Ask the Doctor

A test for feline pancreatitis? Q In the December 2012 issue, Catnip published an article titled: Pancreatitis: Still a Mystery. Over the years, I have had four cats with pancreatitis, so Im quite experienced with this difficult disease. I feel that the article omitted a couple of important issues. There was no mention of nausea, and nausea is a huge problem for cats with pancreatitis. Additionally, there was no mention of the blood test that is specifically…

Q I have searched extensively for a safe, higher SPF sunscreen for my white cat. I tried Epi-Pet spray, which she did not like and immediately tried to groom off.

She is more tolerant of Aveeno's Protect + Hydrate Lotion Sunscreen with Broad Spectrum SPF 70 — which does have some questionable cat-safe ingredients — but as she does not try to groom it off, I doubt she is ingesting any.

Q Our cat, Dusty, recently escaped from our house, which is in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Dusty was missing for about ten hours before a neighbor spotted her in her backyard.

Obviously, we were very relieved to have our cat back home, but our question is this: Could she be in any medical danger from her brief jaunt outside our home? She is an indoor-only cat, and the only pet we live with currently. There is a feral colony about a block away, but we really have no idea if she interacted with those cats or not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Linda Belham

My ten-year-old daughter recently asked me a very good question - and I didnt know how to answer her. While playing with our male cat, Henry, she rubbed his belly and discovered that he has nipples. She wants to know the purpose of them. And quite frankly, so do I. Hopefully, you can help!

Q Recently, Catnip published an article called "Does Your Cat Have Bad Breath?" and the author Dr. Plotnick mentions oral cancers that are common in cats. He states that early detection and aggressive treatment are essential for therapy to be successful.

Do carbs make cats fat?
Q I am a long-time subscriber to Catnip, and a volunteer for feline rescue groups in my area. A large female recently came to us at a little over twenty pounds, and was described by our vet as a food-grazer. For the past three weeks under our care, she has been receiving one-quarter cup twice daily of a veterinarian-recommended weight reduction food, and she has lost just under one pound.

Advice for chronic dandruff
Q My husband and I have four cats of varying ages, all of which we adopted as kittens. We take them for their yearly wellness checkups and all is well within our brood. However, we have one concern: Our eight-year-old female cat, Lucy, has unusually thick, dense and short fur - and she is prone to bouts of dandruff throughout most of the year.

When choosing an E-collar
Q I have been a veterinary technician for the past six months, and Im hoping you can give me some good advice that I can pass on to our clients. I am often asked by cat owners about the best E-collar to use after surgery. There are more on the market today than ever before, but I dont want to give them the wrong advice.

A raw spot on my cats body
Q Recently, I noticed that my seven-year-old male cat, Bisco, was excessively grooming his hindquarters. When I investigated the site, I discovered a raw red spot where Bisco had licked the fur and skin off. The vet explained that Bisco had developed a hotspot and that these were fairly common in cats, particularly during the summer.

I am the director of a small-town animal shelter, and we recently took in a two-year-old Bengal who was living with his owner in a meth house. This poor cat was subjected to his owners drug use for most of his life, and he is now suffering the consequences. He suffers from hallucinations, obsessive grooming and blindness - all the while being an incredibly sweet and affectionate cat when not experiencing the after affects of this terrible drug.

My female, Lily, is barely seven pounds, and seems to be pretty healthy except that she has chronic loose bowels/ diarrhea. Texas, the male, is about 10.5 pounds, and has normal bowels (sometimes, even on the hard side). I mention him because the cats are both fed the same diet of primarily wet food.

Q My wife likes to puree vegetables - like peas, carrots and sweet potato - and mix it into our cats canned food. Is this okay to do? Are there any vegetables that should never be added to the cat food? We also add some cranberry powder (made for cats), along with some hairball powder. We trying to be to health-minded, but can we be causing potential problems?
David Smith