Five Most Common Cat Ailments to Watch For

As a cat owner, your first responsibility is to keep your pet healthy. However, even with balanced nutrition and a good amount of love and attention, cats can still get sick. Learn about the most common ailments that affect cats so you can try to prevent them or cure them quickly with the proper medical care when you first spot the symptoms.

Fleas

Although cats and dogs can live with fleas, flea infestations should be controlled for several reasons. The most common flea, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) may carry the Dipylidium caninum tapeworm larvae. If cats eat fleas during grooming, they may become infested with these tapeworms.

Fleas also could transmit other infectious agents. If kittens are exposed to fleas, they may become anemic. Cats can also develop an allergy to flea bites, resulting in excessive scratching or possibly skin disease. Finally, humans are also susceptive to itchy flea bites, usually on the ankles.

You may suspect your cat has fleas if he seems particularly itchy or you see bites on human members of the household. To check if your cat has fleas, groom him over a sheet of white paper. Look for a few fleas caught in the comb’s teeth or flea dirt on the paper. Flea dirt is actually excrement of undigested cat blood, and appears black and comma shaped. If you place it on damp cotton wool, the flea dirt dissolves into bloody streaks.

To control fleas, all mature fleas must be killed and reinfestation prevented. Many commercial products are available both to kill adult fleas and remove fleas from the environment. Ask your vet for specific recommendations.

Hairballs

When cats cannot digest hair and food debris, they regurgitate hairballs. Hairballs are formed either at the back of the throat or in the small intestines. Hairballs not only sound disgusting while your cat is producing them, but they also make an unsightly mess on your carpets and floors.

The simplest method of hairball prevention is grooming your cat to remove excess hair. The next step involves many products already on the market to prevent hairball build-up such as oils, treats, and diets. If your cat vomits frequently and the problem isn’t resolved with regular brushings, you should consult with the veterinarian to be certain that a more serious problem is not the cause.

Overactive thyroid

Overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, is a condition where the thyroid gland becomes enlarged and produces excess amount of thyroid hormone. The condition is often provoked by a benign tumor on one or both lobes of the thyroid gland. The good news is that thyroid tumors have only a 2-5% chance of malignancy.

Symptoms of an overactive thyroid include: increased appetite or thirst, unexplained weight loss (particularly muscle mass), nervousness or irritability, frequent vomiting, lethargy and weakness, diarrhea, or a coat that looked ungroomed. A cat with the condition may not present every symptom, but the presence of two or more should prompt a visit to the veterinarian’s office.

At the vet’s, your cat will be given a physical exam. If she notices enlarged glands, a CBC (blood panel) and a thyroid-specific test can make the diagnosis more conclusive. There are three treatments that offer a good chance for your cat’s full recovery: anti-thyroid medication, surgery, and radioiodine treatment. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you should learn more about the disease and its treatments and discuss your options with the veterinarian before making a decision.

Diabetes

Feline Diabetes can affect cats of any age, but is most common in older, obese cats—typically males. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is caused by insufficient insulin production while Type 2 results from a body’s inability to handle insulin effectively. Another type of diabetes, secondary diabetes, occurs as a side effect of drugs or diseases that impair the natural secretion of insulin or its effects in the body.

The symptoms of feline diabetes include vomiting, dehydration, weakness and loss of appetite, increased thirst and urination, weight loss, breathing abnormalities, and an unkempt-looking coat. If your cat has any or several of these symptoms, take him to the vet. The vet will test for blood sugar levels and sugar levels in the urine. Doing both tests rules out an increased blood sugar level due to the stress of the office visit.

If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes, it is usually treated through one or a combination of five methods: diet and weight control, insulin injections, oral medications, monitoring glucose and insulin levels, and nutrient and botanical supplements. Each method of treatments has unique benefits and drawbacks, so be sure to decide on a treatment plan with your veterinarian.

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)

This disease is a painful inflammation of the lower urinary tract that has the potential to be fatal. Feline lower urinary tract disease has a number of causes from decreased water intake and urine retention to viruses, bacteria, or diet. Symptoms that your cat may have FLUTD include inappropriate or difficult and frequent urination, appetite loss, listlessness, blood in the urine, or frequent licking of the genitals.

Vet treatment for FLUTD can include catheterization, fluid therapy, antibiotics, or even (rarely) surgery. At home, cat owners are often encouraged to change their pet’s diet and style of feeding (more frequent, smaller meals). It is also important for your cat to drink plenty of water.

About The Author: Alex Matthews - the newest leader in online information publishing. For more information about this topic or/and other topics, please visit http://www.MoreDotCom.com

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Six Basic Behavioral Problems in Cats

Cats are ill tempered and mean at their worst, but even the most annoying problems have a remedy somewhere. Below are six of the most common behavioral problems in cats and some solutions for them.

1. Clawing your furnishings and carpet. Cats actually need to sharpen their claws, just like rodents need to gnaw. Their claws never stop growing, and what they're actually doing when they sharpen their claws is removing the outer layer of the claw. Some people will simply declaw a cat that is having this problem. I do not advocate this. Even the most indoor of cats may wind up outside by accident or design one day, and if you remove your cat's claws, you're taking away his or her primary form of defense.

Before declawing, try getting a scratching post. If your cat loves someone more than anyone else in the family, hang a dirty sock belonging to that person on the scratching post to make it smell familiar (you can take it off after about a day). You can also sprinkle catnip over it or – this is weird but it works – powdered chicken bouillon. The idea is to get the cat to feel friendly enough to the scratching post to attack it.

Meanwhile, make your cat's favorite scratching areas less attractive. Sprinkle fresh lemon juice over them, wrap them or cover them with aluminum foil (fingernails on the chalkboard, anyone?), and clean them well to eradicate any cat odor. If you can, close doors to make those places inaccessible to the cat.

2. Eliminating outside the litter box. The first thing to ask is, is it your fault or the cat's fault? Many cats won't use a litter box that is too dirty. They just don't like it. If you think this may be the problem, change out the litter about twice as often as you currently do. You can also be prompt about cleaning any places the cat goes, spraying these areas down well with Lysol or a similar disinfectant with a nice strong smell. You can also try putting the litter box in a more attractive place to the cat; the bathroom, for instance. If it's not in too obnoxious a place, you can put the litter box on top of the place your cat has chosen to go, too, just to make the point. As last resorts, put down bleach, safely, in those spots, and cover the area with aluminum foil.

3. Clawing people. Cats generally do this because they're afraid; again, is it the fault of the cat or of the people around him? If you have a cat that is generically afraid of children, though, you should do something about it; try acclimatization, or exposing the cat to young children until he's calmer about it. Don't let the child loose around the cat. Either have the child sit down in your lap or next to you, feeding Kitty treats.

Not all cats are afraid; some are just plain mean to certain people. The only thing you can do about this is remove the cat from the situation; when the cat starts clawing or growling, pick her up and take her to the bathroom until your guest is gone; and it's usually a guest that this happens to, often one who owns pets of his or her own.. If it's a family member, try cat repellant or lemon juice to keep the cat away, then acclimatization to get them used to the other person. If all this fails, you may be forced to have the cat declawed.

4. Caterwauling. Siamese cats do this by nature, and you may not be able to get them to stop. But other cats do it because they are hungry, tired, or sick, or to let you know she has done something good. There aren't many things you can do about this, unfortunately. If you think it's a hunger thing, feed her more promptly, and refuse to feed her when she caterwauls; she won't understand what you're doing, but she'll almost certainly quit after she figures out it does her no good. If she caterwauls because she is in heat, you should get her fixed. For other caterwauling problems, try to ignore her, and keep her as far away from yourself as possible.

5. Spraying. Male cats do this to mark territory, and they usually do it when they feel threatened: when dogs or small children threaten, or when other male cats are around. There is little you can do about this beyond having your cat neutered. Don't punish for it; the cat will not understand at all.

6. Running outside. Cats get very curious about the outside. The first thing you should do is not open the door when the cat can run out. But you can also try to get the cat accustomed to the outdoors by getting a cat leash and walking her on it, or by carrying her in your arms when you go outside. Once she knows what's out there, she's less likely to want to get to it, particularly if you expose her to snow and wet conditions.

About The Author: Alex Matthews - the newest leader in online information publishing. For more information about this topic or/and other topics, please visit http://www.MoreDotCom.com

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Flea Control – Ten Measures You Can Take to Prevent an Infestation

Preventing an infestation of fleas takes a lot less effort than trying to take care of an existing problem. However, because an adult flea can produce tens of thousands of new little fleas each and every month, it takes an all out effort just to keep these hopping, pesky critters under control. It is almost impossible to completely eradicate the fleas.

The key to flea control is treating both the inside of your home as well as your outside yard area. You also have to control what other animals your cat may come in contact with as well as the roaming or prowling on properties other than your own. In addition, there are a multitude of products on the market today to help with the fleas’ cohabitating on your cat as well. Let’s take a brief look at ten measures you can take to prevent an infestation of fleas:

1. Flea baths and dips – Flea baths use a topical medicated shampoo that is used specifically for flea treatment. These baths work great for a day or two; however, the effects wear off quickly. You cat would have to have a bath practically every other day and this is something most people simply have no time to accomplish. That is why flea dips are more effective and last for several weeks. However, these flea dips are a last resort because of the heavy chemicals involved in the process. These dips can cause a buildup of chemical deposits that can be unhealthy if too much is ingested.

2. Flea powder and spray treatments – Flea powders and sprays offer only a short term defense against fleas and really are not used as often as other methods of flea treatment. It should be especially noted that only adult fleas are affected by this preventive measure.

3. Flea Collars – Flea collars are another measure for cats in getting rid of fleas. What happens is that the collar exudes a “poisonous” gas that fleas absolutely hate and this gas is then absorbed into your cat’s skin. The drawbacks are that the flea collars only seem to work in the general vicinity of its wearer – which is usually around the cat’s neck. You can also drop a flea collar inside of a vacuum cleaner bag to kill these creatures.

4. Flea medication – Usually in pill form, this flea medicine can keep the flea eggs from hatching, stopping reproduction in its tracks. However, this medication has to be a continuous treatment program in order for it to be successful. Please note these flea medications in pill format do not kill the adult fleas, but rather halt the reproduction process. For cats, they are notorious about not taking medicine, so there are also certain flea medications in the form of a shot. Just be sure to ask your doctor about this delivery method of medication.

5. Absorbable medications also known as “spot on” flea medication - These absorbable flea medications are customarily in an ointment or thick liquid form. Cat owners, you should apply the medicine on the back of your pet, usually between the shoulder blades. You would have to part the hair to apply the flea medication on the skin for better absorption. Effectiveness is usually a month and kills adult fleas for sure. Some medications will also halt the development of the larva within the flea eggs.

6. Vacuuming – Your carpets and furniture are harbor quite a bit of adult fleas, flea eggs, pupae and larva. If you want to get rid of these critters before they multiply and take over your home, daily vacuuming working wonders. Be sure and put a flea collar inside your vacuum cleaner bag! Fleas don’t like the minute gases it gives off. Changing your vacuum cleaner bag frequently will keep the flea eggs and other parts from hatching and hopping away from the vacuum cleaner to other parts of the house.

7. Flea foggers – This approach is a bit more drastic simply because it is such an inconvenience to the whole family. You have to ensure food items are put away as well as anything else that might suffer from the effects of the fogger. Your family and pets would have to vacate the premises while the fogger is doing its job and you would not be able to re-enter your home until everything is dry.

8. Washing laundry – By washing your cat’s bedding as well as any other items the cat is fond of, you can get rid of quite a few fleas. Be sure to wash in hot soapy water when possible. Clothes, tablecloths, slipcovers … all should be washed frequently.

9. Flea treatments for the yard – If your cat goes outside at any time, it would pay off to treat your yard for these fleas. Every time your cat goes outside, it has the potential of carrying back into your home hundreds of fleas and flea eggs. By treating your yard with some type of insecticide, you cut that probability way down.

10. Flea combs – This method is ridding your cat of fleas is time consuming. However, if your cat is sick or expecting kittens, this is a workable method. You would use a special medicated flea comb on your pet, making sure to capture the fleas that come out and dousing them in water that has soap or detergent in it. That will ultimately kill the fleas and any eggs that are picked out by the comb.

About The Author: Alex Matthews - the newest leader in online information publishing. For more information about this topic or/and other topics, please visit http://www.MoreDotCom.com

For Information About Cat Care or Training Please Go To http://www.catinfo4all.com

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