Library
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Alveolar osteitis, also called expansile osteitis, is a relatively common condition that results from chronic periodontal disease in cats. It is painful and can interfere with grooming and eating. If this disorder is detected early, it may be possible to treat the disease without tooth extraction by performing thorough periodontal therapy (dental cleaning and scaling).
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Feline calicivirus is a virus that is an important cause of upper respiratory infections and oral disease in cats. The typical clinical signs of an upper respiratory infection involve the nose and throat such as sneezing, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis, and discharge from the nose or eyes. Calicivirus is highly contagious and infected cats can shed the virus in saliva or secretions from the nose or eyes. The standard core vaccines that are given to cats include immunization against calicivirus and will help reduce the severity of disease and shorten the length of the illness if your cat is exposed.
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Demodicosis is a parasitic skin condition caused by Demodex mites. These microscopic mites can be found on the skin of all animals but, in some cases, they multiply to excessive levels and cause clinical signs. Signs vary depending on the species of mite involved, though generally involve hair loss, skin inflammation, and crusting. Demodex mites found on cats and dogs do not spread to humans.
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Eosinophilic granuloma complex is a term used to describe three forms of skin lesions in cats: 1) eosinophilic plaque, 2) eosinophilic granuloma and 3) indolent ulcers. These lesions have a characteristic microscopic appearance due to the presence of eosinophils, which are a form of inflammatory cell. The term is descriptive, referring to the microscopic appearance of the lesion.
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Feline Hemotrophic Mycoplasmosis (FHM) is the current name for a relatively uncommon infection of cats. With this disease, the cat's red blood cells are infected by a microscopic blood parasite. The subsequent destruction of the infected red blood cells results in anemia. Anemia is a medical term referring to a reduction in the numbers of red blood cells (erythrocytes) or in the quantity of the blood pigment hemoglobin, which carries oxygen.
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Feline herpes viral conjunctivitis is a form of primary conjunctivitis caused by the highly infectious feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), which is the most common cause of conjunctivitis in cats. This handout outlines the clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for affected cats.
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Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) includes a set of clinical signs associated with abnormal urination and is the diagnosis when there is no identifiable cause of the clinical signs. Cats often suffer waxing and waning of symptoms such as straining to urinate, blood in urine, and inappropriate urination. Treatment and prognosis are discussed.
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This handout provides information on Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in cats. Included is information on how the disease is transmitted, the clinical signs, the recommendations for isolation of the infected cats, and potential treatment guidelines should your cat be infected with this virus.
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Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is an important disease of domestic cats and most members of the cat family (Felidae). It occurs worldwide in cats of all ages, but the disease is most common in young cats less than two years of age. Although FIP is not a particularly common disease, it is important because once a cat develops the disease, the outcome is almost invariably fatal.
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FIP is one of the most challenging diseases to diagnose because feline coronaviruses are commonly found in the intestinal tract of many healthy cats. When this virus mutates or changes, clinical disease occurs. Unfortunately, routine blood testing for feline coronavirus is not clinically useful. Instead, testing is restricted to those cats in which a diagnosis of FIP is strongly suspected due to clinical signs and other supportive laboratory data. Histopathology remains the best way to diagnose FIP in the living cat.