Archive for the ‘Cat Care’ Category

The biggest complaint of cat owners is due to having a cat that suddenly decides he doesn’t want to eliminate in his litter box. Besides the smell, there is the added cost of ruined rugs and the embarrassment when visitors stop by. Cats are, however, naturally clean animals and you will need to do some investigating to see what is going on that may have changed this habit.

The first reason cats stop using their litter box is cleanliness. How often do you clean the box? While one cat may tolerate once a day, others may insist the box be cleaned each time they use it. In the latter case, it might help if you can invest in a self-cleaning litter box. If cost is an issue, then try cleaning the box more often and see if this helps.

Have you recently changed litter brands? Most cats prefer the brand they are used to. This doesn’t have to be the most expensive; some actually prefer the cheaper brands. If you find a litter that seems to make your cat happy, stick with it.

A more important reason a cat may stop using his litter box is illness. A visit to the vet to have your cat checked for possible urinary track infection could be in order. A cat with this infection may feel pain upon elimination and associate that pain with the litter box.

Keeping in mind that most cats will not stop using a litter box once trained should make it easier for you to understand. Find the cause by eliminating things one by one. Both you and your cat will be happier for the effort. He stays out of trouble and you benefit by a cleaner-smelling house and nice carpet.

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Possibly the single biggest cause of cats not using the litter box is a medical condition called Feline Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Your cat often may not display outward symptoms of discomfort and pain early on. It’s only after your kitty feels significant pain, time and time again, that she stops using her litter box because she associates her urinary pain with the cat litter box. However, there are a few signs you should be on the lookout for. While none of us really want to watch our kitty use the litter box, it’s a good idea to observe her a couple times a week. This way, you can separate normal litter box behavior and habits from those that indicate something is not quite right.

First, we are looking to see if our cat cries or howls in obvious pain while she’s urinating. If this is the case, run, don’t walk to the phone, and call your vet immediately!

Next, even if kitty does her business in silence, look at the urine ball (or puddle) before she buries it. If you see any tinge of red or pink – get your cat to the vet as fast as you can, because she definitely has a UTI in full bloom.

After she uses the box and covers her business, if she licks her genitals excessively, and meows, you can be pretty sure she has a feline UTI. Particularly if you see this behavior coupled with “accidents” around the house, you can be pretty certain you are dealing with a UTI.

A few minutes now can save both you and your cat discomfort later. By knowing what is normal for her, you will be able to catch any problems early and get the UTI cleared up before it becomes too uncomfortable.

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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 they can be treated with medicine, worms can prove to be fatal if they are left untreated.

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. Although it can be rather disgusting in the end, most cats can dislodge hairballs without any problems.

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 also a common health problem with 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 suspect that your cat has a urinary tract infection, you should take him to the 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. To treat the disease, your cat will need to be given the shot before he or she is 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 your cat has feline leukemia, you should never allow other cats around him, as the virus is highly contagious.

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. Although some health problems can’t be avoided, most of them can. 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.

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Many people have a strong opinion as to whether or not they should neuter their kitty. There are those who have kittens who think it’s a dreadful idea to take the possibility of having kittens away from their kitten – or can’t begin to imagine why they have to consider something like that about a tiny little kitty. Then there are those who don’t have cats and think all cats should be neutered and so get a reputation for not liking cats.

The truth of the situation is that unless you want your kitty to have, or father, kitties of its own, you really need to consider neutering your kitten as soon as possible. Many people think that they have to wait until their queen kitty goes through her first “heat” cycle. This isn’t the case. She”ll be just fine if you get her done as soon as her system is mature enough to cope. Usually this is around 5 months old. If you wait and she has that cycle, be prepared for the loudly serenading “beaus” who come “calling” at 2am!

Neutering your kitten early means that they are less likely to have much reaction to the operation at all – as with humans, the young are more adaptable to their situations. Within a couple of hours of surgery, a neutered kitten is likely to be back on his feet and wobbling in the direction of his supper! He will wash and wash at the stitches until you are terrified that he will wash them out, and you”ll take some preventative measure to ensure that nothing happens to them overnight! By the next day kitty should be swinging once again from your curtains.

Topaz

Topaz

Although most cat owners can see the advantage of neutering their queen, not many realize that by neutering a tom, they not only stop him from populating the local area with off-spring, but they will take that ‘tom cat” smell away. The urine of a neutered tom cat usually smells less intrusive that that of a non-neutered one.

Regardless what some people may think, neutering your kitten isn’t a negative thing. If anything you are liberating your cat to go out into the world, confident that it’s not going to be helping to populate

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Neuter Your Kitty Sooner Rather Than Later