Health and Your Cat

Four Common Feline Eye Diseases

2008-06-03T21:09:00.001-07:00

When healthy, your cat should have bright and clear eyes. There are a few common feline eye diseases that you
should be aware about. Some of these include glaucoma, retinal atrophy, and conjunctivitis. Let's take a look at
some of these diseases.
Glaucoma
One of the first common feline eye diseases is glaucoma. This is a condition in which there is too much pressure
on the inside of the eye. Glaucoma is the one of the leading causes of blindness in cats. In its early stages,
glaucoma can be treated with medication aimed at reducing the internal eye pressure. If your cat is in an advanced
stage, surgery may be required.
Retinal Atrophy
One of the next common feline eye diseases is progressive retinal atrophy. This is a condition in which your cat's
retina degenerates or shrinks. Retinal atrophy can be inherited or caused by a lack of taurine in your cat's diet.
The condition progresses very slowly, but will eventually cause your cat to become blind. Unfortunately,
progressive retinal atrophy is untreatable.
Cataracts
Cataracts are usually a problem with older cats or those that have diabetes. This condition occurs when your cat's
lens become cloudy making it difficult for him to see. Cataracts can be treated with surgery to remove the lens.
In some cases, the cat may receive lens implants. If the problem is left untreated, it can result in glaucoma.
Conjunctivitis
One of the final common feline eye diseases is conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis occurs when the membrane that covers
the eyelid and white of the eye becomes inflamed. It can be caused by viral, fungal, or bacterial infections. The
condition can affect your cat if he has allergies. Chronic bouts with conjunctivitis is often caused by recurrent
herpes viral infections.
As a cat owner, you want to keep your special friend as healthy as possible. To learn more about various cat
illnesses such as Feline Calicivirus, stop by cat-illnesses.com. Your cat will thank you for it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D_Swain

Cat Health and Cat Care of Cat Skin and Cat Organs

2008-06-03T21:08:00.002-07:00

Cats have a dry skin just like humans. The fur on their body protects them from exposure to elements such as dirt.
For pet cats that have dry skin, it is advisable to use moisturizing or soap-free products. Cats normally develop
skin problems such as Seborrhea. The best way to treat this disorder is to use medicated shampoo.
Sensory Organs:
Cats have the great qualities. They are better than human beings in seeing things and hearing sounds around them.
They smell and feel the nature very well. Due to these abilities, cats were often mistaken to possess black magic.
The current era does not suspect cats of having an influence over the supernatural powers. It is necessary to know
cats' sense, which may help in understanding their behavior much better.
1. Sight: Cats have a good night vision. Where there is no enough light, cats see much better than humans.
However, they are not able see in complete darkness. This ability comes at the cost of daytime vision, which is
beneficial for nocturnal predators. Actually, cats fail to see distant objects at daytime. People know little
about the colors that cats see visibly. Science says that, they can identify some of the colors than humans do.
With their eyes, cats detect faster movement of things in their surroundings. On the other hand, it is hard for
them to pay attention on slow moving objects.
2. Sound: Cats have very sharp ears. Even when fast asleep, cats trace the noisy sounds of small rodents. Their
ability to hear sounds is three times as high as that of human beings. Cats move their large ears sideways to
capture the sound more accurately. For this, they first locate the place from where the sound actually comes.
While chasing the target, they sometimes pause to listen and determine the location of their prey.
3. Smell: Cats largely depend on their sense of smell. They always sniff their food before eating. Smelling things
is the essential part of feline communication. There is a mechanism at the top of their mouth, which makes
possible for them to analyze smell. With the help of this mechanism, cats twist their lips, open their mouth, and
express disgust over certain things.
4. Taste: Cats use this sense to decide the foods good for them. They are truly carnivores. As such, their sense
of taste best lies in recognizing fat and protein. Unlike dogs, cats prefer to stay away from sweets. In addition,
cats do not respond well to the taste of salt. Experts suggest the reason behind this as, cats get enough salt
from the meat food.
5. Touch: Cats have touch receptors all over their body. These receptors are nerve cells that transfer sensations
of pain, pressure and temperature from any point to the brain. The nerve cells are concentrated mainly on their
front paws and face. The hair, covering body of cats, help them to stay alert even on the slightest touch of air
passing by.
Go to Cat and Kitten Zone to get your free ebook about Cats and Kittens at Cats Cat and Kitten Zone also has
information on Kittens, Cat Supplies and a Cat and Kitten Forum where you can connect with others who love cats
and kittens. You can Find Cat and Kitten Zone at http://www.catandkittenzone.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Marks

Furballs and your Cat

2008-06-03T21:08:00.001-07:00

Furballs and your Cat
Cats are notorious for being clean. To achieve their high need to be clean they spend a large part of their
everyday life grooming themselves. Grooming is done by licking its fur with a course brush. In this case the brush
is their tongue.
A cat's tongue is a rough surface which is comprised of many small bumps that are similar to barbs. The barbs are
called papillae that are made of keratin. Keratin is the same material that human fingernails are made of. The
barbs are arranged on the tongue and lean backs toward the back of the throat. When your cat rakes its tongue
against its fur these barbs are raised and form many backward type hooks. While these hooks are beneficial in
combing through the fur it also catches lose hairs which are then swallowed.
Some of this fur is passed through to the intestinal track but most of it can not be ingested by the cat. The main
reason cats can not readily pass the fur is because of a lack of fiber in their diet. Cats that suffer from a
fiber deficiency will have an accumulation of hair in the back of their throat or stomach. The only recourse a cat
has is to expel the hairball by throwing it up. These hairball episodes are preceded with gagging and retching.
The elimination of a hairball should be expected from time to time but if it is a regular occurrence it could be a
cause for concern. Cats that have many bouts with hairballs can develop a loss of appetite and become constipated.
Your first course of action should be to cut down on the amount of hair ingested by your kitty. Brushing your cat
will remove excessive hair. Short hair cats require 2 to 3 times of grooming per week while daily brushing might
be advantageous for a long haired cat.
Increase the amount of fiber your cat receives. There are commercial products as well as natural remedies that can
be tried. Specialized cat food and treats are available with the intent of reducing hairball build up. Some owners
supplement their cat's food with canned pumpkin. Grass is another form of fiber that can be tried. The grass comes
in a variety of types ranging from wheat, rye, and oat. These grasses can be purchased at pet stores. Please do
not use lawn grass that has been chemically treated as this can be dangerous to your pet's health.
If your cat is frequently expelling hairballs and is exhibiting a lack of appetite you should consider consulting
with your veterinarian. They will be able to determine if you cat is plagued by an under lying illness which needs
to be addressed.
The elimination of hairballs may be reduced greatly with a little help from you. It is well worth a try and it
will most certainly be a relief to you and your cat.
Jay Grey has owned and cared for his own pet cats for years. He is also owns and runs Cat Care Zone at
http://catcarezone.com/For a free mini-course about cats delivered directly to your email box visit:http://catcarezone.com/newsletter-home.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Grey

Senior Cat Care

2008-06-03T21:07:00.001-07:00

Senior cat care is either an easy situation or a very difficult situation for cats and owners. It can be easy if
proper monitoring of food, regular visits to the veterinarian and proper exercise have been ongoing habits. If
not, this time of the pets' life will be difficult for the senior cat and the owner, plus the vet bills will be
greater. Prevention is everything.
Most senior cat care health problems are due to improper care and lack of understanding of the reality of what
feline needs are. Obesity is the number one (1) health problem cats have to contend with.
How many times have we seen cats that should weigh 7 to 12 pounds look like they weigh 85 pounds? When these
owners are quizzed about this, they respond by saying that they don't want to be mean by depriving food from their
pet. They also feed them table food, this is not beneficial at all. Cats require a continual intake of very high
protein foods and table foods do not provide it. Like humans, an excess intake of the improper types of
carbohydrates makes them obese.
Kittens need to eat several times a day until they mature due to their stomach size. Proper senior cat care calls
for them to eat only twice daily. Pick up the food bowl after the morning feeding is over then set it out again
about 12 hours later. Start this practice immediately when kittens turn adolescent and they will always be used to
this schedule. Don't feel badly about this because the flip side is very detrimental to their health. Obesity adds
unnecessary tremendous stress on the heart, liver, bowels, and kidneys.
Senior cat care foods on the market today are designed specifically for proper nutrition and supplemental needs.
Everything is there in the food. Nothing else should be given. For cats that have problems with hairballs, buy the
bags of food that say "Hairball" on the packaging. The only hairball food my cats will eat is from Hills Science
Diet brand. You will be amazed as to how well this food works when you realize that you haven't seen hairballs in
a while.
Regular visits to your veterinarian are a must for senior cat care. Diseases will be recognized in their early
stages. The common diseases in felines are cancer, dental, bowel, kidney, lipidosis, anemia, diabetes, heart,
liver, bladder stones and arthritis.
Preventative care is essential to adding years to cats' life span. Your vet will let you know their recommended
frequency of visits.
Getting kittens used to fingers being in their mouth and continuing this practice throughout adulthood prepares
them for vet visits. Doctors and staff have to stick their fingers in there for examination purposes. You don't
want a biting cat, do you? You will really appreciate this when you have to force feed "pills" to them for senior
cat care medications. If tapeworm is present, the medication comes in pills.
The fun part of senior cat care is grooming long haired cats every day. Others need to be groomed twice a week.
Brush or comb in the opposite direction than the hair lays to help get down close to the epidermis and hair roots.
Grooming in this manner brings the hair oils to the parts of the hair that need it. You'll notice any fleas, lice,
mites or ticks' then thus enabling you to treat immediately and before it gets out of control. Grooming is the
perfect way to bond with your feline and your cat loves bonding in this manner because this is how it's done in
the wild.
Playing vigorously with indoor cats is important for senior cat care. This is the only time that they have a
chance to exercise and they sleep more soundly as a result.
Remember, weight management, proper foods & supplements, grooming, vigorous exercise and regular veterinarian
visits starting as kittens makes senior cat care easy.
By Drew Mezo
Drew Mezo has been a life-long owner and lover of family pets. Over the many years he has seen simple but common
mistakes with animal husbandry by friends and neighbors. These mistakes are made by first time pet owners and by
life-long pet owners. Drew gives good pointers that first time pet owners need to know before bringing a pet into
their lives. He has had just about every kind of pet imaginable living in his house.
Parakeets in captivity usually live only 2 to 6 years. Drew shows how they can realistically live for 15 years if
proper husbandry methods are followed.
There is more information on parakeets and others pets at http://www.drewspetcare.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Drew_Mezo

Cat Health and Cat Metabolism Information For the Best Cat Care

2008-06-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Cat lovers who own cats in their houses usually look after their grooming, feeding, or the training part. However,
understanding the metabolism of the cats is equally imperative, because it enables pet owners to know the
temperament, nature and the habits of their cats. Metabolism means ongoing of the physical as well as chemical
changes, which take place in the cat's body.
The metabolism of a healthy cat can be found by checking the glucose level in its blood. It has to be between 80
to 120 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).
Hence, cats need to take rest and tend to sleep a lot. Their sleeping durations are usually of 12 to 16 hours.
They do not sleep continuously for these many hours, instead they take short naps which together sum to 12 hours.
It helps them to conserve energy. Some cats sleep for much longer duration for about 20 hours in 24 hours.
Perhaps, this might be the reason why people refer to individuals who sleep more often as "having a cat nap".
Factors Of Metabolism:
Body temperature is the main factor of the cat's metabolism. The layer of fat beneath the skin protects it from
harsh winters. A body temperature of a typically healthy cat is within 38 to 39 degree Celsius. A cat is assumed
feverish if its body temperature is equal to 39.5 degree Celsius or greater than that. Moreover, if the body
temperature of the cat is lower than 37.5 degree Celsius, that cat is hypothermic.
Heart beat of the cat ranges from 140 -220 beats/minute. If the cat is on the hunting spree, its heart rate
becomes higher. Whereas, the heart beat of the cat in resting position is within 150-180 beats/minute.
Due to their frequent nocturnal nature, they often enter a stage of greater hyperactivity and liveliness. It
happens mostly in the evening times and, hence pet lovers refer to this phase as happy hour or mad hour or evening
craziness.
The temperament of the cats varies and depends on their breeds. Short and haired cats are usually skinnier and,
hence more energetic, whereas long haired cats and taller cats are heavier and inactive.
Overview:
Cats are carnivorous, so they have this unique capacity to metabolize protein in meat to sugar and carbohydrate.
Most people feed cats with dry feline diet, which is widely available in the market. Nevertheless, cat's
metabolism is such that, it converts the dry diet into carbohydrate, which is not good for their health.
Give them high protein diet such as meat-based food to make them active and healthy. One of the common problems
faced by many cat owners is, their cats eat a lot sometimes and at times, they do not eat at all. In such case,
people need to know that, it is just natural because cat's metabolism is equipped to "treat and crisis" cycle.
Therefore, if felines go without food for many days, people need not have to worry. Simply wait and the cats will
start eating, when hungry. Hence, this is all about cat metabolism.
Go to Cat and Kitten Zone to get your free ebook about Cats and Kittens at Cats Cat and Kitten Zone also has
information on Kittens, Cat Supplies and a Cat and Kitten Forum where you can connect with others who love cats
and kittens. You can Find Cat and Kitten Zone at http://www.catandkittenzone.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Marks