What should I feed my Cat?
Posted under: 
We always get dietary questions. One of the most common is “Does dry food make cats fat?” “Is canned food better for cats than dry?” With everything about diet, there is never a simple answer.
Dry food has the advantage for those of us that live with cats that it has preservative and can be left out without fear of spoilage. Canned food on the other hand does not have preservative and does not do well once the can is opened. One of the basic facts is that canned food is calorically harder to over feed than dry food. Most cats need between 200 and 250 kcal/day. Most 5.5 oz cans of cat food have 195 kcals.
Many dry foods have upwards of 550 kcal/cup. A 1/2 cup of food looks like very little to most people’s eye. Dry is extremely easy to overfeed. Cats like the texture and taste so they will eat whatever is put in front of them. Getting twice you daily caloric need is an easy way to gain weight.
Cats naturally spend a lot of energy to get their calories. Mouse has about 50 kcals and cats eat anywhere from 4-5/day. It takes a cat about 5 tries to catch a mouse. Once they do, nap time. The process starts again. Pretty exciting life don’t you agree?
Now lets go inside to a cozy apartment. There is an over abundance of food and no work or stimulation to acquire it. Makes for a great recipe to gain weight. There are certainly other differences between canned and dry, but I am only looking at the caloric aspect at this point.
Whatever method of feeding you choose, remember the calorie count. Try to get your cat 5 or more small meals per day. Technology and automatic feeders can be your best friend. If you choose to feed dry, use a measuring cup. If canned is easier, you may want to consider a feeder so that your cat can get a mid day meal.
One very important criterion is to monitor you cat’s progress. Be sure and ask you veterinarian for more details and help for your cat’s specific nutritional needs.
10 Things Your Cat Wants You to Know
- I like fleece more than any other bedding material. And there is research to prove that cats prefer fleece over towels and other bedding material.
- Even if I hate the other cats in our home, I usually won’t get into a cat fight with them. Instead I will try to avoid them, even if it means that I need to pee on the carpet instead of passing them to get to the litter box. That’s because I need to keep myself protected and healthy just as my wild ancestors did because I am a great hunter.
- If I pee on your carpet, clothes, or bed, please, please, please don’t get rid of me at least until you have taken me to the vet to make sure I am not sick. If I am not sick, please talk to a vet who knows a lot about cat behavior or a behaviorist about what kind of litter and litter boxes I want, and how to give me space away from that other cat you love and I hate, or whatever else is upsetting me.
- If I am like most cats, I get bored and pudgy (58% of cats in the US are overweight or obese!) if I don’t work for my food. I am a great hunter, and I like to chase my kibbles, find hidden kibbles, and eat canned food. You might think canned food is like a treat, but it really is closer to what my wild ancestors ate (I am trying not to gross you out, but that is mice), and is much lower in calories because it is 70-80% water. I may act like I want to eat all the time, but that is because in the wild, I spent most of my time hunting and a much smaller time eating. If you take my hunting away – chasing food, finding it in hidden places, frequent and small meals a day – I eat more, and I may beg for more, but really I want more hunt, which can also be called play. Please don’t make me pudgy – you may think I look cute, but it makes me sluggish, and I don’t want to be diabetic. There has been a 16% increase in diabetes in cats between 2006 and 2010 because we have become so pudgy. Cat vets – and many others – know about safe weight loss (losing weight quickly can make cats so sick that it can be deadly). Please help me!
- If I lick to groom another cat or they lick me, or if we cuddle or sleep together, we are bonded and like each other. However, even best buds nead their space, and approximately 50% of the time, I like to be alone. And I often don’t want to sleep with my buddy in the hot summer – yuck! One fur coat is enough!
- I absolutely hate it when you say I am old! There are people who are healthy in mind and body into the 90s and 100s even! If I am slowing down, I am in pain from arthritis or something else, or I am sick. Please take me to the vet no matter how hard I resist. And if they can’t help, find a vet that can!
- My favorite toy is a USED hair ‘scrunchy’ or pony tail holder. Don’t worry if you are a guy, bald, or with very short hair. Just rub it on your head and get your scent on it and voila – it is a used scrunchy! Please note that if I like to eat things other than food that the scrunchy should be tied onto a string and only used when you help me play with it.
- I don’t cough up hairballs on a routine basis – see Why does my Cat Vomit? and Hairballs. It may happen once a month or two (don’t laugh, my hairless Sphynx friends!), but more frequently than that and there is something wrong. If it is right after eating, I eat too fast, and all you need to do is spread my food out on a flat plate so that I don’t mow it down too fast. But if I continue or it isn’t related to that, it’s likely that I have a health problem, and need a vet to help.
- As a cat, I am supposed to appear healthy to protect myself from dangers, including bigger hunters than me. So even though I act like I don’t want to go to the vet, it is because I hate change – unless I instigate it! – and I am scared (and I may act tough because I don’t want anyone else to know it!). I want to be with you forever or at least as long as possible and always be comfortable and happy, so please take me to the vet to learn how to prevent the health problems that I don’t need to have including those awful bugs and worms, and to control health problems that I may get, and make sure I am never in pain. I am purrfect and don’t deserve to ever be in pain.
- I love you when you do what I love, and because you are awesome!
The SKINNY on FATTENING Food
Obesity is the most common health problem in our pet cats. One of the reasons is the TYPE of food being fed, not necessarily the number of calories. Cats are desert creatures and are true carnivores. In nature, cats eat mice, birds, reptiles, and bugs to build a healthy diet. Dogs and people are omnivores, meat and plant eaters.
Cats are unable to properly digest carbohydrates. Most dry foods have high carbohydrate levels due to the grain that is required to form the product.
A young healthy cat should be eating a diet similar to his wild cousins – one that is high in protein, high in fats, and low in carbohydrates. A mouse is composed of about 40-45% protein, 40-45% fat, and only 3-5% carbohydrates.
High carbohydrate diets may cause obesity and health problems.
Carbohydrates cause overproduction of insulin, increased hunger, and weight gain. There are health concerns related to this weight gain, not the least of which is diabetes. A cat with a high carbohydrate diet often has a flakey coat (some owners think this is dandruff) or some may be greasy. Overweight cats often are not able to groom as well, sometimes culminating in poor bathroom grooming behaviors. Weight can affect your cat’s joints causing them to forgo jumping, or they may be less willing to play. It is not uncommon to have an obese cat newly diagnosed with diabetes who can be converted to a non-diabetic state just by altering the diet. The key is to significantly decrease the carbohydrate content in their diet and begin a slow weight loss program.
Cats are desert creatures and in nature derive a large portion of their water from the food they eat.
Canned food has a much higher water content than dry food. Cats should be encouraged to drink fresh water daily, with the use of kitty fountains or running water taps, to properly dilute their urine.
There is little evidence to suggest that dry food plays a significant role in maintaining oral health.
The research suggesting that dry food is better for oral health was done on dogs, not cats. A cat’s jaw does not go side-to-side as a person’s would, so there can be no true chewing. Cats use their teeth in the wild to catch and tear their food, and in the process mechanically clean their teeth. The food pieces are then swallowed whole. Commercial dry kibble is throat sized, so our domestic cats have little opportunity to rip and tear into their food!
Canned foods have much lower levels of carbohydrates because they lack the grain needed to process the dry kibble. There are many good commercial brands of canned foods available. If your cat does not like canned food, there are a few brands of dry kibble that are lower in carbohydrates.
During your cat’s physical exam pre-existing medical conditions, sex, breed, and age are evaluated to allow us to make specific diet recommendations for your cat.
MYTH BUSTERS – Canned food is NOT fattening. Most brands of dry kibble do NOT help the teeth.
To Feed or Not To Feed – Canned Food – That is the Question!
Part 1: A Hefty Debate
Last year, a study including 450,000 cats was released called “State of Pet Health 2011 Report”. In that study, obesity ranked in the top three diagnoses for cats. The study also found that the incidence of diabetes in cats over the last five years has increased by 16% – not surprisingly, the two are related. They are both related to diet, as are several other medical issues we see in cats. This makes a cat’s diet one of the most important parts of good preventive health.
Over the past few decades, with increasing vigor, veterinarians and animal nutritionists have been debating the merits of dry foods (kibble) versus canned foods. One downside to feeding dry foods is that even though all commercially available diets are formulated to meet certain nutritional standards, dry food is quite the opposite of what cats naturally need. (Click here for more on feline obesity and diet from Dr. Lund.) The best way to encourage weight loss in a cat is to minimize the dry food and feed most calories as canned foods. Two recent studies were released this year demonstrated that the addition of water to similar diets resulted in weight reduction and increased activity1, 2
The bottom line: Canned food is more like a cat’s natural diet in consistency, nutritional content and caloric density. Canned food will help your cat lose weight and keep it off. And most cats just plain like canned foods better!
Part 2: The Tooth of the Matter
In the past, many veterinarians made the recommendation to switch from feeding canned diets to feeding dry kibble for the sake of cats’ dental health; a canned-food-only diet was the prime suspect for the poor dental hygiene seen in the majority of cats. In 2011, in the “State of Pet Health 2011 Report”, the number of cats with dental disease surpassed the number of healthy cats seen after age 3 (over 50% of cats!), making it the most common feline disease.
The reality of feline dental disease is that genetics has a large part to play in your cat’s oral health, just as it does in humans. While canned food really does not help eliminate plaque and tartar, neither do many of the commercially available dry foods, either! Most of the commercially available dry diets have kibbles that are small enough that cats will gulp them down whole. More recent research has shown that in order for a dry food to help with dental care, a larger-sized kibble, typical in special diets designed specifically for oral health, is required3. Larger kibbles allow for more tooth penetration and “scraping” of the tooth. Some of these special diets also have anti-plaque additives that help. Some diets advertise anti-calculus agents, too, but these do not seem to help. Once the plaque has hardened, it seems a professional dental cleaning is the best way to get the teeth clean again.
If you try out a dental diet, you will notice that your cats are significantly noisier when they eat – suddenly, you will be able to hear the crispy crunching sound of food being chewed, when before, the only dinnertime sound was the tink-tink-tink of kibbles being pushed around in the bowl.
The bottom line: Canned food is not your cat’s oral enemy, and not just any dry food will help keep their teeth healthy. A combination of special dental-focused diets and annual oral exams by your veterinarian are the best team for cats’ teeth.
Part 3: Litter-ally a Matter of Concentration
If you consider the cat’s natural diet, a rodent is about 70-78% water. Dry food contains about 10% water. Cats are descended from desert animals, so their instinct is to take in water from their prey versus looking for water sources. While a cat will noticeably drink more water when feeding a dry food versus a canned food, they never drink enough to compensate for the lack of moisture in their food, and will exist in a perpetual state of mild dehydration. In fact, their water intake is about ½ that of a cat that eats canned food, even if you have a cat fountain, give your kitty a “princess cup”, put ice in the water bowl, or let your cat drink from the faucet.
Mild dehydration, while not life threatening on its own, does mean that cats produce less urine than if they are well-hydrated, and that urine is more concentrated. Overly concentrated urine has been linked to urinary issues such as bladder stones or urinary crystals. Urine concentration is a measurement of how much “stuff” is in the bladder. The more “stuff” there is floating around in there, the more likely it is to stick together. The more it sticks together, the bigger it gets, until it starts to irritate the lining of the bladder as it sloshes around. Blood may or may not be visible in the urine. This irritation makes urinating an unpleasant event and may cause your cat to choose to eliminate somewhere other than the litterbox. (More information about litterbox issues from Dr. Colleran.) If the “stuff” gets too big, it may even cause a blockage in the urethra, which can become an emergency very quickly.
The bottom line: More water is better for your cat’s urinary health, and the best place to get it is from a canned diet.
1. Cameron KM, Morris PJ, Hackett RM, Speakman JR. The effects of increasing water content to reduce the energy density of the diet on body mass changes following caloric restriction in domestic cats. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). Jun 2011;95(3):399-408.
2. Wei A, Fascetti AJ, Villaverde C, Wong RK, Ramsey JJ. Effect of water content in a canned food on voluntary food intake and body weight in cats. Am J Vet Res. Jul 2011;72(7):918-923.
3. Clarke, DE, et al. Effect of Kibble Size, Shape and Additives on Plaque in Cats. J. Vet. Dent. Summer 2010; 27(2): 84-89
My Fat Cat Won’t Leave My Other Cat’s Food Alone!
Isn’t it frustrating to be on a diet and go out with your friends and everyone is pigging out on French fries and pizza except for you? There you are with a salad, dressing on the side of course. It’s completely human to swipe a fry, mooch a slice, and then feel bad afterwards.
But the dieting cat….they really don’t care what they look like, and lack even an ounce of self control. If you have two or three cats, and one is battling the bulge but his pals are lean and sleek, it can be frustrating to find a way to limit portions or prevent the big guy from crowding the other cats out of the communal bowl.
How do you help a weight-challenged feline but still make sure the rest of the gang is staying happy and getting the food they need?
This is where it helps to be creative. Most of our bigger cats are less than athletic—they simply can’t jump as high as their more slender housemates. Some of these heavy cats can weigh more than twice as much as their fashion-model friends. Putting food bowls for the lighter cats up high where the big guy can’t reach is an easy way to limit his access to the forbidden calories.
Another trick that can work is to build a box with an entrance hole that is only big enough to allow the smaller cats to get inside. This gives those cats a place where they can eat peacefully without getting their food devoured by their big brother. I’ve also seen some ingenious cat owners devise systems with gates that will keep out any cat who is not wearing a special electronic activating collar that allows access into the dining room.
Of course, you can always feed each cat individually by locking them into separate rooms during feeding times. With this system, though, food cannot be left out for nibbles.
One cautionary tale: Tank’s owners used the high counter approach to whittle off nearly 10 pounds from their chunky boy. Unfortunately, as all failed dieters know, it is easy to gain the wait back. Tank lost enough weight that he was able to jump up to those counters (and the forbidden food) and he just didn’t have the self control to limit his calories. Happily, the electronic collar/door system solved this dilemma!
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!
Categories
- Behavior (11)
- Personal Opinion (32)
- Tips & Advice (120)
ALL TAGS
- abdomen
- abdominal pain
- abdominal region
- abdominal ultrasound
- abscessed teeth
- acquired diseases
- activity
- adopt a cat month
- adoption
- adrenal gland disease
- adrenaline
- aggression
- aggressive
- aging
- agression
- agressive
- aids
- air
- allergic
- allergies
- allergy
- allergy test
- allorubbing
- amaryllis bulbs
- amygdala
- anabolic
- anemia
- anesthesia
- Animal Poison Control
- Anti-histamines
- antibiotics
- antihistamines
- appetite
- arthritis
- aspirin
- asthma
- attention
- bacteria
- barking
- Bartonella hensalae
- bartonella infection
- basil
- bats
- bed bugs
- behavior
- behavior problems
- bile
- biopsy
- black cat
- bladder crystals
- bladder disease
- bladder infection
- bladder stones
- blader stones
- blood
- blood flow
- blood pressure
- blood sugar
- blood test
- blood tests
- bloodwork
- blueberries
- boarding
- bob cat fever
- bone
- bone dysplasias
- bored
- brain tumor
- breathing problems
- brushing
- budesonide
- bugs
- bunting
- burns
- Calcium deficiency
- calm
- calories
- cancer
- candles
- canine parovirus
- canned food
- car
- car sickness
- carbohydrate-free
- carbohydrates
- carbs
- cardiac ultrasound
- cardiologist
- cardiology
- cardiomyopathy
- carnivores
- carpet
- carrier
- carriers
- cat
- cat allergy
- cat brushing teeth
- cat carrier
- cat collars
- cat dental care
- cat dental work
- cat dog household
- cat food
- cat friendly carrier
- cat oral pain
- cat owners
- cat scratch fever
- cat sitter
- cat teeth
- cat tower
- cat trees
- cat vomit
- catmint
- catnip
- catnip oil
- cats
- cats mouth pain
- cavities
- cdc
- chemotherapy
- chew tablets
- chirps
- choking
- christmas
- Christmas cactus
- chronic pain
- chronic rhinitis
- clients
- clinic
- coat
- cochlea
- cockroaches
- colonies
- congenital defects
- congestive heart failure
- constipation
- contamination
- cooling
- cords
- cornea
- corrosive
- Corticosteroids
- couching
- coughing
- cranberries
- crayfish
- crickets
- ct scan
- cuddle
- curiosity
- cyclosporine
- cytauxzoon felis
- damaged irritated skin
- dandruff
- decreased appetite
- defacation
- defecates
- defecation
- dehydration
- dementia
- Demodex mites
- dental
- dental disease
- dental health
- depression
- desensitizing injections
- development
- devils
- dewormers
- dexamethasone
- diabetes
- diabetic
- diaddhea
- diarrhea
- diet
- dietary deficiencies
- dilated pupils
- dinner plate
- dirt
- diseases
- dog
- dog owners
- dogs
- Domestic Wild Cat Hybrids
- dos and don'ts
- Dr Yolken
- drinking
- drip set
- drool
- drooling
- drugs
- dry food
- dry food vs wet food
- dust mites
- ear canal
- eardrum
- ears
- earthworms
- eating
- eating less
- ecgs
- egypt
- ehrlichia
- elderly
- elevated heart rate
- enclosures
- enlarged heart
- environment
- euthanize
- examinations
- excessive licking
- exercise
- expense
- extractions
- eye discoloration
- eyes
- F2 Savannah Cat
- familiar environments
- fangs
- fast eating
- fat
- fats
- fatty acid supplements
- feeding tube
- feline hearing
- feline immunodeficiency virus
- Feline Infectious Peritonitis
- feline leukemia virus
- fever
- fiber
- fight
- fip
- first response
- fish oil
- fiv
- flea bites
- flea control
- flea medications
- fleas
- fleece blanket
- flies
- flowers
- fluid
- fluid bag
- fluids
- flv
- food
- food allergies
- food poisoning
- found cat
- freeze dried meet
- freightened
- frequency
- friends
- frightened
- fungal infections
- fur loss
- furballs
- gall bladder
- gastrointestinal
- gastrointestinal irritation
- gastrointestinal tract
- gi tract
- giardia
- gift
- gingivitis
- glucose
- grain-free
- grains
- green
- groom
- grooming
- growls
- grroming
- gums
- hacking
- hair balls
- hair follicles
- hair loss
- hairballs
- hallucinatory
- happy
- head butt
- headbutt
- health
- heart
- heart beat
- heart disease
- heart failure
- heart murmur
- heartworm
- heartworms
- heating
- Hemerocalis
- hepafilter
- herb
- herbivores
- hide
- hiding
- high blood pressure
- hisses
- histopathology
- history
- holiday
- holiday dangers
- holidays
- hookworms
- hormonal problems
- hormones
- household
- how to train a kitten
- hungry
- hunting
- hydration
- hyperthyroidism
- hypoallergenic foods
- ibd
- icicle
- id tags
- illness
- immune mediated disorders
- immune system
- immunizations
- immunologic response
- immunosuppression
- increased appetite
- indoor cats
- infected
- infection
- infectious stomatitis
- inflamed
- inflammation
- inflammatory bowel disease
- inflammatory bowel diseases
- injections
- insects
- instincts
- insulin
- interactive
- internal organs
- intestinal
- intestinal parasites
- intestinal tract
- intestine disease
- irritating
- itching
- itchy
- itchy eyes
- Jerusalem cherry
- Johns Hopkins University
- joints
- kibble
- kidney
- kidney disease
- kitten
- kittens
- kneading
- land
- laryngeal muscles
- leading to scratching
- lethargic
- lethargy
- lick
- licking
- lifestyle
- lilies
- Lilium family
- lily
- lions
- liquid medication
- liquid potpourri
- litter
- litter box
- litter training
- litterbox
- littermates
- liver disease
- 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