Posted on 10/27/2004 2:08:00 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Cats can suffer from stress-related illness like humans, a study by animal experts suggests.
Rivalry with another cat is the biggest source of feline anxiety closely followed by moving home or the arrival of a new member of the owner's family.
Experts compared 31 cats with bladder disease to 24 healthy cats in the same households and used a control group of 125 other healthy cats.
Sick cats generally got more stressed by other cats in the house, they said.
Stress trigger
Dr Danielle Gunn-Moore, senior lecturer in feline medicine at Edinburgh University's school of veterinary studies, said feline lower urinary tract disease was frustrating for vets and owners because most cases had no apparent cause.
"This group of diseases of the bladder is most commonly seen in pedigree, middle-aged, overweight male cats which don't go out much and eat a dry food diet.
"We believed stress could be a trigger and wanted to identify differences in the cats' environments and temperaments which might cause this condition."
University researchers suggest cats with such illnesses should be fed wet food and encouraged to drink more fluid by adding tuna-flavoured ice cubes to water.
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Animals has welcomed the research.
Spokeswoman Doreen Graham said: "We've always known cats are extremely sensitive and this study highlights a problem more widespread than previously thought."
plus my cats said post this or they will be very upset with me.
Make sure ya don't get the ice trays mixed up, tho. ;-)
This explains that pu$$y Michael Moore.
Around my house they sure do.
Woem...Woem...
My cat gets stressed out if one of her 27 daily naps is briefly interrupted.
Huh! When my cat, Alexis Colby Carrington gets in a SNIT, she pees on the bath mats and hides. Otherwise, she's snotty, fat and sassy.
As I've explained to others why I didn't have cats-My ex-wife is allergic to them and cats are allergic to me
"This explains that pu$$y Michael Moore"
uhoh...you just pissed of my cat
More proof that dogs have owners, cats have staff.
Cats: God's Mobile Target System
It's with all the elections and zotting of trolls and what - poor Viking Kitties!
When my Good Kitty gets stressed, she cries. When my Evil Kitty gets stressed, he just comes in and sinks his claws into us for no good reason. I'd do something about him, but he's my mother's favorite and he gets to sit AT THE TABLE AT DINNER.
So, as you can imagine, there's a whole lot of crying and clawing around here lately. I'll be glad when this election is OVER!
It's with all the elections and zotting of trolls and what - poor Viking Kitties!
When my Good Kitty gets stressed, she cries. When my Evil Kitty gets stressed, he just comes in and sinks his claws into us for no good reason. I'd do something about him, but he's my mother's favorite and he gets to sit AT THE TABLE AT DINNER.
So, as you can imagine, there's a whole lot of crying and clawing around here lately. I'll be glad when this election is OVER!
Yes, without doubt, the animal I pity the most is a lazy, untrainable, well-fed, ankle-swiping, dis-loyal, shed-machine cat. Awwwwwww.
Anyone know of an easy way to get a cat to swallow his pills?
(My cat has hyperthyroidism and has to take 2 pills a day, which is quite a struggle--even though he's usually a pretty laid back cat )
My cat was stressed after a 5 day car ride from NY to CA. He hid under the bed of my new apartment for 4 days.
I've seen and used a pill popper for pets. It's basically a tube with a rubber tip that you put the pill in, and there's a piece inside the tube you push on to pop the pill out of the rubber tip.
Obviously, you stick it in the dog's or cat's mouth kind of far back so they can't spit it out, and then push the button. It works really well.
Here's one of them:
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=30e07741-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5
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