The Mystery of Summer Drool
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A call came in yesterday from Oreo’s people telling us that Oreo was drooling like crazy, ropes and ropes of copious drool. Oreo’s a fine, strapping 2 year old kitty with a healthy curiosity. I started thinking about all those things that Dr. Ray talked about like bad teeth or something stuck in the mouth. Nausea also can make cats drool, though usually not in such excessive amounts and the kitties with nausea act like they don’t feel good. Oreo came in and sat on the exam table pretty much nonplussed. As a matter of fact he didn’t act bothered at all, except for the occasional fling of the head when his ropes of saliva drooped from his mouth. Yuk. He’s such a sweet boy and he let me get a really good oral exam. He had beautiful teeth and gums. Everything in his mouth, under his tongue, up on his palate and down his throat looked perfectly normal. What the heck was going on?
I see one or two of these cases just about every year. It seems to last several hours to, rarely, several days. They tend to come in during warm weather and while I don’t have an exact answer, I’ve got a suspicion as to why it happens. Cats are notorious for drooling when they taste something bad. We see it sometimes with certain antibiotics and other things they might try to lick. Since I never have been able to find a problem in the mouth of one of these cats, it makes me wonder if there’s an unpleasant taste at work here, like a bug or something that they chomped on.
But that never explained why the drooling seemed to last for so long. Then I heard a science related radio program that discussed how some people get a bad taste in their mouth after eating certain things. I think they were talking about certain varieties of pine nuts. The bad taste sometimes lasted for days and the theory was that there was some errant molecule sitting on a susceptible person’s taste bud receptor that made it keep sending the bad taste signal. It kept sending that yucky taste signal until the molecule finally floated off the receptor allowing it to return to normal. Now I don’t know if this is the answer to the mystery drool, but I wonder if there’s a subset of cats that eat just the right ant or other bug and gets a similar phenomenon. And then, being a cat, start to drool.
Luckily, all my cases have resolved. Most are better in just a few hours but occasionally I’ll see one that last’s a day or so. I always treat with something to help the drool and make them more comfortable so I doubt that I’ll get a chance to test my theory. Always take your cat in to be checked if you see anything unusual like this. The first thing you have to be concerned about is that there’s something wrong with the mouth. But you may also find that your cat’s a candidate for “Mystery Cat Diagnosis”. Hmmm, maybe we should try to pitch that to cable TV.
Cats’ Impact on Lifestyle
My new kitty, Bodaishin, came from a tough living situation. He was a breeding tom who wasn’t siring good litters. So he lived in a cage. When I brought him home, I knew the transition would be challenging to go from a small space alone to a big space with humans and a dog. We set up a bathroom with food, water, litterbox and a soft padded bed where it was relatively quiet. He chose to sit up high in an elevated window ledge for 3 days, coming down only when no one was about to eat and use the litterbox. We visited him many times a day and talked and petted his head and neck. He was never confined, but would not leave the room.
Eventually, without any intervention on our part, he started coming out slowly to explore the house. A loud noise sent him sailing back into his safe spot. Now he boldly goes wherever he wishes, sleeps with us at night, steals the dog’s bed and naps in our laps while we read.
Bodaishin means “one who seeks enlightenment”, which we think he has now attained. We play every day with special toys, work on leash training with treats, and feed him when he asks. His schedule is our schedule, despite busy days of our own. He comes to work with us on days we won’t be home all day. Boredom is bad. We are thrilled he is with us. He has good karma and brings his funny, precocious, playful, affectionate self to us freshly every day.
Flowers and Fleas
As I was reading a story in the life style magazine of the paper, I came across an ad proclaiming the virtues of “natural” flea repellents. Having just been inundated by a ton of cats with fleas the week before, I was inspired to write about fleas, flea products and to help dispel a myth or two. I’d had some clients who had been using an herbal flea collar that did nothing and made the cat smell like a volatile oils factory. Poor kitty was still crawling with fleas.
Now I’ve gone through acupuncture training and some herb courses, and know that there are some things in that arena that can be very helpful and work well for a variety of medical conditions. But I also know that just because something says “natural” doesn’t mean that it’s safe or effective. Most herbal flea products contain things like cedar oil, peppermint oil, clove oil, and other things that say “natural pyrethrin”. They can have a very strong smell that can last for days. That can be tough for an animal that is as sensitive to smells as cats are. Volatile oils can aggravate breathing problems; this is especially true of cedar oil. Stay away from these products if your cat has a history of breathing problems. Clove oil is toxic to cats. Skin reactions are common with all these products, especially if they are not pure. Oils are sometimes absorbed through the skin and peppermint oil can go deep. People who ingest peppermint oil on a regular basis might get changes in their liver enzymes.
When it comes to parasite control, we live in a wonderful age. The products that come from the vet for flea control have a very high margin of safety. They can contain not only safe flea products but also a heartworm preventative that helps with intestinal parasite control. Our pet cats have the dubious honor of surpassing dogs in the incidence of intestinal parasites and positive heartworm tests. All this because dog owners are so good at using their heartworm preventative and cat owners aren’t. And yes, those products can be smelly too, but usually just for a few hours. And yes, again, there will be the rare skin reaction. But the important thing is that they work great and have a well documented safety margin. They keep your family safe too. Those black specks of flea dirt have been shown to carry the bacteria that gives people, especially children, cat scratch disease. Control the fleas and you control the risk. Same for roundworms. They can get into people too.
Treating fleas requires a multi-modal approach. You need to treat the adult fleas on the animal, but also any eggs that they lay. If the problem is bad enough, you may need to treat for eggs that are in the house. Adult fleas aren’t the problem in your house, the eggs are. You treat them differently. Control the egg production and you control the problem. It can take 6 – 8 weeks before you can be sure that you’ve got the problem licked. That’s because you have to wait long enough to be sure no new fleas are hatching out. Talk to your vet about what’s going to work the best for you. And if you can use one product that can help with fleas, heartworm and intestinal parasites, do it.
Keep in mind that Mother Nature has some very potent plants and just because they’re hers, doesn’t mean that they are the safest things. So be careful what you put on your cat and whose advice you listen to.
From Fat to Fit – Get Your Cat’s Sexy Back!
Franklin was an adorable kitten when he came into my office for his first checkup. Before long, though, his obsession with food had resulted in a young cat who weighed nearly two times what he should. Franklin’s owners knew there was a problem and switched from leaving regular food out all day to a diet food and cutting back on portions. Problem was that Franklin was very unhappy with this new state of affairs, and his constant meowing and begging for food was disrupting the household.
When I next saw Franklin, this two year old, gorgeous black and white cat could barely jump and weighed in at 22 pounds, which was a far cry from his ideal weight of 10 pounds. His owners were desperate. They were literally feeding him a quarter of a cup of diet dry food a day, and he was ravenously hungry and both cat and family were miserable and looking for help. Franklin was gobbling up his food and anything else that came his way—bread, iceberg lettuce, potato chips and Oreo cookies all went down the hatch. He was dangerously overweight but felt like he was starving!
And Franklin is by no means a rarity. Statistics show that nearly 75% of all cats in the United States are overweight, and a sizeable chunk of those cats are obese. This dramatically impacts their health and overall wellness, and just like with people, the extra pounds can contribute to blood sugar problems, lack of mobility and heart disease.
Most of us grew up hearing that cats need dry food for their teeth and that canned food is a “junk food” with little nutritional value. But reality is very different. Cats are what are called obligatory carnivores, which means they need to eat meat to survive. Dry foods are loaded with carbohydrates, which is how they achieve that dry cereal consistency. Dogs have digestive systems that process carbohydrates quite efficiently, and like so many things in pet care, dogs came first to the table. Cat foods originated as spin offs from dog foods, and even though cat physiology is very different than that of the dog, dry cat foods quickly caught on and became the accepted cat food choice.
Fast forward to 2007. Nutritional studies that focused strictly on the cat identified one key reason for cat obesity. Because cats are pure carnivores, they have difficulty digesting carbohydrates, which has led researchers to speculate that the extra carbs may enhance fat accumulation and drive blood sugar levels up. Canned cat food is cereal-free, so all those carbohydrates get bypassed. Another advantage of canned food is that it is much lighter in calories than an equivalent amount of dry food.
One other piece of the puzzle that researchers looked at was what makes a cat feel full. Protein levels in food seems to affect satiety, so the higher amounts of protein in canned food leave cats feeling content and not deprived. The actual volume of food in the stomach also factors in, so this is why tiny amounts of dry food, which tend to have much less protein density than canned food, will not help your cat feel full.
So we converted Franklin into a canned food junkie, and gave him lots of it—two tuna fish sized cans each day. Because you can never have your cake and eat it too when dieting, we eased him entirely off his dry food. He is down to 11 pounds and counting, and he has become as active as he should be. And most importantly, he is happy and doesn’t have a clue that he is eating fewer calories!
Not Grooming after Eating
One of the main reasons cats groom themselves after eating is that in the wild, cats want to protect themselves from predators, and want to eliminate any traces of blood that might have collected on their furs as they were hunting or eating. So, today’s domestic cat carries on what its ancestors did by tidying up after eating. If you find that your cat is not spending time sprucing up its appearance after a snack or a meal, it is possible that something is wrong.
Dental disease can lead to a decrease in how much a cat grooms, if not a complete stoppage of hair care. Cats will often continue to eat when they have painful teeth, because many, many cats swallow their food, chewing very little if at all. But once they have satisfied their bodies need for food, the discomfort they experience from having unhealthy gums or diseased teeth can lead to their deciding it just hurts too much to keep their fur clean.
Older cats who suffer from cognitive dysfunction and stressed out kitties, who are having trouble sharing their homes with other cats, can also not groom after eating like they should. Your senior cat might need some help in the grooming department and your sensitive cat might need for you to make sure it eats by itself and has some private time when it won’t have to worry about sharing its space with another cat.
If you have a cat that doesn’t groom after eating, it is possible your kitten or cat skipped that class in kitten school, making it normal for your cat not to groom after eating, To be safe, discuss the fact that your cat doesn’t clean up after eating when you take your cat to your veterinarian for its regular semi-annual or annual visit. Your veterinarian should perform a thorough physical exam; including taking a good look at your cat’s teeth and gums.
Dental Problems
Have you or someone you loved ever had problems with their teeth? Dental pain from abscesses, tooth fractures and deep cavities can make life miserable for anyone, including our cats. Pain can be sharp and stabbing, a dull ache, or associated with pressure on contact with hot or cold foods.
Our cats can’t tell us when their mouths hurt. Instead, they may eat less, refuse hard kibbles, or tilt their head back and forth to avoid the sensitive spots when eating. They may drop food. Chronic pain can cause your friendly and happy cat to become irritable or reclusive.
I rechecked one of our dentistry patients today after he had some major dental work done last week. This wonderful cat, who we will call Oscar, was brought in to see us because he had not been as interactive as usual and was hiding quite a bit. On physical examination, we could see that Oscar had quite a bit of inflammation in his mouth but no obvious fractures of his teeth. Oscar seemed uncomfortable when his mouth was examined. We scheduled Oscar’s dental teeth cleaning for the next day.
Cats frequently develop cavity lesions at the gum line or underneath the gums. Consequently, obtaining dental X rays is very important to evaluate every cat’s mouth. Any dental work in cats and dogs needs to be performed under anesthesia as they will not sit there and open their mouths for us to work on!
Oscar had 2 abscessed teeth (both of his lower canine teeth) and 3 additional teeth with large cavity lesions. All 5 teeth had to be extracted. Oscar was treated with antibiotics and pain medication.
At today’s follow up examination, Oscar is now pain free. He is eating his dry kibble with gusto and is no longer painful when handling his mouth. Oscar’s extraction sites are healing well. Oscar’s family is amazed that he is now back to his normal social self less than a week after major extractions were performed. Oscar is a great example of how important good dental health is for our cats. Oscar will now be having his teeth brushed and will be eating a prescription dental diet to help prevent future problems. What are doing to help your cat’s teeth? Oscar says to have your cat’s teeth evaluated by your veterinarian now!
That Mysterious Third Eyelid
For many owners, the appearance of their cat’s third eyelid is cause for great concern and confusion. Never fear- it can often indicate a problem, but with a little information, you can better determine why this might be happening and how quickly your cat needs professional medical attention.
First, a bit of background: The third eyelid provides an extra layer of eye protection for cats and many other animals. Other names for the third eyelid include the nictitating membrane, nictitans and haw. Arising from the corner of the eye nearest the nose, the retractable third eyelid can be hidden from view or can extend across the surface of the eye. It is white to light pink in color and lies on top of the eye, but underneath the eyelids. It contains cartilage and a tear-producing gland at its base. When irritated, it can appear reddened.
While birds and reptiles can actively move this protective eyelid into position, in cats the movement is passive. It is kept hidden by forward pressure of the eyeball in the socket. When danger to the eye is anticipated ( such as in a cat fight), cats use a special muscle behind the eye to pull it back into the socket slightly, allowing the third eyelid to quickly move up and across the surface of the eye. If the eye does become injured and painful, cats will use this special muscle to pull back the eye slightly and allow the third eyelid to cover the eye as protection.
Damage to the nerve control of the third eyelid will also result in a prominent (or more visible) third eyelid. Damage affecting one eye can occur due to an injury or inflammation after surgery (especially ear or dental surgery).
If you notice that one of your cat’s third eyelids is covering one eye more than the other, it is likely that your cat has injured that eye. Eye injuries are painful and can become serious quickly, so you should seek veterinary care right away.
What does it mean if both third eyelids are visible? There are a variety of reasons for this to occur. First of all, when cats are in a deep sleep or have been given a sedative, the third eyelids can become prominent. If your cat has lost a lot of weight, the fat pad behind the eyes may also have decreased in size, changing the position of the eye in the socket and allowing the third eyelid to become visible. Rarely, inflammation due to a neurologic, respiratory or intestinal infection can affect the nerve control of the third eyelid. Your cat should be examined by a veterinarian in order to determine a likely cause and how best to treat the condition.
If you have never seen your cat’s third eyelid, and want to know what to look for, ask your veterinary at your cat’s next check-up.
Excessive Drooling
When cats drool, we should always wonder what is causing this symptom. Although some cats will drool when they are purring excessively and really comfortable, most drooling cats are having a problem that needs our attention. An outdoor access kitty may have some of the most serious culprits to blame such as a broken jaw, or some other head trauma, including battles with other animals. Indoor only cats can avoid these episodes but may still have reason to drool excessively. In many cases the drooling is directly due to pain, so it should be addressed immediately.
Dental disease is the most common reason to drool for indoor only cats. This type of drooling is often associated with a foul odor and sometimes even blood in the drool. These additional findings at home absolutely dictate that the cat be examined immediately. Most cats are not receiving home care (getting their teeth brushed daily!) and most owners do not inspect their cats teeth with any frequency at all. Genetics are the primary factor in a cat’s tendency to develop dental disease and some studies indicate as many as two thirds of cats have dental lesions by age 3. Resorptive lesions of the teeth are the most common type of dental disease in a young cat. In addition to these common resorptive lesions, we also see classic periodontal disease of the mouth where tartar has invaded the gum line and destroyed the periodontal ligament. The difficulty of home care and the reluctance of cats to allow oral inspection dictate that they have an oral exam often; and, that we are proactive with dental prophylactic cleanings to identify and minimize these problems. Drooling will commonly be seen with all forms of dental disease, including infectious stomatitis, peridontal disease and odontoclastic resorptive lesions.
Another cause of drooling in an indoor only cat would include an oral mass. We do see mouth cancer in cats and early treatment is crucial to success. Unfortunately many oral cancers do not leave us with favorable treatment options. These cats often have swelling of their face, and sometimes even a deviation of their normal jaw alignment. If your cat allows, open and close their mouth as you look from the front. The jaws should “go together” nicely and then we know the cat has proper dental occlusion. Sometimes, periodontal disease will cause swelling of the face and poor dental occlusion. A veterinarian can help you differentiate these causes upon oral exam. Any excessive drooling should be seen by the doctor, especially if poor dental occlusion is noted. Mouth cancer is most common in older to middle aged cats, rarely seen before about 7-8 years of age.
Indoor only cats sometimes get bored and I have seen foreign bodies lodged in the oral cavity. I removed a sewing needle that had imbedded in the hard palate of a bored indoor only kitty. I also removed a very stubborn twigg that had lodged in an outdoor access cat’s mouth. Both if these cats had excessive drooling and the drool had begun to smell foul. Fortunately, they both recovered very well. It is worth mentioning that all causes of excessive drooling seen in the indoor only cat can also be seen with outdoor access kitties.
The final cause of drooling to cover is drooling due to nausea. Many cats are nauseous, even though they do not vomit. Some cat doctors even go as far as to say that inappetance or anorexia is the most common sign of nausea. Many of these cats will drool either periodically or consistently. If a cat drools when food is placed in front of them, and they then do not consume the food, nausea should be considered. Causes of nausea are numerous and many cases have multiple causes. As you can see from this blog, a drooling cat should be seen by a veterinarian very soon after the symptom is noted.
What Makes a Shiny Coat
“Doctor, she seems OK to me, but I see all these white specs on her back, she looks all rumpled, and she won’t let me comb her at home….”
What did your veterinarian say about your cat’s coat during the last checkup?
If your cat has dandruff, a dull or unkempt coat, that’s just not right. Help is on the way!
With the exception of those darling Devon and cute Cornish Rex cats that look like they just came from the beauty parlor where they got a perm, or those velvety-skinned “naked” Sphinx, a cat should normally have a smooth and shiny coat, and it should glisten when basking in a sunbeam and after your cat grooms itself.
What does it mean if your cat’s coat is dull?
We know that cats normally groom themselves to keep their coat clean and to remove the dead hair. They have little barbs on their tongue that act just like a hairbrush that many of us use every day. If your cat isn’t doing that, the dead hair will build up and can become matted, sometimes so severely they have to have their whole body shaved down to the skin!
Why does that happen?
There are many reasons your cat’s coat might be lacking its luster:
- Pesky Parasites – Even indoors cats get fleas and other parasites. Make sure your cat receives safe and effective monthly preventatives as recommended by your veterinarian for your cat.
- Dental Disease – If you’ve ever had a toothache, you know that mouth pain can prevent you from doing your normal activities. And while you don’t lick your skin, the same is true for cats, and dental disease is so common in our feline friends. Make sure your veterinarian checks for this and you follow their recommendations
- Arthritis – 90% of older cats show signs of arthritis on x-rays- yet often don’t show outward signs that we recognize. If it hurts to bend like they need to when giving themselves a ‘tongue-bath,’ they just won’t do it!
- Skin Irritations – can be caused by all different allergies- everything from pollens and other environmental allergens to parasite reactions to food and medicines.
- Internal Illnesses – Stealth diseases like diabetes, intestinal problems and thyroid conditions can routinely cause problems with cats’ hair and skin.
What should I do?
Don’t guess or get your answers from “Dr. Google”- your veterinarian is the expert can perform a thorough examination of your cat which will find the reasons for dandruff, a dull or matted coat or any other external problems you can see. Then they can prescribe the best course of action or treatment– whether that’s parasite treatment, special shampoo, a supplement or other medication; your cat is an individual!
Finally- remember, even if everything looks OK- just because you can see it, it’s best to make sure by having your veterinarian examine your well cat twice a year- for life!
Lethargic Cats and How You Can Tell it is a Problem
I’m lying on the couch as I write this with two of my cats asleep beside me. The third is in her little house sleeping. I ask myself "How can I tell if they are lethargic? They do tend to sleep a lot. They’re also getting older. Isn’t this just normal aging?"
As a feline veterinarian, I know that the answer is yes and no. Cats do tend to sleep a lot… in fact, they lie still for about 16-20 hours a day and that is normal. However, subtle changes in behavior can be early signs of problems.
So how do we know when these subtle changes are signs of problems? It is challenging because cats are both predators and prey. This means that it can be life-threatening to "admit" to being vulnerable. This makes it a challenge to determine when changes in your cat’s activity levels are normal or signs of a problem! Our feline friends are experts are hiding when they are sick. This is an excellent strategy in the wild, but maybe not as useful in modern household situations.
One of the best ways to determine the differences between normal aging and illness is a comprehensive physical examination. Something as simple as a change in body weight or blood pressure can be very telling. Sometimes more in-depth testing such as blood and urine tests or X-rays can help establish a diagnosis. Cats are very stoic and are good at hiding the signs of underlying problems, especially of pain. Regular exams allow us to ask questions about your cat’s habits, behavior and current activities that may shed light on potential concerns.
Even if your cat is young and healthy, regularly scheduled exams provide us with a "baseline" for comparison in the future should there be any medical problems. If we find subtle changes, we may recommend testing now or recommend specific monitoring at future visits.
Given that cats age more rapidly than humans, twice a year visits really aren’t excessive. In fact, they may help us to detect problems early, before they become advanced.
These days, thanks to good lifestyles and early detection of the subtle signs of sickness, 15 is the new 10 for cats, just like 50 is the new 40 for their human friends. Check out Healthy Cats For Life for more info.
The Feline Age Chart
Adapted from Metzger FL, Senior and Geriatric Care Programs for Veterinarians in Vet Clin Small Anim 35 (2005) 743-753.
| Age | Relative Age* | Senior | Geriatric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 40 | ||
| 7 | 44 | ||
| 8 | 48 | ||
| 9 | 52 | ✔ | |
| 10 | 56 | ✔ | |
| 11 | 60 | ✔ | |
| 12 | 64 | ✔ | |
| 13 | 68 | ✔ | |
| 14 | 72 | ✔ | |
| 15 | 76 | ✔ | |
| 16 | 80 | ✔ | |
| 17 | 84 | ✔ | |
| 18 | 88 | ✔ | |
| 19 | 92 | ✔ | |
| 20 | 96 | ✔ |
* Relative age in human years
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- liver fluid
- lost cat
- lung damage
- lung disease
- lung flukes
- lungworms
- lyme disease
- lymphoma
- mayo clinic
- meals
- measuring food
- medical costs
- medicare
- medicating
- medication
- medications
- menthol
- Meows
- metabolism
- Methylprednisolone
- methylzanthine
- mice
- microchip
- microchipping
- microchips
- microscopic
- microscopic evaluation
- minerals
- mint
- mistletoe
- moderation
- mosquitoes
- mother'sday
- motion sickness
- mousers
- mouth
- mouth odor
- mouth pain
- muffin pans
- murmur
- nail trimming
- narcotic
- nasal
- National Take Your Cat to the Veterinarian week
- natural disaster
- nausea
- needle
- needy
- neoplasia
- neurological
- neuter
- neutering
- new cat
- new veterinarian
- nicotine
- nih
- nose
- nutrients
- nutrition
- obesity
- odontoclastic resorptive lesions
- odor
- old
- old wives tales
- older
- oncologist
- or biting themselves
- oral cancer
- oral hygiene
- oral mass
- oral surgery
- oral tumor
- oregano
- ornaments
- osteoporosis
- outdoor water
- over heating
- overgrooming
- overweight
- pain
- pain medication
- pancreas disease
- Pancreas failure
- pancreatitis
- Panleukopenia
- panthers
- parasite
- parasites
- party
- pathologist
- pathology
- pee
- perches
- peridontal disease
- pet pillers
- petting
- petting induced agression
- phermonic receptor
- pheromone
- Phoradendum
- physical health
- pill pockets
- Pine needles
- pinna
- plants
- plastic bag chewers
- play
- poison
- poisonous plants
- pollens
- poop
- potting soil
- predator
- prednisolone
- primary heart muscle
- protein
- pseudocapsicum
- psychology
- purebred
- puritan
- purring
- purrito
- purrs
- rabid
- rabies
- radiation
- radiation therapy
- radiographs
- rats
- relations
- relaxation
- repositol
- rescue
- respiratory disease
- respiratory sounds
- restrain
- resulting in hair loss
- retrovirus
- reward
- ribbons
- Rickets
- rivalry
- rodents
- rolling around
- rough
- roundworms
- rub
- rubbing
- safety
- saliva
- satanism
- Savannah Cat
- scared
- scents
- scratching
- scream
- screaming at night
- scruffing
- sea
- sedation
- senile
- senior
- shedding
- shelter cats
- shiny coat
- shy
- siblings
- skin
- skin disease
- sleep
- sleeping
- slugs
- smell
- smoking
- snails
- sneeze
- sneezing
- social groups
- social interactions
- socialization
- socializing
- Solanum
- sound waves
- spay
- spaying
- spiders
- sprint
- steps
- steroids
- stiff
- stomach disease
- stomach upset
- stool
- stray
- stress
- string and ribbon eaters
- Styrofoam peanut chompers
- Subcutaneous Fluids
- sudden death
- sugar
- super nose
- superstitions
- surgery
- surroundings
- sweets
- swelling face
- swollen legs
- syringe
- tapeworms
- taste
- taste buds
- teeth
- teeth removal
- temperature
- Theobromine
- third eye lid
- thyroid
- ticks
- tigers
- timid
- tinsel
- tissue
- tobacco
- toilet paper
- tongue
- tooth resorption
- toxic
- toxic plants
- toxins
- toxo eggs
- toxoplasma
- Toxoplasma gondii
- toxoplasmosis
- toys
- transdermal cream
- transducer
- transportation
- traumatized
- travel
- treats
- tree
- triamcinolone
- trouble breathing
- tumors
- ulcerated
- ultrasound
- uncomfortable
- unravel
- urinalysis
- urinary
- urinary disorders
- urinary tract
- urinating
- urination
- urine
- vaccinations
- vaccines
- valvular diseases
- vestibular apparatus
- veterinary
- veterinary behaviorist
- virus
- Viscum
- Vitamin D
- vitamins
- vocalizing
- voles
- vomeronasal
- vomeronasal organ
- vomit
- vomiting
- water
- water fountain
- weight
- weight control
- weight loss
- well being
- wet food
- what cat's like
- wheezing
- wipes
- witches
- worms
- wrapping
- x-rays
- xray
- yells
- younger