Our Healthy Pets

It appears what a feline sees and what a feline does affects his or her memory in different ways.  Researchers from the University of Alberta in Edmonton studied how feline memory works.  They conducted two obstacle tests.  In the first set of tests, researchers placed obstacles in front of cats.  When the cats’ front legs cleared the obstacles, they were distracted with food.  Then the obstacles were placed in front of the cats again.  In the second set of tests, the cats were stopped just before their front legs cleared the obstacles.  Interestingly, the cats that stepped over the obstacles with their forelegs, remembered to clear their hind legs even when distracted for up to 10 minutes.  However, when the forelegs did not step over the obstacles, memory of the obstacles was quickly lost.  Although it is not clear how these tests relate to humans, they may play a role in how we navigate objects in the dark.  You may have noticed that when you move through a cluttered lighted room that when you turn the light off, you still have the ability to avoid objects even though you cannot see them. 

McVea and Pearson (2007) “Stepping of the forelegs over obstacles establishes long-lasting memories in walking cats.” Current Biology, 21 August, R621-623.

From The August HealthyPetNet Newsletter

If we can understand the genetics of a cat, then we will understand more about how to keep cats healthy and why they get sick. An Abyssinian cat at the University of Missouri (MU), Veterinary School has been chosen to be the genetic model for all cats in the feline genome project.
The cat’s blood will be used to map the feline genetic structure. This will allow for each gene’s function to be studied. The process is expected to take a minimum of nine months for the first steps in the mapping to take place.  Scientists will be able to determine which gene causes diseases in cats, including blindness and cancer, authorities say. A better understanding of virus-mediated diseases will help to develop more effective vaccinations.
The goal is to create treatments for such genetic abnormalities.

Thought to have originated 1,000 years ago in Russia, the Siberian is Russia’s national cat. Because they are so common in Russia, the history of their origin is often taken for granted. Strangely enough, the Siberian is rare in the U.S. They were first imported here in 1990!

So what do Siberians and St. Bernards have in common? You haven’t guessed? They’re large, muscular, affectionate and eager to please. If Siberians were dogs, they would be great at rescuing because of their intrinsic love for the human race.