🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

The overwhelming majority of feline hyperthyroidism results from benign adenomatous hyperplasia or adenoma of the thyroid gland, frequently involving both lobes, with only a small minority caused by m…

The combination of the dissociative anesthetic tiletamine with the benzodiazepine zolazepam, marketed as Telazol or Zoletil, is widely used for chemical restraint and anesthesia of felids ranging from…

Owners often note that cats anticipate feeding times and other daily events, raising questions about feline timing abilities. This overview surveys research and theory on how cats track time, includin…

Newborn cats are born with sealed eyelids and closed ear canals, and the timing of their opening marks early developmental progress used to age young animals. This overview surveys data on when eyes a…

The cat auditory cortex has been a foundational model for understanding how the brain represents sound. This overview surveys its tonotopic organization, in which neurons are arranged according to the…

True tool use is essentially absent in cats, but felids display tool-adjacent behaviours that involve manipulating objects and environments to achieve goals. This overview surveys examples such as usi…

For cats with chronic gingivostomatitis refractory to medical management, full-mouth or partial-mouth tooth extraction has emerged as the most effective treatment, with many cats showing substantial o…

Cats can be trained using positive reinforcement, and this overview surveys research and practice in feline training and cognitive enrichment. It examines the use of clicker and reward-based methods t…

University campuses, with defined boundaries and organized volunteers, have hosted some of the best-documented trap-neuter-return programs, and this overview surveys what they reveal. It examines case…

Free-roaming cats face elevated risks of injury, infection and death, a central consideration in the indoor-outdoor debate. This overview surveys evidence on the hazards outdoor cats encounter, includ…

Curative antiviral treatment of FIP typically requires an extended course, commonly around twelve weeks, followed by an observation period to confirm sustained remission. Cats that stop too early or r…

Whisker signals travel to the brain through the trigeminal nerve, and the cat has served as a model for studying this tactile pathway. This overview surveys how densely the whisker follicles are inner…

The most common histopathologic finding in feline CKD is chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis with fibrosis, a pattern of scarring and inflammation that progressively replaces functional kidney tissue…

Researchers have proposed classifications of human-cat relationships based on how owners perceive and interact with their cats and how cats respond. This overview surveys survey-based and observationa…

Ultrasonography is a noninvasive imaging tool used to detect pregnancy, estimate fetal age, count and monitor fetuses, and assess viability in cats. This overview surveys how ultrasound is applied acr…

Microscopy has revealed how the feline tapetum is built from highly ordered cells packed with reflective material, arranged in layers behind the retina between the photoreceptors and the choroid. This…

While cats cannot taste sweetness, they are highly responsive to the savory, umami-like tastes associated with amino acids and nucleotides found in meat. This overview surveys feline umami taste, medi…

Recovering sperm by urethral catheterization after pharmacological stimulation offers an alternative to electroejaculation for collecting felid semen. This overview surveys the use of this technique i…

Spraying urine against vertical surfaces is a distinct marking behaviour, separate from elimination, used by cats of both sexes to deposit long-lasting chemical signals. This overview surveys research…

Feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus are major causes of upper respiratory disease in cats, and core vaccines against them reduce the severity of illness, though they do not fully prevent infec…

The ovulatory reflex in cats is triggered when sensory receptors in the vagina and cervix are stimulated during intromission, sending signals through the spinal cord and hypothalamus to the pituitary.…

Beyond catnip and silver vine, valerian root and Tatarian honeysuckle wood also elicit pleasurable responses in many cats. This overview surveys these alternative botanicals, which can stimulate cats…

Not all cat eyes glow the same color, and the variation carries clues about the tapetum and pigmentation. This overview surveys reports that eyeshine color can differ with age, coat and eye pigmentati…

Cats are remarkable jumpers, clearing many times their own height, and this overview reviews the biomechanics of their vertical leaps. A jump is powered by rapid, coordinated extension of the hindlimb…

Balance can decline with age as the vestibular system and associated pathways change, affecting the steadiness of older cats. This overview surveys vestibular aging in senior cats, which may contribut…

The righting reflex begins with sensing which way is down. This overview reviews how the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear detects head orientation and triggers the cascade of head, spine, and lim…

When the vestibular system malfunctions, cats can show dramatic signs of imbalance, and studying these disorders illuminates how the balance sense normally works. This overview surveys feline vestibul…

Cats communicate a great deal through the positions of their ears, tail, body, and fur, and through pupil dilation, conveying emotional state and intentions without sound. This overview surveys etholo…

Cats cannot make vitamin A from the plant pigment beta-carotene the way many animals do, and this overview reviews this dependence on preformed vitamin A. Lacking sufficient enzyme activity to convert…

Vitrification, an ultra-rapid freezing method that avoids ice crystal formation, is used to preserve felid eggs, which are particularly sensitive to cryodamage. This overview surveys research on vitri…