Guide to a Healthy Cat Book

	Preface	ix
Chapter 1	What Is a Healthy Cat?	1
	Characteristics of a Healthy Cat	1
	The Lowdown on Essential Care	2
	The Scoop on Litter Boxes	4
	Keeping Cats Indoors Keeps Them Healthier	7
Chapter 2	Kitten Development	9
	Birth to 1 Month	10
	4 to 6 Weeks	11
	6 to 8 Weeks	12
	8 to 16 Weeks	12
	16 to 28 Weeks	13
	Puberty	13
	6 Months to 1 Year	15
Chapter 3	Feline Mental Health	16
	Keys to Good Feline Mental Health	17
	Signs of Stress	18
	Proper Handling Keeps a Cat Happy	19
	Adding a New Cat	21
	Kitty's Being Mean!	23
	Housesoiling	24
	Turn It Down!	26
Chapter 4	Good Grooming	27
	Start With the Claws	28
	Should You Comb or Should You Brush?	29
	What About a Longhaired Cat?	31
	Mats and Their Problems	32
	Bath Time	34
	Give Up?	35
Chapter 5	The Best Nutrition for Your Cat	38
	Picking the Right Food	39
	Essential Differences in Cats	41
	Viva Variety	42
	Feeding by Life Stage	43
	Drink It Up	44
Chapter 6	How Do I Know if My Cat Is Sick?	46
	Is Your Feline Anorexic?	47
	Does Your Cat Have a Fever?	49
	What to Do When Your Cat Is Acting Funny	51
	Typical Signs of Illness	52
	When to Go to the Emergency Room	53
	Checking Out Your Medicine Cabinet	54
	A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down	57
Chapter 7	How to Choose a Veterinarian	62
	Selection Basics	62
	Feeling Comfortable	65
Chapter 8	Annual Health Care	71
	Did Your Cat Pass His Physical?	71
	Viral Testing	73
	What About Vaccines?	74
	A Cheshire Cat Smile	74
	Parasite Control	77
Chapter 9	Tell Me About Vaccines	81
	How Do Vaccines Work?	81
	What You Should Know About Vaccinating Your Cat	83
	Core Vaccines	85
	Non-Core Vaccines	87
	Kitty Needs Shots	91
	Adverse Responses to Vaccines	92
Chapter 10	Common Surgical Procedures	94
	Tell Me About Declawing	94
	Prevent a Paternity Suit	97
	Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy	99
	Hernias in Cats	101
Chapter 11	Pregnancy and Queening	103
	The Estrous Cycle	103
	The Act	104
	When Your Cat Is Pregnant	105
	The Birth of Kittens	108
	Raising an Orphan	110
Chapter 12	How to Care for a Senior Cat	112
	How Long Will My Cat Live?	112
	Senior Health Care Program	113
	What May Cause Your Kitty's Demise?	114
	Keeping Your Old Friend Comfortable	120
	Knowing When to Let Go	123
Chapter 13	The Respiratory System	125
	Sneezing	126
	Cats Do Catch Colds	127
	Could Your Cat Have Asthma?	131
	Pneumonia	133
Chapter 14	The Gastrointestinal System	135
	It All Starts in the Mouth	135
	Kitty's Going to Be Sick	137
	Getting to the Box	140
	Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)	142
	What Is Helicobacter?	143
	Intestinal Cancer	143
	When Kitty Is Constipated	143
	Is Your Cat Turning Yellow?	145
	Pancreatitis	147
	The End of the Line--Anal Gland Problems	148
Chapter 15	Skin and Dermatology	149
	Itchy Kitty	149
	Kitty Is Bald!	153
	Zitty Kitty	153
	Ringworm Is Not a Worm	154
	Looking Mitey Mangy	156
	Insect and Spider Bites	158
	Other Ear Problems	158
	Cats Can Get Skin Cancer	159
	Infections and Abscesses	160
Chapter 16	The Cardiovascular System	161
	How the Heart and the Circulatory System Work	161
	Blood and Bleeding	162
	If Your Cat Is Anemic	164
	Born With a Bad Heart	166
	Leaky Valves	166
	How the Heart Is Evaluated	167
	Treating Congenital Heart Disease	168
	Heart Muscle Disease	168
	High Blood Pressure	169
	Feline Heartworm Disease	170
Chapter 17	The Musculoskeletal System	172
	It's Hard to Get Up in the Morning	173
	It's Broken	176
	Sprains and Strains	177
	Do Cats Get Cruciate Injuries?	178
	Born With Unique Bones	178
	Surgery for Bone Deformities	180
Chapter 18	The Endocrine System	181
	If Your Cat Has a Hyper Thyroid	181
	Feline Diabetes	185
	Uterine Infections	187
	Cats Can Get Breast Cancer	188
	Adrenal Gland Disease	189
Chapter 19	The Nervous System and the Senses	190
	The Eyes See You	191
	The Ears Hear You	194
	Kitties and Convulsions	195
	Born With Neurologic Problems	197
	Cats With Bad Backs	198
	Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome	200
Chapter 20	The Urinary Tract	201
	Lower Urinary Tract Disease	202
	Kitty Can't Pee!	204
	Stones in the System	206
	What About Diet?	208
	Kitty's Kidneys	209
Chapter 21	The Dreaded Viruses	214
	Feline Leukemia Virus	214
	Feline Immunodeficiency Virus	216
	Feline Infectious Peritonitis	218
	Could Your Cat Be Rabid?	222
	Feline Panleukopenia	223
Chapter 22	Understanding Diagnostic Testing	224
	Fecal Analysis	224
	Urinalysis	225
	Blood Tests	226
	X Rays	229
	Ultrasound	230
	Endoscopy	230
	Biopsies	230
	Cytology	231
	Electrocardiogram	231
	Blood Pressure	232
	Cerebral Spinal Fluid Tap	232
	Magnetic Resonance Imaging	232
	Computed Tomography	233
	Nuclear Imaging	233
	Technological Advances Are Amazing!	233
Chapter 23	What Can Your Catch From Your Cat?	234
	Gesundheit!	235
	Honey, It's Your Turn to Scoop	237
	Cat Scratch Fever	240
	Other Zoonoses	241
	Watch Out for Plague	242
	The Joys of Cat Ownership	243
Appendix A	Glossary of Veterinary and Cat Terms	245
Appendix B	Where to Learn More	251
Appendix C	Pet Loss Grief Counseling Hot Lines	253
	About the Author	256
	Index	257