CAT HEALTH & MEDICINE

My small three-year-old female cat, who weighs just under seven pounds, will suddenly go through what seems like a coughing/choking spell. She crouches low to the floor and struggles through an episode. Then she stands up and goes about her regular business.

I have lived with cats most of my life, and while I have experienced some of the expected behavioral issues - inappropriate elimination, hard-to-control scratching, etc. - I am curious if there are levels of mental illness in pets, too. Do we automatically assume certain traits are behavioral issues or can pets - like humans - be born with certain psychological issues, as well?

I am a long-time subscriber and I really enjoy each issue of Catnip! Regarding dental health with my two cats, however, I am at a loss. They simply will not let me brush their teeth. I live alone, so theres really no one who can assist me on a regular basis.

I have suffered from nearsightedness for my entire life. Lately, Ive been wondering if our cats can have vision problems too (outside of eye disease or something related to the aging process, like cataracts). If so, is there a way to determine this?

Luckily, your 10-year-old cat Jenny has never had a sick day in her life. Nevertheless, youve dutifully made a point of taking her to the veterinarian for a routine physical exam once a year to make sure shes up to date on her vaccinations and is not harboring some systemic disorder that could eventually prove difficult to manage.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a very common cause of illness in cats, especially older cats. Previous studies estimated that one in three cats are likely to develop kidney disease during their lifetime.

Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine - including an improved understanding of feline nutrition - cats are living longer these days. Due to their extended life spans, however, many cats are also more likely to develop arthritis. This painful and potentially crippling joint disease is a predominantly age-related condition.

Thanks to a clinical trial partly funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, there is an important veterinary breakthrough: Cats with FIP went into remission following treatment with a specific antiviral drug.

My husband and I have a very sweet kitty named Daisy. We have had her since she was roughly a year old (she is now about 16 years old). Unfortunately, she has developed diabetes, and she now also has a terrible skin allergy that we cannot get under control.

Constipation is one of the more common health problems that can affect your cats digestive system. This frustrating condition not only causes the cat varying degrees of discomfort, but it can also adversely affect his appetite and can even cause vomiting (more on that later).

Fortunately, the vast majority of newborn kittens come into the world with all of their body parts intact and all of their vital systems functioning properly. Sadly, however, there are notable exceptions - kittens afflicted with a congenital disorder like cerebellar hypoplasia (CH for short), a relatively rare neurologic condition that is alarmingly evident when it does occur.

Officially, theres no such thing as a veterinary nurse. The people who act in that capacity are termed veterinary technicians. But its confusing. Why arent veterinary technicians just called veterinary nurses in the first place?