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healthPetsactivities & Is your cat content? How do we know that our purring pets are pleased? It is not as diffi- cult as you may think. A few items to be aware of and provide for can keep our companions happy and healthy all year long. There are many ways to tell if your cat is con- tent. Just listening will often give a good indica- tion. Kittens will be the most vocal in letting you know if they are happy or not. While purrs can indi- cate contentment, they may not always be a definitive sign of plea- sure. due to lice, mites or fungus When Allison told her mom that her guinea pig seemed to be scratching herself a lot, Allison was told to clean out Poppy's cage. Young Allison put in a fresh bedding of cedar chips mixed with pine shavings. Poppy seemed to scratch less, but the improvement was short-lived. The scratching is now to the point of waking Allison up at night, and when Allison pets Poppy, she can feel scabbing along the cava's back. Pet Vet: Poppy's itch may be I do not recommend cedar shavings for any rodent or rab- bit. It can be very irritating to the respiratory tract in these animals. The list of possible causes for pruritus, or itchiness, in guinea pigs is long, however three causes make up the lion's share of these cases. While either of these three could be placed at the top of the list, I will start by focusing on sucking and/or chewing lice. In my clinical experience, I see this as the most common cause of pruritus in my guinea pig patients. Peaceful cats often rest with front paws tucked and with ears and whiskers slightly forward. Tense cats will hold whiskers closer to the face and flatten the ears. Con- sider it threatening when a cat stares, however, slow blinks are considered a sign of affection. A joyful cat's tail will stand straight up with just the tip crooked, signaling a pleasant greeting to any- one he deems a friend. When a dog wags his tail, he is letting you know he is happy. When a cat wags his tail, he is not. Tail lashing, those large back and forth swishing move- ments, indicate the cat is distressed and is warning you to back off or suffer. Felines who feel fine about themselves stay well groomed. Grooming other cats is also a good sign. Scratching is also an important aspect of fit behavior. Providing a sturdy scratching post allows cats to stretch and care for their claws. Not to mention it will also help in protecting your furniture and drapes. Kittens play nonstop. As cats mature, play activity will diminish. Nevertheless, any amount of play indicates feline happiness. Cats play with other animals that they like and trust. If your cat isolates itself and hides from the world, some- Lice are parasites. They can be found in many different species of animals from fish to birds to mammals, including humans. Most often, the type of lice involved with one type of animal is specific to that type of animal. In other words, lice from guinea pigs will not infest a human. In guinea pigs, these unattractive little creatures gain access from one guinea pig to another most commonly through direct contact, though lice can be transmitted through substrate such as bed- ding materials and also through food, especially bulk food. Once these lice set up "house" on their hosts, they begin feeding by biting or sucking on the skin surface. As one might imagine, this is quite pruritic and irritating. Poppy's scenario certainly fits with the possibility of an infection with lice. thing is definitely wrong. One of the easiest ways to make a cat happy is with a new toy. Cats are natural hunters and love chasing, pouncing, and stalking prey. Cheerful cats will show interest in their environment. Walking cats on a leash with a har- ness or keeping them confined in a special out- door area allows them to experience safely the world outside their win- dow. kibble around, one at a time, to help their hefty feline get some additional exercise and mental stim- ulation. faithful to the litter box, all is right in their domain. Spraying or inappropriate elimination such as urinating outside the box may indicate stress in your kitty's world. When cats remain Happy cats have strong appetites. Any decrease in appetite indicates something amiss. Work- ing for food can also make a cat happy because it too channels those nat- ural hunting instincts. One option is to hide food in different places so your cat has to "hunt" for it. Owners with overweight cats can throw pieces of happy cats. Visit your veterinarian. Talk with him/her about the best preventive plan for your cat. Even if the cat is strictly an indoor feline, pesky parasites can still attack. Be sure to spay or neuter, a very important step in helping prevent aggression and decreas- ing the risk of cancer, not to mention avoiding unwanted litters. While Healthy cats are there, also microchip. If your feline ever gets lost, this permanent ID will help reunite you and your pet. In addition, it is not a bad idea to get your cat accustomed to the carrier before a trip to the vet, you will both be much happier as a result. Cats are social animals and a playmate can assist in adding joy to their life. Therefore, consider adopting another feline from the local Animal Care Center. Many won- derful cats are sitting in the shelter just waiting for someone to give them a loving home with a new furry best friend. Ronnie Casey is a volunteer with Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter.You can read her blog, Mutts & Moggies, at redbluffdailynews.com. Some people can see lice with their naked eye; I can not. I use clear plastic tape, placing it sticky side down in an itchy area of the pig's skin. I then take the tape and stick it to a microscope slide and look at it under magnification for the presence of lice and/or their eggs. Treatment for lice in guinea pigs involves using an oral or injectable medication two to four times, with two weeks between each treatment depending on the severity. The two- week interval allows the eggs to hatch and the lice killed before they lay new eggs. I also recommend treating the environment every four days by removing and replacing the substrate and spraying with a spray containing the same ingredient as the medication used to treat the guinea pig. This therapy should rid the guinea pig of lice. Mange is another cause of pruritus. It is caused by mites. These are specifically sarcoptic mange mites that burrow into the guinea pig's skin and cause irritation and pruritus. The pruritus can be quite intense, to the point where some patients go into seizures. Diagnosis for mange involves scrapping the skin and putting the scraped contents on a microscope slide and observing the mites and/or their eggs under magnification. These mites can not be seen with the naked eye. Treatment for mange in guinea pigs is virtually identical to the treatment for lice. The last of the "big three" possible causes for Poppy's itchy skin in fungal infection of the skin. This is commonly referred to as ringworm, though it involves no worms. This skin disease is caused by a fungal organism that colonizes the skin and causes an inflammatory response that is intensely pruritic. We diagnose this disease by growing the fungus on a special growth medium specifically designed for this purpose. Treatment usually involves oral and topical therapy, including bathing with specific anti-fungal sham- poo. Prognosis for recovery is good. An important point to note here is that guinea pigs can transfer ringworm fungus to people. Pups create calm for university students — University of Akron stu- dent Chris Meta sent cell phone photos of the brindle-colored Plott hound to his wife, hoping she would agree to take the dog into their pack that already includes three mixed-breed dogs. Meta, of Youngstown, AKRON, Ohio (MCT) Ohio, was stoically stand- ing up to pressure from fel- low law school friends advising him to throw cau- tion to the wind and just take the dog home. He said the decision was "on the fence right now" as he held the coonhound's leash while snapping shots of the dog named Ohana. "I need to walk away right now," he said. "The last thing I need to hear is, 'No, honey,'" as a response, he said. animals as a way to fulfill an annual pro bono require- ment for law school. They work as handlers for ani- mals at weekend adoption events for Paws and Prayers pet rescue, the group that provided the animals. John Chapman, a Cuya- hoga Falls, Ohio, city pros- ecutor and a University of Akron law school graduate, has remained an ardent vol- unteer with the rescue group, specializing in the placement of puppies. "One hundred and four puppies have stayed at my house and have gone on to happy homes," he said. He teams up in the effort with a coonhound named Holly who teaches the pup- pies that it's not OK to bite, he said. A dozen or so puppies and older dogs arrived near West Hall in the law school complex on the University of Akron campus on a recent morning with the express purpose of visiting with students as they walked to classes. The ploy worked. Crowds of students were drawn to the animals as if by magnets. MCT photo The intent of the event, sponsored by the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, a national student organization dedicated to animal advocacy through the creation of humane laws, was a way to help stu- Students at the University of Akron take a break from their studies to relax and play with puppies while taking part in Akron Law's Puppy Day outside West Hall, in Akron, Ohio. dents de-stress as finals week begins, said Elisa Wood, a second-year law student and vice president of the campus organiza- tion. It also helped bring awareness to SALDF, she said. a very intense time and is very stressful. The dogs remind them there is a "Preparation for finals is world outside of law school," said Wood, origi- nally from Dayton, Ohio. Many of the 25 or so stu- dents in SALDF count vol- unteering with homeless As students and faculty advisers played Frisbee with border collie Jake and tug-of-war with a boxer named Max, others sat on the ground inside a small fenced-in area where a family of black collie-mix puppies entertained them with their antics. Schiavone, who helped arrange for the puppy meet-and-greet with stu- dents, said it was a great way to bring attention to the 3-year-old organiza- tion. SALDF adviser Ann "Everyone has different opinions on animal laws, but we are all united in our love of animals," Schi- avone said. inches foot to shoulder Michigan dog as world's tallest, 44 Guinness lists OTSEGO, Mich. (AP) — A Great Dane from Michigan is doggone tall. The Guinness World Records 2013 book pub- lished Thursday recog- nizes Zeus of Otsego, Mich., as the world's Tallest Dog. The 3-year-old mea- sures 44 inches from foot to shoulder. legs, Zeus stretches to 7- foot-4 and towers over his owner, Denise Doorlag. Zeus is just an inch taller than the previous record- holder, Giant George. Zeus weighs 155 pounds and eats a 30- pound bag of food every two weeks. Standing on his hind Community Clip? e-mail: clerk@red- bluffdailynews.com or Fax: 527-9251 Saturday, September 29, 2012 – Daily News 5B