Drugs to Avoid in Pregnant and Nursing Cats

Most cat owners are concerned with the health and well-being of their cat. This concern will naturally increase when your cat becomes pregnant or is nursing young kittens. Just as with people, a pregnant or nursing cat can pass certain substances to her kittens, either through the placenta or her breast milk. Some substances can harm or even kill the kittens. This is especially true of medications you might administer to the mother cat. Before giving your cat any drug, you should first consider the effect it may have on the kittens.

With very few exceptions, you should avoid all medication in pregnant or nursing cats. There may be instances where a medication that might prove harmful to the kittens may be necessary to save the mother, but this decision should always be made by a qualified veterinarian.

There are some drugs which must be absolutely avoided in all pregnant and nursing cats. Most of these will have adverse effects on the kittens and may also harm the mother. Some of these drugs include:

• Albuterol
• Amitraz
• All antacids
• Aspirin
• Buspirone
• Butorphanol
• Carprofen
• Cimetidine
• Diazepam (Valium)
• Diphehydramine (Benadryl)
• Famotidine (Pepcid)
• Natural Penicillins
• Ranitidine (Zantac)

These are not the only medications that may harm your feline companion when she is pregnant or nursing. Even the medications your cat takes regularly may be harmful to mother or kittens. Before continuing or beginning any medication, talk to your veterinarian.

Keep in mind that many items that you may administer to your cat regularly may present a danger to your cat or her kittens. Most flea and tick medications (and collars) are actually dangerous to kittens, so talk to your vet about possible alternatives. Some creams and shampoos than cat owners use frequently also carry warnings specific to pregnant and nursing cats, so read the packages carefully, and ever be afraid to ask your vet about specific ingredients.

Many cat owners are tempted to simply switch to a homeopathic or organic medication. Do this with caution and only after consulting a qualified veterinarian. A ‘natural’ remedy may also not be safe for consumption during pregnancy, and the effects of these medications on cats may not yet be known.

It is important to take the initiative when discovering what is or is not safe for your cat and her kittens. Don’t be afraid to call the manufacture of the medication in question and ask directly about any studies that may have been done regarding pregnant or nursing cats. Your vet may do this for you, but if he doesn’t, do it yourself. The manufacturer may have information that your vet is not yet privy to, or your vet may simply be too busy to spend an hour on the phone trying to get a straight answer from the manufacturer.

The safety of your pregnant or nursing cat is ultimately your responsibility. You will have to ensure that she is safe and healthy, and this means understanding which medications or drugs might harm her or her kittens. Read labels, ask questions, and when in doubt, don’t give it to her.

Cat Breed Facts: British Shorthair

The ancestors of the British Shorthair were brought to Northern Europe by Roman soldiers almost two thousands years ago. Their origins are humble enough, as street cats that bred freely with no attempt to control their bloodlines or appearance. However, during the last quarter of the 19th century, British Shorthairs suddenly appeared in great numbers at various cat shows in London. Since then they have increased in popularity to become one of the most sought after breeds, both in Europe and the rest of the world.

The Development of the British Shorthair

When longhaired cats first appeared at cat shows in England after World War II, they attracted a great deal of interest mostly because they were quite different from the norm. In the early 1900s, longhaired cats outnumbered shorthaired cats at shows by at least four-to-one. Shorthaired cats of any breed were hardly valued in England, and it seemed that the British Shorthair was the victim of neglect and ignorance as it dwindled in popularity. And things only got worse for the British Shorthair in the aftermath of both World War I and World War II.

Cat fancy, in general, suffered in England after World War II. The British Shorthair itself became almost extinct as it was ignored by most of the population of Europe. Breeders had difficulty finding suitable studs, and were reduced to outcrossing in order to maintain the breed. British Shorthairs were crossed to Persians to maintain eye color, type, and coat texture. Most cat associations refused to recognize the breed at all due to the outcrossing that was occurring.

However, the longhaired crossing seemed to enhance the beauty and form of the British Shorthair. So much so, in fact, that once accepted as a breed, judges in England began awarding hybrids for their unusual beauty. Eventually, associations in North America and England both passed regulations disallowing hybridization, but by then, so much hybridization had occurred that the ruling made no difference to the breed itself. Of course, it did make it difficult to register cats with Persian blood.

Eventually, the Persian became an allowable outcross for the British Shorthair once again, but only in England. This caused difficulties for breeders in North America, since they could not use most British Shorthairs from England in their stud programs. North American associations required at least three generations of British-to-British breedings to register a cat, and most cats from England did not meet this requirement.

North American breeders were having enough trouble getting their cats accepted as a breed by local associations throughout most of the 20th century. They didn’t have time to worry about importing cats that they could not use in their breeding programs anyway. It wasn’t until the mid-1960s that some North American breeders began importing English cats, but only those with pedigrees that would allow them to be accepted by associations in the United States

Finally, in 1970, the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) became the first American registry to recognize British Shorthairs as a distinctive breed, but only in the colors of blue and black. It took much more time for other colors to become accepted, but today, a large variety of colors are seen at shows throughout the world, but the most popular colors are still blue and black.

Some Breed Standards for the British Shorthair

The Standards for the British Shorthair, as with many other breeds, are quite strict. It is quite easy to have a cat that is penalized or even disqualified, so those picking a show or breeding kitten should do so with care.

General: The ideal British Shorthair is compact, well balanced, and powerful. There is much depth in the body, a full chest, and strong legs. The coat is short and very dense. This breed is slow to mature, with some cats taking as long as four years to reach maturity.

Head: Round and massive, the head should be set on a thick, short neck. The forehead should be rounded, but should not slope.

Ears: The ear set of the British Shorthair is very important in competition. Ears should be medium in size, broad at the base, and rounded at the tip. They should be set far apart, fitting into the rounded contour of the head without distorting the line of the head.

Eyes: Large, well opened, and round, the eyes of the British Shorthair should be set wide apart and level.

Body: The British Shorthair should be powerful and medium to large in size. These cats have a level back and a deep, broad chest. The legs are short to medium, the paws should be round and firm.

Tail: The ideal British Shorthair has a medium length tail that is in proportion to the body. It should be thicker at the base, tapering slightly to a rounded tip.

Coat: The coat is short and very dense, well bodied, resilient, and firm to the touch. However, the coat must not be double coated or woolly.

Penalties: Any cat with a definite nose stop, weak chin, or rangy body will be assessed a penalty. Also, a overlong or soft coat will receive a penalty.

Disqualifications: There are several reasons a British Shorthair might be disqualified. These include: incorrect eye color, tail defects, long of fluffy coat, locket or button, or any evidence of poor health.

The British Shorthair is a stocky and well-formed cat. Because they developed out of strong country stock and have very strong genes, they are free of known genetic problems. They are also sweet and loving, and so make wonderful companions for many cat lovers.

Cat Breed Facts: Bombay

The Bombay is a manufactured breed if there ever was one. These adorable cats actually began with Burmese breeders in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Burmese breeders recognized the need to outcross in order to produce a more compact body while retaining the dark and even coat their breed Standard required. They couldn’t use a Siamese, due to the longer body and blue eyes. Other breeds were eliminated from consideration for similar genetic issues.

The only logical candidate appeared to be the black American Shorthair. The difficulty Burmese breeders encountered was that there was no allowable outcross for the Burmese. If they wanted to introduce new blood, they had to falsify the pedigrees. This was accomplished in several ways. Brown hybrids were added to legitimate Burmese litters, and black hybrids were registered as American Shorthairs, since, at this time, there was open registration for the American Shorthair.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were several Burmese champions that carried the thickened, more resilient coats resulting from the Burmese-American cross. But what could the breeders of these kittens do with those that retained the all-black coats of their American Shorthair parents?

The Development of the Bombay

A breeder in Louisville, Kentucky began crossing the black kittens to black kittens only. This breeder, Nikki Shuttleworth Horner, was highly successful in creating a black Burmese with excellent conformation and a budding personality. These beautiful kittens were Burmese in every respect, with the exception of their black color. She knew that she could never get a new color added to the Burmese breed because of the strong opinion of Burmese breeders.

Horner decided on a different approach, one that didn’t involve the Burmese breeders at all. She made a request for a separate recognition for her black cats, which she called Bombays. They reminded her of the black leopards of India, near the city of Bombay, which is where the name comes from. In 1976, the Cat Fancier’s Association accepted the Bombay for competition. And so the breed was born.

Some Breed Standards for the Bombay

The Standards for the Bombay, as with many other breeds, are quite strict. It is quite easy to have a cat that is penalized or even disqualified, so those picking a show or breeding kitten should do so with care.

General: The ideal Bombay has a unique look all its own. It should have a short, jet-black, gleaming coat, vivid copper eyes, a solid body, and sweet expression. The Bombay should also be muscular and heavy for its size. The perfect Bombay has excellent proportion and carriage.

Head: Pleasingly round, with no sharp angles, and the face should be full and sweet. In profile, there should be a visible nose break, but it should not present a ‘pugged’ or ‘snubbed’ look.

Ears: The ears of the Bombay should be medium in size and set well apart, alert, and tilting slightly forward. They should be broad at the base, with slightly rounded tips.

Eyes: The eyes should be set far apart with a rounded aperture. The color can range from gold to copper, but the greater the depth and brilliance the better.

Body: The Bombay should be medium in size, muscular, and neither compact nor rangy. They are slightly longer than their Burmese cousins, but not by much. The legs should be in proportion to the body, the paws should be rounded.

Tail: The ideal Bombay has a straight tail, medium in length, and neither short nor ‘whippy.’

Coat: All Bombays must be jet-black, with short, fine, satin-like texture of the coat. It should be close lying, with a shimmering sheen.

Penalties: Any cat found to be excessively cobby or rangy will be penalized.

Disqualifications: There are several reasons a Bombay might be disqualified. These include: kinked or abnormal tail, lockets or spots, incorrect number of toes, nose leather or paw pads that are not black, or green eyes.

The Bombay has a sweet disposition and a wonderfully sleek look. They make excellent pets and companions for many people, and are generally a mild tempered breed.

Itchy Cats: Fleas and How to Control Them


Itching is a common problem in cats and has many different causes. Your cat may have a skin infection, irritation, allergies, or even a parasite. However, one of the most common causes of itching in cats is the presence of fleas. An itchy cat is an uncomfortable cat. Your feline may scratch, bite, or even rub his or her own fur off on cement or concrete in an attempt to relieve the itching. Keep your cat healthy and happy by taking steps to prevent fleas to begin with.

Left untreated, fleas can lead to serious health issues for your cat including Feline Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). FAD is characterized by severe itching and little red bumps that look a lot like pimples. This condition can result in permanent hair loss and even infection. The best way to prevent FAD is to deal with fleas immediately.

Your best option for dealing with fleas is to use a good flea control medication. I like Advantage II, but you should consult your veterinarian for a recommendation regarding which medication is best for your feline. It is in your cat's best interest to be on a flea control medication. A single flea can more than 400 times in one day and they multiply like you wouldn't believe. Fleas can infest your home in just a few days, so prevent an infestation by taking precautions for all your feline friends.

If you already have an infestation, contact a qualified exterminator, treat your furry family members for fleas with the assistance of your veterinarian, and take steps to prevent another occurance.