🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

Antibody titer testing measures a cat's existing immunity to diseases such as panleukopenia and can inform decisions about whether revaccination is needed, supporting individualized protocols that avo…

Because cats evolved to conceal vulnerability, they display pain through subtle behavioral changes rather than obvious distress, and research has cataloged the signs, including reduced activity and ju…

Buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist, became a widely used analgesic in cats, valued for its efficacy, duration, and the practical feature that it can be absorbed through the oral mucosa, allowing…

Feline calicivirus has been associated with caudal stomatitis, inflammation in the back of the mouth that is a hallmark of chronic gingivostomatitis, leading researchers to investigate the virus's rol…

Like HIV, FIV infection progresses through recognizable phases: an acute stage with fever, lymphadenopathy, and transient neutropenia; a long, clinically silent asymptomatic stage that can last years;…

Therapeutic renal diets, characterized by restricted phosphorus and protein, supplemented omega-3 fatty acids, added potassium and B-vitamins, and alkalinizing properties, are among the few interventi…

Continuous and flash glucose monitoring systems, originally developed for humans and adapted for cats, use a small subcutaneous sensor to track interstitial glucose over days, providing detailed gluco…

Vaccination guidelines from bodies such as the AAFP and WSAVA classify feline vaccines as core, recommended for all cats, including panleukopenia, herpesvirus, calicivirus, and rabies, and non-core, r…

Large serosurveys document a substantial decline in FeLV prevalence across many countries since the 1980s, attributed to testing, vaccination, removal of infected cats from breeding and group settings…

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication of feline diabetes in which insulin deficiency and counter-regulatory hormones drive ketone production, metabolic acidosis, dehydration, and el…

Controlling blood phosphorus through dietary restriction and phosphate binders is a cornerstone of CKD management in cats, supported by evidence that phosphorus retention drives mineral and bone disor…

FeLV vaccines are non-core products recommended for cats at risk of exposure, especially kittens and outdoor cats, and their introduction contributed to declining FeLV prevalence. Studies have examine…

FIP classically presents in two overlapping forms. The effusive (wet) form features protein-rich fluid accumulation in the abdomen or chest from vasculitis and leaky vessels, while the non-effusive (d…

The domestic cat genome carries endogenous retroviral sequences related to FeLV, remnants of ancient germline infections that are inherited rather than transmitted. These endogenous elements can recom…

The apparent emergence and rise of feline hyperthyroidism since around 1980 has prompted investigation of environmental risk factors, including flame-retardant chemicals such as polybrominated dipheny…

Epidemiologic studies describe feline hyperthyroidism as a disease of middle-aged and older cats whose recognized prevalence increased markedly through the late twentieth century, making it among the…

Feline chronic gingivostomatitis is a severe, painful inflammatory disease of the mouth characterized by widespread inflammation of the gums and oral mucosa, often causing difficulty eating, drooling,…

Aging cats can develop cognitive dysfunction syndrome, a decline in cognitive function analogous to dementia, manifesting as disorientation, altered social interactions, changes in sleep-wake cycles,…

Feline coronavirus circulates widely as a generally mild enteric virus (FECV), but in a minority of infected cats it mutates within the host into a virulent biotype (FIPV) capable of replicating in ma…

Feline coronavirus spreads efficiently by the fecal-oral route, and in multi-cat households, catteries, and shelters most cats become infected and shed virus, with some becoming persistent shedders th…

Hospice and palliative care for cats with terminal or advanced chronic disease focuses on maintaining comfort, managing pain and symptoms, and supporting quality of life when cure is not possible, an…

In the early 1990s, clinicians and pathologists recognized an association between vaccination, particularly certain adjuvanted vaccines, and the development of aggressive soft-tissue sarcomas at injec…

Obesity has become one of the most common nutritional disorders in domestic cats, driven by overfeeding, calorie-dense diets, indoor sedentary lifestyles, and neutering, and it substantially increases…

Feline parvovirus, the cause of panleukopenia, is a small, environmentally hardy DNA virus that targets rapidly dividing cells, producing the profound leukopenia, intestinal damage, and, in fetal or n…

Tooth resorption is one of the most common and painful dental diseases in cats, in which odontoclasts progressively destroy tooth structure, often beginning below the gumline and causing significant d…

Fructosamine, a measure of glycated serum protein reflecting average blood glucose over the preceding weeks, provides a monitoring tool less affected by the stress hyperglycemia that commonly inflates…

The development of FeLV vaccines in the 1980s, combined with reliable testing and test-and-removal programs, produced one of veterinary medicine's clearest prevention success stories, sharply reducing…

Preventing dental disease in cats involves home care strategies such as tooth brushing, dental diets, treats, and water additives designed to reduce plaque accumulation, though many cats resist brushi…

A substantial proportion of diabetic cats, particularly those with difficult-to-control or insulin-resistant diabetes, have underlying hypersomatotropism, excess growth hormone from a pituitary tumor,…

Hyperthyroidism increases cardiac output and glomerular filtration, which can mask concurrent chronic kidney disease by lowering blood markers like creatinine; treating the hyperthyroidism and restori…