DISEASES OF CATS 97 



III case of chronic disease of the liver, hyper- 

 trophy or cirrhosis, the liver may be enlarged 

 or diminished in size. The liver may also be 

 affected with hydatids or other parasites, which 

 produce similar symptoms. 



In cases of constipation an examination 

 should be made of the rectum, and a thorough 

 examination of the abdomen should be made 

 by manipulating the walls until the contents 

 can be felt 5 for constipation in the cat is in 

 the majority of cases due to a mechanical ob- 

 struction. I have at various times found this 

 obstruction to be a bone which has been swal- 

 lowed, bits of coal, pebbles, or a button which 

 has been swallowed and acted as a nucleus for 

 the accumulation of food around it, or balls of 

 hair, called asgagropila, which have been made 

 by the felting of the hair which the cat has 

 licked off of its own sides. In one case the ob- 

 struction was a small fish-hook, which had passed 

 through the entire length of the intestinal tract, 

 and had lodged within an inch of the orifice 

 of the anus. In this case I judged that the 

 point of the hook had been protected during 

 its first passage in a bit of hard fish-gill, which 



