Feline Practice
Core concepts
Feline practice emphasizes subtle presentation and species-specific disease. Cats hide illness; weight, hydration, and behavior changes are the earliest signals. Master the high-yield triad of older cats: chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes mellitus, and understand how they interact - hyperthyroidism can mask renal disease, and treating the thyroid can unmask it. Know feline lower urinary tract disease, including urethral obstruction as an emergency, and the behavioral and environmental contributors.
Infectious disease and preventive care
Understand feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus testing and management, upper respiratory disease in multi-cat environments, and core vaccination. Feline injection-site sarcoma awareness shapes vaccine-site selection.
Traps
Examiners test feline drug idiosyncrasies: cats are deficient in certain glucuronidation pathways, making some drugs toxic (acetaminophen, permethrin, certain NSAIDs). Another trap is assuming a cat with a normal exam is healthy - the exam is often normal despite significant disease. Do not apply canine reference ranges or dosing without thought.
Worked example
A 12-year-old cat presents with polyuria, polydipsia, and weight loss. The differential list includes diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, and chronic kidney disease. A minimum database of CBC, chemistry, urinalysis, and total T4 sorts them efficiently. Rule of thumb: in an older cat with PU/PD, run the thyroid and the renal panel together, because treating one can reveal the other.