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Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder affecting the thyroid gland of older cats, characterized classically by elevated total thyroxine (T4) above the reference range of 20-40 nmol/L. Iodine content of the diet has been suggested as a likely etiologic factor in feline hyperthyroidism[1]. It is uncommon to see hyperthyroidism in cats under 10 years of age, and […]
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Genetic diseases of cats
Sensory disorders – Dermoids (Epibular) – Coloboma – Heterochromia – odd-colored eyes – Congenital lens anomalies – cataracts – Strabismus – cross-eyed and squints – Staphyloma, exophthalmos, microphthalmos Skin disorders – Long hair – Rex coat – Congenital hypotrichosis – Follicular dysplasia – Hair dysplasia – Pili torti – Hereditary epidermolysis bullosa – Cutaneous asthenia – Urticaria pigmentosa – Genetic abnormalities in melanin pigmentation – Vitiligo – Waardenburg syndrome – Piebaldism – Oculocutaneous albinism – Chediak-Higashi syndrome – Lentigines […]
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Parasites
The term parasitism may be defined as a two-species association in which one species, the parasite, lives on or in a second species, the host, for a significant period of its life and obtains nourishment from it. However, there are members of the scientific community who designate all infectious agents of animals as parasites including viruses, protozoa, bacteria and fungi as […]
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Feline Nutrition
It is an erroneous and simplistic statement to declare that cats live longer in the 21st century than cats in previous centuries solely because of improved nutrition. In parallel to Western-society’s slow loss of life quality in association with adopting a ‘fast-food’ mentality, the argument that cats are showing an equal decline in life quality […]
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Olfaction
Although cats have less sensitivity to smells than a dog, whose is renowned for his olfactory prowess, a cat’s olfactory skills far exceed humans. Specific odours are attractive to cats, particularly mineral odours (bleach), catnip, olive wood, valerian, asparagus, mint, papyrus, cloves, mimosa, pheromones, and meats (including viscera such as liver). A large majority of feline […]
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Cats Taste
Hunger and a sense of taste drive animals to search for food. In cats, a sense of taste has been documented as early as 5 days prior to birth. With the exception that cats are unable to taste sweet stimuli due to the absence of a gene encoding for sweet receptors (Tas 1r2), their motivation […]