News Briefs for the Week of August 19, 2002
By Marcella Durand for Cat Facts
- Second-hand Smoke Linked to Lymphoma in Cats
Here's one more very excellent reason to quit smoking-and this reason comes with four paws and a soft, furry coat.
In a new study, researchers from Tufts' School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst say cats living in homes with smokers are more than twice as likely to get feline lymphoma (a form of cancer) as cats who live with non-smokers. In fact, cats who lived with a smoker five years or more had triple the risk, and cats who lived in a two-smoker home had quadruple-that's right, four times higher-the risk. The researchers studied 180 cats treated at Tufts' veterinary hospital between 1993 and 2000.
"The results of our study clearly indicate that exposure to environmental factors such as second-hand tobacco smoke has devastating consequences for cats because it significantly increases their likelihood of contracting lymphoma," says Antony Moore, BVSc, MVSc, DACVIM. Scientists and veterinarians had long thought the major cause of feline lymphoma was the feline leukemia virus, but it's looking as if it may have more to do with some humans' nasty habit.
The researchers plan a similar study on dogs, but they think cats may be more vulnerable than dogs, and perhaps even more vulnerable humans. "[Cats] accumulate a lot on their fur," says Moore, who is one of the researchers. "In a veterinary clinic, if a cat comes in you can tell if it's in a smoking household because it smells of smoke." Since cats clean their own coats, and they stay inside more than dogs (who are also washed by their humans), they ingest a lot more toxins.
The researchers hope their study will inspire medical scientists to look more closely at possible links between second-hand smoke and lymphoma in humans. But don't wait for that study-instead, toss those cigarettes out with the dirty litter today!
- Social Workers Encouraged to Report Animal Cruelty
In a move that should help both animals and people, California Governor Gray Davis recently signed into law a bill that encourages social workers employed by county Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services to report cases of animal cruelty to local animal control agencies.
While animal control officers in California are currently required to report cases of child abuse, social workers have not been required to report cases of animal abuse. But "studies have proven that there is a direct link between child, elderly, and animal abuse," said California Assembly member Virginia Strom-Martin, who introduced the legislation. "This is an attempt to open the lines of communication between agencies that deal with violence against both people and animals."
The legislation originally required, rather than encouraged, social workers to report cases of animal cruelty, and mandated training to help carry out the requirement. But the state simply cannot afford all that training, so for now, social workers are being strongly encouraged to speak up for the animals. It's a start.
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