Injury

Diagnosis: Feline Anemia

Veterinarians generally recommend that all cats undergo a thorough physical examination at least once a year until they have reached seven or eight years of age, and twice annually thereafter as they progress into their senior years. The exam should include a complete blood count (CBC), a procedure that can reveal or at least suggest the presence of many feline health disorders. The importance of the CBC should not be underestimated. Among other things, a CBC will determine the concentration of red blood cells (erythrocytes) in a drop or two of blood. The procedure will also reveal the density of hemoglobin, an important constituent of each erythrocyte.

Diagnosis: Hypothermia

Cats whose breed developed in frigid areas of the world are likely to tolerate cold weather better than cats whose origins can be traced to more temperate regions. But even the fattest, furriest Maine coon will have only a slight edge over a trim, thin-coated Siamese when it comes to prolonged exposure to the biting winds, ice, snow and sleet that come with winter. Indeed, any cat that is left outside for extended periods of time when the temperature is below freezing-not to mention any poor creature that happens to tumble into an ice-cold pond-will be at risk for a potentially deadly drop in body temperature. The chances that this condition-called hypothermia-will prove fatal depends largely upon the animals age, overall physical condition and ability to regulate its body temperature, says Dr. Gretchen Schoeffler, chief of emergency and critical care services at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.

Help for Handicapped Cats

For four years, Kathy Barton, a fourth-grade teacher in Velma, Oklahoma, has engaged her class in a worthwhile project involving animals. This past year, she was introduced to a two-year-old male cat named Xavier that had been unable to walk since birth due to an undetermined neurological disorder. Barton knew where to turn for help for this cat, a place she had relied on before for animals like him. Barton contacted HandicappedPets.com, a website offering products, services and support for elderly, disabled and handicapped pets. Bartons class raised $700 to buy Xavier a quad cart - a mobile chair that helps disabled animals to get around.

Is Your Cat Really Hurting?

Pinch your finger in a car door, step on a nail or cut your thumb while peeling an onion, and youre apt to let out a holler that will alert everyone within hearing range to the fact that youre experiencing pain. And then youll spend the next week or two talking about that dreadful moment and its unpleasant consequences. Your cat is much different from you in that respect. Certainly, it can experience discomfort of varying intensity in its hard and soft tissues - its bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and internal organs. And it may howl for a moment when it senses sharp pain. But it certainly wont verbalize. It wont be able to point pathetically to a lacerated paw pad or an aching joint and say, "This is where it hurts!"

The Danger of Burns

Although indoor cats are far less likely than outdoor cats to contract a contagious disease, be ripped up in a brawl with other animals or be struck by a car, they are not completely out of harms way. Even within the confines of their own homes, they can suffer serious injuries, not the least of which are disabling (and even fatal) burns that result from a variety of factors, including their natural curiosity and, all too often, carelessness on the part of their owners. There are three categories of burns: thermal, chemical and electrical.

Ask Dr. Richards: 01/07

Q- I recently lost a three-year-old female cat to heartworm disease. I would like to see more information on what heartworms are, how to treat them, and most importantly, how to prevent these parasites from taking our precious cats. All of my cats are indoors, fixed, and go to the veterinarian yearly.

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