Asthma

You may notice your cat becoming hesitant about moving around the house. Or, you rearranged the furniture and your cat is bumping into things. Whats happening? Your cat may be going or have become blind.

The first study to document interactions between feral cats and a wild rat colony finds that, contrary to popular opinion, cats are not good predators of rats.

It requires just a little blood, but the CBC, or complete blood count, can reveal important information about your cats health. Its usually part of a senior wellness panel, diagnostic bloodwork for an ill cat, and as part of a pre-operative workup. It may also be used to evaluate your cats response to a medication or its possible side effects.

The liver is one of the busiest organs in your cats body and is a real multitasker. While it does have amazing regenerative powers, once 75 percent of the healthy tissue is gone, clinical signs of illness usually will start to appear. By then it can be too late for treatment to help beyond palliative measures, so be alert for early signs.

Medical News Today reported that a new study found that an infection with the cat-borne parasite Toxoplasma gondii makes people more risk-prone and likely to start a business. T. gondii, a protozoan parasite that infects 2 billion people a year, is found in domestic and wild cats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 11 percent of the U.S. population over the age of 6 may be infected.

Centragard (eprinomectin and praziquantel transdermal solution) was approved by the FDA in April and is now on the market. This drug is used to prevent heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis, which is spread through the bite of mosquitoes. It is applied monthly. Centragard is also approved for the treatment and control of roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms in cats and kittens 7 weeks of age and older and weighing at least 1.8 lb.

Questions still surround testing for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). FIV, or feline AIDS, is caused by a retrovirus like feline leukemia virus. Its found in 1.5 to 5 percent of apparently healthy cats.

The challenge with senior cats is that their digestive systems often dont function as efficiently as when they were young. On top of that, just like older humans, geriatric cats may not digest or absorb nutrients as well as when they were in their prime. Keeping your older cat well-nourished just takes some attention to ensure that she is eating and that the food youve chosen addresses the nutritional issues an aging cat faces.

Punishment doesnt stop cats from scratching things. Its like yelling at a cat for doing something as natural as grooming, says Dr. Bruce Kornreich, CatWatch Editor-in-Chief and associate director of the Feline Health Center. Instead, be smarter than the cat. Give her an appropriate, comfortable, sturdy scratching surface, such as flat horizontal scratchers, and toys covered with sisal rope, fabric, or cardboard. Sprinkle some catnip on the surface to attract her attention. Once shes interested, its time to place possible deterrents where you dont want scratching. Here are five tricks that can work:

One of our cats recently escaped and was missing for three days before we (thankfully) found him at the local shelter. While we were picking him up, the associate discussed our cat being microchipped. While we understand that this can be helpful, we are concerned about the possibility of this inducing a fibrosarcoma, which we understand is possible with this procedure. Can you provide some guidance?

Your sweet, peace loving feline companion sneaks out between your legs as you take the trash out. Despite searching, there is no sign of her, so you are thrilled to hear her meowing at the door the next morning. She fusses a bit when you pick her up, but you figure she is just upset at being out all night.

Lymphoma is the most common feline cancer. Over the years, however, with increased testing and vaccination for retroviruses like feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the exact type of lymphoma seen in cats has changed.