Feline cognitive dysfunction (FCD) is a cognitive disease prevalent in cats, directly related to the brain aging, leading to changes in awareness, deficits in learning and memory, and decreased responsiveness to stimuli. It is also known as cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Alzheimer's disease and dementia in humans are diseases with comparable symptoms and pathology. [1] [2] [3]
The exact cause of FCD is currently unknown. Genetic factors may predispose an animal to the condition. [4] Signs of cognitive dysfunction may be connected with a prosencephalon or cerebrum problem. [5]
Older cats display more symptoms of the disease than younger cats. [6] [7] Behavioural symptoms usually become apparent in cats older than 10 years. [3]
Main signs of FCD can be summarized with the acronym DISH:
Affected cats may wander aimlessly and look lost in space, seem restless and anxious, fail to recognize familiar faces such as their owners, caretakers or other cats in the clowder, display decreased interest in social interactions or increased aggression, experience insomnia, sometimes along with increased nocturnal vocalizations [2] [7] [9] with no apparent reason.
Signs of FCD can be found in a number of other pathologies such as brain tumors [7] [10] or non brain-related diseases, which makes it important to exclude the possibility of other causes. For example, excessive urination may signify a kidney disease, [11] and the look of numbness and detachment may be caused by a large variety of conditions, from pain to affected vision. [12]
Arthritis may hinder a cat's ability to get into the litter box in time. Night-time vocalizing is relatively common in hyperthyroid cats or cats with hypertension, which can also cause retinal detachment and blindness, leading to anxiety and confusion. Progressively painful periodontal disease can discourage the cat from visiting its food bowl with the same enthusiasm it showed at a younger age.
If all other possible diseases are excluded, and MRI and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid fail to reveal a physical problem in the brain, then the problem may be treated by an animal behaviorist or veterinary psychiatrist. [5]
As the cause of the disease is unknown, there is no way to be certain in prevention of the condition. However, the following measures are considered effective: [5]
The disease is little-researched and thus considered incurable at the moment, but its symptoms can be managed with treatment. [7] Cognitive dysfunction syndrome in dogs is an established diagnosis, but there has been limited research for cats and treatment options are limited. [13] Drugs used for treatment of the disease have been approved for use in dogs. However, they are used off-label in treatment of cats. [1] Early diagnosis improves results of long-term treatment. [6]
Improving home environment may help in managing the disease. [2] [8] The treatment must always be arranged with a veterinarian for each particular animal, but the suggested measures include the following (veterinarian's advice is needed for right dosage of any supplements):
As the disease progresses, it gradually gets more difficult to ease, which increases the importance of detecting the diseases on the earliest possible stage.
Recommendations include limiting the access to the parts of the house that may present danger to the animal, set a consistent schedule for feeding, playing and interacting with the cat, "talking" with the animal and calling it by the name so that the familiar voice soothes it, and adding more litterboxes in case the cat experiences excessive urination or defecation.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in cats whereby either insufficient insulin response or insulin resistance leads to persistently high blood glucose concentrations. Diabetes affects up to 1 in 230 cats, and may be becoming increasingly common. Diabetes is less common in cats than in dogs. Eighty to ninety-five percent of diabetic cats experience something similar to type 2 diabetes but are generally severely insulin dependent by the time symptoms are diagnosed. The condition is treatable, and if treated properly the cat can experience a normal life expectancy. In cats with type 2 diabetes, prompt effective treatment may lead to diabetic remission, in which the cat no longer needs injected insulin. Untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak legs in cats and eventually to malnutrition, ketoacidosis and/or dehydration, and death.
Dirofilaria immitis, also known as heartworm or dog heartworm, is a parasitic roundworm that is a type of filarial worm, a small thread-like worm, that causes dirofilariasis. It is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoes. There are four genera of mosquitoes that transmit dirofilariasis, Aedes, Culex, Anopheles, and Mansonia. The definitive host is the dog, but it can also infect cats, wolves, coyotes, jackals, foxes, ferrets, bears, seals, sea lions and, under rare circumstances, humans.
Cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) is a neurological condition in which the cerebellum is smaller than usual or not completely developed. It has been reported in many animal species.
Feline asthma is a common allergic respiratory disease in cats, affecting at least one percent of all adult cats worldwide. It is a chronic progressive disease for which there is no cure. Common symptoms include wheezing, coughing, labored breathing and potentially life-threatening bronchoconstriction. There is conjecture that the disease has become more common due to increased exposure to industrial pollutants. Feline asthma can also be attributed to lung damage caused by long-term exposure to second-hand smoke.
Epilepsy in animals is a group of neurological disorders characterized by seizures, caused by uncontrolled, abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain. They can start and stop very abruptly and last any amount of time from a few seconds to a few minutes. Canine epilepsy is often genetic but epilepsy in cats and other pets is rarer, likely because there is no hereditary component to epilepsy in these animals.
Malignant histiocytosis is a rare hereditary disease found in the Bernese Mountain Dog and humans, characterized by histiocytic infiltration of the lungs and lymph nodes. The liver, spleen, and central nervous system can also be affected. Histiocytes are a component of the immune system that proliferate abnormally in this disease. In addition to its importance in veterinary medicine, the condition is also important in human pathology.
Polyneuropathy in dogs and cats is a collection of peripheral nerve disorders that often are breed-related in these animals. Polyneuropathy indicates that multiple nerves are involved, unlike mononeuropathy. Polyneuropathy usually involves motor nerve dysfunction, also known as lower motor neuron disease. Symptoms include decreased or absent reflexes and muscle tone, weakness, or paralysis. It often occurs in the rear legs and is bilateral. Most are chronic problems with a slow onset of symptoms, but some occur suddenly.
Veterinary dentistry is the field of dentistry applied to the care of animals. It is the art and science of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions, diseases, and disorders of the oral cavity, the maxillofacial region, and its associated structures as it relates to animals.
Aging in cats is the process by which cats change over the course of their natural lifespans. The average lifespan of a domestic cat may range from 10 to 13 years. As cats senesce, they undergo predictable changes in health and behavior. Dental disease and loss of olfaction are common as cats age, affecting eating habits. Arthritis and sarcopenia are also common in older cats. How a cat's health is affected by aging may be managed through modifications in a cat's diet, accessibility adjustments, and cognitive stimulation.
Cat intelligence is the capacity of the domesticated cat to solve problems and adapt to its environment. Research has shown that feline intelligence includes the ability to acquire new behavior that applies knowledge to new situations, communicating needs and desires within a social group and responding to training cues.
First reported in 1980 by J. Tuttle in a scientific article, feline hyperesthesia syndrome, also known as rolling skin disease, is a complex and poorly understood syndrome that can affect domestic cats of any age, breed, and sex. The syndrome may also be referred to as feline hyperaesthesia syndrome, apparent neuritis, atypical neurodermatitis, psychomotor epilepsy, pruritic dermatitis of Siamese, rolling skin syndrome, and twitchy cat disease. The syndrome usually appears in cats after they've reached maturity, with most cases first arising in cats between one and five years old.
Veterinary oncology is a subspecialty of veterinary medicine that deals with cancer diagnosis and treatment in animals. Cancer is a major cause of death in pet animals. In one study, 45% of the dogs that reached 10 years of age or older died of cancer.
The health of domestic cats is a well studied area in veterinary medicine.
Maropitant (INN; brand name: Cerenia, used as maropitant citrate (USAN), is a neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist developed by Zoetis specifically for the treatment of motion sickness and vomiting in dogs. It was approved by the FDA in 2007, for use in dogs and in 2012, for cats.
In animals, rabies is a viral zoonotic neuroinvasive disease which causes inflammation in the brain and is usually fatal. Rabies, caused by the rabies virus, primarily infects mammals. In the laboratory it has been found that birds can be infected, as well as cell cultures from birds, reptiles and insects. The brains of animals with rabies deteriorate. As a result, they tend to behave bizarrely and often aggressively, increasing the chances that they will bite another animal or a person and transmit the disease.
Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a disease prevalent in dogs that exhibit symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease shown in humans. CCD creates pathological changes in the brain that slow the mental functioning of dogs resulting in loss of memory, motor function, and learned behaviors from training early in life. In the dog's brain, the protein beta-amyloid accumulates, creating protein deposits called plaques. As the dog ages, nerve cells die, and cerebrospinal fluid fills the empty space left by the dead nerve cells. Canine cognitive dysfunction takes effect in older dogs, mostly after 10 years of age. Although there is no known cause of CCD, genetic factors have been shown to contribute to the occurrence of this disease.
A senior cat diet is generally considered to be a diet for cats that are mature, senior, or geriatric. Nutritional considerations arise when choosing an appropriate diet for a healthy senior cat. Dietary management of many conditions becomes more important in senior cats because changes in their physiology and metabolism may alter how their system responds to medications and treatments.
Cats exposed to allergens may develop allergies or allergic reactions. Allergies tend to become evident and intensify over extended periods of time and can take years to develop. Some allergic diseases and allergies in cats include feline atopic dermatitis, flea allergy dermatitis, feline-mosquito hypersensitivity, and food-induced allergy. In the case of feline atopy, hypersensitivity to allergens is due to genetic predisposition. However, various allergies may arise due to environmental factors. Allergens, ingested, inhaled, or airborne, can be seasonal or non-seasonal, similar to allergies in humans. Suspected seasonal allergens include but are not limited to pollen, fleas, and mosquito bites; suspected non-seasonal allergens include but are not limited to plastic materials, food, dust, trees, and grass. After exposure to suspected allergens, symptoms may be immediate or delayed, arising within a few minutes to two hours. Symptoms can include both dermatological and gastrointestinal signs such as itchy skin, hair loss and excessive scratching. In cases of feline atopic dermatitis or atopy in cats, pruritic skin diseases may result; however, signs can also include miliary dermatitis, symmetrical alopecia, and lesions of the eosinophilic granuloma complex.
