Question: My cat experienced an anal sac abscess rupture 3 years ago and the vet only administered a topical ointment for infection, now my cat is experiencing the same problem again, is there anything I can do, short of having the sacs removed, or extracting the sac periodically? C.T., Cincinnati, OH.

ANSWER:Cats have anal glands just as dogs do. Sometimes they will not empty due to a conformation problem with the way that the ducts empty outside the body, they become plugged with debris, or some veterinarians believe it may be due to not enough fiber in the diet. Usually anal glands need to be expressed once a month (some animals once a week--each animal can be different) in animals with problems. Assuming your cat has another ruptured anal gland, I would suggest whatever your veterinarian recommends that treated the problem before (since it cleared up), and then monthly anal gland expression by your veterinarian (or more often as your vet deems necessary for your particular animal). Some vets will teach you how to express the glands yourself--if this is something that you would be interested in doing. The other option is to have the sacs removed and eliminate the problem entirely. However, there are risks involved with that particular surgery as the sacs lie very close to nerves that control the anal sphincter muscle and can result in fecal incontinence. Discuss your options with your veterinarian.