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Ask The Cat Lady!
Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a private feline consulting practice. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius, the Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.
Q: Dear Sally,
We have a 13-year-old domestic male cat (neutered) whose behavior has changed since spring has arrived. He is an indoor/outdoor cat; he stays within our yard and loves to lay under the bushes. He would always come in at night, we feed him and he sleeps in our bed until the morning. Lately though his schedule is messed up – he likes to stay outside at night and if you have him come back inside he will meow until he goes back outside. It is like he has his nights and days mixed up. Nothing has changed – diet, home environment, etc.
Leslie
A: Dear Leslie,
First I would recommend a check-up at the vet. Ask for a geriatric panel, which includes a thyroid check. Hyperthyroidism can cause a change in activity levels. Although I don't consider 13 to be really old, kitties can experience Feline Cognitive Syndrome (kitty Alzheimer's), which may change how they perceive their environment.
Assuming that he's healthy, try to engage him in play before bedtime to tire him out, then give him a bedtime snack. If you can manage to ignore his nighttime pleas for a time, he should get over it.
I regularly recommend Sprit Essences (www.spirit essence.com), which has a Night Owl remedy: www.spiritessence.com/?action=product&act=view&id=157
I do feel really uncomfortable with cats being outside at night and even unsupervised during the day since there are so many dangers.
Hope this helps. I guess I’m lucky since my cats all follow me upstairs and hunker in till morning!
Sally
Ask the Vet!
Lauren Mascola is the veterinarian at Petcare Veterinary Services in West Hartford. She studied at UConn for undergraduate and Tufts for Veterinary Medicine. She has over 10 years experience and 2 dogs and 3 cats of her own. She is excited to answer your questions!
Q: Dear Dr. Mascola,
We recently visited a shelter in search of a new dog to adopt. Later we learned that there was a case of parvo in that shelter earlier in the week. I'm concerned for my dog at home, although he did not come with us. He hasn't shown any signs or symptoms and has been vaccinated. So my question is, can dogs carry parvovirus without symptoms and do I have anything to worry about?
Lizzy
A: Dear Lizzy,
The risk of your dog at home contracting parvo in this particular situation is very low. He has been vaccinated and he is a healthy (I assume) adult. The most severe illness from parvo occurs in puppies from 6-16 weeks of age although any age dog can get it.
The course of the disease is basically as follows: After exposure to an infected dog's feces (via ingestion), there is a 2-4 day period of viremia, which means the newly infected dog has the virus in his body. 3-4 days after exposure, viral shedding through feces will occur. The stool may initially be firm at this stage, then progress to bloody diarrhea. At the peak of the diarrhea phase is when the highest viral shedding takes place. The puppy may be vomiting at this time as well. Viral shedding stops on average 8-12 days after initial exposure. No carrier state has been demonstrated in dogs.
To answer your initial question as to whether they can carry parvo without symptoms; technically they can for the brief time they may pass feces on day 3 or 4 before it becomes diarrhea. Hopefully the shelter had the parvo dog in isolation so others were not exposed (which would be a typical scenario), so no dogs you came in contact with carried the virus.
I hope your dog is happy and healthy and you find a new playmate soon!
Dr. Mascola
Ask the Lazi Birds!
Steve and Diane Lazicki have been rescuing and working with birds for over 8 years, as well as raising them as pets since childhood. They live with over 150 birds in their "bird house," so they have a wealth of bird expertise. Direct your bird related questions to the Lazi Birds.
Q: Dear LaziBirds,
I noticed that my parakeet has been spitting up her food lately. I haven't seen her do this before and I was wondering if you know what is going on?
Tina
A: Dear Tina,
First, I would ask how old your parakeet is. Without knowing the bird, I can only 'guess' at what is going on. Unless the regurgitating is excessive and the bird is ill, the most common reason for this behavior is, believe it or not, affection! This is how birds feed their young. The adults will also feed one another. Your bird may be trying to 'feed' you. Both males and females may exhibit this practice. While a female is on eggs, the male will gurge to feed her so she can stay in place. As I said, if the regurgitating is excessive, you should contact your avian vet. Please be sure to check that the bird is eating and drinking fresh water normally. Excessive thirst coupled with the spitting can also indicate a potentially dangerous condition. Are all other behaviors normal? As I said, this is only an educated guess based on situations observed here at the rescue. I wouldn't take any chances if I were you. Good Luck.
LaziBirds
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