How to Check a Cat's Health Before Adoption: Things Worth Looking At
A shelter cat doesn't need to look perfect, but a few quick checks on the eyes, coat and movement can tell you a lot before you bring a cat home.
Health
Posts tagged "Health" · All posts
Aortic Thromboembolism (Saddle Thrombus): Why Sudden Hind Leg Paralysis in Cats Is a Cardiac Emergency
A cat that suddenly can't use its back legs is almost always dealing with a blood clot, not a leg injury, and it traces straight back to the heart.
Radial Nerve Paralysis in Cats: Why a Fall or Accident Can Leave a Front Leg Dragging
A dragging or knuckling front leg after a fall often isn't a broken bone. It's nerve damage, and the severity of that damage decides the whole outlook.
Patellar Luxation in Cats: The "Dog" Knee Problem That Happens in Cats Too
Cats are so good at hiding a slipping kneecap that many cases are only found by accident, even though it's graded on the same scale used in dogs.
Hypokalemic Polymyopathy in Burmese Cats: The Genetic Leg Weakness Specific to One Breed
Episodes of sudden leg weakness and a drooping head in a young Burmese cat trace back to a single identified gene, and it responds well to treatment.
Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: How an All-Meat Diet Can Bend a Kitten's Legs
Muscle meat alone is badly short on calcium, and a kitten's fast-growing skeleton pays the price first, sometimes with fractures from a routine jump.
Hypervitaminosis A in Cats: How Too Much Liver Can Fuse Joints and Cause Lameness
Liver is a fine occasional treat, but fed heavily for months or years it triggers a slow bone disease that can permanently fuse a cat's neck and joints.
Angular Limb Deformity in Kittens: How a Fall Can Bend a Growing Leg
A kitten fall that looks minor at the time can damage a growth plate, and the resulting bowed leg often doesn't show up until weeks later.
Swimmer Syndrome in Kittens: Why Some Kittens' Legs Splay Out Instead of Under Them
A flat, frog-like posture in a very young kitten looks alarming, but caught early it's one of the more treatable developmental problems out there.
Feline Idiopathic Polyarthritis: The Autoimmune Joint Disease That Causes Shifting-Leg Lameness
Lameness that seems to move between legs, paired with a fever nobody can explain, points toward the immune system attacking the joints, not ordinary arthritis.
Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head in Cats: The Rare Hip Disease Behind Sudden Lameness in Young Cats
A young, neutered male cat with a slowly worsening limp and no injury fits a strikingly specific pattern behind this rare but well-documented hip disease.
When Do Kittens' Eyes Open? A Complete Timeline (and Why Eye Color Changes)
Most kittens open their eyes between 7 and 10 days old, but the range is wider than people expect, and forcing a slow eye open is genuinely risky.