Denise Flaim, a Newsday staffer since 1994, covers companion animals
– not pets -- every Monday in her Animal House column. Denise
is owned by two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and is involved in breeding,
conformation (code for "dog shows"), lure-coursing (don’t
worry, no one else knows what that is, either), obedience, agility
and therapy-dog work. She is the historian of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
Club of the United States, and author of "The Holistic Dog
Book: Canine Care for the 21st Century" (Wiley, 2003) and "Getting
Lucky: How One Special Dog Found Love and a Second Chance at Angel’s
Gate" (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2005).
Devotees of Vivi are well acquainted with the Port Authroity of New York and Jersey, which manages John F. Kennedy Airport, where the spritely whippet was lost almost two years ago.
Now, the airport and its managing agency finds itself in the crossfire, as feral-cat advocates protests its contracting an exterminator to round up the many feral cat colonies in and around the airport's 5,000 acres.
Tenderhearted airport employees and rescuers have tended some of the colonies for decades. The feral cats are believed to have descended from the lost pets of travelers, as well as abandoned pets.
Instead of "exterminating" the hundreds of kitties, feral-cat activists such as the NYC Feral Cat Initiative are urging the Port Authority to look into a TNR, or trap-neuter-release, program, which has been effective in other restricted areas in the city, such as Riker's Island.
On Monday, Oct. 29, from noon to 1 p.m., In Defense of Animals will hold a rally outside Port Authority headquarters, off Union Square at 225 Park Avenue South between 18th and 19th streets.
As any purebred fancier knows, holding dog and cat shows on Long Island is a challenge at best. Exhibitors from off-Island are repelled by astronomic hotel-room rates and equally cosmic traffic delays. Venues with the space and inclination to welcome animals are fewer and fewer.
This year, the cluster of Queens-based dogs shows held in late October was forced to leave Flushing Meadows Corona Park. It was bad enough that the Bronx County Kennel Club had their Sunday show in Flushing, but at least it was the same area code. Next month, the Bronx club's show is in Augusta, New Jersey.
And the Queensboro shows on Friday and Saturday have moved to ... West Springfield, Massachusetts? Who knew that the towering Unisphere at their old Queens digs would turn out to be so prophetic: Now you almost have to travel around the world to go to a Queens dog show.
The latest local casualty is the Paumanok Cat Fanciers show. Joan Bernstein reports that the January 2008 show is now "no longer a reality."
With the loss of their regular show site, Sports Plus is Lake Grove, the popular Long Island cat show has gone looking for a new home. "I've called everywhere," Joan says. "No high school gymnasiums -- allergies. For hotels, no animals on the premises where food is served."
The biggest obstacle, not surprisingly, is cost. The only local university with a reasonable rental fee required that the show hire their "decorators" and purchase $20,000 in carpeting for "floor protection." A popular catering hall said yes, but because they'd lose two weddings and a bar mitzvah, the rental would be $60,000.
The Paumanok show needs a "gate" -- that is, admission fees from spectators -- in order to break even. When your show is in January -- they can't change it, as other dates conflict with other cat shows -- a bad case of the flurries can mean thousands in lost revenue.
Joan isn't hopeful about finding a site on Long Island, Walt Whitman's fish-shaped Paumanok, for 2009. Angels of mercy can contact her at joanbernstein@optonline.net.
Is there a connection between toxic flame retardants and the surge in hyperthyroidism in cats?
Maybe so, said goverment scientists earlier this week, noting that overactive thyroid gland function was a rarity among felines until the early 1980s -- around the same time that brominated fire retardants started being used in a wide variety of consumer goods, from furniture to mattresses to electronics.
While rare in dogs (which commonly have hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland), hyperthyroidism also occurs in humans.
Team Vivi volunteers always have their nose to the ground about animal-related mishaps at the airlines. And they gave me a heads-up about the plight of Ezra Malek, who lost his kitty when Delta dropped the carrier from a loading platform at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Now living in Israel, Malek is still hoping against hope that Tiger will be found. For the whole story, click here.
This, of course, is the whole point, say their fawning humans. Disdainful of the panting, pawing, woofing neediness of that other species with which they often share domiciles, cats are the proverbial still streams. But when they are sick, these consummate stoics also can lead lives of quiet desperation that go unnoticed by all but the most attentive human.
"Cats are like snowflakes - they're all similar, but different," says veterinarian James R. Richards, director of the Cornell Feline Health Center at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca. The one thing they do share is an all-too-deft ability to hide illness and pain. "If people would become cat watchers - an act that I find joyful, because they're such a hoot to observe - we might discover really significant illness that may not have manifested yet."
The key, says Richards, is learning to recognize what is normal behavior for your particular cat, so that deviations from it become readily apparent. In addition, schedule twice-a-year wellness checks, instead of annual ones, to pick up any physical or metabolic changes.
Being the reserved, majestic creatures that they are, cats have a relatively limited repertoire of ways to communicate that there is something wrong, Richards says. Among the signs that might get you dialing the vet:
Changes in behavior. Cats are creatures of habit, so watch for a break in routine, however subtle - such as not greeting you when you arrive home, or hiding more than usual under furniture.
Another warning sign might be a cat that routinely sleeps on top of the counter but now has abandoned that post for a different one, or is sleeping for more hours, or during different hours.
"They're not the kind of jab-you-in-the-rib changes that sometimes we'll see with dogs," Richard says, but they might be cause for concern.
Increased activity isn't always a good thing, either. "If your cat's acting like he's had five cups of Starbucks, don't just dismiss it as 'My old cat's feeling frisky,'" he warns. It could be something more serious, such as hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid).
Inappropriate elimination. Litterbox woes are a common theme among cat owners. Often they are caused by emotional turbulence in a cat's environment - the arrival of a new animal, a change in human residents, an impending divorce or other life events.
A change to the litterbox itself also can disrupt potty patterns: A new lid on the box or a switch in brands of litter is sometimes all it takes for a kitty to go AWOL.
But a physical problem may be the culprit. If urinating causes pain, a cat may associate it with the box and so might avoid it. Some intestinal problems or diabetes can cause increased eliminations and more "misses."
"Sometimes you have to be a detective to figure out what's going on," says Richards, who suggests scrutinizing the litterbox to see if there is any change in the volume or consistency of stool, or the wetness of the litter itself.
Changes in appetite. In multi-cat households where cats are free-fed, monitoring eating patterns can be a challenge. Loss of appetite is an obvious red flag, but overeating can point to an underlying physical problem, too.
Changes in odor. In cats, bad breath is more than just a turn-off; it can be a sign of periodontal disease. Oral cancers also can go unnoticed - when was the last time your cat willingly opened wide, or let you peek under its tongue?
Changes in grooming. If you're feeling under the weather, the last thing you want to do is get all dolled up. So look more closely at that cat with an unkempt coat. Watch for bare spots or a difference in fur texture.
"Grooming behavior takes up a good part of a cat's day," says Richard. "Cats may stop if they don't feel well, or if it's painful to groom - if they have severe arthritis, maybe it's hard to get their tongue to certain parts of their body."
Also, "because cats are basically covered in dry cat spit," Richards says, a "yucky" coat can point to mouth problems.
Changes in vocalization. As much as you may relish the silence, pay attention to the talkative cat who now is quiet as a church mouse.
Conversely, pumping up the volume is a typical sign of hyperthyroidism, as well as cognitive dysfunction, or senility.
Write to Denise Flaim, c/o Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250; or e-mail denise.flaim@ newsday.com. Visit her blog at newsday.com/animalhouse.
"Originality," said that great sage, Benjamin Franklin, "is the art of concealing your sources."
Last month, San Diego-based Allerca announced that its long-awaited hypoallergenic cats would be available next year - to the tune of $4,000 each (plus $1,000 in "processing and transportation" fees). Soon after, breeders of Siberian cats raised a fuss, noting that their former Moscow street urchins have essentially the same low- allergy qualities, at a fraction of the price.
And now, the Savannah-cat people (right) are lining up with a yowl of their own: They say Allerca's next "lifestyle cat," the Ashera, whose trademarked name harkens to an ancient Canaanite goddess, is simply a slick repackaging of their fledgling breed - with a $6,000 price tag. (Here's an extra decimel point for you: Allerca plans to sell Ashera franchises next year at $45,000 a pop.)
What both the Savannah and Ashera have in common is the African serval (left and below), a long-necked, elaborately marked wild cat with a small head and oversized ears. Like the Asian leopard cat, which is the basis for the popular Bengal breed, the serval can be crossed with domestic cats to create an exotic, leopard-looking hybrid.
Allerca founder Simon Brodie says the Ashera is a serval crossed with a purebred cat, the identity of which he declines to name. Subsequent females are then bred to another top-secret purebred (like most hybrids, first-generation males are sterile), and poof - you have an Ashera.
"The Ashera is primarily focusing on people who are not cat people, who have never thought of owning a cat. Our market research proves they would be interested in something large and unusual," Brodie says, adding that Asheras will reach 25 pounds. "Everybody likes the idea of a cat that has the size and markings of a little leopard."
Although Brodie acknowledges approaching Savannah breeders to buy breeding pairs (an undercover overture that was unsuccessful), "we're not breeding Savannahs, so I don't know what's irritating them so much."
Brigitte Cowell of Kirembo Cattery in San Francisco, who is the secretary and rescue coordinator of the Savannah Cat Club, says her peers come by their displeasure honestly.
"Crossing a serval with anything is a Savannah - it doesn't matter what kind of cat you've crossed it with," she says. "It's quite obvious that all this guy is doing is breeding Savannahs and calling them by a different name."
Brodie counters that Allerca is revolutionizing the "cottage industry" of cat breeding. "We provide the customer with much higher level of service, and we have the resources to ensure that any animal that we produce is consistent. That's the big difference."
Brodie says Allerca uses genetic markers to scientifically predict a kitten's size and markings in adulthood, something breeders can only guess at. He adds that he is able to cut corners with breeding to servals - which must be raised with their prospective domesticated mates in order to accept them - by using artificial insemination, ensuring "they never have to physically meet."
Cowell, who has a degree in microbiology, says Brodie "seems to have remarkable luck" in first locating genes for hypoallergenic qualities in the Allerca cats, then finding markers for genes controlling patterning and size in Asheras. She also points to the fact that Allerca has published none of its findings in peer-reviewed journals, and notes recently published accounts of Brodie's business dealings, which included lawsuits for defaulting on loans and eviction this year from Allerca's downtown headquarters, where Brodie also resided. (In response to questions about his past business difficulties, Brodie - who sold Allerca to an investment group and is now operating as a consultant - compared himself to thrice-bankrupt Henry Ford.)
As for artificial insemination, Brodie's success with it "is fascinating to the rest of us because not many people have achieved kittens," Cowell says. "He's doing a lot of firsts, I guess."
Although volumized breeding might carry with it associations of "kittymilling," Brodie says Allerca and Ashera kittens are tended to by full-time staff vets, are intensely socialized, and spayed and neutered before going to their new homes (arguably as much to control "copycats" as out of any concern for animal overpopulation). Brodie says franchisees will turn down customers who "don't sound right," and will accept unwanted cats back and place them in adoptive homes.
Concerns about McKitties aside, Cowell notes that a developing breed like the high-energy Savannah doesn't need anyone muddying the waters. As hybrid cat breeds continue to evolve, and new ones debut - keep an eye out for the Safari cat, based on the wild South American Geoffroy cat - she stresses that breeders need to focus on what differentiates these "wild-blooded" cousins, not on market share.
As for Allerca, stay tuned to see if the company is as adept at actually putting kittens on the ground as it is about hyping them.
[Addendum: This week, California's Department of Corporations ordered Brodie and Allerca to "desist and refrain" from offering or selling franchises until they were registered with the state.]
WRITE TO Denise Flaim, c/o Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250, or e-mail denise.flaim@newsday.com . For previous columns, www.newsday.com/animalhouse
NEW YORK — Like a shooting star, his life was short and bright.
But Fred, the friendly undercover kitty who captivated the city with his law enforcement exploits, is dead.
The domestic shorthaired cat who was used earlier this year to nab a suspected fake veterinarian was accidentally hit by a car Thursday and killed outside his home, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced Friday.
Just over a year old, Fred was found dead in the street by Carol Moran, the animal’s adoptive owner who is an assistant district attorney with Hynes.
“He belonged to the world. I wish I could apologize,” said a distraught Moran.
The driver of the vehicle never stopped, Moran said. She added that it was unclear if the driver even knew an animal had been hit.
Fred catapulted to fame in February when prosecutors used him to lure a suspected bogus veterinarian to a home in Brooklyn. The suspect, Steven Vassall, 28, allegedly said he could make house calls for animals.
With Fred looking on from his carrier, Vassall told undercover detectives that he would neuter the animal for $135, prosecutors said. Vassall was arrested when he stepped outside the home with Fred.
Vassall, who has pleaded not guilty, faces charges of unauthorized use of a professional title, as well as torturing and injuring animals he allegedly worked on.
Fred appeared at news conferences and received awards, including a special “Broadway Barks 8” citation from a theater district animal adoption benefit.
For those curious about the genetic mutation that gives them extra toes -- a condition formally called polydactyly -- here is a column I did on the subject last year:
These cats have fancy footwork
By Denise Flaim
Hemingway had a lot of them. And we're not talking about hangovers.
Though they sound like something out of the Mesozoic Era, polydactyl cats are, literally, "many toed," having more than the requisite five front toes (including the dewclaw, which does not touch the ground) and four rear toes. (Ironically, the noun form of the word, polydactyly, resembles the condition it describes, with that last "y" looking for all the world like a superfluous appendage.)
While the most famous of these big-footed felines reside at the "Old Man and the Sea" author's Key West home, polydactyl cats aren't as rare as one might think. Colonies persist in certain cities - many of them port towns such as Boston and Halifax, Nova Scotia - and polydactyl cats have been noted in Britain and Scandinavia.
The murky history of these "mitten kittens" suggests they were favored by sailors, who, depending on what you read, thought them lucky, equilibrially enhanced or well equipped for ratting. Hemingway's first six-toed kitty was supposedly a gift from a ship's captain.
But seafaring isn't the only cause of their far-flung popularity. "Polydactyly crops up rather frequently" in cats, says Leslie Lyons, an assistant professor and geneticist at School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis. In some instances, she says, it is a mutation that just spontaneously arises.
In some breeds, such as Maine Coons, polydactyly is thought to be a simple dominant trait: Only one parent needs to be polydactyl in order to pass it on, with each offspring having a 50 percent chance of being "digitally enhanced." This is presumably how Hemingway's extended cat family earned its tropical snowshoes.
And conversely, such dominant traits are easy to breed away from, which is how polydactyl Maine Coons - by some estimates comprising 40 percent of the breed in its early days - were curtailed in that purebred population: Modern breeders simply decided not to breed cats with the trait.
Today, some Maine Coon breeders have revived these "polycoons," and are lobbying to have them accepted. In only one breed, the Pixie-Bob - created in the American Northwest to resemble the wild look of the native bobcat - are polydactyl cats considered as acceptable as "straightfoots." (Though seven toes is the official limit.)
Some of the bias against polydactyly may come from a concern that the extra toes adversely affect a cat's health or functioning.
This does not seem to be the case, says Lyons. "I see it as a rather innocuous variant," compared to others, such as Munchkin cats, which exhibit a form of dwarfism that can arguably make life more physically challenging. The extra digits even come in handy - literally. "Some polys actually use and manipulate them to grasp and pick up food."
Predictably, polydactyls are popular, "just because they're different," says Pixie-Bob breeder Amy Peterson of LegendTales Cattery in Everett, Wash. Her only caveat is that owners need to carefully trim all those excess claws, which can become overgrown and curve into the paw pad.
A footnote in this polydactyl discussion is an unfortunate phenomenon dubbed Twisty Kats by the Texas horse breeder who created a Web site about them five or so years ago. Produced from pairings of bobtailed polydactyls, these deformed cats had radial hypoplasia, resulting in underdeveloped, missing, misshapen or flipperlike forearms. The "kangaroo cats" caused a furor on the Internet, and the breeder is not offering them for sale.
Lyons stresses that the twisty mutation is "the more extreme expression" of polydactyly, and it is not a foregone conclusion that poly breeders will produce it.
But as breeders seek to revive and even create more polydactyl breeds - polys crossed with Bengals, for example, are now dubbed Mojave Spotteds - they need to be especially vigilant.
"Breeders should be responsible and breed carefully to make sure there are no health issues," Lyons says, adding that too close inbreeding and a focus on the more toes, the merrier might lead to trouble down the line.
"At some point," she concludes about the impulse to add "just one more" toe, "you have to ask yourself, 'When do you call it quits?'"
Write to Denise Flaim, c/o Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747- 4250; or e-mail denise.flaim@newsday.com.
Hemingway home asks judge to intervene in cat dispute with USDA
MIAMI (AP) — The caretakers of Ernest Hemingway’s Key West home want a federal judge to intervene in their dispute with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the six-toed cats that roam the property.
More than 50 descendants of a multi-toed cat the novelist received as a gift in 1935 wander the grounds of the home, where Hemingway lived for more than 10 years and wrote “A Farewell to Arms” and “To Have and Have Not.” The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum disputes the USDA’s claim that it is an “exhibitor” of cats and needs to have a USDA Animal Welfare License, according to a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Miami.
“What they’re comparing the Hemingway house to is a circus or a zoo because there are cats on the premises,” Cara Higgins, the home’s attorney, said Friday. “This is not a traveling circus. These cats have been on the premises forever.” A message left Friday afternoon at the Washington, D.C., office of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was not immediately returned.
The agency has repeatedly denied a license for the Hemingway home under the Animal Welfare Act, which the home contends governs animals in commerce. The USDA has threatened to charge the home $200 per cat per day for violating the act, according to the complaint.
“We’re asking the judge to let us know whether this act applies to the cats, and if so why that is if the animals are not in commerce,” Higgins said. “If it has something to do with the number of cats, how many do we have to get rid of to be in compliance with the act?” Agency inspectors who have repeatedly visited the property since October 2003 have never indicated any concerns about the welfare of the cats. But they have said a 6-foot-high, brick-and-mortar fence Hemingway built around the property in 1937 did not sufficiently contain the 53 cats, which should be caged, according to the complaint.
Caging the cats, some of which are 19 years old or older, would traumatize them, and the home’s designation as a National Historic Site prohibits extending the height of the fence, the complaint said.
The tourist site complies with city and county ordinances, Higgins said. “We don’t know why the USDA got involved in this,” she said.
(c) The Associated Press
(AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Roberto Rodriguez)
Chloe, a cat owned by Julie and Nadine Corsi, nurses two puppies along with one of her own kittens in Hopewell Township, Pa. The Corsis owned a dog that died while giving birth, and her puppies have been adopted by two family cats.
Willy, a 1-year-old cat, with a display of several pairs of garden gloves that he took from unknown yards in his neighborhood in Pelham, N.Y. Willy has brought home nine pairs of gloves and five singles over several weeks, laying them on his owners' front or back porches.
More is not more, especially when you're talking about vaccination.
Kris Christine is an unlikely activist: After her dog developed a mast-cell tumor at the site of a rabies injection, she started to do research on overvaccination. Her relentless lobbying evenutally prompted her state to change its rabies vaccination requirement from annually to every three years.
Not one to stop at her state line, Kris was also instrumental in creating the Rabies Challenge Fund, which will bankroll vaccine trials to prove that the rabies vaccine is effective for as long as seven years.
And now, Kris sends the following email urging concerned dog lovers to oppose a New York State bill that would require annual vaccination against a battery of diseases -- even when canine epidemiologists recommend vaccinating every three years for many of them, and not at all for others. (See my recent story about canine vaccination.)
<< Greetings All!
Urgent action is needed. The New York Legislature has introduced misguided bills -- S02164 and A14253 -- which would require boarding kennels and grooming facilities to obtain proof of ANNUAL VACCINATION “against distemper, hepatitis, para influenza, leptospirosis, parvo and bordetella during the previous year” for dogs and “against feline viral rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus,or feline panleuopenia within the past year” for cats engaging their services (http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi insert S02164 in the box at the top after "Bill No.", click "2006" and check the "text" box to read the text of the bill).
If these bills pass, companion animals in New York will be required by law to be overvaccinated in order to board or groom their animals. PLEASE copy the e-mail addresses of the NY legislators below in my "TO:" line and send them an e-mail urging them to vote against this irrational legislation.
PERMISSION GRANTED TO POST AND CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE. Please help spread the word.
I am writing to strongly urge you to vote NO on Senate Bill S02164 and Assembly Bill A04253 which would legally mandate that New York boarding kennels and grooming facilities require proof of vaccination “against distemper, hepatitis, para influenza, leptospirosis, parvo and bordetella during the previous year” for dogs and “against feline viral rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus,or feline panleuopenia within the past year” for cats engaging their services.
Requiring proof of annual vaccination with vaccines with much longer proven durations of immunity is ill-advised and reckless – it would put companion animals at needless risk of adverse reactions without their boosting immunity and incur unnecessary expense to their owners.Veterinary medical schools do not recommend annual booster vaccinations for distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and feline panleukopenia, so why would the New York Legislature introduce bills that do?It would be akin to requiring
New York
residents to be vaccinated annually against polio and/or tetanus.
The core canine distemper, hepatitis, and parvo vaccines (see Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines by Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm) have demonstrated durations of immunity beyond 7 years.The American Animal Hospital Association’s (AAHA) 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines (http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm) stateson Page 18 that:“We now know that booster injections are of no value in dogs already immune, and immunity from distemper infection and vaccination lasts for a minimum of 7 years based on challenge studies and up to 15 years (a lifetime) based on antibody titer.”They further state that hepatitis and parvovirus vaccines have been proven to protect for a minimum of 7 years by challenge and up to 9 and 10 years based on antibody count.
The first entry under Appendix 2 of the AAHA Guidelines (http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm)“Important Vaccination ‘Do’s and Don’ts” is “Do Not Vaccinate Needlessly – Don’t revaccinate more often than is needed and only with the vaccines that prevent diseases for which that animal is at risk.”They also caution veterinarians: “Do Not Assume that Vaccines Cannot Harm a Patient – Vaccines are potent medically active agents and have the very real potential of producing adverse events.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA’s) Principles of Vaccination(http://www.avma.org/issues/vaccination/vaccination.asp) states that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events.” (page 2)They elaborate by reporting that: “Possible adverse events include failure to immunize, anaphylaxis, immunosuppression, autoimmune disorders, transient infections, and/or long-term infected carrier states.In addition, a causal association in cats between injection sites and the subsequent development of a malignant tumor is the subject of ongoing research.”
Perhaps
New York
’s Legislators have been confused by vaccine manufacturer’s labels.According to AVMA’s Principles of Vaccination (http://www.avma.org/issues/vaccination/vaccination.asp), “..revaccination frequency recommendations found on many vaccine labels is based on historical precedent, not on scientific data … [and] does not resolve the question about average or maximum duration of immunity [Page 2] and..may fail to adequately inform practitioners about optimal use of the product…[Page 4].”As the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital states it:“…booster vaccine recommendations for vaccines other than rabies virus have been determined arbitrarily by manufacturers.”
In an
April 3, 2006
Newsday article by Denise Flaim entitled
Annual Vaccinations May Harm Your Pet (http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-adcova4687741apr03,0,3250447.column?coll=ny-rightrail-columnist, one of the world’s leading experts on veterinary vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz, is quoted as follows regarding vaccine labels: "The label means nothing," Schultz says simply, noting that vaccines licensed for one year and three years are often the same product. "The label has an arbitrary and capricious annual revaccination requirement, and it takes an act of Congress to take it off" - literally. Schultz says the Department of Agriculture has applied to remove the language, a legislative process that he estimates will take seven years.
On Page 5 of the 2000 Report of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (http://www.aafponline.org/resources/practice_guidelines.htm (click on “Feline Vaccination Guidelines”), they state under “Feline Panleukopenia” that “Both serologic and challenge exposure data indicate that a parenteral FPV vaccine induces immunity that is sustained for at least 7 years.Therefore, following the initial series of vaccinations and revaccination 1 year later, cats should be vaccinated no more frequently than once every 3 years.”
Again, I urge you all to VOTE NO on SB02164 and A04253.If you have any questions or would like me to e-mail you a full copy of the AAHA Guidelines, please e-mail me.
Email: 
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