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Upside-down-Shrimpy

Cats whiskers are also known as ‘vibrissae’, w

Cats whiskers are also known as ‘vibrissae’, which comes from the Latin word ‘vibrio’, meaning to vibrate. 😺 Cats have twelve whiskers on either side of their muzzle, some situated above their eyes, on other parts of their face and on the back of their front legs ( carpal hairs) 😺Whiskers are important as cats use them as sensory tool, enabling them to pick up air movements, touch, and vibrations. Whiskers are much thicker than normal hairs and are situated deep inside a cat’s skin, where sensory neurons pick up information sent down the whisker from the outside world. A cat’s whiskers are very sensitive and should never be cut! 😺The whiskers situated either side of a cat’s muzzle are known as mystacials. These whiskers are used to help cats navigate in darkness and in small spaces. Cats use their whiskers for hunting as they are less able to focus on objects at close range. Once their prey is close enough cats will use their mystacial whiskers, which fan out and push forward, allowing them to accurately locate their prey. 😺The positioning of cats’ whiskers can also help indicate their emotional state. Cats that are tense or hypervigilant may have whiskers that fan out and face forward. Cats that are fearful or anxious may have whiskers that are close together and flat against the face, whereas a relaxed cat is likely to have whiskers that are relaxed and drooping downwards. 😺More recently, whisker position has been used to assess levels of pain in cats using the ‘feline grimace scale’. This scale shows that cats with whiskers that are slightly curved, straight, or straight and pushed forward are more likely to be in pain that those with lose whiskers that curve downwards. References: Bradshaw, J., Casey, R. and Brown, S., 2012. The Behaviour of The Domestic Cat. 2nd ed. Wallingford: CABI Brown, S., 2020. The Cat: A Natural History. London: THE IVY PRESS Icatcare.org. 2020. Cat Communication International Cat Care. [online] Available at: <https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-communication/> [Accessed 14 September] For more information about the feline grimace scale go to: www.felinegrimacescale.com

If you are affected by chronic illness then you ma

If you are affected by chronic illness then you may be familiar with the term 'spoon theory' or 'spoonies', but other people may not know or understand what it means 🤔🤔 I chatted about it briefly yesterday evening with @haveyouseenmyelin in session 6 of 'Chronic Illness Vet Nurse Warriors' 💚💚 🥄The spoon theory was created by a lady called Christine Miserandino, where she used spoons as a visual representation of how much energy she could allocate to each task of the day
🥄People who are healthy generally have an unlimited number of spoons most days, meaning they can perform all of their day to day tasks and still have the energy to go out or plan other activities, but it's not as straightforward for those who are suffering from chronic illness
🥄People with disabilities or chronic illness may only have a certain number of 'spoons' to use each day. This is because they may be managing chronic pain and fatigue, which can affect them differently on different days.
🥄This means that on some days, when they only have a few spoons, they may only be able to manage getting up and eating breakfast before having to go back to bed. This is because they are too fatigued or poorly to manage much else. Other days may be better and they may be able to manage more tasks if they have more 'spoons'
🥄If a 'Spoonie' uses up all of their spoons in one day or on one task it can leave them unable to complete other tasks, so each day needs to be planned according to how many 'spoons' they have i.e. how much energy they have on that particular day 🥄If you work with someone who is affected by chronic illness, they may have days when they are very low on 'spoons' which can be a real challenge in the veterinary profession! 🥄 Working with an invisible illness is particularly challenging, as the person may not look outwardly sick, but could be feeling terrible. 🥄It can be helpful to ask them what they need to help conserve energy. Ask them what you can do for them to help conserve those spoons! For more information about the spoon theory go to butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ where you can download 'The Spoon Theory' in pdf format.

🍁Harvest mites are seen around late summer and

🍁Harvest mites are seen around late summer and autumn.
🍁The six-legged larvae are parasitic They climb onto long grass so that they can attach themselves to a host and feed on their tissue fluids
🍁They usually feed for around 4-5 days and are intensely itchy to the host
🐈Cats that roam in woodland or grassland areas are most at risk from harvest mite infestation Signs of harvest mite infestation include : 🐈Orange spots (mites) on the skin that can just about be seen with the naked eye. These are usually located between a cat's toes, around the claws and in the little pouch part a cat's outer ear (pinna) known as the 'Henri's pocket'
🐈Inflamed skin with crusty yellow scabs around the affected areas are usually present
🐈Excessive scratching or licking due to irritation caused by the mites 🔬Diagnosis and treatment for harvest mite infestation in cats involves a veterinary consultation, where samples are taken and looked at under the microscope. Anti parasitic (and sometimes anti inflammatory medications) are prescribed if a diagnosis of harvest mite infestation is made *If you suspect your cat had harvest mites contact your vet for an appointment* This video is more clear on a PC than a phone! 💻References and further reading :
Bowman, D. and Scarff, D., 2020. Neotrombicula Autumnalis In Cats Vetlexicon Felis From Vetstream Definitive Veterinary Intelligence. [online] Vetstream.com. Available at: <https://www.vetstream.com/clinical-reference/felis/bug/neotrombicula-autumnalis> [Accessed 13 September 2020].

Join myself and Aliie Harpham aka @haveyouseenmyel

Join myself and Aliie Harpham aka @haveyouseenmyelin this Sunday at 8pm for session 6 of Chronic Illness Vet Nurse Warriors
I'll be talking to Aliie about working as a vet nurse with multiple sclerosis 💚💚
Please do join us! 🤗🤗

Cats are able to move their ears independently to

Cats are able to move their ears independently to locate a sound - but how do they use them for communication? 🤔
😺Cats ears are thought to face forwards if they are relaxed or engaged with something e.g. during play, but..... They can also be forward facing when a cat is being offensive towards another cat, especially if they are the aggressor.
😺Cats will start to rotate and flatten their ears if they are becoming anxious and fearful. The closer the cats ears are to its head, the more fearful it is becoming.
🐱Cats will flatten their ears when they are defending themselves against another cat in a fight.This is usually accompanied by a crouched body and their head is pulled inwards towards their shoulders.
🐱 It's also possible that cats with flattened ears are experiencing frustration too, due to not being to get away to a place of safety.
😺Cats are more likely to rotate their left ear when listening to a threatening sound, such as a dog barking, and their right ear when listening to certain sounds from other cats e.g purring and meowing.
However, cats also move their ears to locate a sound, so the context of the cat's situation needs to be considered.
😺Some breeds of cats, such as the Siamese have particularly large ears, whereas others, such as the Scottish Fold have folded ears, making normal ear movements more challenging. 📚References and further reading :
Ellis, S., 2018. Recognising and assessing feline emotions during the consultation: History, body language and behaviour. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 20(5), pp.445-456.
Rochlitz, I., 2002. Basic requirements for good behavioural health and welfare in cats. In: D. Horwitz and D. Mills, ed., BSAVA Manual of canine and feline behavioural medicine, 2nd ed. Quedgeley: British Small Animal Veterinary Association, pp.40-41.

Every year Spud's kitten pics come up on my feed a

Every year Spud's kitten pics come up on my feed and they always make me smile ☺
He was such a funny looking, but sweet little kitten. I chose him because I thought he looked like a 'character' and I wasn't wrong! 😂 😂
He has grown into a fine kitty young though! ❤️😺

I am very excited to announce that I will be inter

I am very excited to announce that I will be interviewing the very talented and lovely Nicola Ackerman this Tuesday at 8pm! 🤩🤩
@nicolaackerman will be talking to me about working as a vet nurse with a neurological condition. This interview is number 5 in the Chronic Illness Vet Nurse Warriors series 💪🐾
Don't miss it! See you there! 💚💚

Brings a little tear to my eye 😭 ❤️ ❤️

Brings a little tear to my eye 😭 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Love these two so much!