Ask Dr K

Dear Elizabeth: We adopted a new kitten from a local rescue group last month and she is just perfect. Although she had been tested for the leukemia virus and FIV by the terrific group that saved her from the street, we took her to our veterinarian right away so that she could be examined before we introduced her to our two older cats. After a clean bill of health, we brought Bunny home and she has become part of the family. The problem is that before we scheduled her spay surgery, she came into heat. What a scene!

Hmm, if I had known about this disease during my days on the farm, I might not have been so keen on eating birds myself! Songbird fever is an uncommon disease of cats, that results from eating Salmonella-infected birds or from spending time in bird feeding areas (and ingesting contaminated bird feces). Symptoms of songbird fever appear suddenly two to four days after exposure, last two to seven days, and include high fever, anorexia, depression, diarrhea (which may contain blood) and vomiting. The diagnosis can be confirmed by bacterial culture of the feces or blood. Songbird fever is fatal in up to 10 percent of cases.

My kitten, Snapper, recently spent a week in intensive care. Hes fine now, but he was so very sick that we feared he wouldnt make it. The cause of all his troubles turned out to be a penny. Yes, a penny! Apparently he had eaten one. As we later learned, pennies minted after 1982 are made from zinc, with just a coating of copper. If an animal swallows one, stomach acids eat away the copper…

I have had whiskers all my life, but I really took them for granted until recently, when I heard a lecture by first-year veterinary student Tradel Harris on this very subject! You see, I was a special guest at Feline Follies, a show organized and run by Cornells veterinary students to raise money for a local shelter and to celebrate….cats! I didnt think it would be fair to our guest felines who were brought in by community members and students if I competed in the judging, so I spent my time enjoying the fun and informative booths set up by the students and listening to a few presentations.

Dear Elizabeth, What is MRSA? My doctor says that a wound on my hand has an MRSA infection. Could my cat, Streets, have given it to me? He is an indoor cat and seems healthy, but could he be a carrier Wow! This calico had to ask for help with your questions! Although I have picked up quite a lot in my role as Official Spokes-cat for the Cornell Feline Health Center, MRSA was new to me. Before giving you all the information I got, Ill give you the short answer to your questions: MRSA colonization and infection can occur in cats, and transmission across species is possible. Therefore, it is POSSIBLE that your MRSA came from your cat. However, chances are MUCH greater that you were exposed to the bacteria somewhere in the community. In fact, most experts would worry that you could be a source of infection for Streets! Heres the whole story.

Dear Elizabeth, I have four cats in my household and one of them, Tabitha, has a tendency to chew and eat plastic. Ive caught her chewing on plastic bags that Ive carried in from the store, as well as items in the basement that are wrapped in plastic. I worry that she could choke to death or hurt herself somehow. Why does she do this? One of my other cats is aggressive and chases her. Tabitha is afraid and will not fight back; could her plastic obsession be stress-related? Any ideas of what I can do?

Dear Elizabeth, I am an elderly cat owner. Im old and so is my girl, Pearl. Over the years, we have gotten used to many changes in visits to our veterinarian. For example, Pearls "yearly shot" is no longer annual, and screening lab work is an expected part of her exam. These changes have been explained to me and I accept them, but there is one thing I just cant get used to. Years ago our vet would take a few minutes on the exam table to clean Pearls teeth. Pearl didnt like it much, but the vet was able to take care of her teeth without anesthesia right in the office. Now, that office procedure just isnt offered; instead our vet is recommending anesthesia for dental cleaning. Pearl has visible tartar on her teeth, but why cant my vet just clean them in the exam room?

Dear Elizabeth: My teenager is crazy about animals - she wants to be a veterinarian and is constantly asking to bring home all sorts of pets. We have dogs, horses, goats, an alpaca and, of course, a cat (Buster). For my daughters birthday, she is begging me to let her adopt a Guinea pig from our local shelter. So far, I have managed to hold firm to my rule of no caged pets, but Im…

Dear Elizabeth: My feline housemates and I think your column is always interesting and informative. But we are beginning to wish our person would stop reading it to us, because now she wants to know why we cant write a column and be famous like you. I spend a lot of time on the computer - I mean, I even sleep on that keyboard! - but nothing good ever comes of it. And besides, Ive always thought that it was quite enough to be beautiful, well groomed and purrfectly delightful. How can I get my person to stop finding fault where there obviously is none?

Dear Elizabeth, I read the column about your weight problem a few months ago; how is your diet going? Ive tried to follow your advice when feeding my own chubby cat, Ernie, but am having a tough time. I calculated his daily calorie requirement as you suggested and split that amount between breakfast and dinner. But since I work all day I leave him a little extra dry food in a bowl for lunch. Its always gone when I get home so he must get really hungry during the day. Then, after he gobbles up his dinner hes okay until much later when he really needs a small bedtime snack. I know that his total calorie intake each day is more than the formula says he needs, but hes so hungry! How have you managed your appetite?

Dear Elizabeth, I cant help feeling envious of the absolutely beautiful photos that have been taken of you. You are clearly a stunning cat of exquisite beauty, but I wonder how the photographers at the Feline Health Center have been able to capture your soul in their photos. I would dearly love to have some similar photos of my equally beautiful cats, but all I get are fuzzy, out-of-focus shots of their tails as they flee the room, or photos where their eyes are red and they look devilish. Do you have any tips that you could share?

It all started innocently enough, when he started feeding the strays in the neighborhood and took in a pregnant cat, which soon gave birth to six kittens. Then the neighbors started coming to him with stray kittens they found. He meant to find them all homes of their own, but good homes were hard to find. Now, he has so many cats that he cant afford to have them neutered (which means the population has been growing astronomically). Theyre not receiving any medical care, so some of them are sick, and its all he can do just to feed them each day. The neighbors are trying to have him evicted and I cant say I blame them. I dont know how to help him, but I do know something needs to be done!