The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [42]
Turn the tissue boxes upside down when not in use, making it much harder for Abigail to snatch a tissue and start shredding.
Install a toilet roll dispenser that covers the top of the toilet roll and prevents paws from grabbing the end of the sheet and unraveling the roll.
Cover a tissue with an aversive spray and place it on top of the tissue box or toilet paper roll to discourage your playful friend.
Booby-trap the roll by perching a small cup of water on it. Try a half-cup measuring cup. Getting doused by water will discourage even the most determined paper-shredding cat.
Why Filbert Turned Wacky
THE OWNER OF A 16-WEEK-OLD KITTEN came into my clinic feeling totally dumbfounded. Her once sweet, playful kitten was either staring off into space like a zombie, or hissing and growling like he was possessed by the devil. It was clear from the start of my physical exam that something was amiss. For one thing, the black-and-white kitten was significantly underweight.
“He hasn’t grown very much since we got him, even though he seems to eat pretty well,” said the owner. Filbert was mentally dull in the exam room, showing no interest in chasing or following a bell on a string. For a normal kitten, this is unheard of.
A complete blood count, serum chemistry panel, and urinalysis were submitted. Filbert’s blood count showed microcytosis — smaller than normal red blood cells. The chemistry panel revealed elevations in several liver enzymes. These findings were highly suggestive of a congenital liver disorder. One more blood test, called a bile acid test, was necessary to confirm my suspicions. As I suspected, the bile acid test showed that the kitten had a portosystemic shunt (PSS).
A PSS is an anatomical defect in which most of the blood from the intestinal tract bypasses or is shunted around the liver. The liver is unable to detoxify the blood properly, and the toxins go into the general circulation where they cause a variety of clinical signs. Some signs are physical, such as drooling, tremors, stunted growth, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, and urination. Often cats will show behavioral signs as well, such as lethargy, stupor, staring off into space, or aggression. We call this hepatic encephalopathy, which roughly translates as a mental disorder resulting from a liver disorder.
An abdominal ultrasound revealed an “extrahepatic” shunt, that is, a single blood vessel responsible for diverting the blood from the intestinal tract around the liver, necessitating a complicated surgery.
After his discharge, Filbert’s owners reported that his original spunky, affectionate personality quickly returned. Six weeks later, Filbert was brought to me for neutering, and I witnessed the transformation myself. His curiosity and fidgeting made it impossible to listen to his heart. When I finally could restrain him long enough to put the stethoscope on his chest, it was still impossible to hear his heart because he was purring too loudly!
Filbert’s case is a classic example of how a behavioral condition (hepatic encephalopathy) can be the result of an anatomical disorder (portosystemic shunt).
Contributed by Arnold Plotnick, DVM
Dead Bird on My Bed!
Q My cat, Lucy, uses the doggy door to go into our fenced backyard. We have a bird feeder out there, and every once in a while, I discover a dead bird on my pillow. I almost faint at the sight. I want to scold Lucy, but she looks at me with such pride. Lucy is about eight years old, but she is as healthy as a kitten. Why is she doing this?
A Cats have novel ways of showing that they love us and that they are worthy hunters. My Callie once presented me with a huge dead rat — like you, I nearly fainted. Whether these “gifts” are dead birds, rats, or crickets, our cats are displaying their hunting instincts. We may keep their food bowls full, but our domesticated cats are not hunting out of hunger.
Some cats do bring their prey back home with plans to snack later, but most just