OBJECTIVE To evaluate the long-term risks and benefits of early-age gonadectomy, compared with traditional-age gonadectomy, among cats adopted from a large animal shelter. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 1,660 cats. PROCEDURE Cats underwent gonadectomy and were adopted from an animal shelter before 1 year of age; follow-up was available for as long as 11 years after surgery (me...

Free-roaming cats may experience numerous hazardous encounters in the outdoor environment, including: vehicular accidents, aggression from other animals and exposure to infectious disease. This research quantitatively examined the outdoor activities of 55 owned cats by monitoring pets outfitted with 'KittyCam' video cameras. KittyCams are a type of Crittercam, designed by National Geographic to...

BACKGROUND N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations may be increased in cats with various cardiac disorders. The point-of-care (POC) ELISA assay uses the same biologic reagents as the quantitative NT-proBNP ELISA. Previous studies have evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the POC ELISA in cats with cardiac disease. OBJECTIVES To prospectively evalu...

BACKGROUND Primary hyperaldosteronism (PHA) in cats occurs as a consequence of excessive hormone production by an adrenocortical tumor. Median survival time, association between tumor type and prognosis, and the likelihood that cats require continued medical therapy after surgery have not been systematically evaluated. OBJECTIVES To determine the median survival time of cats with PHA treated ...

METHODS An ectoparasiticide containing spinosad was evaluated as an oral formulation for cats. Two European laboratory studies and a European multicentre field efficacy and safety study assessed the use of a chewable tablet formulation of spinosad at a dose range of 50-75 mg/kg for treatment and control of flea infestations on cats. RESULTS The studies with experimentally infested cats consis...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of secondary systemic hypertension in cats. We investigated the relationship between indirect blood pressure and the prevalence of systemic hypertension in various CKD stages in cats. Client-owned cats (24 control cats and 77 cats with CKD) were included. Biochemical examinations of plasma were conducted by a commercial laboratory. Diseased cats we...

The role of various vector-borne pathogens as a cause of disease in cats has not been clearly determined. The current study evaluated risk factors, clinical and laboratory abnormalities associated with Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Neorickettsia spp., Leishmania spp., and Bartonella spp. infection or exposure in 680 client-owned and stray cats from Madrid, Spain. Our results indicate that a l...

BACKGROUND There is an unmet clinical need for a cat-specific formulation of amlodipine to treat hypertensive cats. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of chewable amlodipine tablets in reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) in cats diagnosed with systemic arterial hypertension. ANIMALS Seventy-seven client-owned cats with systemic hypertension were included (median age 14 years). METHODS T...

BACKGROUND Studies evaluating right ventricular (RV) structural and functional abnormalities in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are limited. HYPOTHESIS Right ventricular structural and functional abnormalities are present in cats with HCM and are associated with clinical severity. ANIMALS Eighty-one client-owned cats. METHODS Retrospective 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic stu...

BACKGROUND Acute limb paralysis because of arterial thromboembolism (ATE) occurs in cats and less commonly in dogs. ATE is diagnosed based on physical examination findings and, occasionally, advanced imaging. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES Peripheral, affected limb venous glucose concentration is decreased in ATE, whereas its systemic concentration is within or above reference interval. ANIMALS Clie...