CAT HEALTH & MEDICINE

Cats’ blood pressure and respiratory rates can increase in veterinary settings in response to lots of noise, making what they consider a difficult situation more difficult still. Researchers at Ontario Veterinary College assessed more than 30 cats examined both quietly and against the backdrop of tapes on which people talked and laughed at 80 decibels—as loud as a garbage disposal or a busy downtown street. Average heart rates went from 155 beats per minute during the quiet exams to almost 200 beats per minute when the tapes were played. Respiratory rate—the number of breaths taken per minute—soared from about 48 to an average of 61. Bodily reactions indicating stress— dilated pupils and the like—increased, too.

Q: My cat was pretty sick—vomiting, no lust for life, weight loss, abdominal distention. The vet did some testing, first with a blood test and then with a liver biopsy, and said she had copper disease. Too much of that mineral had accumulated in her liver. The doctor said my cat would need medicines and should go on a low-copper diet. How could this have happened? I have always fed her food that met the standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials, as you suggest people do.

If it’s summertime and your cat laps up a lot of water right after sunning herself, she’s probably just feeling thirsty after lounging in the heat. But if you’ve been noticing increased thirst in general and it has nothing to do with the weather, there’s a reasonable chance it could be attributable to one of three medical conditions: kidney disease, overactive thyroid [hyperthyroidism], or diabetes.

One of the reasons the Feline Veterinary Medical Association says cats 11 through 15 should have a twice-yearly vet visit and cats older than 15 should go for a checkup three times a year is that older cats should be routinely assessed for frailty. While old age is not a cause of frailty in itself, advanced age is associated with the condition. It’s a serious one. Considered a syndrome, frailty signifies decreased functional reserve that leads to declines both physiologically and cognitively. It also means the body has less of an ability to mount a defense against adverse medical events.

Dogs are routinely tested for heartworm disease during their annual physicals. Not so, cats, even though they are at risk wherever heartworm infection occurs in their canine counterparts—it results from being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Having a cat with diabetes is life-changing—for you as well as the cat. The insulin shots required to keep the disease from doing more damage can cost $100 a month—no small issue if it’s not covered by pet heath insurance. The required changes in your day-to-day habits can be daunting, too. A cat with diabetes should ideally get his insulin shots every 12 hours, with no more than a margin of an hour or two so that blood sugar remains on an even keel (too much sugar in the blood damages tissues throughout the body). If you want to go out to dinner or sleep late on the weekend, you could potentially be putting your pet in harm’s way.

There’s head bunting, a delightful behavior where a cat bumps or rubs her forehead against yours or against your hand or leg as a sign of closeness and, presumably, affection. And then there’s head pressing, in which a cat pushes her head hard against an inanimate object in a rather forceful manner. It’s the sign of potentially serious illness, and it shouldn’t be confused with a cat casually rubbing against a piece of furniture or other stationary object to leave her scent. It has a compulsive quality to it, and the cat may keep repeating the action, more or less oblivious to what’s going on around her.
What could be wrong?

It seems like common sense. A disaster occurs—a hurricane or fire or perhaps a chemical spill —and you put your cat in the car and get as far away as you can. But what if you’re going to be removed from your home for days or weeks? How much food and water should you have on hand for the cat? How many days’ worth of his prescription drugs?
The answers to these questions might seem like common sense, too, but what appears obvious to you now might get lost in the midst of a situation where there’s not a moment to lose as you’re scrambling to keep safe. That’s why the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has updated its guidelines for how to prepare in advance for an emergency that requires evacuation from your home.

At some point your cat may be sent home from the veterinary clinic wearing an e-collar—a hard plastic cone around her head that will keep her from biting and scratching at stitches or wound dressings. It needs to be kept on for two weeks in most cases so your pet doesn’t bite or lick the incision that’s being protected. People think animals can cure themselves by licking, but that’s not really true. Bacteria from the mouth can cause an infection where the skin is healing, requiring antibiotics and, in some cases, surgery to open up the incision, flush it, and place a temporary drain.

Your cat has to swallow a pill every day for a health condition and has always taken it without a problem. But one morning, seemingly out of nowhere, he has begun refusing it.

Q: Which is better, a small veterinary office with just one or two practitioners that you develop a relationship with or a large office with veterinarians on staff who have particular areas of expertise so that you don’t have to go somewhere else should your cat get sick with a specific illness?
Mason Tobias
New York, New York

You’re petting your cat and notice that he’s drooling along with fluttering his eyelids. Or he starts drooling while kneading you. Is something wrong?