Nose jobs, tummy tucks, breast reductions, ear shaping, testicular implants and cosmetic dentistry. It reads like the line-up for a television extreme makeover show, but in fact its a list of cosmetic surgery procedures that can be performed on cats!

While these operations are similar to those routinely performed on humans, Alan Schulman, a veterinary specialist in animal reconstructive surgery at the Animal Medical Center of Southern California in Los Angeles, emphatically points out that these procedures are only carried out for necessary medical reasons to improve quality of life and not to change a typical household cat into a Hollywood glamour puss.

Cosmetic surgery is often used by unscrupulous breeders (assisted by unscrupulous veterinarians) to mask defects that would keep them from winning in cat shows. Since many of these defects are genetically caused, they are passed on to other cats when these successful show cats are bred.

It has to be a life-threatening situation to put a cat under the knife, Schulman says. Cats are phenomenal creatures and very resilient, and although cosmetic procedures are possible, the incidence is rare.

He points out that because all felines are about the same size and have similar anatomical features, they are less likely to encounter some of the problems that plague their canine friends.

Different dog breeds are typified by size and specific features like skin folds and wrinkles, says Schulman. In some breeds, this causes problems around the eyes, face, body and tail areas.

Here are options available to cat owners:

**To see what cosmetic surgery options are available for cats, pick up the July issue of CAT FANCY**