Cat Specific Health Articles

They see it the way we see our garments.Regardless of whether your cat originates from a home or the road or any cattery, it is normal for them to stow away in their new domain. While we consider the new kitten as a member of our family, he doesn’t know about it and hence it is of utmost importance for you to make your kitten comfortable around the house.

Litter box placement is one of the most important things to know after you buy a kitten

To make the process less demanding and smoother to move into another home, you ought to give your kitten some protection or sense of comfort regarding the litter box. To do this, set up your home for the entry of the box. The cat needs to have space to put the litter box.

Kitten space

Next step is to make a small sanctuary where he/she can feel safe to snuggle in. This could be a bed or basic a rearranged cardboard box that has two cut “entryways”or a beautiful comfortable cat tree. Place a scratching post close to the bed and rub some catnip on the post. Rubbing Catnip over the scratch post will increase the chances of engagement of your kitten as catnip is known to act as a energy booster for the cats.

Pet stores are one-stop shops for purchasing a dog, cat, fish, bird, or a smaller animal – plus their food, treats, toys, and supplies. When choosing a shop, animal lovers should be sure it matches up with their specific needs. They should take some time to research local retailers in the area with positive reviews. Additionally, here are a few features to consider in the search for a satisfactory pet store.

Adoption Conditions and Available Services

Pet stores vary in size and products offered. Some may only sell items for small animals like gerbils, lizards, birds, and fish. Check out websites of the companies of interest and call them with specific questions before making the trip. If a pet requires a specific brand of food, especially one recommended by a veterinarian, does the store carry it? Can they order it? If not, move on to other options.

Appearance of Animals

A high-quality pet store should place a premium on keeping its animals healthy, alert, and happy. When walking through the store, do the animals look clean, well fed, active, and enthusiastic? When looking to adopt, the environment must be spacious, clean, and free of odors. None of the living areas should be constrictive or overcrowded; all dogs or cats should be living in a roomy, hygienic, healthy area. Before purchasing a four-legged friend, confirm that it is free of any disease or other health problems.

Friendly, Informative Staff Members

The services provided by the company’s owners and staff members should be gracious and informative. Guests should be greeted by friendly, knowledgeable employees who are there to help and answer questions. They should be prepared to answer any questions about the animals available for adoption or the status of current pets. At the same time, the employees must be able to recognize that when a guest’s pet is sick or injured, they should be talking to a veterinarian or medical professional.

A Local Shop That Cares

Investing in a local retailer that is in the neighborhood is an investment in the community and a convenient solution. Going to a local source for supplies makes it easier to stay stocked on essentials like food, hygiene products, and training tools. In addition to convenience, a good store should be cost-effective. Find a business that sells quality items at competitive prices.

There are various ways you can take care of birds. From food to accommodation to visits to finding the right bird supplies, you will need to know some basic bird caring tips so that you can take a great care of your bird.

Here are some ways you can take care of birds:

1. Choose the right birds

Do not buy a bird on an impulse. First, visit the local bird store or breeder and see what kind of birds you like. Parakeets are the most popular type of pet birds. They are colorful, friendly and are easily available. The bird you choose must match your lifestyle, personality and your ability to take care of them. It is important that you and the bird get along. Experts advise that you get a pet bird when they are just a baby as it makes caring for them easy. Once you have the right bird, you are ready for the next steps.

2. Familiarize with the bird species

You need to know as much as you can about the birdspecies- what kind they are, how long they live, complications, nativity and so on. Having this information in your possession is important to understand the needs of the bird. When you bring home the bird you must know almost everything about them.

3. Housing the bird

The next step is obviously about housing the bird. Finding the right accommodation for your bird is essential so that they can live happily and comfortably. Choose the right cage for your bird. They are available in all sizes and materials. Make sure that the cage is large enough for the birds to spread its wings and has enough space for the tail. Cage is in fact one of the important birdsupplies. Take your time and choose the right cage for your bird.

Anyone who has lived around a cat will tell you they are clever animals that learn quickly and have a mind of their own. If they are misbehaving, it may be that you need to show them how you want them to behave. But there are ways to do this that will work and other ways that will simply cause more problems. Here we look at some of them.

Understanding behaviour

Firstly, owners need to understand why a cat does what it does. While a kitten may seem like a little furry human in some ways, one area they aren’t like us is that they won’t act out. They won’t do something just to irritate you or to get back at you. So if they are urinating outside their litter box, it isn’t to wind you up but because there is some instinct that tells them to do this. This can range from not liking the litter box or the litter to be unsettled by its location or even having a medical condition that means it doesn’t have time to reach the box. So understanding why they are doing what they do helps to know how to discipline them effectively.

Dos and don’ts

One of the most common problems is what is called litter box avoidance. This is where the cat doesn’t use their litter box for some reason and deposits their waste elsewhere. To solve this problem, you need to play detective. Is it, as mentioned, the litter box or litter that has been changed? Is the box in a new location in a high traffic area of the house that makes the cat feel uncomfortable? Or is the cat showing any other symptoms that may indicate a health problem, such as blood in the urine, crying when going to the toilet or weight loss. Once you have figured out what the problem is, the cat will go back to using the litter box again. Don’t ever wipe their nose in the waste eliminated in the wrong place, as this means nothing to them.

Scratching the furniture is another frequently encountered problem. This stems from the cat’s urge to maintain their claws and the furniture takes the place of a tree that their ancestors would have used. The best way to stop this is to provide a scratching post. Whenever the cat begins to scratch the furniture, take them to the scratching post instead. A sharp clap of the hands will also put them off their scratching but never smack them as this won’t mean anything to them and will lead to a fear of your hands.

Fighting can be broken up in much the same way, a sharp clap of the hands or a loud shout of ‘no’. Cats often fight with others in the house, but it is key to recognise play and aggression to know if there is a bigger problem. Look for signs of anger or fear in their body language to indicate the fighting is serious, rather than just rough play.

Kittens particularly bite everything to investigate it and because their teeth hurt, much as a toddler goes through teething. Learning them not to include hands in their biting range is important from a young age. If you are bitten, don’t pull your hand away quickly as this will seem like playing. Again, a sharp ‘no’ will make them jump and release the hand. When playing, avoid using your hand as the focus, instead use a toy on a stick or rope so that your hands don’t come to be seen as a toy.

Natural Cat Care

Natural cat care ranges from use of homeopathic methods to simply choosing organic and natural products when they are available instead of using medicated ones. This can range from use of olive oil to combat ear mites, to creating homemade food for your cat. One can chose to use wheat, corn, pine or paper based litter instead of clay litters. There are even crystal litters that will absorb urine and break down feces to prevent disease and infection. There are vets that use acupuncture and other methods to treat illnesses instead of or alongside more traditional methods.

The basis of natural cat care is preventive grooming. By taking a more active role in the grooming of your cat, through daily brushing of coat and teeth, trimming nails or hair as needed, wiping the eyes and nose to keep mucus and crusting discharges under control, watching for fleas and ticks, and doing regular exams on your pet you can do a lot to prevent needing traditional medicines. Using massage, brushing, and exams can go a long way to allowing you to take steps to fight little problems before they become life threateningly large ones. Not only will this give you a happy, healthy pet, but it will improve the bond that exists between you and your cat.

A foundational approach to natural cat care includes cultivation of a relationship with a vet to ensure that natural remedies are correct for your pet. Use of homemade food might not be the best for all situations, but your vet can advise you if your pet has special needs that require supplements. If homemade food is not right, you can find organic or raw foods made for cats online through special stores. The vet can perform spaying and neutering as needed to eliminate behavior issues that might lead to the need for medicines in the future, like fighting, breeding, or trying to get outside. Keeping your pet happy and healthy is the vet’s job after all.

Combining natural cat care with bio-awareness means that in addition to sticking with natural remedies that you seek to use things that are environmentally sound. This would mean choosing litter for your cat that is biodegradable, avoiding the use of clay based litters. You can choose from corn-based, pine- based, or other type of “flushable” litter, or use a crystal based litter that has no clay. You can chose organic foods to reduce the use of chemicals in food production. These organic foods would be better for your pet because they do not have artificial dyes or coloring agents in them.

You can find shops, webpages, blogs, forums and other online resources to help you decide if natural cat care is right for you and your cat. With an active community online, finding help with answering your questions is easy. Taking a natural approach does not mean ignoring the vet trips, but rather seeking ways to protect your cat from dangers that commercial products might pose.

As a cat owner, a trip to the vets is stressful enough for both you and cat and when you hear the words ‘just give them this medicine’ the whole day just got worse. Giving cats’ medicine can be a battle but sometimes is necessary for their health and wellbeing. So what are the expert tips to help make the process easier?

Pills and powders

The easiest way to give your cat medication is to use a commercial treat designed specifically for the job. Cats are good at finding a pill hidden in their food but these treats are sticky so that taking it away is almost impossible. They are soft in texture so can even be moulded around the pill to hide its presence. This is far easier than physically administering a pill for both you and for your cat.

If you can’t find these treats, then forming their food into little meatballs with the pill inside is an idea. Give them a couple of meatballs of food without the pill so they eat them automatically then slip in the one with the medication inside.

If you have to give the cat the medication without food then it will likely to necessary to restrain the cat to protect you both. Wrap their legs and body in a towel then place one thumb and finger on either side of the face from above and behind their whiskers. Put gentle pressure on the space between the teeth so the mouth opens then deposit the pill at the back of the tongue. Close the mouth and rub the throat gently to cause a swallow reflex or even blow gently in their face, which stimulates the same response. Follow it up with at least 5ml of water from a dropper or syringe to help the pill enter the stomach. If the cat licks its nose then you know it has swallowed the pill successfully.

Liquids

Liquid medicines including water solutions and electrolytes can be given to the cat into the cheek pouch between the molars and the cheek. Most bottles will have their own dropper but otherwise a plastic syringe or eye dropped can be used. Normally, around 15ml of medicine is a single dose. To administer, tilt the cat’s head upwards once they are secured as above. Put the end of the dropper into the cheek pouch and inject the liquid. The cat will automatically swallow and take the medicine.

Injections

Various medicines or treatments need an injection as well as scenarios such as anaphylactic shock. Vets will show you how to give an injection to your cat if you need to but the best places to do this are either under the skin (subcutaneous) or into the muscle (intramuscular). One spot that is quite simple to master is into the skin just below the shoulder blades as this can be gathered in one hand and the injection administer with the other. But your vet will always provide you with all the information for this type of medication of treatment.

A cat’s health is directly related to the food it eats. And as a responsible pet owner you are the one who decides what is on the menu. While there is a lot to choose from, dry cat food is the most convenient option for both owners and their felines.

Top Reasons To Make The Switch

Why go dry, well there are actually a lot of reasons. Many cat owners prefer it over the wet variety because there is no mess making it a simple solution that can also be bought in bulk. By purchasing in larger amounts you get better deals and that is a good thing since you will of course be buying food for the entire life span of your cat. Of course we’re not saying to cut corners by purchasing food of inferior quality, quite the contrary as all of the best dry cat food brands can be found in cost saving sizes. And by buying in bulk you won’t have to shop as often which means less time waiting in line and in traffic. Luckily for consumers nowadays you can compound your savings by shopping on the internet and don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to provide your kitty with the proper nutrition.

Flavors, Flavors, Flavors

Dry food comes in flavors which cats love so even if you have a picky eater on your hands it’s not hard to find something they will crave. Poultry, beef, lamb and many more are all typical options that you can find just about anywhere. Plus, there are a ton of combinations of flavors to choose from as well. It just takes a little testing out to see what your pet likes most.

A Little More Natural

Today manufacturers offer choices that would make any of your cats larger and wilder cousins jealous. Game flavors such as venison, duck, and salmon are taking the market by storm. A lot of the companies which offer these will also have these same options as grain free dry cat food which is quickly becoming very popular with pet owners since it has high protein and no grains which are what cats as predatory animals have evolved to eat as their natural diet. This trend of going back to nature isn’t going to stop anytime soon and is well-worth checking out and investing in.

Special Diets For Special Pets

Many owners have felines which need their own special diet and dry cat food can accommodate all of them. Whether you have a kitten, underweight cat or one that is a little too chubby there are a wealth of options. There are even dry diets designed to help cats who have a problem with coughing up too many furballs. And don’t forget about older pets either who may need more fiber and calcium.

It’s not hard to see that dry cat food is a much easier solution to your cat’s dietary needs regardless of what those may be. With no smelly, messy, or quick to expire wet foods to deal with as an owner daily life is much easier, just don’t forget to buy in bulk for the best deals so that while your pet is feasting on healthy foods your wallet stays as full as possible.