Feline Glossary E – I

Ear mite  a parasite found in the ears of cats, belonging to the spider family.

Elizabethan collar  a conical collar fitted around the neck to prevent the cat from biting stitches, it’s body etc., or scratching it’s head.

Endoscopy  the procedure of investigating internal body symptoms using fibre optic rquipment.

Entire  see Intact

Exotic  a breed produced by crossing Persians with British or American Shorthairs.

Feral  a domestic breed or type that lives wild.

Foreign  a lithe, fine-boned body shape as seen in Siamese cats.

Frost  in the US, a term for lilac coat colour.

Fur ball  shed hair that the cat swallows when grooming and licking itself, which mats and causes vomitting or an abdominal obstruction.

Gene pool  the number of animals of a species, breed, or type that are available for breeding.

Guard hairs  the long, coarse hairs in a cat’s coat.

Hair ball  see fur ball

Haw  see third eyelid.

Heat  usually refers to the 6-10 day period of the femaile’s oestrus cycle when she is able to mate.

Hock  a hinged joint in the hind-leg, equivalent to the ankle between the toes and the stifle.

Hybrid  a cat whose parents are of different breeds.

Immunodeficiency  a condition in which an animal’s immune system is not functioning properly, often caused by a virus.

Intact  a cat that has not been neutered.