Book signing and author event with Pet Haven 8/9/08 at 2 pm

Join us for a book signing and dog adoption event at Garrison Keillor's bookstore Common Good Books in Saint Paul on August 9, 2008 at 2 pm.

Dr. Justine Lee will be discussing her book It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet: Everything you ever wanted to know about your four-legged friend. Her next book It's a Cat's World... You Just Live In It will be available for purchase 12/30/2008.

All book purchase proceeds will go to Pet Haven, who will be co-hosting the event and bringing a few four-legged friendlies to adopt!

www.drjustinelee.com
www.commongoodbooks.com
http://www.pethavenmn.org/news-events.php#BookSigning

Is it true cats have two pairs of eyelids?

Cats have a total of three eyelids: the top and bottom lids that help Felix blink and an extra third eyelid, tucked inside the corner of the eye. This third eyelid is called a nictitans and is basically an extra layer of protection for the cornea. Knowing how much cats like to fight with the neighboring cats, this extra eyelid acts as a shield to protect the cornea. Sometimes the third eyelid can become elevated with trauma (such as a corneal ulcer, which is a scratch on the clear surface of the eye) or can pop up with general malaise (from severe dehydration or weight loss) or infections (such as upper respiratory viruses). You normally shouldn’t see the third eyelid at all, but if it pops up, something is wrong, and you should take your cat to a vet for closer inspection.

Material from It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet, available at amazon.com. More information available at www.drjustinelee.com

Copyright © 2008 Justine Lee Veterinary Consulting, LLC.

For you dog lovers out there too...

For you cat and dog owners out there... fear not! I have a blog just for dog questions too! These questions came straight out of the book. Check them out at:

http://questionsaboutdogs.blogspot.com/

I'll keep updating them frequently, so check back frequently. I also listed questions that didn't make the book at my website: www.drjustinelee.com

Dr. Justine Lee

How many cats are too many?

Do we really need to answer this question?

Unfortunately, we do. You may hear of the occasional crazy “hoarder” revealed on the news – people who live with a hundred cats hidden in their house (and hopefully nowhere near your neighborhood). Sadly for the cats, the m.o. of your cat lovin’, urine-smelling, disheveled animal hoarder is quite sad. Most hoarders are unmarried and live alone (and you thought it was hard to find a date with just two cats!). Hoarders also come in all different socioeconomic backgrounds and typically are over sixty years of age. To top it off, over three-fourths of hoarders are females, once again giving the single, white female a bad rep. In 69 percent of hoarding cases, animal urine and feces was found accumulated in living areas. If you think that’s bad, know that more than one in four hoarders’ bed are also soiled with animal crap - makes you not want to date and lie with one, I suppose. Sadly, 80 percent of reported cases had dead or sick animals present in the house, and 60 percent of the time hoarders didn’t acknowledge the problem. Finally, cats seem to be the overall species “loser” in these cases – over 65 percent of cases of animal hoarding involved cats, although some also hoard small dogs and rabbits.

While this book is unlikely to be in a hoarder’s library, we as veterinarians usually recommend no more than four to five cats. Sometimes I offend my fellow veterinarians, technicians, and friends when I tell them my cut-off for crazy is six cats. After that, you’re somewhat of a lunatic. Of course, if you ask ten different vets, you may get ten different answers. That said, until those nine other vets write an opinionated book about it, I still recommend no more than four or five cats per household. Animal behavior specialists often see more problems in multi-cat households. Having too many cats may result in urination problems (i.e., not in the litter box!), inter-cat fighting and attacking, and difficulty in monitoring general health. For example, checking the litter box to see if one cat has a urinary tract infection is more difficult when you have six cats. Second, though I love my house and my pets, I prefer not to have pee in the corners of my carpeted basement - but hey, that’s just me.

So how many cats should you get? I have to say that I enjoyed having a one cat household – Seamus was more friendly and affectionate to humans (more to the point, me!) as an only child. Since adopting Echo, I’ve seen less of Seamus. Now they just want to play together (constantly). I’ve been officially demoted to the source of food and to litter box duty. Now my two cats play, wrestle, and chase each other and generally prefer to do this around my head at three a.m. while I’m trying to sleep. The good news is that Seamus’s quality of life, social skills, and exercise level have improved. Unfortunately, I sleep less as a result. Luckily, I get my feline revenge by waking them up randomly at two p.m. (“Wakey, wakey!”) while they are resting in a sunbeam taking a catnap (“I’m sorry, were you sleeping?”). That said, two cats, one dog, and lots of backyard rabbits and birds are plenty for me in my 700-square-foot house…

Do cats always land on their feet?

Warning: do not throw your cat up in the air to see if he lands on his feet! Cats are very agile creatures, and they will jump from a counter or tree branch to catch a toy or a bird. While many cats appear to graciously land on their feet, there are some cats that get severely injured from what we veterinarians term “high-rise syndrome.”

Feline high-rise syndrome describes those curious cats that lean and fall out of your apartment window from at least two stories high. Tigger may have just wandered near the window to check out the bugs through the screen, and before you know it curiosity abounds him and he accidentally falls through. Not surprising, the majority of cats that succumb to high-rise syndrome are young (averaging two to three years of age), dumb, and male (76 percent). I guess young, male cats are a bit more reckless and clueless (just like their two-legged counterparts). What veterinarians have found is that the average fall is typically four stories high, and thankfully, the majority of cats (more than 95 percent) survive. Unfortunately, more than a third sustain leg fractures or chest trauma (such as fractured ribs, lung bruises, air leakage from their lungs). Understandably, the higher the fall (i.e., more than six or seven stories), the more severe the injuries. (Doesn’t take a veterinarian to have to tell you that, huh?) Being that your average fracture repair and ER visit will cost you between $2,000 and $3,500, help prevent this potentially fatal error by making sure your high-rise windows are all tightly fastened and kid- or cat-proof.

That said, cats appear to “naturally” land on their feet for several reasons. First, cats reach terminal velocity (which is when the downward force of gravity equals the upward force of drag, resulting in a constant speed) at a much faster rate than your average human skydiver. In fact, veterinarians estimate that cats reach terminal velocity at approximately five stories. Cats also have a strong “righting” reflex, which means they can twist and turn themselves into the “right” position until they are correct side up. Because cats are flexible and agile, they have the ability to fan themselves out (by extending their arms and legs) to increase their surface area to minimize the fall. But as you noticed from the studies above, not all cats land on their feet. Avoid the problem and help preserve the other eight lives of your cat: close your window!

Why do cats purr?

Why, oh why, does loud purring have to occur at one a.m. just when I fall asleep? Why can’t my cat just purr at dinner time or during evening TV-sofa time? Purring is that unusual vibration that is produced by nerve stimulation to the voice box muscles and the diaphragm (that sheet of muscle that separates your organs in your chest from your abdomen). The frequency and pattern of purring occurs between 25 and 150 Hertz, so it can be loud enough to wake you up when Max is sleeping on your head. Purring can occur during both inspiration and expiration and may look like your cat is breathing harder than usual. The cause and exact mechanism of purring still seems to elude even the smartest scientists and veterinarians (cats would be happy to tell you that they are smarter than humans). While purring doesn’t seem to have any evolutionary purpose, I suspect that cats purr for the functional reason of bonding with their loved ones (i.e., you or their kittens). Cats mostly purr when they are comfortable and enjoying human contact, while mother cats may purr during nursing. The rare cat may purr when stressed or really sick (i.e., going to the veterinary clinic), so don’t always interpret it as a sign of happiness.

Not sure if your cat is purring or having difficulty breathing? It’s important to know the difference, especially if you are the owner of a cat with asthma or heart problems. When in doubt, double check by putting your hand along side your cat’s chest. If you don’t feel vibrations, your cat may have difficulty breathing, and this should prompt an immediate veterinary visit. If you do feel vibrations, and your fancy feline looks content sleeping on your pillow after a nice Fancy Feast snack, then this is probably normal, I’m-happy-to-be-near-my-human purring. You should be flattered that your cat is satisfied in your presence.

It's a Cat's World... You Just Live In It: Everything you ever wanted to know about your furry feline

Did curiosity really kill the cat?

Sure, you love your cat but sometimes you have to wonder about her behavior. In It’s a Cat’s World… You Just Live In It, veterinary board-certified critical care specialist Dr. Justine Lee explains your cat’s bizarre (yet adorable) behavior and answers questions that cat owners have been scratching their heads over for years, including:

• Do cats always land on their feet?

• Can cats predict death or cancer?

• Can I really train my cat to use the toilet?

• Do cats have belly buttons?

• Why do cats eat grass?

• How can I prevent kitty dreadlocks?

• Do cats like to swim?

A follow up to It’s a Dog’s Life… But It’s Your Carpet, this humorous reference book provides scientific answers to some of the most common and offbeat questions people have about their cats. Whether you’re looking for advice on kitty rearing, solutions to your cat’s more irksome habits, explanations of her weirdest quirks, or simply a good laugh at her expense, It’s a Cat’s World… You Just Live In It is sure to entertain and surprise cat lovers of all breeds.