Every Cat

Archive for January, 2009

A cat whisper is somewhat similar to a dog or horse whisperer, although cat whisperers relate quite well with cats.  These types of people are unusually lucky and very successfully with cats.  In most cases, a cat will be abandoned or just show up at someone’s door.  In this event, the cat will adopt this individual as the cat whisperer.

Often times, alley cats and black cats will show up at someone’s door and decide to move into their homes.  This can be a result of abandonment, or the cat’s family moving away and simply leaving the cat behind.  Sometimes, the cat may decide that he likes someone else’s home better and decide to move there instead of staying with his owner.

Many a people will explain you that a cat whisperer can be taken as a therapist for cats.Normally all cat whisperers have not gone through any training, it seems that what they know is by birth.  These types of people understand the way a cat thinks and knows how to work with the cat to achieve the results they want.Although many think that cat whisperer are a therapist, it really could not be related to the truth.

Cats who have been abused or mistreated, often times won’t respond to anyone but a cat whisperer.  Although others may have tried to help the cat, it will only make matters worse by making the cat feel scared and afraid.  In most cases, these cats will end up in a pound.  This is very tragic, as the cats have already endured more than they ever should have.  A majority of the cats who have been abused were once loved pets.  Along the way, they were abandoned, mistreated, attacked by dogs, and in some cases tortured.

Cats who have been treated unfairly often times won’t trust anyone. They are often times confused, in a lot of pain, and not sure what they should do.  Like humans, cats feel pain.  Those that have been physically abused are a sad sight indeed.A cat which is damaged emotionally may appear to be fit in health, but its emotions might be ruining it.  Emotionally abused cats are much harder to get through to, especially if they were stray cats to begin with.

Cat whisperers on the other hand, can communicate with physically and emotionally abused cats.  Cats know who they will choose to be their cat whisperer, which is normally an individual they sense trust with.  Cat whisperers are common with cats, although most people have never heard of them before.  Even though a cat whisperer may be able to communicate better with cats, it will still take time to heal a cat that has been abused.

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.Although you may have both cats and dogs as your pets, but you should always use the medicine which is made for that particular 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.First thing is take your cat to the vet, so that he will able to start the tests to examine 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.

The worms will feast on the important areas of your feline’s heart, so heartworms are too serious condition to be ignored.  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.

Treating your cat for heartworms may indeed be no treatment at all, as cats are extremely difficult to treat.  The dying worms have side effects as well, often times causing more than 1/3 of the treated cats to end up with serious problems.  Dying worms can become lodged in the arteries of the heart, which are already inflamed due to the worms being there.  When a lodged worm starts to decompose, it can lead to very serious problems.  Pets that have a serious infestation with heartworms may need to spend some time at the hospital, to ensure that they are properly treated.

Some cats may not be able to take a certain type of heartworm treatment medicine.Considering on the affects and side affects of a particular medicine upon cats, few breeds may not capable of tolarating a particular medicine.Your vet will conduct some tests, in order to decide about the best treatment option for your pet cat.  Once the tests have concluded, your vet will be able to tell you the best options available for treatment.

With all diseases, prevention is a lot better and safer than treatment.  Be sure to talk to your vet and find out what heartworm prevention medication is the best to use.  Your vet can tell you what you need to get, and how to use it.  This way, you can prevent your pet from getting heartworms – and the serious side effects and life threatening issues that go along with them.

No cat wants to be dirty, and it’s up to you to ensure that your cat stays clean.  Grooming is very important, as it helps your cat remain clean and healthy.  Grooming starts with brushing, as brushing helps to keep the cats hair from becoming hairballs.  Brushing will remove loose hair, and help prevent the risk of hairballs.  A lot of cats have trouble dislodging hairballs.  If the cat isn’t able to get a hairball out, it could result in a blockage of the intestines.  Blockages are very serious, and can quickly become life threatening for your pet.

Cats that have long hair need to be brushed and combed on a daily basis, while cats with short hair need to be groomed on a weekly basis.Whenever brushing is done to your cat, you should be watchful for lumps in the coat or any marks of irritation on the cat’s skin.  You should start brushing along the cat’s back, going from his head to his tail.  Do this a few times on one side, and then switch to the other.  Each area should be brushed a few times in the direction of the way your cat’s hair is growing.

When you brush your cat, you should always avoid brushing his face and paws.  If a cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can still groom him using another tool.The grooming glove is an excellent alternative to the brush, as most cats don’t mind it at all.  Starting out young is the key to grooming, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming.  Some cats that have started grooming when they were kittens grow to love it, many of which often look forward to their grooming time.

When brushing your cat, make sure that you check his ears, eyes, teeth, and claws.  His eyes should be bright and clear with nothing residing in the corners.The ears of the cat should be clean, with no sign of ear mites and the color of the ears should be pink.  Ear mites result from dirt built up in a cat’s ears, and can result in the ears shriveling up and your cat losing his hearing.  Ear mites are very annoying for the cat, and hard for you as an owner to get rid of.  The best way to get rid of them – is to ensure that your cat’s ears stay clean and healthy.

Each time you groom your cat, you should always aim to go a bit further with your examinations.  When your cat remains still, you should always praise him and give him a treat.  If your cat doesn’t cooperate and starts to struggle, you shouldn’t fight with him, but instead let him go and try the next day.  Once your cat gets used to grooming he will look forward to it each and every day.

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.Generally they will eat it, because they don’t realize that it contains 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 have your gun, your vet should let you how it is used.The most crucial thing for using gun is to get the mouth open of your feline.More or less the gun will shoot the pill in the mouth of your feline, and down to his throat.You will be required to hold him firmly, to be ensure that he does not twist and get loose from your hold.  Once you have his mouth open, you’ll need to squeeze the trigger and pull the gun away quickly.Be sure to give your cat a treat, after he has swallowed the pill.

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.In this way, your feline will be able to swallow the pill properly. 

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.

Cats are one of the most loved pets in the world, no question about it.  More than 50% of all households in the United States own dogs and cats.Though cats are among the most coveted pets, it’s allergies are one of the general form of allergies.  Statistics in the past have shown that over 10 million people in the U.S. alone have allergic reactions to cats – especially their fur.

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.While dander is responsible for irritating your skin, possibly it can get into your immune system, as a result you can find variety of symptoms and almost instant 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.They spread their allergens and dander in the surroundings, as they do this.  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.

Generally, while someone is having allergic reaction from a feline, he or she will cough, sneeze, itch, wheeze, have watery eyes, or even might face problem in breathing.Each susceptible individual responds to the cat allergens in different way, it means symptoms might differ in different individuals. 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.

Allergies of feline are generally treated with decongestants and antihistamines.Simply they take antihistamines, those who suffer from asthma attacks or any other form of allergies.  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 in a position to further detect the extent of your problem, and provide you the best treatment option available.  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.Though doctors can prescribe you shots and medicine, it might only do that 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.

Cat owners know for a fact that bad cat breath can be downright awful.It is similar to the bad human breath, because both are produced by bacterias found in the mouth that break downs the protein and releases sulfur compounds in 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.Enzymes containing toothpastes will dissolve tartar, and help the animal get rid of 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.

Some bacteria that lead to tartar can be found in your cat’s diet.  When you feed him, you should always make sure that the food he consumes doesn’t contain a lot of bacteria.  If you shop healthy and feed him only healthy foods, it can help his bad breath a great deal.  When you give your pet a treat, make sure that the treat is designed to help with tartar.Once your kitten has finished eating, you can rinse his mouth or brush his teeth.  This way, you’ll get the bacteria out of his mouth before it has time to build up on his teeth.

Sometimes, cats may have a bad odor in their mouth that doesn’t come from tartar or bad breath in general.Often in these cases, it may be either a disease of kidney or liver.  If you notice bad breath and it isn’t tartar, you should take your cat to the vet.  Even though it may be something to do with tartar, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Your veterinarian can pinpoint the problem, let you know what the cause is – and how you should go about fixing it.

A lot of people think that cats work on their own agenda, not paying much attention to their owner – provided they have clean litter, food, and water.  Cats can behave in odd manners at times, which can easily confuse their owners and make it really hard to determine what the cat wants.  As much as cat behavior can be confusing, there are some ways that you can solve common cat behavior mysteries.

A common behavior that almost all cats do is push their heads into any type of object that will allow them to do it.  You’ve probably seen your cat do this before, probably against table legs, TV stands, or another object.  This can be noticed more when you have other people who own animals or those with allergies over at your house.As a cat notices this, he will usually rub his head against the person.  In doing so, he will put a touch of saliva on the individual.  In a cat’s mind, he owns what he puts his saliva on.

By putting his saliva on something, that object or person will have a familiar scent.Since it might be very disturbing, you should know that the other personf of your house are seen as odd or weird to your cat.  When a cat does this, he is simply trying to make the visitor belong.  When he brushes up against them and puts his saliva on them, he is trying to put his scent on them – which in his mind will mean that they belong in his territory.

Even though marking someone or something with saliva is beneficial to the cat, saliva is one of the most common forms of pet allergies.  When someone wipes the saliva off of them, the scent will be gone and the cat will go back and attempt to do it again.  Even though it may appear that cats target those with allergies, cats are actually just trying to make the visitor belong at the house.  If the guest simply cannot take the saliva, allow the cat to rub himself on their pants leg a few times.Generally, this is all that takes a cat to leave the person solitary.

Those of you who an indoor cat should expect the cat to spend quite a bit of time lying near windows.  During this time, you may hear your cat make very strange noises or weird movements.  You shouldn’t fear though, as he is simply acting out his hunting instincts.  Whether it’s another cat or object outside moving about, the cat will see it and simply go into his native hunting instinct.

As most already know, cats love to play.  They love to played with, especially with toys.  They will pounce on things on occasion, which should always be expected.  If you try to prevent this type of behavior, your cat will take a very negative approach and you’ll end up with a lot of broken things in your home.You can play always with your cat using a string, because he would love to chase the string all around the room. 

The longer you own your cat, the more odd behavior you’ll see him exhibit.  Cats behave in strange ways, although they always have a reason for behaving the way they do.  If you can understand why your cat behaves like he does, you’ll have no problems keeping him healthy and happy.  If you simply pay attention to your cat and the way he behaves at times – you’ll be able to understand him better than ever before.

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, health problems are to be expected.  Some may be hereditary, while others can easily be prevented.

Worms
No matter what breed of cat it may be, worms are a very common and recurring problem.  Tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms are among the most common that infect cats.  Cats who have problems gaining weight, problems with fleas, or if you find white specks in his stool, you should have your vet test him for worms.Although it is true that they can be treated with appropriate medication, worms can prove to be serious if they are not treated in time.

Hairball
Hairballs are the most common health problem for cats.  All cats groom themselves on a daily basis, normally swallowing the loose hair that comes from their coats.  On occasion, this loose hair will gather into a ball and become lodged in the digestive tract instead of passing through in your cat’s stool.  When your cat starts to cough and hack, he is normally coughing up a hairball.After all it can be rather annoying later as many cats may come out from hairballs without having any problem.

In rare cases, a hairball can pass through to a cat’s intestine, creating a blockage.  Blockages are very serious problems, and can be life threatening if they aren’t treated.  If your cat becomes constipated, isn’t eating properly, or has a very dull coat, he could have a blockage.  If you notice any of these symptoms, you should take him to the vet immediately.  You can prevent hairballs and blockages by brushing your cat 2 – 3 times a week to remove loose hair.  You can also feed him food that is designed to control hairballs as well.

Urinary tract infection
Urinary tract infection is among the common health problem of cats.  Urinary tract infection is more common with male cats that haven’t been neutered, although females can suffer from this problem as well.  When a cat suddenly stops going to his litter box, this problem is normally the cause.  Another symptom is when the cat’s urine starts to smell really strong.If you have a doubt that your cat is suffering from urinary tract infection, you should take him to your vet.  Your vet can treat the problem with medicine, and make recommendations to help avoid this problem in the future.

Feline leukemia
In the past, feline leukemia was the biggest cause of death in cats. These days however, there are vaccines available that can treat the disease.For treating the disease, your cat is required to take a shot before he or she is being exposed.  Even though death doesn’t happen immediately, cats that are exposed to feline leukemia normally don’t have a long life span.If you know about the disease feline leukemia in you cat, you should never let the other cats move around him, because the virus is highly infectious.

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. Few health problems can not be avoided, however many of them can be.  You can also keep your cat indoors as well, which will protect him from a majority of health problems.  If your cat is an outdoor cat, regular visits to the vet will keep him healthy.  As long as you take your cat to the vet and keep him healthy – he will be your companion for years to come.

Ringworm is a very common form of skin disease that is found in both dogs and cats.  Although its name makes you think otherwise, this skin disease isn’t caused by any type of worm.  It’s actually caused by fungi known as Dermatophytes that feed on dead tissues found in the surface of the skin, spreading them around the skin of the animal.

With cats, there is a certain type of fungi known as M Canis that is found with nearly 95% of all ringworm cases.Simply, cats would have the ringworm disease through dirty objects including bedding, clippers, or through other animals that already are infected with this 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.Normally the healing process will take time, it is around six weeks or at times 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. You should be using gloves always, whenever you are handling your cat.  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.

North American are fond of cats.  They are loving pets, capable of providing you years of companionship.  Like other pets, catscan sometimes get sick.  There are several different types of ailments that cats can get, one of which is feline diabetes.  Feline diabetes is a serious disease, although it can be treated by a veterinarian.

Diabetes is more common with humans than with cats or other animals. The reason for diabetes is really very simple.Glucose, or sugar is found in the systemic circulation.  The level of blood sugar in the body or the animal is kept under control by hormone insulin, which the pancreas produces.When the insulin is not produced in sufficient quantity by the pancreas, diabetes manifests.

The symptoms of feline diabetes will vary.  The most common symptoms include an increase in urine and an increase in thirst.Loss of appetite, weight loss, and a poor coat are other symptoms of feline diabetes.If you find the dish water empty all through the day, it is the sign of increasing the thirst, and may be underlying diabetes.

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 the diabetes is treated in time by your assistance, the cat will lead more 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.He will lead a healthy life, even though he may have to stay on insulin throughout his life.