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Cardboard? Jute? Hemp? What’s the best material for your cat’s scratching post? Cats will vary in their preferences, but research suggests it’s hard to go wrong with either sisal rope for a cat who’s young or middle aged or carpet for a cat who’s older than 10.

Q: There is a difference in vaccine recommendations for people and those for cats that I find confusing. With people, the interval between vaccinations varies depending on the shot. For instance, people get a shot against tetanus every 10 years and a shingles shot just once. But cats are supposed to get all their core vaccines once a year. Why is that? Does the immunity from the diseases the shots protect against always wane so quickly?

Have you ever seen the word “new” or “improved” on a cat food label? If so, it shouldn’t be there for more than the first six months of production. “It’s not new forever,” says the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), whose guidelines are generally written into law by each state legislature.

When your cat goes for his physical, the vet should check his eyes for injury, infections, and disease. But cats don’t much like people poking around their faces, especially their doctors. That’s why you might want to adjust your cat to the idea of hands near his eyes at home.

Is your cat white, or mostly white? And does he like to lounge by the window for hours in warm weather, soaking up the sun’s rays? Then apply sunscreen that has been formulated for cats, focusing on his nose, the tips of his ears, his belly and groin areas, and anywhere else on his body with thin to no fur to protect his skin. Even through a closed window, the sun’s harmful rays can cause painful sunburn and set the stage for squamous cell carcinoma, a common skin cancer in cats.

Feline skin is second only to the feline lymphatic system as the site of lumps and bumps—various tumors, cysts, and other abnormal growths, known medically as neoplasms. Sometimes these growths grow alarmingly large. But even when they’re small, they concern people with cats—for good reason. No one wants to see or feel swellings on their pet’s coat that shouldn’t be there. “I am asked to evaluate them daily,” says Tufts veterinary internist Michael Stone, DVM.

Perhaps you already know that if your cat’s pupils have dilated even though the amount of light in the room has not lessened, it could indicate that that she is feeling anxious. Or that if she hides or tucks her tail under, she is afraid. But there are other signs of fear that are easier to miss because they don’t necessarily look like dread or discomposure. It’s important to know them so you can work to soothe your pet out of her stressed state—or at least understand that she is going through something unnerving and let her be.

• “Fat” and “Obese” are Not Four-Letter Words
• When Your Cat Won’t Eat, Don’t Do This; A Movie to Skip; On Politics and Pet Care.
• Concerns that Catnip Will Make Your Cat High; Concerns that It Won’t
• Your Cat Is Dying. How Does She Feel About It?
• Do You Know Your Cat’s Blood Pressure? You Should.
• Cat Talk, and What it Means
• Cat Too Clingy
• Dear Doctor

Q: In a recent issue you talked about why cats love tuna but left out the most important thing, which is that tuna generally has high concentrations of mercury and that mercury is poison. Why would anyone who loves their cat knowingly feed them poison? You should print a follow-up article that makes people aware of the danger in feeding tuna to their pets.

• Is It the Vet’s Fault or Yours?
• Morsels
• Your Role in Your Cat’s Orthopedic Exam
• Raw Meat Diets for Cats?
• Easter Comes and Goes, but Lilies’ Threat to Cats is Forever
• Critical Cat Cancer Warning Signs
• Dear Doctor

Michael H. Jaffe, DVM, service chief of small animal surgery at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, relates the story of the cat owner who told him that their cat “finally learned” not to jump on the kitchen table after 10 years. Dr. Jaffe wasn’t convinced. “If the cat could get up on the table, she would,” he says. “I thought the change in the cat’s behavior was a possible sign of arthritis pain.”

Q: You always hear that white cats are likely to be deaf, but I have an all white cat who has no hearing problems whatsoever. How can that be?