Feline Forum

Feline Forum

The Wellness Exam

Taking your favorite feline in for his or her twice yearly exam is an important must-do event. To help you make sure the exam is the most productive it can be, here are a few things you may want to make note of as you prepare for the visit:

Ø Has your kitty’s behavior changed? Has he been less or more active than usual?

Ø Has your cat been vomiting or throwing up hairballs?

Ø Do you notice him coughing or sneezing? Is there nasal discharge?

Ø Has our cat’s appetite increased or decreased since the last visit?

Ø Does your kitty drink more or less water than she has in the past?

Ø Is your cat urinating or defecating more than usual? Is she having problems with diarrhea? Do you notice him having difficulty when going to the bathroom?

Ø Have you felt or seen any lumps or bumps?

If you notice that your kitty is exhibiting any of these signs for an extended period of time between regular visits, make sure to contact your veterinarian to schedule an exam right away.

How to Give Your Cat a Pill

Ø Kneel on the floor and sit your cat down facing away form you with her back and rump close to you.

Ø Gripping your cat’s upper jaw behind the fangs, tilt her head back so that she is looking at the ceiling. It may be necessary to use a little pressure to open her lower jaw, but once she is looking at the ceiling, the lower jaw will drop open. Rest the heel of your hand on her “forehead,” and with your other hand, drop the tablet on top of her tongue as far back as you can without forcing it down.

Ø Close your cat’s mouth and stroke her throat a few times. When she licks her lips, you know the pill has gone down.

Ø Always follow-up with a quick bit of food or a squirt of water into the mouth to make sure the pill doesn’t get stuck in the esophagus.

For a online video instruction, see www.felinevidios.vet .cornell.edu

When your Kitty’s Breath Stinks

If your favorite feline has “morning breath” well into the night, don’t ignore it. What you smell could be signaling a serious health problem.

Ninety percent of the time, bad breath in cats signals a dental problem. Cats get gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums caused by plaque and tartar build-up on the surface of the teeth. One indicator of gingivitis is bad breath, and having your kitty’s teeth cleaned can easily remedy the problem. When signs of gingivitis (red, bleeding gums and bad breath} are ignored, your cat is at risk of developing a more serious oral health problem.

Periodontitis, which results from gingivitis that has been neglected, affects the structures supporting the teeth. If your cat shows any of the signs of gingivitis, combined with an unwillingness to eat, the gingivitis may have advanced to peridontitis, which makes it painful and uncomfortable to chew food.

Another complication of untreated mouth ailments is stomatitis, inflammation of the entire mouth. By this point, there may be large painful sores in your cat’s mouth and she is likely not eating. Because currently there is no good treatment for it, sometime the only remedy is to extract the teeth. Early diagnosis and treatment of dental disease is the best way to keep morning breath away.