The rib test

We have all seen stray cats who looked pitiful with their ribs protruding, and our instinct is to bring them home and fatten them up. In a c...

The sweet sickness

Greece and Rome spoke of the “sweet sickness,” a disease we know as diabetes. It occurs not only among humans but cats as well, generally c...

Shutting down the immune system

Yes, cats do get a form of AIDS. It’s caused by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and it’s closely related to the human AIDS virus. A...

The pill obsession

pet owners impose this obsession onto their animal companions, assuming the pet just can’t get by without some sort of pill or liquid suppl...

Nonwhites of the eyes

eyes will become yellow. If the cat is jaundiced, it is probably experiencing various other symptoms of liver disease , such as vomiting, d...

Do cats like booze?

dog . The truth is that both cats and dogs show a lot more good sense than humans about intoxicating beverages. And besides, could a cat find...

Just say no (to aspirin)

We humans are accustomed to popping an aspirin (or some other over-the-counter pain reliever) for various aches and pains, and some cat owne...