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188
pages
English
Ebook
2007
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Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
27 août 2007
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9780470256572
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
Written by the former president of the Academy of Feline Medicine and the proprietor of a feline-only veterinary clinic, Guide to a Healthy Cat is the definitive guide to feline well-being. Dr. Elaine Wexler-Mitchell provides the most up-to-date information about cat health, including vaccine recommendations, new therapeutic diets, and the latest treatments for kidney disease. You'll find everything you need to know about raising a kitten, feeding the finicky feline, grooming for good health, caring for a senior cat, and keeping peace in a multi-cat home. From the scoop on litter boxes to the keys to feline mental health, this user-friendly guide is packed with plain-English explanations and advice to help keep your cat healthy, including:
* A thorough discussion of feline disease-how to combat it and manage it
* The latest on proper nutrition and the best foods for your cat
* Sensible, practical advice on keeping your cat safe from household dangers
* Chapters on how to tell if your cat is sick and whether it's an emergency; what the most common veterinary diagnostic tests are and what the results mean; and what items in your medicine cabinet are safe to give to your cat-and which ones are not
* Information on what you can catch from your cat and how to control allergies to cats
* The latest developments in keeping cats flea-free
* A glossary of veterinary and cat terms
Guide to a Healthy Cat gives you all the knowledge and tools you need to understand your cat and his or her health needs-and provide the best care.
Preface.
Chapter 1: What Is a Healthy Cat?
Chapter 2: Kitten Development.
Chapter 3: Feline Mental Health.
Chapter 4: Good Grooming.
Chapter 5: The Best Nutrition for Your Cat.
Chapter 6: How Do I Know if My Cat Is Sick?
Chapter 7: How to Choose a Veterinarian.
Chapter 8: Annual Health Care.
Chapter 9: Tell Me About Vaccines.
Chapter 10: Common Surgical Procedures.
Chapter 11: Pregnancy and Queening.
Chapter 12: How to Care for a Senior Cat.
Chapter 13: The Respiratory System.
Chapter 14: The Gastrointestinal System.
Chapter 15: Skin and Dermatology.
Chapter 16: The Cardiovascular System.
Chapter 17: The Musculoskeletal System.
Chapter 18: The Endocrine System.
Chapter 19: The Nervous System and the Senses.
Chapter 20: The Urinary Tract.
Chapter 21: The Dreaded Viruses.
Chapter 22: Understanding Diagnostic Testing.
Chapter 23: What Can Your Catch From Your Cat?
Appendix A: Glossary of Veterinary and Cat Terms.
Appendix B: Where to Learn More.
Appendix C: Pet Loss Grief Counseling Hot Lines.
About the Author.
Index.
Publié par
Date de parution
27 août 2007
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9780470256572
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
GUIDE TO A HEALTHY CAT
GUIDE TO A HEALTHY CAT
Elaine Wexler-Mitchell, D.V.M.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2004 by Elaine Wexler-Mitchell. All rights reserved.
Howell Book House
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4447.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty:While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Wexler-Mitchell, Elaine.
Guide to a healthy cat / Elaine Wexler-Mitchell.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-7645-4163-3 (alk. paper)
1. Cats. 2. Cats-Health. I. Title.
SF442.W455 2003
636.8 083-dc21
2002014825
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
All photos by Elaine Wexler-Mitchell
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 What Is a Healthy Cat?
Characteristics of a Healthy Cat , The Lowdown on Essential Care , The Scoop on Litter Boxes , Keeping Cats Indoors Keeps Them Healthier
Chapter 2 Kitten Development
Birth to 1 Month , 4 to 6 Weeks , 6 to 8 Weeks , 8 to 16 Weeks , 16 to 28 Weeks , Puberty , 6 Months to 1 Year
Chapter 3 Feline Mental Health
Keys to Good Feline Mental Health , Signs of Stress , Proper Handling Keeps a Cat Happy , Adding a New Cat , Kitty s Being Mean! , Housesoiling , Turn It Down!
Chapter 4 Good Grooming
Start With the Claws , Should You Comb or Should You Brush? , What About a Longhaired Cat? , Mats and Their Problems , Bath Time , Give Up?
Chapter 5 The Best Nutrition for Your Cat
Picking the Right Food , Essential Differences in Cats , Viva Variety , Feeding by Life Stage , Drink It Up
Chapter 6 How Do I Know if My Cat Is Sick?
Is Your Feline Anorexic? , Does Your Cat Have a Fever? , What to Do When Your Cat Is Acting Funny , Typical Signs of Illness , When to Go to the Emergency Room , Checking Out Your Medicine Cabinet , A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down
Chapter 7 How to Choose a Veterinarian
Selection Basics , Feeling Comfortable
Chapter 8 Annual Health Care
Did Your Cat Pass His Physical? , Viral Testing , What About Vaccines? , A Cheshire Cat Smile , Parasite Control
Chapter 9 Tell Me About Vaccines
How Do Vaccines Work? , What You Should Know About Vaccinating Your Cat , Core Vaccines , Non-Core Vaccines , Kitty Needs Shots , Adverse Responses to Vaccines
Chapter 10 Common Surgical Procedures
Tell Me About Declawing , Prevent a Paternity Suit , Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy , Hernias in Cats
Chapter 11 Pregnancy and Queening
The Estrous Cycle , The Act , When Your Cat Is Pregnant , The Birth of Kittens , Raising an Orphan
Chapter 12 How to Care for a Senior Cat
How Long Will My Cat Live? , Senior Health Care Program , What May Cause Your Kitty s Demise? , Keeping Your Old Friend Comfortable , Knowing When to Let Go
Chapter 13 The Respiratory System
Sneezing , Cats Do Catch Colds , Could Your Cat Have Asthma? , Pneumonia
Chapter 14 The Gastrointestinal System
It All Starts in the Mouth , Kitty s Going to Be Sick , Getting to the Box , Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) , What Is Helicobacter? , Intestinal Cancer , When Kitty Is Constipated , Is Your Cat Turning Yellow? , Pancreatitis , The End of the Line-Anal Gland Problems
Chapter 15 Skin and Dermatology
Itchy Kitty , Kitty Is Bald! , Zitty Kitty , Ringworm Is Not a Worm , Looking Mitey Mangy , Insect and Spider Bites , Other Ear Problems , Cats Can Get Skin Cancer , Infections and Abscesses
Chapter 16 The Cardiovascular System
How the Heart and the Circulatory System Work , Blood and Bleeding , If Your Cat Is Anemic , Born With a Bad Heart , Leaky Valves , How the Heart Is Evaluated , Treating Congenital Heart Disease , Heart Muscle Disease , High Blood Pressure , Feline Heartworm Disease
Chapter 17 The Musculoskeletal System
It s Hard to Get Up in the Morning , It s Broken , Sprains and Strains , Do Cats Get Cruciate Injuries? , Born With Unique Bones , Surgery for Bone Deformities
Chapter 18 The Endocrine System
If Your Cat Has a Hyper Thyroid , Feline Diabetes , Uterine Infections , Cats Can Get Breast Cancer , Adrenal Gland Disease
Chapter 19 The Nervous System and the Senses
The Eyes See You , The Ears Hear You , Kitties and Convulsions , Born With Neurologic Problems , Cats With Bad Backs , Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome
Chapter 20 The Urinary Tract
Lower Urinary Tract Disease , Kitty Can t Pee! , Stones in the System , What About Diet? , Kitty s Kidneys
Chapter 21 The Dreaded Viruses
Feline Leukemia Virus , Feline Immunodeficiency Virus , Feline Infectious Peritonitis , Could Your Cat Be Rabid? , Feline Panleukopenia
Chapter 22 Understanding Diagnostic Testing
Fecal Analysis , Urinalysis , Blood Tests , X Rays , Ultrasound , Endoscopy , Biopsies , Cytology , Electrocardiogram , Blood Pressure , Cerebral Spinal Fluid Tap , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Computed Tomography , Nuclear Imaging , Technological Advances Are Amazing!
Chapter 23 What Can Your Catch From Your Cat?
Gesundheit! , Honey, It s Your Turn to Scoop , Cat Scratch Fever , Other Zoonoses , Watch Out for Plague , The Joys of Cat Ownership
Appendix A Glossary of Veterinary and Cat Terms
Appendix B Where to Learn More
Appendix C Pet Loss Grief Counseling Hot Lines
About the Author
Index
Preface
People often ask me why I became a feline-only veterinarian after I started out working on both dogs and cats. I loved working with cats, but had seen how they were often regarded as second-class citizens in comparison to dogs in the veterinary world. I considered my options and I decided to start my own clinic and go feline only so I could focus my time and energy on becoming the best doctor I could possibly be in the practice of feline medicine.
In this book I hope to share my knowledge of cats and their health care with you. Each cat has an individual personality and touches us uniquely. Anyone who has owned a cat knows about their special charm as well as their idiosyncrasies. Are these not the aspects that captivate us as cat owners?
I think that people who do not like cats have, unfortunately, missed out on the experience of these furry creatures. Every day that I spend with cats, I learn something new about how they view the world and I am fascinated by it. By understanding your cat and her health care needs, you will have the tools to enable you to be a fabulous cat owner-that is, if you actually believe you own your cat!
Chapter 1
What Is a Healthy Cat?
More than 73 million pet cats live in households in the United States. What is it about these creatures that has made them America s most popular pet in the last decade? Is it their grace and beauty? Or is it their ability to be somewhat independent and fit into our busy lifestyles? Regardless of the reasons, it is definitely cool to be a cat owner.
You have also decided to become a cat owner-or at least, you d like to think it was your decision. In reality, it is often the cat who chooses you. Each cat has a unique personality and different behavior patterns, so I hope you will find the perfect fit for your household.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY CAT
Bright eyes, a shiny coat and an alert disposition are all characteristics of a healthy cat. Healthy cats have good appetites, groom themselves well and interact with their owners. There is no one best place to find a healthy cat, so in your search consider local shelters, breeders, neighbors, friends, coworkers and veterinary clinics and hospitals.
The most important factor in choosing a healthy cat is a good personality. You can tell a lot about personality even with kittens. To test a cat s personality, hold her in your arms and see if she is relaxed or tense. Cradle her upside down in your arms, like a baby, and again, see how she reacts. If you are looking for an affectionate cat, and the one you are testing will not let you hold her for more than a second, you may want to reconsider your choice or plan to do some work on gaining the cat s trust and training her to relax.
Two to seven weeks of age is the period considered to be critical to a kitten s socialization. Kittens who are handled by many people
