Tips for a Healthy Pet Cat

Proper Cat Health Tips
Proper cat health relies heavily on preventative measures; this includes routine veterinary care as well as grooming on a regular basis. To make sure you cat stays both happy and healthy it is a good idea to watch for any changes in their condition. An excellent time to monitor for cat health is during grooming sessions.

Cat Health According To Life Stages

The best way to keep on top of your cats health is by knowing the life stages and what proper cat health is for each stage. This way you can easily recognize when something is going wrong with your cats health and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

The first life stage is from birth of sixteen weeks. During this stage you cat is just starting to learn about the world around them. Cats in this stage are often playful but still shy around humans. Cat health is also extremely important in this stage so that they can grow up to be healthy throughout the rest of their life.

The next stage is from sixteen weeks to one year. During this period, cats are often still very playful. To maintain cat health you should make sure you cat is spayed or neutered at about six months old unless you are planning on using them as a breeding cat.

Next comes the one to eight year period, which are the prime years for cat health. During this stage of your cat's life, it is very important to have yearly visits to the veterinarian. From there is the eight to twelve year stage of a cats life. This is when pre-geriatric cat health comes into play. Your cat will often slow down but their behavior will remain the same.

Geriatric cat health will start when they turn twelve. At this age, you will start to notice health problems in your cat and they will often become worse as they age. Cats will often move very slowly since their joints will start to become stiff. Elderly cats may also be very irritated.

Common Cat Health Issues

There are varieties of health conditions that can affect your cat. A big part of keeping your cat healthy is proper prevention. Contact your veterinarian right away, if you notice any health problems. The following are some of the more common conditions your cat may get.

Flea allergy is a common problem for cats. A cat's sensitivity to fleabites will increase as they age. Food allergies can also have similar symptoms to fleabite allergies including dermatitis and severe itching, vomiting or diarrhea.

Hairballs are a persistent cause of vomiting in cats. You can reduce this issue by maintaining a regular schedule of coat brushing. Even with shorthair cats, they can get hairballs if you don't keep them down with routine brushing. You should take your cat into a veterinarian if they have persistent vomiting since this can also be a sign of thyroid or kidney problems.

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Fred Long

Article photo source

thanks Fred :)

How To Help Your Cat With Arthritis

Cats can suffer from arthritis just as we humans do, and it mostly affects older cats. There might not be any cure (depending on the type of arthritis), but there are always treatments. Most cats are naturally exceptionally nimble and athletic animals, but as you might expect their joints, ligaments and bones are susceptible to accidental damage, and to the wear and tear of everyday life. On the other hand, giving thanks to their buoyancy, sense of balance, ability to land on their feet and built-in shock absorbers - their forelegs are not connected by bone to the rest of their skeleton, cats do not suffer from as many orthopaedic troubles as they might if they didn't have all of these great qualities. Arthritis conditions in cats take place most generally as an end result of accidents.

Cats can suffer from different kinds of arthritis, which plainly means joint inflammation. However, arthritis is much more compound than a simple inflammation, so this plain name is relatively confusing. For example, check out the wide range of signs of arthritis in cats:

• Stiffness
• Limping
• Favoring One Limb (especially after resting)
• Not Wanting to Climb Stairs or Jump
  
• Noticeable Pain
• Different Gait than Usual
  
• Nervousness
  
• Aggression * Depression

If you notice more than one of these symptoms in your cat, you should make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible. Usually, as the owner, you notice these things right away and know that something isn't quite right.

Causes

Many things can cause arthritis in cats. Main reasons are old age, trauma, infections, immune system disorders and even developmental disorders.

Cats most commonly suffer the following two forms of arthritis. One is traumatic Arthritis and this may be caused by a sudden injury to a joint, such as following a vehicle accident, the consequence of a fight or play with another cat or animal, or because of an awkward fall.

The second is called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is well thought-out by professionals to be the end result of a joint failure that can occur for nearly any reason. Cats' shoulder and elbow joints are those most regularly pretentious in older cats. Common causes are repeated episodes of traumatic arthritis, and also joint dislocation or fractures involving joints that occurred in the past and made the joints more vulnerable to disproportionate wear and tear.

What to Expect During Your Trip to the Vet

Your vet will conduct a regular examination, and comments from you on your cat's problems. Your vet might take some tests to rule out anything else such as blood tests, radiographs, ultrasound, etc.

Treatments

If your cat is diagnosed with arthritis, there are many treatments available. Some you can do at home such as gentle massage, weight control, exercise, and warmth. Some medications may be prescribed for your cat such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin, Corticosteroids, Vitamin C, and/or NSAIDs (Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs).

There are numerous different kinds of joint diseases that your cat could have, too. These include:

Feline progressive polyarthritis (which affects more than one joint) Dysplasia Bacterial Arthritis Oseoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease) Ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament Luxating Patella Hip Dysplasia Intervertabral Disc Disease Hyperparathyroidism

Although most forms of arthritis has no cure to rid your feline of the disease, there are plenty of treatments available. Your cat can live out the rest of his or her life with less pain, more activity, and just being generally happier!


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Jean Morgan
Natures Healthy Pet

photo source