Health

Everyone who has ever pet parented a cat has experienced the horrible feeling of being awakened in the dead of night by the sound of the cat barfing. Here’s what you should know about cat vomiting. Kitty vomiting is never pleasant, but it’s not always an emergency either. Sometime it will be self-limiting and not life threatening, but sometimes dangerous and it is important to know which causes…

Unlike horses, you cannot tell the age of a cat by looking at his teeth although often the condition of the teeth will give you a better idea of how old a cat might be if you have not had him since he was a kitten. Let’s find out how. The teeth of adult cat Cats have thirty teeth – six sharp small incisors on the top and six below. On either side he has four large teeth and they are called…

Roundworm causes Toxocariosis in cats. Here is an alert to this dreaded disease. Toxocara cati, also known as feline roundworm, is a dreadful parasite that causes Toxocariosis among cats. Across various countries, eggs of these parasites are found in 2-90 percent soil samples and they are prone to spreading infection fast in high temperature and humid  tropical regions. Definitive hosts Cats are…

Your elderly cat can live a normal and happy life,  let’s see how. It is very fortunate that many diseases of the cat are now able to be controlled by modern vaccines and medications and therefore, more cats are living much longer than in the past. A great many cats are far more active than they were 10-15 years ago and they have lots of energy and are more active and it is not unusual for our…

Dehydration is a common problem in summers. Cats need to be hydrated at all times. Here’s how to keep yours fine in summers. A healthy cat should be sufficiently hydrated. Water replaces fluid lost through urine, feces and respiration and is essential to maintain appropriate health. It is interesting to know that 80 percent of a cat’s body weight is made up of water. Symptoms of dehydration…

What to feed your kitty and what not to feed her? Here are a few tips to follow while feeding your kitty. Never overfeed: The first and foremost strategy is not to overfeed your cat which can cause indigestion and hyperactivity. Feed small portions: Never feed your pet a large amount of food at a time. Frequent, small amount of lukewarm meal should be provided specially to the kittens who have…

If a cat or dog has some poison or object that doesn’t want in the body it endeavours to push the poison into the flesh surrounding the poison in an attempt to get rid of it. That’s how abscess formed. Let’s find out how to cure it in cats. Infections occur for a variety of reasons and we need to groom our cats on a regular basis and keep a close watch on the condition of the coat and skin so we…

Here are a few common health problems in cats, their causes and how pet parents can prevent them. 1. Constipation – This is the most common problems and very annoying for pet parents, because cat cries whole night trying to defecate. The reasons for constipation are lack of roughage in diet, worms and also excessive and tangled hairs in anal region. This problem can be solved at home easily by…

As cats are part of your family their well being is very important to keep them healthy, active and disease free. Some common food items to be avoided are listed below to prevent any complications in the metabolism. Onions: Giving onions to your cats can increase the chances of anaemia because it breaks down the RBCs inside cat’s body and it can also cause indigestion or stomach upset in most…

Environment and lifestyle have direct effect on the health of cat. Let’s minimise the negative effects on our kitties. Here’s how to give your kitty a right environment. Choosing right food for cat, which means food rich in omega fatty acids and antioxidants for cognitive brain development. Environmental enrichment of cat by incorporating a puzzle ball or maze during feeding so that cat can…

Fungal diseases in your kitty can not only be harmful to your cat, but to you as well. Here’s more on its treatment and prevention. What is a Sporotrichosis? It is a common fungal infection of cats caused by Sporothrix schenckii. It is an old fungal disease which was first detected in 1809 (Linck). The infection is highly zoonotic and is often transmitted to their pet parents. Sporothrix…

Administering medications in cats is a task – an art in itself. Here’s how to give medicines to your kitty. Medicines can be administered in cats in different ways – orally, tropically, sub-cutaneously, intra-muscularly, intra-venously,  sub-conjunctively, intramammary and per-rectaly. Orally in the form of liquid, pills, capsules & powders The best and easy way for giving medicine in cat is…

If your kitty has been urinating excessively or drinking a lot of water, it may be a warning sign, indicating diabetes. Follow us in our journey of what, how and why of feline diabetes. What is it? Starting with the basics, let’s understand what actually feline diabetes is. Diabetes is a disease that is caused either due to lack of insulin production or an inadequate response to the insulin…

Cats chew on plants as they are curious by nature and love to explore but even household plants can be toxic. Let’s kitty-proof our home. Many common indoor plants are quite toxic to pets. Assume all parts of the plant are poisonous,though some parts of the plant may have higher concentrations of the toxins than others. Symptoms to watch out: Most plants are irritants especially to the…

Cryptococcal infection in your kitty is harmful for both you and your pet. Here’s more on this fungal infection. What is a Cryptococcosis? It is the most common fungal infection in cats caused by yeasts, known as Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii. The yeasts were first detected in peach juice in Italy (1894). In cats they were confirmed as a disease producing agent in 1952. The yeasts…

Dental disease is the most commonly diagnosed medical problem of felines, based on a recent survey of 14,000 cats in the United States. Let’s see its causes and timely treatment.  Many people might ask themselves, truly, what kind of impact having even minor dental disease would have on their cats? Dental disease can have a significant effect on the general and breeding health of any afflicted…

Purffect Hearing Hearing is a vital part of a cat’s hunting arsenal. A feline’s hearing is incredible and far superior. They can hear high frequency sounds better than either humans or canines. Humans can hear frequencies up to 20000 Hz, dogs to about 45000 Hz and cats to 64000 Hz. Cats can localise high frequency sound sources that are only three inches apart from three feet away! A cat up to…

The most common cause of skin disease in cats is generally caused by fleas. Often skin diseases are seasonal and fleas are most active in summer and autumn. Here’s how to take care of fleas in your felines. Watch out for... The moment you see your cat scratching and chewing at her coat, immediately check, thoroughly, for fleas or flea dirt. If you see a cat who has sores or damp areas, then eczema…

In the last issue, we learnt about the various heart diseases in cats. Here are few FAQs about the same. Mark D Kittleson, DVM, PhD, one of the foremost researchers on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), was asked a series of questions trying to sort out this disease and what it means for breeders. Excerpts: Q: At what age in males and females can this disease 'actually' be diagnosed? Mark: In…

Even cats can be dehydrated, especially in the summer season. Here's how to prevent dehydration in kitties. Some facts… A healthy cat should be sufficiently hydrated. Water replaces fluid lost through urine, faeces and respiration and is essential to maintain appropriate health. It is interesting to know that 80 percent of a cat's body weight is made up of water. The amount of water your cat…