Albuquerque Journal Articles
Question: My daughter has a 4-year-old cat, Gus-he weights 24 pounds. She put Gus on Iams low calorie, but he still hasn’t lost any weight. He may be eating the other cat’s food as well. She’s worried that the extra weight is putting a strain on his heart. Dr. Nichol: So how does Gus feel about this? Does he have to buy two tickets on airline flights? Does he even care what you and your daughter think? Cats have feelings, you know. To give you a perspective on Gus’s health, consider that his weight is three times normal.…
Read MoreTesting Is Less than Reliable. Fear Not for the Positive Cat-Most Never Get Sick. Question: Recently I adopted a wonderful cat from animal control who had developed an upper respiratory infection. All the blood work came back perfect and negative for Felv and FIV. The corona virus came back as a high titer 1:1600. I was advised that more than likely, the cat does not have FIP but, of course, no guarantee. He is almost over the respiratory infection. I have another cat at home who tested 1:1600 three consecutive times for corona virus. She has continued to be…
Read MoreA contagious disease, that is always disease. Our best success is helping some cats feel OK. Question: My cat Roger is real sick. He’s only about one year old and for the past 3 weeks he’s not been very active, and not eating very much. I think he has a fever too. Then his belly started to get kind of bloated looking. His doctor said that Roger might have F.I.P. Can we try antibiotics? Dr. Nichol: I am sorry to hear about Roger’s illness. He truly is quite sick. Unfortunately while there are a few medications that could help…
Read MoreCats love a warm, cozy spot on cold winter nights. Horrible trauma occurs when the car is started. Question: Our neighbor’s cat got stuck in the fanbelt of his car last week. How common is that? How do I make sure that doesn’t happen to my cat? Dr. Nichol: Great question. I’m delighted to hear you thinking about prevention. The truth is that automobile fans and fanbelts kill and maim many cats every fall and winter. It is tragic but preventable. It happens because it takes awhile for a car engine to completely cool down even on a…
Read MoreProblems develop fast. Learn to correct low blood sugar & hypothermia. Question: My cat just had kittens 2 weeks ago and one died yesterday. I found him off by himself moving slowly and crying. It broke my heart. I didn’t know what to do for him. Any ideas? The other 6 kittens seem O.K. but I’m worried that it might happen to another one. Dr. Nichol: That is so hard to take. Being a part of the excitement of raising babies is great until you have a disaster. I will give you an understanding of what works in…
Read MoreMany different long term symptoms can suggest AIDS. Infected kitties must be handled carefully to allow them to live as long and as well as possible. Question: My cat Jessie has been sick on and off for a long time so I got worried about him. He’s had a snotty nose and a fever and then he starting losing weight. So I took him to the vet who did some blood tests and he came up AIDS positive. Now I’m really scared. Will Jessie die soon? What about me and my kids-are we going to get sick too? …
Read MoreAlways a serious sign- move quickly. A thorough exam plus lab work may uncover age related kidney failure-a disease which may be treatable. Question: Our cat Bugsy is 17 years old and she seems to be acting like the years are catching up to her. For the past 2 or 3 weeks she’s been drinking more water and she’s hardly eating. My sister thinks that her breath smells like urine but I say it’s because her teeth are bad. How could a cat’s breath smell like urine? Dr. Nichol: You are right to be concerned about Bugsy. At…
Read MoreLow potassium causes poor muscle function. Get a thorough health evaluation to rule out other problems. The right supplement will make it right. Question: “Blinken” is my 9 year old cat and he’s been acting funny lately. He’s always been pretty healthy but for the last few weeks he seems weak. He doesn’t want to walk around the house much and when he does, his legs are kind of stiff. But the part that I really noticed is that his head is down. He won’t look up. What’s wrong with Blinken? Dr. Nichol: Blinken has a serious problem-I’m…
Read MorePets, without question, feel pain just as we do. Better pet hospitals treat & prevent pain. Question: I have often wondered about cats and dogs and pain, especially when Skippy, our wonder cat with 3 legs, had most of his hind leg amputated to the hip. He came home the evening of surgery and my wife and I took turns holding him all night. He did not seem to be in pain, but rather out of it or a little crazy from the anesthetic. Isn’t pain medication typically given for this kind of thing, and for such procedures as…
Read MoreHave a stool check done for the kitty’s health. Have a new kitten wormed for yours. Question: We got a new cat last week and took him to the vet for his first shots. After the doctor gave him the shot he said that we need to bring in a stool sample to check Teka for worms. He also said Teka needs to be wormed anyway even if they don’t find worms in his stool. Why not just worm the darn cat in the first place and forget the stool sample? Dr. Nichol: That piece of advice is…
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