Category Archives: Cats

As many of my readers know, I raise foster kittens. Having them is a delight, but also a responsibility. I enjoy every minute I can spend watching them cavort about in my spare room, but I know my job is to raise them to be good pets in their forever homes. I take having the kittens — right down to their toenails — very seriously. This blogpost details my approach to kitten toenail management.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common disorders of cats and a common cause of mortality in older cats. Veterinarians don’t know what causes chronic kidney disease, but we know feeding a special diet helps cats with CKD maintain quality of life. In cats with CKD, kidney diets have been shown to be superior to regular adult cat food in limiting episodes of illness and death related to chronic kidney disease. Today’s blogpost will focus on the benefits of feeding your cat a kidney diet when they have a CKD diagnosis.

A cat loving client of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is fostering a young male cat. In preparing for his neuter surgery, she found out the cat has a retained testicle and will require additional testing to determine where the testicle is and how best to approach the neuter surgery. The medical term for retained testicles is cryptorchidism, with the root, orchid coming from the Greek for testicle or órkhis. I’ll discuss this uncommon condition in today’s blogpost.

November is American Diabetes Month. While exact data is not available, diabetes is probably the second most common hormone disorder in cats, after hyperthyroidism. Approximately 0.08–1.24% of cats develop diabetes. Today’s blog focuses on prevention, remission and new treatments for feline diabetes.

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), of which AMC is a member, maintains guidelines for the life stages of cats in conjunction with the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). These purr-fectly tailored guidelines help veterinary professionals make recommendations for wellness care for cats of different life stages. The guidelines address four feline age groups: kittens (birth to 1 year of age), young adult (1-6 years of age), mature (7-10 years of age) and senior cats (> 10 years of age). In today’s blogpost, I’ll discuss the nuances of veterinary care for each of these age groups and the one thing all cat owners should do to ensure the health and vitality of their feline friends.