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| Hero. His middle name should be trouble! |
If you’re stuck for something to do this weekend, it’s
not a bad one for hanging at home with your feline friends. Heaven knows mine
seem to be craving attention. Last night I came home from work and a certain
three-legged beast greeted me. Nothing unusual about that. Except he had
pole-vaulted onto the roof to do it. Not a place one wants to find one’s
three-legged cat. Thence followed much cajoling, rattling of tins, jiggling of
bags of cat food and crying out his name into the dark until he’d had enough
fun and decided he would accept a lift down.
If you’re a vet with an interest in companion animals and
feline patients, you might want to consider submitting a case report to the new
Journal of Feline Medicine and SurgeryOpen Reports. As with the Journal ofFeline Medicine and Surgery this is a journal of the International Societyfor Feline Medicine and the American Association of Feline Practitioners.
It’s aimed not only at academic high-flying types, but
also practitioners who want to share their cases, case series and short
communications about regional prevalence of certain conditions. Check it out here.
The Australian Veterinary Association is conducting a
survey of veterinarians in relation to animal welfare and animal advocacy,
specifically in regards to whether there should be a 2016 AVA Animal Welfare
strategic program and whether the AVA should be promoting the use of analgesia
in livestock. To have your say complete the survey here.
One new product had us hurling cushions at the computer
this week and that is the so-called Twinkletush, promoted as “bling” for those
who don’t like the sight of their cat’s bum (easy solution: avert your gaze).
The manufacturers intend this as a joke but my concern
about a product like this is that – despite warnings on the website – cats will be left with these things on for prolonged periods, or unattended.
It doesn’t take a PhD in microbiology to appreciate that
this object is the ultimate fomite – i.e. it is likely to become contaminated
very quickly. It’s also likely to upset cats.
We wince about giving such
products air time but we also understand that some people might think it’s a
harmless bit of entertainment. It isn’t. It could easily cause injury to a cat,
either at the tail end or via ingestion of the bling or the linear object that
attaches it (think linear foreign body). We don't recommend it.
