A Second Reason Your Cat May Jump onto the Kitchen Counter
Having started out as tree dwellers, it makes sense that cats like to jump to high places in our homes. They’re reacting to a primordial urge. But there could be another reason: your pet wants to be near you. After all, cats and people are not naturally at eye level. But if your cat jumps onto the counter while you’re doing something in the kitchen, she’s in your direct line of vision and can more easily get your attention. Yes, she may want the food you’re preparing, but she may also just want to be close. Don’t automatically assume she’s being purely opportunistic.
Handling a Cat’s Fear-Based Aggression During a Veterinary Exam
Does your cat have a history of fighting the vet and her staff during clinical exams, perhaps to the point that the doctor is not able to conduct the most thorough exam possible? A new study suggests that a 100– to 200–milligram dose of gabapentin to relieve stress and anxiety can make scared cats’ veterinary exams go much better.
Researchers in France gave cats with fear-based aggressive behaviors toward vets either gabapentin or a placebo two hours in advance of each cat being subjected to a nine-part clinical exam. (The cat’s weight determined the dose, with cats weighing at least 15 pounds receiving 200 milligrams.) At another visit, the cats who had received gabapentin for the first exam were switched to a placebo and vice versa. The study was double-blind. Neither the veterinarians nor the cat owners knew which pill was being administered.
But the results were crystal clear. When the cats received gabapentin, they were much more likely to be able to get through all nine parts of the exam. When they received the placebo, they could not be adequately examined. The biggest side effect of the drug was drowsiness, which resolved within 10 hours.
The results align with those of earlier studies. If your cat becomes aggressive at the vet’s office because she is afraid, it’s worth discussing whether to dose her with gabapentin before exams. A better clinical exam allows better detection and treatment of health issues.
Cat Food Labels to Become Clearer
It’s official. For the first time in more than 40 years, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has updated its guidelines for cat food labels. Among the big changes you will soon see: 1) an easy-to-understand Nutrition Facts Box that will mimic labeling for human foods and 2) an ingredients statement that will allow common or usual names for vitamins rather than multi-syllablic chemical names.
