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One of your beloved cats died several weeks ago, and you’ve been feeling pretty down. Friends who have been through the same experience tell you this is normal after such a loss. But then you notice that your other cat is eating less, and wanders around the house, yowling, as if he was looking for his lost companion. Do cats grieve like we do? And if so, how can we help them? There is now evidence that animals experience emotional responses to significant changes in their environment — and this includes going through the grieving process after the loss of feline or human companions.

Like their human counterparts, feline lungs are bag-shaped, elastic organs, two in number, located on either side of the heart and occupying most of the space in the chest cavity. They are virtually identical in structure to human lungs as well, functioning in the same manner and fulfilling the same fundamental purposes — removing carbon dioxide from the bloodstream and keeping the blood constantly supplied with life-sustaining oxygen. The lungs perform their vital functions by means of two processes — properventilation and perfusion — explains Richard Goldstein, DVM, an associate professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

It’s human nature to postpone preparing for a disaster, but it’s vitally important that you take time now to put a plan in place before a fire occurs. Start by installing smoke detectors throughout your home and make sure the batteries are functioning properly. Change the batteries twice a year or more frequently if the smoke detector “beeps” to warn you that battery power is low. Many people put in new batteries when they change their clocks for daylight savings time.

At first, the owner worried that her cat Misket had worms. Her 11-year-old pet had a ravenous appetite, yet she appeared to be losing weight and her coat looked dull and unkempt. The veterinarian took a blood test and came up with a surprising diagnosis to her owner: hyperthyroidism, or overproduction of thyroid hormones. Feline hyperthyroidism tends to occur in elderly cats; 95 percent of the cats that develop this disease are older than eight and the mean age of the victims is about 12 years, according to John F. Randolph, DVM, professor of medicine in the section of small animal medicine at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Unless he’s acting in a TV commercial, your cat isn’t really able to ask for his favorite brand of food by name. If he’s like most feline companions, he’s dependent on you to bring home a can or package of food that will taste good, and also be safe and wholesome. He will also rely on you to feed the correct amount to meet his nutritional needs. To do that, you’re going to have to understand cat food labels.

Several years ago, Susan Westerly took her cat, Delia, and moved in with her elderly grandmother — relieving some financial stress for Susan and allowing her grandmother to remain somewhat independent as her health declined. The old house was filled with beautiful antique furniture, and because Susan didn’t think she had any other options, she had Delia declawed. The cat eventually adjusted to life without her claws, but Susan felt very guilty.

An estimated two percent of the 80 million or more cats now living in the United States will at some point develop cancer, a disease marked by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells on or within an animal’s hard and soft body tissues. Thanks to dramatic advances in veterinary medicine, many types of feline cancer are manageable — sometimes even reversible — if the condition is recognized early in its development and the affected cat is treated promptly and appropriately. But any cancer that remains undetected and untreated until it has reached an advanced stage is very likely to prove fatal.

An estimated 65 million cats live in more than 30 million American households, certainly a staggering number. Equally staggering can be the offensive odors that their urine and feces can produce. Cat owners spend millions of dollars a year on products designed to reduce or eliminate these odors. The chief odor producer is the urine. Unless the perpetrator is suffering from a serious temperamental or physical disorder, the smell will be caused by perfectly normal cats relieving themselves — or expressing themselves sexually or territorially — beyond the confines of their litter boxes or in boxes that are improperly maintained.

Diabetes mellitus in cats is similar to the human disease. The cat cannot efficiently use the sugar (glucose) she takes in with her diet. This is because either she is not producing sufficient amounts of insulin — which regulates the body’s use of sugar — or the cat’s body cannot respond to insulin. One key to treating a diabetic cat is to stabilize her diet and feeding times to control her weight and the amount of glucose in her blood.

Humane considerations overwhelmingly support the practice of spaying — the surgical removal of a female cat’s ovaries and uterus — when an animal is about six months of age. Perhaps the most compelling argument in favor of this procedure (also known as ovariohysterectomy) is the reduction of feline overpopulation. One study has found that 85 percent of cats that are dropped off at shelters are eventually destroyed. It is estimated that as many as three to four million unwanted cats and kittens are put to sleep annually in the U.S.

While most cats will go through life without experiencing a serious problem with their ears, owners should know that a variety of conditions — including congenital defects, infections, trauma, and age-related changes — can be extremely painful and may compromise an animal’s hearing. Most feline ear disorders are readily treatable and will not result in permanent hearing loss, notes James Flanders, DVM, an associate professor of surgery at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. However, some conditions may render a cat partially or totally deaf, especially if they remain unrecognized and untreated.

Feline dermatophytosis, commonly referred to as ringworm, is a fungal infection that is frequently observed in cats. The condition occurs worldwide, most commonly in warm, humid climates that are hospitable to the peculiar type of fungus that causes it. In the U.S., the disorder is especially problematic year-round in the deep South, says William Miller, VMD, a professor of dermatology at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and its prevalence can rise markedly in cooler areas of the nation with the arrival of hot and muggy summer weather. The clinical signs of ringworm include areas of hair loss, broken and stubbly hair, patches of scaling, crusty or inflamed skin and alterations in hair color.