Caring for Feral Cats - KSBY Local Experts Question

Here's an answer posted by Dr. Markoff in response to a question posted on our KSBY Central Coast Experts page.

Written by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

Janice has asked about a feral cat named Heckel who has something wrong with her lower jaw.  Caring for feral or “wild” cats can be extremely frustrating.  We find cat colonies developing in many areas in our county.   Quite often, a Good Samaritan feeds the cats, but usually the cats will not allow human contact.  This means that providing medical care, including vaccines, requires trapping the cats.   Illness in these colonies can be very distressing.

Feral Cats

It can be very difficult to decide whether or not to trap and care for a feral cat.  The process of trapping is very stressful for the cat.  Handling the animals can be dangerous for the people involved.  Follow-up care such as daily medications or suture removal, can be nearly impossible.  Many people believe we should treat cat colonies like wild populations – no human intervention and allow “nature to take its course.”  But those who feed and watch over these cats develop relationships with them and cannot bear to watch them suffer.

The cat I referenced above had been trapped in order to be spayed, and then released back into the colony.  She now is drooling and there is a green color to the drool.  If Janice gives her antibiotics (I assume being put into food or water), the problem improves greatly, but is back within just a few days when the medication is stopped.  Janice has asked if it safe to give antibiotics daily forever.  In this particular situation, I think it may be the best choice we have.

Normally we try to avoid the long-term use of antibiotics.  We rarely see significant side effects from the antibiotics and quite often they effectively fight the infection for years.  However, on occasion we can see “bad” microbes take over in the body. Women may develop vaginal yeast infections, which is not a significant problem for our pets.  Instead we can see a change in the bacteria in the intestinal tract, which can lead to diarrhea and other GI upset.  We can also see the development of bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic we are using.  This can lead to superinfections that are hard to treat.

I am concerned that Heckel has either traumatized her jaw or has a tooth abscess or tumor in her mouth.   If we were to trap her, treatment may be very extensive, which would not only be costly, but very stressful for Heckel.  There would be a high likelihood that she would need to stay in the hospital for follow-up care, adding to Heckel’s stress.  If daily antibiotics are helpful, that may be the most humane thing to do.  It is unlikely that lifelong daily antibiotics will be harmful to Heckel.  So Janice, go ahead with daily Fishmox and we wish you the best of luck.  Let us know if we can be of further help.

Basic Manners - KSBY Local Experts Question

By Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

We have had several questions related to pet behavior on our KSBY Local Experts page.  Pet owners have concerns about barking, biting, scratching, jumping, destructive behavior, animals getting into things, basic training and boundary training.  Most of these problems stem from trying to bring an animal into our civilized homes.  Our expectations may seem unreasonable to our canine & feline friends.  Expecting your dog to stay away from yummy items in a trashcan is similar to asking Aunt Norma to not partake in the dinner you set before her.

When we bring animals into our homes, we must remember that barking, digging, searching out good food and being an intimate part of a group are all natural behaviors.  Luckily, dogs and cats are very trainable and can learn to be civilized members of the team.  If we start when they are young, training is usually quite easy.  We set boundaries, remain consistent in enforcing these boundaries and gently provide alternatives.  If you do not want adult animals on your couch or bed, you must not let them on the furniture when they are young.  In fact, you must make it impossible for them to access the furniture until they learn the rules.  This may mean confinement to a crate or other area of the house.   Puppies who jump up need to learn that they will NEVER earn physical contact or praise when they are jumping up.  They should be taught to sit and stay so that when they jump up we can tell them to sit and then give loads of praise for this alternative behavior.

Some behaviors that we find extremely disruptive are important survival instincts and can be very hard to eliminate from certain pets.  Dogs who get into the trash or eat things off the counter, often never learn otherwise.  These can be situations where we need to put things away immediately and keep our trashcans in places the dogs cannot access.  Cats who urine mark territory, can be equally frustrating.  Early spay and neuter may prevent this.  Sometimes we can use medications or pheromones to prevent the behavior.  Barking is sometimes extinguished by keeping dogs where they cannot see or hear any outside stimulus (i.e. indoors with the TV on.)  Some dogs will require a bark collar.  I do not like the use of shock collars, but find the citronella collars to be effective in many situations.  Cats that scratch furniture can often be trained to stop if given acceptable alternatives.

Good training and behavior modification can be complicated.  Programs should be individualized to each family and pet.  Some dog trainers are very good with these types of interventions.  In some cases, a veterinarian with a special interest in behavior will be required.  At Animal Care Clinic, our Dr. Jennifer Evans can help with most behavior concerns.  We can also provide referrals to good local dog trainers.