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Cats + Medical Conditions

  • Abdominal enlargement is not an unusual occurrence. It can be due to a simple increase in intra abdominal fat due to weight gain but this is only one cause.

  • The medical term for Addison's disease is hypoadrenocorticism. The term indicates diminished or lowered hormone production from the outer part (cortex) of the adrenal gland.

  • Almost all tumours of adipose tissue (fat) are slow-growing and benign. They are called lipomas. The tumours are usually permanently cured by full surgical removal.

  • The two adrenal glands are closely associated with the kidneys. Each has a central medulla (approximately one fifth of the total mass of the gland) which produces adrenaline, the so-called emergency hormone.

  • Anaemia describes a reduction in the amount of red blood cells in the circulation and is a relatively common problem in cats.

  • This tumour is a disordered and purposeless overgrowth of cells originating from the modified sweat glands of an anal sac.

  • Analgesics or "pain-killers" include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioid analgesics. They are used to control pain such as in arthritis or following surgical operations.

  • Unfortunately anthrax has been used as a method of bio-terrorism and cats can be infected, as can most mammals.

  • Antibodies are specialised proteins (immunoglobulins) that circulate in the blood stream. They are produced by a white blood cell called a plasma cell.

  • A haematoma is a large blood blister which results from rupture of a small blood vessel with resulting haemorrhage between the skin and cartilage usually on the inner aspect of the ear.