Blood Types, Pills, Placement Age, Chocolate, Onions, Claws,  Licking, Bee Stings, Noses, Hair Loss, Ear Drops, Eyes, Training, Climbing, etc

Dangers of Breeding Bengals with A & B Blood Types

This discussion was so long and so very important to read if you are going to be a breeder, that I have collated the complete discussion in a Word97 document.  You can either view it, download it or email me here, and I will send you the document.

Pilling Cats

A1. There is one piller that is made by a fellow here in Central Texas. They sell to vets everywhere, and his operation has gotten quite large. This piller is a milky colored plastic and has a blue rubber tip. There's a plunger that ejects the pill, and the whole thing is around 8 inches long.

You sit on the floor with the cat or kitten between your knees (facing outwards, of course) and in one smooth easy motion you tip the head back and the cat opens his mouth to protest and you can get the piller and pill all the way back to beyond their swallow reflex.

They don't froth and foam, and usually don't even know they have been pilled.

Practice makes perfect, but other than crushing up the medicine and feeding it to them in a treat this is the easiest way to get the pill in the cat.

A2. I've tried the pill poppers... my vet hands them out whenever someone gets a prescription of anything from him. I have found they do not work and the mere sight of them strikes a "I DON'T THINK SO MOMMA!" attitude in my girls.

Pills they hate... anything in an oral syringe... well, we'll discuss that when the time comes depending on the smell and flavour!

When I have to medicate my cats I do what is probably similar to a compounding pharmacy... I spoil them so they look forward to medicine. I take two spoons nested together (check to make sure they fit well) and smoosh the pills into dust which I then sprinkle into Heinz Chicken with Broth baby food warmed to "blood" temperature in the microwave as things taste best to cats at that temp. Stir until they can't see it, smell it, or taste it anymore and voila!

I don't worry about them "missing" part of their dosage as they regularly lick the dish clean so if a little did stick to the dish, it's likely not enough of a dosage to be missed. I suppose a person could put the mixture into an oral syringe... but I think the key of why this works well with my girls is that they think it's just a treat so they eat the whole thing up.

I don't use a lot of baby food... just two or three teaspoons, enough to mask any flavour of the meds.

The popper did work for me... once... but then I ended up shooting them all over the place once my wily girl figured out the easy way to avoid getting her yucky medicine.

Hope this helps during the "dreaded meds" time for some of you!

A3. I also use a piller, and can pill almost any one of my cats myself. You need to press their feet against you (so they can't go any where), scruff them, and you can wedge the piller in their mouth and pop it in. I can do it pretty quickly that they don't realize what happened. The one cat I have a problem with is my blue smoke Persian. When she shuts her eyes, you can't find any thing! The butter idea was good. Never thought of that one.

Training & Discipline

Although some Bengals love playing in water, you can still use a water gun to train them.  It's the shock of it and the chastisement from you which is the deterrent.

Say "Sssss!" instead of "No!"  The sound of a snake creates a more instinctive message of  danger and caution in any language, than the word "No". Never hit a cat.

Younger Kittens or Wait?

Interestingly, if everyone knew how problematic it can be to get a kitten at a younger age then they might want an older kitten. When we got our kitten, Crescenda, she was 5 months old. I was so pressed to have her earlier and I am soooooooo glad we did not get her earlier. 

She was confident and less stressed for the trip and her immune system had matured better (less risk of health problems due to stress). Now, I'm a huge believer in getting animals when they are a bit more mature. So much easier and still time to bond!

Chocolate is Poisonous

A1. Chocolate is extremely poisonous to cats and dogs. 

Here is some info: Chocolate contains caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine -- which are alkaloids of methylxanthine. This type of poisoning (methylxanthine) causes central nervous system stimulation, diuresis, cardiac muscle stimulation, and smooth muscle relaxation. These alkaloids appear to be active in translocation of intracellular calcium, accumulation of cyclic AMP and blockade of adenosine receptors. Methylxanthine poisoning can be confirmed by chemical detection of the alkaloids inn the stomach contents, serum, or urine.

The above and more (just in the event anybody out there thinks I'm some sort of wiz...!!!! :-))) ) are from Neils Pederson's "Feline Husbandry" - in the chapter on Toxicology, p. 390-391. A book I heartily recommend. 

PS: A nibble of chocolate is not enough to cause any problem in an animal that size. For example (from Pederson) 1 oz of baking chocolate (a much more concentrated source of chocolate than commercial chocolate such as that on the outside of a candy bar)... contains 35 mg of caffeine and 392 mg of theobromine. Something like 600 mg would be lethal.

Pederson goes into the recommended therapy after ingestion, and if anybody wants me to type this up, let me know.

A2. I agree... muchos bad mojo with cats (or pets!) and chocolate!

When my friend asked me to go with her to pick up her cat after she had been spayed (the cat, not my friend!) a couple years ago near Xmas time, there was a cat in there nearly comatose who had gotten into chocolates left on the coffee table for visiting guests during the holiday season. I asked the vet techs what the scoop was on the poor cat having seizures and they told me that it had gotten into something like the equivalent of half a regular sized chocolate bar worth of chocolate and would likely die as the owners didn't get to it in time to get it into the vet and get its system flushed out.

Cats are definitely much more sensitive to it than dogs I believe... pound for pound you can and will harm a cat with less chocolate than it would take for a dog... but that doesn't make it okay to feed it to a dog either. My understanding is that cats do not have a sweet tooth like dogs and usually won't eat it... but I wouldn't want to take the risk by allowing it to be left out.

If your hubby insists on giving your pooches and kitties treats, why not suggest he buy special pet related ones that are not only tastier to pets
but are good for them too? This was the only way I broke my parents from feeding their pets potentially harmful foods... I hate to see the "kids" go without treats at all, especially during the time of year when everyone is enjoying some goodies... but I'd hate to see them in a seizure, eyes glazed over and incoherent like the cat I saw that day at the vet. Definitely give
your vet a ring though like Diana said... they would have a much more accurate recollection of harmful dosages than my Swiss cheese memory recalls!

Cats Communicating

Well I have to agree with you on at least Bengals communicating with each other and with us. Over the years I have listened very carefully to the different sounds they make. In turn have been able to developed quite a rapport with the adults as well as being able to call the kittens using the language the cats use.

It is vary rewarding being able to do this and it works quite nicely when you need to calm a kitten or a cat down from a fright or something. Or even just to say Hi with a meow and a slow blink of the eyes. They really like that and will come running to streach and rub up on you as if to say glad to see you too. 

I have heard some people say Oh humbug, animals have no sense of reasoning, but I do not buy it for one minute. 

PS: Just make sure the neighbors are not to close to see who is doing all the meowing as they just might find it a little strange..., 

Sexually Active Age?

Who can tell me if it's possible for the male as young as 6 months to get another pregnant? And then there was the time he was neutered and they were running all over the house. And yes she the queen has been in heat since her kittens were born. And recently the little one was in her first. And all were running around. But he was already neutered when she went into heat. Gee I never saw any hanky panky. No way.

Definitely. And males can impregnate females for up to 6 weeks AFTER they are neutered!

Trimming Claws

Claws keep growing throughout the cat's life. Most indoor cats need to have their claws trimmed once every few weeks, to prevent them from growing too long.

Use special clippers or sharp nail scissors to clip your cat's claws. Be very careful to clip only the very tip of the claw and not to cut into the quick!

It is better to clip away a smaller part of the claw more often than risk hitting the sensitive center of the claw, which can cause the cat both great pain and bleeding. If you have doubts about how to clip the claws properly, you should consult a veterinarian and ask her to demonstrate the process for you.

A1. I'm in the UK, and over here it's Illegal to de-claw, unless it's for a valid medical reason. However, if I was in your position, I'd supply a free set of nail clippers with every kitten, and demonstrate how to use them.

Remind them of the costs too, $100s for declaw, vs. $0.00 for a nail clip once a week. Anyhow, I've lost count of the laughs my Jake gives me when he does his Tarzan impression and swings on the front room curtains :-) 

A2. I had to reply to this subject since prior to my getting our first cat (we now have three, one of which is a pregnant Bengal queen) I was thinking of getting my cats declawed. I was ignorant of what declawing meant. However, both my sister, who has 5 cats, and my best friend, who has 8 both informed and enlightened me on "Declawing". It's actually an amputation if you research it. Here are two links http://www.homevet.com/petcare/declaw.html and http://www.wicatclub.com/9_1.html

They both discuss the process and alternatives to declawing. My reason --at the time, was for my small children. After researching this procedure, I determined it was better to train my children about cats, then to have my cats amputated toes done. Not to mention--there is a possibility of muscle atrophy later on in life, of the cats feet. There have been some occasions where the cats can also no longer walk--because of a botch job!

So---in answer to declawing---Please Please Please---Say NO!

Q. Can anyone tell me what causes the dry, crusty nose syndrome? And was it Neosporin or what that can help with this problem?

A1. the best thing I've found is Vaseline. It's a chicken and egg scenario. As the nose heals, it itches, cat licks it, makes it sore with rough tongue, etc.etc.

I think its somehow weather related just like when we get chapped lips or have dry skin from not enough humidity in the home. I like to use that Carmex stuff that is made for dry/chapped lips and comes in that little round container with the yellow lid. It heals up their noses readily and since its made for lips I don't worry about it too much if they ingest it licking their noses. I also use it at the shows as it has a hint of odor and I think it masks some of the "other cat smell" at the shows. Better than using vanilla anyway as it still keeps their noses moist and vanilla doesn't have that added bonus.

A2. Three of my related cats used to have this problem, but since switching to Felidae it has disappeared. However, I cannot say, with certainty, whether these two events are related.

Kitty Gardens
If your cat chews on your houseplants, you may want to consider planting a container garden or outdoor spot next spring just for kitty to gnaw on.

You can plant: Oats, wheat (not wheat-grass), bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass (annual ryegrass is cheap and easy to grow, but small), alfalfa sprouts or bean sprouts in SMALL amounts (these have anti- protein compounds that reduce the protein value of other things fed to the animal)

Seeds that are NOT okay: sorghum or sudangrass, which have cyanogenic glycosides and can cause cyanide poisoning. 

For those who have not heard about Onions yet, or have forgotten, here is some info. sent to me from Dr. Susan, a cat vet. in Ottawa, Ontario.

Yes, onions do cause Heinz body hemolytic anemia in cats (also in dogs, horses, cattle, and sheep). Heinz bodies are denatured hemoglobin that attach to the red blood cell and can be seen under the microscope. The Heinz bodies trigger the immune system to remove the red blood cells from circulation. If too many red blood cells have Heinz bodies and are removed, anemia occurs.

The Gerber company started adding onion powder to its meat-based baby foods in 1995 in order to increase palatability. At the University of California at Davis, they started noticing that many cats being fed baby food as a recuperative diet or for food allergies were getting anemia. Some cats had Heinz bodies found on blood tests without anemia, and some had Heinz bodies and anemia. Heinz bodies form in cats in response to a lot of different drugs and compounds, so some researchers set out to prove that in this case, the Heinz bodies and the anemia were due to the onion powder.

They performed an experiment where they fed baby food with onion powder to a group of cats and baby food without onion powder to a control group. Their experiment proved that baby food with onion powder does cause Heinz body anemia in cats and thus should be avoided.

The form of the onions doesn't matter, although more concentrated forms, such as dehydrated onions or onion powder could cause anemia with lower amounts fed than fresh or cooked onions.
Dr. Susan

I for one can testify by the amount of wild cat rescues I have living here on the property that these types of cats are not for the unsuspecting. Too many people think it's cool to have such cats until the cats start using the home as a den and corners, dark places and the like become the toilet. Then there is the natural curiosity of all cats but when you consider a serval or caracal can run at speeds of over 40 mph and jump extremely high they can be more dangerously curious in a home than a Bengal ever thought about being. We are not talking small cats here and we are not talking domestic cats either. These guys will many times only eat raw meat and the excrement smells like toxic waste and will stain many surfaces including concrete.

These guys need constant socialization and many times will bond with only one person. I have only two servals that will tolerate a person they do not know and I know that Caracals are not even that friendly and trustworthy. I have never met a non-domestic that even comes close to liking children.

There was a couple that came out here and dumped off a serval last February. This serval had been bottle raised and then sold to them as a kitten and they said they kept it up. The couple both worked so left the cat alone during the day only and for the most part were there with her in the evening. This serval, out of boredom I am sure, did $10,000 worth of damage to their home. They ended up caging her and I believe abusing her due to her current behavior. Until they found me and brought her out here. Once they drove away, I never saw them or heard from them again. I think they were glad to get rid of her. Now she will just always live here. It's very sad to see this kind of treatment of cats to satisfy some internal need or impulse.

Excessive Licking

Q1. I'm hoping someone can help me. I have a female Bengal here approx. 8 months old who seems to be just licking her fur away. Is this common? And what can I do to stop her from doing this? She licks and cleans herself to the point where it looks like someone has shaved her. I just switched her food to a food that has absolutely no corn or fish products in it what so ever. Just in case this is a food allergy thing or just a cleaning fanatic. however she does go to the vets today at 4:20 so I am hoping to know more by then. Any suggestions or knowledge is greatly appreciated ;-)

A1. I'm not an expert by any means, but having a male that licked his armpit areas clean of fur---it still could be an allergy. If she was fine prior to the change, go back to the original food. I use Innova canned and Professional Dry and so far so good. Trust me--nothing worse than a bald Bengal. If I'd wanted a hairless cat--I would have gotten a Sphynx.

Q2. My cat is licking her tummy really excessively, its nearly nude.  I have seen two vets, one says its behavioural, and the other says its hormonal... and he thinks she will stop when she's neutered.

A1. I had a Burmese years ago in England that did that - it looked like she had the mange. Vet  told me she was lacking fatty oil in her skin had me give her butter to get her skin healthy again. It worked. Hope this helps.

Bee Stings

Q. My little 4 mo old (indoor), Lacie, evidently stepped on a bee this AM.  I didn't know it until she got up from her nap about an hour ago.  I noticed her left front paw is about twice its size.  With the help of a neighbor I got the stinger out and examined it with a magnifying glass.  I couldn't see any other foreign body.  I've tried to ice it...that lasted about 1 min.  There are NO systemic symptoms just the swelling.  Do any of you have a remedy to help the swelling go down.

A1. Soak her paw in non sudsing ammonia, the sooner the better.

Ammonia penetrates the skin the quickest of any remedy and neutralizes the formic acid which is the major component of their (or any hymenoptera - wasps, bees and ants) venom. Non sudsing because she will lick it and you don't want to make her sick from soap and surfactants.

A2. And I give away another 100+ year old family "secret remedy"!  My family has used ammonia for this purpose for over 100 years on humans dogs and cats. My daughter can go into anaphylactic shock if not treated right away, but never so much as had more than mild swelling when treated with ammonia.

A3. The bees also provide a solution. Next time just rub honey on it immediately. It is a natural antibiotic and works fast!  This is an old bee keeper's tip.  It also works for ant bites et al .

Barn Kitten, Introducing to Family

Q1. A friend of mine adopted a barn kitten from a neighbor. We guess it to be around 14 weeks old and it has never been vaccinated. Can she now have the kitten vaccinated (i.e. a 3 way vaccine) and, if so, does anyone have a suggested regiment? We use a 6, 9, 12, and 16 week regiment here and I am wondering if she can do the same for this kitten...though obviously starting much later ( I am thinking 14,17,20 and 24 weeks).

A1. If the barn kitty were mine: 1st trip: Fecal exam and Test for FeLuk, FIV plus Vaccinate for Rabies immediately if it is going to remain an outdoor cat.. Otherwise at 16 weeks. If blood tests are negative, and no infection is present, vaccinate ASAP for 3-way feline. Repeat in 3 weeks. If there are other stray cats around, vaccinate for FeLuk one week after the 3-way and repeat.

Hair Loss

Q. Recently one of our cats started losing hair. It started behind the front leg and migrated to the back leg. The only way to describe it is that it looks like someone shaved all the way down the side from one leg to the other. We have been to the vet and had tests run for every creepy crawler known to man. While all the tests were negative, my vet was concerned because of the way the hair loss *Moved* and a dry crusty nose that never seems to get better (May or may not be related). I have been hearing about Bengals blowing their coats, but I wasn't aware it was so sever. None of my other cats have the same problem and after a month passing since this started I am no longer worried. My Vet suggested treating with revolution to see if this improved the condition. My concern is the treatment schedule for application of day 1, day 14, day 30 and day 60. If anyone has used revolution with or without success or is aware of what these symptoms may be PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

A1. I would guess your cat is over grooming. Just watch and see if he licks more frequently than your other cats. They manage to lick off a weird looking patch of hair when they are up to these little tricks. I have had two do that...odd thing is they are related??????

Administering Ear Drops

If your cat suffers from earmites or ear infection, your vet will probably prescribe some ear medication. To administer the eardrops, gently hold your cat and tilt her head so that the opening of the ear faces the ceiling. Do not use any applicators to push the medicine in the ear; simply drip in the required amount.

Keep holding the cat's head in that position so that the medication will go down the ear canal. If the ear is not too sensitive, you can gently massage the ear base for a few seconds.  When you let the cat go, you'll want to get away as fast as you can--your cat will probably shake her head and spray some of the medication all around. 

Eye Infections

Q1. I just purchased a kitty she was born 6-6-02 and when she was delivered 8-7-02.. I noticed her one eye was blinking a bit and the seller checked her said she looked fine! But today her eye is watery and she is blinking a bit more just in one eye!!My Vet is out today. So am very worried Please Help as cannot get ahold of the breeder...Thanks

A1. 

Sounds like you have an eye infection coming on. What I would do is to flush it out thoroughly with clean water or sterile eye wash, then put an opthomolic eye ointment in it. We have several we use, in order of effectiveness it seems that the best is Polixin, which is a triple antibiotic eye ointment we get from Mexico.

The main ingredient is Neomycin Sulfate, and it also has Bacitracin Sulphate and Polixin Sulfate. Garamicin is also good, as is Teramycin. 

Something you have to be very careful of, when treating like this, is not to spread it from one eye to the other. Something else is that when the kitties are young and nursing, they get maternal antibodies from their moms. At 8 weeks old they aren't getting these, and their shots, if they've had any, aren't causing their bodies to produce their own antibodies yet. Contact with kittens other than from their own litter or with cats other than their own mom (in fact, they can be infected by their own mom in this period) shouldn't be permitted till they are around 12 weeks old. Usually with treatment, this should only last a couple of days.

Antibiotics such as Clavamox or Amoxycilin usually don't have much effect, but vets will prescribe them because they are pretty harmless and they make you feel better. Baytril can have some effect, as does Azythromycin.

Climbing to High Places

Cats love to jump onto counters and reach high shelves. They love high places because they feel safer there, viewing their territory while being out of reach of potential predators.  This is especially true of Bengals.

You may not want your cat climbing onto certain high places in your home, so make sure you provide her with good alternatives. Make special shelves and perches, buy special tall cat furniture or simply nail a length of scrap carpet to the out-of-view side of a cupboard or wardrobe. Your cat will appreciate it!