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Expert: - 9/30/2011


Question
Hi! I have 2 questions..my first would be that our cat is outside pretty much all day and he has been killing mice like the normal cat but now he's killing and EATING red squirrels and chipmunks. He doesn't even leave the tail behind! So my question is, is it dangerous for the cat to be around my small children now? Can he give us diseases? My second question is, our cat likes to play with our friends Yorkie puppy and is it possible the cat could be really trying to kill the dog when the dog is smaller than the cat?

Answer
Nicolet,

Is your cat inoculated for rabies, and are you keeping these inoculations current?

If so, there are no diseases I would worry about your cat catching from squirrels or chipmunks, except, maybe fleas, which could lead to tapeworm. So, except for rabies and ringworm, there are few diseases cats can give humans.

If the cat wanted to kill the Yorkie, it would have!!!!!!! This is highly unlikely and they are, most probably, just playing. Cats and dogs often do get along rather well and they are not among cats' natural prey no matter the size.

Best regards... Norm.

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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