Ask the Doctor

Q I have a 12-year-old Blue point Siamese neutered male. After lots of experience and observation, I do believe that he is left-handed. Do cats - like people - usually have a dominant hand (paw)?

Both his breeder and first owner are left-handed people. Did he learn by observing?
Stephen Claeys

A Dear Stephen: Most cats, like people, exhibit handedness: showing preference for using one paw over the other. …

Q I have three adopted cats, and we live in the country. They are all indoor cats. Recently, I learned that my neighbor has a bat problem in the attic of her old house. Of course, this got me thinking about the possible risk to my own pets. Can you explain the difference between the yearly rabies vaccination and the one that is given once each three years? …

Q My veterinarian told me that my cat has a heart murmur. Does this mean he will die prematurely from heart disease?
Karen Murphy

A Dear Karen: Your concern is understandable. But some feline heart murmurs don't mean anything dire at all. And while some may be signs of a serious problem, the problem can often be treated, with the cat having many wonderful, comfortable years ahead of him.

My nine-year-old cat Tommy has arthritis, but he is otherwise healthy. A few months ago, he developed a case of ringworm near the base of his tail. I treated it with a topical medication recommended by my veterinarian, and it went away.

I have a wonderful five-year-old cat that I rescued from the streets when she was a kitten. This year, she has decided to drive me crazy by going from one door to the other and meowing constantly. She is not allowed out in my apartment complex and has not really given me much trouble - until now.

I have a five-year-old cat who I adopted from a shelter as a kitten. Spruce has been a wonderful companion, with good behavior and a clean bill of health at all of her wellness exams. However, I have a question regarding her nutrition.

As a recent gift from my family, they surprised me by planting a number of beautiful perennials - flowers and shrubs - while I was away on vacation. While I am very touched by their thoughtfulness, I do feed a number of stray/feral cats in my neighborhood. I did research and some of these plants are toxic to cats!

We recently adopted a two-year-old male cat, and hes been a delightful addition to our household (we have two resident cats that we raised from kittenhood). Bentley lived at some point as a homeless cat - maybe abandoned, no one knows for sure. But a kindly person noticed him in a feral colony where he was fed for about a month (and he was clearly not a feral stray), and then she set about finding him a proper home.

After leaving a dinner party late one night, my wife and I were walking to the train to head back to our apartment when a feral cat adopted us by meowing as loudly as she could and rubbing up against us. It turned out she was pregnant, which was fine with both of us, but she had an extremely difficult labor.

I have tried to do research on the best flea/tick preventative for my cat, Taylor, but the information has left me a little confused about what would be best for our particular situation.

I have a five-year-old female longhaired cat who I adopted from the local humane society a couple of years ago. Recently, she has been having hairballs almost on a daily basis.

Ive noticed recently that our grey DSH cat, Pal, is showing some lightening of his fur. He has been an indoor-outdoor cat his entire life (hes 15 years old), so while I first thought it was a matter of his becoming sun-bleached, now Im not so sure. Otherwise, his health and behavior seem exactly the same.