Cats

Meet the New Guy

News

Hello everyone, CEO Olivia here. Today I want to introduce you to the newest member of my family. I have a new cat-bro named Jerry.

My huMom met Jerry at my good vet’s last month. He’s just a year old & has been living there for a while. He’s had his shots & has been neutered. We wanted Dottie to have a cat furriend as she is only two years old & still has lots of youthful silliness to share.

Jerry has been here just over a week & is starting to feel at home. The first few nights he cried a lot because he was afraid. He stayed hidden behind furniture but slowly he’s come around. I can understand how being in a new place with strange animals & smells can be overwhelming. It takes time to get to know a new place & new furriends.

He’s a very friendly young cat who seems to get along with everyone. But the best thing is that I’m not afraid of him at all. Usually, cats make me very nervous but Jerry is so mellow & affectionate that I feel good around him.

Dottie & Jerry are already good furriends. They have been playing together & since he’s been feeling more at home, Jerry is having more fun every day. I’ve noticed that he likes to nose nudge everyone, I wonder where he got that idea? BOL!

We are all very happy to provide Jerry with a loving home. All cats & dogs deserve the same. Just remember the golden rule: adopt, don’t shop.

CEO Olivia ❤

 

 

Audio Seizures in Cats

Health

Good day everyone, CEO Olivia here. Last week we added a new member to the family, a one year old kittie. He seems to be healthy & is clearly a happy little soul. I’m sure the epi-monster isn’t after him but other cats aren’t as fortunate.

While sniffing about the inter-webs I discovered that some epileptic cats can be triggered by sounds. This is known as “audiogenic reflex seizures”, & they can happen with humans, too. The official name with cats is feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS).

FARS has been seen in both pedigree & non-pedigree cats. Among pedigrees, it was most predominant in the Birman breed. It has also been discovered that the syndrome occurs in older cats – mostly from 10 to 19 years old, with the average age of onset being 15 years.

What’s interesting are the trigger sounds, which are pretty common everyday noises:

  • Crinkling tin foil
  • Metal spoon clanging in a ceramic feeding bowl
  • Chinking or tapping of glass
  • Crinkling of paper or plastic bags
  • Tapping on a computer keyboard or clicking of a mouse
  • Clinking of coins or keys

Other, less-reported triggers included breaking the tin foil from packaging, mobile phone texting & ringing, clock alarms, Velcro, stove igniting ticks, running water, a dog jangling its collar as it scratched, computer printer, firewood splitting, wooden blocks being knocked together, and walking across a wooden floor with bare feet or squeaky shoes.

Keeping the cats away from these sounds can reduce the seizures, but many of them are the common sounds of life & you can’t keep your good cat sequestered in a soundless room. But with further research comes the hope that vets will become more aware of the problem & hopefully, researching treatment may help cats with this condition.

Does your good cat suffer from FARS? If so I’d like to hear about your experience.

CEO Olivia ❤