A retrospective review of records of 205 cats with histologically confirmed disease of the spinal cord was performed to identify the prevalence of disease in this nonrandomly selected population of cats. Clinical records were reviewed, and age, duration of neurologic illness, and clinical and histopathologic findings in cats with spinal cord disease were abstracted. Disease processes were classified into 7 categories and 23 groups. The most common diseases affecting the spinal cord of cats were feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), lymphosarcoma (LSA), and neoplasia of the vertebral column secondarily affecting the spinal cord. Information on age, onset and duration of clinical signs, and lesion localization at the postmortem examination in cats belonging to the 7 categories of disease were analyzed to create a practical list of differential diagnoses. Cats were also subcategorized into 3 groups based on their age at death. FIP was the most common disease of cats younger than 2 years of age. LSA and vertebral column neoplasia were the most common diseases affecting cats between 2 and 8 years of age. Vertebral column neoplasia was the most common disease affecting cats older than 8 years of age. Results of this histopathologic study showed that FIP and LSA were the most common disease processes affecting the spinal cord of cats. However, at least 21 other groups of diseases and their relative prevalence were identified.Key words: Cat; Central nervous system; Feline infectious peritonitis; Lymphosarcoma; Neoplasia; Vertebral column. Most reports of spinal cord disease of cats are case reports or retrospective studies of single diseases such as intervertebral disc disease, 1-16 feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), [17][18][19][20] and spinal lymphosarcoma (LSA). 21,22Some studies have drawn conclusions on which diseases most commonly affect the spinal cord of cats [23][24][25][26][27] ; however, no study examines the prevalence of each disease in a single sample of cats. LSA and FIP are considered common causes of spinal cord disease in young cats, but the prevalence and age distribution of each compared with other spinal cord diseases is unknown.The purpose of our study was to identify diseases affecting the spinal cord of cats and the diseases' relative prevalence in a population of cats examined by the Laboratory of Pathology and Toxicology of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. We also investigated whether age, onset and duration of clinical illness, neurologic signs, and lesion localization at postmortem examination were useful diagnostic indicators. Materials and MethodsA retrospective study was performed with case material submitted to the Laboratory of Pathology and Toxicology of the School of Vet- Knoxville, TN 37996-4544; e-mail: kmarioni-henry@mail.ag.utk.edu. Submitted November 7, 2003; Revised February 27, 2004, and May 11, 2004; Accepted July 28, 2004 Thus, cats with no histologic abnormalities in the spinal cord were not included in our study. Additional cats exclud...

Abstract. Feline physeal dysplasia typically presents as unilateral or bilateral, atraumatic, slipped capital femoral epiphysis. The femoral physeal lesion consists of retention of a cartilaginous physis beyond the expected age of closure, with disorganization of the chondrocytes and subsequent slippage. In this article, we describe two cats with feline physeal dysplasia and slipped capital femoral epiphysis that died of unrelated causes (cardiomyopathy and lymphosarcoma). At necropsy, additional sites were found to have retained physes with similar abnormal arrangement of chondrocytes. This confirms that physeal dysplasia in cats is a widespread multicentric disorder of chondrocytes that precedes the development of slipped capital femoral epiphysis.