Health

Radial nerve paralysis is a common nerve injury in cats and dogs. The radial nerve is the largest nerve in the cat’s front leg. Paralysis of the radial nerve normally occurs when the cat receives a severe blow to her shoulder after being knocked down by a car. Other causes include tumours and excessive stretching of the brachial plexus. Symptoms… When the radial nerve is injured, the cat is…

Many diseases common to cats can be prevented in two ways: by keeping your cat indoors, and by having your cat vaccinated according to your veterinarian’s advice. Common feline illnesses include the ones which are mentioned here. Upper respiratory infections (URIs): These are similar in many ways to the common cold in humans and produce many of the same symptoms - sneezing, runny nose and eyes,…

The Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine, a major resource center in veterinary research, has found that cats exposed to second hand smoke are at increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth and malignant lymphoma.  The study reveals that the increased risk of mouth cancer was five times higher in cats living with smokers than in cats living with non-smokers. Yet higher risks occurred if…

The far truth of declawing is very painful. It involves amputating the last bone of each toe. Do you know that, if we compare it with humans, it is equivalent to cutting one’s finger off at the knuckles? Now you can imagine the pain inflicted to our adorable felines.

Summer heat is on…it is the time to protect our furry felines from getting a heat stroke. It could be life threatening and require prompt treatment. Here’s how to protect our kitties from scorching heat. Cats generally do not cope well with high temperatures and try to cool off themselves by licking. Some cats are more susceptible than others; these include short nosed breeds such as Persians,…

The journey begins... Walking down the road on the outskirts of Kalimpong, a hill-station in West Bengal, I was shocked to see two small children playing recklessly with a kitten. I realized that the problem had to be addressed at the core – too many kittens and too little understanding. Fortunately, I received an offer from the Animal Protection Network based in Sweden to help fund a cat ABC at…

Detecting illness in your cat Our furry angels can’t tell us where or when they hurt. In fact, many animals will try to mask pain or illness. That’s why it is extremely important that you get to know your cat’s regular habits and behaviours. Any deviation from his or her normal behaviour could indicate a problem with his or her health. Some symptoms and behaviours are obvious: diarrhea, vomiting,…

If your cat is clumsy, bumps into objects or sleeps excessively, she may be blind. Here’s more on cat blindness. Blindness is loss of vision in both eyes. Some cats become blind in one eye and some in both eyes. Your cat could be born blind or become blind due to age or illness. Blindness could also be a sudden or gradual. Gradual blindness is due to conditions like glaucoma, progressive retinal…

Ear infections can cause a lot of pain to your cat. So, here’s more about ear infections. Cat ear infections can be divided in Pinna and ear canal disease. Infections of the external ear canal, also called the outer ear, are common in dogs, but not very common in cats. This is called otitis externa. The Persian breed appears more prone to ear infections than other breeds of cats. Cats living in…

You can maintain your cat’s overall health in two important ways: 1) schedule an annual preventive visit (including shots and an examination) with your veterinarian as well as other visits as needed; and 2) perform daily home examinations-petting and health care go hand in glove. • Do a nose-to-tail checkup every time you cuddle with your cat on the couch. Call your veterinarian if you detect any…

People choose to declaw their cats for a number of reasons: some are frustrated with shredded drapes or furniture, some are worried about being scratched, and others simply feel that a declawed cat is easier to live with. In many cases, cats are declawed preemptively, as a part of a spay/neuter package offered by veterinarians, even before claw-related problems occur. Too often people believe that…

An ideal home should be a penetralia of peace and we all have dreams about it. It should be a place where you can retreat after a bad day at work. Let’s make our home purrfect for our felines as well. Here are a few ways to make life stress-free for our felines. Just like you, cats also need their own personal space. So, create a place, which your cat can claim as his very own. Your jetsetting…

While summers are the time to chill out, it is important to keep our felines cool. The cat’s normal body temperature is approx 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38.2 to 39.2 Celsius. If the outside temperature is hotter than this, then there is a high possibility that your cat may be susceptible to a heat stroke. But, a little love ‘n’ care can keep our felines cool and make summers enjoyable…

The population of cat lovers in India is increasing and people are welcoming the felines both in their hearts and homes. Here are a few kitten basics one should know to enjoy their companionship to the maximum: Bring the kitten home after she has been weaned from her mother. The socialization period of cat begins at about two weeks of age and ends at about eight weeks. Socialization can…

As cats are natural carnivores and are unlikely to willingly forego meat from their diet, it is advisable not to feed cat on vegetarian diet alone. In addition to Taurine, Arachidonic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Niacin, Thiamin and protein are the critical nutrients that should be ensured at adequate level in the diet of cat. Whilst cats may enjoy certain plant foods, vegetarian diets high in…

Spraying is a cat’s way of marking her territory. It is a natural and common behaviour in kitties, and also different from urination (relieving full bladder). But incase our fastidious kitties are spraying highly inside the house, then there’s a problem. Kitty cause! Kitties are just like kids; they want our attention and care all the time and hate sharing these with anyone. Seeing a stranger or a…

Kitty-cats are natural charmers and they can’t afford to look bad. Feline acne better known as cruddy chin and stud tail are common skin disorders in cats that spoil their eternal beauty and grace. Here’s some more about these disorders to make our readers aware about the same...so that, your kitty remains ravishing...forever! Cruddy chin Cruddy chin, as the name suggests is yellow, greasy…

Fur balls, medically called ‘Trichobezoar’, are thick matted tubes of fur that build up in a cat’s stomach or intestines. They occur because a cat continually licks her fur to remove dead hair from her coat or over groom herself or have excessive irritant coat loss. Cats of all age, sex and breed can be affected, it is most commonly found in the older, indoor overweight cat. Fur ball obstruction…

The extremely adorable cats are easy to maintain, who easily become lively and friendly members of our family. Dr. Kamaldeep Chaggar gives tips for easy maintenance of cats. Choosing a kitten Acquiring a kitten as a pet entails the responsibility of regular feeding and comfortable housing. It is always better to consider having two of them together as they love each other’s company. The interplay…