If your cat isn’t using the litter box, here’s how to dig deep to discover the solution

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Cats come programmed to keep their living area clean. That’s one of the things that make them great house companions. When a cat chooses not to use the litter box, people feel betrayed. It’s no surprise that house-soiling -- the technical term for peeing or pooping outside the box -- is the No. 1 behavior problem reported in cats.

But cats don’t avoid the litter box out of spite, as owners often believe. One retrospective study -- meaning the researchers went back and looked at past cases to figure out possible associations -- found that 60 percent of cats who had issues with house soiling had a history of urinary tract disease. Not using the litter box can also be a sign of other health problems common in cats, including hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus and liver disease.

There are other reasons cats may avoid the litter box. When other pets bully them in the box or they don’t like the type of litter used or the location, size or cleanliness of their litter box, they vote with their paws: In other words, they don’t use it. These nine tips will help keep your cat thinking inside the box.

-- Take your cat in for a veterinary exam to rule out a urinary tract infection or other health problem.

-- Try to figure out if your cat is having relationship issues with another cat or dog in the home, is unnerved by a new baby or person in the family, or is upset by some other change in his environment or schedule.

-- In multi-cat homes, separate litter boxes so that one cat doesn’t guard access to them. Providing multiple litter boxes is also important if you have an aging cat who may have trouble getting up or down stairs or otherwise trekking long distances to a litter box. A good “rule of paw” is one box per cat, plus one extra.

-- Make the litter box attractive to your cat. Scoop it once or twice a day so that waste doesn’t sit there and stink it up. At least once or twice a month, empty the box, wash it with warm water and unscented soap, and fill it with fresh litter.

-- Offer your cat some alternative types of litter. Line up some open litter boxes, one filled with your cat’s regular litter and the others with alternatives. You may be surprised to find that your cat has a distinct preference.

-- Fill the box with two to four inches of litter. Many cats like to have some depth for digging. Even with a deep bed of litter, you should still scoop it daily.

-- Place the box in a quiet area where your cat will experience few interruptions. Cats like privacy when they do their business.

-- Try a different type of litter box. If you’re using a hooded litter box, try an uncovered one. An open litter box gives a cat a feeling of security because he can see people or other animals approaching. An uncovered litter box is also easier for you to scoop and clean.

-- Discourage your cat from using the areas he soiled. An enzymatic cleanser is the best choice for stamping out odor that could draw your cat back to the area. Other ways to make it unpleasant for him to use that spot are to place his food and water dishes there or to cover the area with double-sided tape or aluminum foil. Remember that these techniques won’t help unless you also uncover and address any health or social problems your cat may have.

Q&A

Coccidia infection

common in dogs

Q: I took in a fecal sample for my 9-year-old dog, and the results showed that she had coccidiosis, even though she didn’t have any symptoms. What can you tell me about that? -- via email

A: Coccidia are single-celled protozoa. (Interestingly, the word protozoa means “first animals.”) Four different species can infect dogs: Cystoisospora canis, Cystoisospora ohioensis, Cystoisospora neorivolta and Cystoisospora burrowsi.

Dogs can become infected with coccidia by swallowing soil or eating feces that contain the parasites. Dogs can also acquire coccidia by eating infected animals. Once inside the dog’s body, coccidia inhabit the intestinal wall. Statistically, anywhere from 3 percent to 38 percent of dogs are harboring coccidia.

Infection with coccidia is common in dogs (and cats). Veterinarians usually see coccidia in puppies, but older dogs like yours can also become infected. In puppies, infections can be severe, causing appetite loss, lethargy, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. It can even be fatal. Older dogs may not show any signs at all.

Medication is available to treat coccidia. Your senior dog doesn’t have signs, which is great, but she is probably shedding oocysts, which are how protozoa multiply.

The best way to prevent coccidia is to clean feces from your yard as soon as your dog deposits them, and to prevent your dog from eating the poop of other animals. Lots of dogs love eating poop from other dogs, cats, deer, bunnies and poultry.

People with new puppies should take them in right away with a stool sample to make sure they aren’t infected and to get treatment for them if they are.

By the way, you don’t have to worry about getting coccidia from your dog or cat. Dogs and cats can’t transmit their coccidia to each other or to humans. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Feline hypertension

goes unrecognized

-- Your cat needs a blood pressure check, stat! Hypertension -- high blood pressure -- is common in older cats, but it is significantly underdiagnosed, according to the International Society of Feline Medicine. By the time it is recognized, cats may have suffered organ damage to the eyes, heart, brain and kidneys. With early diagnosis and treatment, however, these problems may be preventable. Your veterinarian can find ISFM’s recommendations on frequency of blood pressure monitoring, when to prescribe medication and how to determine whether organs have been damaged in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

-- Border collies, Australian kelpies and similar herding breeds are prone to a type of exercise intolerance called Border collie collapse. After just a few minutes of strenuous exercise, they become disoriented or unfocused; start to sway, stagger or fall sideways; and drag their hind legs. Usually after half an hour, the dogs return to normal, but the condition makes it difficult for them to participate in dog sports or do farm work. Researchers are investigating whether the condition is heritable and what factors -- such as excitement or intensity of activity -- may contribute to it. They also hope to develop a genetic test for BCC.

-- Did you know that veterinary technicians can specialize in different fields? Vet techs can become specialists in such fields as dentistry, anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency and critical care, surgery, behavior, clinical practice, nutrition, dermatology and ophthalmology. Beyond the two- or four-year degree programs required to become a veterinary technician, specialists are required to meet additional education and experience requirements in their field. For instance, vet techs who want to specialize in nutrition must have three years' work experience in animal nutrition, at least 40 hours of nutrition-related continuing education and documentation of their knowledge through case reports and letters of recommendation. -- 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.

Not so fast. The science isn’t there. Yet

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

We bet you know at least one person who shares his or her stash with a pet. Not to get the animal high, but to relieve anxiety, nausea or pain from cancer or another ailment. But does it really work?

That’s hard to say. Anecdotes aside, no research to date shows any benefit of marijuana for dogs or cats. Only minimal research is available on its effects in humans. That’s because federal law classifies it as a Schedule I drug with no medical usefulness. Regulatory restrictions hamper researchers’ ability to study marijuana’s potential benefits for humans or animals.

In theory, cannabinoids -- the chemical compounds found in marijuana -- carry great promise, says Robin Downing, DVM, a pain management expert and hospital director at the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management in Windsor, Colorado. Dogs and cats possess cannabinoid receptors. Think of them as the “lock” into which cannabinoid molecules fit like keys.

“These are exquisitely specific receptors that do not interact with other molecules,” Dr. Downing says. Unlike THC, cannabinoids are not involved in altered mentation, but they are credited with other actions in the nervous system, such as pain relief and relief of seizure activity.

“This is what gives us hope that medical marijuana will at some point become an important tool in the pain management toolbox,” she says.

That can’t happen, though, until the drug is better understood. Right now, little is known about dosing and delivery of medical marijuana to pets.

The idea of treating pet ailments with marijuana may give rise to the image of coming home to a dog or cat who’s chowing down on Doritos and listening to Bob Marley. The truth is, we don’t know a lot about how pets respond to marijuana because they can’t tell us how they feel.

“For animals, we have no safety data, no efficacy data and no dosing data,” Dr. Downing says.

For example, she says, humans can adjust their doses based on their response to a drug, but animals cannot.

“How do we know what they are feeling? How can we tell when they have received ‘enough’ to create whatever effect we seek for them?”

At veterinary emergency hospitals, marijuana is the number-one intoxicant for pets, especially in states such as California, Colorado and Washington, which have legalized medical and recreational marijuana. A retrospective study published in 2012 looked at cases in two Colorado veterinary hospitals from 2005 to 2010. Researchers found that the incidence of marijuana toxicosis in dogs increased fourfold over the period.

“Our numbers have been increasing for several years,” says veterinary toxicologist Tina Wismer, director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. “Many vets are able to diagnose the typical patient -- wobbly and dribbling urine -- on sight.”

Typical incidents include eating an owner’s baked goods that contain marijuana or THC-laced butter or coconut oil, eating the actual plants or inhaling smoke.

“The edibles are much more dangerous due to the concentration of THC when compared to plant material,” Dr. Wismer says.

Do pets who partake get the munchies? Usually not. Signs of toxicity include glassy eyes, incoordination, dilated pupils and vomiting, usually within an hour or less or ingestion or inhalation.

Because of marijuana’s Schedule I status, veterinarians cannot legally prescribe the drug. That doesn’t mean related products aren’t available, though. Companies sell hemp tinctures, edibles and extracts formulated for pets. While hemp and marijuana are both derived from the Cannabis sativa plant, hemp is defined as containing a concentration of no more than 0.3 percent THC.

Dr. Downing worries about variability in levels of active ingredients and lack of regulation.

“We need formal studies to determine efficacy, safety, application, optimal dosing, side effects and tolerability,” she says. “We need standardized preparations with known content of active ingredients and no contaminants. Unfortunately, we are a long way from being at a place where we can in good conscience recommend marijuana for animals.”

Q&A

The secret behind

feline eye shine

Q: Why do my cat’s eyes glow in the dark? -- via Facebook

A: The ancient Egyptians had a theory about that. They believed that a cat’s eyes reflected the sun, even at night when the solar orb was out of sight. I love that inspiring theory, but modern science has given it a thumbs-down. What we do know is pretty fascinating, though.

Cats have some neat evolutionary adaptations, especially when it comes to their eyesight. They can see in conditions that are more than five times dimmer than what even the sharpest-eyed human needs to spot something in the dark.

A layer of specialized tissue called the tapetum lucidum (Latin for “bright tapestry”) is what sparks that glow. Located behind the retina (the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye), it converts light into electrical impulses that then travel to the brain. The job of the tapetum lucidum is to capture all the light that doesn’t enter the retina directly and reflect it back in, so that even tiny amounts of light are processed. When light strikes your cat’s eyes in a darkened room, you see that glow, also known as "eyeshine."

The tapetum lucidum puts night-vision goggles to shame and is what makes cats such brilliant twilight hunters. Two other factors contribute to the cat’s night eyesight. One is his ability to dilate his pupils (they can become three times the size of the pupil of a human eye!). The other is his large cornea, which is the eye’s outermost lens -- that clear, curved part of the eyeball in front of the pupil. It’s easy to see why a night-roaming mouse had better beware.

Interestingly, cats with green or yellow eyes tend to have a greenish glow, while cats with blue eyes tend to have a reddish glow. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

The nose knows?

Not about pet health

-- Conventional wisdom says that a dog’s nose should be cool and moist and that a dry nose is a sign of illness. Is your pet’s nose really a barometer of his health? Not necessarily. Veterinarians are more concerned if a dog’s nose is draining. That’s a clue that something may be wrong further inside the nose: an inhaled foreign object, for instance, or an infection. Signs such as sneezing, wheezing or pawing at the nose are better evidence of a problem than whether the nose is dry or moist.

-- Storing your pet’s dry food in the bag is the best way to keep it fresh. Putting it into a metal or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid might seem like a good idea, but those containers must be cleaned regularly to remove the oily film that develops. Once you open a bag, it’s best to use it up within six months or less, even if it has a shelf life of a year. A food with fat levels of 20 percent or higher is likely to go rancid more quickly than foods with lower levels of fat.

-- A cat with a curly coat? Meet the LaPerm, “invented” in 1982 when one kitten in a litter, born bald, began to develop a soft, curly coat, the result of a natural genetic mutation. More kittens were born with the trait, and the owner began to breed them selectively. The LaPerm’s coat comes in many different colors and patterns, including solid, tortoiseshell, tabby and calico. It can be curly or wavy, short or long. The affectionate and curious cats love people and have a reputation for being lap cats. Don’t be surprised if one wants to ride on your shoulder so he can keep tabs on everything that’s going on. -- 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.

Got pet health insurance? It’s a must if you never want to choose between your money and your pet’s life

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

When Tiffany Gere of Butler, New Jersey, was considering getting a new puppy recently, she called her pet health insurance company to ask about the cost of adding a new pet to her policy. The advice she received surprised her.

“They said to purchase (coverage) beforehand and call to activate it two weeks before I brought the puppy home,” she says. “It takes two weeks to go into effect, so that way the first vet visit would be covered.”

If you are planning to get a puppy or kitten soon, a young adult pet, or even a fully grown adult animal, pet health insurance can be a good buy. The uptick in companies offering pet health insurance (there are at least 11) has improved coverage, which in the past was criticized for caps on payouts, exclusions for hereditary or congenital conditions, or poor customer service. Competitive pressure means that companies have a greater variety of plans that meet the different needs of pet owners, from the person who wants emergency coverage only to the one who wants help with everyday expenses such as wellness exams, vaccinations and nail trims.

“When I did the math, it was stupid not to have a policy,” Gere says. “Here, a dental exam is $500 or more.”

Bix, a 15-month-old standard poodle who lives with Janine Adams of St. Louis, Missouri, has had several problems covered in his life so far. He had to have eight baby teeth pulled that didn’t fall out on their own. Then he chipped a couple of permanent teeth, which had to be sealed. He also got neutered, had some ear issues and had surgery for an eye condition called entropion.

“In his first year, we paid $744 in premiums and got back $1,406,” Adams says. “That doesn’t count the entropion surgery, which happened in his second year. We got back 90 percent of the $625 that cost.”

What’s covered can surprise you. One plan pays up to $500 for boarding if an owner is hospitalized for more than 48 hours, and up to $500 for ads and reward offers if a pet goes missing. Other costs that may be covered, depending on the plan, include microchipping, massage therapy, therapeutic diets prescribed by your veterinarian and pet activity monitors.

It’s always a good idea to check your policy to see if an incident is covered. Barbara Saunders of Berkeley, California, had an accident policy on a previous dog. She didn’t realize it covered instances of dogs ingesting foreign objects, and failed to use it on the two occasions when it would have paid off.

Submitting claims is easy in the digital age. There’s an app for that. Snap a photo of the invoice with your phone, and the app does the rest. Even without an app, taking a picture of the bill and emailing it is usually all you need to do. Depending on the company, reimbursement usually shows up in two to four weeks.

Gere decided to wait on getting a puppy, but she’s happy with the coverage she has on her collie, Jake. She pays approximately $100 a month for a wellness plan with a $200 deductible, and has been reimbursed $1,261 in the past year. It has paid for exams, bloodwork, medication, heartworm testing and prevention, flea control, and diagnostics and treatment for a urinary tract infection. If needed, her plan also covers laser therapy and acupuncture.

Concerned about the cost? You may work for a company that offers pet health insurance as a benefit. Some 5,000 employers provide it, including EMC, Hewlett-Packard, IKEA, Levi Strauss, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Xerox and Yahoo.

“What I love is that it takes the money out of veterinary decisions for Bix,” Adams says.

Q&A

Distemper still a

concern in dogs

Q: Does my dog really need a distemper vaccination? Dogs don’t really get that anymore, do they? -- via email

A: Distemper used to be the No. 1 killer of dogs. It may not be as common as it was in the bad old days before a vaccine was developed, but it definitely still exists. So far this year, there have been distemper outbreaks in shelters in California, Tennessee, Maryland and Missouri. My own little QT Pi is a distemper survivor from a shelter.

There’s good reason for distemper being one of the core vaccines all dogs should receive. More than half the adult dogs who get distemper die; in puppies who get the disease, the death rate can be as high as 80 percent. When we see distemper, it’s usually in dogs who haven’t been vaccinated.

Signs of distemper include fever, listlessness, eye and nasal discharge, a dry cough, vomiting, diarrhea and neurological signs. Even if a dog survives distemper, his nervous system and senses of sight, smell and hearing can be irreparably damaged. Some dogs survive distemper but are partially or totally paralyzed. A weakened immune system makes them more susceptible to pneumonia.

Another important reason for vaccinating dogs is that the distemper virus is highly contagious. It’s usually transmitted through contact with an infected dog’s mucus, watery secretions from the eyes or nose, urine or feces. It can also be airborne or carried on the bottoms of shoes. Wild canines such as coyotes or foxes can spread the distemper virus. A healthy but unvaccinated dog can contract distemper without ever coming in physical contact with an infected animal.

Puppies and young adult dogs are most susceptible to infection, but it’s not unheard of for older dogs to become infected. Most cases occur in young puppies who are 2 to 4 months old. The younger they are, the more severe the disease. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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

THE BUZZ

Three companies

issue food recalls

-- Several pet food manufacturers issued recalls last month. They include Hunk of Beef from Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food of Illinois, possibly contaminated with the drug pentobarbital; Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs from Against the Grain Pet Food, also for potential pentobarbital contamination; and Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables, after some of the food was found to contain pieces of metal. Check company websites or call for the lot numbers of affected products. You can return them for a full refund.

-- You’re not imagining things if your dog’s personality seems to mirror your own. Researchers at Austria’s University of Vienna found that dogs not only recognize our emotions, they also tend to share them. In a study published last month in PLOS One, researchers measured heart rate, threat response and cortisol variability -- a measure of the ability to manage stress -- in 132 people and their dogs. People were assessed for personality hallmarks -- neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness -- and surveyed about their dogs’ personalities. The results? Relaxed people have relaxed, friendly dogs, while anxious or pessimistic people have dogs who are less able to cope with stress.

-- Jet-setting pets can soon relax in luxury at a new terminal just for them at New York City’s JFK International Airport. Known as The Ark, the completed facility will have a 20,000-square-foot resort for dogs and cats with massage therapy and “pawdicures,” plus a bone-shaped pool for dogs and a jungle gym for cats. A 24-hour veterinary clinic, 48 horse stalls, and an aviary are among the other amenities. Currently, the Equine & Livestock Export Center, Aviary In-Transit Quarantine and Pet Oasis, an animal wellness center, are open for business. The second and third phases open later this year. -- 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.