Useful information about cats 
We would like to give you useful tricks and hints for keeping a cat and give answers concering health and behaviour.
- Are cats from shelters more susceptible to illnesses than other cats?
- Why do we seek new homes only for kittens older than 10 weeks?
- Why do we prefer owners who adopt a pair or who already have a cat?
- Which is the right cat for me and for the cat I already own?
- What does FIV mean?
- What does FeLV mean?
- What does FIP mean?
- What is a cat flu?
- Which vaccinations are necessary?
Are cats from shelters more susceptible to illnesses than other cats?
No, they are not. But they are sometimes assessed differently. Read enclosed letter by a vet:
By Dr. Petra Mangold / Vet
It sometimes happens that owners come to my office with a pet they recently got from a pet shelter or animal welfare society and which developed some illness shortly afterwards.
Some people then ask questions like:
"HOW can the cat shelter give away a sick cat" or:
"WHY has the vet in the pet shelter not detected that illness?"
Some new owners even contemplate to return the cat to the shelter.
But it is UNFAIR to make the cat shelter RESPONSIBLE for all illnesses, as sometimes an illness only develops after months!
But sometimes such new cat owners are also INCONSIDERATE and have sometimes forgotton what kind of cats end up in a cat shelter. Most of all, they seem to forget the efforts and assistance of people working in such shelters (mostly they work there voluntarily).
An animal ending up in a pet shelter is mostly NOT WELCOME. In many cases, it has a sad history, some cats were even TORTURED before they were rescued. In many cases, young kittens WHO LOST THEIR MOTHERS end up in a cat shelter.
That means: most kittens and cats suffer from ENORMOUS STRESS (this applies even stronger to cats than dogs); they are brought to a NEW, unfamiliar ENVIRONMENT, sometimes it is even necessary to place them in the QUARANTINE ward. They have to get used to many people and many animals; and sometimes, they are also exposed to a SICK CAT showing no symptoms.
Due to stress, these animals are more susceptible to illnesses, especially kittens younger than 10-12 weeks. They are then treated with medication and autoimmune-boosters. It is necessary to adminster the drugs appropriately.
Sometimes it happens that such a recovered cat falls ILL at its new home, but this often happens, as moving into a new home means a lot of stress for an animal. And stress can lead to illnesses.
It is not the "FAULT" of the vet or the pet shelter, but rather the new adjustment to a new environment.
Even VACCINATIONS can not protect against all illnesses.
First of all, there is not a vaccine against all illnesses and most of all, it always takes some time until the vaccination fully works.
Some cat owners also EXPECT TOO MUCH.
They ask, e.g.: "Is the cat tested and vaccinated against feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus?"
But such a test and such a vaccinatioin is only performed if the cat is suspected to suffer from these illnesses. It would be far to expensive to perform such tests and vaccinations as a routine.
And let us not forget about MONEY.
Veterinarian care and medications cost a lot of money (many times voluntary workers assist animal welfare programmes free of charge). Therefore, every new owner should think about donating a certain amount for all the help and assistance rendered.
You can be rest assured that there is no profit in animal welfare, mostly a donation is only helping to cover the accrued COSTS. Why did I write this essay?
I hope that some people try to understand that it is worth to give the animal some time to get used to its new surroundings. And that you have to be PATIENT as a new owner and not return the animal if a problem arises. Show a little UNDERSTANDING for the animal welfare associations - and mainly
FOR THE ANIMALS.
From: "KATZEN live"
The other questions will be answered shortly.
Please do not hesitate to contact us |
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