noticed “bumps” on her neck. Although he was pretty sure they were new, he grabbed our second cat – we jokingly thanked her for being our “control group kitty” – to confirm it wasn’t normal. We got her to the vet that day. The bumps were swollen lymph nodes. The vet looked grim; while she needed to run some tests, it looked very much like lymphoma. They drained Smoky’s lungs, which were filled with fluid, and sent blood out for testing. Even before the results came back, the vet told us that Smoky wouldn’t have lasted the week if my husband hadn’t noticed the swelling and acted quickly. The first test confirmed cancer. The second classified it as large T-cell lymphoma. The vet was blunt, which we probably needed: it was the result they always hoped they wouldn’t get. It was a Thursday when we contacted a feline oncologist, and we felt lucky to get an appointment the following Wednesday. The gravity of the situation sunk in when our regular vet asked, “Can you get her in sooner?” We started Smoky on steroids and had her lungs cleared…
By Alberta Frost Summer is just around the corner and for many people that means vacation travel. It could also mean deciding whether to take your pet with you or leave them at home under the care of someone else. Years ago, the author Peter Gethers regaled us in his book The Cat Who Went to Paris with his many travel adventures with his cat Norton. Since he had never had a cat, he thought nothing of putting his young pet in a cloth bag and carrying him onto a flight from New York to California. Then, there is the street cat named Bob (of the movie of the same name), who followed his person onto a London bus because he did not want to be left behind during the workday. Fun stuff, but it may come as no surprise to you that traveling with pets; be it by plane, train or car has become a more complex proposition these days and one that requires research and advance planning. The first consideration, of course, is the health, temperament, and size of your animal. Some pets are simply too fragile or large for some forms of travel. You should consult with a veterinarian when considering a trip with your pet. Assuming the vet believes your pet is a suitable travel companion (or because you are moving and have no choice) then the real research and planning process starts. The mode of transportation you choose and your destination obviously bear on your preparations, however, some common denominators are that you need to assure that all your pet’s vaccinations are current, that you have a health certificate from your vet, and, ideally, that your animal is microchipped with current information. If you are traveling outside the United States or even to a different…
By Ken Byrer A counterpart to the joy we get from our fuzzy companions is constant worry about their safety and well-being. In addition to accidents caused from our pets’ curiosity and goofiness such as eating string on the floor or a bone found in the trash can, we also must manage the health of creatures who age much faster than ourselves. Like human medicine, veterinary care can be extremely expensive, given a seemingly endless train of miraculous treatments and drugs. Humans have access to insurance to help fund those miracles when needed – should your pets, too? A Pawlicy Advisor brief asks what would you do if your dog or cat had an unexpected $5,000 vet bill? It’s a troubling question for many if not most people, who have a median bank balance of not much more than that sum. The group cites a provider saying they have “difficult discussions” every day with pet owners who cannot afford the cost of their animals’ care and asserts that one in three pets will need emergency care each year. $34.3 billion in medicine and treatment make up about a quarter of the $123.6 billion Americans spent on pets in 2021. In an industry roundup by MarketWatch, more than 90 million Americans have pets, and about 13% of them have pet insurance as of 2022. From 2017 to 2022, insured dogs increased from 1.5 million to 3.25 million, and cats from 290,000 to 727,000. So, more Americans are buying pet insurance. Should you be one of them? What it is: Pet insurance uses the same familiar terms as other insurance: premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and so forth. It presents the same choices between cost and coverage that concern consumers of health, auto, and life insurance. Available underwriters include national insurance brands like Nationwide…
By Steph Selice Fostering the Human-Animal Bond – research on the human-animal bond is booming. Scientific data confirm that being with a companion animal helps keep humans healthy and happy. Many species of pets give unconditional love, encourage touch and physical expressions of affection, and bolster their human’s emotional and physical health. Our dynamic relationships with pets even help us learn to love and be loved in return, promoting empathy and friendship with other humans. In recent years, people have found new ways to encourage caring relationships with animals that foster good health, even for humans who don’t or can’t live with pets. Animals are now widely trained to offer us help in therapeutic or supportive ways. Three of these are as service, therapy, or emotional support animals. Service Animals Service animals are defined as dogs under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines (https://www.ada.gov/topics/service-animals/), though miniature horses have been exceptions (https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/#miniature-horses). They are trained to perform specific tasks or work for people identified with a physical, psychiatric, sensory, or intellectual disability under the ADA, the Fair Housing Act, and the Air Carrier Access Act. These animals are chosen because they are gentle, don’t react randomly in various situations, and stay focused on and attentive to their human’s needs. They include guide animals for people with sight loss and hearing or signal animals for humans with hearing loss. Other service animals help people with autism, seizure disorders, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other psychiatric diagnoses. Service animals are often trained through an animal service agency or nonprofit organization, though there are no official U.S. licensing requirements. State and local governments may ask for voluntary registration of service animals. Through U.S. federal regulation, they are allowed in all public areas and in all housing, even where other animals aren’t. The…
By Cindy McGovern Predicting winter’s anticipated snowfall is an annual tradition. Will the D.C. metro area receive any measurable snow? If so, when, and how much? The Capital Weather Gang is predicting a mild winter with little snow accumulation with January temperatures in the normal range, disappointing many. But that doesn’t mean you can write off winter and if you are a pet owner, you still need to plan for the cold with its freezing temperatures and chemically treated roads and sidewalks. Just like people, every animal reacts differently to the cold and it’s important to know your pet. If you have an arthritic or older pet, they will likely feel the cold more than a younger animal. They may also have problems walking on snow and ice and be more prone to slipping and falling. Pets with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, or hormonal imbalances may have a harder time regulating their body temperature and thus be more susceptible to problems from temperature changes. If it’s cold outside for you, it’s cold for your pet. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, a common misconception is that because an animal has a fur coat, they’re immune from the cold: they’re not. Just like people, cats and dogs can get frostbite and become hypothermic and should be kept inside during cold weather. Some long-haired dogs breeds, such as Huskies, are more cold tolerant, but they’re the exception, not the rule. In fact, short-haired breeds feel the cold faster because they have less protection and short-legged pets even more so because their bellies and bodies are closer to the cold or snow-covered ground. Know the signs of hypothermia: whining, shivering, seeming anxious or weak, slowing down or not moving are all possible indications. Get the animal back inside quickly and if…
By Jaime Stephens December is the most festive time of year, with Hanukkah, Christmas and the promise of a new year ahead, but did you know that December is also National Cat Lover’s Month? It’s an excellent time to think not only about your own health, but the health of your pets, and to get the New Year off to a good start. The number one most preventable health issue for both cats and dogs in the United States is obesity. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention’s 2018 clinical survey, 55.8% of dogs and 59.5% of cats were classified as clinically overweight or obese by their veterinary healthcare professional. Obesity is said to occur when an animal’s weight exceeds an additional 30% of their ideal weight. Forty to forty-five percent of dogs aged 5 – 11 years of age weigh in higher than they should. Only 39% of dog owners and 45% of cat owners, however, consider their pets overweight. Common conditions of both overweight dogs and cats include diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, lameness and limping and, in cats, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Cats, in particular, are very adept at hiding their discomfort and pain. In addition to having a healthier pet, maintaining an acceptable average weight provides a higher quality of life, a longer life expectancy, and lower veterinary costs. As with humans, maintaining a healthy weight requires a commitment to both a healthier diet and an active lifestyle. To help keep your pet trim, first consult with your vet about the best diet based on your pet’s particular needs. Before you visit your vet, there are a few ways to determine whether your pet may need to slim down. Does their stomach sag? This is a clear indication that your dog is overweight,…
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