Just Kittens and Cats

posted by Kitty on Oct 19

When we experience pain in our bodies, we can easily tell somebody that there is something wrong and that person will be able to take you to the infirmary. Pets cannot do that simply watching them can tell you a lot of things. which is why owners should employ cat care and be aware of the symptoms.

Here are a few diseases you should watch out for and their symptoms.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the most feared disease by cat owners. It is a acknowledged fact, that it is the leading cause of death amongst cats. It is caused by a coronavirus infection and what is yet worse, is that the symptoms are very much like other diseases so it is really tricky to diagnose.

There is also Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) that is similar to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Just like the human variant, it is a life long infection that advances slowly and kills the cat.

Cats can as well be infected by Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). It is a retrovirus that causes fatal cancerous and non-cancerous diseases. As Luck Would Have It, it can be treated using some household detergents and bleach as well as warmth and drying. It is carried through the saliva, tears, urine and feces of infected cats. Unlike the other two, it cannot survive that long in the environment so it is only contagious when the infected cat stays with another cat for a long period of time. 

Worms are also another threat to cats and this is caused by a fungal infection that is spread through spores. Since it is a self-limiting disease, you do not need to do anything to make it go away. It will in time clear up but it may just take a few months.

If your cat is obese, the chances are it already has feline diabetes. The symptoms of this disease include excessive urination and thirst as well as weight loss or gain. Vets are not yet certain what causes this, but there have been a few research studies that have established that there is a link between pancreatic disease, hormonal imbalance and particular medications.

The symptoms of most of the above diseases mentioned are very similar. These include diarrhea, vomiting, lameness lasting for more than five days in one leg, a reduction in sight, excessive panting, a seizure, blood in the stool or urine, hair loss, repeated coughing or gagging and breathing heavily or rapidly while at rest. In order to find the answer, your cat will have to undergo some tests, at your local veterinarians.

Your veterinary surgeon will take some blood, urine and feces samples and ask for input from you, about any observation you have made. When the tests results come back, only then will the proper treatment be administered to your cat as each case is different, so what worked for another cat may not have the self same positive effect with yours.

Your cat could still be healthy if you gave it constant attention. This can be done by giving it leading quality food, giving it fresh water, allowing it to exercise, proper grooming, making sure it remains indoors and taking it regularly to the veterinary.

If you miss any of these simple steps, then something wrong is sure to happen to your cat and you will soon detect a change in the behaviour of your cat and if you do nothing about it, it is just going to make matters far worse. So you require to keep proper cat care and watch out for any symptoms.

For further Free information on Long Term Cat Care try visiting Caring For Your Cat Help.

posted by Kitty on Sep 27

If your cat has diabetes then cat care is important to your pets health. You will need to take the appropriate steps to make sure your pet can lead a normal life. It is unfortunate that pet cats have there own form of diabetes. It is important as a pet owner you learn how this will affect your pet and how you can help your cat lead a normal healthy life.

There are two types of cat diabetes, that could affect you pet. The first type is caused by the lack of  production of insulin, while the second type is the inability of the cats body to process insulin as it should do. just like in humans, diabetes can affect a cat at any age. But it normally appears in a pet in its later years.

Your cat will start to display symptoms that will tell you there is something wrong. These symptoms are very similar to the one in humans, You would start to notice your cat would require more fluid and would also urinate more. Because of your pets inability to process any glucose, then you will start to notice some weight loss.

Other symptoms you may see your cat are vomiting, loss of appetite and general weakness. Diabetic cats also  start to have poor skin and coat condition, as well as breathing problems

If your pet cat starts to display the above symptoms, it would be very wise of you to take your pet to your local vet. This way you can have your cat tested for sugar levels in there blood as well as in their urine. it is better to have both tests done, because any cat that feels under any form of stress, will show a spike in there blood sugar levels. By having both tests done, you will be able to confirm if your pet cat really has diabetes.

There is no cure for your cats diabetes as of yet. There diabetes can be controlled through a various means, and for cats it is done by diet and weight control. Giving your pet a diet high in fiber and carbohydrates would be ideal for diabetic cats, especially if they are over weight.

By using this type of diet, you will control your cats weight and blood sugar levels. There are also some oral medications available that your trusted vet may recommend. These should help to maintain a suitable blood sugar level.

Owners of diabetic cats, also will need to monitor their pets glucose and insulin levels. This is for those pet owners who will have to give there cats insulin injections for their diabetes. But be warned, you need to be carful to avoid giving an overdose of insulin as this will be fatal to your pet.

Cat care and diabetes should always go together, this will ensure that your pet can lead a normal healthy life. If you provide the right care for diabetic cats, then you will still have many happy years to come with your pet.

posted by Kitty on Sep 26

So you can not resist the graceful charms of the feline species around and want to befriend one of them? Well the most important thing you need to know before proceeding with your pet adventure is: how to provide for all its necessities in a proper manner and the most important consideration relates to supplying the right foods, so that proper nutrition takes place through various stages of its growth.

You want a healthy, good humored pet to give you company, right? For that you have to take care of what you give it to eat. Remember, your cat’s well being is the ultimate function of what it eats. Just like a human being’s life span is influenced by what he consumes, the same way, your cat will live a longer and healthy life when fed wholesome, natural foods without the contamination of chemicals.

What makes the best diet for your pet cat?

The natural foods make for the best diet for both the dogs and the cats. But what does natural food imply? Natural foods refer to those varieties that your pet would like to have if it was staying in the wild.

So far as cats are concerned, they display an essentially carnivorous food habit. Their system calls for high protein intake. Survival of cats on purely vegetarian diet is nearly impossible. By counting the number of your cat’s grinding teeth, and the number of tearing and shearing teeth, you will be able to get a possible ratio of the protein, carbohydrate and fat content that the ideal diet for your cat should consist of.

Here is an overview of a healthy diet for your cat.

Protein content

An ideal cat diet should consist of 60 % protein. It is better to avoid highly processed, artificial cat food. The protein should come from either organic ground beef or organic chicken— raw or cooked. You can give eggs once a week if your cat likes it. Let your pussy make a feast on cooked fishes more than once a week. To add variety, give her piece of turkey or rabbit from time to time.

It will be prudent to steam or boil the meat before you offer it to your cat. Don’t discard the water after boiling the meat, boil some vegetable in it and your cat will just love this meat flavored vegetable broth.

Fruit and vegetable intake

Vegetables should cover approximately 20% of your cat’s diet. Cats generally like the taste of variety of vegetables like broccoli, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower or corn. It becomes easier for you to add variety to your cat’s diet if your cat happens to love the taste of such fruits as melon, mango or apple.

The grain content

About 20% of your cat’s diet should comprise whole grains like brown rice—steamed or boiled. Other grains like millet, barley, oatmeal, and amaranth are also good for your cat’s health. You can also offer your cat the boiled grains in a pureed form.

Last of all; make sure to give your cat adequate vitamin and mineral supplements. It is also important to supply enough amino acid taurine; deficiency of this substance results in blindness. Also add 250 mg vitamin C to your cat’s daily diet to add to overall cat health.

posted by Kitty on Sep 24

You may be the proud owner of a lovely pet cat. In such case you would consider caring for the cat and looking after its health to be your responsibility. It is important for you to provide little time and extend a bit of effort on your part to ensure that your pet cat stays healthy, fit and fine. You may, if you wish, get hold of some good pet cat care books that are available in local bookstores for reference. You can get some useful cat care tips from there.

Awareness about cat health needs to be made beforehand if you are planning to get a pet cat. This does not require much learning though. A bit of learning about the normal habits, behavior and temperament of a cat is what is required of you. This will enable you to detect when there is any sudden change in habits of the cat so as to take care of it. Behavioral changes, changes in eating and sleeping habits etc. need to be taken note of to decide whether some health problem has arisen. Usually it is the vet who takes the final decision about health concerns of the pet cat though you can provide preliminary attendance.

Problems with cat’s health are quite common and cat owners can appropriately control such problems by gaining knowledge about cat health. This can go a long way to ensure that your pet cat stays healthy and playful. Isn’t it a rewarding experience to cuddle and have fun with a healthy pet cat?

Taking the pet cat to the veterinary specialist on a regular basis is of crucial importance. The vet needs to conduct checkups on a yearly or half yearly basis even if apparently no problems are there. Only then can you remain sure that the health condition of your loved feline pet is sound. At other times during the year if it comes to notice that there has been the development of behavior or mood changes in your cat then the vet needs to be approached at the earliest possible.

Common problems that cats usually develop are lumps, ticks, black specs in the ears, eye gunk or rashes. These can generally be detected pretty easily and upon detection of these problems the vet is to be immediately consulted. Medical attention can thus be provided quickly, remedial action measures adopted and relief from the problem obtained soon.

Grooming of the pet cat frequently is an important health endowing measure. A lot of dead hair gets removed in the process. Getting hold of the special combs available that can help extract ticks and fleas from the fur of the cat provides further help. A trim of the claws of the pet cat may be needed to from time to time to promote cat health. It must be noted, however, that the nails of the cat are not cut too short.