Chattering with iCatCare

In the May episode of Chattering with International Cat Care, host Yaiza Gómez-Mejías introduces two expert-led conversations that bring the internal workings of the cat into sharp focus - from complications at birth to techniques for examining the feline fundus.

First, Dr Petra Černá and Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore discuss their JFMS article on dystocia and kitten mortality in pedigree cats. They describe the most common types of dystocia, reflect on breed-related risk factors, and share practical considerations from both clinical and breeding perspectives.

Then, Dr Natalia Giannakopoulou and Dr Ben Blacklock offer hands-on advice from their recent Clinical Spotlight article on fundoscopy in cats. They cover how to build confidence with the ophthalmoscope, recommend suitable lenses for general practice, and explain how to approach the feline fundus methodically to avoid common diagnostic pitfalls.

For further reading material please visit:

Feline dystocia and kitten mortality up to 12 weeks in pedigree cats

Fundoscopy in cats: a practical guide and common findings

For iCatCare Veterinary Members, full recordings of each episode of the podcast are available for you to listen to at portal.icatcare.org. To become an iCatCare Veterinary Member, or find out more about our Cat Friendly schemes, visit icatcare.org

Host:

Yaiza Gómez-Mejías, LdaVet MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) CertAP (SAM-F) Acr AVEPA, Veterinary Community Co-ordinator

Speakers:

Petra Černá, PhD DACVIM (SAIM) MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats), Feline medicine specialist, PhD candidate at Colorado State University, FIFe International and allbreed judge.

Danièlle Gunn-Moore, BSc (Hon), BVM&S, PhD, MANZCVS (feline), FHEA, FRSB, FRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine, The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh

Natalia Giannakopoulou, DVM, PGCertSAO, MRCVS, Resident in Veterinary Ophthalmology (The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies)

Ben Blacklock, BVSc, DipECVO, SFHEA, MRCVS, Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Ophthamology

Creators and Guests

Host
Yaiza Gomez-Mejias
Veterinary Community Co-ordinator @ International Cat Care

What is Chattering with iCatCare?

Welcome to Chattering With iCatCare, the official monthly podcast of International Cat Care, hosted by Yaiza Gomez-Mejias (Veterinary Community Co-ordinator). Each month, we chatter about cats and cat-friendly practices with industry experts and contributors to The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. Each episode contains highlights from our longer discussions and interviews, which are accessible to iCatCare members at portal.icatcare.org. If you would like access to our full episodes, would like to become an iCatCare Veterinary Society Member, or find out more about our Cat-Friendly schemes, visit icatcare.org.

Hello and welcome to Chattering
with International Cat Care.

I'm Yaiza Gomez Mejias, iCatCare
veterinary community coordinator

and host of this month's podcast.

Our clinical spotlight this
month is focused on fundoscopy.

I will be speaking with Dr Natalia
Giannakopoulou and Dr Ben Blacklock about

the review article, Fundoscopy in Cats,
A Practical Guide and Common Findings,

which they have recently published in the
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

But first, I will be interviewing
Dr Petra Cerna and Professor Daniel

Gunn-Moore about last year's JFMS article.

Feline Dystocia and Kitten Mortality
up to 12 weeks in Pedigree Cats.

Thank you very much, Petra and
Danielle, for your time today and

thank you for writing this article
together with the other co-authors.

Could you talk about the main
types of, you said dystocia.

You said dystocia.

How is it pronounced?

I think it depends whether
you are Latin based or Greek.

How do you say it Petra?

I say dystocia, but I might be wrong.

Me too, me too.

I think dystocia is Latin
and dystocia is Greek, right?

Yeah.

I think that's the difference.

Okay.

That's so revealing.

I always got confused with
this since I came to England.

Anyway.

What are the main types of, dystocia or
dystocia in cats and how are they managed?

You've got the maternal and the fetal
type of dystocia, and we can all decide

that any pronunciation is the right one.

So the maternal ones, the what we see
most, particularly with the, much more the

oriental cats, and this is just generally
is where you've got the, the myometrium

just gives up pushing or never started.

So you can get primary.

You try an inertia where it never
pushes or sometimes it pushes for a wee

bit and then it goes, no, I couldn't
possibly, this is all just too tiring.

Or as we say, the cats are
just too posh to push.

And I did, there was a breeder with
the first questionnaire and she filled

it out and she said she was very proud
of three generations with Siamese

and she said, yes, none of my girls
are able to give birth naturally.

And she said they're all
just too posh to push.

And it was the fact that she'd
got three generations of them.

And you just think, was there not
a concept that maybe, that breeding

from cats that can't give birth
naturally might not be the ideal thing?

So you've got maternal, which
I'll particularly say if a uterine

inertia, primary or secondary,
it can be that the cat is unwell

or older, would be other reasons.

And then you've got the
maternal fetal mismatch.

So where the kitten is too big, that tends
to be when you've got a small number of

kittens in the litter, particularly we
see this in Persians classically, only one

or two kittens and they can get chunky.

And of course the thing about a Persian
cat, it's got a big head with no nose

and the mum cat has got a little pelvis,
and so the, the kitten comes up to the

internal cervix, and because he's got
no nose, it can't push into the cervix,

which is what they need to do to open the
inside of the cervix so they can get out.

So their little faces pushed down the
ways, or they get diverted laterally.

And so you then can get them presenting
with the back of the head or a shoulder or

they're just too big and they get halfway
into the cervix and then they're stuck.

So this fetal, maternal fetal
mismatch, were all one kitten,

very big, is not uncommon.

They would be the major ones.

Petra, what ones would you add?

I think these are probably the major ones.

There, of course, I think it's a big
difference and that's how I as a breeder

decided, when I spay my females and not
breed from them anymore, was actually

if the kitten has given birth to couple
of kittens and then maybe the third

one in the litter was stuck, or too
big, we needed a C-section for that.

I was willing to try one more litter
with that queen because she already

delivered multiple kittens on her
own, and it was just, if it's a fetal

dystocia, I think there is a little
bit more space for potentially trying

to mate the female one more time.

But every time I had a uterine
dystocia where inertia, where they

had no contractions or the mom
just couldn't push the kittens.

The birth canal was too narrow and no
single kitten was actually born alive.

That's where I usually combine
my spay with the C-section at the

same time because I just don't
think it's fair to put the cats

through that experience again.

And it's, it was also very stressful
for me, but I just don't think it

is fair for the Queen to having to
go through that experience again.

So that's how I usually make the call.

And your studies about reproduction
of in pedigree cats, what

changes have you observed?

One of the biggest difference that
we had noticed that in the previous

studies that Danielle has been part
of, the Persians and exotics seem to

have higher dystocia rates than these
days, which was very surprising for us

especially because Persians and exotics
have been quite rapidly changing in

type and they are now some of them
quite severely brachycephalic cats, and

there's a lot of discussion about that.

However, it seemed actually that the
prevalence of them having birth problems

is decreasing compared to previously.

So this was one thing that was very
surprising for us, and I think we

were very excited to learn that.

I have to say that the Persians and
exotic breeders, they work usually

quite hard to try to minimise the
risks because they're already aware

that there are so many problems with
that breed as it is because of its

extreme features and brachycephalism.

So a lot of them actually work very hard.

Look at, for example, polycystic
kidney disease, right?

We went from crazy high prevalence
to extremely low prevalence

just because of genetic testing.

So I think that was one of the
things that really has changed

the most from the past, studies.

Yeah.

And just to jump in there, the,
the numbers really are amazing.

So when I was doing my residency in say
the early 1990s, then it was 40%, 35

to 40% of all Persians and exotic and
all of the push face breeds, the, the

more what we would call ultra types.

So we put the color point
Persians, whether you call

them himalayans or whatever.

Those 40%, 35 to 40% all
over the world had polycystic

kidney disease, which was huge.

And it was such a major thing.

And of course we didn't have
the genetic tests then, so we

couldn't test them as newborns.

We had to wait until they were 10 months
old and then we could do the ultrasound

to check them, and by that time,
people were really bonded with them.

And then you discover that no,
they've got polycystic kidney disease.

The good thing was, of course,
we could then say, no, don't

breed from the affected cat.

Or if you must, because it's got a
particular trait that you really want

to capture, then you need to make sure
that they're bred to a non affected cat.

Whereas now it's 2%.

And that shows just how effective the
Persian exotic breeders have been.

They have just taken responsibility
and gone, okay, we have a problem

with our breed, this we can mend.

And so we've taken it from 40% to 2%.

That is hats off to all those breeders
who've had their cat screened,

that came from Persians and exotic
cats, by the time they were eight

weeks of age, 25%, one in four.

And so many, it was dystocia that
caused them to be stillborn or they

were so brain damaged by the whole
birth, birth canal business, that

they didn't suck properly so that
they were lost as fading kittens,

but certainly dead by eight weeks.

So to see the turnaround, where did they
come in the collection of things, Petra?

Because say, they'd been
the first for so long

we went down to about 15% now.

So it has decreased quite a lot
and they were nowhere close to the

breeds that were the highest kitten
mortality we unfortunately have seen.

I was also wanna mention that my
biggest message here is that we need

to start advocating for these cats more
because they can't do it themselves.

And that's why we are here.

Danielle and I think this is wonderful and
I can't wait for the Feline World Congress

in Edinburgh, one of my favourite cities
in the world, and I do hope that, a lot

of people will join us in Edinburgh and
come to the Congress because I cannot wait

to actually have, I think three full days

and I'm actually doing
lecture after lecture almost.

I hope people won't get bored
of me, but I just cannot wait to

just talk about kittens and feline
reproduction with a lot of amazing

speakers, and of course, Danielle.

And so I really hope I
will see everybody there.

It's gonna be an amazing conference.

So definitely big shout out
please, everyone who can get to

Edinburgh, please come and join us.

And I think what makes it really
important is there are so few

meetings that talk about kittens.

And it is because, yes, as a a general
practitioner, even as a specialist, we

don't get our paws on that many babies.

But we have to give a lot of advice.

And if we don't understand, we
can't give the right advice.

So I think it is the perfect
opportunity for people to come and

really get some really grounded,
experienced advice about what can

and can't be done for these babies,
how to do it right by these babies.

I'm particularly looking forward to
talking about squitty kitties 'cause

I get to talk about babies with
squits and they are fun to manage.

I like those.

So yeah, we've got a whole series
of lectures on all sorts of aspects.

So yes to everybody.

Please come and join us in, in Edinburgh.

Thank you so much.

I think, uh, if, if there's a still
anyone there who doesn't want to come

to the Congress, they will want to come
to the Congress once they listen to you.

Thank you so much for your time today.

And now, Dr Natalia Giannakopoulou
and Dr Ben Blacklock will discuss

fundoscopy in cats, some practical
tips and common findings.

Fundoscopy is such a relevant tool in our
routine physical examination, especially

in senior cats and those with eye
problems ophthalmoscopes are available

in most practices, but still some vets
may need advice to use them correctly.

So what main tips would you recommend
for them to gain confidence when

performing a basic ophthalmologic

I think for me, my biggest tip would
be, which could sound quite basic,

but to just pick up the ophthalmoscope
and use it as much as possible.

And also not to use it only for cases
that have eye problems, but also

to examine a lot of normal eyes.

And I think clinicians would
benefit in many ways by doing this.

First of all, they would familiarise
themselves with the ophthalmoscope better,

and they would learn what different
settings do on the ophthalmoscope.

Let's say you have the diopter
wheel that you can use to focus

on different parts of the eye.

That can be helpful to know that, but
also by examining a lot of normal eyes,

because it's a lot of different variations
in what a normal fundus looks like.

You are almost able to build
this like mental reference

of what normal looks like.

So then when you're examining an
eye with ocular pathology, you're

able to identify that easier.

Technique-wise with your ophthalmoscope
it always helps if you have a fully

dilated pupil, because with the
direct ophthalmoscope you get this

almost keyhole view of the fundus,
your field of view is quite narrow

and the image is quite magnified.

So if the pupil is not fully mydriatic
it can be quite challenging to have

a good view, especially because
with our patients, they don't tend

to stay still for long enough.

So I would always recommend
dilating the pupil before you

start doing this technique.

Great.

And I also, I really liked the
part of the article where you

recommend a methodic approach to
the different parts of the fundus.

Yeah, definitely.

And this is something that we teach
our students at the vet school, and

we normally tell them to follow the
systematic approach where you would

try to find the optic nerve yet
first and use it as a reference point.

And then I would recommend assessing
the retinal blood vessels next, then

splitting the fundus into quadrants
and try to examine each quadrant

as efficiently as possible, as to
not miss any little subtle lesions.

If these ophthalmoscopes are not
routinely used in your practice, just

make sure the batteries are fully charged.

Make sure they're nice and clean.

'cause all the little lenses get dirty.

Make sure you can look through
it without, without any major

opacities on all the lenses.

And then when I was in practice, the
cats that I used to love practicing

this on was those that'd had triple
anaesthetics for routine neutering.

'cause the pupils are widely
dilated, they've got a central eye

and you can spend a minute just
practicing your ophthalmoscopy

on these anaesthetised kittens.

That's brilliant advice.

I love it.

Thank you.

And besides the ophthalmoscope, is
there any other equipment that we

could use or that we should be using?

Definitely there's a lot of
different options that you can use for

ophthalmoscopy and they all can give
you like a different perspective and

they have their pros and their cons.

Another ophthalmoscope that you can
use is the panoptic ophthalmoscope

that basically can attach to the
standard ophthalmoscope handle.

With this ophthalmoscope you get, you
still get an upright view of the fundus,

but your field of view is wider, so it
can be more easy to see more of the fundus

at once, which is helpful for someone
who's just beginning and might struggle

with the direct of ophthalmoscope.

I wanted to ask you about the
lens.Which lens do you recommend for

vets working in general practice?

So I think if you're a
general practitioner, you only

want to invest in one lens.

We tend to recommend The Pan Retinal 2.2
because I feel like that lens is a good

choice because it gives you a wide field
of view, but also good magnification.

And in general, the higher the diopter the
lens is, the more wide the magnification

you're gonna get, the more wide the
field of view is gonna be, but the

less magnification you're gonna get.

So for example, if you're gonna
buy a 30 D lens, it's gonna give

you a wide field of view, but less
magnification compared to a 20 D lens.

But with the the pan retinal, it's
basically between these two lenses,

so you get the both of those worlds.

So I think it would be the
one to invest if you're

considering buying only one lens.

Thank you so much for writing
this article 'cause it will be

extremely helpful to practitioners.

Thank you for listening.

If you are an iCatCare Veterinary
Society Member, don’t forget you can

access the full version of the podcast
and all the other members benefits,

including the congress recordings,
feline medicine webinars and clinical

clubs, the discussion forum, unowned
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and much more at portal.icatcare.org.

If you’re looking for more free CPD from
International Cat Care, keep an eye on our

portal because on the 2nd of June Kelly
Eyre will host an open webinar where she

will talk about ‘Cat Friendly Procedures’.

We’ll be back again next month
with more from the world of feline

medicine and The Journal of Feline
Medicine and Surgery [JFMS].