Allergic reactions to mosquito bites are not unique to cats and occur in all species of mammals. Where there is a history of exposure to mosquitoes, as occurs near water (rivers, lakes, swamps) or if there are water containing vessels surrounding the habitat where the cat resides, then allergic reactions are likely to occur[1]. Generally […]

Skin diseases encompasses a feline medical specialty within itself. Skin conditions are one of the most common presentation in cats and account for up to 20% of causes of presentation to veterinary clinics worldwide[1]. See also Morphological description of skin lesions Note: The term miliary dermatitis is a symptom of disease rather than a diagnosis and further investigation […]

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma goondi, is a gut parasite that can cause systemic disease in cats and is zoonotic to humans. In Australia, the prevalence of Toxoplasma in human females is approximately 35-36% of women of child-bearing age. In most cases, this parasite which lives in the intestines, causes mild diarrhoea. It does not normally warrant consideration except that […]

Are You Delivering and Communicating Value?[1] According to the November 2009 issue of Money magazine, veterinarians were ranked fourth on the list of jobs likely to grow in 10 years in the United States, and pet ownership has increased 17% in the past 10 years. Thanks to recent national surveys, as well as materials made […]

Quality of life (QOL) refers to a standard of physical and social behaviour commensurate to what is expected for a particular cat’s age and social location. QOL embraces the five freedoms that minimizes physical and psychological stress, and is a matter of consideration when euthanasia is being contemplated due to disease, abandonment and possibility of restoring a cat’s physical […]

Recognizing pain is the cornerstone of effective pain management in veterinary practice. Recognizing pain in animals is not intuitive, particularly by individuals unfamiliar with normal behavior for a species or individual. Numerous factors complicate the evaluation of pain in animals. Any pain scale should consider the following characteristics: species, breed, environment and rearing conditions, age, gender, cause […]

The landscape of health care in the United States provides an influential backdrop for consumers of both human and veterinary medical care. Consumers need only to turn on the television, read the newspaper, or search the Internet to find headline stories that reflect an increasingly litigious climate, problems with health care access and affordability for many Americans, […]

Conflict is an intimate facet of life, borne out of a clash between an internal and external reality, and an attempt, either psychologically or physically, to obviate or deny that reality. All conflict hinges on language for its resolution. As Ludwig Wittgenstein once remarked, ‘You cannot enter into any world for which you do not […]

Vomiting is defined as the ejection of food and/or fluid from the digestive tract (mouth, oesophagus, or stomach) and is a common clinical sign in cats. Vomiting in cats is of concern if it occurs more frequently than once every three or four days, contains blood (hematemesis), hair or parasites (esp Ollulanus tricuspis). See Physiology of vomiting Table 1. Antiemetic […]

Atovaquone is a naphthalene compound with proven efficacy against Pneumocystis spp fungi and certain protozoa such as Toxoplasma and haemoplasmas. This drug appears effective against Toxoplasma-induce choroidoretinitis[1]. Recommended doses in cats is 13.3 mg/kg with fatty meal orally every 8 hours for 21 days[2]. It appears superior to imidocarb against haemoplasma parasites. Agaisnt haemoplasmas, it is best used in combination – atovaquone […]