Your cat’s health is important. Your veterinarian can teach you all about the many health conditions your cat could experience, but it is also important to learn about such things on your own. If you want to be sure that you cat is getting the best care possible, you need to watch for signs that something may be wrong with your pet. We will bring you many ideas and suggestions on helping you maintain your cats health on your own. However we would never reccommend you avoid your vetrinarian and reccommend that you take your cat for its scheduled routine checkups.  Our concern is that your cat’s health is maintained and you have a happy healthy life with your cat.

Like any other responsible pet owner, you should know what health problems may hit your pet cat. Cats may appear very quiet and resilient, but they are a target of many viruses, bacteria and parasites that may affect the health of your beloved pet. Pet owners should be familiar with common cat health problems so that they won’t escalate into something worse. Prevention and early treatment is key to preserving the health and life of your cat.

Here are some common sicknesses that your feline may encounter in its lifetime.

1. Cat cold

Colds are not for humans only, but it is also one of the common cat health problems. Your cat may still be active and normal even when it has the sniffles. If this is the case, then you shouldn’t be worried. But if the cold affects your cat adversely, then you should bring it to the veterinarian. Some symptoms of a bad cold include loss of appetite, inactivity and murky discharges from the nose and/or the eyes. Always remember never to give your cats medicine designed for humans as they might worsen their condition, or worse, lead to their death.

2. Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS)

FUS, or the Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is one of the most common cat health problems that owners encounter with their cats. One of the symptoms of the disease that is easy to spot is the appearance of sand-like particles in the urine of your cat. Sometimes, the sand takes the appearance of stones, which can deal your cat great discomfort and pain. Leaving this untreated could mean your cat’s death.

As an owner, you could prevent this from happening by monitoring your feline’s diet. You should keep the cat’s magnesium levels low and ensure that it gets the proper amount of water to lessen its bladder retention time. The acidity of the cat’s urine should be also considered, as it should be kept acidic. Veterinarians say that feeding cats canned food is less likely to create kidney problems than dry food. Always make sure that there is a suitable area for cats to do their business inside the home especially in cold weather. Cats tend to hold in their urine in the cold, so exposing them to a place to do their business inside the warm house could help them take out their wastes properly, thus avoiding disease.

3. Wounds

Cats are active animals, and it can’t be helped if they get scratches and wounds. They have sharp claws and teeth that may injure other cats and themselves as well.

The most prominent problem that could present itself in this scenario is infections. Various cat health problems arise from an infected wound, and if left untreated could mean your cat losing a limb, or its life. If you notice a gash or a wound, clean it immediately with water and soap, then apply an antiseptic like iodine and cover it up with gauze to prevent the cat from licking it and ingesting the antiseptic. This is the first step of the prevention of a bigger infection problem.

If the wound is deep and an abscess forms, allow it to drain naturally. The cat may feel weak as the abscess forms, and usually feels a lot better once it drains naturally. But the abscess may recur, and so it is wise to bring the cat to the vet and allow them to drain the pus from the abscess surgically.

Our pets can sometimes be as close to us as members of our family, that’s why cat owners will want to know as much as they can about cat health. The following are the major things to know about caring for your cat in a loving way:

DIET: Cat health is strongly affected by what your pet eats. Obesity is a major factor in heart disease particularly as you cat gets older. Choose a pet food for your cat that is right for it’s age but feed it regularly. Consistency is the key to a well-fed pet.

GROOMING: Longhaired cats should be groomed regularly for optimum cat health. Use a pet brush and groom no less than once a week.

LITTER: The litter box can be a danger to both cat health and human health if it isn’t cleaned regularly. Change your pet’s letter no less than once every four days and keep a small dish of baking soda near the litter area.

ELDERLY CATS: Some diseases occur because your pet gets older. These can be labeled elderly cat health problems. As cats age their kidneys and eyesight fail and may need special diets.

SCRATCHING: Scratching is a major cat health concern because if a cat scratches regularly it is often a sign of other problems. If your cat is scratching an area a lot try a delousing product and then take your pet to the vet.

BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS: Many cat health problems relate to difficult or uncommon behavior. Listlessness can be a symptom of depression. Strange aggression is sometimes caused by hormone imbalances.

DECLAWING: Choosing to declaw can be a major factor in Cat health. If you choose to declaw your pet it is important to remember to keep them inside at all times.

PARASITES: Parasites like ringworm, heart worm and rabies can greatly affect cat health. Blood in a cat’s stool or uncommon appetite are common signs of parasites.

STRESS: Stressful situations like moving, travelling, natural disasters or even changes in the family can affect cat health. To minimize the effects of stress on your pet, purchase a tranquilizer for distance travelling and have a place in your home where your cat can escape if there are busy changes in the house.

POISON: Part of managing cat health is making sure dangerous poisons like antifreeze are inaccessible to your pet. Some plants are fatal to cats so make sure to raise your plants and lock your toxins.

MOUTH: Cat’s often have mouth diseases and this can impact cat health. Cat’s are just as prone to gingivitis as humans and cats can also develop. For problems like rodents ulcer or bad breath, brush your cat’s teeth with a small child’s toothbrush.

INDOORS/OUTDOORS: One of the greatest factors in determining cat health is whether you cat goes out of doors. Cars, children, other animals and toxins are all dangerous and should be avoided by keeping your cat indoors.

Cat health is an issue that concerns us all and hopefully this article has provided you with information that will make your cat’s life safer and healthier.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/68330

It’s probably true to say that most people who enjoy the company of cats in their home are particularly conscious of providing good cat health care.

Optimising good cat heath care will not only provide your cat with the potential of a long life, but also of a healthy, carefree one, too. It’s very satisfying to see your cat happy, healthy and enjoying life.

What is the single most important thing you can do to ensure the your cat enjoys the best health?

Is it immunising your cat against all the common or known feline diseases?

Is it keeping your cat indoors, away from potential hazards such as fighting or car accidents?

Is it having them sterilised?

Perhaps it’s in keeping their sexuality entire?

Could it be ensuring their teeth are clean?

What about providing a loving, secure and safe home?

There are probably as many opinions about what’s important in cat health care as there are people!

Important though some of the above are, I don’t think any of them are as important to optimise good cat health as something that they do every day.

Eating!

Diet and nutrition are of top priority in maintaining the health of your cat. To my mind, this is the single most important aspect in maintaining anyone’s health., not just for your cat

You may be feeding your cat a top cat food, recommended by your veterinarian. You may feel that, with all the advertising, proprietary brands are the best cat food. But are they?

We all know that advertising makes hollow promises, as the advertiser is more concerned with making money than giving you the facts.

But surely you can trust your veterinarian. Can’t you?

Did you know that the top pet food manufacturers financially contribute to veterinary colleges? I may be old fashioned, but to me that means the colleges aren’t completely impartial. After all, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

I suspect, that since you have reached this article, you’re searching for another way to improve your cats’ health, other than that recommended by your veterinarian – which is invariably everyone’s first choice.

Contrary to popular belief, and to most vets who sell processed food, it is the processed food itself which wreaks such havoc with cat health. Cats evolved by hunting animals and consuming most of it immediately.

Their digestive system has evolved to cope with this. Cooked, processed, preservatives and the very low grade meat by-products which are the basis for the majority of proprietary cat food on the market, is the single, most damaging factor in the deteriorating health of your cat.

If your cat gets all his nutrition from raw food, you will see a remarkable transformation in a matter of days.

But you need to get the balance right. You need to get the quantity and variety right for a good, all round balanced diet. Otherwise you could run the very real risk of one or more deficiencies. A serious deficiency can be fatal.

And you need to know about the de-toxing effect a change to a good diet entails.

When I first started introducing raw food to my cats, it was fraught with difficulties. I made mistake after mistake. After studying and applying various other therapists ways, I finally worked out what worked and what didn’t. What they said was right and what just couldn’t work.

So I wrote a book about cat health, based on my own experiences. I wish I’d had it before I embarked on that particular adventure. It would have saved me so much anxiety.

When you address this so very important aspect of cat health, the spin off is enormous – professional therapist fees are cut back drastically.

Is there anyone alive who doesn’t love a win-win situation?

I’m not bitter, but success of the 1996 Dog Fouling legislation led to my failure – enacted I was made redundant. For 12 years I was a dog Warden for my local council. I now only work on a commission only basis, gathering evidence on and reporting dog owners who fail to comply with the legislation.

In my opinion the pooper scooper is not fully effective in removing excrement from public areas, where people maybe innocently picnicing on ground still contaminated by animal excrement or urine

It is my mission to bring this horrible situation to the public’s attention.

TURD ALERT!

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Nutritional information about feeding cats.

Being able to purchase dry cat food everywhere makes it easy to obtain and convenient to feed. But what if the ingredients in this food are not allowing your cat to maintain optimal health? Usually the side effects and health problems do not show until the cat is middle aged.
The concern with dry cat food is that over time the cat’s body becomes chronically dehydrated. Cats’ will not normally drink enough water to offset the dry food. Dehydration cat result in lower urinary tract diseases, including struvite crystals, oxalate stones and kidney disease.

Dry cat food usually contains carbohydrates in the form of corn, wheat, potatoes or rice. The cat does not metabolize carbohydrates and will usually eat much more than they should because with the lack protein, they will still feel hungry.

When cats’ live in the wild they survive by hunting mice, birds and reptiles. The cat is a predator and very much a true carnivore.

So when the cat is fed a balanced raw meat diet, the moisture content is high and there is no cause for dehydration. They thrive on high quality protein and are able to maintain better health.

Feeding raw gives you the control of selecting beneficial ingredients. Especially in older cats the positive results from a raw diet can be seen in just a few days. The benefits of feeding this way include: healthier skin and coat, decreased obsessive grooming and hairballs, cleaner teeth and gums, weight control, as well as the many diseases that can be avoided.

Holistic vets will most often prescribe a balanced raw diet and the results speak for themselves.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and if you would like to learn more about a balanced raw meat diet, just click on the link below this video.

Call us toll free: 1.866.922.6463

Feeding Cats – Raw Cat Food vs. Dry Cat Food

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CHRIS CONDETTI: “She is part of the family. She’s always with us.”

MARIO RITTER: Many people treat their pets like family members. Americans spend large amounts of money on health care for pets. They spent $13 billion on veterinary care in 2010.

But the health of animals also has a big influence on medical care for people. At the University of Missouri, Doctor Kim Selting recently completed a study on cancer in cats.

DOCTOR KIM SELTING: “I think the value of what happens for the health of a pet and how it might translate to human health has come very much to the forefront.”

MARIO RITTER: Veterinarians study information about animal health from across the United States. At the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, Doctor Chand Khanna tests new cancer drugs for dogs. He says those tests may help people with cancer.

DOCTOR CHAND KHANNA: “For the most part, almost every human cancer that occurs, occurs in the dog.”

MARIO RITTER: Veterinarians can do many of the same tests on dogs and cats that doctors can do on human patients. Doctor Khanna says bone cancer develops in the same way in dogs and humans.

DOCTOR CHAND KHANNA: “We’ve looked at molecular profiles of dog osteosarcoma and human osteosarcoma and we really can’t distinguish the dog and the human.”

MARIO RITTER: And, both species react to drugs.

DOCTOR CHAND KHANNA: “Our focus has really been on therapy, really trying to understand how and why drugs that are intended for human use, how we can make them better through their evaluation in dogs with cancer. That’s our focus.”

MARIO RITTER: The research provides better care for pets. Treating animals helps researchers learn much more about cancers in a shorter period of time.

DOCTOR KIM SELTING: “They age more rapidly. Their cancers progress more rapidly. We can get answers to whether or not something works much more quickly than you could in a human trial.”

MARIO RITTER: Veterinarians say they are now able to exchange information with human-cancer specialists to explore what causes cancers and the best ways to treat them. I’m Mario Ritter.

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