Cat disease

Hairballs

Hairballs are not among the many endearing qualities of long-haired cats, but they are part of the package. How should you deal with them? Here are some answers.Hairballs, also called trichobezoar or fur balls, develop when a cat grooms herself with her tongue and ingests the hair. This hair forms into a mat or a ball within the digestive system and often leads to gastrointestinal symptoms, especially if it obstructs the pathway of food from the stomach. As it makes its way further into your cat's system, it can cause constipation.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a progressive and ultimately fatal disease of cats caused by a mutated coronavirus.Many cats are infected with a relatively benign form of the coronavirus but only in certain cats will the virus mutate to become pathologic (FIP). So this means that the corona virus in each individual cat can mutate (or not) into the FIP virus. Therefore, FIP is not horizontally transmitted (cat to cat).Previously, it was suggested that cats could transmit the disease to other cats by saliva, urine, and feces. It was also suggested that multi-cat households may increase the risk of disease. Recently, research has suggested that risk of virus transmission from an infected cat to other cats in the household very unlikely. Cats living with an FIP cat will be no more likely to have this mutation in the future than they otherwise would have been not being exposed to the FIP cat.

Cherry Eye in Cats

TreatmentMedical management involves the use of topical anti-inflammatory corticosteroid medications to decrease inflammation of the conjunctiva and the prolapsed gland. Medical management rarely results in return of the gland to a normal position.Surgical replacement of the gland is the recommended treatment. Complete removal of the gland may be performed, but predisposes the cat to a life of dry eye. The gland of the third eyelid is responsible for the production of around 35 percent of the watery tears, so removal of the gland may result in greatly diminished tear production
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There is a 5 to 20 percent recurrence rate depending on the surgical procedure used, the size of the gland at the time of surgery, the duration of the prolapse, and the condition of the cartilage of the third eyelid. In general, if the gland is replaced quickly, is not too swollen or inflamed, and if the cartilage of the third eyelid is not bent, then the success rate is higher for surgical replacement. If only one side had prolapsed and was surgically replaced, continue to monitor the other eye for development of a cherry eye.Administer all medication as directed by your veterinarian and return for follow up as directed by your veterinarian. If the gland stays in place for one month following surgery, then the prognosis is good that it will not reprolapse. If the gland does prolapse again, a second surgical replacement may be attempted, or the gland may be removed.It is necessary to monitor tear production for sometime after the surgery to determine whether it will remain normal. The onset of dry eye may be delayed for months to years following prolapse of the gland. Signs of dry eye include thick, pussy discharge from the eye, redness to the conjunctiva and cloudiness of the cornea.