Healthy Cats

If you are new to owning a cat, you may be surprised to find that health problems are a common thing.

No matter what breed of cat you own, cat health is one of the major topics you will have to know about.  With any breed certain problems are to be expected. Some may be hereditary, while others can easily be prevented. No matter what breed of cat it may be, worms are a very common and recurring problem.

Some of the most typical worms to infect cats are tapeworms, roundworms and hookworms. There are several symptoms that indicate your cat may require testing for worms including trouble gaining weight, fleas, or white specks in his stool. Please make certain that you have them treated with medication, otherwise worms can prove to be fatal.

Hairballs are the most common health problem for cats. Cats clean themselves every day, and they swallow the hair that they shed. On occasion, this loose hair will gather into a ball and become lodged in the digestive tract instead of passing through in your cats stool. When your cat starts to cough and hack, he is normally coughing up a hairball - as a popular cat owner manual confirmed recently. Although it is kind of gross, cats can usually get rid of the hairballs without difficulty. Although rare, a hairball can occassionally become lodged in the cats intestines, this creates blockage.

Blockages are not to be ignored, since they can kill you if left untreated. Not eating properly, having a dull coat, and blockage are three factors that could lead to your cat being constipated. Seek veterinary assistance immediately if any of the symptoms listed appear.

If you want to prevent your cat from getting hairballs and blokages, you should get rid of shedding hair by brushing your cat 2 to 3 times every week. Urinary tract infection, also a common health problem with cats, can be controlled by feeding him food designed to control hair balls.

Female and male cats can suffer from urinary tract infections, however, this is more likely to occur in male cats that have not been neutered. This problem is usually the culprit when your cat(s) suddenly stops going to their litter box. One symptom that your cat may have a UTI is strong smelling urine, and if this symptom is there they need to go to the vet. Your veterinarian can prescribe medicine to treat the problem, and can give you advice on avoiding the problem in the future.

Nowadays, vaccines are available to treat the disease, feline leukemia, which used to be the greatest cause of death in cats in the past. To treat the disease, your cat will need to be given the shot before he or she is exposed. Even though death doesnt happen immediately, cats that are exposed to feline leukemia normally don’t have a long life span. If you know your cat has feline leukemia, you should never allow other cats around him, as the virus is highly contagious.

To protect your cat, you should always make sure that you take him to the vet for his regular check ups. If you keep him up to date on his vaccinations, he should lead a healthy and productive life. Although some health problems can’t be avoided, most of them can. If you take cat care seriously, take him to the vet and keep him healthy he will be your companion for years to come.

Cats eyes have often been used in horror films. But as a pet owner, you will know that the cats stare is really the complete opposite of what is portrayed in films. That is why cat eye care, is so very important for you to know.

How do cats say I love you? well this is through their eyes, of course. This is why you should never be frightened by there gaze. So how does this work? First of all, the cat stares at you for a long time. And after that, it blinks its eyes slowly. Some people call this the cats kiss. But you should also know that this is your cats way of showing you that it loves you.

But how do you return the favor? This is easy, all you need to do is follow your cats lead. Stare at it for a long time and then slowly blink your eyes. See? Cats eyes have also be used for romantic films as well.

Do not believe the horror films you see. Cats do not and never have had a third eye. Their eye sight is really far better than a humans. Instead of a third eye, what cats have is a third eyelid. This is called a nictitating membrane.

This inner eyelid protects the eyes of the cat from harm and also from dryness. You will always notice that when a cat is sick, this membrane will be some what closed. This should always alarm enough for you to call your vet or get your cat to them fast as possible.

But this third eyelid will also show once a cat is happy. So you will know what kind of mood your cat is in just by looking at the membrane.

You should always observe the pupil of your feline friend. A change in size of one of the pupils can often be an indication of an inflammation. It can also be a sign of a kind of a neurologic, disorder, this is called Horner’s Syndrome. Or worse, it can also indicate tumors or injuries in the central nervous system.

Never believe what others say that cats are color blind. They do see some colors. They may not see them as clear as human do, but its not true that they cannot see any colors at all.

Cats can also see clearly over long distances. There vision is very different from peoples. There vision will blurry if they are looking at objects that are very close to them.

Yes it is true, cats do have the nocturnal vision. But they can not see in complete darkness. Do you see the muscles on their iris that surround the pupils of their eyes? They are constructed in a way that it narrows into a vertical split when they are exposed in the bright lights. And it opens fully when they are in a quite dim light.

This feature of the cat may be traced back to their roots. They can use this feature to hunt for food during the night, that is if they were left out in the jungle or left with no one to care for them.

So you must forget about the horror movies that you have seen. Now it is time to put some effort into your cats eye care. Never let a minor ailments worsen. Always call your vet immediately when you think there is something not right or amiss. You do not want your cat to lose their sight or even worse lose their lives. Just remember it is always better to be safe than blind.

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.