Health

All cats, especially females, are at risk for developing many severe reproductive-system disorders.

All elderly cats are at elevated risk for age-related mental deterioration. Here are the signs to look for, and some help.

A wide range of disorders — some of them life-threatening — can be responsible. Here's what you should know.

What exactly happens when you take your cat to the veterinarian's office for a routine physical examination?

It's a hazard that can put your cat in a serious bind. Here's why.

A very clean litter box can be useful in prevention. But once diagnosed, your cat will likely need a specific dietary regimen.

Early diagnosis and treatment may help. But neither Cushing's nor Addison's disease can be prevented or truly cured.

As temperatures soar, the potential threats to feline health also rise in number. Here's what you can do to keep your pets safe.

Your cats kidneys play a central role in almost all of its bodily processes. They help to control the blood pressure and regulate the amount and chemical consistency of fluid in the bloodstream. They produce a variety of vitally needed hormones and enzymes, and they contribute to the production of red blood cells. They also remove metabolic waste, such as urea, mineral salts and poisonous substances, from its blood. This is accomplished by kidney (renal) tissue containing hundreds of thousands of tiny filtration units called nephrons. When waste-laden blood enters the kidneys through the renal artery, it moves through progressively smaller vessels until it reaches these nephrons, where it is filtered through microscopically minute structures called glomeruli. The cleansed blood - about 95 percent of the total fluid volume that originally entered the kidneys - then circulates back to the heart for yet another voyage through the body. Meanwhile, the remaining fluid, containing the waste products, is passed along as urine from the kidneys to the bladder and eventually excreted.

Making the decision to humanely end the life of your terminally ill or disabled cat can be very difficult. Here's some help.

When vomiting lasts more than a week, it's considered chronic, and the culprit needs to be discovered. Here's why.

Subtle signs of illness in your cat can be detected in your own home - and early diagnosis is the first step to successful treatment.