From the March 2014 Issue
Do You Have a Demanding Cat?
At some point in a bid for your attention, your cat may silently hover over your desk so close to your computer keyboard that your elbow bumps him. He may nearly trip you with figure-eight moves between your legs as you head for the kitchen. He may indulge in a marathon of loud meows at the foot of your bed two hours before your alarm clock is set to ring.
Current Issue
Saving Diseased and Damaged Teeth
Root canal treatment for cats might sound far-fetched, but they’re performed at university hospitals and specialty practices around the country to save damaged and diseased teeth that might otherwise be extracted. In fact, newly available techniques and equipment in veterinary medicine have advanced the field of endodontics — the study and treatment of dental pulp — to the point where root canal treatment success rates in pets equal those in humans.
Study Seeks to Identify Signs of Heart Disease
Human medicine has made strides in identifying clinical risk factors in heart disease. Now veterinary research hopes to do the same for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats. It’s the most common feline heart disease and cause of cardiovascular death.
Why Haircoats Can Change Color
If your cat’s coat changes color, don’t become alarmed. In many cases, it’s could be a normal development. The hair of some cats, particularly those who are dark, turns gray as they age. Siamese kittens begin life with light-colored coats, without the characteristic dark “points” they will develop later on the nose, ears, tail and paws.
Those Startling Reverse Sneezes?
A reverse sneeze looks alarming. The cat may stand still with his elbows out and eyes open wide while rapidly snorting inward and extending his neck. An owner might panic, thinking the cat is suffocating.
Short Takes: March 2014
The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association issues its National Pet Owners Survey every two years — a real door-stopper with more than 500 pages. The findings are intended for businesses, marketers and media. Here’s a sampling from the 2013-14 section about cat owners, who comprise 37 percent of U.S. households.
Ask Elizabeth: March 2014
Q. Why does my cat have such bad breath? The vet anesthetized her for a dental cleaning and found that her teeth really didn’t need it. (She didn’t let the vet look in her mouth at her checkup.) She has had two teeth removed, but apparently the remaining teeth are in great shape, so what else might be causing the foul breath?