Forty-two cases of feline permethrin toxicity treated at a referral hospital in Sydney, Australia were retrospectively reviewed. In most cases canine permethrin spot-on (PSO) flea products had been directly applied to affected cats. Most presented during summer and there was an increase in cases during the 2007/2008 period. Clinical signs included; tremors/muscle fasciculations (86%), twitches (41%), hyperaesthesia (41%), seizures (33%), pyrexia (29%), ptyalism (24%), ataxia (24%), mydriasis (19%) and temporary blindness (12%). Treatment involved decontamination, anticonvulsants and supportive care. Methocarbamol was not used. Complications occurred in 33% of cats and included: hypothermia (29%), electrolyte abnormalities (26%), aspiration pneumonia (12%), hypoproteinaemia (12%), anaemia (5%), apnoea (7%), respiratory arrest (5%), cardiorespiratory arrest (2%), pleural effusion (2%), urinary tract infection (2%) and corneal ulceration (2%). One cat was euthanased. Feline permethrin toxicity may result in severe clinical signs requiring intensive treatment. Despite prominent label warnings, cases of feline permethrin toxicity continue to occur in Australia and may be fatal.

Practical relevance: Hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is a relatively uncommon endocrinopathy of older cats, with a mean age at diagnosis of 10 years. In addition to pituitary-dependent and adrenal-dependent hypercortisolism, clinical signs of HAC can result from adrenal sex steroid-producing tumours. Clinical challenges: While HAC in cats has many similarities to canine HAC, there are key differences in presentation, diagnosis and response to therapy. Most, but not all, cats with HAC have concurrent diabetes mellitus, which is often insulin resistant. Up to a third of cats with HAC have extreme skin fragility and are at high risk of debilitating iatrogenic skin tears during diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. Infections of the skin and nail beds, and urinary, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, secondary to cortisol-induced immune suppression, are also common. Cats respond differently to dogs to adrenal function tests including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation and dexamethasone suppression tests; a 10-fold higher dose of dexamethasone is recommended in cats to screen for HAC. Curative treatment options include adrenalectomy or transsphenoidal hypophysectomy. Radiation or medical treatment may improve clinical signs. The response to mitotane therapy is poor. While trilostane is the medical treatment of choice based on retrospective studies, investigations into the pharmacokinetics of this drug in cats are lacking. Global importance: Feline HAC occurs worldwide and is not associated with any purebreed predisposition. Although uncommon, adrenal sex steroid-producing tumours have a higher prevalence in cats than in dogs. Evidence base: The information in this review is drawn from over 180 reported cases of feline HAC. Reports investigating clinical presentation, clinicopathological findings and treatment outcomes are observational, retrospective multiple case series (EBM grade III) or single case reports (EBM grade IV). While most endocrine testing studies for diagnosis are cohort controlled analytical studies (EBM grade III), prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled studies have been performed (EBM grade I).

Cholangitis is common in felines, including neutrophilic, lymphocytic, and chronic cholangitis (liver fluke). History, physical examination, laboratory testing, and abdominal ultrasound support a diagnosis. Diagnosis using hepatic histopathology and/or bile analysis is ideal but not always practical. Neutrophilic cholangitis is associated with bacterial cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The typical presentation is a short illness with lethargy, inappetence, pyrexia, and jaundice. Lymphocytic cholangitis, suspected to be immune-mediated, can have a prolonged clinical course with weight loss and ascites as the predominant features. The prevalence of liver fluke infestation in cats varies worldwide and clinical manifestations are uncommonly reported.

The efficacy of radioiodine treatment of feline hyperthyroidism is well established; however, limited information is known about owners' perceptions or experiences of radioiodine. This study aimed to examine factors that influence owner treatment choices and their opinions following radioiodine. Surveys were sent to owners of cats referred for radioiodine treatment between 2002 and 2011 (radioiodine group; 264 cats) and owners of non-radioiodine-treated hyperthyroid cats seen at first-opinion practices (control group; 199 cats). The response rate was 67.0% (310 returned: 175 radioiodine, 135 control). Of 135 controls, 72 (53.3%) were unaware of radioiodine as a treatment option. Owners of cats ⩾15 years old and uninsured cats were less likely to pursue radioiodine. Cost of treatment, travel distance, potential human or animal health risks and waiting periods for radioiodine had a low impact on owners' treatment choice. Owners reported a moderate level of concern about treatment hospitalisation length, which included (158 respondents) the possibility of the cat being unhappy 130 (82.3%), owner missing the cat 102 (64.6%), inappetence 50 (31.6%), other pets missing the cat 32 (20.3%), development of co-morbid disease 28 (17.7%) and side effects 25 (15.8%). Owners assessed their cat's quality of life on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent), as 4 (4) (median [interquartile range]) pre-radioiodine (134 respondents) and 9 (2) post-radioiodine (131 respondents). Of 132 respondents, 121 (91.7%) were happy with their decision to choose radioiodine. The results of this questionnaire may assist veterinarians in addressing common owner concerns when discussing radioiodine as a treatment option for hyperthyroidism.

BackgroundInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and intestinal small cell lymphoma (ISCL) are common diseases in cats. The prevalence of alterations in the serum concentrations of fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamin D, in cats with IBD and ISCL is unknown.Hypothesis/ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to measure serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations in cats with IBD or ISCL. Serum 25(OH)D also was measured in healthy cats, and in hospitalized ill cats with nongastrointestinal diseases.AnimalsEighty‐four cats were included in the study: 23 in the healthy group, 41 in the hospitalized ill group, and 20 in the IBD/ISCL group.MethodsRetrospective study. Serum samples for vitamin D analysis were frozen at −20°C until serum 25(OH)D was measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).ResultsAlthough there was overlap in serum 25(OH)D concentrations among the 3 groups, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly lower in the cats with IBD or ISCL compared to healthy cats (P < .0001) and hospitalized ill cats (P = .014). In the IBD/ISCL group, there was a significant moderate positive correlation between serum albumin and 25(OH)D concentrations (r = 0.58, P = .018).Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceThe median serum concentration of 25(OH)D was significantly lower in cats with IBD/ISCL than in healthy cats and in hospitalized ill cats. Additional studies are required to elucidate the mechanism of hypovitaminosis D in cats with gastrointestinal diseases, to define the best management strategy to treat this complication, and to investigate its potential prognostic implications.

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The global problem of unowned domestic cats, driven by their phenomenal reproductive success, carries significant economic, animal welfare and biodiversity costs. Desexing owned cats prior to puberty prevents unwanted litters that contribute to unowned cat populations. The prevalence and predictors of desexing, and the age at which surgery was carried out were investigated using anonymized electronic patient records in the VetCompass Australia database of cats presented to veterinary practices. Of 52,941 cats born between 2010 and 2017, 83.6% were desexed. Among 7463 desexed females, 21.5% had been desexed by 4 months of age, 59.8% by 6 months and 85.4% by 1 year. Sex, breed, location and socioeconomic indices significantly influenced desexing status and age at surgery. Cats born between 2010 and 2017 had greater odds of being desexed than cats born between 1995and 2009 at each age cut-off (≤ 4 months [OR 1.76, CI95 1.58–1.97], ≤ 6 months [OR 1.50, CI95 1.38–1.62] and ≤ 1 year [OR 2.33, CI95 2.11–2.57] p < 0.001). Most cats presented to veterinarians in Australia are desexed. Compared with cats born before 2010, cats born later are significantly younger at desexing but, even so, many cats would have reached sexual maturity before surgery. These findings will inform the design of front-line strategies promoting prepubertal desexing and they demonstrate, for the first time, a shift towards desexing younger cats.

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