National Pet Poison Prevention Week takes place this year from March 21st through March 27th. Aimed at educating pet parents about some of the most common things that are poisonous to pets, this week is a fantastic opportunity to brush up on your knowledge and keep your furry family member safe.

When we think of quiet and graceful house cats, it’s easy to forget that they were once fierce predators in the wild. Since cats rank among the smallest compared to their fellow feline species such as the cheetah, leopard, lion, and tiger, larger predators often targeted them, especially if they showed signs of age or weakness. Over time, this led to cats evolving to hide signs of illness or injury that might make them an even easier target. Today, domesticated cats continue to be stoic animals that rarely show symptoms of medical issues.

Do you share your home with a deaf cat? Or have you wondered if, perhaps, your feline friend is hard of hearing? If so, you’ve likely wondered how to give a non-hearing cat the best life possible. Like their hearing counterparts, deaf cats can enjoy happy, enriching lives. And for the most part, they do not need much in terms of specialized care.

Although blindness occurs more often in dogs than cats, it does happen. Despite requiring extra safety precautions around the home, blind cats can lead happy, fulfilling lives. It’s unfortunately common for older cats to suffer vision loss, just as humans begin to experience gradual vision loss as they age and often require reading glasses.

As humans, we think of losing a limb as a tragic, worst-case scenario type of event. The loss of an arm or leg is a traumatic experience that has a massive impact on daily life. However, it is not nearly as big a tragedy in the animal kingdom. As veterinarians, we’ve seen countless dogs and cats recover beautifully following limb amputations. With proper care, three-legged pets can live long, healthy, and, most importantly, happy lives.

Part of being a responsible cat owner is knowing how to recognize when something isn’t right. While the thought of your beloved companion getting sick is a frightening one, no cat is immune to illness. Even if you are a perfect pet parent and do everything right when caring for your cat, they could suffer from a wide range of health problems.

While November is known by many as American Diabetes Month®, bringing awareness to the risk factors and management of diabetes in humans, it’s also Pet Diabetes Month. One in every 230 cats and one in every 300 dogs are affected by diabetes, making awareness of the signs and symptoms of this illness in dogs and cats critical for every pet owner to know.

As veterinarians, we’ve noticed that many people tend to think that rabies is a thing of the past, but, unfortunately, that’s not the reality. According to the CDC, approximately 5,000 animal rabies cases are reported annually, with more than 90 percent of those occurring in wildlife. So while dogs and cats are no longer getting rabies as much as they did in the mid-1900s, the principal hosts in the U.S. today are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.