Keep your beloved cat healthy! What is MerQ, the test kit that visualizes harmful mercury levels in cat fur?
Top » Column » Keep your beloved cat healthy! What is MerQ, the test kit that visualizes harmful mercury levels in cat fur?
For all of us, our beloved cats are like family members and we all want them to stay healthy forever.
Since your cat cannot express its physical discomfort in words, it is essential to care for its health through daily meals.
MerQ, developed by Novias, a startup company spun out of Osaka Prefecture University, can measure the amount of harmful mercury that has accumulated in a cat's body through its hair.
The test kit requires you to collect a pinch of cat hair and mail it in. The test results are sent to the applicant within two weeks and can be easily checked on your smartphone!
Please use it to check the health of your beloved cat or as a gift for a cat lover.
At Bow Wow Place, we stock a wide variety of food, snacks, and care products that contain the nutrients needed to stay healthy.
Please use the correct information to help maintain your cat's health!
1. Health risks of mercury
Health risks of mercury
Mercury has the property of accumulating in the bodies of living organisms, even in small amounts.
It has been said in papers that once accumulated, it is difficult to excrete and can have harmful effects over a long period of time.
Methylmercury in particular, which you may have heard about in connection with pollution, can cause a wide range of health damage, particularly to the nervous system.
Health Effects of Mercury
Nerves
Mercury has been shown to act directly on the central nervous system and cause abnormalities in neurotransmitters.
This can cause your cat to exhibit symptoms such as abnormal behavior, impaired motor skills, excessive excitement, and lethargy.
·kidney
Because the kidneys are part of the excretion pathway for mercury, accumulation can lead to a decline in kidney function.
This can cause symptoms such as urinary abnormalities and weight loss.
Immunity
Accumulation of mercury is known to cause impaired white blood cell function and abnormal inflammatory responses.
This can make your cat more susceptible to infections.
The relationship between cats and mercury
Mercury accumulates in large fish such as tuna and bonito due to bioaccumulation.
Wet foods that contain these ingredients can be said to pose some risk of mercury.
However, in Japan, there are no clear safety standards regarding mercury in pet food, making it difficult to completely eliminate it.
In addition, it is difficult to measure even at veterinary clinics.
Therefore, it is very important to consider health through diet by knowing the amount of mercury accumulated in your cat's body and controlling it by reducing the frequency of feeding them wet food or changing the type of food.
2. About MerQ
"MerQ" was developed by Novias Inc., a startup spun out of Osaka Public University, and uses a small amount of hair to easily test the amount of mercury that accumulates in a cat's body.* It is Japan's first mercury checker for fish-loving cats.
*The first product in Japan to specialize in mercury-specific fur testing for dogs and cats (according to a Novias survey, December 2023)
About Novias
Novias is a research and development venture company spun out of Osaka Public University.The university laboratory appears to have the know-how to develop hardware, including a track record of developing confocal 3D analysis equipment with world-class spatial resolution.
We have developed an analytical technique that is simple, fast, and inexpensive, using only a small amount of hair, by applying X-ray fluorescence analysis, a technique used for non-destructive and rapid quantitative elemental analysis of materials, to human and animal samples.
[What we can find out through our testing and services]
By analyzing your cat's fur, you can determine the amount of mercury that has accumulated .
When measuring the amount of mercury in living organisms, hair and fur have long been used.
The scientific evidence is established.
Novias has made mercury analysis possible at low cost through the use of unconventional analytical technology.
If tests show that the amount of accumulated mercury is high, it is believed that the amount can be controlled by taking measures such as reducing the frequency of or avoiding feeding foods that may contain mercury.
*Source: Ministry of the Environment website "The Mysterious Story of Mercury"
https://www.env.go.jp/chemi/tmms/husigi/hg_husigi_23.pdf
*We do not offer testing for heavy metals other than mercury.
This product evaluates only the amount of mercury and provides a report with advice based on the results.
*This test is not a medical or medical procedure required by law.
The test results indicate mercury risk based on statistical data by measuring the amount of mercury in the hair, and do not predict or determine the risk of disease for individual consumers or pets.
◆ Inspection procedure
MerQ allows you to carry out testing in three easy steps: 
・STEP 1 Collect body hair
Brush the hair from the back near the neck and collect a pinch.
If you do cut it, take it from near the base.
(* Repeat the collection several times. If there is not much hair, it may not be possible to test.
Please collect enough to fill the collection bag.)
・STEP 2: Send your application by mail
Put the collected hair into a collection bag, fill out the application form, and
Place it in the enclosed reply envelope and mail it.
・STEP 3: Send the application form by mail. Fill out the questionnaire and check the test results.
Please be sure to enter your customer information using the QR code on the application form and instructions.
Once we receive your application and confirm that your information has been entered, we will begin the inspection.
A confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provided within 2-3 weeks of the start of testing.
The inspection report will be sent to you from merq@nobias.co.jp.
The steps are very simple, so it's highly recommended for your own beloved cat or as a gift!
3. MerQ Frequently Asked Questions
Here we will introduce some frequently asked questions about MerQ.
Q: What can you find out from the test?
A cat's hair can reveal the amount of mercury exposure accumulated in its body.
Q: How much cat hair do I need?
If the amount of hair is not enough, the test may not be possible, so please bring enough hair to fill the collection bag included in the kit.
Q. Can dogs be tested?
This test was conducted on cats, and not on dogs, which do not eat much fish, because mercury is mainly ingested from large fish.
Q. Is it possible to test hair that has fallen out?
Lost hair is not a problem.
Q. Is it possible to perform the test even if the cat has short hair?
Even if the hair is short, testing is possible as long as you send the specified amount of hair into the collection bag.
Q. From what age can the test be performed?
There are no specific restrictions, but testing is not necessary for newborn kittens as there is little risk of them ingesting large amounts.
Q. Is there a deadline for submitting an application for testing?
There is no deadline, so please apply at any time.
Q. How will the test result report be sent?
The test result report can be sent to Nobias' email address (merq@nobias.co.jp) .
It will be sent to the customer.
If you have spam settings, our emails may end up in your spam folder. In order to receive our emails, please make sure to register our domain (nobias.co.jp) in your email settings.
Summary: For safe and secure cat food, come to Bow Wow Place!
We introduced "MerQ," a test kit that can detect the amount of harmful mercury that has accumulated in your cat's body through its fur.
This is a highly recommended item for presents and gifts!
At Bow Wow Place, we stock a wide range of safe and secure cat food, treats, and care products.
Get 2% points back when shopping at Bow Wow Place!
If you would like to search safely for your partner's cat food, treats, and care products, please visit Bow Wow Place.
