At
FAB's Boarding Cattery Information Service we regularly
answer questions from cattery proprietors and from members
of the public looking for a good cattery. As usual,
there are always unusual queries and situations which
don't necessarily fit in with the 'norm'.
Vaccinations
Q.
Our clients have seen the recent publicity on vaccinating
pets in the press and are questioning whether we should
be insisting on cats having their annual boosters before
we take them in the cattery. How do we reply?
A. We do not yet have all the answers about
how frequently we should vaccinate our cats but many
of the arguments against are driven by irrational fears
and exaggerated claims. However at FAB we have encouraged
rational and constructive debate and search for consensus
through scientific knowledge. The topic was raised and
discussed in great depth at The Cat Group and a detailed
policy paper produced. This was published in the FAB
Journal Volume 41(2) 2003 and is available from the
FAB office or available to download from www.thecatgroup.org.uk
This document looks at diseases which can be vaccinated
against, vaccines available in the UK, timing of vaccination,
adverse effects and booster vaccinations and provides
in-depth information for proprietors who want to discuss
this with their clients. Currently there is no definitive
information on how long vaccines protect for. In the
cattery situation there is much more potential for passing
on disease just because of the number of animals housed
and the fact that a change of environment or stress
can cause cats to shed virus which has lain dormant.
FAB would still urge proprietors to ask for annual boosters
to ensure that cats have maximum protection while in
their care.
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Homoeopathic
vaccines
Q.
I have had several owners asking whether we accept homoeopathic
vaccination for boarding. Can you comment on this?
A. Vaccines work by stimulating an immune
response to specific structural proteins (antigens)
associated with a particular disease-causing infectious
agent. This immune response provides protection again
development of disease when the cat is subsequently
exposed to the infectious agent. A crucial aspect of
vaccination is the presence of antigen in a form that
is recognised and responded to by the immune system.
As homoeopathic vaccines do not contain any of
the infectious agent or its associated antigens, there
is no rational basis for their use. Furthermore, use
of homoeopathic vaccines is potentially dangerous because
most diseases vaccinated for are very serious and homoeopathically
'vaccinated' cats cannot be assumed to be protected
against these. Admitting such 'vaccinated' cats
to a boarding cattery is particularly hazardous since
any environment where many cats are housed together
carries a higher risk of spread of infectious disease
and the stress associated with boarding may lower the
cats' resistance to development of disease, increasing
their vulnerability.
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Unvaccinated
cats
Q. I
have recently had enquiries about taking cat which have
not been vaccinated for what seem very valid reasons.
One is an elderly cat which is not in very good health
and the vet has said he doesn't think it advisable to
vaccinate this year. The other is a middle-aged cat
who reacted very badly to vaccination as a kitten and
therefore the owner does not wish to have him vaccinated
again. I am wondering whether there would be any risk
to the other cats in the cattery if one unvaccinated
cat were boarded in the isolation unit? I'm hoping you
can help so that I can talk the issues through more
knowledgeably with the owners.
A. There are two concerns in this situation
- the unvaccinated cats and the other cattery residents.
The unvaccinated cats are most concerning as they might
not be adequately protected against flu viruses which
might be present in the cattery environment. Should
any of the unvaccinated cats get infected then they
would be more likely to show severe signs of flu. This
is obviously concerning for them but also leads onto
the second concern - cat showing more severe signs of
flu are a more risky source of infection to other cats
in the cattery (as they sneeze more and are shedding
lots of virus in their saliva, tears etc). As
written in the enquiry, however, there do seem to be
valid reasons for not vaccinating these cats as exceptional
cases. The best approach would be to house the cats
in the isolation unit of the cattery and use 'barrier
nursing' to minimise cross infection. The owners of
unvaccinated cats should be warned that their cats may
be at an increased risk of infections (particularly
flu) while in the cattery.
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Bordetella
bronchiseptica
Q.
As one of FAB's listed catteries I am not entirely sure
whether I should be insisting that cats are vaccinated
against Bordetella bronchiseptica when they come to
board.
A. The priority vaccines for cats entering
a boarding cattery are still cat flu (feline herpesvirus
and calicivirus) and feline panleukopenia virus. While
Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bb) infection can be associated
with signs of respiratory disease, it can also be found
in normal healthy cats. Where respiratory disease is
seen, this is mainly a problem in group-housed cats
and especially a problem in kittens. If catteries are
designed and managed to FAB Standard, such as having
full height sneeze barriers and undertake proper hygiene
routines, the risk of transmission should be negligible
even if an infected cat were present. Therefore, at
catteries like ours designed and run to very high standards,
it is not generally considered necessary to insist that
cats are vaccinated against Bordetella. However, anyone
using a cattery where cats can come into contact with
each other because there are not full height sneeze
barriers or where cats share runs or exercise areas,
then owners should protect their cats as much as possible.
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Older
cats and vaccination
Q.
One of my clients has a very elderly cat (17) and has
been advised by her vet not to vaccinate.
A. FAB believe that cats going into a boarding
cattery or any other situation where a number of cats
are kept together in the same environment constitutes
an inevitable higher risk of exposure to infectious
agents, and as the risks are greater in these circumstances,
many people still consider annual vaccination (or a
booster prior to going to a cattery) to be a sensible
and quite justifiable precaution. This would be applicable
to all cats, regardless of age. However, some
older cats have health problems and the cats' vet may
advise against vaccination. In this case, we advise
catteries to obtain a letter from the cat's vet confirming
this and perhaps consider putting the cat in an isolation
unit. The use of the veterinary authorisation
form is advised and perhaps a letter from the cat owner
authorising the cattery to take the cat without an up
to date booster. Unfortunately there is no definite
‘yes' or ‘no' with regard to this situation.
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Boarding
of 'entire' cats
Q. Perhaps you would be kind enough to
clarify something for us as we have been contacted by
a customer who has requested boarding for her entire
breeding Burmese queens for a period of 3 weeks. We responded
by saying that we are happy to accept this booking on
the understanding that we have a contingency plan should
they 'come into season' and upset any other cats. She
is unsure when they are likely to be calling and does
not wish the cattery to administer any form of oestrus
control. We know very little about breeding (it
is not something we have any dealings with) but were
concerned that a queen in season could easily upset many
residents with very loud constant calling. Neutered
toms may start to spray as well as the queens themselves
and become distressed. We pride ourselves on being a
caring cattery offering a tranquil setting. Please advise
us if you think we are being unreasonable. Your opinions
would be very much appreciated.
A. Many breeders do not want to administer
forms of oestrus control because of the problems in
can create. Some of our catteries have had experience
with boarding entire female cats and say that sometimes
they can be more vocal, but not to excess. In fact in
strange surroundings ie while boarding, oestrus was
often postponed and they waited until they got home
to behave badly! Some females will spray when calling,
but by no means all, and certainly not in volume nor
odour, compared to an entire male and do not cause male
neuters to spray. Male neuters spray or not according
to their individual personality, quite often at home
and while boarding but not particularly in response
to calling queens. Entire, mature toms could be a problem.
Some catteries might have suitable facilities where
they could be housed so as not to upset any other cats,
but an 'active' tom might well be unsuitable in many
establishments. All owners of catteries must run their
business along lines which they are comfortable with.
It is their decision whether they board entire cats
or not.
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Weighing
of cats in catteries
Q.
Should older cats in catteries
be weighed?
A.
A problem which recently arose in one of
the FAB Listed Catteries has made us think about older
cats which are often underweight when they come in to
the cattery. They may also have concurrent diseases
and where small weight losses are in fact quite a large
proportion of their bodyweight this could be indicators
of things getting worse. We
suggest that catteries weigh all cats coming in, for
their own peace of mind and to pick up any changes throughout
the cat's stay, but that this is very important in old
cats.
Monitoring
the weight can help to highlight eating problems, when
to ask for veterinary input etc. You can use flat scales
and weigh the cat in its basket and then the basket
alone to work out the weight, or, for greater accuracy,
use scales similar to those designed for babies which
have a scooped ‘bowl' where the cat can sit quite happily
(Marsden Professional Veterinary Scales ). Not only
will this help to highlight problems, it can be helpful
reassuring owners or in pointing out to owners that
there is a problem, giving proprietors back up and records
should they be needed.
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Hot
weather!
Q.
How does a cattery
cope in hot weather?
A.
During the fickle UK weather, heatwaves can sometimes
come as a bit of a shock! While
cats are pretty resilient cattery proprietors may find
the following suggestions helpful
-
1.
If the cattery gets really hot the use of greenhouse
shading (green netting) available from good DIY stores
can be a temporary problem solver. Lay it over
the plastic run roofing (and over the front of the safety
corridor if necessary). It is surprising how this
provides a lot of filtered shade. It can then be taken
down when the heatwave is over and used again.
2.
The use of a couple of floor standing oscillating fans
at either end of safety corridor can help. As
a general rule FAB do not normally suggest this as it
could increase the risk of cross infection by moving
air around too much. However, they are useful
as a temporary measure.
3.
The main thing is to monitor each cat regularly, especially
the old and the young, and any cats on medication.
If any cat is showing signs of distress a vet should
be called.
4.
The use of a cool damp flannel smoothed down the cat's
coat could be used.
5.
Plenty of cool fresh water available
at all times.
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