Mammary tumors are common in cats, especially those who are unspayed or are spayed late in life

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Each week, as Lisa-Maria Padilla trims her cats' nails, she gives them an all-over body check to make sure everything looks and feels normal. A little over a year ago, she noticed that her 10-year-old cat Twyla, a blue Abyssinian, had a tiny nodule near one of her nipples. It wasn't painful and Twyla wasn't behaving differently, but Padilla knew something wasn't right.

She took Twyla to her veterinarian, who surgically removed the nodule, along with a distal lymph node -- from behind a hind leg -- and sent them to a pathology lab for analysis. More than 90 percent of feline mammary tumors are malignant, says board-certified veterinary oncologist Gregory Ogilvie, and Padilla knew that. She was prepared for the worst.

The tumor was indeed cancerous, and tests on the lymph node indicated that the cancer had already metastasized into the lymphatic system.

"If there was good news, it was that both an ultrasound of Twyla's abdominal area and radiographs of her chest showed no signs that the cancer had spread there," Padilla says.

Based on Twyla's overall good health and strong physical condition -- she was the first winner of the Cat Fanciers Association Feline Agility National -- Padilla opted for the standard of treatment: a radical mastectomy to remove all four mammary glands on the cancer-affected side, followed by a radical mastectomy to remove all the mammaries on the other side.

"That surgery is a lot of trauma on a small cat," Padilla says. "The day I brought Twyla home, I was really frightened. The sutured incision went from just below her neck to her groin. My poor cat was shivering, and there was no way she could get comfortable. I set up a large cage, lined with pillows so that she would not contort her body, and would just lay still. She looked dreadful."

Padilla questioned her decision to fight the cancer, but two days later, Twyla was eager to eat and wanted to play. Her condition improved rapidly, and the most difficult part of recovery was keeping her confined for three weeks so she could heal. She's a sociable cat, so not only did Padilla spend time sitting on the floor next to her cage to keep her company, she also asked neighbors to come in and spend time with her while she was at work.

Once the surgical incisions healed, Twyla began receiving chemotherapy, a total of five rounds given every two to three weeks. Sometimes radiation therapy is also used, Dr. Ogilvie says.

In Twyla's case, chemotherapy brought another challenge.

"After the first chemo infusion, the vets realized that Twyla would have to be sedated for each treatment, as she is too active and 'busy,'" Padilla says.

The high-dose regimen complete, Twyla now receives a daily low dose of medication. Called metronomic therapy, the goal is to stop remaining tumor cells from sprouting blood vessels -- in effect, to starve them.

"The tablet is compounded to taste like chicken, so Twyla thinks she's getting a treat every morning," Padilla says. "If there has been a challenge with the low-dose chemo tablet, it is keeping Twyla's weight up. The tablet can make her stomach a little upset, so she is not hungry, but it doesn't make her vomit. I try to give her nutritious treats during the day."

Padilla is glad she decided to treat her cat's cancer.

"Twyla is one very happy girlfriend," she says. "She loves every day, and at 11 years old, remains probably the most active cat in my house."

Q&A

Is dog's behavior

accident or spite?

Q: My boyfriend was two hours late getting home to feed his corgis, and one of them pooped on the kitchen floor. They had access to the yard, and it was a nice day. I think the dog knew that pooping in the house was wrong (he even looked guilty) and was being spiteful because he didn't get dinner on time, but my boyfriend insists that dogs aren't spiteful. Who's right? -- via Facebook

A: We are so close to our dogs, and so often they communicate with us so perfectly that it's easy to think that they share not only our great qualities but also our less admirable motivations, like "getting even" or "being spiteful." Those are complex emotions, though, and as wonderful as our dogs are, they aren't capable of those sentiments.

That guilty expression isn't an actual acknowledgment of wrongdoing, but what psychologists call an "appeasement behavior." Our dogs can tell when we're upset with them, even though they have no idea what might have caused our angry expression or tone of voice. In response to what they perceive as intimidating or threatening body language, they do their best to try to diffuse the situation by offering behaviors that signal submission or peaceful intentions. To us, though, it looks as if they're saying, "Yes, I did it, and I'm sorry."

In reality, dogs have no idea why we're angry. They can't connect the act of pooping in the house two hours previously with your current dismay over the mess. A dog who poops in the house while his humans are away isn't trying to get back at them for leaving him alone or for being late with dinner. It's more likely that he is anxious because his routine has been disrupted. -- Mikkel Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Cat stumps for

presidency in R.I.

-- "Make hair great again." That's the campaign slogan of Stump, one of the latest candidates in the 2016 presidential election. The gray munchkin cat, a resident of Warwick, Rhode Island, is running on a platform of more naps for better productivity and legalization of catnip (seemingly unaware that a hit of 'nip is already legit). His campaign manager, local pet store owner Denise Rachiele, says the cat is currently seeking a running mate. Perhaps a greyhound?

-- Klinker, a black Labrador retriever, has a unique job: She is the only dog in the United States who is trained to sniff out beehive-busting bacteria called American foulbrood. The bacteria sweeps through colonies, destroying larvae, and are the most common and destructive threat to our friends the honeybees. Klinker's "sting" operation has been protecting hives in Maryland, where she is employed by the state's agriculture department, since 2008. Her nose can detect the bacteria before they wreak havoc, allowing beekeepers to administer antibiotics to the hives to eradicate the disease. With a keen sense of smell and rapid pace, Klinker can check up to 1,000 hives daily, protecting entire colonies in a single visit. That's sweet!

-- May 23 is World Turtle Day. Started in 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, its purpose is to promote protection of turtles and tortoises. The hardtop reptiles have a reputation for being low-maintenance, but that impression is misleading. Red-eared sliders, for instance, are only a few inches long when most people get them, but they will eventually require a 75-gallon aquarium to accommodate their size and needs at maturity. Reptile expert Frank Indiviglio says the best small turtles for people who can't shell out for large turtle or tortoise habitats are common musk turtles, Chinese big headed turtles, mud turtles and North American spotted turtles. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton, Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

A visit to South America inspires a new goal to help dogs

You've probably heard the phrase "all dogs go to heaven." If you ask your dog if he likes his life, he'd probably tell you that living in your house is heaven on earth. But what about quality of life for dogs in other countries or continents? How are they treated?

I've been blessed to have traveled to more than 80 countries in my life and career. While there are places where canines live lives that are as good as or better than what ours have in North America -- I think of France as a great example -- in most developing countries and some modern societies, dogs are lucky to survive. Only a precious few thrive.

My wife, Teresa, and I recently took a six-week trip to South America, where we visited several countries, including Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. In Argentina, we saw many "paseadores de perros," or dog walkers, on the streets, with six to 10 dogs at a time. As you know, walking is good for both a dog's mind and body, and this is a great social activity. Unfortunately, the vast majority of dogs we saw were living lives that focused on the basics of food, water and shelter.

At home, we watch our dogs like children. We have fenced yards, walk our dogs on leashes and are diligent about protecting them from dangers ranging from antifreeze spills and poisonous plants to traffic and aggressive dogs.

In most of South America, many dogs are let inside to sleep at night but are turned out in the morning to go explore the farm, neighborhood or town. You see them moving down sidewalks or roadsides like commuters headed to work. They spend the day rummaging or begging for food, playing, grooming each other, exploring or snoozing in the sun. We never saw anyone physically abuse an animal by hitting, kicking or throwing rocks, but we also saw that people had little physical contact with the dogs. It was rare to see anybody petting or hugging them, let alone kissing them. They were largely treated like animals, not family members.

Almost all of the dogs on the street (who weren't being walked on a leash or carried) had fleas. It was two steps forward, stop, scratch, continue on. Or they'd lie down, close their eyes, wake up to scratch or bite those pesky fleas and close their eyes again. Because of the fleas, lack of regular bathing and poor nutrition, the dogs' coats were typically coarse, dry and thin, with skin that looked and smelled unhealthy.

Being a veterinarian and a lifelong pet lover, I always look for ways to interact with local dogs. I can tell you from having done this at least 100 times in six weeks, every time Teresa or I approached a dog, baby talked to him and pet him on the neck or chest, he'd close his eyes with pleasure and lean in for more. Many would roll over for a belly rub. Most of these dogs didn't suffer from physical malnutrition but instead from emotional starvation.

This trip and our travels throughout the world have redoubled our support of World Vets, who do so much for animals all over the globe.

I'm blessed as "America's Veterinarian" to have a large pulpit and a wide network of pet lovers. Teresa and I have made it a goal to find a way to provide free flea control to pets in most of South America before we leave to be reunited with our dogs in heaven. Giving every dog relief from fleas and offering more physical touch is our dream with deadlines.

Please consider donating to World Vets (worldvets.org) to help provide care and kindness to animals in need.

Q&A

Rabies vaccine

important for cats

Q: Does my indoor cat need a rabies vaccination? It's not required by law in our state. I want to protect her, but I worry that she'll get cancer from the vaccine or have some other bad reaction. -- via Facebook

A: I understand your concern, but even though the laws of many states don't mandate rabies vaccinations for cats, the American Association of Feline Practitioners considers rabies a core vaccine for cats, even those who live indoors. The reasons are twofold. One is because rabies is a public health problem. The other is because life is uncertain. There's no guarantee that your cat won't escape outdoors someday, or she may one day live in a home where she is allowed outdoors. And it's not unheard of for bats, the primary species causing rabies exposure in humans, to fly into homes through open doors or windows or to inhabit houses in areas such as attics.

According to a 2014 article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, rabies was confirmed in 247 cats in 2013 (the most recent numbers available). That's more than in dogs, with only 89 cases during the same year.

To reduce the risk of vaccine-related cancers, my colleague Alice M. Wolf, DVM, an internal medicine specialist who speaks widely on vaccination, recommends using nonadjuvanted rabies vaccines in cats because they produce little to no inflammation at the site of the injection. That's important because it's suspected that chronic inflammation is associated with the development of vaccine-associated sarcomas.

According to the 2013 fact sheet on feline vaccinations from the AAFP, cats with a history of injection-site sarcoma believed to be associated with a rabies vaccine should not be revaccinated, although local rabies ordinances or statutes may apply. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Shed pounds, help

pets at new gym

-- Want to work out and exercise your dog at the same time? If you're in Radcliff, Kentucky, near Fort Knox, you've struck gold. The Lost Pounds Fitness and Pet Center is set up so people and pets can hit the treadmill side by side. Founders Norma Cooper and Toshie Murrell wanted to help dog owners and their pets stay healthy. "Obesity is just as unhealthy for pets as it is for people," Murrell says. Fitness classes are available two to three times a week. The facility also offers day care, boarding and grooming and fosters animals in need of homes.

-- A veterinary clinic that cares for pets of people who are homeless finally has a full-time home of its own. Located in Sacramento, California, the Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Pets of the Homeless celebrated the grand opening last month of its new facility, the Tom Kendall Teaching Clinic, named in memory of its cofounder. Started in 1992, it spent 24 years operating in various temporary locations with the purpose of providing pets with exams, treatments, vaccinations, parasite preventives and spay or neuter surgery, all at no cost, supported only by donations. The clinic's current goal is to purchase more surgical equipment to become fully functional.

-- If you've ever giggled at the iconic "I can has cheezburger?" cat, you're familiar with the British shorthair. The large, handsome, dignified breed was the fifth most popular registered by the Cat Fanciers Association in 2015. People like them for their calm personality, wide variety of colors and patterns and love of sitting in laps (although they're not wild about getting carried around). Choose one if you'd prefer a cat who's happy to go no higher than your sofa when it comes to exploring, leaving your kitchen counters and curtains safe from feline incursions. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

When the unthinkable happens and one pet wants to kill another, rehoming one of them can be the best -- and only -- solution

By Kim Campbell Thornton

At first, Clooney loved Esmeralda. He treated her gently, and everything was perfect. Then his love turned lethal. Clooney began to stalk her, lying in wait and attacking. Esmeralda feared for her life.

"Clooney did not ever draw blood, but I was right there and intervened instantly," says Deborah Wood of Hillsboro, Oregon. "I was truly afraid he would seriously hurt her or even kill her."

Clooney is 12 pounds of big, powerful cat. Esmeralda is 5 pounds of passive dog.

In the past, Clooney lived happily with the two papillons Wood had when she adopted the cat. After the death of her last papillon, she looked for a small, gentle dog that Clooney would like and adopted Esmeralda, a Chihuahua-mix.

But after their auspicious beginning, Clooney became increasingly aggressive toward the little dog. He batted at her with his paw, making her cower or run. He attacked when she came in through the door.

"The attacks began as swats of his paw with the claws in, and eventually became full attacks with him grabbing the dog and rabbit-kicking her," Wood says. "Esmeralda shook in fear when we'd return from walks and would struggle to not come inside."

Wood is an experienced pet owner, and as the aggression problem developed, she tried everything to make the situation work. She separated the two, placed Clooney on Prozac prescribed by her veterinarian and fed a cat food meant to have calming properties. She placed a Feliway diffuser in each room to help Clooney feel relaxed and dosed the water dish with Rescue Remedy. She had her veterinarian perform blood work on Clooney to rule out thyroid and other medical problems that can cause aggression. She gave Clooney attention on his own and played with him every day to tire him out.

For many cases of feline aggression, these steps would have resolved the problem, but nothing worked. Clooney was increasingly obsessed with Esmeralda.

The day Wood knew she needed to rehome one of them was when the smoke detector went off in Esmeralda's room because the battery needed replacing.

"While I wrestled the ladder into the room, Clooney darted between my feet and attacked Esmeralda," Wood says. "Imagine a cat running into a room with a blaring smoke detector screeching away. That is a cat that wants to attack."

Making the decision to place one of her pets in a new home was agonizing. Wood loved Clooney, and she'd had him longer -- four years.

"If the aggression toward the dog had started when I adopted her, I would have given up the dog," Wood says. "However, by the time it developed, I was really bonded to both of them."

Ultimately, Wood decided to rehome Clooney.

"He was the one who was aggressive, and I feared that if I kept him, I would have problems between him and future pets. Keeping Esmeralda gives me the ability to have future pets in the household with her. I was fortunate that both pets were very adoptable. If one had not been adoptable, I would have kept that one."

After trying desperately to place Clooney with someone she knew, including offering to pay for his pet insurance and promoting him on Facebook, Wood turned to a local shelter that specializes in cats. Clooney was adopted within two days of becoming available.

It's easy to give people grief for making the decision to place a pet, but Wood's story is not uncommon. She says a number of friends shared stories of pets who had attacked and even killed other pets. All said they wished they had rehomed the animals earlier.

"I struggle with the fact that I do not know the adopter, but it was the best choice I had under the circumstances. Those feelings are balanced by Esmeralda's happiness. She wags her tail when we come home rather than shaking in fear."

Q&A

Why do dogs bark

but wolves don't?

Q: I read recently that wild dogs like wolves don't bark. How come dogs do? -- via Facebook

A: Wild dogs aren't silent, that's for sure. They howl and yip and whine, but they don't make the percussive and repetitive sound that we know as the bark. It's one of the behaviors that separates dogs from wolves.

A Hungarian ethologist (someone who studies animal behavior) named Csaba Molnar suspects that dogs bark because, well, we designed them to. In several studies published in various scientific journals, he hypothesized that a dog's barks share information about his emotions or surroundings and that humans are able to understand what dogs are communicating with their barks.

In an article on Wired.com, Brandon Keim explains the results of one of Molnar's studies:

"Molnar's statistical algorithm showed that dog barks displayed common patterns of acoustic structure. In terms of pitch and repetition and harmonics, one dog's alarm bark fundamentally resembled another dog's alarm bark."

That makes sense because it's important for people to recognize an alarm bark quickly.

Other studies found that people could reliably identify the context of different dog barks. People with different experience with dogs were asked to describe the emotional content of several artificially assembled bark sequences based on five emotional states: aggressiveness, fear, despair, playfulness and happiness. The researchers found that people with different levels of experience with dogs described the emotional content of the bark sequences similarly.

According to study summaries, the authors suggest that dog barking emerged through selective processes and that dog barks may present a functional system for communication in the dog-human relationship.

The other thing to know about barking is that in wolves, it's a behavior seen only in juveniles. When we domesticated dogs, it's likely that we selected for more friendly, less threatening behavior and appearance, and perhaps the bark accompanied those traits. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

CFA announces

Top 10 cat breeds

-- For the second year in a row, the exotic takes the top spot in the Cat Fanciers Association's registration statistics. The popular felines are Persians in all but name and coat, sporting plush short fur instead of glamorous long hair. Of the 42 breeds recognized by CFA, the remaining members of the Top 10 are the Persian, Maine coon, ragdoll, British shorthair, American shorthair, Scottish fold, abyssinian, sphynx and oriental. The 10 cat breeds with the fewest registrations are the American curl, European Burmese, Havana brown, American bobtail, Korat, burmilla, American wirehair, Turkish van, LaPerm and, the newest, ranking 42nd, the Chinese li hua.

-- Is your dog or cat at risk for the mosquito-borne Zika virus? Probably not, says Scott Weese, DVM, on his blog Worms and Germs. Weese, an internal medicine specialist at Canada's Ontario Veterinary College, says there's currently no evidence that pets can get sick from Zika virus exposure or that they could become infected by it and serve as a reservoir for the virus, passing it on to mosquitoes. "The risk to pets in areas where the virus is circulating (areas where there are Aedes egpyti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes) is probably very low," he writes.

-- At Vintage Books in Vancouver, Washington, Becky Milner might hold the title of owner, but she knows who really runs the show: 19-year-old Henry and 7-year-old Dickens, the 6,000-square-foot store's cats. Henry, the more sociable and charming of the two, greets customers, sprawls across keyboards and attends book signings, while Dickens naps on the shelves. Customers who come in ask about the cats before noting their reading needs. Not surprisingly, Henry has favorite people who come in just to visit him. The pair got the star treatment last month in an article in The Columbian on "business cats." -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.