CAT HEALTH & MEDICINE

Over the winter, a rare strain of bird flu infected nearly 500 cats housed in New York Citys Animal Care Centers (ACC). At least two cats died after being infected with the H7N2 strain of the influenza virus, and a veterinarian with prolonged exposure to the infected cats tested positive, too.

I have a male cat who has suffered twice from stones in his urinary tract. His veterinarian put him on a Royal Canine urinary diet (chicken in gravy) and special diet of kibbles.

Youve probably already heard about the Tufts research which has shown that cats who live in households with cigarette smokers are at increased risk for oral and other cancers. It stands to reason. Our anatomy is much more similar than different, with rather closely related respiratory systems that have the same vulnerability to environmental assaults.

Research recently demonstrated that the novel drug, MYK-461, proved effective in a small study of five cats with a naturally-occurring form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an incurable disease that also affects humans. The consequences of HCM include thickening of the walls of the heart ventricles and altering of heart function, and it frequently leads to fatal consequences. Cats with the disease can suffer blood clot formation, congestive heart failure and sudden death.

My son recently adopted an adult cat from a shelter, and I notice that Tigger likes to rub his cheeks repeatedly on the legs of the furniture. In fact, he started to do the same thing to my face the other day when I was petting him on the couch! What exactly does this mean? Is it the start of his becoming possessive and maybe aggressive?

I trapped two stray kittens last year and had them treated for ringworm. They were neutered and given two rounds of kitten vaccinations. They also had bad breath so my veterinarian cleaned their teeth and needed to extract some teeth. She informed me that one cats dental problems had migrated into the root.

As an old proverb would have it, good things often come in small packages, and this is certainly true where the feline thyroid gland is concerned. Consisting of two fleshy, elongated little lobes, this tiny gland - positioned in the neck along the upper part of a cats trachea - is normally only an inch or so in length. Despite its small size, however, the thyroid gland must perform a king-sized task: the regulation of a cats overall metabolism, the rate at which the animals bodily processes are carried out.

Habits change slowly. Therefore, many pet owners - and even many veterinarians - still wait longer than they should to get their cats spayed/neutered. A website that Dr. McCobb recommends is www.whentospay.org, run by the non-profit Humane Alliance. Some myth-dispelling facts include:At least 50 percent of litters are unplanned.Spaying/neutering helps eliminate annoying behaviors such as spraying, roaming, yowling and fighting, as well as heat cycles. (Female cats can go into heat up to 10 times a year.)

Chances are you already know the benefits of preventing cats from reproducing: It greatly helps to curb overpopulation, it can improve feline health, and it can also reduce or prevent unwanted behaviors. But is it safe for a young kitten to be spayed or neutered?

Many cat lovers find them to be exceptionally endearing, but what is the story behind the extra toes? And does the polydactyl cat require any extra care?

In rare cases, kittens dont automatically lose their baby teeth and will require oral surgery. Here are the signs to look for and what treatment entails.

Luckily, a diagnosis is usually not difficult and surgical removal is straight-forward. Here are the common signs that are associated with this cancer.