Short Takes

A study published in the November 2017 Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine looked at cats admitted to a teaching hospital with gastrointestinal signs and low blood cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels. Twenty cats completed the study.

A study published in BMC Veterinary Research confirms catnip works. Olfactory enrichment, i.e. great smells, can cause a euphoric reaction in most domestic cats, says the study, which compared catnip to other plants.

The Telegraph, a United Kingdom publication, reports that Great Britains cats are great for public relations and diplomacy and keeping keeping the mouse problem down in public buildings. We have wooed many world leaders with the Foreign Offices (cat) Palmerston, says the report, and he and the four other government cats, including Number 10s Larry, keep Downing Streets mouse problem down. Now, other countries are getting in on the cat action, with the French government announcing it has brought in two cats to sort out their rat problem.

A new treatment called microbrachytherapy, which is used to treat inoperable feline oral squamous cell carcinomas, may be gaining momentum, according to a recent study published in Veterinary and Comparative Oncology.

It makes us purr when we hear of an effort to help cats remain in their homes. A veterinarian in Australia is using education to help prevent relinquishment of cats by educating new owners about cat behavior.

Alley Cat Allies reports that The New Jersey Senate Economic Growth Committee is considering a bill that would save the lives of shelter animals and community cats around the state.

The Daytona-Beach News Journal reports that there is a bill pending in Florida that would allow judges to forbid people convicted of animal cruelty to own pets.

A cat rescued from the Northern California fires will be reunited with his family 10 years after he went missing, says the Sacramento Bee.

When New Years Eve arrives, many of us make promises to ourselves-those infamous resolutions-to improve ourselves somehow. Thats because the new year is a traditional starting point, and were happy and motivated. Popular resolutions include losing weight, quitting smoking, and getting the most out of life. Inevitably, however, most of us fail. The reason? Unrealistic goals. Well, were here to help fix that! Spending more time with your cat and improving her life is realistic and satisfying, so weve put together five New Years Resolutions. Are you with us?

Animal shelters in Denver, Colo., may soon be able to prohibit anyone who plans to declaw a cat from adopting one. Declawing would be allowed only when medically necessary, according to the Denver Post.

The September 2017 issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine included the article The Relationship between Brachycephalic Head Features in Modern Persian Cats and Dysmorphologies of the Skull and Internal Hydrocephalus, by Schmidt et al. This study evaluated the two types of Persian cats, the traditional doll-face and the newer Peke-face, for a correlation between brachycephalic (short-faced) traits and internal hydrocephaly, or abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord) in the brain. Each cat in the study received a CT scan and an MRI.

Cats eat differently than we do. If given the opportunity, cats would consume seven to 20 small meals a day and would seek out the texture and protein found in a field mouse over the spongy texture and sweet taste found in a slice of cake.