{"id":23692,"date":"2025-03-11T06:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T07:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23692"},"modified":"2025-03-11T07:25:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T07:25:53","slug":"why-are-cats-such-a-medical-black-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23692","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-11rezm5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5b854369\">\n<p>In the United States, 1 in 3 households has a pet cat.<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-lt5b41 e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:580px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Caroline Gutman for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"css-11rezm5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-1db282b9\">\n<p>But many aspects of feline health remain a mystery, even to experts.<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-lt5b41 e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:580px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Octavio Jones for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"css-11rezm5 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-29366569\">\n<p>And when one of our kittens became critically ill last year, no one could explain why.<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-small css-lt5b41 e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-zgakxe erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\">\n<div class=\"css-nwd8t8\" data-testid=\"lazy-image\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\" style=\"height:580px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-13ytnnu ewdxa0s0\"><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Emily Anthes\/The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<p class=\"css-1lsv4am e6idgb70\">pet theory<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1vkm6nb ehdk2mb0\">\n<h1 id=\"link-129ea5bd\" class=\"css-1ebc1nn e1h9rw200\" data-testid=\"headline\">Why Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box?<br \/><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-zera2v\">\n<div class=\"css-p6m5rf\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>March 11, 2025<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\" \/>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When my husband and I took our cat to the vet early last year, we were hoping to hear that we had nothing to worry about. Olive, a longhaired tortoiseshell kitten who had been the runt of her litter, was naturally quiet and skittish, prone to hiding in closets and napping behind the shower curtain. That made her hard to read \u2014 and sometimes simply to find.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But days earlier, we had started wondering whether she might be sick. Did she seem even more reserved than usual? It was hard to say, but we decided to ask her vet just to be safe. The vet immediately noticed that Olive\u2019s gums were pale and that her heart was racing. A quick blood test revealed that she was severely anemic, with a blood-cell volume so low, the vet said, it was \u201cincompatible with life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">So began a monthslong ordeal featuring repeated visits to the veterinary I.C.U., more than a dozen blood transfusions and few solid answers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cCats have been so understudied,\u201d said Elinor Karlsson, a geneticist at UMass Chan Medical School and the Broad Institute. \u201cThey\u2019re going to remain a black box unless something changes on the research side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-d45f77d\">Dogs as the default<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"ImageBlock-1\">\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"img-sz-medium css-d754w4 e1g7ppur0\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-figure\"><\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-caption\" class=\"css-gbc9ki ewdxa0s0\"><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">\u201cIt\u2019s not reasonable to assume that everything that works in a dog will work in a cat,\u201d said Dr. Bruce Kornreich, who directs the Cornell Feline Health Center. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that we still need to learn.\u201d<\/span><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Octavio Jones for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Over the last few decades, veterinary medicine has made enormous strides, allowing pets like Olive to receive highly advanced care. But feline medicine has lagged behind its canine counterpart, and it is not always easy to provide evidence-based medicine for cats. \u201cIt\u2019s still considered a bit of a niche interest,\u201d said Dr. Karen Perry, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon with a focus on feline health at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"InteractiveBlock-3\">\n<section data-testid=\"inline-interactive\" id=\"00SCI-top-ad\" data-id=\"100000009330739\" data-source-id=\"100000009330739\" class=\"interactive-content interactive-size-scoop css-1ewe15d\">\n<div class=\"css-17ih8de interactive-body\" data-sourceid=\"100000009330739\" id=\"embed-id-100000009330739\">\n<p>@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {<\/p>\n<p>figure.img-sz-medium {<br \/>\n  max-width: calc(100% &#8211; 40px);<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.sizeMedium {<br \/>\n  max-width: calc(100% &#8211; 40px) !important;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>}<\/p>\n<p>section div:first-of-type div p:first-of-type {<br \/>\n    font-weight: bold;<br \/>\n    padding-bottom: 10px;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>figcaption[data-testid=&#8221;photoviewer-children-caption&#8221;] {<br \/>\n    margin: 12px auto 0 auto;<br \/>\n    padding-right: 13px;<br \/>\n    padding-left: 13px;<br \/>\n    text-align: center;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>#top-wrapper, sponsor-wrapper {<br \/>\n     display: none;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Optimistic-4\">\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F11%2Fscience%2Fcats-veterinarians-health.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F11%2Fscience%2Fcats-veterinarians-health.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F11%2Fscience%2Fcats-veterinarians-health.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F11%2Fscience%2Fcats-veterinarians-health.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the United States, 1 in 3 households has a pet cat.Caroline Gutman for The New York TimesBut many aspects of feline health remain a mystery, even to experts.Octavio Jones for The New York TimesAnd when one of our kittens became critically ill last year, no one could explain why.Emily Anthes\/The New York Timespet theoryWhy Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box?March 11, 2025When my husband and I took our cat to the vet early last year, we were hoping to hear that we had nothing to worry about. Olive, a longhaired tortoiseshell kitten who had been the runt of her litter, was naturally quiet and skittish, prone to hiding in closets and napping behind the shower curtain. That made her hard to read \u2014 and sometimes simply to find.But days earlier, we had started wondering whether she might be sick. Did she seem even more reserved than usual? It was hard to say, but we decided to ask her vet just to be safe. The vet immediately noticed that Olive\u2019s gums were pale and that her heart was racing. A quick blood test revealed that she was severely anemic, with a blood-cell volume so low, the vet said, it was \u201cincompatible with life.\u201dSo began a monthslong ordeal featuring repeated visits to the veterinary I.C.U., more than a dozen blood transfusions and few solid answers.\u201cCats have been so understudied,\u201d said Elinor Karlsson, a geneticist at UMass Chan Medical School and the Broad Institute. \u201cThey\u2019re going to remain a black box unless something changes on the research side.\u201dDogs as the default\u201cIt\u2019s not reasonable to assume that everything that works in a dog will work in a cat,\u201d said Dr. Bruce Kornreich, who directs the Cornell Feline Health Center. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that we still need to learn.\u201dOctavio Jones for The New York TimesOver the last few decades, veterinary medicine has made enormous strides, allowing pets like Olive to receive highly advanced care. But feline medicine has lagged behind its canine counterpart, and it is not always easy to provide evidence-based medicine for cats. \u201cIt\u2019s still considered a bit of a niche interest,\u201d said Dr. Karen Perry, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon with a focus on feline health at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n<p>@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {<\/p>\n<p>figure.img-sz-medium {<br \/>\n max-width: calc(100% &#8211; 40px);<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.sizeMedium {<br \/>\n max-width: calc(100% &#8211; 40px) !important;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>}<\/p>\n<p>section div:first-of-type div p:first-of-type {<br \/>\n  font-weight: bold;<br \/>\n  padding-bottom: 10px;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>figcaption[data-testid=&#8221;photoviewer-children-caption&#8221;] {<br \/>\n  margin: 12px auto 0 auto;<br \/>\n  padding-right: 13px;<br \/>\n  padding-left: 13px;<br \/>\n  text-align: center;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>#top-wrapper, sponsor-wrapper {<br \/>\n   display: none;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23694,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23692"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23695,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23692\/revisions\/23695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}