Your Pet Cat Health

Nearly everything alive becomes ill at some stage in its life, and pets are no exception. I have been very fortunate in that my two cats have been very healthy for most of their lives. Recently the oldest cat become ill and had to go to the vet. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with a form of cancer. The treatment options were pills or radiation ‘therapy’. The radiation therapy was very expensive so that left the pills. Pills are fine for humans, but if you have ever tried to administer pills to your cat then you would know some of the problems I have had.

I usually feed my cats on a dry ‘all in one’ biscuit diet. This diet and a supplement of fresh food has kept them very healthy for over 14years. But now I need to add pills to her diet every twelve hours. So what do I feed her that will hide the pill well enough for her to eat it without complaining? Well after some experimentation I came to the conclusion that hiding a whole pill was not the answer. Not the answer at all. Whole pills are located and removed from the food with amazing accuracy. The simple answer is to crush the pills before adding them to the food.
( Note : The pill should be added to a small quantity of food - half a normal serve or less, and that small quantity should be given to your pet BEFORE the rest of the meal. This helps to ensure your cat is hungry enough to eat the entire pill. Once the pill food is eaten you can give them the rest of the meal.)

Pills are usually quite easy to crush into powder, I use two spoons, one small teaspoon as the crusher, and a larger desert spoon to hold the pill. Place the pill into the larger spoon and using the edge of the small spoon as a blunt knife, carefully break the pill into smaller chunks. Now use the small teaspoon to gently crush the chunks into powder. In less than two minutes you should be ready to sprinkle the powdered pill onto a small serve of food. Crushing the pill gets much easier once you have done two or three.

Cat owners know for a fact that bad cat breath can be downright awful. It isn’t that much different from bad human breath, as both are caused by bacteria found in the mouth that breaks protein down and releases the sulfur compounds out into the air. Sulfur smells really bad on its own, which is why breath containing it smells bad as well. The bacterium that causes bad breath with cats is normally associated with a buildup of tartar around the teeth. Tartar is yellow in color, known as a coating of bacteria, food, and minerals.

To cure your cat from bad breath, you’ll need to remove the buildup of tartar. There are several cat foods out there that are designed to reduce the buildup of tartar, many containing enzymes that will literally dissolve it. You can also give your cat treats as well, as many of them will help eliminate and prevent tartar. If the buildup of tartar is bad, you may need to have your cat’s teeth professionally cleaned. Once the tartar has been removed, the bad breath will go away.

You may be able to clean the tartar off your cat’s teeth at home. There are several toothpastes available for pets, available in several different flavors. You’ll need to get a mechanical toothbrush, as the motion is very important for removing tartar buildup. Toothpastes that contain enzymes will dissolve tartar, helping to cure bad breath. If you start early with brushing your cat’s teeth, you can virtually eliminate any type of tartar buildup that will ultimately lead to bad breath.

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 more

As most pet owners already know, heartworm treatment for cats and dogs isn’t the same. Never, under any circumstances, should you give your cat heartworm treatment that is designed for a dog – or vice versa. Even though you may own both dogs and cats, you should always give them medicine that is designed for their species.

No matter how you look at it, heartworm treatment isn’t easy. Your goal is to get rid of the heartworms, although there are several factors that you’ll need to consider. The first thing to do is take your cat to the vet, as he will be able to run tests to determine just how many heartworms your pet has. He can also find out how the worms are affecting your cat and if your cat can deal with any side effects that the treatment medicine may impose.

Heartworms are a very serious condition, as the worms will feast on the vital areas around your cat’s heart. Treatment can be serious as well, especially if something goes wrong. Veterinarians are trained to deal with heartworms though, in both cats and dogs. Even though you may be able to buy treatment medicine at your local department store, you should always consult with your vet before you give anything to your pet.

Read more

Now that you have a cat or several cats in the house, you need to think about how you can be a responsible cat owner and provide for the needs of your cats. This means that you have to think about the cats’ living conditions, feeding, grooming, and clean-up.

Regarding your cat’s living conditions, this will be largely influenced by your own lifestyle. If you live in an apartment in a city, then your cat should live solely indoors. If you live in a farm, then your cat may live solely outdoors or live both indoors and outdoors. When your cat lives solely outdoors, it must be provided with some form of shelter, such as a barn. What you should not do is to keep a cat inside a cage. This will drive your cat crazy. Cats treasure the freedom to move freely.

When it comes to the food of your cat, you may give free-choice feedings or scheduled feedings. If the cat is given free choice, it will feed every few hours. This is usually for cats who lead active lives. But if the cat is facing an obesity problem, then scheduled feedings should be best. You must also remember that cats are genuine carnivores. They are natural hunters. They will not survive on a diet of grains and vegetables. In fact, they don’t need these types of food. They only need meat. Their bodies require a great amount of protein than any other mammal. You may opt to give your cat canned cat food or dry food. The canned food tastes a lot better but the dry food is advisable for the cat’s teeth. You may alternate the use of both types. What you should avoid is giving your cat cow’s milk. Cow’s milk has proteins that are too large for the cat to digest. This milk will make your cat suffer from diarrhea, vomiting and intestinal upset. At all times, there should be fresh clean water available to your cat.

Cats are warm blooded carnivorous mammals and they certainly feed on protein-rich meat. They are predators and hunters and they usually prey upon rats and mice. Cats are also known for their great fighting skills. Some can even win a fight against snakes. And cats survive in almost all climates and geographical conditions.

Historians cannot pinpoint nor describe the details of how and when the first cat was domesticated. What is known, however, is that domesticated cats have existed for more than five thousand years now. According to biologists, the modern domestic cat is either a direct descendant or a subspecies of the African Wildcat. And this is why the domestic cat belongs to the genus Felis. Some artifacts indicated that the domestic cats first appeared in ancient Egypt. Today, these cats have occupied all continents, Asia, Europe, and America, except for Antarctica. And they have evolved into over fifty different breeds.

Being one of the most popular pets in the world, cats are certainly not listed as endangered species. Female cats are also known to produce an average of three kittens about twice a year. Thus, the spaying and neutering of cats cannot hurt their world population.

Read more

Cancer does not just affect human beings, cats can also be prone to the ill affects of this deadly disease. I have a cat who is called Pip and in this article I will be writing about my families experience in protecting her from cancer, which the vet has informed us, has ultimately saved and prolonged her life.

Pip is a beautiful and loving cat and is very much part of our family. She is treated like our third child and has what we hope to be a very happy and comfortable life.

I have been surrounded my animals for most of my life as my parents run an animal sanctuary in the Birmingham area of England. I have learnt quite a lot about these different animals and have a particular love of cats and dogs.

Read more

If you want to enjoy the companionship of a healthy and happy cat, 1 of the most important things you can do is to safeguard its health. Vaccinations can protect your cat from many common cat diseases.

Weaned From Mother’s Immunity

When your kitten is 6 to 8 weeks old, you should begin his vaccinations. Before this time, the mother’s antibodies have been protecting him. Once he is weaned, however, he will need to develop antibodies of his own.

Read more

Pet medications are not difficult to acquire nowadays, but at what price? There is a huge variety of pet meds available somewhere near you whether it’s at your local pet store or veteranarian. That’s fine if you are in need of emergency care for your pet and you just don’t have the time to wait for shipment. If you have a few days, it may be a wiser choice to get your pet medications online where you can get them for quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else. Many people are under the impression that only non-prescription pet medicines can be obtained online, but this is not always the case. It’s true, Rx as well as non-Rx pet medications can be found online. Not only that, but they will cost you much less than you would regularily pay.

There are many forms of pet medications, and as stated earlier, all of them can be obtained from an array of web resources at a discounted price. All it takes is a few minutes of searching on your favorite search engine, and you will find whatever it is you need. This will take you much less time than a trip to your local pet supplies store or your vet, and you will have your pet medications delivered right to your door. Let us not forget that many online pet supplies stores will include shipping in the price of the pet meds you buy.

Lets face it, very few pets will go without the need of pet medications in a lifetime. This includes the need for medications of all kinds including dewormers, ear and eye products, vitamins and supplements, arthritiis and joint care, shampoos, sprays and heartworm preventives. And lets not forget a long list of prescription and other non-prescription pet medications. So if you have a cat , dog or any other kind of pet at home, there is no reason to wait until your pet is in need of emergency medical care, be prepared and have a supply of pet medicines on hand at home. You will pay less and and you will face less stress when your pet goes through minor complications. Most people take a multi vitamin every day as a form of preventive medicine, and there are many forms of preventive medicines available that will help ensure the health and happiness of your pet.

Pet medication can rid your pet of just about any health complication, and even more so if you are able to detect the concern at an early stage. That’s why it’s important to not ignore any changes in behavior patterns, appetite levels and energy levels in your pet. By noticing these changes at an early stage, you can prevent most health concerns before they become serious with a basic form of pet medication. You can avoid costly vet visits and the possible need for surgery, which will save your pet from a lot of pain , as well as save yourself from a hefty vet bill. Our pets are a lot like our children, and they need to be taken care of as well, and as a result of taking care of them, your pet will live a longer and healthier life.

There are many reasons why some form of pet medication can be beneficial to your pet, and one of the most important reasons is preventive pet medicine. If you came across a way that you could decrease your pets chances of ever developing health complications, there is no doubt most people would want to know more. Pet vitamines and supplements are there to do just that. Why not prevent heartworm, fleas, ticks, dental problems, bone and joint problems and a variety of other diseases and conditions before they attack your pet? This will save your pet much pain and suffering, and will also save you money in the long run, because you will help you avoid those devestating veterinary bills due to expensive surgeries and treatments. Pet medication comes in many other forms besides for preventive measures.

If your pet requires pet medication, a great place to shop for them is at an online store, where you will find pet medications for all pet health conditions. Whether you need medication for you pets eyes and ears, arthritis and joints, bones, teeth, fleas and ticks, heartworm, whipworm, vaccines, tape worm or any other type of pet health concern, online shopping is the way to go. With free shipping on pet medication, and delivery right to your door, you have the potential to save a considerable amount of money and time. After all, we all want the same things from our pets, and it’s important that we do the best we can to ensure the health and happiness of our pets, so that they can bring the most enjoyment to our home and family. The need for pet medication is an unfortunate thing, but it’s a very fortunate thing to be able to acquire them and to educate ourselves on our pet health concerns and remedies.