I never get tired of standing on this particular soapbox.
Cats need to be indoors.
Even thirty years ago, when there really was what we used to call “country” and the nearest paved road was twenty miles away, male cats roamed ten or more miles to impregnate female cats and to fight with other males, designating the entire area “their” territory.
Even thirty years ago Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) was known to be transmitted widely by these traveling Romeos.
In 2009, outside of the far western United States there are virtually no places where homes are twenty miles apart, so the risk of a neighbor cat transmitting disease to your cat is extremely high.
In fact, as rural gave way to suburban, then urban, most homes are now mere feet from each other.
A diseased cat doesn’t have far to travel to share his doom.
Feline Leukemia Virus is no longer the only deadly retrovirus on the block. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is another killer Romeo is happy to share. That is, if he is able before he dies. You see, neither FeLV nor FIV can be cured.
Then, of course, there are automobiles to contend with, that mean neighbor kid who got a pellet gun for his birthday, and the Animal Control Officer.
Enter Prissy.
Prissy is a kitty who was used to coming and going when she wanted to. In and out. In and out. That is, until today.
Today she’s a kitty who came to see me with a fever of 105.2, a huge wound in her right mammary (breast) tissue that was red, hot, ugly, draining pus and had a gaping hole in the middle.
We suspect that Prissy had been in a fight with another cat (the best way to transmit Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and got this horribly infected wound that way. We gave her a sedative and medicine to ease her pain, drew a blood sample to test her for FeLV and FIV and began to clean and irrigate her wound with a surgical solution. Prissy needed an injection to bring down that high fever, and a dose of Convenia long-acting antibiotic to control the infection.
Fortunately, Prissy’s FeLV and FIV tests came out negative. This time. She will need a repeat test in two months before she’s pronounced “clear”.
Perhaps the best news of the day came from Prissy’s “mom”. She pronounced, “She just needs to become an indoor cat all the time.”
My job gets so much easier when our clients do the work for me!
MMINCAT
I recently adopted an 8 yr old , 15lb. Male tabby. He came from a shelter and I had him for less than a month, when he developed a harsh non productive croupy cough. Several times a day, but is otherwise , without other symptoms. No temp,
He saw a vet today, who felt it was probably a type of kennel cough, that cats can get.
He gave him an injection of Convenia.
I then heard this can cause dangerous reactions in cats, even death.
Should I be overly concerned about this, or is this a common off label use of this drug?
He is such a sweetheart and I’m worried about him.
Can you comment on this?
Thank you,
Shirley White
You have no reason to worry, at least not about Convenia, as long as your kitty’s cough is getting better. As with people and other species, there are many, many possible causes for coughing. This is a good first step. If it fails to clear, or if it relapses, be sure to follow up. Click here to read our main article about Convenia. Click here to access a list of other articles in which I talk about the drug, which we use a lot of. I always warn people not to look it up on Google because there are so many wacky stories people tell about it. Click here to read about extra-label use of medications by doctors.