Bacteremia in Cats

Greiner, M., G. Wolf, et al. (2008). "A retrospective study of the clinical presentation of 140 dogs and 39 cats with bacteraemia." J Small Anim Pract 49(8): 378-383.

Bacteremia is the presence of viable bacteria in the bloodstream. Bacteremia may develop in animals with impaired immune defenses, and is a common cause of sepsis. Sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response to infection. Bacteremia is associated with a high mortality rate in animals so that early diagnosis and intervention is very important. The aim of this study was to determine the bacterial species that can be isolated from blood cultures in dogs and cats with bacteremia. Retrospective data from 39 cats (and 140 dogs) with positive blood cultures presented to the University of Munich were evaluated. Sepsis was diagnosed in 59.5% of the cats with bacteremia. The most commonly isolated organism was E. coli, accounting for 30% of the isolates in cats. Cats in this study had a higher mortality rate than dogs. The authors conclude that clinical and laboratory findings are not helpful in determining the type of bacteria involved and blood cultures need to be performed to guide therapy.
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Related articles:
Greiner, M., G. Wolf, et al. (2007). "Bacteraemia in 66 cats and antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates (1995-2004)." J Feline Med Surg 9(5): 404-10.
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More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library

Corneal Graft in a Cat

Townsend, W. M., A. J. Rankin, et al. (2008). "Heterologous penetrating keratoplasty for treatment of a corneal sequestrum in a cat." Veterinary Ophthalmology 11(4): 273-278.

Penetrating keratoplasty is a full-thickness corneal graft technique used to replace central corneal tissue damaged by disease or injury with healthy corneal tissue from a donor. Corneal transplants are commonly done in human medicine, but are rare in veterinary medicine. Corneal sequestrum is a condition unique to the cat where necrosis of the corneal stroma occurs. The dead stroma becomes pigmented and may spontaneously slough, leaving a corneal ulcer. The condition has gone under many names over the years (e.g., corneal mummification, corneal nigrum, kertatitis nigrum, corneal necrosis). The cause is unknown and the condition is believed to be painful. Treatment approaches vary according to the severity of the lesion, and may include superficial keratectomy. In this case report, a corneal sequestrum was diagnosed in an 8-year-old neutered male Burmese cat. In order to restore vision, a penetrating keratoplasty was performed. The graft was performed with fresh canine corneal tissue (heterograft) in order to decrease the risk of viral transmission from using a feline donor. The graft was successful, with final follow up 16 months postoperatively.
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Related articles:
Featherstone, H., V. Franklin, et al. (2004). "Feline corneal sequestrum: laboratory analysis of ocular samples from 12 cats." Vet Ophthalmol 7(4): 229-238.
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Featherstone, H. and J. Sansom (2004). "Feline corneal sequestra: a review of 64 cases (80 eyes) from 1993 to 2000." Vet Ophthalmol 7(4): 213-227.
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More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library

I recently lost a 3 year old orange tabby to Chylothorax. It was such a surprise to find…

I am so sorry to hear about your orange tabby. Chylothorax can be a devastating disease, in part because in many cats it can be very difficult to manage. Overall, the prognosis for this disease is poor. In many cases like yours, the fluid in the chest fills up so quickly; it can be hard to treat. The fluid that builds up can be very irritating as well and can cause long term chronic irritation in the chest. In some cases, medication, diet or surgery may help but in other cases they are not helpful. This is not something that was environmental or that you’ve caused. I can tell you cared very much about him and it seems so unfair to lose him so young. This is a hard condition and even doing everything we can we often lose these guys with chylothorax. Again, please know how sorry we are.

I wonder if it is something I should check up on when my cat Gracie sleeps with her head…

Cats can sleep in some odd positions. I would not be too concerned about this if all else is normal with her habits. If you are worried, just be sure to bring in up with your veterinarian at her next exam.

We just adopted a 9 month old cat from the local animal shelter. He is a Siamese cross…

A partially white cat and in your case a Siamese cross should not be deaf due to his coat color. I would continue to observe him and his hearing. I would suspect that he does hear, he just doesn't respond to sound in an overtly obvious way. If you're still concerned, a follow-up exam with your veterinarian wouldn't hurt - just to be sure his ears are looking ok. Worst case scenario - if he did have some hearing loss, he could still lead a very normal life!

I have a 4 year old Maine Coon female cat that was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Granuloma…

Thanks for your question. I biopsy could be helpful to know for sure what we're dealing with, especially since it is not responding as well as it should. Many of the cats with eosinophilic granulomas require steroids, if she's not doing well she could require a higher dose than what you are giving her. Talk to your veterinarian to see if this is an option. A limited ingredient diet can help. In your case, I know she had issues with the one you tried. There are several options out there, most available only at your veterinarian. The diet needs to be fed for a minimum of six weeks with no other food or treats for us to say if it is successful or not and as you know one of the biggest challenges is to make sure she eats it. Even if your cat is not going outside, flea control is helpful. Just one flea bite can cause a flare up of disease if your cat has a flea allergy. Hope this info helps and that you can get her condition controlled.

My cat loves sitting outside with me but the mosquitoes attack her ears…she scratches…

Unfortunately, cats are very sensitive to many chemicals including insect repellants so any product should be used with caution. Any product containing DEET should NOT be used in cats as it can be toxic. Some dermatologists have recommended "skin-so-soft" as an option. It should be sprayed onto your hands and then a thin layer applied to ears and the bridge of the nose using caution to avoid the eyes. Another option is a 0.1% permethrin spray approved for cats used the same way. The safest option is to avoid exposure altogether if you can. Also be aware that mosquitoes can transmit heartworm disease. If your cat is having mosquito exposure, then a heartworm preventative would be recommended.

My husband and I lost our cat of 9 years, “Max,” after a sudden and brief illness. In the…

Cats are somewhat unique in that they adapt very well to the environment they are present in. For example, cats that are housed indoors during the summer months are usually very inactive and will reduce their food intake to meet their needs. In contrast, cats that are housed outdoors in cold climates will usually increase their intake to meet the increased caloric requirements to keep warm. You will often see cats that are housed outdoors year round put on a heavy coat and gain a few extra pounds as the winter months approach. With respect to Cat Chow Indoor formula, although it contains less fat and fewer calories than Cat Chow Original dry cat food, it still contains a level of fat required to meet the needs of an adult cat at maintenance. In the case of your cat that is mainly indoors except for brief periods outdoors, either Cat Chow Indoor Formula or Cat Chow Complete Formula would be good choices for your cat. The key to this is keeping an eye on the body condition of your indoor cat. If you feel that the cat is getting too skinny when fed a particular product, you may try increasing the amount fed or changing to a more energy dense food (more fat/calories) than the product being fed.

I adopted a 3 year old beautiful calico female cat nine months ago. She doesn’t seem to…

It appears you have a finicky cat that just doesn't like treats and is a very light eater. One suggestion would be to buy a dry cat food that you normally wouldn't be feeding to your cat and use those kibbles as an occasional treat. For example, if you routinely feed Purina Cat Chow brand cat food Complete/Original Formula dry cat food, purchase a small bag of the new Healthful Life or Naturals Cat Chow cat food to give as a treat. This product is different from Purina Cat Chow Complete Formula and very palatable so your cat may enjoy the change. You can offer your cat a few kibbles at a time as a treat without any nutritional concerns because all Cat Chow cat foods are a nutritionally complete and balanced diet.

I have three cats who all are very dedicated to preventing the other ones from getting…

You don’t mention the ages of the other cats. But cats reach social maturity at about two to four years, at which time otherwise friendly cats may start to jockey for social position. It could be that your Buddy has begun to feel threatened by the other cats. And quite typically in a three-cat household, two cats may get along yet gang up on the third-cat-out. If he’s spending time away from the yard, and underneath the neighbor’s house, it appears he’s looking for a safe retreat.

I know you’re trying to treat all the cats equitably when they sit on your lap. But kitty social structure is NOT a democracy. By continuing to pet one cat while he’s hissing from your lap at another, you’re rewarding the behavior. And that can prolong or even aggravate the tension.

Pet the cat only as long as he remains calm and does NOT hiss or growl. Once the vocalizing starts, stand up and walk away. Neither cat gets petting if they growl. You may need to set a schedule so that the cats learn when they each can expect one-on-one private time with you.