Table 1. General characteristics of the study population.
| Cohort | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Control group | Exposed group | ||
| Total number of cats | 17 | 19 | |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 9 (53%) | 8 (42%) | |
| Female | 8 (47%) | 11 (58%) | |
| Age range | 9 mo—16 yr Median 7.5 yr |
9 mo—20 yr Median 8 yr |
|
| Outside | |||
| No | 6 (35%) | 7 (37%) | |
| Yes, every day | 9 (53%) | 10 (53%) | |
| Yes, less than every day | 2 (12%) | 2 (10%) | |
| Eating prey | |||
| No | 14 (82%) | 11 (58%) | |
| Yes | 3 (18%) | 8 (42%) | |
| Contact animals | |||
| None | 6 (35%) | 0 | |
| Cats | 3 (18%) | 4 (21%) | |
| Dogs | 5 (29%) | 7 (37%) | |
| Both cats and dogs | 3 (18%) | 7 (37%) | |
| And other animals | 3 (18%) | 2 (10%) | |
| >2 contacts | 4 (24%) | 9 (47%) | |
| Feed | |||
| Dry NRPF a | 8 (47%) | 0 | |
| Wet NRPF | 0 | 0 | |
| Dry and wet NRPF | 9 (53%) | 0 | |
| Fresh RPF a | 0 | 0 | |
| Frozen RPF | 0 | 5 (26%) | |
| Fresh and frozen RPF | 0 | 7 (37%) | |
| NRPF and RPF | 0 | 7 (37%) | |
| Health | |||
| No health problems | 16 (94%) | 16 (84%) | |
| AB use before study a | 1b (6%) | 2d (10%) | |
| AB use during study | 0 | 0 | |
| Other meds before study | 0 | 0 | |
| Other meds during study | 1c (6%) | 1e (5%) | |
a NRPF, non-raw pet food. RPF, raw pet food. AB, antibiotics.
b This cat was treated with clavulanate-amoxicillin 3 months before start of the cohort study.
c This cat was continuously treated with a corticosteroid drug, also during the cohort study.
d These cats were treated with antibiotics before the start of the cohort study, the active ingredients are unknown.
e This cat was treated on several occasions with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the period of 6 months before the start of the cohort study and during the cohort study.