Page 92 - Complete Cat Care: How To Keep Your Cat Healthy and Happy

Glossary

Anesthetic fhV prenAtAl
A drug used to stop a cat from feeling pain Feline herpesvirus, one of the two A term meaning “before birth”: for example,
during an operation. A general anesthetic, common causes of cat flu (see also FCV). prenatal care of a pregnant queen.
usually given as a gas or injection, renders A vaccine is available.
a cat temporarily unconscious. A local Queen
anesthetic numbs a small area of the body. gene A female cat. The process of giving birth
A section of DNA containing the is known as “queening.”
Antibiotic instructions for producing a particular
A medicine that destroys or inhibits physical structure or function. rAdiogrAphy
the growth of microorganisms. An imaging process that uses a plate or
hypoAllergenic diet film that is sensitive to X-rays, gamma
AntihistAMine A restricted diet used to identify and rays, or another form of radiation.
A medicine used to relieve the symptoms control food allergies. Some pet food Radiography is commonly used in
of allergy, such as itching or sneezing. manufacturers produce special medical examinations.
hypoallergenic foods for cats.
breed slicker brush
A group of cats that shares specific aspects inflAMMAtion A brush with a wide, flat head and thin
of appearance and behavior passed on A reddening and swelling of a part of the metal bristles, designed to remove dead,
from one generation to the next. body that can often also be painful. May matted hair.
be caused by infection or injury.
90 congenitAl defect sociAlizAtion
A physical defect that is present from inherited disorder The process of teaching your kitten to get
birth; it may be inherited (see Inherited Also called a genetic disorder, a health used to new people and other animals.
disorder), or it may have arisen in the problem that is passed from one ticked
Glossary corticosteroid Moggy A coat pattern in which each hair shaft
fetus while it was in the womb.
generation to the next.
has alternate bands of pale and darker
A drug used to relieve inflammation, joint
A random-bred cat, often of unknown
colors; also known as agouti.
shorthair” or “domestic longhair.”
pain, or allergic symptoms such as itching. parentage; often defined as “domestic toM
ct scAn An unneutered male cat.
Short for “computed tomography scan.” Mri
An imaging process that uses computer- Short for “magnetic resonance imaging,” topcoAt
processed radiographs to enable bone, a medical scanning technique in which The outer layer of a double coat, consisting
soft tissue, and blood vessels to be magnetic fields and radio waves are used to of long, tough, weather-resistant hairs.
visualized in slices. produce an image of internal body tissues.
ultrAsound
dnA MutAtion An image, produced using ultrasonic
A protein contained in the cells of A physical characteristic caused by a sound waves, which shows internal
every organism, which contains the defective gene. One such mutation is tissues. Primarily used by vets for
“instructions” for the development, polydactyly—having extra toes. Some diagnosis and to monitor a pregnancy.
structure, and function of that organism. mutations may be preserved deliberately
DNA is passed on from one generation by selective breeding, such as a stumpy undercoAt
to the next. tail in the Japanese Bobtail. The inner layer of a double coat, consisting
of soft, warm, dense hairs.
ecg neutering
Short for ”electrocardiography,” a diagnostic The removal of a cat’s reproductive organs VAccinAtion
test in which an instrument is used to so it cannot produce kittens. In males it Also called immunization, a procedure
record the electrical activity in the heart. involves castration (removal of the testes), used to prevent a cat from catching
ECG is used to detect problems such as and in females it involves spaying (removal specific bacterial or viral infections. It
an abnormal heart rhythm. of the uterus and ovaries). Non-neutered involves inoculation—injecting a vaccine
cats are referred to as “intact.” (a substance containing weakened or dead
elizAbethAn collAr bacteria or viruses) into a cat. The cat’s
A large, cone-shaped plastic collar that pedigree immune system attacks the organisms
is fitted around a cat’s neck and head. For a cat of a particular breed, the pedigree in the vaccine, and in so doing will “learn”
It is designed to keep a cat from licking or is a written record of that cat’s recent to attack the actual disease organisms
biting wounds on its body, and is used to ancestry. A pure-bred cat is sometimes in the future.
protect an injured area or operation site. referred to as a “pedigree” cat.
WeAning
fcV postnAtAl The process by which kittens graduate
Feline calicivirus is a major cause of cat A term meaning “following birth”: for from drinking their mother’s milk to eating
flu (see also FHV). A cat can be example, postnatal care of a queen and solid food. It naturally happens between
vaccinated against FCV. her kittens. 4 and 8 weeks of age.

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