Terri McGinnis - The Well Cat Book: The Classic Comprehensive Handbook of Cat Care

Copyright 1975, 1993 by Terri McGinnis, D.V.M.
Illustrations copyright 1993 by Pat Stewart

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

The information in this book, if followed carefully, will enable you to deal with a wide range of cat care problems. However, this book is not designed to substitute for care by a veterinarian, and if you have any questions about whether the advice or procedures in this book are appropriate for your cat, consult your veterinarian.

This work was originally published in hardcover by Random House, Inc., in 1993.
It is a revised edition of a work originally published in 1975 by Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGinnis, Terri.
The well cat book: the classic comprehensive handbook of cat care/Terri McGinnis; illustrated by Pat Stewart.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-87468-9
1. CatsHealth. 2. CatsDiseases. I. Title.

[SF447.M3455 1996]
636.8083dc20 95-25789

v3.0

Dedication for the First Edition
FOR LOUISE,
WHO NEVER SEEMED
TO LIKE CATS MUCH, BUT
COULDNT KEEP ME FROM
LIKING THEM. THANKS TO ALL BEINGS
WHO HAVE SHARED
THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE AND
WISDOM WITH ME.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

In the many years since The Well Cat Book was originally published, veterinary medicine has changed in extraordinary ways. Not only have new illnesses such as feline infectious peritonitis and feline immunodeficiency virus infection appeared, but medical procedures once restricted to the diagnosis and treatment of human maladies are now commonplace in veterinary practice. Blood tests, urinalysis, radiographs (X-ray pictures), electrocardiograms, computers, and the most modern anesthetics are used daily in animal hospitals around the world. Sophisticated medical equipment once reserved for use in humans such as endoscopes, ultrasound machines, CAT scanners, and magnetic resonance imagers aid in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions as diverse as bronchitis, heart ailments, and brain tumors. Veterinarians specializing in diseases of the eye or skin, internal medicine, surgery, neurology, emergency care, or dentistry can be found in most major cities. Nevertheless, the core of veterinary medicine remains the same. This new edition of The Well Cat Book reflects these changes in veterinary medicine while still addressing the common problems and concerns of every pet owner.

Although the ability to diagnose and treat disease in cats is becoming ever more sophisticated, the cat has basically been unchanged for more than 5,000 years. Although many individual breeds of cats have been developed, all cats resemble one another more than they differ. This book is, therefore, useful for all types. By learning the basic information contained in this volume and by learning how to use this book as a quick reference, you will be able to be more self-reliant and confident that you are giving your cat the best daily care. The times you will need a veterinarians help will be reduced, and those instances when a visit to a veterinary hospital is required will become less distressing and mysterious. Everyone should have the pleasure of living with a well cat!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Books are rarely published without the efforts of many individuals. The Well Cat Book is no exception. Don Gerrard, my original editor and copublisher, was most important in the publication of the first The Well Cat Book. It was his cat who became injured late one night and caused Don to search for a book that could be used to decide when and if help from a veterinarian was needed. When no useful book could be found, he gave me the opportunity to write one that could fill such a need. Thank you, Don, for your insight, encouragement, and honesty.

Tom Reed, a good friend, veterinarian, and illustrator of the original The Well Cat Book and original The Well Dog Book , also deserves special thanks for all his efforts. His drawings, freely given, provided the basis for the current illustrations found in both books. Diane and George Ahlgren, Nancy Ehrlich, Michael Floyd, the late Jay Fuller, and Madeline Reed also helped by reviewing the manuscript for the first edition.

The second edition of The Well Cat Book followed discussions with Dan Johnson, who wisely arranged for Olga Tarnowski to shepherd the book to completion. Thank you, Dan, for your interest and advice. I hope the book you launched is satisfying and useful to you.

Transformation of The Well Cat Book from the first to the second edition would have been impossible without my editor, Olga Tarnowski. Her unflagging good cheer, attention to detail, and continuing interest despite her claims of being mainly a dog person attest to her professionalism. Every author should have such a fine editor.

The books illustrator, Pat Stewart; the books designer, Lilly Langotsky; the production editor, Nancy Inglis; and copy editor, Martha Schwartz, were also vital to its completion. Thank you all.

Finally special thanks go to my professors; my clients and their pets; the staff, veterinarians, and owner of the Albany Veterinary Clinic; some very special cats; and my friends and family. The education the professors at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine gave me has never let me down and has taught me that a veterinarians learning never ends. Dr. Niels Pederson, an expert on feline viral diseases and professor of medicine at U.C. Davis Veterinary School has generously given his time for consultation and moral support. My loyal clients and their pets help keep me up-to-date, remind me what pet owners need, and sustain my practice. The clinic staff and veterinarians give me and my patients daily support and good cheer in sometimes difficult circumstances. My thanks is insufficient recognition of their skills and dedication. Tigger, Dr. Gomez, Split, Huey, Boggs, Perry, Big Al, Buckwheat, and Andy have all taught me different lessons and have been living reminders of every cats individuality. For my friends and family, who know some of my talents and all of my shortcomings, I reserve the most important thanks of all. Thanks especially to Bruce who is always there for me and to Harry who helps me wake up and smell the coffee. What a great bunch of nice people you are!

CONTENTS

1.
2.
3.
4. 5. 6.

INTRODUCING THE WELL CAT

Cats have a long and obscure history. Over thirty-five million years ago the cats first ancestors appeared. It is thought that they originated from a weasellike meat eater that was a member of an animal family called Miacidae (also thought to be the ancestor of, among others, the dog, raccoon, bear, skunk, and hyena). From these first cat ancestors arose two branches of recognizably catlike creatures. One included the saber-toothed cats that eventually became extinct; the other included the ancestors of all the Felidae (cat family) alive today. Exactly when cats became humans companions is not known. It is well documented, however, that cats closely resembling those alive today were an important part of the Egyptian culture, where as early as 2500 B.C. they were revered and considered sacred. From Egypt it appears that domestic cats spread to the Far East and Europe and, much later (around the seventeenth century), were imported to North America from Europe. Although the cat was condemned as a symbol of evil during the Middle Ages in Europe and at the time of the witch hunts in North America, for most of history the cat has maintained the position of an important companion to people and a natural means of rodent control.