Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
is called lymphocytic-plasmacytic stomatitis. Treatment of this condi-
tion can include cortisone, antibiotics, immunostimulants and full-
mouth dental extractions. Some veterinarians treat this condition with
lasers. Inflammatory conditions tend to be chronic and very painful if
not adequately controlled.
KITTY'S GOING TO BE SICK
Cats vomit frequently, and owners hate to clean up after them. When
cats live in the wild vomiting is not a big deal, but when they live in
our homes it can create quite a mess. Sometimes vomiting is normal,
but other times it is an indication of disease.
Some of the most common causes of feline vomiting are:
•
Hairballs
•
Sensitivity to a diet
•
Eating too quickly
•
Viral or bacterial infections
•
Consumption of plants or other nonfood items
•
Inflammatory conditions
•
Metabolic imbalances
•
Gastrointestinal parasites
•
Foreign body ingestion
•
Intestinal obstruction
Spitting Up Hairballs
If you have a cat who grooms himself regularly, you are probably famil-
iar with hairballs. Some cats spit up hairballs regularly (that is, once or
twice a week) and others may only produce a hairball a few times a
year. The first time you see a hairball, you may not be sure which end
of the cat it came out of, because hairballs can appear as long, tubular
structures.
Many cats like the taste of lubricant hairball remedies and will read-
ily lick them from your fingers. But hairball remedies do not cure hair-
balls; they merely help the hair to pass through the cat's GI tract (one
way or the other) so that it does not cause an obstruction in the intes-
tines. Commonly found hairball remedies include lubricant pastes, fiber
