Archive for the ‘Cat Health’ Category

Keeping a cat means much more than just giving her food and water and a litter box. You have to also ensure that she stays healthy through at least annual visits to a veterinarian about cat health. Owning a cat means also being responsible for her well being psychologically too.

One way to always be able to take care of your cat’s needs is to buy cat health insurance.  Cat insurance can help you to be able to pay for things like vaccinations, injuries or illnesses. Owning a pet can be very expensive, so this is a great purchase to make. You can possibly use it if your pet needs cat allergy treatments because she is allergic to something like fleas. Some of the cat allergy symptoms include itching, scratching and respiratory problems.

Preventing Fleas

You can help to prevent your cat getting fleas by using a preventative like cat Frontline or Advantage cat. Either of these is great and works as a topical treatment you use once a month so your cat will stay flea allergy free. Using cat flea control is very important in keeping your cat healthy and happy all year long.

It is also a good idea to have your home and yard treated to get rid of the fleas as well. You can hire a professional exterminator in order to be sure that all of them are dead. Just be sure that they only use flea products that are made for cats because the products made for dogs can harm cats or even kill them because they are too strong.

Other cat allergy problems

Another creature that can cause you problems for your cat’s health is cat ear mites. These tiny little creatures are blood suckers too and get into your pet’s ears and make them itch and hurt. You will have to see the veterinarian to get the proper medications to get rid of these pesky mites.

Cats can also show allergies to food. If you cat is allergic to his food, he will probably throw up or show some respiratory issues. You may have to do a trial and error process to be sure, but in some cases you may end up having to feed your pet a special food from the veterinarian.

Toys are Part of Keeping Your Pet Healthy

Part of keeping your cat healthy and happy is providing entertainment and enrichment through toys. Especially if your cat is an indoor cat (and I recommend this, as there are many dangers like cars, poison, or disease that can affect outdoor pets) he or she needs things to do in order to keep from being bored. There are many different toys to choose from. These include catnip mice, balls, fuzzy toys, scratching posts, fishing pole toys with hanging toys, and many other sorts of products. You can also get a laser pointer and keep your cat entertained for hours!

Where will your pet sleep?

When keeping your cat healthy and happy you also need a place for her to sleep. Cats sleep more than 12 hours a day and so bedding choices are very important. You can find flat beds, round beds, and even beds with temperpedic foam that are good for your cat health.  Some owners let their cats sleep in bed with them, but others prefer their pets to sleep in their own beds.

All in all, cat health is very important. You have to be concerned with cat allergies, cat beds, cat food and toys to name a few things needed to keep your cat healthy and happy.

Keeping Your Cat Healthy And Happy – Cat health and Allergies

Is your cat always scratching and seems all itchy and miserable? It’s entirely possible that they are showing cat allergy symptoms. If your kitty has cat allergies then she is allergic to something in her environment such as grass, or pollen or they could have an allergy to fleas and need some sort of cat flea treatment.  Cats can have allergies just like humans do and be just as unhappy about it. Cat allergy treatment depends on the kind of allergy that the cat has.

Kinds of Cat Allergies

Lots of things can cause a cat to get an allergy to something. The types of cat allergies that are seen the most by veterinarians include those caused by inhalants, contact with certain items or allergies to certain foods in a cat diet.

Just like us, our cats can be allergic to airborne particles of dust or pollen from ragweed or other plants, mold or dust mites, or even the grass under their feet.  If a cat only seems to be sneezing, itching and scratching during certain times of the year, it is likely she is allergic to pollen or a particular plant that grows during that period. Read the rest of this entry »

Fleas are something that most cat owners will need to deal with at least a few times in your pet’s life. Knowing how to do cat flea treatment will help you to make this process go easier. Here is some information on cat fleas and how to control and prevent them from attacking your pet:

How do cats get fleas?

Cats can get fleas even if they don’t go outside by flea eggs sticking to their owners’ feet or by flea eggs being dormant in an old rug, or if the owner pets another cat and fleas transfer from it to the owner and then to the cat at home. As you can see, cat flea control can get complicated when it comes to preventing and treating any existing flea problem.

Fleas do more than just make you or your cat itch, though that alone is not very comfortable. Cat fleas can be carriers of the tapeworm larva, which can in turn infest the cat if it eats any of the fleas.  Fleas can cause anemia in kittens or weak cats. Plus, fleas can also cause some kinds of cat allergies to form, which later lead to more serious skin problems. A cat allergy can make your cat miserable and make her scratch herself so badly she can lose much of her fur if it is bad enough.

How to Detect Fleas on Your Cat

In order to find out if your cat has fleas, you can place her on a white sheet and brush or comb her fur using a fine tooth comb or flea comb. Look on the sheet for any flea dirt or actual fleas. The flea dirt is specks of black that is the waste material from the fleas.

Getting Rid of Fleas

When you discover that your cat has fleas, you have to treat the whole environment, not just the animal. You have to also treat the house, yard, bedding, etc. It helps to vacuum frequently, but this doesn’t entirely get rid of the fleas or work for cat flea control. Be sure to throw away the vacuum bags if you use this method. You can also have your carpets steam cleaned to kill fleas and flea eggs.

You have to be diligent and treat all the little tiny cracks and crevices, plus all the soft products like curtains, rugs, bedding, and furniture. If anything appears to be heavily infested, it is most likely best to just toss it out unless it can be laundered in hot water.

There are many different products available to both kill and prevent cat fleas. Some of these include flea collars, flea shampoo, sprays, foams and powders, as well as topical products that go onto your cat each month like Frontline cat or Advantage cat, as well as oral tablets that kill existing fleas and some that both kill existing fleas and prevent new breakouts such as Program. A relatively new product is called Revolution. It is a topical product that not only kills fleas, but also kills several kinds of worms, including roundworms, tapeworms and heartworms.

If you use sprays or powders, make sure they are cat products, as those for dogs can kill a cat because they are too strong. Another thing to remember is not to overdo it by using more than one flea treatment at a time on your cat.

You also need to treat your yard, and it may be best to hire professionals. However, be sure to tell them they need to use a cat safe product, and keep your cat inside for 24 hours after treatment.

Remember! Never ever use any sort of flea treatment or control product that is not specifically for cats. Any other kind, such as that for dogs, will cause serious harm or even death to a cat. If you do this you may find yourself taking your cat to the hospital ASAP and hoping that you have cat health insurance to cover the bill.

Conclusions

Fleas are tiny little wingless insects that suck the blood from your cats. They can also cause cat flea allergy symptoms or worse. Be sure to check your cat for fleas often and if you find any treat the home and your pet with the appropriate flea control and treatment products for cats.

Cat Flea Treatments – Prevent Allergies – Cat Flea Control

Now The Fun Begins.

Giving a cat a pill can be a nightmare.  No cat wants something shoved down his throat, and he will fight you tooth and nail to prevent it. Although most cats are small in size, you’d be quite amazed with how much power they actually have.  There are ways that you can get your cat to take his pills, which we will cover below.

The easiest way to give a cat pill is to crush the power into a powdery form by putting it between two spoons.  Once the pill is powder, mix it in with some wet cat food.  Cats that are used to eating dry cat food will see the wet food and think of it as a treat.  They will normally eat it up, unaware that they just took their medicine.

If the medicine happens to be in capsule form, all you have to do is pry the capsule apart then sprinkle the medicine on some wet food and serve it to your pet.  If the food also contains the pill or if your pet is sick, chances are he won’t eat it.  In this event, you should look into a pet piller.  You can get these handy devices from your veterinarian.

They are plastic rods that hold the pill until you press a plunger.  When you get one, you should always get a long one with a softer tip. Read the rest of this entry »

Cats are one of the most loved pets in the world, no question about it.  More than 50% of all households in the United States own dogs and cats.  Although cats are loved animals, cat allergies are one of the common forms of allergies.  Statistics in the past have shown that over 10 million people in the U.S. alone have allergic reactions to cats – especially their fur.

The biggest cause of cat allergies is dander.  The dander, is dust that is produced by the body of the cat.  Dander is basically shed skin that comes off of cats, normally in the form of small flakes.  Although dander can irritate your skin, it can also get into your immune system as well, resulting in a variety of symptoms and almost immediate allergic reactions.

The dander, once in the immune system, is perceived to be a threat.  Even though it isn’t classified as a disease, it’s more of a reflex by your body and your immune system.  Cat allergies occur quite often due to cats having allergens that are spread throughout their blood, urine, and saliva.  Although a cat may not be present at the time, the excretions probably still are. Read the rest of this entry »

Ringworm is a very common form of skin disease that is found in both dogs and cats.  Although its name makes you think otherwise, this skin disease isn’t caused by any type of worm.  It’s actually caused by fungi known as Dermatophytes that feed on dead tissues found in the surface of the skin, spreading them around the skin of the animal.

With cats, there is a certain type of fungi known as M Canis that is found with nearly 95% of all ringworm cases.  Normally, cats will get the ringworm disease from contaminated objects like bedding, clippers, or another animal that already has the disease.  If there are animals in your home or around your house that have the ringworm disease, your cat could very easily contract it this way. Read the rest of this entry »

Cats are one of the most popular pets in North America.  They are loving pets, capable of providing you years of companionship.  Like other pets, cats can sometimes get sick.  There are several different types of ailments that cats can get, one of which is feline diabetes.  Feline diabetes is a serious disease, although it can be treated by a veterinarian.

Diabetes is more common with humans than with cats or other animals. The cause of diabetes is actually quite simple.  Sugar, or glucose, is found in the blood.  The level of blood sugar in the body or the animal is kept under control by hormone insulin, which the pancreas produces.  When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, diabetes is to blame. Read the rest of this entry »