Health

Q. My 17-year-old neutered cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and I am concerned about whether I can provide the care that he needs to stay healthy. Can you provide any tips for a novice to help keep him healthy?

Ctenocephalides felis is a big name for a tiny insect that is a huge pest: the cat flea. While other fleas may infest your cat, this is the most common species to affect cats.

The first sign of anal sac cancer in cats is usually ulceration and discharge from the perineal area (tissue around the anus), according to a study in JAVMA that looked at apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas (anal sac cancer). Surgery is usually the treatment, although work has been done with chemotherapy and/or radiation.

A cat uses her paws to scratch to relieve stress, express contentment, mark territory, avoid danger, and fight (if necessary). Amazingly, cat paws are extremely sensitive. They can feel heat, cold, and vibration. They even help keep cats cool (a paw can sweat). And yet, despite the many things cats do with their paws, the health of these unique extremities is often ignored.

Our cat was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at 2 years of age, which was a shock to us, given the fact that he seems perfectly healthy. Our veterinarian did not prescribe medication and told us to monitor him closely.

Kidney disease can be a serious problem, especially older cats, but it can be difficult to catch. Your cat must lose up to 75 percent of her kidney function before changes become evident on standard screening bloodwork. A routine urinalysis, however, may give your veterinarian a heads up that a blood renal panel should be run to specifically evaluate kidney function

When it comes to ears, theres a Big Four of common problems, says William H. Miller Jr. VMD DACVD, Professor of Medicine, Section of Dermatology, Medical Director, Cornell University Hospital for Animals:

Any cat can experience heart failure, something owners may be unaware of until its an emergency. The symptoms can remain hidden because cats are stoic and can often appear normal, even when they are very ill.

The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery published a study (Strong, SJ, et al 2019), shared on journals.sagepub.com, that looked at treatment options for orphaned kittens with diarrhea.

His Home Became a Cat House - The GoodNewsNetwork.org reports that a man in Santa Barbara, Calif., turned his home into the House of Nekko (translation from Japanese: House of Cats).

When you think drool, you think dogs, but cats drool, too. The difference is, feline drool is rarely normal. If your cat is drooling, she may be either overproducing saliva or having trouble swallowing it, and it is important to find out the cause.

Visable dandruff is rarely normal. It may indicate a problem in our care or an underlying health problem.