Feline Health

Why You Should Weigh Your Cat Once a Month

cat-on-scale

Did you know that your cat’s weight is one of the most important clues to her state of health? Weight loss or gain can be an early warning sign of illness, but if it happens gradually it can be difficult to recognize. Visually assessing your cat’s weight, and annual or bi-annual weigh-ins at your cat’s wellness exam may not be enough to catch these changes, so weighing your cat once a month at home can help prevent problems from going undetected until they’re in more advanced stages.Continue Reading

Tooth Resorption in Cats: A Common, Painful Condition

black-cat-teeth

Tooth resorption is a common condition in cats, affecting 20 to 60 percent of adult cats and close to 75 percent of cats five years or older. It is a painful condition and the most common reason for extractions. In the past, tooth resorption was referred to as feline oral resorptive lesions, feline odontoclastic resorptions, cavities, caries, cervical neck lesions, external or internal root resorptions, and cervical line erosions.Continue Reading

My Cat-astropic Year, Part One: The Challenges of Treating Feline Asthma

siamese-cat

Guest post by Ingrid R Niesman, MS PhD

2022 was the year my human life intertwined with multiple cats’ lives. Somehow, in one year, I encountered a myriad of cat health, cat ecology and cat behavioral issues. Each unique situation provided me with ample material to weave the newest feline science and medicine into my personal accounts of what interacting and sharing life with cats means today. Continue Reading

Changing the Future of IBD and GI Lymphoma Diagnosis in Cats

cat-parent-cat-veterinarian

This is a sponsored post, written by: Rowyn Rose, Science Communications Specialist at Basepaws*

When your cat isn’t feeling well, you want to help them to get better as soon as possible. As a cat parent, one of the hardest things to deal with is when your cat is sick, but it’s not exactly clear what’s wrong.

Symptoms such as weight loss, decreased appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea can be associated with a wide range of feline health issues. One of these is the cancerous condition called gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoma—the #1 form of cancer seen in cats. Another is the non-cancerous condition known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which causes chronic irritation and inflammation of the GI tract.Continue Reading

Why Keeping Track of Your Cat’s Weight is Important

cat-scale

Weighing your cat on a regular basis is one of the easiest ways to monitor her health. Gradual weight loss or gain is often not noticeable in cats until it has become quite dramatic. Consider that the average cat weighs 10 pounds. Weight loss of only 6% of a cat’s body weight is considered a clinical sign – that’s less than ten ounces. Depending on the size of your cat, visible changes to her weight may be too subtle to notice without actually weighing her.Continue Reading

Understand the Signs of Arthritis Pain in Cats

orange-tabby-bed

Recognizing pain in cats can be challenging for even the most dedicated cat parent, especially when it comes to chronic pain caused by arthritis. Even veterinarians often overlook signs of pain in cats, partly because some cats won’t show pain in a stressful situation such as being at the vet’s. Cats’ ability to hide pain goes back to their wild origins. In the wild, a sick animal becomes prey, so not showing weakness is crucial for survival.Continue Reading

Another Furball? It Might Be Feline Asthma

orange-long-hair-tabby

Guest post by Andrea Tasi, VMD

Has your cat been coughing? Watch the video at the bottom of this post and you may recognize that sound. Many people assume that the cat is trying to cough up a hairball and don’t realize that their cat could have asthma. Untreated, asthma can progress and even be fatal. But, like human asthmatics, cats can be treated and the disease can be managed.

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AminAvast® Protects Allegra’s Kidneys

AminaVast-cat-kidney-health

This post contains affiliate links*

When Allegra was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, I knew I had to do everything possible to protect her kidneys. I already knew that my vet recommends AminAvast® for her patients with chronic kidney disease. Even though Allegra’s kidney function has been normal on all bloodwork since she was first diagnosed in January of 2021, I wanted to know whether we should start her on AminAvast.Continue Reading