Disease

Despite their relatively small size, your cats kidneys play a huge role in many life-sustaining processes.These two bean-shaped little organs - situated just behind the cats rib cage, one on either side of its spine - filter waste from the blood. In doing so, they also help control blood pressure and regulate the amount and chemical consistency of fluid in the bloodstream. In addition, they produce a variety of vitally needed hormones and enzymes and contribute to the production of red blood cells. Since about 25 percent of the blood that enters your cats circulatory system with each heartbeat travels directly to the kidneys, their well-being is essential to your cats health. Unfortunately, feline kidneys are vulnerable to a wide range of serious disorders. Indeed, kidney (renal) disease is a major cause severe illness and death in cats, especially after the age of seven years.

While casually petting your cat, you notice a small lump on its neck or behind one of its knees. What you may have discovered is a swollen lymph node. You dont have to be overly alarmed. The eruption is most likely a harmless and transient indication that the animal has a minor infection, and the swelling is likely to subside within a day or two. Nevertheless, youd do well to take your cat to your veterinarian for a checkup of its lymphatic system, the complex network of glands and tiny vessels that transport life-sustaining substances throughout its body. In some instances, a swollen lymph node may be a sign that the animal is harboring a potentially deadly disease.

The last time Frannie, the ShortTakes office feline, had her annual exam, we asked about heartworm control. The vet said that, as long as Frannie continued to be a strictly indoor cat living in this region (upstate New York), heartworm medication "probably isnt necessary." But ask again when Frannie comes back in six months, the vet added, "because things might change." We had been thinking about the late Dr. Jim Richards, an outspoken crusader for heartworm protection - no matter where in the 50 states a cat might live. All it takes is one mosquito, biting a heartworm-infected dog - then passing the disease on to the next cat it bites -to cause HARD (heartworm-associated respiratory disease), Dr. Richards said again and again.

The American Lung Association defines secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke, as a mixture of the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers and the smoke that is given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar. These ambient fumes, which can linger in the air for hours after the source has been extinguished, will then be involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers - with potentially deadly consequences.

If you have your female cat spayed at an early age, you will, of course, be preventing her from experiencing motherhood. Nevertheless, youd be wise to have her undergo the procedure, since youll also be dramatically lessening the chances that she will be afflicted with mammary cancer later in her life (not to mention helping to curb feline overpopulation). Indeed, says Margaret McEntee, DVM, an associate professor of oncology at Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, having your cat spayed at six months of age will reduce her chances of getting mammary cancer by about 90 percent.

Red and swollen gums, bad breath, declining appetite and weight loss are among the conspicuous indications that your cat is suffering from a disorder centered in its mouth, most likely in its teeth and gums. The animal may not appear to be in pain, but thats because cats are very good at concealing illness, possibly because they dont want to signal a potential predator that they are weakened and are thus vulnerable to attack.

Among all causes of severe feline disease, none is more prevalent than feline leukemia virus (FeLV), a submicroscopic organism associated with the illness and death of more cats worldwide than any other infectious agent. This virus - which is spread through the urine, saliva, nasal secretions or milk of infected animals - is currently recognized as the chief causative agent of fatal infectious disease among U.S. domestic cats.

Each year, many thousands of cats are brought to veterinary clinics throughout the U.S. showing the telltale signs of respiratory distress: labored breathing, chest constriction, wheezing and coughing. In the vast majority of cases, the animal will be diagnosed with asthma, a mechanical constriction of the airways, or bronchi, the narrow network of tubes that lead directly from the trachea to the lungs. The narrowing of the airways occurs when a cats immune system overreacts to the presence of an allergy-producing substance, such as cigarette smoke, dusty kitty litter or pollen and responds to the presence of the allergen by releasing stimulants that cause a swelling of the tissue (mucous membrane) lining the bronchi.

Chronic renal failure in a cat occurs when 75 percent or more of the animals healthy kidney tissue has been destroyed and replaced by scar tissue. As a consequence, the two kidneys, each of which contains many thousands of tiny filtering units (nephrons), are unable to carry out their chief function of removing metabolic waste from the blood that is pumped through them with each heartbeat. To compensate, most afflicted cats will drink increasing amounts of water in an effort to pass additional fluids through their kidneys. Unfortunately, this water will run quickly through the animals body; the cat will simply urinate more frequently. Meanwhile, the ultimately life-threatening metabolic waste will continue to circulate and to accumulate.

Your cat’s eyes, like yours, are delicate structures made up of various components —the cornea, pupil, iris, lens, retina and so forth — each of which plays a role in enabling the animal’s keen vision. While the feline eye is generally sturdy and resistant to injuries and disease, a wide variety of disorders, such as glaucoma and cataracts, can impair a cat’s vision and even, in some cases, lead to blindness. According to Thomas Kern, DVM, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, the most common of all feline eye disorders is conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the thin mucous membrane (conjunctiva) that lines the inner surface of the eyelids and coats the outer surface of the eyeball.

Veterinarians generally recommend that all cats undergo a thorough physical examination at least once a year until they have reached seven or eight years of age, and twice annually thereafter as they progress into their senior years. Such a multifaceted exam will include a complete blood count (CBC), a procedure that, thanks to a variety of sophisticated laboratory techniques and equipment, can reveal or at least suggest the presence of many feline health disorders. (See related article in the June 2007 issue of CatWatch.)

If you happen to be sitting in on your cats routine physical exam, youre likely at some point to observe the veterinarian carefully studying the animals face, gently stroking its nose, and fondling its ears. This is not merely a show of affection. Rather, the veterinarian is searching for tiny, scabby sores on the cats skin that could indicate the presence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) - a skin cancer that, if caught in its early stage, will most likely be harmless and easily treated. If the skin eruptions go unnoticed, however, the cancer can progress, spread to other parts of the body, and ultimately prove fatal.