Transmission of FIV

Transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) among cohabiting cats in two cat rescue shelters.

Conflicting accounts have been published in the veterinary literature regarding transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) between cohabiting cats in mixed households, and the mechanics of possible casual transmission, if it occurs, are poorly understood. Similarly, there are conflicting reports of vertical transmission of FIV.

I don't know what to make of this. The rescue sites are all linking to each other and crowing that FIV is not transmissible to cats living in the same household as long as there are no bites. This would be wonderful, but it has not been proven.

It has NOT been proven.

The article reports that 138 cats in one rescue did not catch FIV from an FIV+ cat It says that 19 kittens born of FIV+ queens didn't catch it through the placenta or by nursing. This is too small of a sample to be statistically significant.

Try it again with 1000 cats.



Here's more info about FIV from Cornell University.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Cats and Poison Ivy

I knew we kittehs don't get poison ivy!

Only humans and primates are sensitive to urushiol.
[John Hopkins University; Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Student Health and Wellness Center. Available at http://www.jhu.edu/~shcenter/poisonivy.html as of Sept 28, 2006.] **PEER REVIEWED**

Pets in Hot Cars

You steps out of your car into a hot parking lot. In da car next to yours is a big happy goggie. 'Cept he lookin really sad cuz it ~~hot~~ in dat car. What do you do?

Hoomans, we has to tell you every year. Please don't leave pets or children in the car on a summer day. "But I cracked the window," you say. IT NOT GOOD ENOUGH. "But I was only in the store for a few minutes," you say. IT NOT GOOD ENOUGH. "But I parked in the shade," you say. NOT EFFING GOOD ENOUGH!!

Purrr Here some information for pet staff and parents of hooman children.

AVMA tips on helping pets survive a heat wave

“Signs of heat stroke include hard panting, staggering gate, rapid heartbeat, listlessness, restlessness, dark red or purple gums and tongue, and vomiting. If you suspect your pet has heat stroke, put a cold towel around their neck, get them into an air conditioned car and get them to the veterinarian as quickly as possible.”


Heatstroke | In and Around The Car | Keeping Kids Safe | Parents Central
"Even cool temperatures in the 60s can cause the temperature to rise well above 110° Fahrenheit inside your car. The inside temperature can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes."

Rear-facing Car Seats May Increase Risk of Hot Car Death
"According to the Free Press, a 1990s campaign to get more kids in rear-facing seats was accompanied by a spike in hot car deaths."

Do. not. want!

Purrrrr Do not likz dat mean old v-e-t!

Can Cats See Colors?

To make it simple, cats and dogs can see some colors, but not all. Cats and dogs have deuteranopia, commonly called red-green color-blindness.

The inset picture in the image above shows what a cat might see when looking at the larger picture.  To sum it up, cats see blue and yellow fine,  but other colors are problematic.

The image was created in Gimp using the colorblind filter and a screen capture. To use the filter, click View → Display Filters… and select what type of colorblindness you want to check.

See also:
Veterinary Topics: Feline Vision
The Straight Dope: Are cats and dogs really color-blind? How do they know?
Colorblind Web Page Filter
The Island of the Colorblind by Dr. Oliver Sacks.

ohohoh is v-e-t!

The lady brought one of the boxes with doors up from the basement. I feel vaguely uneasy about this.

Hmmm, the box is open in the middle of the living room floor. I'd better investigate.


OH CRAP! I'M IN THE BOX!!!! on 12seconds.tv


ohohoh is v-e-t! on Twitpic


Dis not so bad. on Twitpic

DEY DID A SHARP THING AND THE TWIG UP THE TAIL AND MADE ME EAT A PILL!!!

We got home and the lady gave me a whole can of tuna. All is forgiven.

I said LOTS of new words today.