The Facts About Feline Heartworm DiseasePrevalence and Role of HARD
FHWD is more widespread and common than previously thought. For many decades it was assumed that cats were resistant to infection, but we now know that this is an inaccurate view of heartworm infection (HWI) in this species. Cats are more resistant to heartworm than dogs, but they are considered a susceptible host. While the rate of adult HWI in cats is only 5% to 20% of that in dogs, these numbers fail to consider the important physical effects caused by immature heartworms that die before they fully mature, and the number of cats whose infections go undiagnosed. In cats, immature heartworms reaching the pulmonary vessels often die, and in doing so, trigger an intense inflammatory reaction that causes vascular, interstitial, and alveolar disease—a syndrome now termed heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD). When adult HWIs are combined with the far more prevalent HARD, the true incidence of heartworm disease in cats is vastly greater than previously believed. Whether damage is caused by 9-inch adult heartworms or immature adults, it is still considered “heartworm disease” as far as the cat’s lungs are concerned. Both adult infection and HARD are clinically significant, causing significant disease and even death (in patients infected with adult heartworms) in the cat.
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Maine Coon Cat Care…When bringing a kitten into your home, it’s best to make sure you’re prepared. That will help create a smooth transition that is less stressful for your new cat. Here is a rundown of supplies you’ll need to prepare in advance. We think you’ll find that when you’re prepared, you’ll have more time to bond.
When hitting the road, you’ll need to transport your kitten in a carrier. This will keep her safe and provide a sense of security. Traveling can be scary for a kitten, so make sure the carrier is roomy and well-ventilated. Try lining the bottom with a towel from her former home or shelter to comfort her with a familiar scent. And make sure your carrier is secure and easy to clean. Anesthesia InformationKetamine Anesthesia I'm in many groups for breeders and also from my vet they have said never to use Ketamine. As it can cause death in cats. It can also look like Maine Coons have HCM while under this anesthesia. It will cause them to go into heart failure or even enlarge their hearts. If you try to google this you will either find reports of how safe this stuff is or it's been erased. I wonder why that is? Is it because it makes companies too much money to take off the market? Probably. Most do not care about the health of animals or even people for that matter. I wanted to find the proof of what this does and why. This also affects many other breeds of cats. I've seen where others have written their own article about it. I've not come across one for Maine Coons. If your cat was happy, healthy, and had good blood work, no heart issues or murmurs prior to surgery, a lot of times Doctors will claim it's HCM. If the kitten came from health tested parents it's highly unlikely. There are other factors as well. I know food alone will cause heart failure in cats. I have that under "Cat Food" if you want to read that. But a healthy cat or kitten being put under with a needle can have a lot of side effects or allergic reactions. Gas is the best way to go. Also the mix of Ketamine and other drugs in combination will cause side effects, allergic reactions, or death in cats. Good luck trying to finding any science based article on that. Instead Doctor's like to point at the Breeder instead of looking at the cat in whole. I've come across some necropsy stories that it did in fact prove the anesthesia was the cause of death. Once Ketamine is in the system there is no reversal. They will have to wait it out and in hopes nothing has damaged them. It can change a cats personality temporarily or permanently.
Sometimes they will use these 3 together with sedation Hydromorphone IM, Ketamine IM, Medetomidine IM. There is also Dexdomitor and is similar to Ketamine. Any injected anesthesia can cause similar reactions to each other. I'm going to post links to what I've come across.  I came across this chart and thought how cool would it be to see the weights of Maine Coon kittens. I know each one grows at their own pace. Some will weigh more than what this chart says. Genetics plays a role in that. Also, Maine Coons are large for their length and not weight.
Maternal Antibodies and VaccinesOur kittens leave us with their first core vaccine. The point of the 3 series kitten vaccines is in hope to find the right time when the Maternal Antibodies wear off on kittens. Maine Coon kittens nurse much longer than a regular kitten. I use to vaccinate starting at a younger age. I have noticed by doing this their immune system was not ready. Kittens are being over vaccinated just in hopes to find the right time. Maine Coons do best with the first core vaccine if I wait till 8-10 weeks old or even older. Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA)For both breeders and pet owners who purchase a kitten, one of the first issues to be decided are the kitten series vaccinations. What ones, when and why. By far, the most common reason for vaccines not immunizing is the presence of Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA - this is a standard abbreviation used by immunologists). Unlike many other species, kittens receive little if any antibody protection before birth (in utero). The critical time for a kitten is the first 18 to 24 hours after birth. I've heard most suggest the first 18 hours but some suggest 24 hours and recently I heard an immunologist suggest 2-3 days, particularly when blood incompatibility is an issue. During those first hours after birth the kitten's intestines are very porous. When the kitten nurses and consumes the milk that queens produce after birth called colostrum which is full of antibodies, the kitten's intestines allow the large antibody molecules to pass through the intestinal wall and directly into the blood stream. These are the antibodies that will protect the kitten until it's own immune system matures enough to provide immunity. After those first hours after birth the kitten undergoes what is called "gut closure". At that point the intestines are no longer porous and the antibodies can no longer pass through. This also protects the kitten from other disease causing pathogens also passing through the gut into the blood stream. Once a kitten undergoes gut closure, continued nursing will not increase the kitten's amount of antibodies. Any antibodies consumed then will merely pass through the gut and out through the feces. Thus, continued nursing even after the kitten begins to receive vaccinations, will not increase the MDA interference. All depends on those first hours after birth. There are two factors in how much antibody a kitten receives. 1. The amount of antibodies the queen has in her colostrum during those first hours. 2. The amount of colostrum each individual kitten consumes before gut closure Since those two variables are unknown, each kitten in a litter may have a different amount of MDA. Also, there may be different amounts of antibodies for each disease, e.g. Panleukopenia, Herpesvirus, Calicivirus, etc. During the first 2-4 months of life, the MDA will gradually lower, generally by about half every two weeks. This is a study on Vaccination against Feline Panleukopenia on kittens that still had MDA.This site has a lot of information about over vaccinating cats.Please do not vaccinate for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus – aka “feline AIDS”), FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), bordatella, giardia, or chlamydia.
Keep in mind that if you do decide to vaccinate for FIV (an adjuvanted, and very ineffective, vaccine), your cat will now test ‘positive’ since the FIV test cannot tell the difference between an infected cat and a vaccinated cat. All of our cats that come to us are tested for FIV/Felv at my vet and are negative. I suggest to not vaccinate your Maine Coon with non core vaccines in the contract. Any complications that could arise will not be covered in the contract.             Evie's family sent these updated pictures of her! She is beautiful! Her parents are Maizie and Roman. You can follow her Instagram page by clicking the black button below! @evie_le.reve
333 Cat RulePlease remember this when adjusting your kitten to your home, some can start off shy and take time to warm up. Then others will never know a shy day in their life, just like people. How long does it take a new cat to adjust? We generally go by the 3-3-3 rule. Three days to relax and start to feel less stressed, three weeks to settle in and adjust to your routine, and three months to start to feel at home in their new space. 3 DAYS Adjusting to a new home and a new family is a major life change for your kitten. It's not unusual for them to feel stressed and anxious at first. The behaviors your kitten exhibit during the first few days in their new homes do not reflect their personalities. Each day they will come out of their shell and show their sweet and playful self. Each one is unique with their own personality. The first few days, I strongly recommend that you keep your new kitten's world small like an office or your bedroom, where your scent is prevalent, and you spend a lot of time. That allows for bonding time and is a great way to build trust and help them settle in faster. Do not introduce your kitten to any cat or dog or other animal for these few days. In the first few days home, your kitten may experience common stress related issues due to shipping/rehoming such as cold like symptoms including, but not limited to, runny nose, eye discharge, sneezing, lack of appetite, constipation, as well as stress induced diarrhea. Changing the kitten’s food can also result in diarrhea. If you do not keep your kitten in their own area, you are increasing its stress and likelihood of stress related illness. Show your cat the locations of its food and water dishes, bed, toys, and litter box. Keep essential items, like food dishes, and litter boxes, in easy-to-find locations. While your cat adjusts to your new home, it may be helpful to place a litter box on every level of your home. If there are other pets already in your home, this is a critical time for them to start learning each other’s scents and sounds, before they meet face-to-face. Let them smell each other under the door, take one of your kitten's toys and let your other animals smell it. It is normal for your kitten to eat, drink, or use the litter box less at this time. Be patient and keep it positive. Many kittens feel more confident after about three days. 3 WEEKS After the first few weeks, your kitten is getting used to your comings and goings, learning the daily routine, and starting to figure out when the next meal is coming. He may have acclimated enough to have a full run of the house. Providing him with scratching posts, litter boxes, and blankets/beds in his own room at first allows you to then place these objects in other areas of the home, giving him familiar scents and sights to help him get used to a new place. 3 MONTHS At three months, your pet has begun to feel secure, confident, and happy with its new life and new home. During the past few months, you probably discovered a few adorable personality quirks that make your cat a valued family member. Cats thrive on daily attention from you, whether they've just joined your family or have lived in your home for several months. Set aside time every day to enjoy your furry friend's company. In addition to lavishing affection on your cat, engage its mind with toys or games, like fetch.  Cat Allergies; Are Maine Coon Cats Hypoallergenic?Cats are well-loved for a million different reasons. They’re not only adorable and loving. They also have proven wellness benefits for their owners and their families. Having a cat at home has given a great number of people a better quality of life. Cats have stress-relieving qualities and just simply makes their owners live a happier life overall. Even just petting your cat can already ease away some of the stress and make you feel better in a jiffy.
Just imagine having a charming Maine Coon cat at home with you. Maine Coon cats are loving and loyal cats. They enjoy spending a lot of time with their owner and just being nearby ready for snuggle. They have such playful personalities too. Playing with a Maine Coon cat can surely brighten up a gloomy day. Cat Allergies Unfortunately, despite these benefits there are people who couldn’t have cats even when they want to. It’s because they’re allergic to cats. For somebody who is aware of this condition beforehand, it’s not much of a problem. But there are people who find out about being allergic when they already have a cat that they love. It can be heartbreaking to decide whether to keep their beloved cat. Some people even choose to live with the symptoms and learn to manage it so that they wouldn’t have to let their cat go. What Causes Cat Allergies While some people may think that they are allergic to a cat’s fur, it’s not actually the fur that causes the reaction. Usually the allergens come from a cat’s dead skin called dander. It can also be from their salivary glands or urine. When the cat grooms, the proteins from their saliva get into contact with dander. Exposure to these allergens can cause an allergic person mild to severe symptoms and so, treatment will also vary. Symptoms and Treatment of Cat Allergies When exposed to allergens from cats, symptoms may vary depending on exposure and how allergic a person is. Some common symptoms are runny/stuffy nose, swollen red eyes, sneezing and wheezing, coughing, itchy throat, rashes on the face, neck and chest. It can also cause asthma for some people. As they say, prevention is better than cure. If allergic to cats, it will be good to avoid or at least lower exposure to the allergens. If there’s a cat in the house, thorough cleaning can help to ensure allergens like dander don’t collect in some areas. Wash hands right away after touching the cat. Restricting the cat from certain areas of the house like the bedroom of the allergic person can also be a good idea. Bathing and grooming the cat regularly can also help reduce the amount of allergens in the air. Are Maine coons hypoallergenic? Maine Coon cats are well loved by a lot of people. However, there is no indication that Maine Coon cats produce low levels of allergens too. With that, the simple answer is no, they are not hypoallergenic. If a person’s cat allergies is severe, it may be for the best to avoid owning a Maine Coon cat. Maine Coon cats have thick fur and some possibly shed a lot of it at certain times of the year. Why Maine Coons Love Water and How to Keep Them HydratedMaine coons are one of the most popular and distinctive cat breeds in the world. They are known for their large size, fluffy fur, and friendly personality. But did you know that they also have a unique affinity for water? The Origins of Maine Coons’ Water Behavior There are many theories about how Maine coons developed their love for water. Some say that they are descendants of Norwegian forest cats, who were brought to America by Viking explorers and adapted to the harsh winters of Maine. Others say that they are related to Turkish Angora cats, who were ship cats that traveled with sailors and enjoyed fishing in the sea. Whatever their origin, Maine coons have a natural curiosity and intelligence that makes them fascinated by water. They are not afraid to get wet and will often dip their paws in water bowls, play with dripping faucets, or even join you in the shower. They also have a thick, water-repellent coat that helps them stay warm and dry. The Benefits of Water for Maine Coons’ Health Water is essential for any cat’s health, but especially for Maine coons. They have a higher risk of developing kidney disease, urinary tract infections, and bladder stones, which can be prevented or managed by drinking enough water. Water also helps regulate their body temperature, flush out toxins, and maintain their skin and coat health. However, many cats do not drink enough water from a still bowl, as they prefer fresh, running water that mimics their natural environment. That’s why many Maine coon owners invest in a water fountain that provides a constant stream of filtered water for their cats. A water fountain can encourage your Maine coon to drink more water, as well as provide them with a fun and stimulating activity. Of course, water is not the only thing that your Maine coon needs to stay healthy and happy. They also need a balanced and nutritious diet that meets their high energy and protein requirements. However, feeding your Maine coon can also be a messy affair, as they tend to splash their food and water around. That’s why we use a Neater Feeder, which is a mess-proof feeding system that contains all the spills and splashes in a lower reservoir, while keeping the food and water bowls clean and dry. The Neater Feeder comes in different sizes and colors, and is compatible with leg extensions and slow feed bowls. Conclusion Maine coons are amazing cats that have a lot of personality and charm. They also have a special relationship with water, which can be both amusing and beneficial for them. By providing your Maine coon with a water fountain and a Neater Feeder, you can ensure that they stay hydrated, healthy, and happy.   |
AuthorI'm Crystal Rhine, owner of Wildcat Creek Cattery LLC. Follow along to watch cute videos, see testimonies, cute pictures and Maine Coon information! 
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