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Zac loves the great outdoors. Occasionally, despite copious marking of his territory someone invades his space. Usually they work it out, a growl here, a hiss there, but sometimes the invader just doesn't take the hint. Zac prefers not to fight, but if he has to he goes in with guns blazing. Last week he came off second best. His carer noticed that he wasn't walking properly on his left front leg. When she looked closely his lower leg was swollen. Zac wasn't interested in his breakfast and retired to bed while she phoned the vet. When she picked him up he cried and shook. Gently she brought him into Canberra Cat Vet. Dr Georgia found tiny bite marks either side of his arm. His foe's tiny teeth had pierced the skin and left behind a bouquet of bacteria. The skin closed over almost immediately sealing out the oxygen that would kill these particular bacteria. Pus had accumulated forming an abscess. The best treatment was to drain the pus and let some oxygen in to kill the bacteria. Zac woke from the anaesthetic feeling much better. After a few days of antibiotics and pain relief he was back to normal. Dr Georgia advised Zac to stay indoors or in his outdoor enclosure to avoid further confrontations. Fortunately Zac is vaccinated against Feline AIDS with the FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) vaccine. Cat bites spread the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. Dr Georgia says that all cats with outdoor access should be vaccinated against FIV.

Poor Mali has cat flu, very common in young kittens when they face a new home, new people, and travel. Stress later in life may bring on another bout - or it may not. Herpesvirus, one of the causes of cat flu, hides in the nerve root behind the eye and comes out when kittens and some older cats are stressed. In mild cases, and particularly when the cat has been vaccinated, they only suffer a few days of a watery eye and sadness. In severe cases the virus causes ulcers on the eye and occasionally loss of the eye. The eye is squeezed closed and the discharge thickens. The cat may go off her food and hide. Whether the bout of flu is mild or severe the kitten or cat needs treatment. The eye is painful and the virus makes them feel unwell. Fight wounds, Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infections, and trauma also cause sore eyes in cats. Any eye disease must be treated promptly to avoid loss of sight or the eye. We prescribed lubrication drops for Mali's eyes, pain relief and an antibiotic because we suspected a Chlamydial as well as herpesvirus infection. If he has another bout we will consider an antiviral drug as well.

Can you help? Can you help support a student at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, with the aim of completing a research project into feline nutrition? It is hoped that the results obtained through this survey will help to advise pet food manufacturers, veterinarians and owners on better care of cats. The survey is open to all cat owners over the age of 18. There are 30 questions about feline nutrition and we estimate it should take you 15 minutes to complete. Click here to access the survey Anonymous data acquired from this study will be held in the USA, subject to US data protection laws, but will only be analysed by vet professionals and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh. By completing and submitting this questionnaire, you give permission for the data to be used for research and publication. The identity of individual responses will remain anonymous throughout data analysis and no data will be passed onto third parties. The survey engine collects IP addresses under GPDR, however the researchers will not have access to these.