Dear Doctor January 2024
Distended abdomen
Q: My cat’s abdomen looks distended. Is it simply weight gain? I’m asking because I haven’t noticed changes on other parts of her...
Checking the urine
Q: My veterinarian is suggesting my cat have a urinalysis. He has suggested it in the past, but I have opted not to go...
Hairball concerns
Q: How alarmed should I get when my cat throws up a hairball?
Chris Seeter
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Dear Ms. Seeter,
A: Not very. The momentary hacking, gagging,...
Ignore the “best by” date?
Q: I know that if a cat food has passed its expiration date it’s best to throw it out, but what about a “best...
Can a child with asthma live with a cat?
Q: My sister wants to get a cat, but her young daughter has asthma. Won’t that just make it harder for my niece to...
Dear Doctor: Broken “wrist”
Q: My cat was walking funny — kind of flatfootedly— and the vet took some x-rays and said she has something called carpal hyperextension...
Sedation for dental work rather than anesthesia?
Q: Is it possible to do dental work on a cat’s teeth without full anesthesia, using a sedative gas mask or other means of...
Fence on top of a fence to keep the cat in the yard
I would like to be able to let my cat go into the backyard, but no further. I have seen on the Internet that...
Toy safety
Q: My cat, Penny, has a wand toy with a small bell and some feathers at the end of a barely visible string. I...
Are male cats friendlier?
Q: I’ve sometimes heard that male cats are friendlier than females. Is that true?
Amos Butterfield
Weaver, Alabama
Dear Mr. Butterfield,
A: The notion that male cats are...
Need money for surgery
Q: My cat needs major surgery on her mouth to the tune of $4,000. No point in berating me for not having pet health...
Photographing a black cat
Q: A lot of times, photos of my black cat come out looking like two eyes and nothing else. Is there any way to...
