Health

Finding crystals in a urine sample can be a warning that painful urinary stones and/or deadly blockages may be forming. Persian and Himalayan cats have an increased risk for urinary crystals and stone formation.

Angelos Pizza in Matawan, N.J., is delivering more than just food, according to CBS NewYork Channel 2.

I recently lost a cat to feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), and this was a dreadful experience. No matter what we did, he continued to accumulate fluid in his chest and abdomen, and my veterinarian told me that there is no cure for this condition. All we could do was repeatedly remove the fluid until his quality of life became so poor that we decided to have him euthanized. Are you aware of any research that is being done that may improve this situation for other cats afflicted with FIP?

Mirtazapine, a tricyclic depressant for humans, has been shown to have appetite stimulant benefits for cats. Since cats who have a decreased appetite can develop life-threatening conditions such as hepatic lipidosis, this medication can have important uses in cats.

Many cat lovers know the awful feeling of waking up from a deep sleep to the sound of their cat gagging and retching to throw up a hairball or stepping on a fresh hairball on the carpet with bare feet. Not pleasant! While most hairballs are a nuisance, some can signal or cause serious health problems.

In one large study, slightly over half of the cats that suffered from a urethral rupture had been subjected to direct and intense trauma, primarily by being hit by car and suffering from pelvic injuries. Just under half had experienced a partial rupture while being catheterized for a urinary blockage. Male cats are more commonly afflicted because they are more susceptible to urinary blockages, which may require catheterization, and are more likely to be outside, which increases risk of trauma.

In January, we wrote about the recent American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) updated guidelines on feeding cats to make feeding programs more natural, emphasizing a cats natural desire to hunt. Hunting keeps the cat active, which burns calories and promotes a healthy body weight and lean muscle mass. These five things will help you make feeding time more like a hunt.

Download the Full April 2019 Issue PDF

A 45-year-old Singapore man was arrested for trying to smuggle four kittens past immigration, according to Channel NewsAsia. Security noticed the man’s pants were “meowing.” He faces a possible fine and one year in prison.

An article in American Veterinarian says that researchers recently identified two novel viruses in the domestic cat: gammaherpesviruses and feline morbilliviruses. The Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1) was discovered in 2014, and feline morbillivirus was originally found in 2012.

Veterinarians at Washington State University used a 3D printer to manufacturer an acrylic skull for a cat needing surgery to address brain tumors, according to a report in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. The cat, a tabby named Linus, had three tumors removed from the lining of his brain. After the removal of the first two tumors, Linus experienced brain swelling and bleeding, with his brain bulging out of the hole in his skull.

A mammary tumor, aka breast cancer, is the third most common type of cancer in cats. Generally, mammary cancer is found in cats 10 years of age and over and usually in females. However, Siamese and Persian cats have a higher risk compared to other breeds and may develop tumors at an earlier age.