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

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.

Cats may also be allergic to fleas.  It is not the bite that causes this allergy; it is the flea’s spit touching the animal’s skin. If it is a bad reaction, the cat can even end up with nasty open sores or scabs or an infection. If you treat your cat with some sort of cat flea control product such as Frontline cat, which is a topical treatment used once a month to both keep fleas away and kill existing ones or Advantage cat, which is another brand of a topical flea treatment for cats. Remember! Never use flea products for dogs on cats as it will kill them because it is a stronger dose.

Some cats are allergic to the food they eat, so if that fits your cat’s symptoms, then part of the cat allergy treatments would be to switch her to a different brand or kind of food. When it comes to a food allergy, it can cause the cat to have digestive issues like vomiting or bowel issues and may show signs of respiratory issues as well. You may see things like coughing, sneezing or a runny looking eye.

A contact allergy is not very commonly seen in cats. It is usually caused by a product like wool or certain collar materials, etc. It will cause skin irritation and redness, but it not usually serious and is easy to cure. Just keep the cat away from that material he is allergic to and you will be good to go.

Cat allergy treatments

Treating an allergic cat depends on what she is allergic to. Sometimes initially the cat receives steroids to get rid of the initial symptoms. Other times special shampoos are used. Since a lot of cats don’t like to get baths, this should be done with someone to help you to hold and calm the animal.

Allergies may or may not be covered by cat health insurance, it depends on the type of coverage that you have. Be sure to read the fine print when you buy pet insurance so you won’t be surprised if you have to foot the bill for the whole amount.

One of the other ways cats are treated for allergies is with a type of antigen shot. The shots contain a tiny portion of the substance the cat is allergic to and it is given once a week in the form of an injection. This is done in order to get the area to be desensitized to whatever the substance is. This is a very long process and has been known to take a couple of years to get the cat over this problem. It is used a lot in respiratory related allergies in middle aged cats who tend to have issues the whole year. It works in about half the cases to clear up future allergic reactions.

Most of the time the cat’s allergies can be treated just by keeping the thing it is allergic to away from your pet or by doing things like treating her for fleas and ticks or buying a different kind of cat treats or cat food for her cat diet.

All in all, cats are subject to getting allergies just like people. They will be miserable and itchy unless you find out the reason for the problem and treat it accordingly. So be sure to take your cat to the vet if you suspect he may be allergic to something or is showing symptoms of itching, scratching and respiratory symptoms.

Cat Allergy Symptoms – Cat Allergy Treatments

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

Hello, my name is Slinky and I, along with my people, have set up this website for people who love cats. It’s also for cats who have something to say. We’d love to have stories and pictures from everyone – stories that tell about your cats, their funny antics or sad tales, their adventures or just about their lives. If you wanted to, you could put stuff in about your people as well. (share your cat stories here)

Seeing your videos – funny or otherwise – would be great too.

Anyway, once you’ve clicked on this tab, you’ll go to the page that let’s you post your name and the name of the website where the video is located. This site could be soooo interesting with everyone posting their stories, pictures and links to videos. Do it while you’re thinking about it, please.

My dad thought those “Cat Training videos” would be good too, little does he know that cats don’t go in for this training stuff!

I’ll start us off with a story about something I really love doing.

One day I jumped up on the counter in the bathroom just to look around.  At that point my mum decide to take everything off the counter so I had room to play. She might have thought I’d break something -  naw, not me!

Good idea though, because while I was sitting there doing nothing, “the tail” suddenly started teasing me. It twitched and swayed and taunted me! (see pictures below).  Of course, I had to chase the thing.  It was really quick the way it moved and it took quite a while before I finally caught the darn thing as you can see in picture number 3.

Being the slippery thing it is, just when I thought I had it, it got away and knocked me over in the process!  That tail put me in a very undignified position!!

Well, now that you’ve seen my ‘best side’, send us your stories and pictures and let’s see what everyone else is doing.

More from me later. Slinky the Cat, signing off.

I wonder why?

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.

When you get your gun, your vet should show you how to use it.  The most difficult aspect of using the gun is getting your cat to open his mouth.  The gun will more or less shoot the pill in the cat’s mouth, and down his throat.  You’ll need to hold him tight, to make sure that he doesn’t wiggle his way loose.  Once you have his mouth open, you’ll need to squeeze the trigger and pull the gun away quickly.  After the pill has been inserted, make sure you give your cat a treat.

If you aren’t comfortable using the gun, you can always try giving your cat his pills by hand.  To do it this way, you’ll need to hold your cat still, and open his mouth with your hand.  Once you have his mouth open, you should aim for the back of his throat and throw the pill in.  Once it is in his mouth, you should close his mouth with your hand and hold it shut for a few moments.  This way, your cat will swallow the pill if he hasn’t already.

Our favorite method is just above quicky followed by a syringe of warm milk.  Close mouth and stroke underneath of neck and the pill should be gone.

If you can’t get any of the above techniques to work, you can always go to a local pharmacy and get them to a make flavored gel or liquid using your cats medication.  You should use this as a last resort though, as it can tend to get expensive.

Giving Your Cat A Pill – Favorite Syringe Method

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.

Cat dander, urine, and saliva, are found throughout the home of cat owners.  Cats constantly groom themselves, which involves rubbing their saliva into their fur.  When they do this, they spread their dander and allergens around.  Although you may try, there is really nothing that you can do about it.  Cats have a natural instinct to groom or bathe themselves, no matter how many baths you give them, you simply won’t stop them from grooming.

Normally, when someone is taking an allergic reaction to cats, he or she will wheeze, cough, sneeze, itch, have watery eyes, or a difficult time in breathing.  Different people react different ways to cat allergens, meaning that some symptoms may not occur at all.  Fever and chills is very rare, although it can happen.  If someone who has cat allergies comes down with fever and chills, you should contact a doctor immediately.  Chances are, it isn’t an allergic reaction to cats, but instead another type of disease that a doctor will need to identify.

Cat allergies are normally treated with antihistamines and decongestants.  Those that experience asthma attacks or other forms of allergies, normally take antihistamines.  Decongestants on the other hand, are normally used to cure coughs and swollen nasal passages.  Sometimes, doctors will recommend allergy shots as well.  Allergy shots can help to prevent the attack, especially if someone is really allergic to cats.  They are a good form of treatment and prevention, and they can also help to decrease the risk of allergies affecting the individual.

If you suspect that you have cat allergies, you should always make it a point to visit your doctor.  He will be able to further diagnose your situation, and give you the best options available for treatment.  If you do indeed suffer from cat allergies, the best way to stop the attacks is to get rid of your cat.

Getting rid of a cat can be a very tough thing to do.  If you have become allergic to your cat’s fur, there may be no other way to prevent attacks than to get rid of him.  Although doctors can give you medicine and shots, it will only do so much.  Cat allergens are no fun, especially if you develop them years after owning your cat.  Cats are great animals to own – although cat allergies are something we could all live without.

Dealing With Cat Allergies – Antihistamines Effective Treatment

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.

If you have kittens or cats that are under a year old in your home, you should always use precaution, as they are more susceptible to ringworm.  Kittens can easily contract the disease, especially if you allow them to go outside.  They can easily come in contact with a contaminated object or another cat that has the disease.  Kittens take a long time to build their immune system up, and in the meantime they are more apt to get common disease such as ringworm.

The most common symptoms of ringworm in cats are rough or broken hairs, or hair loss around the head or the paws.  Ringworm can easily be identified by a patch of scaly skin on the body that appears itchy and inflamed.  There will also be broken hairs around the patch of scaly skin.  This area is very sensitive, and you should never try to touch it, as it will hurt your cat.

If you notice any of the above symptoms with your pet, you should immediately schedule an appointment with your vet.  If the vet diagnosis your cat with ringworm, he may prescribe ointment or tablets.  What he describes however, will determine on how serious the ringworm is.  If he prescribes tablets to your cat, you should give them with meals.  Ointment on the other hand, is normally spread into the coat, topically.  You should always use what your vet prescribes on a daily basis, to ensure that your cat heals.  The healing process will take time, normally around six weeks or more.

Cats that have ringworm should be labeled as infectious.  If you have children in the house, you should keep them away from your pet. Whenever you handle your cat, you should always use gloves.  Ringworms are contagious, and you should always use caution.  Even though it’s a mild disease, ringworm can result in serious problems due to the slow recovery time and fact that it’s contagious.

Cats And Ring Worm – Dermatophytes Ringworm Fungi

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.

The symptoms of feline diabetes will vary.  The most common symptoms include an increase in urine and an increase in thirst.  Other symptoms of feline diabetes include a loss of appetite, weight loss, and a poor coat.  An increase in thirst is easy to detect, as you can easily notice the water dish empty throughout the day.

If you don’t get your cat treated for feline diabetes immediately, the cat will eventually become inactive, vomit on a regular basis, and eventually fall into a coma.  On the other hand, if you get the diabetes treated in time, the cat will more than likely lead a normal and healthy life.  Keep in mind that treatment doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time and dedication.

Cats that have feline diabetes will need to be given food at the same time every day. They should be prevented from going outside as well.  If your cat has diabetes, you’ll need to give him insulin shots once or twice or a day.  Once your veterinarian checks your cat, he will tell you how many shots and how much insulin you need to give your cat.

Before you give your cat his insulin shot, you should always make sure that he has some food first.  If he hasn’t eaten and you give him a shot anyway, he could end up with a hypoglycemic shock.  This can also occur from too much insulin as well.  A hypo can be really dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs.  If your cat gets a hypoglycemic shock and you aren’t around, he may end up dying.

If you have to give insulin shots to your cat due to feline diabetes, you should always keep a watchful eye on him after you have administered the shot.  After your cat has been on insulin for a period of time, your vet may reduce the amount of insulin.  Even though he may have to stay on insulin the rest of his life, he will lead an otherwise healthy life.

Cats And Feline Diabetes – Insulin Shots For A Healthy Life

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That’s why they call it “fur”nature.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

Remember, in many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don’t ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don’t hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don’t smoke or drink
8. Don’t have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don’t want to wear your clothes
10. Don’t need a “gazillion” dollars for college

And finally,

If they get pregnant, you can always sell their children