Health

But of course, cats cant, which is what makes pain management so difficult for cat owners and veterinarians. Fortunately, some help is offered in "Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats" (Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, Vol. 45, September/October 2007) from the hospital association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. The new guidelines highlight the critical role of us cat owners, who can tell veterinarians that we need help "to recognize the subtle signs of pain" and to understand that "methods for the alleviation of pain are available, effective and generally safe. As the guidelines go on to say, "Even subtle changes in behavior are reasons to contact the veterinary clinic because these are the first signs of illness and pain."

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.

Your 17-year-old cat, once a fastidious creature, has been ignoring her litter box for the past several months, defecating and sometimes urinating wherever she pleases throughout the house. She spends most of the day either fast asleep or, if awake, staring blankly at a wall. And at night she wanders about the house in the dark, wailing pathetically. Considering that she seems to be in good physical health, youre apt to wonder whether the cat, at the age of 17 (the equivalent of 85 years or so in a human) might be losing her mind.

Just about all cats, at one point or another in their lives, will be bothered by fleeting bouts of runny nose and teary eyes. In most cats, these episodes are infrequent; they arise from time to time, disappear within a day or two, and are nothing for an owner to be deeply concerned about. In other cats, the unpleasant signs become chronic and may come and go with annoying frequency.

If you need refills of prescription medications for your cat - and youre tempted to buy the drugs at discount prices from a website - you might wonder whether that bothers your veterinarian. Indeed it does, according to an article in the trade journal Veterinary Economics (Vol. 48, Issue 8). And vets have some persuasive reasons why you should continue to buy cat drugs from them. But first, some reasons to think twice about your cat-care budget: The typical mark-up (beyond the cost to veterinarians) for dispensed medications is 150 percent. Heartworm, flea and tick-control products tend to be marked up 100 percent. And therapeutic food, which some cats eat throughout their lives, is sold by veterinarians at about 45 percent above cost.

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.

Some cats are model patients. They sit calmly for nail trims and they let you look inside their mouths and even brush their teeth, purring all the while. Other cats - perhaps the majority - are not so accommodating. You just think about trimming their nails and they disappear. Getting a pill into them requires protective gear and strong determination. Drew Weigner, DVM, a board-certified member of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and founder of The Cat Doctor in Atlanta, Georgia, knows all about pill resistance.

Dear Elizabeth: My vet tells me that my indoor-only cat, Izzy, needs to be vaccinated for rabies. We live in an apartment in New York City and Izzy is never outside, so why does she need a rabies vaccine?

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.

Youve always made a point of feeding your cat the most nutritious diet available. But even the best of foods may contain an ingredient to which she has developed an allergy. If thats the case, youre apt to witness a startling change in the otherwise placid little creatures behavior. Most noticeably, shes likely to be tormented by constant and insufferable itching, which will become obvious as you witness her nonstop scratching.

Previous studies examined behavioral changes in cats long after their spay/neuter operations. But this one looked for changes in the first day or two: "Behavioral alterations and severity of pain in cats recovering at home following elective ovariohysterectomy or castration." Reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 231, No. 2) the study asked owners about things like their cats time spent sleeping, playfulness, aggression, appetite and vocalization. Most behavior changes were attributed to after-effects of the anesthesia, which wore off the first day, but there was one "interesting" development, the researchers said. On day two, when cats might be expected to complain loudly about losing their reproductive rights, most were quieter than usual.